***** Launch Party Fun *****

My launch party was so much fun - we had a great crowd, great food, and great music. The party was held in Quitman at McCard & Company. They have a store full of beautiful things (both new and old) so be sure to check them out when you are in Quitman.

PARTY SLIDESHOW: Click Here.

"PHOTO BOOTH" SLIDESHOW: Click Here.

Scroll to the bottom of this post and click on the image of the band to hear their music.



The party started at 7:00, and we had a store full of people by 7:05. It was great seeing people I had not seen in a while and also meeting so many new people.


Photos and albums were displayed throughout the store. We even had a big screen television and a couple of laptops running slideshows of images.




There were several favors for people to take home. One was a box filled with chocolates and a coupon for free photo greeting cards with any photo session.


I love sticky notes (probably because I taught school for so long), so I had to have those too. lol


These cute ladies from Florida were our first guests to arrive.


We had a registration table where guests could enter to win a free portrait session and album valued at $860! Several magazines that I have had photos featured in where also on display on this table. One of the magazines includes a "trash the dress" article featured in the newest issue of Charleston Weddings Magazine. If you don't know what "trash the dress is, you can see some examples in my blog archives by clicking here.


Mr. Bob was our awesome bartender for the evening.


The koozies were a big hit.

Lisa Harp of Plat du Jour did the food, and it was not only delicious, but beautifully presented. Everyone was talking about how pretty and yummy it was - thanks Lisa and Kristy!


Lauri squared. ha


A guest looking through a wedding album of a destination wedding in Belize.


Talking to Bonnell Holmes from the Quitman Free Press...


Dixie Remedy Company provided music that was perfect for the evening. It was fun having them placed up in the front window of the store. I am certainly no expert on instruments so I can't tell you what they were playing - but they were playing acoustic, unique instruments and it sounded so good! Maybe Chip will see this and leave a comment at the bottom of this post to tell you more about what they play. You may recognize Chip ( in the center) from Tanners Lane. Tanners Lane is a fun rock n' roll cover band - they played at my wedding over 11 years ago!


Talking to friends from Church...


Hmmm...these ladies look like they are up to something! just kidding!
They are good friends of my mama and I am so glad they came.




And last but not least....the winner of the portrait session and album was...

Congrats Jessica - I know it will be a fun session! Diana Nash, my photographer friend from Savannah drew the winning name. Thank you Diana for coming to the party and for taking most of the images on this blog post!

The party sure was fun - we will have to make it an annual event!

Thank you so much Jack and Jonathan from McCard and Company for letting us have the party at the store and for moving all of that heavy furniture around and thank you also to Margie, Dot, and Victor of McCard & Company as well.

And....thank you to everyone else who helped me out so much. I really appreciate it!

Be sure to click here to see a short slideshow of images from the night.

We also had a photo booth style area set up and you don't want to miss the images that were captured there. Click here to see those images.

And...I made a (very short) video clip at the party. Check it out by clicking below and hear the great music of Dixie Remedy Company. I wish I had recorded longer so you could hear more of their music.

It's Party Time

Tonight I have having a "launch" party to promote my wedding and portrait photography coverage in south Georgia. As well as working in the Charleston - Hilton Head area, I am now available for coverage in Valdosta, Thomasville, and the surrounding areas with no travel fee.


It should be a lot of fun. Dixie Remedy Company will be live in the window of McCard & Company! You may recognize their faces from Tanners Lane.



Be on the lookout for fun party photos coming soon!

Canouan Island Wedding Photos of Synda and Alex

Here are a few more photos from the Canouan Island wedding. This first image is from the lawn of the Villa Monte Carlo at Raffles Resort.



After the reception, we drove down to the beach to get a few shots of Synda and Alex.




They were having so much fun... and then ...


...in the blink of an eye...Synda went DOWN! It was great. Without warning, Alex just threw Synda in the water. I know the middle picture is as blurry as it can be - but I love it even more for that reason because it really shows the spontaneity of the moment.


Synda was a great sport and loved it. The sky was getting darker and darker by the second and we could see the storm approaching from the sea.


We only had a few minutes to get a few quick shots before we were soaked by the heavy rain.




Synda and Alex retreated to a poolside cabana to enjoy a little more quiet time together before getting ready for their cocktail reception.





If you haven't already seen them, be sure to scroll down to see the rest of their wedding photos.

It was great fun, so if you find yourself in need of Canouan Island wedding photographers, be sure to give me a call. I would love a good excuse to return to the island soon! :)

~~~ Scalloping in the The Deep Blue Sea ~~~

After church Sunday, we threw on our swimsuits and went to Dekle Beach to go scalloping for the day. I might add that this was my first scalloping adventure.

It was a beautiful day to be outdoors.


The water is not actually deep as I suggested in the title...I just thought it sounded better. ha :)

As you can see, the water is shallow and crystal clear. But...as you can also see, the bottom is quite grassy. I don't know about you - but I am not too crazy about walking around in deep, underwater grass where I don't know what is lurking below. After choking on about a gallon of salt water while stuggling to stay afloat while putting on my mask and snorkle, I decided it might be in my best interest to toughen up and get over not wanting to stand! :)


Brian was the first to dive in to go search for scallops.


This is my mama driving the boat. Divers beware! :)


This is me all water logged after a few hours of snorkeling...


He may kill me for this, but this picture is sooo funny. This is Randy coming up from snorkeling.


...and the fresh scallops...


If you are interested in knowing more, I cound this blog that tells a little more about scalloping.

Reception at the Villa Monte Carlo on Canouan Island

After the ceremony, everyone was transported to the Villa Monte Carlo at Raffles Resort.





The Villa Monte Carlo is high on a hill overlooking the northern Grenadines, with sweeping views of the resort and the reef.



Everyone enjoyed the view and warm breezes during cocktail hour.



(You can click on any photo to see a larger version.)






After cocktail hour, everyone moved into the ballroom for a delicious island lunch. Linnyette Richardson-Hall of Premiere Event Management had everything looking fabulous. Can you believe she brought all of the linens with her?? Isabella said there was quite a bit of frenzied luggage re-packing at the airport to get all the weight distributed proportionally!



I love that she pays such attention to detail. The place settings were beautiful, and she even found pewter palm tree place card holders. The hibiscus was also a running theme for the wedding and beautiful cut-outs of the flower were used on the name cards.



Everyone enjoyed the steel drum music during the reception. These guys were really good!


And of course, what would a reception be without a few speeches? lol



Check out the bling on their cake - the sparkly, pink M was great!


Hahahaha - this image makes me laugh so hard. Synda's mom is very surprised as she pulls a special piece of paper out of her favor box! But - you will have to watch the show Married Away on the Style network to find out what the surprise is.



The Married Away television crew film the family one last time at the reception...



Standing:
Isabella, Brian, and Jay
Seated:
Linyette

Linyette is the owner of Premiere Event Management, and from what I understand, she is the wedding planner in the Baltimore, D.C. area. She has appeared on quite a few television shows including Whose Wedding Is It Anyway and Married Away. Isabella is one of Linyette's interns. Brian and Jay were filming as part of the Married Away crew.


Last but not least, stay tuned for pictures of the happy bride and groom. And...see who ends up in the water!