CONGRATULATIONS KEITH!!!

Congratulations to our Assistant Photographer, Keith Ludy (my brother)! I am so proud! Keith made this AWESOME image while vacationing in the North Georgia Mountains and has now won the Fall Foliage Photography contest put on by a local television station. We can now officially say that Keith is our "Award Winning Photographer's Assistant"!!! Way to go Keith! We are all so proud of you!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

We recently did a "Trash the Dress" session with Stephani Kimbrough-Gunderson at her property in Richland, GA. She has all kinds of neat areas on her property to photograph. Be sure to check out her images in our Wedding Gallery. From the main website http://www.jehedges.com/, click on View Images, then click on Weddings, then click on the link for the "Wedding Gallery". Scroll down until you find Stephani's name. We got lots of awesome images of her. She's so gorgeous and makes our job easy!

This is one of the images we took in her family cemetery. We think it makes an awesome Halloween greeting... enjoy! Happy Halloween and be safe!

Heather and Bret

We've known Heather for a while. In 2005, I introduced Heather's sister, Celeste, to Julie. Julie photographed Celeste's wedding in 2006. We were absolutely thrilled when Heather chose us for her big day!

Heather and Bret were married at Southside Baptist Church in Greenville, AL on October 4th. Southside Baptist is a very nice, classic looking church. Heather chose minimal floral decorations for the sanctuary, because it was pretty enough with out a bunch of fuss! It just so happened, that it was the hottest day of the week, but the weather was clear and sunny, and of course, Heather was beautiful! Her dress was intricate, yet simple--and perfect on her. The bridesmaids wore a pretty "fall" red color, and carried pale green and pink roses.

The bridal party and families were all excited for Heather and Bret. Even the littlest members of the wedding party! They were so excited, it was hard to even keep them still for the pictures! :) We tried, but they were more interested in the puzzles Julie brought for them then standing still! When it was time to walk down the aisle, they were ready, though!

Heather and Bret's reception was held in the Fellowship Hall of the church. Again, the decorations were pretty and simple, but perfect for the occasion! On a sentimental note, Heather and Bret displayed a beautiful picture of Heather's cousin Beth, whom they lost to cancer earlier this year. The family wanted to make sure that she was part of the day, even though she wasn't there physically.

Heather and Bret were headed out the very next morning at 4:00 A.M. for their honeymoon! They had to scoot out of their reception a little early to make sure they could wake up in time to make their flight!

It was a perfect day for a wedding, and I'm glad Heather chose us to be a part of it! Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Beasley! Here's to many years of happiness!

April and Blake

We photographed April Hall and Blake Durham's wedding out at Oakhurst on September 13th. April and Blake are a beautiful, fun couple that were a pleasure to work with! Even though it was one of the hottest days of the summer, it was a crystal clear sunny day and a pretty day for a wedding. Blake and April were so anxious to see each other, that when they finally did, it was a sweet emotional moment.

The wedding party and the families were very fun to work with. Everyone was energetic and ready to celebrate Blake and April's big day. Perhaps the most precious members of the wedding party were their flower girls, Emma and Britton. Two of the cutest little girls you've ever seen! To show you all how small the world is...we photographed April once already--in Lindsay Coker-Anderson's wedding last year. Lindsay just happened to be one of April's bridesmaids! AND...both April and Lindsay are friends with Shelly Butler, who we ALSO photographed in may this year. We're so lucky to be able to work with our clients multiple times!

Once again, the bride's fashion sense amazed us. She had a very cute color scheme, pink and black. Her flowers were bright pink roses and the bridesmaids dresses were very simple, elegant black dresses. April's dress was also simple and elegant, but she was absolutely stunning!

The reception was super fun! Everyone had a great time dancing to to tunes of our friend, DJ Benji Shephard. Also...at the reception, we witnessed the best garter-toss battle ever! Those boys were running each other over to get to that garter! The Durham's had the coolest wedding favors...pink and black match books AND koozies! Both items were a big hit with the guests!

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Durham! We wish you a future full of laughter and love!

You're BOOOOO-tiful!!!

On Sunday, October 12th the studio will be doing special Halloween sessions! Dress your little one up in their costume and come by the studio for a fun photo shoot! (Great for baby's first Halloween or first year trick-or-treating!)

Halloween Special includes your Creation Fee and a one pose package:
1 - 8x10
4 - 5x7's
8 - Wallets
Just $85!!! You save $130 off our normal session fees!

You can add additional units to the package if you'd like! You also have the option to purchase cute Halloween greeting cards. You will have three high quality 5x7 glossy cards to choose from! Twenty-five cards, bonus second side image, with envelopes for $55!

Your package prints and greeting cards will be ready in time for you to share them with your family and friends!!

We are limiting this special to six clients only. Don't delay as slots will fill fast! We must hear from you by Tuesday, October 7th at 5:00pm!

Featured Vendor on Brides.com

One of Julie's beautiful pictures is featured in an article about the Garrett Bullock House on Brides.com. The article gives a brief look at the house's history and mentions some of the details of their wedding packages.

You can see the complete article here.

A Household Divided

On September 6th, I photographed Leah Harris and Blake Potter's wedding. Leah and Blake are truly the sweetest, most loving couple. Blake proposed to Leah with a fortune cookie message! Leah broke open her fortune cookie at dinner, and inside read the message "Leah, will you marry me?". Blake had the fortune cookies specially made. You can see one of the cookies by viewing their images online. These two worked very hard to make their wedding dreams a reality. Everything was just beautiful! They were married at Mt. Zion Baptist on Double Churches Road and the reception was held at the Log Cabin in Phenix City.

Here's the thing though... Leah is a die hard Auburn fan... and Blake is a die hard Georgia fan and they mean business! Leah tortured Blake by wearing an Auburn garter that he removed and happily threw to the single men. Blake tortured Leah by feeding the guests a Georgia Bulldog groom's cake. Leah refused to help cut it... giving the 'old thumbs down. These two are quite funny! I can't wait until they have children... I can see it now... Blake Jr.... a die hard Bama fan!!!

We're In Print Again... Woo Hoo!

The new "Weddings Of Georgia" magazine is out circulating in the valley. You can find it at most of the wedding vendor locations, including our studio. The magazine is a spin-off of the WeddingsofGeorgia.com website and includes tips, articles, and vendor recommendations to make your wedding day the best it can be. JE Hedges Photography can be found all through out the magazine!

First, our bride Kristen Waites appears on the cover! The image is from a "Trash the Dress" session we did with Kristen a few weeks after her wedding. She looks stunning and we are excited that our image was chosen for the cover.


Second, when you first open the magazine... there we are! Our ad is the very first page you turn to in the magazine. Let us know what you think!


Third, on page 10 and 11, you'll find an article written about Heather Stripling & Clint Tranum who won the Q107.3 and Weddings of Georgia Great Wedding Giveaway. We had the honor of being a part of this spectacular event.


Fourth, on page 14 and 15 you'll find an article written about Brook Harris and Dave Machin who were married at the Rivermill. They truly had the "fairytale" wedding with lots of obstacles they overcame. A very interesting read so be sure to pick up a copy of the magazine!


Fifth, on page 23, our images appear in the Garrett-Bullock House ad... and sixth, our images appear on page 31, in the RSC ad.

The next Weddings of Georgia issue comes out in February 2009. We look forward to the many exciting articles and features that the magazine will bring to the community!

It's Official... She loves Initials!

I had the pleasure of photographing Marianne Jordan & Brandon Faison's wedding on July 19th. I actually use to work with Marianne's father at the "quack" corporation before I became 100% self-employed. Marianne's dress was absolutely awesome! It was white and black. She had quite an ordeal with that dress weeks before the wedding when the dry cleaners caused the black dye to run all down and through the white fabric. Can you imagine the horror she experienced? The day of the wedding though... there wasn't even a spot! She looked fantastic and I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the colors and theme of their wedding... seeing as my favorite colors are black and pink as well! Marianne is really into monograms and initials and that was very evident with the theme of the wedding. Any and everything you can imagine had her and Brandon's initials on it... even her bouquet! It was really cool. I also enjoyed their Sweets & Treats Dessert bar. Fran Papenfuss made the wedding cake and it looked like a cake right out of a magazine. It was so unique, creative, and fun. Wait a minute... I've heard that slogan somewhere before???? Hee hee. Marianne and Brandon... I wish the two of you many years of happiness!!!!

Greg and Kendall

Greg and Kendall are a super-fun couple we worked with earlier this month. The whole time we were working with them, they cracked us up...even Greg! Usually Julie has to keep reminding the groom to smile---but not this time! They were such an easy couple to work with!

In addition to being a beautiful bride, Kendall has a fabulous fashion sense. Her colors were pink and bright ocean blue. It was a color combination we'd never run across...but it was so perfect for Kendall and her bridesmaids.

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Allen! Best wishes for a long, happy marriage full of laughter and love!

No Pot of Gold...

Keith and I had the pleasure of photographing Natalie Floyd's Bridal Session this evening. The clouds were dark... the thunder was rolling... and the lightning was threatning... but we prayed and God came through. The lighting was pretty perfect and even the entire session and the cool breeze kept what would have been a sweltering evening of 90 degree weather actually pretty nice.

We arrived about ten minutes early to the session, so while we waited... right in front of us appeared the prettiest rainbow. We got a quick shot and no sooner than we captured the photograph... the beautiful rainbow slowly faded. We searched and searched... but alas... found no pot of gold. :(

Weddings...Entertainment? Yes!

Has anyone else noticed that there are a ton of new wedding shows on TV. Of course, everyone knows about Bridezillas and Platinum Weddings, but there are two new shows that are loads of fun! Every bride-to-be should check them out.

The first one is called "Say Yes to the Dress". It is part documentary, part soap opera and totally entertaining. The show follows the day-to-day operations of a premier wedding salon, Kleinfeld Bridal. It's kind of therapeutic to watch, because its nice to see that everyone goes through the stress of picking a dress out. "Say Yes to the Dress" follows brides and the employees at Kleinfeld Bridal as they work to find the perfect dress. You get to see the interaction between the brides and their families, too.

The second one is called "Rock the Reception". On this show, two choreographers teach a bride and groom an awesome dance routine to do as an alternative to a traditional first dance. The choreographers are Tabatha and Napoleon, who have choreographed for Missy Elliott, Beyonce and Timbaland. They work with the couple (and usually the Maid of Honor and Best Man) to create a very fun and unique routine for a memorable first dance.

Both shows come on TLC on Tuesday nights starting at 8 p.m. I suggest them to anyone who is getting married...or, is married for that matter!

Weddings of Georgia July Wedding Extravaganza

We were a part of the WeddingsofGeorgia.com July Wedding Extravaganza yesterday at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center. As always, it was a fantastic show with lots of awesome vendors showing off the great products and services they offer.

The JE Hedges booth was bigger and better than ever and we handed out our new stadium cups... which were a big hit! Hey... if you got one, be sure to hold on to it... it's sure to be a collector's item and will fetch a ton on Ebay! Ha!

Between the three of us (Julie, Keith, and Celeste), we met over 75 excited brides. We love the fact that brides are planning so far in advance too. Planning a wedding is no small feat and brides are starting early so they can lock in with the vendors of their choice.

The show was very exciting and non-stop from the minute the doors opened until the fashion show! We look forward to meeting with many of you again soon to discuss the details of your wedding day.

If you're stopping by our site because you met us at the show, be sure to comment and let us know your favorite part of the show. We love to make new friends!

Readers' Choice Awards 2008

For the second year in a row, JE Hedges Photography was voted 'Favorite Photographer' in the Ledger-Enquirer's Readers' Choice Awards. It is a blessing for this to happen once, but twice? That's AMAZING!

Thank you to all of our clients, friends, and associates that took the time to vote for us! We appreciate the positive support we receive from each of you. We look forward to working with you and your families again soon!

There she is...

London added a few more trophies to her collection on May 18th! She went to the Sunburst Pageant State level competition and RACKED UP! She is the new 2008 Georgia State Tiny Queen! There were 14 other girls in her age group. In August, Miss London moves on to represent Georgia in the International competition which will be held in August!

In addition to the state title, she also won Most Photogenic, Best Personality (we all knew that, though!), Super Model Search, Best Composite and Best Portfolio. She was the 2nd runner up in the School Wear, and 3rd runner up in the swimwear category.

Congratulations, AGAIN, beautiful girl! We'll be rooting you on in August!