hello friends,
please contact us prior to wednesday to set up sessions for august/september or to place an order for some lovely prints since we'll be going away on holiday shortly to create family memories. warmly, -melanie-
p.s. emailing will be limited july 10-22.
it's such a dream to photograph people's celebrations - and this particular weekend held two great parties for heather. one was to celebrate the opening of sex and the city movie - she hosted a pre-movie gathering for her girlfriends at her loft...it was FANTASTIC (take a peek at the 'get carried away' cake made by sugar forest)! they were picked up in a limo for the movie and followed that with a yummy dinner at bellini's. the next day was a wonderful birthday party in dudley's wine room with close friends. heather reminds me to celebrate everyday and she's the epitome of my favorite frank sinatra quote "do it right, do it big, do it with style".
happy 4th! -m-
celebration notes:
catering: catering by donna (859) 269-0978
cake: brenda renner @ sugar forest
florist: crist creona (the flowers were so fantastic & inventive!) (859) 252-6833
locations: bellinis, dudleys
i've been waiting for this day ever since emy shared that she was going to have a book published. emy, a wonderful bride, has written a memoir - even for me, her photographer, i feel this huge surge of pride over such an incredible accomplishment.
i knew her book would be amazing, and the reading was so entertaining! if you're looking for a funny summer read to tote on vacation, i dare say this is the one...at least for me! (joseph-beth ran out because pre-launch sales had been so wonderful) so I need to head back soon! -m-
love this version of 'make you feel my love' by Adele (Bob Dylan remake) via Glamour this! -m-
look at these great new stamps! yay! -m-
i've been so excited to write about this wedding because i wanted to show everyone trish's great dress and go on and on about how much i loved the moment when i was proofing and saw that shea's granddad looks at shea's grandmother *exactly* the same way shea looks at trish. it was fun to see dad excited about the unveiling of thoughtful surprises throughout the course of the day, meet trish's awesome bridesmaids (one was lovely beth!)...i loved photographing at st. paul's - the interior structure is so incredible (and it was a little mistake that the lights were left up but it make the images so great!!). so, here's a collage of some favorite moments and scenes...at the bottom, check out the flowergirl with a handsome little guy looking at the party with a birds eye view.
i cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. it is too long ago. i was in the middle before i knew that i had begun. -Fitzwilliam Darcy {on his love for Elizabeth Bennett}, in Pride & Prejudice
wedding notes:
planning: louise robinson (859) 266-6584
location: st paul, lexington country club
flowers: howard doyle (859) 299-9492
cake: nina parsons (859) 987-5488
I can get lost for hours on etsy.com. I love browsing through the jewelry, prints, and other hand-made goodies. I found these the other day, and think they're SO mmp -- if only I hadn't just cut off all my hair!
take care, -Laura-
edited by melanie to add: oh, I want to share too - etsy is amazing!
great scarf!
darling lunchsack!
here's a wonderful post by fantastically great 'style me pretty' on wedding flowers and their meanings
- it's so fun to build a bouquet around that! i remember a great bride many years ago who put rosemary in hers (and kept sniffing it because she loved how it smelled!) for 'remembrance'
Baby's breath = Everlasting love
Bachelor's button = Celibacy, delicacy
Calla lily = Magnificent beauty
Carnation (pink) = Woman's love
Carnation = Pure love
Cornflower = Delicacy
Crocus = Cheerfulness
Daisy = Innocence
Dogwood = Duration
Fern = Magic
Forget-me-not = Remember me
Freesia = Innocence
Fuchsia = Confiding love
Geranium = True friendship
Hellebore = Calming
Hyacinth = Sport and play
Iris = I have a message for you
Ivy = Friendship
Jasmine (pink) = I attach myself to you
Jasmine (white) = Amiability
Lady's mantle = Comfort
Lilac = First emotions of love
Lily-of-the-valley = Return of happiness
Mint = Virtue
Myrtle = Love
Oak leaf = Bravery
Orchid = You're in my thoughts
Peony = Bashful
Peppermint = Warmth of feeling
Primrose = Youth
Ranunculus = Radiant with charms
Rose (white) = I am worthy of you
Rose = Love
Rosemary = Remembrance
Snowdrop = Hope
Sweet pea = Delicate pleasures
Sweet violet = Modesty
Sweet William = Sensitivity
Tulip (pink) = Caring
Tulip (variegated) = Beautiful eyes
Tulip = Declaration of love
Violet (blue) = Faithfulness
a feast for the eyes and loads of cake inspiration from cakegirls and vanilla bake shop
and to wrap up the post, here's a peek at my Father's Day gift for Jason. warmly, -melanie-
these two are one of my most memorable couples - i adore them to no end! i photographed their wedding four years ago and it was so sweet to see how their love had grown...i've felt that same maturation of love in my own marriage so it tugged so hard to recognize it in someone else's relationship. i read once to pay attention to how you feel after you leave someone's presence and with stephanie & david, I feel so enlivened, so enriched...and i love how peacefully the yin and yang of their relationship is represented. where david is mellow, stephanie is jubuliant...honestly, i just think these two are absolutely incredible. i crave more time with them just to soak up their joie de vivre and love to be witness to the beautiful marriage they have. -m-
love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own. [ h. jackson brown, jr.]
loved this shoot with laura, pete & hannah - laura is the familiar name behind so many emails/letters from our office/ occasional blog posts. she's the preeminent office manager - if there were a competition, she'd surely win the biggest 4 ft tall trophy that shimmered in the sun! and as such, annually we document *her* family because you can't do what we do (make darling photos for the people in the bluegrass) and not have great photos of those you love!! as a photographer, I have this odd quirk where I feel like I know someone much better after I photograph them...it's a chance to talk, listen, see how they interact so although I spend time with laura, I feel like I know her in a completely new way after this shoot. meeting her sweet lab, hannah, and seeing pete again was a delight.
i'm so happy you get to a bit more of an introduction to her here as well - she's so incredible, and a wonderful part of what we do at mmp. it's not an understatement to say that each day is better with her here. -m-
when I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I'd like to know them. anyone I know I photograph. [annie leibovitz]
just had such a great saturday hanging out with my family...time to think on life and it has me smiling from ear to ear. thank YOU for being such a huge part of it all...it means a ton when i get an invitation to photograph your family so you can hang on to a few moments of the great life you have. so yes, i'm gushing over you all once again...which happens every day in the office but i try to practice a tiny bit of restraint online ;) but know that you're adored, and that the bow on your photo package is tied 'just so' while we're thinking lovely thoughts of you. here's to a summer where we can all come away with a handful of incredible memories...and if i'm invited to come along and record a few, all the better! -m-
image by mmp wonder-intern: katie garner
i am so inspired by my clients! whitney was so great at being a bride...her bridesmaids had the cutest dresses, greatest necklaces, and gave them the loveliest henry brown bags! i adored hearing her say 'i'm so lucky' when she saw the reception tent while we were walking by making portraits. so, let me fill you in on the story - 4 friends from middle school have stayed in touch and vacationed together for 45 years...amongst those summers, 2 of the children of these friends fell in love so it's hard to even write words to describe the deep sense of friendship and warmth present. the next week, as i thought about the wedding, it encouraged me to arrange something for us with jason's best friends (it's on for october and i'm so happy!)!
oh, and let me point out a couple things...the cute pug, jezebel, has a tiny bit of the grooms boutonniere in her mouth and the lowest right image is of the mother/son dance...loved that they kicked off the party with the Twist! -m-
planning & floral: best of flowers
location: the headley-whitney museum
cake: martine's
make-up: ana crane simpson (acscouture@hotmail.com)
tent: purdons
wyatt and his cousin, max were hilarious...sweet as can be. max got tired (as babies often do) so i had a little extra time with wyatt while max napped. my favorite image is the one in his nursery reading a book with a quilt behind him made by a great aunt. the extra fun part was that we really got a look at all the different sides of him - i love this 1 year age when there's enough personality to see a tiny glimmer of who they'll be like years to come. wyatt & max, you have my heart - thank you for the invitation to play in the mud outside, it's a memory i'll cherish! -m-
a boy is naturally full of humor. [ sir robert baden-powell ]
grant was so much fun...exploring, jumping and doing cool stuff left and right! as we were walking he found this great spot and it reminds me how much more interesting it is to photograph in the environment rather than inside in a studio...sometimes i sing a different tune when it's raining and it wrecks the calendar but it really doesn't happen that often. lately, i've had a few opportunities to travel outside lexington and i've been mesmerized by all the great stuff i've seen! love this state! -m-
I'm so happy it's finally the season for the Lexington Farmer's Market! Nothing starts off a Saturday morning quite like a trip downtown to see all the local goodies -- fresh flowers, soap, honey, meat & eggs, and, of course, all the beautiful fruits and vegetables. Sometimes, there's even a man with ice cream! Last year, they started having a Farmer's Market on Sundays, too - across from the Co-Op on Southland drive (super-convenient for us as that's where we usually have our Sunday lunch). That's where we bought all our tomato plants for what turned out to be a booming year for vegetables at our house! There's something so neat about getting to meet the people who grow your food (or growing it yourself). I just saw on the LFM's website that this June they will be touring local farms -- I can't decide which one I want to see more, the one where they harvest honey or the goat cheese farm!
take care,
-Laura-
i could go on and on about this family! we had this session at their family home and i'm SO happy we did! all of a sudden, the images take on a new layer of meaning when there's a special spot represented in the background of the images. it was cold and yet completely delightful - we discovered mutual friends through the course of the session, i became completely convinced that i have the most gorgeous clients on the planet after seeing kate's amazing smile, and felt completely soaked in the mood of happiness and love that this sweet family exudes. completely a pleasure!
-m-
so fun meeting at cherokee park in louisville for a shoot with lauren & barrett while they walked their dogs (minus one who was at home recuperating from surgery). loved getting to know them better and i'm pretty sure lauren is *the* girl to call when you need info on exotic cities - where to stay, eat & do. they are phenomenal - cool & laid-back, fun and interesting...completely the sort that i hope invents lots of reasons to be photographed so i can see them again and again :) i'm smitten, plain & simple. (thanks for making me part of the mothers day celebration and can't wait for the wedding in september!)
children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as wall street and the railroads. [harry truman]
i've been so impressed with the latest set of mothers around me, and miriam's mother, maria is no different. thankfully, she'd planned ahead so i could photograph miriam at just a few days old...the divine point for photographers when they'll stay curled up, sleep through the session (sometimes!)...and even at just a few days old, miriam is engaging dad. i loved it and i'm so happy we have that little slice in time recorded.
really looking forward to our shoot that's coming up so i can see how she's grown! -m-
blessed indeed is the man who hears gentle voices call him father! [lydia maria child]
belated happy mothers day! i saw this image to blog of finley and knew i needed to sneak it in soon because they're moving this week and audrey and i are so sad. audrey considers finley 'her' baby and it's so much fun to see these two together...a wonderful new chapter is starting for them in georgia though and we're celebrating, too even though we're sad we won't see them all the time. summer & finley, georgia is so so lucky to have you!! love, -melanie-
this is probably the fifth time in a couple years i've gotten to see these three darling children - and every time it gets better and better. mom, gwen, is an absolute genius on clothes and making it all work together without it being too matchy-matchy.
the bottom picture is one of my favorites from winter (see how behind the blogging is - but i'm getting caught up!). and the session made for a *beautiful* book! -m-
when I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become. [louis pasteur]
this amazing mom, erin, and her son drove in from indiana for this session. what a *huge* compliment. she sent all sorts of sweet fan mail before and afterwards that made me blush and it was so fun to celebrate this happy occasion of having a new son. thurgood you were perfect - i can't wait to see you again! warmly, -melanie-
there has never been, nor will there ever be, anything quite so special as the love between a mother and a son. [ author unknown ]
i'm so in love with spring - it's delightful how annually it continues to surprise me with it's wonderfulness. it's completely faded from memory how last year, we went through the same ritual of shedding the sweaters, opening the windows - hmmm, spring amnesia, I like you. we've loved the evening walks the recent weather has encouraged and yesterday it dawned on me it had been a while since i posted personal pics...so much has happened! audrey woke jason up on his birthday (st. patricks day) wearing a green striped shirt and green pixie cut wig, we had amazing red velvet cupcakes (merci, grandma!) at said toddler's birthday soiree and we're sure that there's nothing quite so entertaining to a household as a 2 year old. jason, cancel the netflix subscription - there's a hilarious, confident, 'learns 2 new words everyday' toddler in the house. -m-
i so enjoyed getting to know you two - it was a lovely preview to the wonderful day we'll have soon in may at your wedding. trish, thanks for pulling a couple strings to go the the spot for the last image pictured - what an amazing place!! i'm so enamored with you both! warmly, -melanie-
i have learned not to worry about love; but to honor it's coming with all my heart. [ alice walker ]
if you need a little weekend escape destination, try Wallace House Bed and Breakfast - it's in covington - just cross the river to spend a day (or two!) in cincinnati. visit the newport aquarium in the morning, then head on up to ikea or catch a reds game. just be sure to wake up hungry the next day because the dining room breakfasts are delish - my favorite is the baked french toast, my darling hubby loves their eggs benedict - either way, you'll be happy!
take care,
-Laura
even weddings are going green! here's a great website we've found for the environmentally-conscious bride:
portovert.com: The Gateway To Greener Weddings. they've got tons of inspiring articles, pictures, even a guide that lets you search by location and service/product. being motivated (all too often) by my stomach, i was drawn to the pages on food and beverage -- gotta love these cupcakes by miette!
another website worth a visit is http://fabgreen.com - they've got really cute DIY projects -- but green! (the site can be slow to load, but is worth the wait)
hope you've enjoyed our green(er) april!
take care,
-Laura
(the beaming owner of a new *prius*!!!)
