Oh! I just love playing the piano with Daddy! It is so fun!
Oh... but what do I see...? A mommy?!
Yes! It's a mommy! I MUST have her RIGHT NOW!
Oh gosh, mommy. You aren't picking me up fast enough! MY LIFE IS ENDING!!!
Hold up. Is that a dog?
Gosh I just love playing the piano with Daddy.
Oh, wait! MOMMY!!! I NEED YOU RIGHT NOW!!!
Ah yes. Our little drama queen... getting lots and lots of practice these days.
Courtney & Al know how to have a good time and anyone from my hometown can tell you that Courtney's parents definitely know how to throw a good party! Check out all the fun we had at their reception at Fredericksburg Square that followed their sweet marriage ceremony at the Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church. If you missed part one, go back and check out the first half of their day! (Thanks again to Aaron Spicer for helping out in a major way during this wedding!!)
Right before the cake cutting, Courtney toasted to her younger brother, Terry, who had recently gotten married. Except his wedding was in Japan without a lot of his family and friends present. It was an especially sweet toast and the most memorable line was when Courtney told her new sister in law that she "brought my brother to life again." So deep, so complimentary, and so true. <3
Such fantastic dancing all night long!
Be sure to check out Part 1 of their wedding in case you missed it!
Ceremony: fredericksburg presbyterian church Reception: fredericksburg square Florist: jane guerin Cake designer: the icing DJ: la dee jay Make-up artist: Victoria Miller (bridesmaid) Hair stylist: bella hair (Sandy) Dress: priscilla of boston
Equipment used for this wedding: canon 5d mark ii // canon 7d // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens // canon 35mm f/1.4 lens // canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens // canon 85mm f/1.8 lens
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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.
To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.
Whew! We had such a whirlwind weekend! Tommy's crazy town race (more on that on Thursday!) started at 12:01am on Saturday morning (Friday night) so after going to bed earlier enough and missing the start of the race, I woke up at 2:45am to crew for him. What crewing means is I drove to the aid stations to be there to support him when he came in, offering fresh shoes/socks/clothes, chicken broth (sodium!), lots of ibuprofen, and endless words of encouragement. Then he would leave the aid station to keep running and I'd gather everything, hop back in the car, and drive to the next aid station to meet him. And so on and so forth. (By the way - have I mentioned how inspiring I think he is?!)
This was following weeks (weeks!) of me getting about 4-5 hours of sleep a night. I know, it's really bad for my body. But with my busy season workload and Sunday's relapse in excellent sleeping habits, I have found myself pretty much wide awake around 4am regularly. I knew it could only go on for so much longer but truly I couldn't figure out HOW to sleep more. My body was just go-go-going!! I had stuff to do! Clearly, I am an insomnia newbie.
My mom came this weekend to stay with Sunday while Tommy ran in his most insane race yet and I crewed alongside of him. When we all got home around 7pm Saturday evening we c-r-a-s-h-e-d. My mom took over Sunday duty (okay - she actually had it since Friday night) and Tommy and I were able to sleep in. Then later in the day we both got naps! What a glorious feeling! Here I am at 5:20am writing this Gratituesday blog post about getting enough sleep while feeling completely rejuvenated and well-rested. (sigh) Turns out all I needed was a night of barely any sleep to make my body crash (finally!).
So anyway, this week? I'm super grateful for the sacrificial love of a mother (and grandmother), and the opportunity Tommy and I both had to catch up on our sleep this past weekend. So amazing it deserves it's own Gratituesday post! :)
Join us for Gratituesday at heavenly homemakers!
Exactly one year ago I was shooting Alan & Courtney's wedding while Tommy walked around wearing a 3 week old Sunday in a wrap, bringing her to me to eat every 3 hours. Needless to say, it was a challenging day for my family (and my body! yikes!) but with the help of my incredible assistant, Jacqulyn, and the generosity of Aaron Spicer who gave up a prime wedding weekend to shoot with us, it was absolutely perfect. I love the opportunity to shoot a Christmas wedding! There is nothing like the magic of Christmas on top of the magic of a wedding day... pure bliss!! Plus I was NOT going to miss this wedding, as the bride was someone I have known almost my whole life! But, afterwards I was spending my time recovering and focusing on customer service while adjusting to having a newborn around instead of blogging. So of course Alan & Courtney's first wedding anniversary is as good a time as any to relive their wedding!
As I was planning to blog Courtney and Al's wedding pictures, I thought it would be fun to get a fresh perspective from a bride! I asked Courtney if she would share with me what her favorite picture was from her wedding day. Here is what she shared:
When I read Liz's email asking if I would like share something about my wedding photography experience my first impulse was OF COURSE. Had I truly realized how difficult the task of choosing my favorite wedding picture would be I don't know if my reply would have been so automatic. What a pleasant predicament to find yourself in... too many favorite wedding pictures to narrow it down to one. Heck, I think I'd have an equally difficult time narrowing my selection down to ten!
Our wedding photography experience could not have been any more perfect. As so many soon-to-be brides and recently married brides know, stress levels are a major concern when your big day finally arrives. There was not a single instance throughout my wedding day photography when I doubted the entire experience was being fully captured. Liz and her staff were incredible and completely in sync with my entire bridal party, family and guests... so much so we almost forgot they were there! Liz's talent coupled with her confidence completely afforded me the opportunity to enjoy my wedding day. Yes, I just used one of the most annoying lines people "offer" as advice while planning a wedding.
After careful consideration I decided on my favorite picture from my wedding. Oddly enough the main reason I chose this picture also explains how my family and Liz‘s family know each other. A strong theme of our wedding was the military. I come from a long line of military family members and grew up in the Navy. My husband is now a retired Green Beret Officer and proudly served for twenty five years.
We encouraged all of our active duty, retired and veteran guests to wear their uniforms and as you can tell from this photograph many did. It was such a special memory for me to have my father walk me down the aisle in his uniform. I am so proud of our service members and to be surrounded by so many loved ones who are currently serving or have served our great nation was a fantastic feeling. A girl can’t help but feel lucky when posing in a picture surrounded by Green Berets and Navy SEALs. :)
Many years ago our family and Liz's family met on a small Navy base. It is very neat to think we have kept the tradition going strong (even if Liz and I married Army men!) This picture is also special to me because we were married on an Army Navy game day and this picture perfectly captures the Army Navy rivalry within our family now.
Thank you Liz for all of our beautiful wedding pictures and for allowing me to relive the happiest day of my life every time I look through our gorgeous pictures.
Thank you, Courtney, for trusting us with your wedding day photography and for sharing your experience with my blog readers! Without further ado, please check out the first part of Courtney and Al's big day. Part 2 will be up on Wednesday!
Alan and Courtney and their entire bridal party were led by bagpipe players through the strees of downtown Fredericksburg from the church to the reception. The crowds LOVED it... they were a beautiful sight (and sound!) to be hold!
Happy, happy anniversary, Al & Courtney!!
Part 2 will be blogged on Wednesday, so come back for that!
Ceremony: Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church Reception: Fredericksburg Square Florist: Jane Guerin Cake designer: The Icing DJ: LA Dee Jay Make-up artist: Victoria Miller (bridesmaid) Hair stylist: Bella Hair (Sandy) Dress: Priscilla of Boston
Equipment used for this wedding: canon 5d mark ii // canon 7d // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens // canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens // canon 35mm f/1.4 lens // canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens // canon 85mm f/1.8
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Liz Cook is the owner and photographer of sincerely, liz: photography. She is a virginia wedding photographer and virginia portrait photographer who loves virginia weddings, family portrait sessions and couple photography.
To see more of Liz’s work, check out her latest work as well as some of her favorite weddings. To hire Liz, simply fill out this form.
I'm super pumped to share with you all that we are hosting our First Annual 12 Days of Christmas Joy here at Sincerely, Liz! The campaign kicks off December 13th and goes until Christmas Eve, with the Grand Prize winner announced Christmas morning! Spread the word to be entered into the giveaways and take advantage of the 24 hour sales coming up!
