Addilay Photography

Jessica & Shane

2010-12-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of attending and documenting one of the most most beautiful weddings I've ever been to. Jessica and Shane were married in Big Canoe, GA. The drive from Florida into the mountains of North Georgia made for a very exciting and interesting (as we were lost for hours at one point) weekend. By we, I mean, she & me. Who is she?? You know, the fabulous Julie of Julie Cate Photography, one of the bestest friends a girl could ever ask for!

So back to the wedding, Big Canoe was everything a fall-loving, romantic could ever ask for. It made for a gorgeous backdrop to Jessica & Shane's mid-November nuptials.

I met Jessica and Shane a little over a year ago when Brandon & I shot their engagement photos at Grand Boulevard and Village of Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin. In that short amount of time that we got to spend with them shooting their engagements, I got a glimpse into who they are individually and together. Shane is so easy going, polite, and obviously so in love with his bride. I watched the way he looked and listened as she spoke about how they met and how over the moon she was about becoming engaged to the love of her life. Jessica is kind, sweet, and gorgeous and all in an effortless way. Jessica is the kind of girl that you love to love, because really, she is genuinely that awesome. Together they are a sweet, fun couple that you could imagine having a great time doing something crazy and adventurous OR having an equally great time sitting out by a lake fishing and talking about what their future is going to be like.

So on a cool, Georgia fall afternoon, Ms. Johnson married Mr. Robinson and here are the beautiful pictures to prove it;) Jess & Shane, you guys are so special. I wish you nothing but the best and cannot wait to see all of the amazing things you guys do together. Enjoy the flashback!
xxx's-
Susan

Becky + Scott

2010-11-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

Last month I got to go up to Baltimore to shoot an engagement shoot for a really sweet, cute couple, {Becky + Scott}! So how in the world did I end up going all the way to Baltimore for an engagement shoot you may ask?? Well it just so happens that Becky + Scott are great friends with another couple that we've shot in the past {The Houston's}! We spent the afternoon at {Fell's Point} in downtown Baltimore talking, laughing, getting to hear about Scott's love for Bama football, and most importantly shooting some sweet moments of Becky+Scott. Here are some of my favorites...it was hard to pick...B+S, you guys were a pleasure to work with! You two are so sweet and are a great match for each other. We wish you lots of happiness and joy in your upcoming marriage.

Jenn + Joel

2010-10-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my partner in crime;) and I got to shoot one of my favorite couples: Jenn + Joel! J+J got married on a beautiful late summer afternoon surrounded by friends, family, and parents that adore them. It was the kind of wedding where you leave and say, what a perfect night. Here are a few shots from their wedding:

Jenn's mom helping into her dress

I love the anticipation in Jenn's face here as she's waiting to go to the ceremony and you can see her dad standing behind her. Such a sweet picture

Pretty Little details

Jenn and her pretty girls

Jenn and her sweet parents

Jenn in the mock photobooth

Jenn+Joel--you are such a sweet couple and I'm so glad I was able to be part of your special day! I cannot wait to see all of the great things that you guys will do together.
Hugs and best wishes!
Susan

Aleksa

2010-08-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I got to spend some time snapping photos of Aleksa, a c/o 2011 senior! aleksa is such a sweet, smart girl! We spent the afternoon talking about what she wants to major in (engineering, natch--see I told you she was a smartie;), where she wants to go to school (she had an academy interview the day before our shoot--wow), and what she'll be up to this year (i think she said something like 4 or 5 AP classes?? Not sure but whatever it was, I was very impressed!).

Here are a few of aleksa pictures--hope you all like! aleksa, good luck this year, you are going to do great!
susan

Mr. + Mrs. Moline

2010-07-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

Last month I had the pleasure of photographing (with the fabulous Ms. Juliecate) Pauline + Nick's wedding out on Navarre Beach. P+N came all the way from Indiana to get married at the beach and have a quaint brunch afterwards at Nick's family beach house. The couple was beautiful, the day was gorgeous, and the families were joyous in celebrating the new union! Here are a few pictures from the day!

Awwww Mondays....

2010-06-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

do mondays ever make you want to bury your head under the covers and not peak out until tuesday? do they ever make you regret that you did not savor every last minute of the weekend? mondays have always been the bane of my existence! like i seriously do not like mondays! Okay, well, that might be a bit dramatic...I can almost hear brandon say, "but i thought {you could literally insert a multitude of slightly irritating things...: people who wear their sunglasses in walmart, that weird cable access t.v. show with people making "music videos," people who talk during movies, etc. } was the bane of your existense??" well yes, I do find all of those other things to be annoying too but there is just something about mondays. today was different though, I woke up this morning and instead of throwing my usual 4 year old temper tantrum about the fact that it was monday, I sprung out of bed and ran to the computer room full of excitement to once again review the pictures I had taken from the weekend.

i had such a great weekend that all got kicked off with a great photography workshop I went to in Rosemary Beach (i'll have to post on this later), my little brother turned 18 and graduated high school {tear...}, i got to see my best friend whom I hadn't seen in a little over a year (!), i had a great mini shoot with her and her husband and brandon and i Saturday night, and then we also shot a gorgeous wedding sunday morning.

me and my camera, we had a frenaissance this last weekend. i woke up this morning with a renewed love and passion for photography--so much so that it's like it's like I forgot that it was monday.
happy monday everybody!

Julie (and her husband James) of {Juliecate Photography}

Senior 2010 sneak peak

2010-05-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

I have the biggest smile on my face as I type up this post...the reason being?? This particular senior is my baby brother! My brother James is graduating in just a few short weeks and I can barely believe it...it seems like just yesterday that he was a baby and I helped to change his diapers...feed him his bottle...take him for walks in his stroller! This is a cute {cute's probably not the best word to describe a picture of a guy..errrr... i'll go with "awesome"} little picture that we snapped of James this last weekend at his school. Oh and the other shot is a picture that we did for him because he said he wanted one that looked like an "Under Armour" ad. Oh those crazy kids. ;)

Anyway, more to come from this shoot soon. Happy early graduation James!
love you-
Susan

Update

2010-04-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

Wow...it's been a while. World's WORST blogger here...;)Things have been pretty busy around here but as I was working on photos tonight I remembered that I had quickly snapped a photo of a couple that I met with last month and thought i'd share. Pauline + Nick are getting married at a cute little beach house on the Gulf in June and me and my photo partner in crime {juliecate} will be capturing their big day. Anyway- this is the cute couple. They are super sweet and I cannot wait for their wedding!

Well- here's hoping to posting again tomorrow...I actually have a really sweet "Save the Date" that another one of our couple's sent us that I need to post on. So stay tuned for that;)
S

Save the Date

2010-04-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

**I meant to post this 2 weeks ago- but I finally got around to gettng a picture of J+J's Save the Date. Thanks again for sharing this you guys- it's so awesome!!

So i's been a while since we've posted...and those of you who know us know about all of the crazy, EXCITING things that have been going on in our lives this year!! Because of these new things that are happening with us we are really not going to be doing much photography this year but there are still a few special things we are working on- one of those things being Jenn + Joel's upcoming nuptuals:) I LOVE when I get to see what couples do with the pictures that we take of them and this special treat arrived in our mail box yesterday (see below). I LOVE the way this turned out. It's classic and elegant- very much like Ms. Jenn! Thanks for sharing this with us you guys!
Susan

Jennifer + Joel Engagement

2010-02-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

Last month Brandon and I got to meet with the lovely Jennifer + Joel at Ft. Barrancas in Pensacola. It had been at least 15 years since I had been out there and was so excited that J+J had chosen such a unique locale for their engagement shoot! Here's a sneak peak from their shoot. :) Have a great weekend!
S
P.S. Don't forget to click on the image to blow it up!

Jennifer is absolutely gorgeous!

Jessica+Shane Engagement

2010-01-20T19:07:00.000-08:00

All the way back in December {which literally feels like forever ago!} Brandon and I got to meet up with Jessica+Shane for their engagement shoot at Grand Boulevard. Jessica+Shane are from Atlanta and we met them through one of our all time favorite couples Caitlin+Brandon H. I was so excited to finally meet them because I had heard so much about them from the H's- and everything they said was true! They are such a sweet, loving, and fun couple; definitely the type of couple that you would want to have as friends. So here are a few pictures from their shoot. This particular day was so, so cold and the sun was blaring. It made for a tough shoot but I am in love with the colors of the images and Jessica and Shane looked so great in the clothing colors they picked out! Jessica+Shane, thanks for letting us shoot your enagagement shoot. It was such a pleasure to get to know you guys, even if it was for only a short amount of time:)
xxx's-
susan
As always...click on the pictures to blow them up:)

Woman of Style II

2009-11-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back I started a post that I am calling "Woman of Style." It's simple. It's inspiring (okay, in a shallow girly, fashion type way;)and it allows me to pick the brains of some of the most stylish girls I know! This time I asked my friend Beth to be my Woman of Style and I was SO excited to get the responses from her questions back. A little back story on Beth, she's a musician with an AMAZING voice and mad guitar playing skills. I met her almost 10 years ago and she's the one who set Brandon and I up on a blind date! Needless to say, I think she's absolutely fabulous! She's always so well put together and looks like she belongs in a fashion magazine. And the best thing about Beth's style?? She's totally into a bargain--who doesn't like a girl like that?!! Beth gives great tips and I'm thrilled to share with ya'll:)
Enjoy!

You have such great skin, what do you do to take care of it? (cleanser, moisturizer, etc…)
For most of my life I have used ivory or dove white bar soap to cleanse my face. It’s cheap and works well even with my drier skin. I use Nutive organic extra virgin coconut oil for a moisturizer. This isn’t something you’d find in the moisturizer section of Wal-Mart, but rather the cooking oil section of Publix. I like it because it has no added chemicals, keeps my skin soft, and one jar lasts me about a year for my face and body. It may seem oily when first applied, but quickly soaks into the skin.
Your style is very unique, where do you get inspiration from?
I am most definitely a style copycat. I take my cues from magazines, celebrities, movies, and random people on the street. Once I see something I like, I just try to mimic it as best as my budget allows. I am unbiased in where I shop, so if I find the black and white striped long sleeve shirt I’ve been looking for at Wall-mart or K-mart, so be it. I’m not looking for staying power in fashion trends. Fashion changes so often, I save the big bucks for items that I’ll be using for the next few years. For instance, my black fitted pea coat from Guess.
The color of your eyes are so striking and you always play them up with a great smoky eye! Where did you learn the technique and what kind of makeup would you recommend for someone wanting to try out some new looks on a budget?
Well, any of the techniques I use for eye makeup have come from searching looks on YouTube. They have great tutorials on how to do a smoky eye and in different color variations. Not to mention, if there is a particular actresses eye makeup I like, they have tutorials that will mimic the style. For instance, I loved Kristen Stewart’s smoky eye from 2008 MTV music awards, so I searched YouTube and found a tutorial. As far as the best, MAC has the best selection of colors for eye shadows and is definitely worth the money, but if you’re going for a cheaper brand, Revlon’s ColorStay 12 Hour Eye Shadow in Sultry Smoke and Revlon’s ColorStay eyeliner in black, are what I use.

You are quite the lipstick connoisseur, what is your favorite lip product?
If you’re looking for longevity, it would be Cover girl Outlast all day lip color. It really does stay on all day and they have a large selection of colors. Also, the top coat that comes with it is a great lip moisturizer on it’s own. However like most lip stains, it does dry the lips some, so I wouldn’t recommend it for someone with dry chapped lips. My favorite all around lip product is, Neutrogena’s Lip Sheers. It goes on and feels like Chap Stick, it’s glossy but not sticky, it smells good, and the colors aren’t’ too overpowering. Also, it’s an SPF, so it’s fine to wear to the beach in the summer.
What is your most coveted fashion piece/accessory?
I would say my most coveted fashion piece would be a thin black military styled jacket I got in Atlanta about 3 years ago. It was more than I would have normally spent, but I fell in live with its simple style, and it’s the perfect fit and cut. I’m not really sure that anyone covets it, but I know I get a lot of people asking where I bought it and how much they like it. I love it because it’s simple, unique, and has stayed in style for the last 3 years.
Best cheer up…a good meal or a great day of shopping?
Great day of shopping most definitely! Of course, this must include an iced coffee beverage and my IPod set too my favorite tunes:)

Mr. & Mrs. Houston part 2

2009-11-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back we got to shoot Caitlin and Brandon's wedding out in Sandestin. They were married on beautiful, Crystal Beach and had their reception at the Destin Culinary Center. Words cannot express how much Brandon and I have come to love Caitlin and Brandon! We met them over a year ago when they booked us to shoot their engagement and wedding and in that time we have gotten to know them (me especially since Caitlin and I talk almost everyday at work!)and they are such a sweet and fun couple! Their wedding was not only a celebration of their love for each other but a celebration of the love that they have for their families and their friends. Ya'll, your wedding is one we will remember always. You guys are back from Hawaii now (for an amazing recap on their honeymoon-check out Caitlin's blog and I'm so excited for you guys to switch gears from wedding planning to domestic bliss;)! Enjoy a few more picture from your wedding, these are some of our favorites! We got to shoot a couple of B&C at their B&B the morning after and they look so much in love, I LOOOVE these pictures!

Garter toss!

Mr. & Mrs. White

2009-10-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

This last weekend our good friends Austin and Beth met Brandon and I at Baytowne Wharf to snap a few pictures of us for our five year anniversary. It was such a great surprise to me (since B did not let me in on the secret until we had gotten to Baytowne). During the shoot we turned the camera on A+B for a few fun little shots. Just to give you some insight into these two...#1- they did not come dressed up for this- they both have a unique fashion sense and could have an impromptu photo shoot any day of the week. #2- They are both musicians so we never had to prompt them to do anything. We pointed the camera in their direction and it's like they turned into professional models...it definitely makes a photographers job easy. Here are the links for A+B's musical projects: Austin&Beth
Thanks again guys!
S

5 Year Anniversary Wrap up!!

2009-10-27T18:55:00.001-07:00

This last Friday was our 5th anniversary and what a great weekend of celebrating it was! I was fortunate enough to be off all last week and I took that time to study for a test I had to take early Saturday morning. So instead of celebrating on Friday night (when I knew i'd need a lot of rest) we celebrated on Saturday. I should mention one of my favorite parts of the weekend though was when we exchanged gifts on Friday and had a peice of the top layer of our wedding cake that I had re-created (flowers and all!), that was so special! So anyway, i'm such a horrible story teller...Brandon told me that he had some special stuff planned for Saturday and that when I got home from my test that I needed to hurry up and get gussied up quick like. So I raced home got a shower and threw on my new Express bandage dress, black Nina heels, and wrap (because it was a brisk 55 degrees outside). So where did we go?? Brandon took me to Baytowne Wharf and our awesome friends Austin and Beth met us there to take pictures of us! It was so much fun and that is what I really, REALLY wanted for our anniversary (not that my new ring wasn't highly appreciated!!!). Ironically, Brandon and I have very few pictures of the two of us together. I am including some of the pictures that A+B took of us and will blog some of the pictures that we took of them tomorrow! After our photo shoot at Baytowne we went to a special dinner in Pensacola at our favorite restaurant, Jackson's. YUMMM-O!
So another anniversary down and another year that I can say that I love my husband even more than the day we got married. I wouldn't have thought that possible on our wedding day five years ago but it's true and it makes me even more excited about what our future holds. Have a lovely evening blogland, it's time I go catch up with my hubby before bed!
SC

Sneak Peak of C+B's Wedding

2009-10-19T08:29:00.001-07:00

This last weekend Brandon and I got to document Caitlin + Brandon's wedding which took place at Crystal Beach in Destin. The day was absolutely GORGEOUS! It was a little cold...a little windy...and Caitlin was...more than a little sick...however by the smile on her face I don't think anyone could have thought the day was anything BUT perfect. I have SO much to say about this last weekend but I will save it for my next blog post on this wedding. There are a TON of amazing pictures that we will be sharing with you all. In the mean time we want to share a few (Caitlin needs some pictures for her facebook;)! C+B, we love you guys. Enjoy!
oh...don't forget to click on the picture to make it larger:)

I LOVE this picture of Caitlin!

Brandon hanging out with his guys before the ceremony...

My Brandon caught this sweet picture of Caitlin during the ceremony stealing a glance at her soon to be husband...

Mr.& Mrs. Houston taking their first steps as man and wife!

This was the rather large (18!) bridal party hamming it up for us after the ceremony;)

This is one of my Brandon's favorites of all time. The father daughter dance that brought Caitlin and her papa to tears...

And because Caitlin + Brandon are truly the coolest...they let us come shoot them the morning after at their wedding night hideaway, the beautiful Henderson Beach Inn.

Woman of Style

2009-10-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

Some of of my favorite things about being a girl is makeup, fashion, accessories...and I am lucky enough to have some great girlfriends in my life who are amazing at putting these elements together. Nobody accessorizes better than my sister in law...my friend Beth is a makeup genius...my bff Alicia makes looking classic and chic absolutely effortless...and my bff julie is a risk taker with her black, black eyes and the gutsiest pixie hair cut ever. These girls inspire me. They are one of the biggest reasons I love taking pictures of people. This weekend we are shooting Caitlin and Brandon's wedding in Sandestin. Caitlin is another girl in my life that has this amazing style, the kind of style that makes you jealous and envious but all in a good way. I asked Caitlin a few questions recently about her beauty routine so that I could share it with all of you. Thank you Caitlin for being such a great GIRLFRIEND and sharing with us some of your uniqueness!

What type of makeup do you use? Give us the dish on your favorite cosmetic finds… from your favorite mascara to the most decadent perfect lip gloss you’ve ever scored! I have a face full of freckles, small eyelids, and naturally pink lips...therefore I don't really use that much makeup because when I do I look like I am 'trying too hard.' My everyday makeup consists of Clinique under-eye concealer, bronzer, blush, and Naturally Glossy black mascara. On special occasions I usually wear a little bit of eyeshadow - shimmery pink, beige, or light purple - and sometimes a little black eyeliner. I call myself "makeup challenged" because I don't really know any cool techniques or tricks. If I am around my sister or best friend I usually entrust them to make me look pretty!

You have such beautiful skin, how do you take care of it?
I wash my face at least once a day using a deep pore cleansing face wash. My favorite is anything that makes my skin cool and tingly afterwards. I don't have a favorite brand because I switch it up every few months. I think my skin gets used to a face wash after about 6 weeks, because that is when I'll find a blemish or two. I use a daily moisturizer with a SPF 15 that I purchased from my dermatologist to protect my fair skin from the sun.

Will there be any new makeup techniques that you will be trying for your wedding day? I am putting my face in the hands of one of my bridesmaids!! We aren't going to have a trial run or anything - I just completely trust her to make me look pretty.

How do you keep your hair so healthy looking? Also, you’ve been growing your hair out for your wedding, any special tips that you can share? When I decided I wanted long shiny hair for my wedding day I asked my hairdresser for advice. She told me to take Biotin vitamins, shampoo only 3-4x a week, condition every day, and to give up my dreams of being a blonde. We dyed my hair dark and chopped off all the dead layers. I started from scratch and for the last year I have tried very hard to keep up with her prescribed regimen!

Nails on your wedding day: Demure or Colorful?
I think that I am probably going to stick to a simple pink and white french manicure. I currently have acrylic tips, but plan on switching to gel for the big day!

Where are your favorite places to shop?
I am a big online shopping stalker of clothing. I usually check my favorite websites for inspiration before I go shopping and then look for particular items in the actual stores. My favorite shops are Banana Republic, J.Crew, Forever 21, and little boutiques

What is your most prized “fashion” possession?
AHH - do I have to choose just one? My most current prized possesion are my brand new Tory Burch Reva Flats in black and gold! I don't own any shoes that cost over $100 so my TB Revas are my new babies. My mom bought them for my birthday and I love them so so much. Another prized possession is a vintage Fendi purse my mom and best friend gave me for my 21st birthday. It is a small hobo in different shades of orange with a big gold double F strap. I only bring that purse out on special occasions because if something happened to it I would probably die!

J+K

2009-09-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago Brandon and I had the pleasure of shooting Jackie and Kevin's beach wedding at Sanctuary by the Sea off of 30A. It was such a beautiful afternoon for a beach wedding. After the ceremony, guests mingled around the pool during the cocktail hour and after that the party moved to The Palms Resort in Destin for their reception. Never in all of my life (working with brides and being friends with many...) have I ever met a bride and groom quite like Jackie and Kevin. J+K were the epitome of laid back. It was definitely more about kicking back and celebrating their love for one another and sharing it with their families then trying to have a "perfect" wedding. It's my opinion that when you relax and have that kind of fun...those are the weddings that truly end up being "perfect" ;)

J+K- Thanks for letting us share in your special day. We wish you both some much luck in your journey into marriage:)
S+B
P.S. as always...click on the picture so you can look at it big Big BIG!

I loved the colors of the bouquet...

I didn't even get to see this happen because I was already waiting down on the beach but Brandon caught this special little moment...

Jackie's moms dress could not have been a more beautiful shade of blue. It popped against the powder white sand.

This is one of my favorites so far. It's just so classic- I can picture their grandkids looking at it one day marveling at how good looking grandma and grandpa were!

The future Mr. & Mrs. Wells:

2009-08-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago Brandon and I met up with Rebecca and Brian at Rosemary Beach for their engagement session. What a fun afternoon! We had never been out to Rosemary Beach and it was so amazing...it reminded us of a small tuscan village. While roaming around and checking out the cottages and interesting little nooks and crannies, we got to know Rebecca and Brian a little better and they are a super sweet couple and we cannot wait for them to tie the knot;) Rebecca and Brian met a few years ago while they were both working at an emergancy vet clinic and began dating by taking a dance class together once a week. Can you believe that?? What a fun way to get to know and fall in love with someone! Because of their busy schedules, they had date night once a week and that consisted of a dance lesson and dinner and this went on for months. I don't know if I ever asked when exactly Brian knew that Rebecca was the one but I have a sneaking feeling that it might have been from the first, "may I have this dance..." Shortly before a trip to Italy Brian decided to pop the question (in the cutest way!! Brian attached the ring to a buoy that a dolphin brought to Rebecca!)and of course Rebecca was over the moon! B+R, we are so excited for you guys--enjoy the sneak peak of your engagement session.
S+B

A fly on the wall...

2009-08-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

I have always said that one of my favorite things about photographing anything (especially people) is the feeling of being a fly on the wall. Those of you who know me know that even though I may be able to carry on a conversation for hours on end, I am most content when I am comfortable enough to just sit and watch a story unfold on its own. No words. Just loving glances from across the room, an affectionate kiss on the nape of the neck, a whisper in the ear on the dance floor. These gestures tell me so much more than words ever could. A few weekends ago Brandon and I photographed a wedding and I got to be a fly on the wall. The day was a flurry of family, friends, dancing, and tender glances shared by the bride (Grace) and groom (Jonathan) when entertaining guests on opposite ends of the reception ballroom. Grace and Jonathan are such a sweet couple with such great families. It was a joy to see two great people come together and vow to make their lives one. We wish them all of the luck in the world in their new adventure. Jonathan and Grace, we heard that you guys made it back from Alaska, we hope you had an awesome time! Enjoy the sneak peak of your wedding and congratulations!!
B+S

All pumped up and ready to blog!!

2009-08-19T12:09:00.001-07:00

This evening I will have plenty of time to sit down and update Addilay readers of our latest engagement session with the future Mr. & Mrs. Wells. I'm so excited I can hardly wait! In the mean time I thought i'd share with you a picture I found in Vanity Fair Magazine {www.Vanityfair.com}. It's two of the actors from the show "Mad Men" on AMC. I have never seen the show but I do know from seeing multiple magazine articles on the cast and from the clothing campaign that Banana Republic was running with the show that its 60's-esque charm is enough to make me invest in a bouffant and some bright red lipstick! So until tonight...enjoy the picture:) Susan

Credit:
Photographer: Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair Magazine

"4 Months 4 Missions"

2009-08-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Brandon and I want to point you in the direction of a new page on our website that is featuring a project that is very special to us! We have been working with a local missions group {Heart of the Bride} by sponsoring a child in Africa for the last few months...it has been such a blessing to us as we truly believe that they are doing so much good by spreading the word of Jesus Christ to so many overseas! We hope that one day we may be called to serve as missionaries but in the mean while we believe that we have a great opportunity to help fund missions and this is what "4 months 4 missions" is about! For 4 months {September, October, November, and December} we will be shooting engagement and family shoots for half off--so $200 and 100% of all of the profit will go to our support of local missions! This is a great time to get your family's christmas card picture done and get a great photo shoot at the same time!! Please check out our new page by clicking on the "Special Announcements" page or at: http://www.addilayphotography.com/#/missions/

Susan + Brandon

The Future Mr. & Mrs. Houston: Caitlin+Brandon

2009-08-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago Brandon and I got to photograph an engagement shoot out in Sandestin with one of the most awesome couples we've ever worked with. ever. To give you a little back story...picture it, a very early morning in early October last year. Brandon and I got up super early because we had to be at the hospital by 6am as I was having an unexpected surgery that morning. As Brandon always does, he turned on the laptop that sits at our kitchen bar and eagerly awaited it to boot up...hoping, hoping, hoping that we'd have an email from someone who was interested in us taking their picture. What can I say, we were still so new to photography at that time...and we had already gone through all the family members that let us use them as photogaphy guinea pigs!;) So as I sat on the edge of the coffee table pulling on my tennis shoes I heard a tiny little gasp come from the direction of where Brandon was sitting behind the computer. I ran to read what he was reading, we had gotten 2 emails from brides-to-be that were interested in having us shoot their weddings. Little did I know that one of them would over the next 10 months become my new internet BFF.;)

Caitlin and Brandon have been such an amazing couple to work with! Over the last 10 months Caitlin and I have talked, laughed, and really gotten to know each other (all by email) and that made such a huge impact on their engagement shoot (take note of that future Addilay Photography brides;) Over the last few months Caitlin and I had a lot of fun planning out their engagement shoot. Everything just seemed to be perfect-the details, the location, the attire...you would think that we had a stylist working on the shoot- it was just that perfect! We had a beautiful "toasting of their engagement" theme and a "LOST" theme at the beach that left them with nothing but a few personal cherished items (golf clubs for him and books for her), but most importantly each other.

We cannot wait to do Caitlin and Brandon's wedding in October, at the Destin Culinary Center. Knowing Cailin, I'm sure every last detail will be modern and simple, yet uniquely magnificant! C+B, we are so excited for your wedding!! Not only because it's sure to be a chic and beautiful affair, but also because we are looking forward to our new friends getting married.

See you in 68 days....
B+S

P.S...As I was finishing this post Brandon came and got me and showed me that he had finished C+B's slideshow and I thought that'd be WAY more fun to blog on then just a few pictures! I hope you guys love it as much as I do.

Cailtin + Brandon Engagement Slideshow
**UPDATE: Make sure that you mute the website music by clicking on the music bars on the right bottom corner of the page before you play the slideshow- then turn it up!!

Back from Atlanta...

2009-08-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

So let me preface this post by saying, we are the ABSOLUTE worst bloggers ever! And when I say "we," I mean "me," because that is my job and boy have I been catching an ear full from the boss man (Brandon) about how I have been slacking. Truth be told though, with us both back in school, the last few months have been CRAZY! So my plan is to fill you in on what we've been up to and what we have coming up.

Last weekend Brandon and I spent a long weekend in Atlanta. It was supposed to be a long weekend of rest and relaxation. Why I thought going to one of the most bustling cities in the nation would be relaxing is beyond me. I was more tired when we got back then before we left. I will sum up the trip in one statement. Don't attempt to drive around Atlanta without a city map (duh, right?), a GPS, or an Iphone or Blackberry (the lack of Iphone might have or might not have been a sense of contention on the trip). We spent 90% of our time being lost...Brandon kept saying 'how nice it was to see the road less traveled...' HAHAHA. When we got lost on our way home we did see some awesome pecan tree fields and peach orchards around Macon and my new fantasy is to shoot an engagement or wedding in a pecan field...

While we were in Atlanta we visited our beloved Braves at Turner Field:

oh and the Braves won 4-3 btw...take that Manny Ramirez!

We also checked out the Georgia Aquarium...which was awesome! I especially loved the Titanic exhibit they have going on right now. I kept telling Brandon that I was desperate to get home and watch the movie, I am such a nerd! Here are a few shots from the aquarium...

After the aquarium we bid farewell to Atlanta (well after we got directions from a homeless guy that helped us get out of the city) and headed home on I-75. You may be thinking to yourself, why would they be headed home on I-75?? Well that's because we took the wrong road home!! Needless to say after about 7 hours I was delirious and ready to get out of the car. Somewhere around Troy, Alabama (A very rural area) we stopped for Mexican food at a place called Monarca's. After dinner, as I pondered setting up camp in the woods beside the parking lot (because I thought I would never get home) Brandon captured this picture of me. He affectionately refers to this as when I "converted to backwoodsism."

So LOONG story not so short, after about 9 hours, we were back in Florida. The moral of the story? Things may not go as you plan but if you have a camera to capture some of the funny moments it's easier to look back on it and laugh later;)
Have a great night-
Susan

PS...How could I forget?? One of our pictures from last weeks' engagement shoot was featured on www.ritzybee.com. Click here to check it out!

Tomorrow I will be blogging on this fabulous shoot!! See you then

A Love Story in Pictures: Joanna + Austin May 9, 2009

2009-06-01T19:12:00.001-07:00

I love to tell a good story, the kind that makes my friends want to laugh, smile, reminisce, cry... That's why one of my favorite things about being invited along to shoot a couple's wedding day is getting to tell the story of their love through photographs. It's almost like being a fly on the wall, watching and listening for those special moments that even the bride and groom might miss. It's all of those moments that help to tell their story. The wedding day can be such a blur, surrounded by friends and family, dancing, eating, loving, and laughing. It goes by so fast and after it's all said and done you are left one thing: your story in pictures.
A few weeks ago Brandon and I got to shoot Joanna + Austin's wedding. J + A are students at FSU and with family in the Destin area they decided to have their wedding in Fort Walton Beach. The backdrop of their beautiful day was the Fort Walton Beach Yacht Club {http://http://www.fwyc.org/}. They had a lovely ceremony outside at the pavilion by the bay and then headed in for the reception and an evening full of making memories with their friends and family. Oh and there was dancing. A LOT of dancing...they even had a couple from a dance company come to show the guests a few moves to help them get out on the dance floor. It was an ingenious idea, I have never seen so many guests at a wedding get up and dance! I could go on forever about all of the little details that J+A thought of to make their day unique and special but I will let the pictures tell the story... {and as always click on the picture to make it BIG!}

I love this one so much...it's so melty and soft...it's like butter!

J+A, I hope you enjoy the preview of your pictures! We wish you all the best in your new journey as man and wife:)

Well, I better hit the sack, it's getting late. B+I shot a wedding this last weekend and will hopefully be getting a sneak peak up soon!
goodnight!
SC

Sweet, sweet baby

2009-05-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago Brandon and I drove out to Fernandina Beach to meet up with Leslie, her husband Steve, Leslie's cousin Jenn and her husband Mike (who were visiting all the way from Canada!) and their six month old, baby Oliver. I wasn't sure how the shoot would go...it's always interesting to shoot families with babies because there is no set formula of how things will flow. Shooting with babies is a very organic thing...that's one of the things that I love about shooting families. You just shoot how the family interacts with each other, how the baby reacts to their surroundings and no matter what, the pictures always reflect who the family is. With Leslie, Steve, Mike, and Jenn I saw that baby Oliver is the center of their world. He is so loved and he totally steals the show. We had such a fun time with them. Here are a few of their pictures...(don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them...it's so much better when it's BIG)

Mike, Jenn, and Oliver

Steve, Leslie, and Oliver

Dad and Oliver

Mommy, daddy, and baby

Mommy and baby

Leslie and Steve...who never needed prompting to be affectionate with each other, I love it!

We also got a chance to go by the house that Leslie's husband Steve is working on in Amelia Island Plantation. Every piece of wood, every nail, every precise calculation of where a plank would be laid...Steve has done it all himself, it is truly amazing. The home is (I believe) 4600 square feet and there is such attention to detail, you would not believe. Brandon and I got the grand tour with the architect and builder himself. Needless to say we left the house wondering how many photo jobs it would take to buy the house when he was done with it...one of my favorite pictures is when Leslie arrived at the house (a little after our tour had begun) and she and Steve sat in the upstairs window while we took pictures from the street.

Leslie, Steve, Mike, and Jenn- thanks for inviting us to spend a little time with you guys. We had a lot of fun and you guys made the shoot super laid back and relaxed!!
S+B

Busy weekend wrap up

2009-05-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

So this post is really about a week late...we spent last weekend in Jacksonville, Amelia Island, and then finally St. Augustine. The occasion being that we were comissioned by a lovely family to come out and shoot them on Fernandina Beach. We stayed in Jacksonville the night before with the lovely Julie and James{www.juliecate.com}, and then we got to spend our last night at the Inn on Charlotte {www.innoncharlotte.com} in dowtown St. Augustine. It was a perfect weekend and we cannot wait to share our pictures from the beach shoot. In the mean time, here are a few pictures from our stay in St. Augustine.
Have a great weekend-
Susan
P.S. We shot a sweet wedding yesterday so check out our sneak peak which should be up before the end of the week!
P.S.S. check out the slideshow for Julie and James' marriage blessing ceremony at www.addilayphotography.com click on "featured wedding" on the bottom left.

this one Brandon snapped of me trying to figure out what to going to write in the journal at the bed and breakfast...

And this last one is when I finally finished writing in the journal about all of the memories that Brandon and I have in St. Augustine...I can't wait to go back;)

Allison+Allan

2009-04-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

We are finally through about half of the editing process of Allison and Allan's wedding and have some pics to share! Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Susan

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-04-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

So today it's official...my parents are getting old...it's my 27th birthday! It's such a beautiful day out and I am so excited about our weekend plans (a slumber party at our friends' house, tubing and wakeboarding tomorrow, and hopefully some mad Wii tennis tournaments)!! So in honor of me (yes, that sound is my head getting bigger;) I will include a picture that Brandon took of me last week with one of our new lenses. Also, we (well mostly Brandon) have been editing pictures like crazy because we are still wrapping up Julie + James' wedding and we have scratched the surface of Allison + Allan's wedding. It's about to get really busy starting next weekend. While Brandon was editing today he came across the picture of Julie and James and their kiddos- we looove it! Have a great weekend.
Susan

Allison + Allan

2009-04-23T02:23:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Brandon and I had the pleasure of shooting Allison + Allan's wedding in downtown Pensacola. You could not have asked for better weather or a more in-love couple. It was great! Here is a a little sneak peek....

Allison + Allan being pelted by family and friends with what was thought to be rice, but was actually heart shaped cupcake sprinkles!!

A little late...

2009-04-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

This post is about a week late, but I guess it's better late than never. Last weekend we celebrated Good Friday at my in-laws house. It was such an awesome fellowship of believers enjoying the beautiful gift that is Jesus. My mother in law and her friend Anna are two of the best party hostesses...I think they secretly work for Southern Living because their cooking and decorating skills are impecable. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the get together. Tomorrow I will be posting about Allison and Allen's wedding which we shot this last weekend.

By the way...if you live or are having your wedding/birthday/special event in the Niceville, Ft. Walton, Destin area you have to get with the ladies at Say Cake baker in Val-p {Saycake.net} They make the BEST cakes in the world and you really just can't find a nicer family to work with! They made three delicious, beautiful cakes for the party...Red Velvet w/ buttercream, german chocolate, and a strawberry and chocolate.

My mother in law...

The cute little menu detailing all of the goodies that Anna came up with...

Phoebe has been getting into the camera bag again...

2009-04-15T06:05:00.000-07:00

So we got some new lenses in yesterday when we were at work and Phoebe (yes, our very intelligent dog) decided to try them out and send us some pictures at work. Much to my amazement, her self-portrait was pretty good! I like the lens she chose to use too...(nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8d). Unfortunately, I can only post one of the pictures...the other one she sent...well...i'm going to have to have a talk with her about what she can take pictures of;) Hope everyone is having a great week! I will be posting a few pictures from our Resurrection weekend get together asap and then we have a wedding this weekend. Allison and Allan are getting married at a chic little spot in downtown Pensacola. I can't wait to try out the new lenses!

Susan

My Best Friend's Wedding

2009-03-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot my best friend's marriage blessing ceremony. Julie+James were married in Jacksonville, FL and had their reception at an amazing house on the intercoastal waterway. Julie just so happens to be in the photo biz as well http://juliecate.com/ and James is a firefighter and paramedic for St. John's County.
There are no words to describe how cool it was to be a part of their special day. Julie and I have been friends since middle school and have known each other for even longer. I feel that our friendship really helped me to capture Julie's spirit, which is witty, sweet, and SO SO funny. Julie+James I am so glad that you guys found each other! You are an amazing couple and I could not be happier for you guys. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend...

Meeting with Caitlin+Brandon

2009-03-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the opportunity to meet with a couple who's wedding we will be shooting in October. Caitlin + Brandon live in Atlanta and came down to meet with vendors, check out their ceremony and reception locations, and enjoy a nice long weekend at the beach. While Caitlin and I talked about wedding stuff, Brandon started snapping some pictures of the cute couple. Here is the future Mr. and Mrs. Houston and a couple other little details from our meeting.

An Afternoon at the Ballpark

2009-03-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

I got to play around with our new d700 shooting my girlfriend's daughter at her softball game today. I had never done any "sports" photography before...it was definitely a great learning experience! Here are a couple of my favorites:

Her dad is the coach!

I left before the end of the game but I heard that they won 28-4. Go cubs!
Have a great night-
Susan

Seaside Half Marathon

2009-03-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

I am really just catching up from all of the fun we had last weekend at the Seaside Half Marathon. My best friend Alicia and her husband Sean came down from Atlanta and it was a nice long weekend of laughing,eating, staying up late talking about politics, modeling the snuggie, hearing "the" story of how Alicia courted Sean, and running!
Sunday, race day was freezing cold-literally! We woke up at 2:30am to start getting ready and the temperature had gone from in the 70's the day before to the low 30's that morning!! Unfortunatley for me being cute and wearing a running skirt (yes- I could have picked pants but didn't...)was a high priority.
We got down to Seaside at about 5:30am and sat in the car for as long as possible before we had to brave the cold and take care of any final business at the porta-pottys. I literally never thought I would enjoy being in a port-a-potty better than being outside in the FRESH air...but the porta-potty was warm and I think I was really close to death it was so cold;) Anyway, so this was our first half marathon and it was such a great experience. I ran it in my goal time of 2 hours which I was really excited about!

This was what we saw sitting inside the warm car before the race...

We unfortunately don't have any pictures of us actually running the race since we were all running...even though Alicia did run with: tissues, an ipod, her CELL PHONE, chapstick, gum, and i'm pretty sure she had a small toaster oven for making a snack...in her jacket pocket;) I am actually suprised she didn't have a camera...

This is Alicia, Sean, and I after the race eating Jim and Nick's at the after party (which was not really a party due to the fact that everyone was leaving because it was 33 degrees!).

**Brandon is not in any of these pictures...cause he is always the one taking pictures!!
Alicia and Sean, thank you guys so much for for coming down and visiting us and doing the Seaside race with us. We had so much fun and Alicia you are the bestest friend a girl could have. I still remember the day we met on the first day of sixth grade. How lucky I was to have met you that morning on the "sixth" grade hall--someone to brave the locker room at PE with, someone to share a love of vests and band with, and more importantly someone to have had in my life this long. I love you!
P.S. We also love Sean..so much that we are considering becoming Ole' Miss fans...;)

A cute little couple's questionnaire I snagged...

2009-02-21T15:34:00.000-08:00

I snagged this couple's questionnaire from one of our bride's blogs http://bear-yexcitedbride.blogspot.com/ Thanks Caitlin!
I just thought it was so cute and a great way to tell you about the B man and I:

♥ What are your middle names? Ellen and Lee
♥ How long have you been together? 7 years
♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? 4 years
♥ Who asked who out? Brandon did! It was the sweetest thing. He came into my work (with a friend...very smooth....) and came up to the counter and asked if I wanted to go out sometime and we ended up going on a double date a week later.
♥ Whose siblings do you see the most? B's. We see my brother's every once in a while...
♥ Do you have any children? No, no kids yet.
♥ What about pets? YES!! These are our kids...Phoebe and Kimber. They are rat terriers. One is a standard and one is a miniature. They are the best, smartest dogs I have ever met.
♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Probably when we were separated (when B was deployed).
♥ Did you go to the same school? We did for my first two years of college.
♥ Are you from the same home town? Kind of...we're from the same small town but I lived there pretty much my whole life and B didn't move there until his junior year of high school.
♥ Who is the smartest? hmmmm...I think we would both say that's debatable...
♥ Who is the most sensitive? Me! I will cry about something stupid and B will just laugh at me...
♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? SUSHI!!!
♥ Who has the craziest ex? BRANDON!!! DEFINITELY! BOY could I tell you some stories.
♥ Who has the worst temper? Me, definitely me. Brandon just doesn't get mad...it's actually kind of annoying how nothing rattles him.
♥ Who does the cooking? Me. Always me.
♥ Who is more social? We are both pretty quiet until you get to know us.
♥ Who is the neat-freak? unfortunately, neither of us.
♥ Who is the more stubborn? hmmm...I think that's a tie
♥ Who hogs the bed? Brandon. I am constantly waking up pulling the blankets back over to my side.
♥ Who wakes up earlier? Brandon. He gets up at 5, eats breakfast, watches fox and friends and then comes back in the bed to cuddle and wake me up.
♥ Where was your first date? a great little jazz place in Destin called Blue's. It's not there anymore.
♥ Who has the bigger family? Equal sized families
♥ Do you get flowers often? mmm...I'm not really a flowers girl. But get me a camera or a lens, or some sunglasses and I'll love you long time;)
♥ How do you spend the holidays? Thanksgiving with my family, Christmas with his
♥ Who is more jealous? We're really not jealous people at all.
♥ How long did it take to get serious? A while...we were just friends for years...
♥ Who eats more? Also, sadly, debatable.
♥ Who does/did the laundry? We both do not do laundry enough...so I would say we both do. but not enough.
♥ Who’s better with the computer? Definitely Brandon. He's a software engineer!
♥ Who drives when you are together? Always Brandon. I think he lacks faith in my driving!

Coming off of the long long weekend

2009-02-16T19:00:00.001-08:00

Well, all good things must come to an end. Brandon and I are getting ready to go back to work tomorrow and we had a great long weekend, minus me being sick with a cold! Hopefully you all had a great weekend too. So I FINALLY put links to our myspace and facebook pages on our site and we even added a new video to out about us page. I am of course a big nerd (Brandon makes fun of me when I talk on camera!!!) but my handsome husband looks very nice all dressed up! Well, i'm off to get some work done before I hit the sack. Have a nice week and check back in with us, we have all kinds of fun things going on in March- we have the Seaside half marathon coming up in two weeks and an engagement shoot and then a marriage blessing ceremony at the end of the month- I can't wait!

Check out our Addilay slide show

2009-01-27T13:34:00.001-08:00

Brandon put together a little slideshow the other night for a meeting with a client. You can check it out on our page: www.addilayphotography.com and click on "clients."
Susan

A new week, and a new wedding!

2009-01-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

Another week down, one week closer to our wedding season starting! We could not be more excited..as evidenced by my non stop chatter about pictures and colors and cameras. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I would get excited about something. It was so rare that I would, but when I did there was nothing anyone (much to my parents annoyance I'm sure) could do to shut me up about the new obsession. First there was a snoopy snow cone machine, then the barbie dream house, and who could forget my pink Minnie mouse Kodak camera. Middle school was my summers at music camp (notice how I did NOT say band camp...) and the trendy Esprit bag that all of the older girls were carrying. High school and college were spent dreaming of shopping at Sephora and spending as much time at Neimann Marcus as possible. I never thought that I could ever get that child-like excitement again, but venturing into photography has definitely done just that. I am so lucky to have found something I love so much.
This weekend we booked another wedding, a really great couple that are having their wedding in October in Fairhope. The way the bride decribed her vision for her wedding made me realize that she too has the child-like excitement about her dream wedding. We're just so happy that we can capture those memories for her.
The pictures that I have posted below are the ones that I said were of my sister in laws house at Christmas time. She is the most talented home designer ever! The last picture on here is of Kimber...we were opening up presents Christmas morning and I caught her being super cute. Have a great night!
Susan

Catching up

2009-01-19T15:01:00.001-08:00

Only 19 days into the new year and I have broken my #1 resolution...to get back to blogging regularly. I think reality is starting to set in that the holidays and vacation are really over...

Brandon and I had an awesome Christmas and New Year's. We went to visit Brandon's brother and his wife and our niece in South Carolina and then we spent the week of New Year's in Orlando at Disney. It was so so so much fun...but I think it's safe to say that we are so done with traveling...for a few months at least!

I do have a couple of pictures that I thought i'd share...

This is Brandon and I at Troy University (B's Alma mater:)

Me and my adorable niece (she is holding her little Wii controller and oh my goodness can this girl bowl! boom-chaca-laca!)

Nicole and our brave little dog Kimber...a big shout out to kimber for being so great with her:)

Brandon and Nicole

Well, I'm going to go start on dinner, my next post will be on how cute my sister-in-law's Christmas decor was. It was seriously like shooting picture for a Pottery Barn catalog!

It has been TOO long...part 2

2009-01-06T18:07:00.000-08:00

Alright, so we're finally back from being gone it seems like most of December. We had a great Christmas and New Year's and hope that all of you had a great holiday season too! Well, we are definitely gearing up for 2009...big weddings...we're very excited. Anyway, I am falling asleep (still haven't recovered from all the traveling and walking a couple hundred miles at Disney last week)- so I will cut this short and vow to update everyone tomorrow with pictures from our Christmas break.
Susan

It has been TOO long-

2008-12-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! I cannot believe it is December 9th! It seems like we just had Thanksgving and now were only 16 days away from Christmas. Where has the year gone??!!
Well we have been very busy- we just finished up the final editing on the wedding we did in November and that's always a good feeling to see the entire finished product.

December is a slow month as far as shooting, but we have been busy planning and speaking with quite a few couples about doing weddings/engagements in 2009- we cannot wait for the wedding season to start back up.

As I was looking through magazines for artistic inspiration today, I came across a Kate Spade Ad {Katespade.com} that I simply adore. The reason being that the girl is holding her camera but is looking so incredibly chic. I have a secret love of all things preppy, it brings me back to my chidhood (in the all too fashionable 80's). The Lacoste shirts, the Esprit bags, Ralph Lauren polos w/ the collar turned up...all very 80's yet traditionally preppy. I love this picture because it has all of those elements but in a more grown-uo sophisticated way.

I always look at fashion magazines before we do a shoot- there's just something about looking at the textures and lines and emotions.

Brandon and I will be leaving to go out of town Thursday, so we'll post when we get back. Have a great weekend.
Susan

Some gems...

2008-11-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

So I was looking through some of the photos that Brandon has been editing from the wedding we shot a few weekends ago and came across these gems. I love the cake photo because it was just such a unique angle to capture it at. I love that we can both be looking at the same thing but our photos will be totally different. The second shot are some guests- I have no idea who they were but they were doing the bubbles all night so it was quite fitting to get a photo of them blowing bubbles. Well, Brandon and I are about to take off for Thanksgiving...and we cannot wait! We need a nice loooong weekend and there's nothing like going home and being pampered and totally rellaaaaxxxxeeedd..... I hope you all have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Oh, and our photo shoot this weekend got rescheduled for December so we really do have the whole weekend off! Good Night-SC

Only 1 more WEEK till Turkey day!

2008-11-19T12:56:00.001-08:00

My favorite time of the year is finally upon us (well, besides for fall, spring, and the very beginning of summer;)- the Holidays! I love love love Thanksgiving and this year will be even more fun than last because we will be shooting an engagement session for a couple coming down from Auburn on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We cannot wait!
So my plan for the holidays is to:
#1- Enjoy my time off from work!
#2- Avoid the mess that is Black Friday at all costs!! I could
tell you stories about standing in the longest line ever.
Best buy. 3:45am. freezing cold...thanks dad;) BTW...we didn't
even get anything good for anyone wondering.
And finally...
#3- Gorge myself on turkey and stuffing

Oh! I completely forgot to mention that we have launched our new site www.addilayphotography.com and we are working on finishing all the pages. Just an FYI if you've tried to access some of the pages and there's nothing there. I will blog as soon as we get it all set up.
Susan

Introducing, the Azar's

2008-11-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

Their love story is the kind of love story that romantic, sappy John Cusak movies are made of.
Nicole and Steven (a kicker for the New York Dragons) met by chance through a mutual friend four years ago and have been together ever since.
This past Saturday they took the plunge into matrimony before all of their friends and family on the bay at the Eglin Officer's Club. The day was crisp and clear and the water sparkled almost as much as Nicole's eyes as she walked down the aisle.
Nicole and Steven, thank you so much for letting Brandon and I capture your special day. It is always a great joy for us to spend time in the presence of a couple so in love. We hope you are having a blast in Orlando- enjoy the sneak peak!
B+S

We're getting a facelift...

2008-11-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe not a la Joan Rivers...but we ARE getting a new website! We have been pondering how we were going to set ourselves apart from other photographers (besides for our obvious awesomeness- i am kidding!) and we knew we would have to have a more customized website. With that said, I'm not sure when we will have our big reveal, It will be sooner than later. Brandon has already started working on it, we'll definitely keep you posted.
Since we will be posting up a lot of wedding pictures from Nicole and Steven's wedding later this weekend I thought I would change it up and leave you with a funny...
This is one of our beloved dogs, Phoebe. She's a genius...
SC

Did you vote?!! Did you vote??!!

2008-11-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

I don't know why...maybe because my parents were into politics? maybe because we listened to talk radio for fun?? maybe because my dad and mom would take me with them when they voted??? These are some of the explanations I have come up with as to why I love election season. Lucky for me, I married a man who shares in my love for exercising my right to vote:)
The picture below is Brandon and I after we got back from voting- you can see- i am very excited...I bugged the B-man to take a picture of us when we got home..."so everone can see our 'I voted' stickers!!!" He finally obliged, but I have a strong feeling that it might have only been to try out our new lenses. Either way, here is our documentation of voting in 2008.
Have a great night!
Susan

Our Very Exciting News!

2008-11-02T11:34:00.001-08:00

So we've been getting pretty excited about next year because we've booked quite a few weddings...but this last week something really really exciting happened. We booked a wedding- for NEXT weekend! It was completely unexpected but we cannot wait for the opportunity to document the couple's special day. We will definitely be sharing with everyone asap- I will tell you all that the groom-to-be has a very interesting job...check back with us for the details!

B+S

Other Album Options...

2008-10-24T15:34:00.001-07:00

These are the other albums that Addilay Photography are able to produce for your wedding/session archival needs.

Our other "coffee table" book-

And our high end "couture book." This book can be produced in an array of colors and also in leather.

Coffee Table Book Preview

2008-10-23T19:33:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures of our "Coffee Table" book! These books are so great! They're excellent quality, cute, and super affordable. They make great gifts for parents and grandparents and are an awesome way to showcase your session/event!

Four year Anniversary!

2008-10-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

So today is our four year anniversary...four years filled with finishing school, moving, buying a house, multiple deployments, new jobs, loosing grandparents, the best road trips, starting a business...it has been amazing and it gets better every day.

When Brandon and I thought about pursuing our passion of photography we thought back to our wedding day and knew that we wanted to be the photographers we wish we had.

Marriage is so great and we get so excited to meet new couples who are just starting out in their journey.

Brandon, our journey has been SO MUCH MORE than I ever expected and I feel so blessed that you're my husband. Thank you for always being the funniest, sweetest, generous, and wisest person in my life. There's no one else I could ever imagine going through life with. I love you.

P.S. We'll be celebrating our anniversary tomorrow night so we can GET THE ALBUM PICTURES UP tonight!!:) Check back.

Album update!

2008-10-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Finally- our coffee table albums have arrived! We have mentioned to a few of you that you'd be able to view them this week and we should have the pictures on here tonight.

They are so cute and the quality and colors in the photos are amazing- I cannot wait for ya'll to see them.

Check back this evening for the preview!
Susan

Looking forward to 2009!!

2008-10-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this week was awesome. Not just awesome but an adjective even greater than awesome...it was amazing!

We got so many calls from clients this week calling about weddings/photo sessions for 2009. We couldn't be more excited. We are so happy to be doing something that we love so much together.

I talked with a client yesterday afternooon and was describing our style and a little bit about ourselves and then I realized...I really need to include US more in our blog- so ya'll can get to know us as a couple better.

Well, you all are just in luck. This upcoming week is our 4th anniversary- so I am in a particularly romantic mood. So it is true what you hear, it does get better with every passing year. It was hard for me to imagine loving Brandon more than I did on our wedding day but our love has grown imensly- god has so blessed us.

With that said, I am going to hit the sack. Between my surgery at the beginning of the week and following up with all of our leads and...work...I am beat!

Next week I will begin my five part series on why my husband is the MOST awesome husband in the world. Okay...maybe not a five part series...but it'll be good;) Brandon if you read this, I LOVE YOU !! Oh and don't get mad at me for putting this picture of you on here (my in laws shot it with their point and shoot out in the gulf on a fishing trip)- you just look so handsome!

love you-

Susan

Happy Monday!

2008-09-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

Who is this guy?? Why, it's my husband, the most handsome photographer I know!

I came across this photo from one of our shoots last week. Well, here we go again...Happy Monday!

Susan

T+H+N

2008-09-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

We had our session with Travis, Holly, and Nicole Tuesday night in downtown Pensacola and what a blast that was!

Nicole is just about the cutest 2 year old we've ever seen and when you see Holly and Travis, you'll understand where she gets it from.

Here is a sneak peak at our session with T+H+N...enjoy!

I almost forgot...

2008-09-22T04:27:00.000-07:00

After we shot Billy+Kathleen's session this weekend they turned the camera on us and we actually got our picture taken! I'd almost forgotten how fun it is to be in front of the camera.

Anniversary Session!

2008-09-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Once upon time...well 32 years to be exact, Billy+Kathleen were married...and I do believe that they just might be even more in love today, then they were on their wedding day.

Brandon and I were lucky enough to shoot their anniversary session this weekend. Oh, did I mention that Billy+Kathleen are Brandon's parents?? Well now you know where the good looks come from;) Here is a sneak peak from their session! Happy Anniversary B+K.

2008-09-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Spotted. B+S finishing up Sean + Mandy's engagement shots (they turned out awesome!) and getting ready for a new shoot next week.
Next week we'll be meeting with Travis, Holly, and Nicole- they're just about the cutest little family you've ever seen. In town from South Carolina- they will be bringing their southern charm to Pcola where we will be shooting their session. We cannot wait!
In other news...we are very excited about the weather changing! It is ever so slightly becomming fall and we could not be more thrilled. With fall comes great harvest themed shoots- kiddies in the pumpkin patch, families getting their last hoorah in at the beach, and couples snuggling by a campfire to keep warm. The possibilities are endless...fall is just a romantic time...and a perfect time to get a photo shoot done. Call us for a fun and unique session you are sure not to forget!

Sean + Mandy Engagement Session

2008-09-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had an engagement session with the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Miller. We shot Sean and Mandy at Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin and it was definitely a fun session! Sean and Mandy are so sweet and cute together, their pictures really show off how in love they are with each other. There was even a surprise dip in the fountain at the end of the session!

Thank you guys for giving us the privilege to shoot your engagement session. We had so much fun and really enjoyed spending the afternoon with you!

Enjoy the sneak peak!

The Harrisons August 2008

2008-08-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

We had the great privilege of shooting an awesome family yesterday on the beach in Destin, FL. The Harrison's photo shoot turned out great! Their girls are very photogenic and mom and dad had some really beautiful romantic shots.

Thanks for letting us shoot you guys, it was a blast! Enjoy the sneak peak:)

Visit the website at www.addilayphotography.com