K|S Las Vegas Wedding

2This couple is very near and dear to my heart.   I met K (the bride) and her family 16 years ago.....that sounds like a crazy long time ago to me....I think I was only 8 at the time! (haha)  K's sister is actually my best friend, so you can only imagine how much I love and adore K and her family!  So, when they asked if I'd want to come to Vegas to shoot the wedding, I was truly honored to be a part of their special day, and of course....who doesn't want to go to Vegas to shoot a gorgeous wedding! :)  

The wedding took place at The Wynn....such a gorgeous venue!  The Wynn has a policy where they won't allow outside photographer's to photograph the ceremony, but they worked it out so I could do everything else.  The day couldn't have been more perfect for S&K.  K was such a stunning and gorgeous bride, and S was the perfect, handsome groom!   They really are that couple who you'd want to be like.....so full of life, so fun and just so good to each other!

absolutely stunning, and I love the pockets in her dress!

Lets just say the reception was a blast!   

The picture on the left is the groom with his brother and sister dancing to, "Staying Alive"....it's a tradition thing that they do this together! The picture on the right is K's dad and brother-in-law (he's married to my bff......i had never seen him dance the way he did that night!) :)  

and check out K's 94 year old grandma that made the Vegas trip and was gettin' down on the dance floor!

Congrats to K & S!  Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your special day!

First Communion Fun | Julie Marie Portraits

The kiddos below have their first communion coming up, so Miss L's mom asked me if I would like to come and photograph them.  Such a fun idea.....and I had the best time with them!  The girls' dresses were just gorgeous.  They looked like little brides, and Mr. C was such a trooper with all of the girls!  He looked so handsome in his suit and tie, and he managed just fine with all of the girls!

Although the sun was shining, it was a little cold, but I don't think you can tell that from the pix below!

Thanks, girls and Mr. C!  It was so nice meeting everyone!  Enjoy!

Happy Hump Day! | Julie Marie Portraits

Lot of sessions coming up....

I LOVE THESE KIDDOS!! | Julie Marie Portraits | Delaware Children's Photographer

One of my favorites ever of L! 

Showing me a ballet move....

 check out those Uggs!

 So grown up!

 I asked him why he wouldn't show me a toothy smile.....b/c he has braces. :)

A Perfect 1st Birthday! | Julie Marie Portraits

When I started thinking about Jakers' first birthday party, I thought Pittsburgh would be the perfect place for it.  It's 5.5 hours for us to get there, it's a 4 hour drive for my family to get there, and my husband's family is all in Pittsburgh.  So once that was decided, I started thinking of what I wanted to do for his birthday party.  I came up with an invite that was orange and turquoise, and I enlisted the help of my sister to help with the planning.  

I was a little nervous as to how Jake would react at the party, but he had the best time and was full of smiles!  He had so much fun playing with his cousins and friends and loved hearing everybody sing happy birthday to him.  It truly was everything that I hoped it would be and even better for my little guy!  Thanks to all of our family and friends for making it so special!

So, here's a little peak of his party:

My mom made the buckets - she covered them with some fabric that I found.  I made the banner across the back - just printed off some paper and cut it.

I wasn't sure how to decorate the tables that everybody would sit at, and my sister said to throw some colorful paper lanterns on the table.....great idea and super inexpensive!!

I made his party hat, but he wanted nothing to do with it.  In other words, he screamed when I put it on him!

I wanted one picture of all of my nieces and nephews, and this is what I got! :)  Everybody is looking one way or another, and Jakey didn't want to smile as you can see.  Oh well, at least I got one!
 Jakey loves his cousins, and they love him sooo much!  He's such a lucky guy to have all of them!

Some friends brought these pretzels.  How fun is that!  It was such a huge hit for the kids at the party....I am definitely going to be doing this again!

He loved his cake!  In fact, I had to take it away because I think he would have eaten the whole thing!

We caught Papa stealing a lick of frosting!

The invite is on the left, and I copied off my sister and took a picture of Jake holding a thank-you sign for his thank-you's!

• The lollipop cookies and cakepops were brought in from Toledo.  Stephanie (who made them) is AWESOME and can do anything!  Check out her facebook page to see more of her stuff! 
• Jake's t-shirt is from an etsy store called Bowdacious Baby!  It turned out just perfect!
• The cupcake party favors boxes on the right, cupcake toppers and water bottle labels were party cupcake mix party favors.  Check out their shop on etsy here.  Michelle is awesome to work with!
• Photo banner and high chair banner was made from the Etsy shop, Any Good Ideas.  She did an awesome job! 

Happy 1st Birthday! | Julie Marie Portraits

My baby boy is 1 today, and I can hardly write this post because my eyes are filling up with tears.  Is it normal to be this emotional on my little guy's 1st birthday? My friend, Jess, said yes it is...she was the same with hers, so i feel better now after I told her I had been crying every night for the past week thinking about him turning 1!

I just can't believe that 365 days have went by so quickly.  I remember my dad always saying when I was younger that time goes by faster the older we get....well, he is so true about that.  However, I would like to slow it down just a little bit if I could!

April 1st, 2010..... a day I will never forget!  Jake was born at 2:45 AM, and he was absolutely perfect.  My love for him was immediate.  I couldn't take my eyes off of him and kept thinking I can't believe he's mine.

And fast forward to today.  I still can't believe he's mine.  I sneak into his nursery usually a couple of nights each week and pick him up out of his crib just to rock him, and I can't help but think that I'm just the luckiest person in the world to have him.  He has truly blessed my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined.  He's just simply the best!   And my favorite thing to say to him each night before bed....."I love you through and through...yesterday, today and tomorrow, too"!  Happy 1st Birthday, Jake Martin! 

Just A Quick Sneak Peek

Oh, I am so ready for spring to get here.....and i think I want everything that Bel Boutique has right now!
Here's a quick sneak peek!

Just Can't Get Enough Of These Two! | Julie Marie Portraits | Delaware Children's Photographer

Can you tell somebody loves his daddy?

The Jake Ottoman | Julie Marie Portraits | Delaware Children's Photographer

I wanted to show you something that I have been working on.  I'm calling it The Jake Ottoman.  It's a photo ottoman that i made for Jakey's playroom.  I am by no means a seamstress, and I sure wish I would have let my mom teach me how to sew while growing up at home...but to be honest, since she could sew, I just let her do everything, and I paid no attention.  

Anyway, I wanted to show you what I came up with!  

 By the way....I have more red ribbon to attach to the left curtain that I made, but I have yet to do it.  They had ran out of ribbon at the store, and I just picked some up...but I have yet to attach it to the left panel!

Hope you enjoy!  We are having fun pointing out who is on the ottoman.  Jake especially likes looking at Dexter on it!