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tracy + shanaka {the wedding}

We were honored to be a part of the lovely wedding of Tracy and Shanaka.  You may remember me mentioning when we did their engagement session, that they don’t think they’re very good in front of the camera, but we have found it to be the exact opposite- they were very natural.

Here are some of our favorites from their day.

While the girls were getting prettied up….

……the guys enjoyed food and sports, but of course.  Shanaka had the guys wear their favorite jerseys.

Then they watched game 6 of the 1986 World Series between the Mets (Shanaka’s favorite team) and the Red Sox.

Tracy’s sweet mom helped her tie her sash perfectly.

Stunning bride.

Handsome groom.

First looks…..

Tracy is such a natural beauty. She has to be the most patient and laid-back bride we’ve ever had. 

“A wall that matches you perfectly!!!!!!”

Ahhhhh, you two are ADORABLE together.

Beautiful job on flowers by Courtenay Lambert.

And the view of downtown Cincinnati was beautiful.

Prayer before the ceremony.

I just ADORE the look on this little guy’s face.  :)

Tracy’s brother was the officiant. How cool is that?!

They did a tea ceremony where they served tea to their parents, honoring their two cultures.

Two very beautiful, and proud mamas.  This makes my heart so very happy.

This may be one of my favorite wedding ideas I’ve seen.  This is their “wishing tree” and they asked their guests to sign a note, leave advice, or draw a picture.  I loved watching its transformation over the night into a beautiful and meaningful work of art.

Gorgeous setting, with a very personal twist….Tracy’s mother handmade all of the vases.  They were each a masterpiece!!

They surprised everyone with a “same day edit” by Studio Z Films.  It was FABULOUS!

We were lucky enough to work with a fabulous team of vendors, who all did a wonderful job.

Hair: Jen Nally

Makeup: Jean Folchi

Video: Studio Z Films

Florals: Courtenay Lambert

Venue: Drees Pavilion

Tracy and Shanaka, thank you so much for including us in your beautiful day!  You are a wonderful couple, and we wish you many years of happiness together.

All the best,

Jess and Brett

August 23, 2010 - 11:09 am

Gail - BEAUTIFUL images Jess. THey are a gorgeous couple. I think that purple wall shot with her purple accents is my favorite bridal shot you’ve ever taken!! :)

August 23, 2010 - 5:48 pm

Lisa B. - Fantastic photos, gorgeous couple, super-cool wedding!
The bride’s “matching wall” and “the handsome groom” photos are each my favorite individual shots of them.
I don’t know how you do it, but you make things look more “real” and “there” than they are in real life!

August 23, 2010 - 10:21 pm

Tracy - Thank you so much Jess & Brett! These pics are wonderful! We were able to be so calm & totally just enjoy the day for all that it was, knowing we had excellent photographers capturing all of the greatest moments of our wedding! THANK YOU for bringing us back to our big day & for helping us remember all of the sweet and touching moments. We were just so fortunate to have great vendors all across the board & beautiful weather to boot! And thanks to your blog followers for all their sweet comments :)

August 24, 2010 - 10:32 am

kaila - wow, wow, wow! I love the emotion in these images! I also LOVE all the special touches, what a blessing for years to come!

August 28, 2010 - 11:17 am

Jaimie Dee Photography - These made me teary eyed! LOVED THEM! :) Great work. Also love the HDR type look to some of the earlier indoor shots.

August 30, 2010 - 12:37 pm

Jess W. - These are great shots, you two! The mom pics are great, the pics of them on the P&G premises, the pic of Tracy looking at the camera w/ Shanaka facing her with his eyes closed, Tracy in front of the purple door…don’t know if I could pick a favorite. Tracy’s such a gorgeous bride. I’m sure they’re thrilled with what you captured.

September 4, 2010 - 2:41 pm

meg duerksen - this was so beautiful.
i love her colors. what an awesome spot to get married!

September 27, 2010 - 7:46 am

Roberta Crumplin - Gorgeous pics!Love the very vintage grey on the 8th image. And her sash is such a perfect colour.

September 28, 2010 - 10:17 am

Courtenay Lambert - Wow….gorgeous! You guys do such amazing work, and Tracy and Shanaka look so gorgeous!

our snuggle buddy.

This week I have been a busy bee trying to play catch up on some work, prepping to blog a beautiful wedding, all while getting things in order for my kids school year which is just around the corner.  We home school, and we are making some big changes this year, and adding on some new challenges since my daughter is now going to be a 5th grader  (Help me Lord.)

Of course in the midst of all of this, the kids get sick.  They are feeling a bit better today, but last night I began losing my voice, and by the time I went to bed I sounded just as sexy as Demi Moore- maybe sexier.

Today all I want is to rest, when in the back of my mind I have guilt of work that needs to be done.  But I’m going to take it easy. I’m sitting here holding my sweet little cuddle bug boy, and doing what we do so well together- snuggling (yes, while I type and he critiques my editing).

Here are some photos I took a couple months back.  One of his favorite things to do is act like he is “napping” at the vent below my feet.  I look down from my office chair and see this:

It’s so funny….I remember pushing my first two to grow up, and get out of the “baby” phase.  Now I find I am just savoring my moments with my three year old who still wants to snuggle and suck his fingers.  I am very happy with my baby boy taking his sweet time.  (Yes, I see the whole “baby complex” in the making- and I’m ok with that.)

Here’s to illness passing quickly, and lots of love in the meantime. :)

August 18, 2010 - 10:23 am

Mr. Blonde - That last photo specifically is spectacular!

August 18, 2010 - 11:39 am

Alice - Such precious images! I hope everyone is feeling better soon.

August 18, 2010 - 9:59 pm

Jessica Lynn - awww he is precious!!!

August 19, 2010 - 12:07 am

lucy - i heart this post. i think he may even be cuter when he’s sick…didn’t know that was possible.

August 19, 2010 - 7:31 pm

Jess W. - Tell that squeezable Gabey-baby that “Jeshca” loves him!

August 20, 2010 - 6:17 pm

Maranda - How absolutely sweet and precious…. Such a great feel to these images, they really touched my heart :)

{a quick preview}

I will be blogging this beautiful wedding this week, but I just fell in love with this image and wanted to share it with you today.

Hope your Monday is off to a great start!

August 16, 2010 - 2:44 pm

Janica - Oh, perfect. :)

updated travel dates

Hello there! Sorry it has been over a week since my last post.  We are busy (or perhaps I should say, I AM BUSY) getting things in order for the new school year.  Since we home school, we are collecting books, making up daily and weekly schedules, and figuring out what exactly we will be doing this year to improve on our last.  One thing we are looking forward to is our family vacation out west this October.  We are going to have a great time exploring and learning around the state on New Mexico together!

And that brings me to you….

We are traveling to Chicago, NYC, and New Mexico this fall, and we currently have room for one session in New Mexico, and NYC. Here are our travel dates:

New York City: September 3-6 (Labor Day weekend)

New Mexico (Albuquerque, Taos, and Santa Fe): October 5-13

Please email me at info@studio3z.com if you would be interested in a photography session!

And I leave you with this little photo I shot while on a shoot last month….I looked over to my side and saw this beauty.  We were completely DEEP in a industrial junk yard, and I just thought, “How beautiful.”

 

August 12, 2010 - 11:32 pm

Rachel - Y’all must be going to the Balloon Fiesta! My husband and I went a few years ago and what an awesome sight that was! I hope that y’all will get up really early for the mass ascention! And I can’t wait to see y’alls photos!

We stayed the night in an earthship in Taos. The one called “Angel’s Nest” is a really astoundingly big and beautiful one. There is a community of them a little past the bridge over the Rio Grande Gorge.

Oh, I am so excited for y’all to get to take a trip like that as a family! I literally wanted to move to NM after that trip. It is such a gorgeous land and the light is fab for photography.