Welcome Mr. & Mrs. Campbell!

Richie Campbell and Stefanie Richardson were married Saturday, March 27, 2010 at First Baptist Church of Jacksonville Beach. Their reception was held at the Majestic Room. The food was absolutely incredible! Richie began their reception with prayer, but soon sang to his bride. He wrote and composed a song about his feelings and their relationship. He sang this to her prior to them taking their first dance. How romantic! I am currently uploading the video now to youtube. Once it's there, I will post a link. Enjoy!

Bridal Glamour

It was another amazing shoot out with the wonderful Faythe Mesic Hall and her team of incredible make-up, hair-stylists, and models. Here is a small teast, but so much more to come!




Fashion shoot group:
Model: Victoria
Lead Makeup Artist: Sonia Garza
Lead Hairstylis: Sonia Garza
Wardrobe: Faythe Mesic
Dress: RiverCity Bridal (designer name available upon request)
Stylist Assistants: JoJo and Margo
In this photo: Victoria Gesell



Fashion shoot group March
Model: Jessica
Lead Makeup Artist: Faythe Mesic
Lead Hairstylis: Faythe Mesic
Wardrobe: Faythe Mesic
Dress: RiverCity Bridal (designer name available upon request)
Stylist Assistants: JoJo and Margo



Fashion shoot group March
Model: Rachel
Lead Makeup Artist: Faythe Mesic
Lead Hairstylis: Faythe Mesic
Wardrobe: Faythe Mesic
Dress: RiverCity Bridal (designer name available upon request)
Stylist Assistants: JoJo and Margo



Model: Lisa
Lead Makeup Artist: Sonia Garza
Lead Hairstylis: Sonia Garza
Wardrobe: Faythe Mesic
Dress: RiverCity Bridal (designer name available upon request)
Stylist Assistants: JoJo and Margo

Welcome Mr. & Mrs. McQuade!!

Ryan McQuade and Hayley O'Reilly tied the knot Saturday, March 6th at Fort Caroline Christian Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

Their reception location was at the Firefighter's Hall on Stockton Road. Food was provided by Hayley's family. We all had rave reviews of the seafood pasta. Music was provided by "Deland Entertainment" and video documentation of their special day was shot by "We Cover Weddings". (Look them up on Facebook and become a friend). Hayley's hair and makeup services were compliments of her sister and maid of honor, Gaynor O'Reilly. I would highly recommend all of these vendors again if you were planning your wedding.

Hayley chose to rock her dress the next day with a session in San Marco. She chose to pop the hot pink from her wedding colors.

Ryan and Hayley... I hope you have a blast on your honeymoon! Bring back lots of warm weather! I love you both!

Welcome Mr. & Mrs. Ames!!!

Katie and Dixon married at Arlington Baptist Church, in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, Feb 6th. Katie's curls and cowgirl boots were perfect for the special day; while Dixon sported sweet shades and pin-stripes. The reception location was at the Navy Officer Club at NAS Jax, overlooking the incredible St. John's river. Katie and Dixon spent their honeymoon at Disney!

Richie and Stefanie are getting hitched!

When ever I photograph a wedding, I offer a complimentary consultation before we ever take a single picture. During this time, I always learn how the couple met and their details of the big day. But the most important question I ask is to the groom... "So, how did you ask her to marry you?"

Note, I do not ask the bride for two big reasons, first because I love to see how the bride's face lights up as her groom re-tells the story of how he asked her and second I love to give the groom the opportunity to explain how he led up to the decision to actually ask her. So may times we get caught up in all of planning that we forget to recall why we made this decision in the first place.

When I sat down with Stefanie and Richie to hear how he asked her, my heart melted. Richie had planned to ask her on their anniversary. He had already purchased the ring, had it tucked away in a safe spot in their closet, and told everyone to be aware that it was coming. Richie is a country music artist and is pursuing a career in the industry. He and Stefanie had gone to a location that could have been a potential place for him to play at. The owner's wife inquired if Stefanie was Richie's wife? Richie laughed and poked fun at the idea, but said no.

Later that evening afer returning from the night out, Stefanie approached the subject again. She explained to Richie that she would love to be his wife one day. Richie left the room and returned with a ring. That's when he asked her.

He said to me, "I never thought I would ever get married. I was content just being on my own. I was going to pursue my music and do my own thing. Then she came into my life."

It was the sweetest thing I thought I had ever heard.

Richie and Stefanie are getting married at First Baptist Church at Jacksonville Beach on March 27th, 2010. There reception will follow at The Majestic Room. There engagement session pictures were taken in St. Augustine, Florida.

Click on photos for larger images. www.jhalsteadphotography.blogspot.com)

Tory & Brooker

I feel like I have a new theme to my engagement sessions... COLD WEATHER! It was 32 degrees when I left my home today, but it didn't take long for Tory & Brooker to warm things up. Tory's deep chocolate brown eyes and incredible smile would melt any guy's heart; Brooker just happend to be the lucky man. He had a way of saying just the right words to make her smile during the entire session. We started our session walking the streets of St. Augustine, but quickly made a pit-stop inside a cute little breakfast coffee shop to warm up.

Tory and Brooker have a beautiful outdoor wedding planned for Saturday, March 13 at the historical Treaty Oak Park in downtown Jacksonville. We finished the session by taking a walk through the park to get some ideas for wedding day pictures. The couple has pictured a romantic candle lit sunset wedding. I cannot wait for their big day to get here.

www.jhalsteadphotography.blogspot.com

Katie & Dixon

Let me take you back 6 hours ago....

It was 6:30am and my truck temp read 37 degrees!!!!! Katie & Dixon were meeting me at Jacksonville beach come rain or shine or even cold cold cold weather. We had to postpone their session two weeks ago because of freezing rain, so we were determined to do this one. I wore four layers on top and even leggings under my warm up pants, a hat, and gloves. They only wore a shirt and jeans. I didn't think that was very fair, so I brought a long a blanket for them to snuggle up with. Despite the cold and the nasty wind, we had an amazing session.

Dixon cracked me up! Dixon, I will remember the secret word for the wedding day, just in case we need reinforcements. He and Katie did a great job at hiding the fact that their toes and fingers felt like they were about to fall off. Katie has the most incredible smile and beautiful blue eyes! I cannot wait to capture her in February for their big day.

Their big day is Saturday, February 5th. So look forward to more of Katie and Dixon.
View this at www.jhalsteadphotography.blogspot.com