Prepare for this post to be lengthy…because it is.  Lets dive in!

Last year was a pretty big year for me and my business.  Before last year, photography was always just something I enjoyed and I loved being able to be there for couples or families in my area.  I have met so many amazing people and made such great friends because of this business!!  Last spring, my husband and I started talking more about really investing in this “hobby” to make it a seriously legit business.  I know what you are thinking…”umm Caiti..you have been taking pictures for years!”  I know, I know.  But doing something “on the side” and making it a legitimate business are completely different things!  We have invested a LOT into this since the moment we decided to go all in.

Two wedding season ago, I was trying to pull away from weddings (if you can believe it!).  I wasn’t confident in myself about whether this was something I loved or something I just did.  I had to have a heart to heart with myself and figure it out!  I was turning many people away simply because I didn’t want to over commit to something I was not even sure of.  We did a few weddings that year but nothing extreme.  We LOVED them, though!  Anthony & I loved working together and loved working with couples on their wedding day!  So spring of 2016 came and we decided we needed to make some changes.  We started making the website, working on branding, working on the blog, investing in more equipment, and investing in education (because running a business…especially a creative business in the wedding industry…sometimes requires educating yourself!  Plus, I’m a little bit of a nerd!).  All of this launched at the beginning of July, which you probably have noticed, just after our first wedding of 2016.

If 2016 showed us anything, it is that we made the ABSOLUTE right decision staying in the wedding business!!  I still take pictures of families and seniors – both of which I LOVE as well!!  But we just LOVED all of our couples this past year!  Their weddings were all so different and so beautiful.  We gained so many wonderful friends and even gained NEW brides for 2017 from some of these weddings!  We have already booked DOUBLE the amount of weddings for 2017 and that just warms my heart!  With one wedding already in the books for this year, we know it is going to be a great year!

So, with all of that said, the point of this post is just to share some pictures from this year’s weddings.  You have seen majority of them before, but some of them you haven’t.  Some are sweet, some of hilarious, and some are emotional.  Weddings don’t really have rules so anything can happen!!  Whether that is a groom just losing it when he sees his wife, a daddy/daughter dance bringing everyone to tears, the bride SMASHING cake in her grooms face, or some seriously terrible dance moves…we have seen it all.  Plus..A LOT more that I honestly just didn’t want to put in a blog post because I’m not that mean (I do have some great blackmail material if any of my couples need it….kidding, kidding!).  Enjoy looking through this post and I will be talking you through a lot of it.

Get excited for this awesome RECAP of the CGP 2016 Weddings!

Seeing that gown hanging up on the wedding day brings out SO many emotions in brides…or their mothers..or their bridesmaids!  I just love it!


Details, details, details!  I love all of the details of a weddings day!  Here are some of my faves!




You can not have too many ring shots.  It’s a fact.




Now on to the sweet, loving, and kind of crazy people involved in the wedding day!
(These boys were cracking me up!)

I have never had so many guys just NAIL the “casually walking” shot!  Excellent job!

Love these laughs!



Jordan may kill me for these but they are my FAVORITE!!  These girls had the BEST silly faces!

Sweetest little flower girl ever!

Now lets get into the serious stuff….the emotions!!
Sarah & Justin had, by far, the most emotional wedding I have ever been to.  SO many happy tears!  I cried majority of the day.  So did they.
Sarah – I can hear you now saying “I’m fine.  I’m fine.”


Marc & Laura had a first look and he STILL got choked up when she came walking down the aisle to him! I was a wreck, as well.

Sarah was getting it together before walking down the aisle!


Weddings are so full of joy, but there is often times sadness on those days as well.  Many of our couples wanted to showcase those family members they had lost that they wished could have been there.

I can’t go any further without showcase the CG Brides.  They are all stunning, sweet, sassy, and beautiful INSIDE AND OUT!  I love them!  Thank you all so much for trusting me with capturing your special day and walking along side you for so much of the process BEFORE your wedding day!  I am so happy to be able to call you all CG Brides!

On to the portraits of these lovely ladies with their handsome grooms!













RECEPTIONS!!  One piece of advice I have to add in here…don’t be afraid of centerpieces!  Some brides go simple, some go extravagant.  Both are great!  But remember, there WILL be pictures taken of them and people ARE starring at them for awhile so add some color and texture.  Make them beautiful because you wont regret it!  Also – place settings are ALWAYS a great option.  Don’t just put plates on the buffet!  Set them on the table to make your table look complete and your guests can carry their plate to get food.  (Sorry for all that information!)
My brides all did AMAZING with their decor choices and here are a few of them!

These chairs at Ashton Creek are my fave.


YAY FOR THE RECEPTION!!


And my favorite father/daughter dance picture ever – that tear!!! (and I sobbed through the taking of this picture).

What is a post without pictures of food?  I mean…honestly…

Everyone can appreciate a good cake smash.

Here come the dance pictures!  Some are sweet…most are just funny…as in I laughed OUT LOUD while editing them.






This guy wins for the best effort put forth in catching the garter.

Nick photo bombed while I was testing out the flash….and it was a keeper (obviously). HA!
 I had to throw in a couple behind-the-scenes shots!  This is why I bring Anthony along (kidding)!  There are plenty of pictures I will NOT post of myself making awful faces at him while he snaps pictures of me.  Ridiculous.


This past year was amazing and I can’t wait to see what 2017 has for CGP!  Thank you to all of my couples and their families for truly making me feel welcomed at your weddings!  I love every minute of it!  (my lower back and feet hate me the next day though…just keeping it real.)

XOXO

Caiti