Fall - And my boys {personal}

I love Summer - and I think you all know that by now. ;)

I love Summer so SO much - that sometimes I dread when it's time for it to go away. It's not that I dislike Fall, I just like Summer alot more. And while everyone's statuses for the last few weeks have been filled with pleas for Fall to get here quickly, I have been secretly praying against all of them, and hoping Summer would hang on a little bit longer ;)

But I have a confession.

Today, I said a happy little hello to Fall.

I just couldn't help it, it was sneaking in so nicely. I woke up to 68 degree slightly cloudy weather, every window in my house is currently open and there are the happiest little breezes blowing through my room as I type this. Who could be grumpy with a nice "hello, so good to be back!" like that? I'm pretty sure I might have waved a little wave back. . .

And I think there might have been one more little incentive for me to be happy about the coming of Fall. It starts with the same letter as the season and ends in "ootball" ;) Because guess what happens tomorrow?!

College football starts! And guess what I like possibly just as much as Summer? The Texas Longhorns. Especially when they're playing football. I'm pretty sure my love for them is just a part of my genetical make-up (is that even a term?? Pretty sure I just made that up. All you doctors out there--listen up, you might want to add that to your medical books ;) because my grandfather and both of my parents graduated from UT, so to not cheer for them would be to dishonor the family name. Not that I'm complaining about having to cheer for the greatest team in all of college ball--oh no!

So tomorrow I will be donning all of my burnt orange apparel, and heading over to the grandparents, where there will be some serious game watching and food eating going on (because the two go hand and hand of course.) In order to cheer well, you have to keep your strength up with good food that grandmothers are so good at producing. ;)

And for those of you who (are not from the south) and don't understand the passion that emanates from us "southern folk" when it comes to our football, I'm gonna need you to watch this. I nearly cried when I first watched the video--and that's totally embarrassing to admit, I know. But if you don't understand us before you watch it, I'm pretty sure you will once you're done. I love my boys of Fall ;)

I took this picture with my iphone last night while watching my own little "Boy of Fall" play in his first game of the season.

And while this afternoon I'm sure I'll have to shut the windows and turn on the air, and I still have plans to continue working on my tan for the next few weeks, and squeezing out just a little bit more of Summer happiness, I'm going to join the masses and say: I think I'm getting excited about Fall, and what this next "bend in the road" will bring. :)

Much Love.

Jessica Shae

Steve & Tara: Married {New Jersey - wedding photographer}

While their first meeting was not your normal start to a fairytale romance, Steve and Tara definitely have one of the cutest stories I've heard in a long time. Tara lived in the apartment above Steve, who was apparently smitten from the first day he saw her. And while Tara definitely thought he was cute she knew he wasn't a Christian, and dating someone who didn't love Jesus like she did just wasn't an option. . .so she said that they would have to remain just friends.

For months Steve invited Tara on dates, sent her cards, and gave her a beautiful bracelet as a Christmas gift. Meanwhile Tara continued to refuse his sweet offers, wishing and praying the whole time that God would maybe somehow change Steve's heart, because she was realizing more and more that other than the very important issue of him being a Christian Steve was so many things that she had dreamed of in a husband.

About a year after they met Tara got a call from a very excited Steve saying, "Tara! I went to this little church tonight and was saved!" He had given his life to Jesus and one of the first people he thought to call was the beautiful girl that lived in the apartment above him -- who had been praying for this very thing to happen for forEVER!

So a few years later, and after maaaany dates, when he asked her if she would spend her happy ever after with him, she said yes!

I have several shots of Tara just like this - she just spent most of the day laughing and kept saying "I can't believe I'm getting married today!!"

Her bee-yoo-tee-ful dress! Doesn't it look just like something straight out of happily-ever-after land??

Happy dad

mmmmm, yeah - just looooook at her drop dead gorgeousness. I'm a firm believer in every bride looking (and feeling!) like a princess on her big day, and Tara you definitely topped the charts :)

Random fact about me: Willow Trees are my absolute FAVorite tree - ever. And Tara was kind enough to plant one in her front yard, just for me - or something like that ;)

In case you hadn't taken the time to count them all - she had 10 bridesmaids, and Steve had 10 groomsmen, and they had a flower girl and ring bearer bringing the wedding party to a grand total of 24!! Definitely the largest group I had ever worked with, but they made it so much fun!

He made my heart melt with his way cool spiky hair and his cute little grin . . . ;)

I love it when grooms cry when they see their bride for the first time. And Steve, not to rat you out or anything - but I'm preeetty sure I saw someone tearing up when Tara walked in the door . . .

I don't normally post alot of ring shots, but there's were so gorgeous I couldn't help myself - I love sparkly things! :)

This was one of the coolest location I have ever shot at - and it was one that Tara scouted out before-hand. Brides who have an eye for amazing locations are my favorite ;)

Heeelllloooo beautifully amazing wedding party!

My brides are just awesome like this . . .

I just have to give a big shout out to all of Tara's bridesmaids really quickly-- I've been around alot of bridesmaids and lemme tell ya, there can be a tendency on the wedding day for everyone to start acting a little diva, when really the bridesmaids job is just to support and help the bride in whatever way possible. And these girls went up and above in doing that! I can see why she couldn't whittle down the number of bridesmaids any smaller, all of these girls were absolute sweethearts, and worked so hard to make Tara's day the best ever!

Love you girls!

ahhhh - so gorgeous, every single one of them. Yes, you too guys ;)

Cool location #2: Working train tracks that ran across a pond. She assured me beforehand that the train only came through at 3:30 - so no worries about getting run over. Always good to know . . .

And I'll end with a couple of my favorite dancing shots.

Thanks you DJ for having cool lighting for me to play with ;)

Steve and Tara - thank you so much for making me a part of your beautiful day. I can't wait to see pictures of your Hawaii honeymoon!

Much Love.

Jessica Shae

Random is my life: personal

This blog post is what most people call random.

And while random is not something that you can write a cute little blog post about and tie it up neatly with a bow - random is exactly what my life is made up of these days - so that's what you're going to get ;) It's kind of like my life threw up on my blog, or something. So settle in (because I have alot of randomness - therefore the post is rather long) and try not to be to bored.

I went to New Jersey last week - another state to check off my I've-been-there-list! I actually drove up there with my brother. Alllll the way from Dallas. Yeah, it was a crazy long trip but so much fun :) What could be better than a 24 hour road trip with your best friend, fun music, almost zero sleep, stopping for food at 10 PM in a scary little town in TN, being awake for both the sunset AND the sunrise, and playing with your new iphone?!? Very few things I tell you.

One of the main reasons I went to Jersey was because I was shooting a wedding there last Saturday, with a wedding party of - 24 people. Oh yes, we definitely had fun with that! Can't wait to post about it :) You can see a few more pictures of their wedding on my facebook page.

While we were in Jersey my brother and I stayed with friends that live there and they took us to Ocean City the first night we were there - If you could package up Summer, all the sights and smells and beauty of it, I think it would turn out looking alot like this place at sunset. It was just so gorgeous.

And my favorite picture that I have taken to date with my cell phone.

Oh laaaands, I just love it so so much.

And then another day we went to Philly - a place full of amazing sights and history, and I got to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall for the first time! Admitting that that was exciting for me probably classifies me as a total nerd, I know ;)

Some of you may have read my tweet about being in the "City of Love" (and my brother corrected me later and said that it was the "City of Brotherly Love" - but I like my version better ;) photographing the cutest couple ever. Yes, they were definitely the cutest - and I'm going to be nice and let you see a little sneak peek of them.

On another completely random note: I've started trying to take more nature/detail pictures. Taking pictures of flowers and the gorgeous outdoors is what originally got me hooked on photography, but these days I feel like I don't do nearly enough of it.

This beautiful girl (yes, the same one in the picture above) let me take some portraits of her one night when all this yummy light was just kiiiilling me. . .

. . .and then in turn practiced some of her amazing photography skills on me :)

And that is just a peek into the random-ness of my life right now. I'm also playing Soccer mom to 5 little rugrats - er - darlings for a week while my parents are in Colorado celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary! Mom (I know you're reading this;) and you'll be proud to know that I've kept them all fed and clean(ish) for the past 3 days, and I forgot Emma at the store yesterday but realized within 15 minutes that she wasn't in the car so it was no biggy really.

I kid, I kid, it was more like . . . ten, at the most ;)

Much Love.

Jessica Shae

***Update: I was toootally kidding about leaving my little sister somewhere, but apparently alot of people thought I was serious. I was a joke people - it was a joke. I'm waaaay to responsible for that! ;)