la-la-love these two…from the moment i met them.  and can't wait for their wedding this june!  casual portrait sessions like this help everything on the actual wedding day be 'smooth as silk'…as a client, you know a bit of what to anticipate whilst being photographed and i get to see how you interact as a couple and also a chance to learn valuable things like maybe your sweet groom is a 'blinker' and the topography of your faces (which determines what sort of lighting scenarios i'll look for).  plus, how cute is this sort of photograph?  you in love, before the wedding day but during courtship….oh, and in case you get totally hooked on darling photographs of you with your beloved, the first anniversary gift is paper, so an anniversary shoot couldn't be more perfect!

becca & sam, thank you for making my heart leap – for being so effortless and yourselves even with a camera around…and so gorgeous! 

so happy to be back from conference – it was a great experience!  so many inspiring speakers and talks with friends.  one little thing to pass along, the lovely elizabeth messina shared her new site kiss the groom, which quite frankly, i'm enamored with and thought you might like as well.  be sure to visit the kissing tree – i sent my version to jason.  have the sweetest day…oh, and if i might pass along another tip, i went to my first yoga class at barefoot works yesterday and it was great!  so if amidst your busyness, you find a spare hour from planning an incredible wedding, raising fabulous children and just living, i'm doing the yoga basics on thursday evenings and would love your great company.  -m-

big news…BIG news!
our wonderful, amazing production guru Sara has a thesis to write (but staying around till we find our next production assistant – sara, you're the best!!)! do you know photoshop?  knowing it inside and out isn't a necessity but we need you to be able to work a marquee, clone tool, etc. (i can teach you most of what I need you to learn but if you've done some photo retouching before, wahoo!)

Here are the details:
part time production assistant (approx. 5 hours/week…just one day a week, 3x per month)
- must be sweet beyond compare
- pleasant & friendly
- incredible attention to detail & love for what you do
- familiar with photoshop, and savvy with web stuff (you'll be placing our print orders)
- organized
- cute handwriting, can tie a bow like no other (for order packaging)
- a good eye for color/aesthetics
- outstanding communication skills
- available during the hours of 9am-4pm Fri*
- available to start march 6th (so Sara can train you personally)
- pay $10hr**

If you're reading this and know that you're the perfect person for us, please get in touch – melanie@melaniemauer.com with the subject line: production assistant (along with a resume that may highlight special skills we haven't listed like graphic design, knowing adobe lightroom or microsoft outlook… and a little or a lot about yourself).  No calls please.

And as much as I love those of you who are considering photography, my strong preference is for someone who is *not* a photographer (or hoping to be one) – we're specifically looking for someone who is able to work here long-term.

* More during the warm months, a bit less during the cooler months…Friday is our preferred day (hours are flexible) but if evenings or Saturdays are better for you, please still write and let us know. We might be able to work that out!  As you learn the position (first 6-12 weeks), your hours will be fewer…once your skills increase, the hours of this position can increase…please let us know if one longer day is an option for you.

** We believe that documenting our clients happy lives is SO important, and as a photographer, I want to extend that same gift – a session for you and your family will be done each and every year that you're a part of MMP.  

I'm so excited to see who writes!  I can't wait to meet you!  -m-

edited to add: please send in your applications by this friday, feb 27th…we're planning to make a decision on monday, march 2nd. 

i'm so pleased to announce that we're a part of the wonderful local first lexington group…and if you're a lexington small business owner, please come join us!

——

i think this little 'roll up kitchen' mat is so cute!

i made a little ticket to bora bora using this ;)
 
can't wait to go on a trip with audrey so we can use this to pack her suitcase.

loving these shoes but not so much the price tag :) let me know if you see them on sale! 

garlands are right up there with cupcakes & babies with their 'cute' factor

——

i'm in vegas at wedding & portrait photographers international convention – back in the office next week!  please be patient with email & voicemail replies until monday, jan 23rd…i'm excited to learn lots, see my favorite photographer friends, and check out everything wonderful to bring it all back for you!  warmly, -melanie-

i'm so happy that you
finally get to see lauren & barrett's wedding!!  these past few months have been such a
whirlwind and wedding posts take time to compose so proofing and orders took
the front seat for a while but i'm so happy that there's a little space today
to get this posted. 

as a couple, these
two are so fun loving, incredibly warm and there's a special way that they
relate to the people around them…so affectionate and generous beyond all
measure.  i'm completely delighted by
them.  i hope i'm not going overboard by
sharing this but it was an unseasonably warm evening during their rehearsal and
barrett was hot…he mentioned it quietly to lauren and she said, "baby,
just take your shirt off :)"…and she was so serious.  she made me smile like that at every turn.
and something that stands out, is the way that the people around them look at them…they
are beloved.  i saw it in their
officiant's eyes (i love how connected they were to the person who married
them), in barrett's sister's eyes when she toasted them at dinner, in lauren's
mom's eyes when she saw her in her gown, in nana's eyes when lauren got
everyone's attention during the cocktail hour and thanked her for letting them
get married on her beautiful property.  it was a sweet sweet day.  there are dreamy movies that don't hold a
candle to what everyone experienced at this wedding – oh, and lest you think
every moment was steeped in sentiment, there was a LOT of fun, too!  The grandness was matched ounce for ounce in
what may have well been the best event of the year.  Glamour, sophistication, style and
celebration all rolled up into such a great evening!  Here’s a peek at a few more images.

lauren & barrett, merci for letting me share this day beside you…i'm so happy to have been there! 

wedding notes:

planning: one fine
day (i could write a whole post…but i think what lauren and barrett had was
what so many brides and grooms hope for & and mackenzie helped them realize
their vision for their wedding.  the
execution of it was impeccable. one fine day does something rare –  there's a feeling that infuses the events that
she plans that make them so extraordinary you never want to leave. i'm a
details kind of girl, and there existed so many thoughtful ones here that i was
swimming in them!  And the details all
stemmed from the aforementioned generosity of heart that lauren and barrett
have – they communicated in a lovely way, their wish for their guests to be
cared for in a wonderful way. example: shoe check on a grassy lawn with darling
flip flops to exchange; fence line with fluttering photographs to look at while
you walk to your seat…) if you are a bride to be wondering if you might should
hire a planner, please think no more about it…they are indispensable for
keeping the day & planning fun. 

rehearsal dinner:
artemisia patio

ceremony location:
private home

cocktail hour
catering: wiltshire pantry

reception location:
brown hotel (i love it!)

videography: robert
mills

lighting: vincent lighting
(this reception was *transformed* because of incredible lighting…as the evening
progressed it became a starry night, pin lights on the centerpieces, lights on
the walls…it’s hard to overstate how important lighting is!)

floral design: magnolia's (502) 585-4602

cake: mert's cakes

image notes: the rehearsal…then the wedding :)

You
know you're in love when you
can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

[ Dr. Seuss. ]