Dan & Anne

Shauna & Jeff got married in Las Vegas a couple months ago, and they headed back to Atlanta to celebrate their “newlyweddedness” with their friends and family in a reception at Magnolia Hall.  Shauna’s sister, Katie, was the oh-so-fabulous coordinator at Brooke & Jonathan’s wedding last fall in Charleston, and when she heard about her sister’s reception in Atlanta, she gave us a call!  Because Shauna & Jeff’s wedding was a small family affair, I shot it by myself – my second mini-wedding that day!

Jeff & Shauna…

Shauna’s parents shared a welcome toast…

…while Shauna interpreted through sign-language for her hearing impaired friends!  I LOVE watching people sign!

Katie herself, giving her sis a big hug…

Um, Twinkies?  Yes, please!

The kids had their own little table with lots of yummy candies and treats!

Shauna & Jeff are self-proclaimed Star Wars fanatics.  Katie even told me that they were married by Darth Vader himself in Vegas!  So Jeff’s friends had created this huge, life-sized Chewbacca/Jeff that surprised guests when they rounded the corner toward the restrooms!

EVERYONE!  (Let me tell you, this group was having WAY too much fun to care about a group picture, so I’m pretty darn impressed that we got this!)

Shauna’s dad was giving Jeff some (questionable) tips on staying happily married.  It was all I could do not to crack up laughing!

The bride…

The groom…

What’s a wedding reception without a kid or two trying to hit up the bar?

Shauna’s mom playing with one of the adorable little babies…

The grown-ups were too busy talking to dance, but these kiddos made time for the dance floor all by themselves!

Shauna & Jeff made personalized CDs for all of their guests, including all of their favorite music…

Shauna & Jeff, THANK YOU for letting me hang out and be part of your crazy party!  And Katie, I’m so glad you thought of us when you heard “Atlanta.”  I look forward to working with you again!

Over a year ago, our clients Sara and Itan dubbed us “The Amazing Almasys”. Pretty sweet, right? Since then, Sara and Itan have become two of our dearest friends, and subsequently we have learned that A) they thought our last name rhymed with “Amazing”, and B) so does everyone else — except the people who think it rhymes with “O’Massey”. Oh, yeah, and then there are the endless Google searches for “Alsmay” and “Almsay”, and the nervous smiles from people who end up just introducing us as “Dan and Anne”.

So rather than try to teach the world to say “Almasy”, we decided to makes things simple… with a fabulous new website with an easy-to-say new brand:

Dan & Anne

After all, our business is us. It has always been us, and always WILL always be us. So forget trying to pronounce our all-too-complicated last name, and just remember our adorably-rhyming first names. (Or recall the hounds from “Where the Red Fern Grows”.)

Now before we return to our editing and picture-taking, we have to offer up our appreciation to our clients, our friends, and our family. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for encouraging us. Than you for believing in us. And, most of all, thank you for pointing out that our last name is pretty impossible to pronounce. WE LOVE YOU!

Dan & Anne
(still the Almasys!)

P.S. Oh, and if you were wondering, our last name is pronounced “ALL-muh-see”. Who would’a thunk it, huh?

On the second day of May, I was honored to celebrate TWO new marriages with TWO wonderful couples!  The first celebration was a tiny, family-only wedding at the lovely old Claremont House in Rome, Georgia.  Monica and Ricky met in Rome at Winshape, where Ricky was working at a retreat that Monica attended.  Just a few years later, they came back to this beautiful north Georgia town to join their lives together.

This was the second wedding of the year that I’ve photographed without Dan!  I missed him like crazy, but I had a blast with Monica and Ricky!

I started the morning with Monica, who was getting ready in her room at the bed and breakfast.

Ricky had hand-written the SWEETEST letter to her that morning, on the only piece of paper he could find in the cabin where he was staying with the other men.

He also sent a gorgeous, hand-embroidered hankie…

Monica’s mom watches as she smoothes her dress…

The rings…

Monica and Ricky spent about an hour with me before their ceremony.  Here they are in the circle at Winshape, where they met for the very first time.  It was only fitting that they would see one another in their wedding clothes here for the first time, too!

The Berry College campus (where Winshape is located) is stunningly beautiful, with endless trails and fields and beautiful places to make pictures!

Back at the inn, Monica and Ricky freshened up and prepared to say their vows…

Monica’s dad waits for her at the bottom of the stairs…

The ceremony…

Monica’s parents holding one of her nephews…

Ricky’s mom, grandmother, sisters, and their families watch the ceremony…

This is the entire guest list, in one picture!  It was so special to see a wedding with only immediate family members there to celebrate.  Everyone was so happy to be together!

Monica, Ricky, and the kids…

Ricky with his mother and grandmother (I should look so good when I’m their ages!)…

Monica’s sisters with their families…

Two of Ricky’s sisters with their families…

Another of Ricky’s sisters and her daughter…

The pastor and his family, and Monica’s parents…

Last but not least… the bride and groom…

The innkeepers served a delicious mostly-vegetarian lunch after the ceremony, then Monica and Ricky headed off for a week at the beach!

Monica and Ricky, I am so happy that you chose me to photograph your wedding!  It was incredibly special to be there with you and your families on such a precious day!

Marianne and Dave’s first date was at Piedmont Park, so it was only fitting that we make their engagement photos there!  Marianne told me she thought she was totally UNphotogenic… thankfully she was totally WRONG!  She and Dave are completely perfect together, and we had a blast getting to know them better — oh, and dripping sweat together in the hot May (?!?) sun!

I’m kinda obsessed with Marianne’s bangs.  They’re so adorable!

Yes, this is a skyline we had NEVER SEEN BEFORE!  Marianne and Dave introduced us to a brand-spakin’-new skyline view, and we LOVE it!

THANKS, Marianne and Dave, for spending your  morning with us!  We’re so glad you snagged us for 10/2!

I have to give credit to the two awesome couples who are responsible for bringing my friend Melissa into my life!  Melissa was a bridesmaid in Alissa & Ben’s wedding, then a guest at Michelle & Tomi’s wedding… after bumping into each other over and over again, we finally figured it was time to hang out in person.  Melissa’s friendship has become really special to me, and I’m so happy to see her with a man who clearly loves her so much!

Since we became friends, Melissa would tell me all the stories about how much she loved Hunt, and how much she hoped he would propose… SOON!  So finally getting to see her with a ring on her finger was a really exciting moment, and meeting Hunt (who doesn’t live here in Atlanta) for the first time made me see exactly how perfect they are for one another!

A couple weeks ago Dan and I met up with Melissa and Hunt to make their engagement photos.  We started at Atmosphere, where Melissa and Hunt had their first date.  The nice folks at the bistro were kind enough to let us in before they had opened so we could snag a few photos!

Next stop: the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  When we got to the Gardens, the rain had just let up, and a faint rainbow appeared in the sky!

LOVE the Orchid House at the Botanical Gardens!  It’s perfect for rainy day photos!

We felt like it was only fitting that we be included in the last shot of the day!

Melissa and Hunt, we are SOOOOOOOOOOO excited to celebrate with you two in October!  You are absolutely perfect together, and we’re honored to be part of this journey with you!  OXOX

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 11th, Dekalb County residents will vote for their new state senator in a special election. (Get out and vote, folks!) It seemed the right time to share some shots I took of candidate Jason Carter as he campaigned throughout the county a few months back…

We stopped by Jason’s house for a few minutes, and I got to meet his precious family!

A BIG thanks to Jason’s staff for all their hard work in bringing people together for photographs!  Best of luck tomorrow!!!