Update! The blog is transitioning to a new home ... new posts are now found at jenniferpinkerton.com. =)

Bridal: Alisha

Over a month ago, we had a rainy day. A very rainy day. We almost had to reschedule our shoot, in fact. But I had a plan...and Alisha was willing to trust me. So, there we were: a wedding dress, a bouquet of bright flowers, a pair of blue shoes, an entourage of family, and a bride ... with me...in the rain...trying to keep it all dry. We succeeded.

No wedding dresses or hair styles were harmed in the creation of these images.

:-P

(And she's finally married... as of 3 hours ago...so now I finally unveil her beauty for the online world!)

Waiting for Evie

I stood in their kitchen, flipping through an unfinished scrapbook. Misti and Brian were getting ready to go head out the door and I had a few minutes to look at the pile of props on the counter. It was Evie's baby book. A story to her daughter, written by Misti before Evie even made an appearance into the world. I wish I could remember the exact words, but all I know is that there was a LOT of love, devotion, and excitement poured into that book -- with slots empty for putting Evie's first picture and pictures from the last days of pregnancy.

I could just imagine an adult Evie reading it, maybe before heading off to college...or getting ready to have her own children ... or just sitting on a couch with an aging mother, remembering. She'll have her Mom's curly hair, her Dad's chin, and be one beautiful woman. And there she will be...maybe wiping away a tear or two (like I did), reading how much her parents planned for her arrival and anticipated it with such longing and excitement.

Just a few more weeks and then the waiting will be over and Evie will be part of the family. Can you say: "excited!!!"? =)

Wedding: Jenna and Matt

It was wedding day, finally. A flurry of activity. Frantic phone calls. Giddy bridesmaids. The bride was beautiful, as would be expected, and proceeded through the chaos with an ecstatic joy that could be marred by nothing. She was getting married and the glow was tangible.

The girls giggled, danced, primped, and sang.

The guys sat around pretending to be cool, but the suit jackets really weren't comfortable (no matter how dashing they looked).

The ring bearer and flower girl played on the winding stair case, caught between the incoming guests below and the bridal preparations above.

But in the middle of it all, there she was: getting married.















When the time finally came to put on the last minute touches and head down the aisle, Jenna was still a poised, serenely beautiful bride waiting for her groom. It was her bridesmaids, though, that caught the nervous butterflies.

"My stomach just flopped," said one. "I don't think I can do this!"

Another distracted herself by playing with the flower girl's basket, fidgeting with the handle and obviously wishing herself safely down the aisle without tripping.



And then it happened... it started...and soon it was over...







No one tripped, everyone said what they were supposed to ...when they were supposed to...and then they were married. Just. like. that.




But the fun had only just begun. The reception was party central, thanks to a fabulous DJ, a wonderful crew of decorators, and (my personal favorite) lots of pink.







And, yes, I finally witnessed an all-out, no-holds-barred, undeniably fun...cake smash.







(What you don't see is that mother of the groom somehow ended up in between their shenanigans as they ran around the room, wildly waving clumps of cake toward each other. And, yes, she got a face full of cake too.)





I left out the part about the way her dad looked at her as they headed down the aisle. O so sweet.

I didn't have a chance to tell you how I choked up and cried as the emcee told the story of their love, and how they made it from coworkers to married. Their endurance through the years and their triumph at finally getting married.

I guess I could tell you about the support network of friends and family that poured themselves into Jenna and Matt, and made the day that much more beautiful.

I can't forget the way Bryson looked at his mom and told her she's beautiful.

But all told, the point is that Jenna and Matt are married. And it was beautiful.

"You're so pretty, Mommy"

Mommy! Mommy. Moooommmyy.

He was insistent. Almost whining, but full of words that needed to be said. And absolutely wouldn't give up. Mommy, however, was distracted. Being pulled in many directions, trying to keep her head on straight and succeeding very completely.

"What, honey?" The bride finally turned to listen.

"You're so pretty!"

He repeated it, and the bride melted. Wrapped him up in her arms, crushed him into her satin and silk, and enjoyed the moment with her son.

And that, folks, is what the ring bearer said to the bride.

Cheyenne and Alicia (Part 2)

Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride,
Friendship without envy,
Or beauty without vanity?
Here, where grace is served with muscle
And strength by gentleness confined
He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity.
There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent.
There is nothing so quick, nothing more patient.
~Ronald Duncan, "The Horse"

My Sisterfriend.

I don't understand how this has happened. I really don't. She's supposed to still be my baby sister. We're still sharing a room, fighting over the closet space, nagging each other to turn off the lights earlier (or be quieter in the morning). She's still writing me messages when we're supposed to be going to sleep. She's still annoying me with her massive collection of stuffed animals that spill over from her top bunk and end up on my bed. She's still forgetting to make her bed for days on end. She's still "Jo Jo" and she still sucks her thumb. She's still learning to read -- and impressing everyone with her ability. She's still out climbing trees and somehow weaseling her way out of doing her chores. And me? I'm still 10.

We're still working on schoolwork in the living room. We're still annoying Mom with our lack of diligence and inability to do school on sunny days. We're still playing Red Rover in the church lawn. We're still dressing our American Girl dolls. We're still just little girls.

Somehow, though, we're not.

Somehow, she is a successful harpist; the principal harpist for two (or three or four) orchestras, and selling her first two CDs. Somehow, she survived Algebra (quite successfully, even). Somewhere along the way, she grew up enough to get on an airplane to Greece and Poland -- without Mom or Dad. She's still painting, but this time they're actually good -- not just adorable. Somehow, she's driving herself around (and wrecking my car, but that's another story).

In some alternate universe, she's graduating from high school.

I'm not 10 anymore. And she is already 18. We don't share a room. She doesn't annoy me with her messes. She has a cell phone and a job. She calls to say "hi" and we hang out - because we don't get to see each other hardly enough. We're best friends, not just sisters. I feel old, but - wow - I am so proud.



Happy Graduation Day, Sisterfriend.