I was so glad that they asked me to take their engagement pictures!  They have enjoyed kayaking on a particular lake and so we ended up there for our session.  Here are some of my favorites from the day. . .

This was one of my favorites from our time together. . .

James picked Laura up and was swinging her around.  Sure made for some fun pictures!

Eskimo Kisses:

This picture was just screaming for texture and playing with color.  I love the way this turned out!

James and Laura, thank you for a fun evening! I’m so happy for you and pray God’s blessings on you as you prepare to enter into marriage.

Before I continue, I just have to tell how special Brent and Christina are to me.  Over the past four years I’ve had the privilege of working with both of them.  And I’ll confess that before they were dating, I hoped for the two of them to get together.

Christina is a great hostess.  When we were first getting to know each other, I had mentioned to her that I was going to be spending a Sunday afternoon with a couple of intern girls and she asked if she could have us over for lunch before we went on our way.  We had such a nice time with her that it was hard to pull away so we could go to our planned outing.

Brent is a nerd.  And I mean that in the nicest possible way.    He is also very entrepreneurial.  While he was in high school and all his friends were working at McDonald’s, Brent was making big money helping people with their computer needs.  He is the type of guy who will spend days and weeks researching the very best of the best before he invests in things so he won’t be wasting his money.  And he is very generous with his knowledge and is always willing to share the results of his research.  About a year after I moved to Florida, I received the nicest card from Brent just thanking me for what I do and telling me how I’m appreciated.  I had mentioned the card to someone and found out that this is simply something Brent does.  Many of the folks in the office have received cards from him to encourage and to bless.

I could go on and on, but I won’t.

Brent and Christina have a very sweet story, as well.  Christina has confessed that when she very first met Brent she didn’t like him much.  He seemed very bossy to her.  She then found out that it was because he WAS the boss in that situation!  Brent knew that Christina was “the one” for him quite a bit before she did.  He very patiently waited for her until she was ready and never turned his eyes to any other women.  They are so great for each other and compliment each other so very well.  I’m excited to see them married and look forward to seeing how God uses them in their lives together.

Now for the pictures you’ve been waiting for.  This is just a sneak peak of a few of my favorites.

Virginia Wear is a great wedding coordinator.  This is the second wedding we’ve done together.  And she is a great cook as well.  Here she is cooking the breakfast that Christina had for her roommates and some of her close friends.  I told you she is a great hostess!  (Though no one would let her work!)

A few shots of Brent and Christina before the ceremony:

The beautiful rings.  The diamonds in her ring were taken from a ring that Brent was given when he turned 21.  The gold was used to make his ring.

Father and Daughter

Christina being welcomed into the family by Brent’s father

Those serving the cupcakes had specific instructions, and I quote from the schedule “anyone named Brent gets two”

Brent has always wondered why they never serve milk with cake at weddings and made sure that there was plenty of milk to be served with the cupcakes at his.

Maybe I shouldn’t show anyone this one, but I really do love the way it turned out despite the extra slow shutter speed!

That’s all for now.  I’ll have the rest of the pictures posted on my website no later than May 25.  If you want notification when they are ready, please either send me an e-mail or drop a comment here.  And feel free to comment about the pictures.

Keijo commented at the rehearsal “you’ve been there for all our firsts!”. It has been a privilege to be there to take pictures when Joe proposed to her and now taking pictures at their wedding. Joe and Keijo are a great couple who love to laugh and have hearts for ministry. The ceremony was held in Orlando, FL at the headquarters of Campus Crusade for Christ. There is a lovely gazebo there which made a wonderful spot for this wedding.  Some of the photos were taken by my assistant, Abby, who did a great job.

Colonial Florist provided the beautiful flowers. The first image is the bridesmaids’ bouquet, the next is one of the corsages for the mothers and the final image is of the boutonnieres.

Keijo’s and the bridesmaids’ necklaces and bracelets were made by their friend Faith.  The beads are  from Africa.

Here is Keijo’s wedding dress

Did I mention that Joe and Keijo are a lot of fun? When I was taking pictures of the guys getting ready, or at least hanging out planning on getting ready, Joe asked if I would deliver a photo message to Keijo. Here is a part of the message

The lovely bride

Here are some more pictures from the day

I love the way the light streamed down in this one!

“I now pronounce you man and wife”.  Can you tell she’s excited?

Joe and Keijo with Allison, their wonderful wedding coordinator

Congratulations on your marriage, Joe and Keijo!  May God richly bless your union and may your marriage glorify Him.

To view more of the pictures from the wedding, you can visit their gallery at http://apictureoflife.com/photocart access code a1edc295 (or you can simply navigate to the gallery named Bollinger Wedding)

We had so much fun a laughed a lot, as you’ll see in these pictures.  Joe certainly has a serious, passionate side, but he also is very playful and loves to laugh.  And from what I saw of Keijo, so is like that as well.  I love this couple and am looking forward to photographing their wedding in April.

I noticed this poster for a play called "I DO!" right away when we got there . How fun is that having this poster there for our engagement session!

In addition to their love for each other, Joe and Keijo love the Bible, journaling and coffee. It was fun getting this picture that incorporates all of these things and her beautiful ring!

The beautiful Keijo

Some more fun shots from the morning. . .

If you would like to see more pictures from our session, and cheat and see the ones from Leu Gardens as well, you can see them by going here

Paul and Bethel are a fun couple, and as you will see in the photos, they are very much in love. We went to a local garden and wandered around, all the while praying the rain would hold off. Of course, in Orlando on a summer afternoon, it wasn’t likely. What a blessing it was that the rain did indeed hold off until after we were done and that other than the constantly changing lighting, we had weather that was conducive to our goals.

Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

They did a little walking . . .

And a little kissing. . .

A sweet kiss on the hand. . .

They even did some dancing

An experiment with a silhouette

This one is my favorites from the day. We happened to come across these two turtles having an, um, intimate moment and so we had to get this photo. . .

After a quick change of clothes, we got some more pictures. Notice how comfortable Bethel is leaning on his shoulder. . .

A sweet kiss on the forehead

Do they look happy together or what?

I see you!

A final favorite to share with you.

Paul and Bethel, what a fun afternoon this was! I can’t wait to photograph your wedding!

To view more photos from our session, visit their gallery at www.apictureoflife.smugmug.com