After several months of emailing back and forth, I finally had the pleasure of meeting Desiree & Jon on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at the Florida Southern College Landing here in Lakeland. Desiree had requested old books, an old blanket, and a family photo of everybody (including the family pets) in matching Christmas sweaters for their engagement session. Yes, yes, and even more yes to all of the above. So loved trying to make their requests a reality!

It turns out, this is one of Jon's favorite Harry Potter books...we almost lost him to the book there for a few minutes. :)

This was entirely Desiree's idea and it turned out beautifully!

And then at the very end, this total bit of awesomeness happened....

Desiree & Jon- I cannot wait to be a part of your celebration in June! Thank you so much for choosing me to capture the memories of your special day! As a thank you, if we can get 18 comments on this blog post (there's that number 8 for you!), I will add an extra hour of photography on to your wedding day.

With Regards- CBlackwell

I met Carrie & Jordan in between rainstorms at Lake Mirror Promenade this past Saturday. These two made me laugh before I even fired off the first shot. They made me laugh in that comfortable, known-somebody-for-a-long-time kind of way. It was just about enough laughter to chase away the rainy day.

In one of Carrie's first messages to me, she said she was happiest in her Jordan's arms. That soon proved true. She was never very far from those arms and the happy smile was never very far from her face during our time together.

Love Carrie's smile...one of my favorite photos from the set.

And right after all the rain that ended our session, came the rainbow.  Carrie & Jordan- thank you for the pleasure of meeting you. I can't wait to photograph your wedding and be surrounded by all that wonderful laughter again.  Until … — And right after all the rain that ended our session, came the rainbow.

Carrie & Jordan- thank you for the pleasure of meeting you. I can't wait to photograph your wedding and be surrounded by all that wonderful laughter again. Until October- CBlackwell

D & J Florida Southern College Landing, Lakeland, FL

C & J Lake Mirror Promenade Lakeland, FL