Chinica & Damon: Engagement

Chinica and Damon were referred to me by Raquita at Pinxit Photography (www.PinxitPhoto.com). Their wedding date is really close to Raquita's due date (no, there's no baby....YET!), so Raquita graciously sent them to me. The minute Chinica and her wedding planner came into our office, I knew she was my bride.

She has big, deep, vivid visions of exactly what she wants for her wedding day. She knew what she was looking for, and thankfully, she found it with Abbie Takes Pictures. <3

Here are a few shots from their engagement shoot....

I think my favorite part about these photos are the way Chinica's face just lights up when she looks at Damon...

No engagement session is complete without a little smooch, right? ;)

This was my favorite shot of the entire day. The way the light is on their faces is enough to make my knees jiggly. :) (They even ended up choosing this photo for their Save The Date cards!)

Mr. and Mrs. Mueller

Remember that adorable couple who had their engagement photos with the big 'ol tractor??
If you don't, here's a little reminder:

(Brian collects and restores John Deere Tractors, so we had to feature his prize winning baby!)

Anywho - if you remember them, then you know that they have been with me since right before I went full time with my business. We had our first meeting in a Bread Co, and they booked me that day.

Just this week, Theresa came into my new office to pick up her wedding photos. As we sat there and chatted with each other, we realized that her and Brian have been through and witnessed the growth and expansion of Abbie Takes Pictures first hand. From meeting in Bread Co's, to coming to my old office in Kirkwood (a little corner of space inside of a bridal shop)... and now to the new offices in Webster Groves. We both got a little teary eyed while we were talking about how amazing it has been, and we hadn't even looked at the pictures yet!

Needless to say, we did take a spin through all the images. I surprised Theresa with a new feature that I'm offering my bridal clients: ATP Music Videos! Every time I watched their video, I teared up. Theresa and I sat there and cried some more as this video played. So grab some Kleenex, sit back... and enjoy.



A big thanks goes out to these guys. They have been major supporters and cheerleaders of ATP since Day 1. I can never say enough about my clients, but these two are top dogs in my book. :)

Positivity Breeds Positivity...

Thank you to all of you who have continued to show your support over the past few months. My life has been busier than I can ever remember, and I have barely had time to breathe. It has been quite some time since I last posted, and I can't begin to tell you how badly I have missed blogging! I'm making a promise right now to post at least once a week. If I don't, please remind me. :)
First and foremost, if you haven't heard already, we finally have a place of our own!! Our new offices are located in Webster Groves, and we just couldn't be happier. Abbie Takes Pictures has joined forces with The Crimson Petal, Rockstar DJs, and It's The Little Things STL. We are a team called "W.E.D.D. Wedding & Event Details and Designs", and are offering complete wedding and event services in ONE location. It's an idea that I've been kicking around for over a year, so it's been so powerful to see it come to fruition.


Check out W.E.D.D.'s "Big Announcement" video! It'll give you a little sneak peek at the new place, and probably make you smile. :) CLICK HERE!!! (A BIG THANK YOU to Katie Hotze at PhotoArt Productions for producing the video for us!)

Please come by and visit us... just give me a call to make sure I'm in the office!!

I also want to introduce a new addition to the ATP Staff. Many of you already know Tyler (aka "The Midge"). After one year of hard work, Tyler graduated from "Apprentice" to my full time employee/assistant/2nd Shooter Extraordinaire in January. That left a hole that needed to be filled... and Cassidy fit right in. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you Cassidy Chambers: The Best Intern Ever. :)

(See?? I told you she fit right in.)

All in all, it's been a fantastic and humbling few months. We shot 8 weddings in 6 weeks, 17 Senior Sessions in 2 months, and 13 other photo shoots. We moved into our new office, I photographed my kindergarten best friend's wedding in Florida (Congrats, Andrew!!), and I moved into a new apartment. (Well, to be honest - my best friends packed up my entire old place while I was working. They never once complained, and went above and beyond any "BFF Code" that may exist.) I am one lucky girl.

In closing, I leave you with this image. These girls have worked their tales off the past 2 months... but they always know how to have fun. This is why they ROCK!!!

I still feel like I won First Place...

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

We were voted as the 2nd PLACE WINNERS for the Best Photographer in Saint Louis! The FOX 2 HOTLIST CITYVOTER CONTEST had over 23,000 votes! There were over 70 photographers listed in our category, so, in my book, 2nd place isn't too shabby at all. :)

For all of you who voted, I just can't thank you enough for all of your love and support. I'm still overwhelmed on a daily basis when I think of how lucky I am to have the most amazing clients. You guys are not only my clients... but you are all my friends and my own little FAMILY... YOU GUYS ROCK!

A Little Sappy Chain of Love...

While I was sitting at my desk today, plowing through some wedding photos that need to be finished (Hey, Mallory!!), I started thinking about how much is on my plate. I had been sitting there for over 27 minutes, trying to figure out how I'm going to squeeze 19 photo shoots and 7 weddings (one of them in Florida) into 48 days. Oh, and did I mention I have to find a new place to live and move within the last 31 of those 48 days??!

As my heart was starting to race, and my leg was starting to jiggle in a solid rhythm of panic and irritation, I heard a familiar tune come through the speakers in my laptop.

"Rat-ata-tat-ata-tat-tat-tat-TAT...

Rat-ata-tat-ata-tat-tat-tat-TAT...

You ready Ron.. I'm ready
You ready Dave... I'm ready Slick are you...
Oh yeah break it down...

GIRL I must warn youuuuuuuu..."

I instantly went from feeling antsy and over worked, to feeling happy and giggly.

"POISON... Puh puh puh puh POISON..."

I started giggling, and just couldn't stop.

This song makes me think of one of my best friends in the entire world. It became "our" song last year while we were on a road trip to Washington, D.C. To make a long story short, my friend calls her elbow her "Bell Biv Devoe". (I know, silly, right??) I found this out at about 3AM, in the middle of the mountains, while we were driving. I thought it was hilarious, and automatically started singing her this song...

"POISON... Puh puh puh puh POISON..."

Today, all it took was the first three beats of a song to make me think of something that totally made me feel right with the world. When I started thinking about my best friend and her "Bell Biv Devoe", I then started thinking of all of my close friends and how much they mean to me. This then led me to start thinking about how blessed I am, and how I have the most amazing clients... and the best job in the entire world. One good thought right after another!

This, my friends, was my Little Sappy Chain of Love for the day. It's funny how little things can really turn your day around.

So please, take a minute to have YOUR Little Sappy Chain of Love today, and rock out to this song while you're doing so... Bell Biv Devoe: Poison (click here!)

Trash The Dress: 2nd Preview

I've had many requests for some more "Trash The Dress" photos, so folks... it's time for another teeny, tiny preview. However, Ben (www.BenjaminTrevor.com) and I have decided that you need to wait just a little while longer for some seriously trashy photos. :) Until then, let this one tide you over...



Another big THANK YOU to the following people: (We couldn't have done it without them!!)

• Paul Gibson at Centro Models
  
• Mr. and Mrs. Ted and Shannon Quinn. Our FABO models for the day. Complete and total professionals that were a joy to work with!
• Savvi Formalwear donated our amazing tuxedo.
• Embrassei Moi all but donated our veil and dress.
  
• Kelly at The Crimson Petal
  
• Jayme Datillo was our hair and makeup girl.
  
• Tyler Burrus is my amazing assistant.
  
• Mike Edmondson brought us the 1934 vintage Ford Truck.
  

I also want to thank Ben for asking me to be a part of this amazing project. It was a total and complete dream!!

Easter Photos: Abbie Takes Pictures Saint Louis Wedding Family Photographer

This past Friday I held my First Annual Easter/Spring Photo Shoot! I had several people call and ask, "Are you doing Easter Bunny photooooos?". My answer was "Oh, dear! No way!". However, the more I thought about it, the more I knew I could do BETTER than those "Old School"/traditional Easter photos. After a few phone calls, and creating a Facebook event to spread the word, I had several people come and join the fun!

I had planned it for Saturday, but by Tuesday - we knew it was going to be rainy and gloomy that day. After a few phone calls (and a Facebook Event edit!), we were able to move the photo shoots up a day... which ended up being a FANTASTIC choice!

Tyler (Assistant Extraordinaire) and I stayed for a few hours in the park, and really enjoyed ourselves. The weather was warm and sunny, and we had the perfect little spot to set up. The only downside was all the MUD we had to trudge through to get to our perfect spot. :)

First on the scene was The Jurotich Gang. Kelly is a dear friend of mine. (WE have some really big news to announce soon!). Anyway... I digress...

The boys and I had quite a good time together. I simply adore these kids...

This photo was not as easy as it looks... :) It really sums up the spirit if Kelly and Adam's kiddos. They are truly fun and lively!

You'll have to ask me how I tricked them into this great photo... :)

Next we had Mattie arrive. When she first got there, she had one agenda... and that was her own. After a few chocolate bribes, and playing a few games of "put the eggs in the basket", I was really able to capture this sweet girl's personality. She's inquisitive and loving, just like every 18 month old girl should be.

Then we had sweet Eleanore! She was in such a good mood, and couldn't stop giggling. She investigated the eggs, and each basket. She even ROCKED a gorgeous Easter Bonnet, which made for one of my favorite shots of the day.

Last, but not least, one of my best friends came out with her two lovely kiddos, Gage and Zoe. We took so many photos, that I'm not done proofing them all! It's a good thing that my friends love me as much as they do... sometimes their photos take a back burner. (Kayte... I promise you'll have them sooooon!)