Congratulations John and Heather!

When I got the phone call from Heather several months ago inquiring about photographing her upcoming wedding to her fiance John, I had several thoughts: 1) I figured she would never actually want me to do it. When she called, I was in the process of loading my kids up after going to the pool, so I wasn't exactly coherent. Normally I wouldn't have answered the phone at a moment like that, but for some reason I did it any way. Let's just say I don't think I scored many points in the "professional" category! 2) I really hoped that, despite how I sounded, I would get to photograph her wedding anyway! She told me a little about her "Alice in Wonderland" vision for her wedding, and it sounded like so much fun. 3) I was really excited that she and John love Jesus, too!

Well, obviously she and John did ask me to do their wedding :) And it was even better than I had thought it would be! Heather had a great attention to detail, and everything looked fabulous. It was a fun and special day, and I was honored to be there. I love how these images turned out! Make sure you watch the slideshow at the end, which is set to one of their favorite songs...

I LOVED Heather's shoes...

And how her Dad couldn't keep his eyes off her while he walked her down the aisle. And how John was overcome as he saw his bride for the first time. And Heather's Mom's excitement as she watched her new son-in-law...

Heather's sister MADE these mugs for each guest as a favor!

Congratulations you two! Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your day.

Ali is 8 Months Old!

Last week I met up with Rye and Eddie for baby Ali's 8 month photos. We started the session off a little differently than usual... Ali was going to be baptized at church that morning, so they asked me to photograph the baptism. (Since they go to my church, it was convenient :) ).

Ali was quite interested in Pastor Jerry's microphone!

Praying that God would bless little Ali and her parents.

She's getting strong!

Rye's parents and brother were down visiting... so Ali had quite an audience!

Because Ali and my Anna are only 5 weeks apart, I brought her along for the fun. Ali was quite interested in her friend! (That or she was wondering who this person was who was chewing on one of her toys!)

We then headed out to the beach for some family shots.

Trying to catch a fish!

As the only grandbaby, Ali is not wanting for attention or love :)

Rye's dad grabbed this shot of me and Rye with the babies. I hope they grow up to be great friends!

Here she is as a newborn, and at 2, 4, 6, and 8 months. It's getting hard to keep her on the couch!

Congratulations Joan and Klaus!

I seriously think that Joan and Klaus are one of the cutest couples I have ever photographed - they reminded me of a couple of teenagers! And their story is kind of fun, too. Klaus is from Germany, but Joan is American. However, she had to travel to Germany for work, and while there she met the man of her dreams :) So now they live in Germany, and were even legally married there, but they wanted to have a ceremony here for Joan's family.
Because of the distance, they hired Kate Hall to help with the details. I worked with Kate on Doug and Jessica's wedding, and I was so excited to work with her again! She did a fabulous job putting everything together for the long-distance couple.
I hope you enjoy the photos!

The Reason For My Hope

This past Saturday was the 8 year anniversary of the day my Dad went home to Jesus. And still, after 8 years, a day doesn't go by that I don't think of him in some way. Sometimes it seems that it was just yesterday that I could call him up and hear him call me "sweetie-doodle", and other days it seems almost like he never really existed except in my memory. I miss him terribly. My heart aches that he never got to meet Mark, Chris, Anna, or the rest of my siblings' spouses and kids. How he would have loved them all! He would have been so very proud of his (almost) 16 grandchildren! I am sad that I don't get to show him what I am doing now; I bet he would be excited to see my latest photos. Since his passing holidays have become bittersweet; while I of course love to gather and celebrate, they just haven't been the same. His infectious holiday spirit - oh how he loved Christmas! - is missed.

I spent the day on Saturday photographing a wedding for Heather and John. They are a cute couple, and the wedding was so sweet. (I can't wait to blog the photos!) But, I have to admit that I teared up a bit more than usual. As I watched all of the special father-daughter moments - the first moment her dad saw her in her dress, walking her down the aisle, the father-daughter dance, etc. - I have to admit that I was jealous! I never got to have those moments with my dad.

And yet, though I was sad during those moments, and though I miss him so much every day, I have hope. I think that is probably my favorite word. Hope. I love it because of what it means - that I will get to see my Dad again. That he is not hurting. That one day I will leave this mess of a world behind and get to hear my dad call me "sweetie-doodle" again. And my hope is not the same hope that the world has. That kind of hope is a "oh, I hope I get that new toy for Christmas" hope. It is a hope that may or may not be fulfilled. But the hope that I have WILL be fulfilled. My dad IS in heaven, and I WILL get to see him again.

Now I ask, do you have that hope? I have that hope because I know the author of that hope: Jesus. He has given me that promise, and He cannot lie.

During this holiday season, it is so easy to get caught up in the gifts, the baking, the decorations, the family gatherings, etc. And those are all good things - I love them all! But please, please, take a moment to consider the reason that we celebrate. We celebrate because God the Father sent His precious Son, Jesus, to save us. To give us hope. I ask again: do you have that hope?

If you have any questions, please just shoot me an email: caroline@carolinenicolephotography.com. I'd love to talk to you!

Evan and Stacey are Engaged!

For the past two years, I have had the privilege of photographing my friend and neighbor Kelly's family when they gather to celebrate Christmas. It is always fun to see the new babies that have joined the group, and I am getting to know them so well I feel like one of the family! So I was really excited when Evan, Kelly's nephew, and his fiance Stacey asked me to photograph their upcoming wedding. I have to admit, I was surprised and honored when I found out that I was the only photographer they had even talked to; they said it was important to them to work with someone that they were already comfortable with. Wow - that meant a lot!

So recently I met up with the two of them to do their engagement photos. I had so much fun, and they were such good sports! They didn't complain at all when I had them wandering through and laying down in a random field. They were even willing to roll up their jeans and get in the river! So, I am really excited about their wedding!

Congratulations you two! And thank you for the honor of being a part of your day.

Doesn't Stacey have a beautiful smile?!

I love the way they look at each other.

This one was Evan's idea ;)

This is just down the street from their condo, so they often walk their dog here. I love that we were able to incorporate a meaningful location!

When I asked Stacey to hold her hand up so I could get her ring, she couldn't stop laughing.. so cute :)

This spot is right behind their condo, and Evan often sits down in this spot to relax. What a view!