Gretchen & Stuart's Wedding (Biloxi, Mississippi Beach Wedding Photography)

I am so excited about what I have to share today! I've been anticipating my first wedding photography experience for a few months now, and I must admit that there was a lot of anxiety involved.  No more! Gretchen and Stuart's wedding was the PERFECT first wedding for me. It was some of the most fun I've had in a long time, and I feel so honored that I got to be the one to document this wonderful event. I should have known it would be a relaxed and down-to-earth occasion--after all, it took place at Shaggy's! What better place could there be for a chill, beachy celebration?!

Its location right next to the lovely South Beach Hotel was perfect, too. Gretchen and Stuart's guests traveled from near and far (Scotland!) for their wedding, and I'm sure they were not disappointed by the accommodations. 

I had so much fun playing with all the accessories when I got to the bride's suite--especially her fabulous "something blue" shoes! (Don't worry: my lovely assistant/husband Alex was standing by to make sure I didn't drop one of them off the balcony into the pool.)

Aren't the dresses and flowers gorgeous? Rachael at Pine Hills did such a beautiful job with the bouquets. And how convenient that the outside wall was so precisely color-coordinated! 

The "getting ready" shots were some of my favorites to capture. Such excited anticipation! With just a little help from hairspray, bobby pins, and the hair-styling magic of Laura from Todd Boswell Salon, everyone looked gorgeous.

Including the groom! Check out the kilt and tartan on this handsome Scot!

He was so excited to see his STUNNING bride! Their "first look" on the balcony was such a sweet moment. I'm not naming any names, but there may have been a few tears shed. ;) 

     See how happy this new family is?! Their joy really was contagious. I still can't look at these without smiling. :)

Did I mention that Gretchen & Stuart have a quirky sense of humor? Despite being a tad overdressed, they wanted their affection for Waffle House to play a role on their big day! It was hilarious. 

Off to the beach!

I had been nervous about doing portraits in the open sunlight, but the good Lord answered my prayers, moving some clouds in front of the sun to create this soft, diffused light. Such a perfect setting for these joyful smiles. 

Such a beautiful wedding party! I could have taken pictures of them in this spot all day.

But of course, it was time for the main event!

The ceremony was thoughtfully planned by Gretchen and Stuart. I loved that the amazingly talented bagpiper, J. B. Griffith, led the processional for the entire family. 

It's rare for wedding ceremonies to be this meaningful. Amid the graceful officiating of Jean from After the Proposal, both families exchanged blessings, and Gretchen and Stuart shared beautifully-written personal vows. They drank from a common quaich (a fancy Scottish cup) to symbolize sharing the "cup of life" for the rest of their lives, and the best man tied a tartan around their hands to symbolize their unity.

The bride and groom spent a few very special moments alone (well, except for me) on the beach to take in the monumental joy of becoming husband and wife.

Then it was time to party!

Their adorable first dance...

...was followed by LOTS of good food and drinks.

And seriously fun fellowship. There really was love all around. 

DJ Grant Garrigues kept the tunes comin', and this crowd was full of impressive dance moves!

Everyone was having so much fun dancing that the couple almost forgot to toss the bouqet and garter, but the single folks were ready to catch! 

I loved that there were so many people enthusiastically lining up to participate in this tradition. I don't blame them for wanting to "catch" what these newlyweds have! It is real love, and I feel blessed to have captured it in these images. Congratulations, you two! Thanks for inviting me into your love story.

Uninvented Colors Photography is now booking 2014 weddings, but my next couples have big (blue) shoes to fill. :)

Natalie's Senior Portraits

Last week, I had the pleasure of capturing some lovely senior portraits of Natalie, who is graduating from high school next month. I loved sharing in the excitement about her upcoming graduation. Such a fun time!

 Isn't she beautiful?

 We let her boyfriend, Zack, in on the fun, too!

I'd been eyeing this yellow wall with the magenta curtains for ages, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it in a portrait shoot. This was it! Natalie's red hair and fun chevron dress fit so perfectly with this warm color scheme!

Then again, the green background really brings out her eyes.

By the way, if Natalie looks familiar, it might be because you saw her equally gorgeous older sister's engagement photos on my blog, too! 

Can you tell I had fun with this shoot?

And that I had a hard time choosing just a few favorite shots for this blog post? ;)

Can you really blame me? Look at this beauty!

Interested in your own portrait shoot? Let me know! 

Engagement Photography: Hannah & Anthony (Pass Christian, Mississippi)

I think I'm officially in love with engagement sessions. I had the pleasure of photographing Hannah and Anthony last weekend in beautiful Pass Christian. I had a pretty good feeling when I spotted this huge wisteria bush in full bloom, and it only got better when this gorgeous couple arrived in their perfectly coordinated blue/aqua ensemble. Did they read my mind? Do they know my love for cool colors? It was almost as if we'd carefully planned a way to perfectly match my logo with this photo. How beautiful are they?! 

We were off to a great start, and the goodness kept going. These two rocked it!  We had tons of fun playing in the dappled light of ancient trees on vacant lots. 

And then we headed to the park, where Hannah and Anthony were unfazed by the need to dodge pogo-stick-hopping boys and the prom-goers who were hogging the gazebo.

We took a little stroll downtown...

...and then headed across the road to the harbor. 

And what better way to conclude an afternoon of celebrating love than with a long walk on the beach?

If you're getting married soon, I'd love to talk with you about creating the perfect engagement photography session for you and your love! 

Just Another Day in Paradise

I took a particularly peaceful walk along front beach last weekend, and I am re-living it again today as I add some of the photos to my shop. 

Living at the beach isn't so bad. :)

Photo Op Firsts

As promised, I'm back to share some shots from a couple of recent photo ops. First, there was the very unexpected wintry weather! I never thought I'd get a "snow day" while living on the Gulf Coast, but we ended up with three days off work because of the ice that enveloped us a couple of weeks ago! It was a fun sight to behold.

Unfortunately, the crazy weather also foiled my husband's plans to travel to San Antonio for a presentation at a conference for his work. I had planned to meet him on the last day of the conference so that we could spend the weekend with our friends the Cokes (remember them?), but I ended up going without him. It was a bummer, but I still made the best of my first-ever trip to Texas!

So many new images to edit and share! Only one of these has made it into my Etsy shop, but I hope to make time to list more soon. Which ones would you like to see there?

Lots of new prints in my Etsy shop!

I have so much catching up to do! For now, let's start with a run-down of all the new photos in my shop--there are lots! Most of them were taken with the awesome 50mm lens I got for Christmas (thanks, Alex!) In fact, this was one of the very first pictures I took with it on Christmas morning. A wide aperture, manual focus, and Christmas lights created this wonderful abstract bokeh beauty.

Speaking of wonderful new things, Alex and I took advantage of a fabulous end-of-year furniture sale in New Orleans, so naturally I took some pictures on our walk to lunch after our shopping day. We were way too hungry to stand in the crazy-long line for Felix's, but I took a picture of the sign anyway. :)

Then there was a wonderful solitary walk around the neighborhood (with my new lens, of course). I cut my leg tripping over some kind of thorny vine on my way to this field of weeds (or as I prefer to say, wildflowers), but it was worth it. Can you tell how obsessed I am with my new f1.8 capability? Shallow depth of field makes everything look so dreamy, don't you think?

This one's in the backyard. I love how it's hard to tell whether this is a photo or a painting or whether it's a reflection on water or the real thing. 

Then.... it got cold. Too cold for leisurely outdoor photography fun. So I resorted to re-visiting old shots that hadn't been edited or listed but deserved to be. My dreams of warmer weather led me to this photo of an umbrella at the beach last summer on the Outer Banks. 

And this live oak tree shot from my visit to Oak Alley, also this past summer. These gnarly branches really speak to me.

I hope I can keep the new stuff flowing into the shop at this rate! Stay tuned for some lovely images from (1) the freakish ice storm we had on the coast last month, and (2) my trip to San Antonio! 

Brown Family Portrait Session

This year, for Christmas, I gave each of my grandmothers (and my grandmother-in-law) a stack of photos of Alex and me throughout the year. They were a hit! A couple of days later, while I was still in Kentucky, I got a message from Blake, asking if I could capture some portraits of her children while her niece, Emily, was in town... as a surprise for grandmother! How perfect! Happily, I got back to the Gulf Coast just in time to make it happen. I've always had a soft spot for Morgan, the adorable and sweet 3rd grader who I've taught in Sunday School, but it turns out that the rest of the Brown family is loads of fun, too! We had a great time downtown and at the Gulf Islands National Seashore Park documenting this sweet family togetherness. 

I hope this grandmother is as pleased as mine were! :)