Today my grandparents are celebrating their 65th Wedding Anniversary! ♥

    vintage wedding party_andreadozier.com
    An image from their honeymoon in Atlantic City!

    “Always remember there was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name” -Avett Brothers ♥

    I love everything about these precious photographs & wish I were lucky enough to have more of a glimpse of such a beautiful time in history.
    My Grandpa, John Bell, is a World War II Navy veteran and my Grandma, Kathleen, had eight children {seven of them boys bless her heart}.
    I love that they are the original “vintage wedding” couple and leave us such a rich legacy of love.
    Always loved how they both set to work in the kitchen together & make the world’s most amazing spaghetti & meatballs {that I now make for my family}.
    Grandma always has a pot of coffee warm for my dad & homemade waffles that make the house smell of anise.
    It wasn’t until I grew up that I even began to realize what a treasure it is to know people like them.

    This weekend will be spent photographing a much anticipated Toledo wedding & then celebrating my grandparents milestone anniversary with my huge family!

    {How lovely are the kids in their wedding party? And Grandma’s dress… sigh.}

    * I was able to find these images on my Uncle Dan’s website. Thanks!

     

     

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    • Alli - June 14, 2012 - 7:49 pm

      Oh wow, congrats to them! Q’s grandparents celebrated their 65th as well last month – it’s an amazing thing to see.

    Oh hi there!

    I realize that it’s been a bit since I’ve been posting but I’m happy to tell you there’s been a lot of good things going on in between. Watching Kevin as a shark in the school play, celebrating a year of Kindergarten, catching up with old friends, meeting new brides, beginning wedding season {yay!}, and soaking up family time during Memorial Day weekend. Although I have intentions of posting more often, you can follow me on Instagram {@AndreaDozier} for fresh{er} updates.

    Can you believe that our lovely peonies have bloomed and withered since this post? Oh my.

    They smelled even more amazing than they looked. ♥

     

     

     

     

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    It’s becoming very clear to me that I can not be the typical wedding photography blog{ger}. Most of my energy & time is spent being a mama, especially as I’ve cut back the number of weddings I photograph {to spend more time being a mama}. Everyone says that you should blog what you like, and even though I do like love my job {and will continue to blog beautiful weddings}, it’s not the only thing in my life. I’m realizing that the reason why I find it so cumbersome to blog my work is because I am not sharing what I’m most passionate about. Although I created a personal blog, it was hard to separate what is only professional & what belonged there. For me, it’s the little details that I sometimes want to share the most. Like playing around with thyme & shaping cursive letter A’s…

    Some of you might have noticed some layout & category changes I’ve made to my blog. I’d love to unroll a new design as well, but I am in transition & just want to test the waters a bit before I commit to a new “face.” I’ve begun to optimize your experience by separating my blog into three easy to find categories. You can now find the personal posts {plus some posts from my personal blog now added to this one}, “Sweet Threads” in one category on the top menu. Weddings & Portraits in the “Weddings” link, and “DIY” projects in that link.

    If you enjoy all of the posts, you can just always click on the “Home” link or www.andreadozier.com/blog where everything is found in one place.

    Thanks so much for your sweet support & feedback! Please feel free to let me know what you think! ♥

    * I think that quote I used in the photograph was written by another Andrea {clearly a *little* biased} but I couldn’t help but like it.  “She is confident, honest, loyal, protective of what she has, strong, artistic, beautiful inside and out, excellent lover. A tower of strength for those she cares for, the rock to her family.” -The meaning of Andrea from the Urban Dictionary

     

     

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    We had a moody overcast day for Fred & Sally’s engagement session {a lot like today}! They didn’t let on that it was also a cold day. No problem when you are as excited as them to get married & have a blanket between shots to warm up with. I loved Sally’s effortless style & that she wanted to do them at a farm!

    Fred & Sally, thanks so much for being sticking out the weather! Best wishes to you two! ♥

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    • Jen O. - April 30, 2012 - 6:04 am

      Gorgeous set of images, Andrea. So beautiful and serene.

    Last night I felt plenty blessed as I scanned over hundreds images I had already forgotten.
    These photographs told our story as we fell in love with a very new Damian.
    Quietly in the background, our house was a backdrop I didn’t even recognize.
    In a short time, this little cottage has been changed from the inside out.
    Walls have come down & been rebuilt, layers of wallpaper scraped off & covered in fresh paint, dead trees & fences have been removed,
    carpets pulled out & wooden floors refinished, new windows installed, a staircase taken apart {that one is a funny story}…
    On & on I could name these changes.
    In every room there is evidence of my husband’s hands at work.

    It seems that as soon as one project is complete the next one is alarmingly obvious.
    Or maybe it’s just been so exciting to see this home transform we can’t wait until it all feels finished.
    And wouldn’t it be so nice if this were here or that could be replaced with something more stylish?

    Sometimes I’m so focused on how I want things to be,
    I forget to be thankful for where we are.

    Today I woke up with new eyes.
    Our little cottage is the most comforting & cozy of any place we’ve lived in these last eight years.
    As I did morning chores I treasured it even more.
    Broken stones in some of the flowerbeds? Yes.
    Garage door that needs to be replaced? Yes.
    Flowers that I’ve tried to grow, but haven’t quite found their place? Yes.

    Learning to balance ambition with contentment is a mystery.
    One I’ve been pondering over multiple cups of coffee today.
    Everything is on the tip of blooming & maybe there is something wonderful in just knowing it’s almost time for it to happen.
    At least there is encouragement in seeing how far it all has come…

    The white phlox below {left} were originally planted in too much shade. I moved them & I’m crossing my fingers they’ll recover.
    The ones on the right were planted in better light & faring much better.

    I’ve been watching for our peonies all spring and they will bloom soon.
    We were excited this rhododendron seemed happy where Rocky planted it & is still thriving. I love the shape.
    Happy rainy spring day ♥

     

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    • Mary - April 25, 2012 - 4:39 pm

      It’s always so easy to lose focus..I’ve done it for a life time 🙂
      We have to remember to live our lives the best way we can.
      We know tomorrow isn’t promised so we must enjoy today!
      Just remember…It slips by way too fast!

    • Sheila - April 26, 2012 - 9:22 am

      Love your perspective!

    • Peonies in Bloom » Andrea Dozier Wedding Photography based in Dayton, Ohio - June 4, 2012 - 7:54 pm

      […] you believe that our lovely peonies have bloomed and withered since this post? Oh […]

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