* APRIL 30th- Mini sessions were rescheduled to this Saturday and a spot opened up with others moving to a different date (confusing?). So, if you happen to be free and interested in a mini session this Saturday morning at Boyd’s Orchard, please let me know and we can reserve your spot.

* MAY SIGNATURE SESSIONS- Only 3 spots available!

* MAY 28th MINI SESSIONS @ Keeneland- Only 2 spots available!

* JUNE SIGNATURE SESSIONS- Only 6 spots available!

* JUNE 4th MINI SESSIONS @ Boyle County Fair- 4 spots available!

* JULY- COMPLETELY FULL

* MATERNITY LEAVE JULY 15-SEPTEMBER 16.

* HOLIDAY SEASON- When I come back I will be right in the middle of holiday shooting season. I know talking about the holidays before the summer has even started is just crazy, but if you’d like to book a holiday session, it may be smart to start thinking early! Yes, I am already booking for rest of the year! Crazy!!!!

Now, since I can’t post this without a pretty picture and since the other beautiful half of my “ginger duo” is dying for a sneak peek…and I’m dying for her to see a couple…here’s a quick little peek! More to come later!

Peace and SO much love,

Cilla

Sometimes you just have to rock…

THE sweetest first dance I’ve ever seen. So much love…

Hope this makes you smile today

Much love & xoxo,

Cilla

Um…WHAAAAAATTTT? It’s how long since WHO blogged? Me? Almost a month? Not me? Surely! You’ve GOT to be kidding me!

Okay, okay, okay. I’ll admit it. It’s been almost an entire month since I last blogged! I have several sessions that never got blogged and have already been seen by their beautiful clients. Oh, don’t you worry (I know…you were), those will be blogged. As many of you know, this is the crazy, insane, pull my hair out, fall asleep at my desk, and love every minute of it…okay, almost every minute of it….time of year. Getting galleries up in a timely manner is, of course, top priority. With that said, I have been MIA…literally. Not blogging…barely facebooking. I just don’t know how my photographer friends who seem to do it all keep up with it this time of year! Luckily, my beautiful, awesome, intern is back and helping me with orders. Have I ever mentioned how THANKFUL I am for her!?!

Funny story…sorta. You know it’s been a while since you blogged when you get the comment “are you still in business?” Yep…I laughed. Out loud. Sorry internet world!

Anywho…I just wanted to peek in and say hi! I am going to try and post some sessions soon….very soon….and something else really really really fun. I know…I said it three times, must be really fun. Oh make that four times.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! This is one of my favorite holidays. I love it’s simplicity and what it’s all about. Giving thanks. I am thankful for so many things…so many that it may be part of the really fun thing. Make that five times.

I am so insanely grateful for each of you. I know I am always talking about how much I love my clients and how so many have became friends of mine. I probably talk about it so much and with so many different clients that it’s hard to believe I’m being sincere. But, my goodness. If you could just read the emails, see their smiles, feel their hugs, and see how much joy they bring to my face…my heart, you would know that I am forever sincere. And forever grateful.

Peace and so so so so much love,

Cilla

I gasped. I immediately showed momma. It was completely on accident, I didn’t even set the exposure,  and it’s my favorite.

Seriously, I just KNEW this was going to be a fabulous session. A baby girl that’s at one of my favorite ages and is absolutely happy happy happy. Oh and did I mention two laid back parents. Or maybe I knew I would love them because they are friends with some of my favorite clients Either way, I was certainly not disappointed. Everything was perfect, refreshing, and happy.

Love the dress in the image below? That was made by my ever so talented friend/client at A La Modish. She now  has her own line of clothing (YAY! Which I am yet to have blogged about!) and Miss W got one of her very last custom made dresses! A La Modish will be coming to a boutique near you

I’m not only in love with this family, but also their home…and especially W’s room. It’s the second nursery that I’ve seen in pink and blue and have fallen in love with. I’ve decided that if Bret and I are ever blessed with a baby, and that baby is a girl, her room will be pink and blue (nope…Bret doesn’t get a choice). Oh and MUST have an adorabe crib like the one in the pics below. And hopefully said baby will be as happy and sweet as W!

Now my second favorite image. I like to pretend that she’s cracking up at me and pointing thinking “YOU’RE hilarious!” Although, I’m pretty sure momma was behind me being silly, but we’ll just pretend that I’m THAT funny.

Peace and much much love,

Cilla

A couple weeks ago we had the October minis, as well as the Hopscotch Petite sessions. Two days full of tiny sessions. I’ll have to admit, mini sessions can be difficult. The way I shoot is so laid back generally,  but when we have to put that into a small session, the pressure is on. I try to push away the pressure, but I think it’s in our nature. I think the thought goes something like “Okay…we have 20 minutes to make this work. You have to smile and act right. Now. Smile.”  It’s when we have those moments that we give up let go, that we get the most beautiful images. And we did. We all had moments where we weren’t trying to force anything. Seriously with kiddos so cute, smiles/no smiles/tears/mad faces, they are all adorable. There were moments when I thought “okay, maybe we won’t have smiles”, but boy was I wrong. I don’t have one session that we didn’t have good laughs. Now THAT makes me happy. Yes, normally I’m laid back and so are my sessions, but there are times when even I stress. Looking back at the sessions and the images, is just a reminder that we should always just chill and not worry because we are going to get happy images. See for yourself…

My absolute favorite image from the weekend…

I believe this was a “no more pictures please” kind of shot.

Much love,

Cilla

M & N have friends and family from all across the globe…literally. Walking into the church, you could see that they are loved by many. Every spot was filled. The love was amplified by the rolling laughter as N turned and waved after walking his Mom down the aisle to her seat, or while everyone raised their hands and prayed aloud for a very long and happy marriage. There were glimpses of love in each detail as they were all chosen for very personal reasons. When I say every detail, I truly mean every detail. This includes the rings, the gardenias (also found on the cake…except they were edible…I mean really does it get any better than sugary flowers?), the vases that held the gardenias, the buttons on the bridesmaids dresses, the hankerchief held by the blushing bride, the earings that graced her ears, the porcelain bride doll that greeted guests as they walked into the beautiful Ashley Inn, the bluegrass band, the bbq (which I might add is the best bbq I’ve EVER had), and even the Colonel Sanders look alike. I promise you, there are more details that I’m not even thinking of right off hand. I was so honored to be chosen to photograph a wedding that was created with pure love.

So, without further ado…here’s what you’ve really been waiting for…

Peace and so much love…

Cilla

Dawn’s response…”And I’m sure you have the most inspiring, beautiful post ready to go…can’t wait to read it!!”

Andrea’s response…”Pressure is on if you don’t have a post ready. lol. ” (Love how she ends everything with a smiley face like I do…)

PRESSURE IS ON. Panic sets in. I had debated back and forth if I would do a big elaborate blog post to celebrate the day. Since I know everyone has to be tired of my lovey dovey posts and probably just want to scream “Get a room”, I had decided I wouldn’t be blogging about this momentous occasion…well not until after our awesome weekend at least. Now though…now the pressure is ON. So, for the last few hours I have been writing, erasing, writing, erasing…trying to find the perfect words. I tried to do something clever that was a play off of 500 Days of Summer. Something about a narrator following me around with his deep game show host voice. Something about a story of boy meets girl, my early exposure to sad 80′s hair band music like Every Rose Has it’s Thorn, and my rose colored glasses and Brets crystal clear glasses. It’s just not working. I would get an ‘F’ in creative writing today. Today, creative writing=epic fail.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I don’t need anything fancy or creative to say how I feel. Our love is simple and real. There are days when I feel like I could choke him. There are days when his compulsive need to be right sends me over the edge and I look like the scary girl on the Exorcist (sadly…excessive cursing and all). It’s funny because those are also the days that I have a compulsive need to correct him “Don’t say this…don’t do this…don’t get in a debate with this person…don’t correct that person.” I know that I have often painted such a pretty picture of our love, so this just could not be true. The truth is, there are days when it’s just not pretty. Bret told me long ago that love is a choice. It’s not the mystical thing that everyone makes it out to be. After he told me that, he followed it up with “I choose to love you. I choose to share my life with you.” THAT’S why I love him. Our love isn’t just pretty. It’s real. We do have days where we want to choke each other, but those days are a grain of sand when compared to the number of days that our love is magnificant. Our love is so strong that during the days I want to scream, I also want to hold his hand, and love him (well, maybe after I’ve had time to get all the excessive cursing out of my system). I thank God that I know how it feels to have those “I’m so in love with you” moments. The moments that truely take your breath away. I thank God that I still get to experience those moments. During those moments I breath a sigh of relief. During that sigh, I’m thanking God, I’m thanking the Universe, I’m thanking my fairy God mother, I’m thanking my guardian angel, I’m thanking my husband. I’m taking a mental picture. I’m breathing it all in.

Five years ago, when I walked down that aisle, never did I imagine this is where our lives would be. I imagined Bret teaching and coaching, me working for non-profits, three kiddos, and a sparkling clean house. God may not have blessed us with the love of a child, but He has multiplied our love more than I could’ve ever dreamed. I have discovered a career that I love more than I could’ve ever thought possible. And our house may not be sparkling clean all the time, but it is our home. THIS is how I know that God has a plan for us that is so much more amazing than anything we had planned for ourselves. I can’t wait to see what’s waiting around the corner for us.  

Now for the alternate blog post…courtesy of Dawn.

Bret, Oh Bret…how glad I am we met.
From our days at Red Lobster, I’m glad you stayed so sweet and didn’t become a mobster
We have been through so much…you really are my rock, you are so clutch
You love to debate…and then debate, debate and debate
Many times you think you are right…maybe you just are better at the fight
But in the end…you are my best friend (well besides that whole Andrea thing)
Five years has gone so fast, I know this marriage is meant to last!!

So much love…

Cilla

For me, it all started last year when I received a call from Bret’s cousin, JH. He wanted to surprise his long time girlfriend with a photo session…where he would actually propose (read all about it and see the proposal HERE). For JH and K, it started way back in high school, when they started dated on July 3rd (I have no clue what year…forgive me). When JH called me, he knew the proposal had to be July 3rd. Guess when the wedding was? You guessed it, July 3rd. It was beautiful. Okay…that’s not even a good word to describe it. Amazing. Awesome. Stunning. Incredible. Definitely one of the very best weddings I’ve ever been to. Every single detail was thought out and planned to a “t”. Nothing was left out. Their personalities could be seen in each detail: from K’s garter with her Grandmother’s broach, to the colors and designs, to the location (that they had been going to since they were 16 and it was way out in the country…WAY out), to the quant country details, to the extravagant flower arrangements, to the camo frames, and the grooms cake of a buck’s head (no…not like the dollar buck, but the male deer with the big antlers), to the wooden arch made by JH’s Dad. Every where I looked it was a photographer’s dream. So, it’s understandable why I absolutely could not narrow down the sneak peek right?

Perhaps the best part of the day only a select few of us were around for. Their first meeting. It was perfect. JH said he could hear her footsteps and his heart started racing. They were both relieved to see their best friend. They hugged. They cried. They exchanged gifts. And cried some more. I certainly teared up. It was truly a beautiful part of the day. It is obvious that these two love each other unconditionally. They know each other so well that it’s like they’ve been married for years.

Okay…now I’ll let these speak for rest of the day…

She had perhaps one of the most popular make-up artists in Central KY (who’s work I adore), Ana Crane-Simpson…

…who also did her hair

Don’t you LOVE the garter!?! Don’t worry…they didn’t toss that one!

(Technical note: I apologize for the size of the next set…not quite sure what happened.)

Her hair…SO glamorous…so retro…so perfect.

Breath taking…

Probably my favorite wedding picture…love the half face…

John Wall was certainly represented. I have lots of John Wall dance pictures.

Okay…in an attempt to narrow it down I’m not including ceremony pictures. Every inch of me wants to stop and go prepare some to put on here, but I will resist

JH wanted a picture with both of their hands and rings. Not sure if this is what he was looking for….hahaha. Before you do a double take, I promise it’s not their middle fingers

I was cracking up THE entire reception. And I was cracking up THE entire time I was going through the reception pictures. Again…I want to go and put more of them on here, but I will resist and just show these…

JH and K…thank you for including me in these special memories. I truly feel honored and am thrilled that everything worked out. Thank you so very much for the sweet note on the program! That made me insanely happy! You all certainly have a special place in my heart

Much much much love,

Cilla

Classy…simple…beautiful southern wedding. The wedding and reception were in the place where J grew up. Getting married on their front porch and the reception in a large white tent in the yard. Everything was perfectly elegant. I had been looking forward to this wedding all year long and it didn’t disappoint!

Some very special and very old details…

Loved the little notes included in the groom’s gifts…

My favorite…

And my second favorite

Now…the true side of this fun bunch…They truly had me cracking up all day.

Thank you all for including me in your day! I can’t wait for you to see everything! And thanks for holding onto my lens for me

Peace and much love,

Cilla