There’s a reason I like to get to weddings early. I tell people that I’m OCD about being on time and I have to have time to get my equipment together, but there is another reason, which my new friend Heather Garland discovered as she pulled into the church parking lot for Kevin and Christine’s wedding a few weeks ago. There I was: headphones in, music cranked, jumping around and singing, “Colors of the world, SPICE UP YOUR LIFE. Every boy and every girl, SPICE UP YOUR LIFE! People of the World, SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!” See, I have this tendency to live life as though I’m on my own personal karaoke stage. The problem is, I never really imagine a crowd. I just sing from my heart, and every so often I get caught in the act It keeps my thoughts positive and my energy level high, which is essential on wedding days!

Anyway, in celebration of my random need to sing and dance, I thought I’d post a little contest. I need to expand my Get Pumped playlist, and I thought it would be fun to enlist your help! So here’s what you’re going to do: Leave a comment and suggest a song to add to my Get Pumped playlist, and you’ll have a chance to win a $10 iTunes giftcard. Make sure to include the song title and artist name, and provide a valid email address so I can contact you. I’ll listen to all of the song suggestions and the giftcard will go to the person whose song I decide to add to the playlist. Here are the songs on my current playlist, just to give you an idea of what it takes to get me pumped:

Make sure to post your suggestion before Midnight on Wednesday, July 1, 2009. I’ll announce the winner later this week. And because pictures make every post more interesting, here’s a sneak peek from Matt & Carolyn’s wedding!

Simple. Elegant. Wonderful These are the words I would use to describe Ed & Amanda’s wedding. It was such a pleasure to photograph, because it was beautiful without being a production. They gathered with their family and friends at Glenn Memorial on the Emory campus, took each others hands in the Little Chapel and vowed to love each other till death do they part. Every detail from the lilies and pearls to her dress and choice of venue reflected Amanda’s love of classic romance. She and Ed wanted pictures that were simple and elegant, and I loved capturing the two of them.

I’m seriously loving these old Hollywood black and whites. They have a beautiful depth to them. Plus, Amanda looks amazing in her dress!

See what I mean?

Ed looks equally handsome in his tux.

Amanda asked her two sisters and best friend to be her bridesmaids. Want to guess what else this group has in common besides being in the wedding party? They’re all my Alpha Gam sisters! I’m so lucky

The Little Chapel is such a beautiful location for a wedding ceremony. The aisle is about 30 feet long, and the ceilings are about 40 feet high. It was built in the 1920’s, and all of the moldings on the inside were carved by hand. Amazing.

Happily married!

Alone at last.

I love Emory’s campus. Everywhere you turn there’s another beautiful place to photograph.

Once we finished up at Glenn, we headed to the Old Courthouse in Decatur for a few more photos and for the reception. Like the sneak peek I posted over the weekend, these photos were taken on the back steps of the courthouse.

With Ed and Amanda’s portraits out of the way, it was time for the receptio. Bring on the dancing!

I love this shot of Amanda’s parents dancing.

And this one of Ed’s grandparents dancing. I have to take a moment to tell you about Ed’s grandfather. He’s a little pretender. During the ceremony and family photos, he stepped very carefully and gave the impression that he was fragile. Then at the reception, he grabs his wife’s hand and starts spinning her on the dance floor! Amazing!

I’m in the middle of re-packing all of my stuff, and I just had to post an image from Ed and Amanda’s wedding last night. Amanda told me she loves classic black and white images, so I created a special black and white mix just for her images. It’s a little darker than my usual black and whites, but it gives the images more of a classic movie feel. I like it