Jason Bagget and Leslie Thigpen

It was a typical warm and muggy August 1st in central Georgia, but that didn’t melt the mood at Oakhurst Farm in West Point! Leslie Thigpen and Jason Baggett were as cool as ever on their wedding day! Julie and Keith even brought along another set of hands to help capture Leslie and Jason’s day—studio friend and professional photographer, John Helms.

Check out Leslie’s pictures to see her great idea for a bridesmaid’s present! She got all of her girls yellow terry cloth wraps with their initials monogrammed in pink. She even got the flower girls tiny pink wraps, complete with their initials! They all wore them while they were getting ready so they’d stay cool and comfortable!

Leslie was beautiful in her halter-style dress with a beaded bodice. Her bridesmaids wore tea-length, chocolate brown, strapless dresses with white sashes. (Tea-length is definitely the way to go for your girls in the summer time, ladies!) All of these beautiful women carried bright-colored bouquets of daisies designed by Kimberly Nelson. Jason’s groomsmen looked (and stayed) cool in tan linen suits. (Another good summer time alternative to traditional wedding wear!)

The reception was a fun one! All of the guests had a great time dancing with the bride and groom to the tunes of the band, Mindblender! Jason even got up and entertained the crowd with a song! Burt’s Butcher Shop catered a delicious reception dinner for everyone! No one can say that Jason isn’t ready for football season! Fran Papenfuss made him a great chocolate groom’s cake, complete with an Aubie the tiger cake topper! Fran also did a beautiful job (as usual) on the wedding cake!

The evening concluded with a sparkling send off! Guests used “Morning Glory” sparklers. They give off great colors! (We recommend those for anyone thinking about using sparklers, they make for great pictures!)

We had the best time spending your special day with you, Jason and Leslie! Your wedding party and families were so much fun! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Baggett!

Rivermill Bridal Show

What a fantastic day we had on August 31st at the Rivermill Bridal Show! We talked to Almost 100 brides that day!

Heather Williams of the Ledger-Enquirer, Jamie Keating and Mary Luby of the Rivermill Event Centre did a fantastic job on the show, and Judy Wilkinson of Formal Elegance put on a fun and energetic fashion show full of great gals and great gowns!

If you're stopping by our website to say hello because you met us at the show, be sure to drop us a line! We love making new friends!

A Fun Wedding Keepsake

Most likely, if you invite your favorite actress or the President to your wedding, they won’t attend. However, they may send an official letter of congratulations! Wouldn’t it be great to read the letter at your 50th wedding anniversary?! Julie and Cary did it when they got married and they have a fun keepsake to treasure!

You can get addresses for your favorite celebrities from their official websites. The President’s invitation should be sent to:

The Honorable Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama

The White House

Greetings Office Room 39

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

Be sure to send the invite to the President at least six weeks in advance, as they handle as many as they possibly can on time!

YOUR PRAYERS ARE NEEDED

Friends,

I ask for your prayers and well wishes at this time for two our past brides:

Serena Mills became severely ill right after her wedding in February of 2008. She was in and out of the hospital, leaving doctors baffled, as her symptoms did not fall into a clear cut catagory.

After many doctor visits and tests, she was diagnosed with Chron's Disease. Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, which results in many serious symptoms and pain. Unfortunatley, Crohn's can be managed but not cured. Serena was placed on heavy hitter antibiotics, and over time, developed Clostridium difficile Colitis (aka C. diff).

Serena was just released from the hospital last week after a lengthy stay. After speaking with her mother, it looks as though she may be on the road to recovery. Serena did receive some partially good news, although she is still waiting for confirmation. It appears that she may not have Chron's afterall, but Ulcerticultis (sp?)... which is an improvement. Of course, we wish Serena didn't have to have either.

Katy Carroll-Moncus was recently married, April 18th, 2009. Shortly after returning from her honeymoon, she discovered a lump in her breast. Her worst fears were confirmed on July 13th. Katy has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Katy is one of the most physically fit women I know. She is active "Aflac Iron Girl", participating in triatholons - Swimming, Biking, and Running. Katy is currently undergoing chemotherapy, but no doubt, Katy's iron-tough body will fight and win this battle. Please visit Katy's website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katycarrollmoncus

Serena and Katy, we will continue to pray for your healing and send you loving wishes on your road to recovery. Big hugs! Jules

Mindy & Jamie Turnbull

Oakhurst Farm
July 10th, 2009

One of the Most Fun Things About Planning a Wedding

Part of the fun of planning a wedding is getting to register for gifts! It actually wound up being a fun bonding experience for Joel and me. He thought for sure he wouldn’t have any fun, but as soon as they handed him the scanner, it was like the Wild West. He was shooting at EVERYTHING with it!

One of the things to remember about registering is to give the guests a lot to choose from. You should have a variety of items in different price ranges. That way, Great Aunt Zelda can get your china and your little cousin Sallie and get your salad tongs!

Also remember, wedding etiquette dictates that the information about where you’re registered goes out with SHOWER invitations, not the wedding invitation.

Columbus is growing and changing! There are lots more places to register now then ever before! Here are some ideas about where to register and what to register for:

Wal-mart: if you and the fiancée are just starting out, Wal-mart is the place. You can register for everything from cleaning supplies to big screen TVs there! Wal-mart is great because you can have a wide array of gifts and price ranges to choose from.

Target: Another great place for the basics. Target also has really stylish small furniture items like bar stools and ottomans!

Bed, Bath & Beyond: Good for “everyday” china, cookware and other kitchen supplies. Also, they have home décor and awesome fluffy towels!

Kohl’s: (my personal favorite!) Kohl’s is great for the Food Network lover and kitchen geek. They carry the entire line of Food Network dishes, cookware and accessories, as well as Kitchenaid mixers! It is also a good place for décor, towels and bedding.

Dillard’s and Macy’s: both great for your special occasion china, sliver and crystal. You know… the more traditional gifts.

The Sample Shop: Located in the Landings, the Sample Shop is great for china, silver, crystal and unique home décor. It’s the best kept secret in town.

One other option you have is to register with us! That’s right! Do you want a beautiful museum-quality canvas gallery wrap of your favorite wedding image? You can register with us, and friends and family can purchase gift cards that can go toward a purchase of a large wall portrait!

For more information about our Wall Portrait Wedding Registry, email Julie (Julie@JEHedges.com) or call the studio at (706) 563-1761.

Tom and Typre

A busy schedule didn’t put a damper on the day for Tom Beasley and Typre Murphy when they tied the knot on June 27th! They had their ceremony at the Infantry Chapel on Ft. Benning. When we are contracted for an Infantry Chapel wedding, we must use a separate location as the Chapel does not permit us enough time for creative images before the wedding. By utilizing a separate location, Julie is able to spend plenty of time with the couple capturing their formal and fun images. Tom and Typre chose the Marriott in Downtown Columbus for their photos. The historic hotel is a beautiful place for photography and provides the bride a comfortable room to prepare for her wedding day.

Typre was lovely in her strapless gown. Her bridesmaids wore deep purple and pewter dresses, and all of the girls carried pale purple flowers designed by florist/wedding planner and director, Annette Earnest.

Annette also did a wonderful job decorating the Officer’s Club for the reception. Everyone had fun getting to spend time with the bride and groom after the ceremony! The groom’s cake was a spectacular masterpiece of chocolate and strawberries, and the wedding cake was beautiful and echoed the design of Typre’s dress. Of course, our good friend of the studio, Fran Papenfuss, made them—so you know they tasted good, too!!

We wish you all the best Mr. and Mrs. Beasley!

Joseph and Kristina

You could feel the love in the air at the Rivermill Event Center on June 28th, 2009 when Kristina Fehlings and Joseph Hein exchanged vows. The weather was pretty up until the time of the ceremony… then the sky opened up and we had severe thunderstorms. That was okay though ‘cause rain on a wedding day is good luck!

Kristina was absolutely beautiful in her strapless dress with simple detailing on the bodice. Her bridesmaids wore tea-length dresses in a great summery blue. All of the gorgeous ladies carried bouquets of light blue hydrangeas with green, white purple, dark blue, and white wild flowers. The bouquets and all of the wedding arrangements were designed by Kimberly Nelson. The floral arrangements throughout the Rivermill were all summery blues and greens! It was a beautiful sight!

As usual, Jamie Keating and the Rivermill staff did a great job on the reception catering. The reception had a very nice romantic feel. Our buddy, Benji Shepherd, of MBS Entertainment provided the tunes for the evening.

The groom’s cake was a delicious chocolate creation with strawberries on top. The wedding cake was beautifully designed by Pat-A-Cakes bakery to match the colors of the flowers and dresses.

It was an elegant celebration of Kristina and Joseph’s love! We were glad we got to share it with you! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Hein!

Heather & Dave - July 18th, 2009

Tori & Marcus

Engagement Memories

Mindy Beauchamp

Bridal Portraits

Callaway Gardens’ Memorial Chapel was the perfect setting for a summer wedding when Sara Quick and Michael Scott exchanged vows on July 25th! Sara and Michael found Julie through a referral from Leeann at Callaway Gardens. The Atlanta couple chose Callaway’s Memorial Chapel for its close, intimate feel. Sara and Michael did not have a wedding party or a big guest list; they invited only close friends and family to share their special day. They even had college friends come all the way from Ohio!

Sara’s beautiful summer wildflowers were designed by a friend of hers that owns a flower shop. They were great shades of yellow, orange, pink, purple and white! She was stunning in her strapless dress! Pastor Emory Gilbert performed the ceremony. Their reception was a sit-down dinner at Callaway’s lovely Piedmont Dining room.

Congratulations Sara and Michael! Thank you for choosing us to share your special day! We wish you all the love and happiness in the world!

June 21st was an extremely hot, but perfect day for wedding bells. Tori Coleman and Marcus Floyd celebrated their love at New Birth Outreach Church. New Birth Outreach, which has made a new home on Veterans Parkway, had never hosted a wedding before Tori and Marcus’. You can bet that the church’s Senior Pastor was excited for this day to come, he’s also Tori’s dad—Farnsworth Coleman! Tori’s mother, Patricia, is also a pastor at the church, and Tori and her brother work there, too!

Tori and Marcus were just meant to be! They dated for a long time, and he proposed to her—but at the time, she just wasn’t ready. They continued to date, and when she got ready… she proposed to him! Marcus is in the military, and is currently deployed. He got a break from his deployment to come home and marry his sweetheart!

Tori looked beautiful in her strapless mermaid-style dress. She carried a bouquet of red roses, and her bridesmaids wore red dresses to match! They carried pretty bouquets of white roses. Mayumi Hashiyama designed the flowers and did a fantastic job as usual!

As the day rolled along, Julie got to have a reunion of sorts! Some of Tori and Marcus’ guests were friends of Julie’s from her corporate past! She got to see a lot of faces that she hasn’t seen since leaving the insurance business.

Tori and Marcus were chauffeured over to the reception at Green Island Country Club in a limo. The hall at the country club was beautifully decorated in Tori and Marcus’ colors. It was a romantic place for a wedding reception! They had a candy buffet that included dark Hershey Kisses that had their names on the bottom… very unique!

Tori’s wedding gift to Marcus was a song! She has a gorgeous singing voice and serenaded him with their special song at the reception. Afterwards, Tori introduced a couple that was celebrating their wedding anniversary, Dr. Gary Dawson (who also takes care of our Julie's back - he’s her doctor!) and his beautiful wife. They shared a special solo dance!

Virginia Stadnick did a great job on Tori’s cake. The groom’s cake was a delicious chocolate cheesecake! The food was great and everyone had a good time!

Tori and Marcus, we wish you a lifetime of laughter and love! And we wish Marcus a safe return home back to his beautiful new bride!

Tori Coleman & Marcus Floyd

New Birth Outreach Church
& Green Island Country Club

Abbi Barr & Dane Brown

Hilton Garden Inn