Weddings and Weddings

"Where ya been?" my friends ask. "Where's Mom?" I hear all the time. "She's on her computer again", I hear even more. "I'll be right theeeeeere". It must be November in the Lyons home.

I've been in a deep dark editing hole, but am starting to see the light. At least long enough to post these (though while I was writing this my egg boiled until all the water was gone and popped, so I had to go clean hundreds of tiny egg and shell pieces off the ceiling. Egg shrapnel. It's not the first time. I should be banned from kitchens.) Needless to say, it's been wild around here, as it always is this time of year. Yummy Fall weddings, lots of editorial shoots, fun portrait sessions. I'll sleep in January, I keep saying.

But I love it, love it, love it all. Except for cleaning eggs off the ceiling, which is hard.

I recently photographed three incredible weddings. Three stunning, spirited, lovable brides and their sweet and adoring grooms. I met so many wonderful families. I mean, LOVED them. Each of these weddings deserves it's own post, with it's own description, but I couldn't wait to share them.

I am heading off to NYC for some much needed quality family time (I am so excited! I am also sneaking out to grab coffee in the big city with a new couple for a New York wedding next year I can't wait to meet). Packing is a challenge when your daughter insists she bring eight stuffed animals and three dolls to share the trip. Then after NYC I am hitting the turkey hard. So while I'm replacing large stuffed animals in the luggage with things we really do need (warm, warm clothes), grab a latte, turn up the volume and enjoy these stories, posted in no particular order.

I just adored these couples and their weddings! Also, I am trying a new larger slideshow format which takes a little longer to load so bear with, it pays off. Leave any comments if you had trouble viewing the shows, ok?

Click here for Randy and Meagan's Wedding in gorgeous Gloucester, Virginia.

Click here for Sam and Margaret's Wedding in beautiful Sea Island, Georgia.

Click here for David and PJ's Wedding in a fabulous place close to my heart, Richmond, Virginia.

Brothers

Last night Spencer came to me and said, "Mom, this book is really hard. Can you read some of it with me?" I was in the middle of finishing up a task and I said, "Give me a few minutes to wrap this up and I will." Apparently that didn't suffice. He walked out of my office and I heard his heavy steps recede down the hallway. Bad Mom, I know, I know. But if I stopped what I was doing every single time a child in this house needed something then nothing would ever get done.

I quickly finished up and went to find him, read with him and erase my bad Mom guilt. I walked down the dark hall and there it was, smack in the middle of my path. A glowing teepee that had been dragged from the playroom, with a steady voice from within that wasn't Spencer's. Because everyone knows the best place to read is tucked in a teepee, with a flashlight, in a dark hallway. I saw the flashlight moving and two shadows inside, heads together, and heard my older son reading steadily through the difficult words. Their growing bodies, at ages nine and ten easily filled the entire teepee they've had since they were two and three.

So bad Mom listened for a bit, then tiptoed away and let good brother save the day. Maybe she isn't so bad after all.

Virginia Living for the Holidays

Here's the new holiday issue of Virginia Living! The title is a nice silvery metallic, so don't be fooled by the gray on your screen. I am so, so excited they picked an image I shot for the cover. My guess is it has something to do with those cute munchkins in their ballet attire. Lemme tell ya, the other photographers who contribute to the magazine are really amazing, so to have my photograph be chosen is an honor like you wouldn't believe.

The little girls were adorable. We weren't exactly sure how they would ultimately be incorporated into the shot (should they twirl? run across?), but once they got ahold of the chocolates they just did their thing and we let them concentrate on trying to break into those little candy pouches. Richard Stone styled the piece, brilliantly incorporating silver wrapped chocolates into the mantel decor. The girls sat there much longer than we'd have ever expected as a result, my dorky comments to make them laugh not even necessary. And our guilt over the candy eating was assuaged by the fact they were headed straight to the Dentist's office afterward. Which was a very good thing.




The Champagne Dinner piece was such a blast to shoot once I got past the urge to sit down and join them. My good friends, Reed and Scott, came to the rescue as we sought a house and 'models' who would provide a really beautiful and holiday-ish backdrop for the 5 course dinner that would be prepared for them. It was a wild shoot as there were six of them enjoying the great food (yep, that's Hyde, Manoli, Lacey and Ned in there too!), but there must have been 15 of us in the kitchen. Chefs cooking, writers writing, sommeliers providing proper champagnes, shooting, lighting, styling. It was nuts, but it really came together and they got a great evening out of it with a gourmet meal prepared by the folks a One North Belmont.

Thank you guys for being such good friends and smoking hot models! It's nice to know you have that second career to fall back on. And Scott, I will forever be impressed by your ability to saber a champagne bottle. Even if it did take a...couple...of tries.