Tamikia and Josh are the perfect example of friendship growing into love.  You  might remember their love story that I posted in their engagement blog, but just in case you don’t, here is a little refresher.  Tamikia lived several hours away from Josh out in Texas.  A chance meeting through mutual friends sparked a friendship unlike any either one had ever had before.  Sadly, their friendship fell to the wayside as Tamikia accepted a job in Orlando.  Several months passed before they both realized something was missing in their lives.  It only took a simple email to bring these two back together again and before anyone knew it Josh had hopped on a plane and asked Tamikia to be his wife.  They quickly began planning the rest of their lives together.  Tamikia made arrangements to move back to Texas so she could be closer to Josh all while planning a wedding in Orlando near her family.  I have never met a more relaxed laid back couple when it comes to wedding plans as these two.  They wanted a very low key wedding where everyone they loved could share in their joy all while enjoying good music.  These two music lovers found the perfect venue for their wedding and let me tell you, the Hard Rock Hotel fit them like a glove (yes I just wanted to say “like a glove”.)  Everywhere you look there is musical memorabilia and modern funky decor.  We had an amazing time shooting all around the Hard Rock with these guys.  Not even the rain could put a damper on this day.  The storm clouds rolled in during the ceremony and right after the “I Do’s” were said and done and everyone was safe inside the sky opened up and let loose.  If it is good luck to have rain on your wedding day, then these two are covered in good luck!  Even with the rain we had an awesome time shooting this wedding.  Everyone was so warm and fun and clearly adored Josh and Tamikia.  Below are some of our favorite images from the day followed by a short slideshow.

Josh and Tamikia, thank you both so much for allowing us to be there with you as you two became husband and wife.  We wish you both years of love and friendship together.

In love,
Mel & Brad

I love her bridesmaid, Rachel’s, reaction to how beautiful she looked once the dress was on.

Hello gorgeous!

Josh made sure to represent his love for Texas wherever he could… I love these cuff links!

Tamikia walked herself down the aisle and Josh met her halfway so they could walk the rest of it together.  So beautiful!

I love that you can see Josh’s dad smiling right in the middle of them.  He was one proud papa that day.

FAVORITE!!!!! Would you believe me if I told you it was pouring down rain outside?!  Hooray for the amazing Canon 5DII that can shoot at crazy high ISO and still look hot!

I love how happy Josh’s mom looks dancing with her son.  This picture makes me smile every time I see it.

Even baby Ellen was sporting her Chuck’s.

Be sure to watch the slideshow for lots more favorites.  Don’t forget to leave us a comment or two.  We always love hearing what you all have to say.  It makes us happy!

Get ready for these two beautiful Fall weddings  to hit the blog this week.

Tamikia & Josh’s Orlando Hard Rock Hotel Wedding

Ben and Michelle’s Lawrenceville, GA Wedding at 550 Trackside

I just wanted to share this sweet little love note from one of our brides after she received her album. I absolutely love Lori’s album and was so pleased with how it turned out.  It always makes my heart sing when I know our couples love their albums as much as we do and find so much joy in them.  We had it printed on metallic paper so that all the vivid colors of Mexico would really pop. Below are some shots of her actual album and what she had to say about it.

“Mel – I just wanted to let you know that we just got the album in! The album is waaay more beautiful than I had imagined! The quality of the pages is simply stunning! I haven’t been able to stop admiring it since we got it yesterday. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You and Brad are amazing photographers and the quality of your work is unmatchable!” – Lori McLellan

Thank you Lori and Justin for trusting us with your memories and allowing us to be part of your lives. We love you both!

So I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am way way way behind on my blogging.  Thanks to the lovely Anna though I am finally getting caught up!  We shot this gorgeous couple a few months ago and I am so happy to be able to share them with you on the blog after long last!  Hilary and Austin both live in the Gainesville area so we decided to put a bit of a rustic spin on their shoot and do their session early in the morning (to beat the heat) and in the little town of Waldo, FL.  We had so much fun with these guys.  Hilary had so many great outfits for the shoot and they were both so easy going that it was hard not to love them.  Here are some of my favorites from the day.  Get ready for it folks cuz its a whopper.  Thanks Hilary and Austin for coming out and romping in the weeds with us.

Why I love that Brad and I are both primary shooters… here is Brad’s shot:

and my shot… I don’t think I could live without either.  Having him to work with is almost better than chocolate cake.  Almost!

Isn’t she gorgeous!?!

I love the simple sweet adoration of this shot

Say hello to the newest little bit of awesome to join our team.  We are so excited to have Anna on as part of La Dolce Vita Studio!  We have been growing by leaps and bounds this past year and were ready to bring someone in to help with some of the behind the scenes studio life.  Anna is such a perfect fit for us.  She is a vibrant, creative soul that will surely be a blessing to us and our clients.  This is her second week working with us and she is an absolute delight.  I’m excited for you all to get to know her as well.  I took her out the other day for a little mini shoot and posted a few of my favorites down below.  Aren’t her vintage boots incredible!!! I love this girl’s style and zest for life.  So without further ado meet Anna…

Well hello everyone! I am the new Marketing | Design Manager for La Dolce Vita Studio and I am so excited to be working with such talented photographers.  Just a little about me…I am originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and will always be a Tarheel.  My family moved to Statesboro, Georgia where I went to high school and my parents still reside. I attended the University of Georgia where I majored in Interior Design through the Lamar Dodd School of Art.  I love art and was fortunate to be able to experiment with all genres of studio art while earning my degree. During my time in Athens I blossomed into the bright, bubbly person I am today.  Athens is such a unique city full of life, culture, and of course, bulldogs.  GO DAWGS!

I have a passion for photography and would like to experiment more with digital photography and see where it can lead me.  Melanie and Bradford are so amazing and I am so glad that I get to work with them and learn from them.  I love design; interior design, furniture design, and graphic design. I would like to someday have my own studio devoted to some facet of art or design.  Traveling and exploring new cultures is another one of my passions.  I have a desire to visit every place I can and see everything there is to see! Right now I am pretty much lovin’ life!