The Cabes In France: Time to Catch Up!

A photo Matthew and me from Steve and Margo's wedding.

It has been a really long time since my last blog! Sorry! The main reason is that I spent a little over 3 weeks in the US. I had a great trip home, and it was great to see family and friends. I even got to go to 2 Clemson games while I was home (although during the 1st one, we were evacuated from the seats because of lightning, and I sat through the 2nd game in the pouring rain). While I was home I also took a ton of photos! Here are few of my favorites from the photo sessions.

The first shoot I had was with my dad for Operation: Love ReUnited. My dad is a volunteer photographer for Operation: Love ReUnited, a non-profit foundation of photographers who help deploying or returning soldiers and their families capture images to remember their time together before or after a deployment. Dad was contacted by Kris, whose husband is serving in Afghanistan. Kris was around 28 weeks pregnant and her husband had yet to see pictures of her pregnancy. Dad and I met Kris in downtown Greenville for a very special maternity shoot.

I also met a friend, Stephanie, and her beautiful family, in the Botanical Gardens in Clemson for some fall photos. Unfortunately the leaves did not understand that I was only home for a few weeks, and decided not to change colors according to my time line. Oh well!

I also met MaryAnn and Marcus in downtown Greenville for a maternity shoot. The baby is due December 22. Luckily Matthew and I will be home for Christmas this year, and we can't wait to meet the little one!

One Saturday (when there wasn't a Clemson game), Dad and I met some very close friends for a post-wedding photo shoot. Clint and Cherie got married in July, and unfortunately Matthew and I weren't able to fly back for the wedding. I am shooting my first solo wedding here in France next summer, so Clint and Cherie agreed to get dressed back up and let me "practice" on them. The weather was absolutely perfect, and I think they enjoyed taking some relaxed photos, since this time they didn't have to worry about all of their wedding guests waiting for them at the reception!

Here are a few of my favorites from Dad's camera:

I also had the joy of photographing a 6 day old newborn, the daughter of some close friends. Sweet little Amelia was just perfect. She wasn't sure about the whole "photo shoot in her birthday suit" thing, but once we put the tutu on, she really turned on the charm!

One of the main reasons for this trip to the US was to tie it in with a trip to Pittsburgh for one of Matthew's college roommate's wedding. Steve and Margo have such a cool story. Steve spent a semester studying abroad in Australia. The same semester, Margo was studying in New Zealand. During a break from school, Steve headed to New Zealand and ran into Margo while hiking. Margo was with a group of girls, one of whom Steve knew from Clemson. It was destiny! The wedding was about an hour outside of Pittsburgh at The Barn at Falling Water. Although it rained up until the morning of the wedding, the weather cooperated just in time for a gorgeous outdoor wedding.

The Barn at Falling Water.

Margo was such a beautiful bride!

Such a magical place for an outdoor ceremony.

Margo and her sister found this door at a salvage store, stripped it down, painted it, and distressed it. The florist created an amazing wreath, and Voila! Such a neat idea for a backdrop for an outdoor wedding.