I was in Ann Arbor this week photographing a special project and now that I’m back home I’m playing catch up with e-mails & editing. Stay tuned for all the yummy eye candy from Hooray Design’s creative styling… she is so inspiring & I am always excited to see what she has up her sleeve!

    I’m so happy to see the weather grudgingly lighten up… I hope I need a pretty little fan like this soon. I’m ready to ditch the extra blankets & heavy coats! ♥

    PS- Did you catch Kate & Preston’s Navy Engagement Session on 100 Layer Cake? See it here.

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    • alli - March 14, 2011 - 11:09 am

      Just seeing this got me very excited! I am so excited to see the images, I just love the way you “see” things through your camera.

      PS. Loved seeing your session on 100layercake!

    Kate & Preston had a beautiful woodland ceremony at the Toledo Botanical Garden last September. Rain flirted with us the entire day, but it held off during all the right moments. Preston was already planning to join the Navy this winter, so their wedding day was also like a wonderful farewell party full of rich emotion & beauty.

    wildflowers-mason jar

    toledo-botanical-gardens-wedding-photography

    toledo-botanical-gardens-wedding

    Kate used to drive by this river on her way to work & I can just imagine her dreaming about her wedding on those commutes. She wanted to take portraits here, and I love how the misty weather created an illusion of a morning session.

    Wishing you two all the best as a new military family. Stay strong Kate, he’s going to be so happy to see you when he gets out of basic training! ♥

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    Last Fall I had the pleasure of working with Wanda Kuck, a wedding designer & coordinator & founder of Sugar Maple Weddings & Events! She is someone I’ve known for many years, and I’ve always been so impressed with her creativity & ability to transform an ordinary room to a spectacular party scene. She specializes in vintage, elegant, & rustic designs. I am so excited that she is my first handpicked vendor!

    From Wanda:

    I’ve had almost twenty years experience planning & coordinating weddings & events. I am passionate about each event that I do. I feel very fortunate to work in an industry where I can use my talent for design, food, & entertaining. I love to make each event unique & a real reflection of my client’s personal style. My services are designed to offer you the maximum assistance with the minimum amount of stress.

    Sugar Maple Weddings & Events styled these gorgeous autumn wedding tables for us, each one is such a treat! The first is shabby chic & glamorous. Pretty pink petals mix with fiery orange roses. An array of colorful fall leaves serve as a backdrop. She incorporated glass, silver, & rose petals to make the scene look sophisticated but organic. I love chandeliers hanging from trees! I will never forget seeing this one hanging for the first time at my friend’s wedding several years ago that Wanda had designed… it’s the perfect ingredient for a garden wedding.

    The next table is more of a rustic farmhouse interpretation. Notice the twine, chalkboard, basket weave, & wood. Her daughter, Myranda, baked us cupcakes & topped them with these cute “Just Married” tokens. Clever, right?!

    Candy Apples… I cut them into slices & they are very much my weakness!

    Wanda pulled together found objects, like her daughter Lori’s hand painted table & her family’s silverware, to craft this eclectic wedding table.

    The next table would be perfect for escort cards, dessert buffet, or gift table. The lanterns can hang from the tree with the table number & can be taken to their seats for light as the evening sunset approaches. The black & white is very classic, it would be complement a little garden of white pumpkins!

    Love the drapes over a barn opening, it makes the rustic barn feel elegant!

    Another chandelier in a tree… a stunning way to light your reception or dessert buffet! I want some for my backyard, just to look at in the evenings 🙂

    I hope you are inspired by her displays! If you are looking for a Dayton wedding coordinator or designer, please get in touch with Wanda by sending her a note at wandakuck@yahoo.com for more information! Check out Sugar Maple Weddings & Events on Facebook by clicking here. ♥

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    • Kate/MagnoliaRouge - March 3, 2011 - 12:45 pm

      OMG this is so stunning!! Love the colours in it. Great job!

    • Angela Bisceglia - March 3, 2011 - 7:14 pm

      Wanda,
      WOW! What talent you have! You are so gifted and creative. I love the pictures. I really had no idea you did wedding coordinating. Mark films weddings. I will share this with him so he can forward your link to his clients. WOW!

    It’s kind of a funny story. I ordered some bottles through Etsy that I thought would be big enough to make favors for my son’s nautical birthday party. I opened the package & found itty bitty bottles. I was a little disappointed, but they are so cute that I decided to make them into necklaces {see the Navy Session from the last post}. I think it’s a really sweet way to keep a marriage vow, favorite poem, or someone’s tiny photograph close to your heart!

    I have two more that I am giving away, here are two ways to win:

    1. Leave a comment below, with the phrase you’d want written on the paper inside the bottle. Also share how you view this blog {mobile device, desktop, laptop, etc…}

    2. Invite your friends to join my Facebook page by “sharing” @Andrea Dozier | Boutique Photography on your Facebook page with your friends.
    The link is located on the bottom left hand side of the page. Just leave a comment on my Facebook page letting me know that you have shared the page with your friends.

    You can enter both ways for two chances to win. I will pick two winners Friday morning!

    Thank you for bearing with me while I took a little absence from posting. My seven month old baby {Damian} spent a few days in the hospital last week but he is doing wonderful & has made an almost full recovery. We are so happy & thankful to be home again with a healthy happy baby boy! ♥

    PS- Keep your eye out for an abundance of Fall Wedding Inspiration in the next post… courtesy of Sugar Maple Weddings & Events!

    ****** Contest Now Closed ******

    Thank you to all who participated, I was so touched reading your quotes! There was no way I could only pick two, so there are FOUR winners:


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    • icitea - March 1, 2011 - 5:18 am

      i view this blog via laptop.

      Hm… I’d probably write one of my favorite quotes, something to the extent of ‘happiness is fleeting, take hold of it before it flies away.’

    • Georgia Monroe - March 1, 2011 - 5:47 am

      I would either write my anniversary date or my marriage vows I think. I view your blog via my laptop.

    • Georgia Monroe - March 1, 2011 - 5:49 am

      I would write either my anniversary date or vows. I view your blog via my laptop.

    • Sarah Bailey - March 1, 2011 - 7:43 am

      “My love goes with you wherever you go”… something my mom said to me. For me, this sums of the eternal quality of love.

      I view your blog via desktop and laptop (today it’s a desk top).

    • Amanda DeLaet Hayes - March 1, 2011 - 7:46 am

      I would write down my husbands name, our anniversay date, my childrens names with birthdates underneath, and then conclude with “whom I hold close to my heart”.
      I am viewing this on my cell phone.

    • Jennifer Denny - March 1, 2011 - 7:53 am

      those are so cute! I veiw the blog on my laptop.
      I think I would write “Til the end, and then forever”

    • Cindy Hall - March 1, 2011 - 8:12 am

      Always close in my heart.
      Nana 2011

      Viewed on regular desktop computer.

    • postcards and pretties - March 1, 2011 - 8:45 am

      First off I’m glad to hear that Damian is home safe & sound.

      and I would probably write my favorite John Keats poem but it might be too long
      “I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for their religion – I have shudder’d at it. I shudder no more.
      I could be martyr’d for my religion, Love is my religion And I could die for that. I could die for you. ”

      but since today is my parent’s 36th wedding anniversary I would put their names and wedding date inside and offer it to them.

    • postcards and pretties - March 1, 2011 - 8:47 am

      I shared on FB too

    • Tara Bannorra - March 1, 2011 - 12:03 pm

      i shared you on facebook. and as for something to write on the paper…hmmm…”the most wasted of all days is one without laughter” or just the word “Magnificent”
      love you sis

    • Kelly Wagner - March 1, 2011 - 12:40 pm

      Laptop
      I would give it to Jer for our Anniversary
      I would have our anniversary and our favorite quote on it.

      Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours.
      April 19, 2005

    • raspberry essence - March 1, 2011 - 1:04 pm

      i use my laptop!
      i would write “this like is sparkling don´t you let it go”

    • Darlene O'Brien - March 1, 2011 - 6:23 pm

      I would write this quote cause it’s one of favorites and has a special meaning and lesson that took me a long time to realize and a very special man my fiancee’ who helped be understand what this quote really meant .
      To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved <3
      And put our names and date of our engagement in it ..
      I view your website via desktop or thrugh my phone ..

    • Kate Fry - March 1, 2011 - 6:40 pm

      Lyrics to part of our wedding song…it really means a lot now that he is gone away for months.

      “That your always in my heart
      Your always on my mind
      And when it becomes too much
      You’re never far behind

      And there’s no one that comes close to you
      Could ever take your place
      Cause only you can love me this way”

    • Kate Fry - March 1, 2011 - 6:41 pm

      oh and I viewed this blog on my laptop lol!

    • Brynn Nibert - March 1, 2011 - 6:54 pm

      I view your blog on my laptop. If I won the necklace, I would have “I love you more” written on the note because my mom used to always say that to me when she was alive. A picture of her would be a nice addition too.

    • Tiesha Gordon - March 1, 2011 - 7:37 pm

      I view the blog on my Palm Pre.

      I would put each of the dates of the 3 happiest days of my life: the birth of each of my children.

    • Kass Michaud - March 1, 2011 - 8:26 pm

      Hi, I would write “R.I.P. Mom 2/10/58-9/28/05” in memory of my mom who passed away from breast cancer (When I was 16.). I view your blog via my desktop. 🙂

    • Kass Michaud - March 1, 2011 - 8:39 pm

      and I would probably also put “miss you. You are my sunshine” because that was the the song she always used to sing to me.

    • Jennifer Wanamaker - March 1, 2011 - 10:33 pm

      I’m viewing via PC! You’re pictures are amazing, by the way! My quote would be, “My Grandma is like the Sun. Not here, yet everywhere.” I’d give it to my daughter, Avarie. It’s something I like to remind myself everyday when I think of my mom.

    • Kristi - March 2, 2011 - 9:29 am

      I would write our favorite verse =o)

    • [Blocked by CFC] Courtney Marshall - March 3, 2011 - 8:46 am

      I would put a picture of my mom in it so I could have her with me at all times. And its on my mobile phone.

    • I would put a picture of my mother so I could always have her with me. And I’m viewing this on my phone.

    CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS:

    Anna & Chris!

    I am so overwhelmed by the support of all of you who took time & voted! I just really did not even expect such a passionate response, there were over 1100 votes on my Facebook page! I just really want to thank all of you for participating! Since each and every couple is very deserving of a gift, I would love to extend a complimentary portrait session OR 20% off wedding photography packages for all the contestants. You all are incredible & I’m honored to have such a wonderful military family! Thank you so much for sharing your stories!

    Since today is Valentine’s Day, I’d love to share a special session.

    I’ve been finding that it is becoming more & more common for married couples to express their desire for styled sessions, but there is still a slight stigma associated with having “engagement” pictures taken after they are already married for any length of time. However, I think that is one tradition that we should all consider an antique relic.

    After the wedding, traditionally you unwrap your china & move into a phase of life that isn’t celebrated quite the same way as the season leading up to your marriage. You settle into new routines & the magic of dreaming about “the perfect day” is replaced with the hum of un-romantic reality. It’s not to say you don’t love each other a little stronger every day. It’s just not usually documented the same way it is in the beginning. As you age together, you find that the connection you thought you had in the beginning was more like a preview of the real thing. I think it’s wonderful to have a portrait session that gives you a glimpse of the happy ending that you are living.

    I would like to introduce you to “Unending Love” sessions. This is how I will be referring to any session that involves two people in love, whether they are engaged or already married…

    This past weekend I had the immense honor of photographing some very special clients. Kate & Preston were married this past fall, but expressed a desire to have photographs taken before he leaves to join the Navy. I was so excited for this session, because I sincerely connect to their situation as an Air Force wife. I know just what photographs I would want if I had the opportunity to get them taken before Rocky left for basic training. I know what they are feeling & how much they will treasure these images. I asked Caitlin to style this session, inspired by a hint of vintage & classic romance.

    We took these photographs at The Patterson Homestead near the University of Dayton. Caitlin knew exactly how I wanted to capture this shoot & “Mac Gyver’d” the set to work for us! 😉

    Kate is so pretty, I loved her vintage curls!

    Navy Engagement Session

    Their pup, Peyton, came and did a cameo for some portraits.

    The night before our shoot I came across this beautiful embroidered calendar on Etsy. I knew there would be no time to order it, but since I had similar materials I made one. I think that you should check out SaraLynn’s Etsy shop, because it would be a perfect gift to a wife/fiance/girlfriend of a deployed soldier. She makes them to be “perpetual calendars” so you can move the dates each month. I was inspired by the theme of “time” for this shoot because of my experience with staring at clocks & calendars when my husband Rocky has been TDY & deployed. Anyone else who has ever gone through a similar experience can definitely relate!

    Caitlin’s Grandma lent us this vintage pillow with a prayer from a navy spouse during WWII. The picture is Preston’s dad, who was also in the Navy.

    Did you know that there is a Gigi’s Cupcakes in Beavercreek?! I tried them for the first time in Alabama & was so excited to see they opened a local shop. Here we have Italian Cream Wedding Cake & Hunka Chunka Banana Love… they have the best flavors!

    Thank you Preston & Kate for allowing me to photograph you all before Preston left… we wish him all the best in the Navy! Loving thoughts go out to Kate, I know you miss him {but it will get better}. ♥

    Don’t forget to check out Sarah Lynn’s Etsy shop for the embroidered perpetual calendars!


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