On May 1st, I volunteered to be the official photographer at Athens Canine Rescue‘s Mutt Strut at Bishop Park in Athens, GA. It was such a fun afternoon!  For a few hours, many of Athens’ dogs (and their people, of course) gathered at Bishop Park to strut their stuff and raise money for ACR.  I was introduced to Athens Canine Rescue by my friend Leah who is a volunteer and foster mom for the non-profit group.  Being “owned” by two mutts myself, I appreciate all the work the volunteers do to save dogs in need!  Anyway, here are some photos of adorable doggies who came to the event.

The Birthday Girl

The gold medal winner of the Lap Dog contest, Murray!  (And his people, Leah and Mike.)

It was a sunny day.

Tavin, the first place canine crooner!

Murray with his medal.

She was inspired by the Royal Wedding!

Land Shark

Costume Winner – Olive, the Rock Lobster

Kissing Contest

Poncho Villa – he’s up for adoption!

And last, but most certainly not least, my baby girl – Grayce Mae.  She’s so cute!

Thanks Athens Canine Rescue for doing so much for the doggy community!

Today’s blog post is a shout out to A Divine Event catering company. A Divine Event has been doing business in Atlanta for over 10 years, and they’ve recently added a branch here in Athens.

First, let me tell you how much I love their web site and marketing. Their tagline “Wickedly Delicious” is pretty accurate… I might even describe their food as divine! Their business cards are bright red – and have a bite taken out of them.  So cute.

They had a tasting earlier this month, and I was lucky enough to be invited! Of course I took my camera. Their food is not only delicious, it’s always plated beautifully. A Divine Event uses only fresh ingredients, local and seasonal food, and simple preparation – even the salad dressings are hand-crafted!

OK – onto the food photos.  The first one is Chimicharri Flank Steak, Ancho Mashed Red Potatoes, and Feijoada Style Collard Greens.

Mixed Green Summer Salad with Strawberries, Mandarin Oranges and Spicy Cured Pecans, served with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Honey Roasted Salmon Sides, served with Lemon Dill Sauce

Mac n’ Cheese with Crimini and Shitake Mushrooms

And for dessert – Tiny Homemade Bread Pudding with Whiskey Cream Sauce!

So check out A Divine Event and drop Chris an email.

If you didn’t see it, I was published in the last issue of Brides Atlanta, and now the newest one has hit the newsstands and it has my photos in it too. Here’s the cover.

The editors at Brides Atlanta called me and requested some great first dance photos – and I knew exactly who to pick — Jackie and Greg! Jackie and Greg’s reception at The Foundry Park Inn was beautiful, and they were so cute when they did their first dance! Also, Tony Washington from Entertainment Purposes only DJs worked the reception, and he’s one of my favorite DJs!  Here are my photos from the article on First Dances.

This next photo is one you’ll remember from the last time I was published.  They took a photo from Joan and Alan’s Real Wedding Feature and made it “The Moment” on the last page of the magazine.  The editor of the National magazine Brides liked this photo so much she called and asked if she could use it for ALL the local Brides magazines! So whether you’re looking at Brides Atlanta, Brides Boston, or Brides Southern California, you’ll see my photo as the lead picture for the Real Dads Reflect story!

Yesterday’s Athens Wedding Professionals’ Ultimate Bridal Show was a total success! So many brides came with their moms, bridesmaids, and friends to help them make important (and fun!) decisions about their weddings. I met lots of great women, and look forward to the chance to work with them.

I was  so happy with my booth this year. I felt like it represented my style of photography, with an earthy, organic, handmade feel. I found these adorable wire photo holders (on the table on the left) on etsy, along with the cute little bud vases with fresh, bright flowers. And it all sat on the elegantly earthy linens from Barron’s Rental. All those things I love – bright, organic, personal touches!

When I wasn’t busy talking to excited brides, I enjoyed visiting the booths of  other Athens Wedding Professional vendors who I love to work with.  I filled up snacking on the deliciously irresistible treats from the caterers!

I promised that I would announce the winner of the adorable bride hanger (also handmade and from etsy) on my blog today. So… the winner is… Katie, who’s getting married on 10/22/11 in Dacula, GA!  Congratulations Katie!  Please contact me (by next Monday) to set up a time to get your prize.

www.CourtneyGoldman.com

I got the most wonderful gift today in the mail.  It made my day – my week; It made me smile!  Jackie and Greg (as seen in all of these posts) gave me this adorable camera necklace!  The charm attached is in French, and says “You are my Destiny” which is exactly how I feel about my career in photography!

Thanks Jackie and Greg!

You may have noticed the new look of my blog.  The web site will be following suit shortly.  I hope you like it!

www.CourtneyGoldman.com

I know that I never write a blog post that doesn’t have photos, but there’s a first time for everything!  As a wedding professional, I read a lot of wedding blogs.  I like to know as much as possible about weddings and what is important for brides so that I can do my job better.  I also just love the flowers, DIY projects, photos, and all the details that go into weddings!

I found an absolute favorite blog that I’d like to share with you: Weddingbee.  This blog has many writers, all brides to be or recently married women.  They write about their experiences in planning their weddings.  In addition to the blog there are galleries, a forum/board to discuss weddings, classifieds to buy and sell wedding goods, and even a vendor section (although I’m not an advertiser.)

I just wanted to share this with all of you because it is such a great resource!  I hope you enjoy.

www.CourtneyGoldman.com

Photography isn’t just for weddings!  I thought I’d show you these photos from Lucinda’s Sip N’ See (as in “come sip on some cocktails and see my new granddaughter”) from last October.

Before the party started we went outside and got some nice natural light portraits of the 4 generations.

Also, a quick picture of Lucinda’s day care buddy Alec and their moms.

Lucinda did sleep through the beginning of the party, but she was still a hit!

When she woke up she got tons of attention and smiles.

After the party I got a family portrait.

And a sweet photo of Crawford with his grandmother.

The time has come to make some big changes!  I’m no longer going to be doing business as Flip! Photography, rather I’m going to be using my name to represent my business.  This is a decision that has been in the works for quite a while.  I’m going to miss being Flip, but am ready to move forward in my journey as a wedding and portrait photographer.  The new web site and blog will come along shortly.  For now, I’m going to begin watermarking my photos with my initials, as a first step in the process of this change.  I’ll keep you posted!

~ Courtney

From 2-5pm on Sunday afternoon I’m going to be at Ashford Manor’s (FREE) open house.  I’d love it if you came out to visit me!  The High Balls are going to be playing, and there will be other wedding professionals there as well.  Ashford Manor is a fantastic venue, so don’t miss this chance to come check it out.