I can’t believe it’s already 2010! How did that happen?! Kendall and I were talking about it the other day and we honestly can’t believe how lucky we have been to have had such an incredible year. We are regularly a part of the happiest days of our wonderful client’s lives. We constantly have the pleasure of getting to know people we would otherwise never have met, all while doing what we love for a living. We are truly blessed.

So, to that end, I’ve decided it’s time to make an effort to give back, not just to help others, but to make sure that we never take our good fortune for granted. It’s time to seriously pay it forward. Starting with January. (And January is just the start).

For each new wedding client that books in January 2010, I’ve decided to donate a portion of their package price to a charitable cause. Each client will also receive a framed notice that can be displayed at their reception which will let guests know that a donation has been made in their honor.

If the couple wishes, they can choose their favorite charity. If not, I will make a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical illnesses.

Also for 2010, I will also be renewing my membership with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS), which is an organization that offers a gift of remembrance portraiture to families facing the loss of a newborn. If anyone knows a family that could benefit from such a service, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me.

Thats it for now. Please spread the word!

Happy 2010… we wish you luck, love, and above all, happiness.

Now, I need your votes! I’ve listed the finalists below in no particular order. Each has been assigned a number. To vote, just submit a comment in the comment field at the bottom of this post and indicate which couple you’re voting for by their number. That’s it!

Let the games begin!

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COUPLE #1 – Steven & Shannon

Steven and I are from Boston and both LOVE to ski. Last winter in the mountains of Beaver Creek, Colorado, he pulled my mittens off and slipped a beautiful ring on my finger. At an elevation of 14,000 ft, there were no cell phone towers to spread the news. All that was around us was a wild porcupine, a sleigh ride, and a man-made cabin. We set a timer on our camera and took this picture at Beano’s Cabin to show our friends what happened in Colorado!

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COUPLE #2  – Jamie & Jaclyn

Airplane Tickets to Florida: $500.00

Cruise to the Eastern Caribbean: $2500.00

Sharing food on an all-you-can-eat cruise = Priceless

The picture submitted was taken on a cruise in January 2009. As you can see, we both love to eat and a family member captured this lovely shot as we “chowed” down on burgers, fries, and chicken sandwiches while lying in the sun! However, there is a story … there always is … the cruise was all-you-can eat: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My wonderful fiancé understands how much I value my meals (being an Italian woman) yet insisted the entire cruise on sharing and splitting sandwiches, meals etc. I nicely told my fiancé that I wanted my own sandwich, after all it was all-you-can-eat! It was at that moment when I had finished ranting that I would no longer share my food with him when this picture was captured. I will remember this moment forever. It has now become a joke with all of our family members!:)

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COUPLE #3  -  Josh & Emily

This photo is of Josh proposing to me in Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World last year. Although this doesn’t appear to be a photo of our favorite thing to do together, we have been to Disney 3 times in 9 months (family trip, wedding, and scouting wedding venues) and acting like big kids in Disney (and other amusement parks) is one of our favorite things to do, so it was fitting that Josh proposed this way. Not to mention it was incredibly surprising, as I thought that white platter contained dessert, and romantic (notice the glass slipper on the table).
Josh and I randomly started talking on AOL instant message when I was a sophomore in high school (he lived in California and I was in Connecticut), we started talking on the phone nightly a year later, and finally met two years after that when I was a freshman in college in California and we’ve been together ever since (almost 8 years). We were long distance for more than half of our relationship, but now we’re together in Wisconsin, where we’re both going to school. We can’t wait to get out of the frozen tundra of Wisconsin and get back to warmer weather and real paychecks!

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COUPLE #4  -  Jess & Cory

Cory and I began dating in May of 2006.  It’s now been 3 ½  years and we have been through a lot.  In 2007 I was diagnosed with Crohns disease.  I was hospitalized for a week and the whole time I was thinking “why would Cory want to be with someone that has this when he could find another girl out there that is perfectly healthy”.  ‘Til this day, I’m not sure why I even had those thoughts…he has been my rock (along with my family) through this tough time in my life.  On a happier note, a few days after our friend’s wedding, Cory proposed to me and promised he would do anything for me!  When I read about this engagement session contest, I had an idea that would test those exact words that Cory said to me…”he would do ANYTHING for me”.  I told him my idea which was for him to pose in a wedding dress and I pose in a suit.  Without even a second of hesitation, he said “where do I get a dress”.  Luckily, my friend had a dress from her “trash the dress” session and Cory was able to slip into that (well, we couldn’t zipper the back but that’s beside the point)!  The end result…this picture!  We have so much fun together and we are looking forward to our big day next October (and hopefully an engagement session!).

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