WeddingWire 2011 Top Five Award!

Charlotte, NC – January 25, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Cloud 9 Photography has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. 

Cloud 9 Photography stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year. 

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Cloud 9 Photography for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.” 

We are happy to announce that Cloud 9 Photography is among the very best within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. 

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today here.

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com. 

Happy New Year!

2011 is finally here! This makes it "real" for all you brides to be who have been waiting. It also means I'm only three months from meeting our baby boy... definitely makes it real for me (and a little scared at the same time!)

Needless to say, I'm taking April and May off, but other than that am gearing up for another great year of photographing your weddings, babies, engagements, families and more! Check the calendar on my website for up-to-date availability.

Happy 2011!

Thanksgiving in two weeks?!?

So, I've been MIA, I know. I'll be the first to admit I'm not good at all about staying up to date with my business in the blogging world or on Facebook, but I try! I'm a part time photographer, so unlike everyone else, I don't spend my M-F 8-5 being able to do all that cool stuff! Please forgive me...

So where did October go??? I have no clue. I know I say this every year, but this year I mean it like never before... "I cannot believe Thanksgiving/Christmas are right around the corner!" What the heck! I think I need to pause life for a few days to absorb it all and be able to take it on!

I've been eating like crazy. I'm hungry every 60-90 minutes. Seriously. It's beginning to get annoying. I took my oldest daughter to McD's for lunch and devoured a McRib (so glad it's back!) and large fry. I'm sitting here two hours later starving. This baby has to be a boy. I was never this ravished with my girls. I guess we'll know in 12 or so days!

So what did I do in October? I'll tell you what: edited and shot, edited and shot (say that ten times and you'll know why I haven't posted since October 5th). November is the unofficial "I want my family picture for Christmas cards month" so I'm busy doing it all over again this month. I have a strict self-inflicted policy to not take any more work after Thanksgiving through New Year's, so I'm looking forward to that. I just collect orders, print 'em, and ship 'em!

So last month I had the honor of delivering my final wedding collection for the year! This was to Gillian and Matt who were married Labor Day weekend here in Charlotte. They had a gorgeous day for their wedding. I loved getting to shoot at Providence Country Club for their reception. So "southern", wouldn't you say? It was gorgeous. Here are some faves:

The rest of the month I spent doing kid and family portraits. Matthew is 18 months and his cousin Ryan just turned 1. I've been photographing both of them since they were itty bitty, so it's fun to see them grow each year. We did their shoot at Freedom Park and it turned out really well. There's just something about that bridge that I love (and it's not the people the walk across it every 15 seconds while you're trying to shoot. LOL!)

The Collins family is one of four kiddos who are dear friends of ours. I've been photographing them for a few years now, and it's really fun to see them mature. We did a "take 2" of the group picture, as the kids just weren't up for it the first time. I'm so glad we did... they turned out great! Sometimes you just have to admit that kiddies are not in the mood and you'll have to try another day :)

Beckett - Charlotte Baby Photographer

I am on a roll... just finished up Baby Beckett's newborn session. I'm working like a dog today because tomorrow's my birthday and I want to take the day off from all work (full time job and this.) Happy birthday to me...

This big boy (almost a ten pounder) was almost two weeks late! We all patiently awaited his arrival which couldn't have gone smoother. Proud new parents, Chris and Hannah, just happen to be my 2010 advertising couple. They are too sweet, and my hubby and I enjoy hanging out with them when they're in the neighborhood. They were married in Tybee Island which was one of my all-time favorite weddings to shoot. So fun, and done so well :)

This might have been my best newborn session yet. It's best to photograph these little ones when they're just days old. Babies change too much after 2-3 weeks! It makes me eager to have daily photo sessions with our newest addition come April. (It will be our final edition, so I'll go all out. hee hee) Beckett was awesome. He was cranky and awake the first 20 minutes, then passed out cold the rest of the session allowing me to manipulate him six ways to Sunday along the way. It's been hard, but I've chosen a few of my faves to share with you. Check out my Facebook page to see even more!

Caitlin - Charlotte Baby Photographer

This is one of my favorite posts to share with you. Babies, babies, everywhere! Sitting here expecting our third in April (we're really pulling for a BOY) I've got babies on the brain.

Sweet Caitlin is a miracle in the making. I just can't stop staring at her little face... mostly because I keep waffling on who she looks like more, her mom or her dad. Proud parents are Scott and Beth, one of my alltime favorite couples whose wedding I photographed two years ago at Saratoga Springs.

They are the nicest couple ever, and definitely the type who got married for all the right reasons and nothing more. They are like peanut butter and jelly, and now they've created this amazing little girl who clearly is the light of their world.

Here are a few faves from our session at Davidson College (same location that I took their engagement pictures!)

Bahamas Bound

It's time to celebrate! First and foremost, tomorrow is my last wedding of the season! Bittersweet, but I'm excited to have the entire college football season off this year! (Boiler Up!)

The other reason I'm celebrating is because my hubby and I are taking our annual anniversary trip. We've been married eight years come September 7th. We went to an all-inclusive in the Riviera Maya for our honeymoon and loved it. We decided to do another "big trip" for our five year anniversary... so we hit up an all-inclusive in Punta Cana, DR. We realized at that time that we were complete idiots for waiting an entire five years to do something so refreshing, re-energizing, and fun! It's been an annual tradition ever since.

We try to go somewhere new every year, so this year we're trying out the Sandals Grand Bahamian. We've been to Nassau before on a cruise stop, but that was just for a day so it doesn't really count, does it? Anyway, this will be our first Sandals experience, and from what we hear it should be a good one. That plus the fact this trip cost about $1k more than all the others... I'm ready to be waited on hand and foot!

In other news, I know I've been totally slacking in posting new pics on here. I have put a few on Facebook, but need to get back in the saddle. I shot and edited one wedding and three portrait sessions this month, so there's plenty of content out there! I have a really good excuse though... on August 12th we found out our third child is on the way! Yay for babies! The downside is I'm God-awful tired all day long and have a nauseated stomach pretty much round the clock. :( I think the Bahamas are just what this momma needs!

Judy & Joel: A Wake Forest Wedding

Some couples I just fall in love with... you other photogs know what I'm talking about. Some people just touch your soul, and you can see right away that they are the "real deal". Judy and Joel are two of those people. Both are so sweet, kind, and easy going. They are a photographer's dream!

I met them last fall when we did their engagement session at Jetton Park in Cornelius. It was so easy to capture their love for one another. They are/were both graduate students at Wake Forest, which is where they held their wedding this past May. While it did rain for a little while, the sun peeked out just in time for our campus pictures so I was really excited about that (I mean, Wake IS a beautiful place, people!)

I totally went overboard with their proofs. I love them all, but the B&W ones especially caught my eye this time around. Here are a few of my faves...

Oh! One more thing before my faves... Another all-time-favorite couple, Scott & Beth (Saratoga Springs wedding June 2008) just had their first baby in January {I love it when that happens!} They contacted me to start taking shots of their sweet Caitlin. We accomplished that in the same location as their engagement photos. {How fun is it to do side-by-side comparisons in a double frame?} As soon as I edit them, I'll post them (hopefully in the next two weeks.) Yay for Mary's favorite couples!!!

The Dress

I just really like this shot. Not sure why.

Moments after the "first sight" which happened impromptu and totally my fault....

Going to the par-tay in Reynolds Hall at WFU

Joel looks so tough in this picture. Actually, he's a soft-spoken teddy bear believe it or not!

"Hello, may I please speak to my husband?!?"

Getting ready... Judy's dress had two pockets on the sides. How cool is that!