Dreams That Became Reality – A Peek Into Our Favorite Memories of 2014

As we close a year and look forward to a bright new 2015, we love to look back and laugh, cry, and smile through the memories we’ve created in our lives. God has been good to us and to our brides and grooms in 2014. Instead of creating a “best of” post with our favorite best pictures, this year we decided to give you a glimpse into the moments that make Joel and Amber Photography one of the best things we’ve ever been blessed to do. So here are a few of our favorite Joel and Amber memories of 2014, in random order…

1. Epic Bridal Parties

Goofing off with the bridal party can be one of the most fun parts of the day! We love all our bridal parties…and the ones who are willing to be a little crazy with us are the best!

2. Shooting portraits at Covenant College.

Joel and I met at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Although we had to transfer to different colleges because Covenant doesn’t offer our majors, Covenant will always be #1 in our hearts. We’re as passionate as any alumni could be! This year we had the privilege of spending time taking pictures on Covenant’s campus with one of our couples!

3. Those amazing emotional moments that make me cry.

Every wedding is full of emotion, and those precious moments that make time stop are priceless. Part of our passion for wedding photography is that we are able to catch that little glimpse of time and capture it forever.

I still tear up at every wedding. The first look, the bride’s walk down the aisle, and the father/daughter dance get me. Every single time.

4. Balloon exits!

It was so much fun seeing everybody’s excitement over the flying balloons!

5. Mother/daughter moments.

I adore my mom, and getting to peek in on special, once in a lifetime moments with these brides and their moms is so special to me. <3

6. Gorgeous rings.

These grooms come up with such amazing rings!! Rings are one of my favorite things to photograph. It was really hard to choose, but this is my favorite ring of 2014!

This amazing camo wedding ring definitely gets a shout out! Favorite groom’s ring ever!

7. Breath-taking dresses.

I still love everything princess and fairytale! I get so excited over every fairytale wedding dress that make our brides look like the princesses they are!

8. Working with The Chef Next Door.

Quite possibly our favorite catering crew of all time. We were able to share more than one wedding with this fabulous caterer this year and were more than spoiled with the morsels of yumminess. Not to mention the incredible experience they create at the reception.

9. Toasting the bridal couple with Piper and Leaf tea!

If you couldn’t tell from some of our past blog and Facebook posts, we absolutely love Piper and Leaf. They are an amazing tea company that create a delicious all-you-can-drink, totally-spoil-your-guests TEA BAR for weddings!

Joel and I were so blown away by the experience we had with their wedding tea bar that I have become Piper and Leaf’s Director of Weddings and Events! We love what this company does and stands for, and now I have the opportunity to share what they do with other brides! Such an incredible experience that all started by sipping tea at a wedding! :)

10. When a family prays together…

Our faith is the most important thing in our lives. We strive to glorify God in our lives, as well as our business decisions. Seeing a family take time to make prayer central and special during the craziness of the day warms our hearts so much.

11. Insanely wonderful venues!

We get really excited about beautiful venues. Our top favorites for the year: The Ledges of Huntsville and Stone Bridge Farms in Cullman, Alabama.

The city lights at Burritt on the Mountain are super breathtaking and we love this spot!

12. Fabulous receptions.

We love a fun, energetic, have-a-good-time reception!

There’s nothing like a little “Let It Go” from Frozen to bring out the best in the little girls!

The father/daughter and mother/son dances are so tearfully wonderful!

13. Pinterest-worthy ideas and decorations.

Beautiful flower arrangements from Corrie at 333Designs, adorable wedding favors, handcrafted burlap bouquets, perfectly crafted sugar cookies and dee-licious wedding cake from Lynn’s Cakes make me so excited! I love, love, love detail pictures.

14. Our amazing brides (and their grooms!)

Our brides make all of the not so glamorous parts of running a photography business 100% worth every minute! We can’t tell all of you how privileged we are to have you all in the Joel and Amber family. You are the reason we do what we do. Every one of you have made our lives so much richer in so many ways. You all are the best!! <3 <3 <3

 15. The friendships.

The lasting friendships we are blessed with mean more to us than anything else. These beautiful people start as just names on an email, but later become friends that bless us beyond measure. We are thankful for you, sweet friends!

So here is to an incredible 2014, so full of joys and struggles…of challenges and victories. We have so many new and exciting things in store for 2015 and we are bursting at the seams to share them with you! We are so thankful that God chose this journey for us to walk and can’t wait to see what 2015 will bring!

Thank you to all of our incredible Joel and Amber couples who make every moment special and totally worth it. You guys are the BEST! <3

*Love and hugs*

Amber (and Joel!)