So Brad and I have now been married for almost 7 months and I have been so excited for Christmas to get here this year! Last year I was stressed with school and the wedding planning, etc. but not this year! I have anticipated Christmas some people say prematurely! Brad and I put our Christmas tree up this Sunday! That’s right our tree is already up! I’m sure I won’t always be this early but like I said I couldn’t wait! We went out shopping for our very first tree and got all the ornaments we needed to decorate it from head to toe!
Julie blogged a few days ago about family traditions and I commented but I wanted to share our new traditions in greater detail. So our first family tradition for our Dearsman Christmas included buying our first family ornament, a silver ornament shaped as the letter “D” with Swarovski crystals. Each year we will buy another ornament, another year another ornament 
By the time Brad and I have been married at least 25 years we should be able to decorate a whole tree! Wouldn’t that be beautiful! Marriages don’t always last that long anymore and can you imagine what that could show to my kids? It will be neat to show them what love and marriage is all about!
That isn’t the only tradition that we started, as head of the household I wanted my husband to have the privilege of placing the star atop our Christmas tree every year symbolizing that he is the rock and provider for our family. Another tradition that will be turned into a memory for our children!! So check out our very first Dearsman Christmas tree!
Do the colors look familiar? The same tropic blue from our wedding day dances around our Christmas tree!
Besides our first ornament, this one is my favorite!
So here is the sneak peak until we have all the presents under the tree!
P.S. Not only have I got the Christmas tree up, but Christmas cards are already almost ready to be sent out the day after Thanksgiving. I’m still working on the annual Dearsman newsletter, another started tradition!! Get excited Christmas is on it’s way!! But don’t forget the true meaning of Christmas, Christmas Love- turn the “m” upside down= Christ Was Love! A premature Merry Christmas to all!
1 CommentSo I told you I would keep you updated on my sister Nicole’s pregnancy. Well she just saw the doctor a couple days ago and is currently 33 weeks. She is still on bedrest making it out occasionally for Seth’s football games but other than that, staying put. Her goal is to make it 35 weeks at least and then the doctor said she can begin moving around a little more because by then the baby will be mostly developed. Her due date is December 18th so hopefully she makes it the full term anyway. Although I wouldn’t mind the baby coming sooner
So with the update, I have some of their maternity session to share. And not only did I have a chance to take some pictures of the baby belly I got some of Nicole and Chad’s three year old son Lance. He is a trip and its not hard for him to get a smile out of anyone! This was a special session for me, my family means the world to me and I can’t wait to meet my niece or nephew. Enjoy the pictures for now, the next ones you will see will be of BABY LAUGHLIN!!!!
Love you all, Echo
4 CommentsOn September 20th Stacey & Josh tied the knot with many friends and families to witness. The awesome part is that they had a HUGE bridal party! Yes, 25 people in total. While some photographer’s tend to not like big bridal parties, I think they can just be so much fun! The more people to photograph the better. I love that it also gives the chance to create large bridal party portraits. And the more laughs to go around the better, and boy was their plenty of them!
I LOVE ring shots. Minus the bride & groom portraits this is my second favorite thing to shoot. The boxes that these rings were displayed in was just too beautiful not to take!
I think Stacey looks like an angel in this portrait!
This picture has a sense of emotion that I love… I feel that it created a “He is Mine. She is Mine” perspective!
A large casual bridal party portrait, notice all the kids turning to look at the bride & groom kissing!
Stacey & Josh enjoying their first dance together as husband and wife
Thank you so much Mr. & Mrs. Penix for allowing me to be that special part of your day!
Reception: Clarion Westgate
DJ: Decorative Sound
Videography: Showcase Video
No CommentsKelly and Scott had dreamed of a fairy tale wedding and they had that big day on September 27th! Kelly wanted to feel like Cinderella and she revolved the whole day around that theme. Check out Julie’s Blog for more pictures of “the glass slipper” and the carriage that awaited them on their wonderful day together. Here are a couple of my favorites from that day!
The girls got ready at Kelly’s house where her mom had the calendar filled with the week’s activities, including the big day!
It’s always and exciting moment to see hair and makeup finished.
After the ceremony we had a lot of fun capturing the day with Kelly, Scott, and their bridal party.
Who can resist cute kids?
So here is one of our secret spots in town and we LOVED having the time in between to do a daring shot of the stunning bride.
Thank you Kelly & Scott for allowing Julie and I to shoot your fairy tale day. Hope it was that and more!
No CommentsSo continuing on from Julie’s blog is Amanda & Daric. What an amazing fun couple to photograph. We had such a blast and Amanda was always “working the camera.” We love it when we have bride’s and groom’s just do what they feel is comfortable and let us shoot around their movements. It allows us to capture the emotion of the picture and not necessarily so posy (if thats a word.) However those traditional portraits are always fun too! But here is my take on the session! Enjoy, we had a blast!
Thank you to you both for being so fun and willing!
1 CommentThank you to Sarah for sending out our first official P.S. I Love You!! Don’t forget if you want to send out a P.S. I Love You send them to echodear@gmail.com with P.S. I Love You in the subject line. So here it is from Sarah to Elizabeth!
P.S. I Love You ElizabethElizabeth, since my senior year of high school you have been one of the most influential and important people in my life. You are my trustworthy confidant, one of the most fun people to spend the day with, and the person I turn to when I need a to vent or cry for a while. I’m so grateful we’ve been able to grow up together and experience some of life’s biggest decisions and most exciting moments. When I married Jason you were the third most involved person in planning our big day… right behind me and my mom! I can’t put into words what that meant to me and the once in a life time experience of planning a wedding.
Over the years, we’ve been called sisters and twins! We even sang a duet about it at a concert lol. And remember when you were mistaken for me at my own wedding!? That cracks me up because as much as we borrow clothes, buy the same dresses, look a like, and sometimes think the same thoughts we are still so uniquely different sometimes… thank goodness, right!? But I admire you in so many ways. You are so selfless and caring for other people and you never complain… (thanks for always listening to my complaints- hehe) You have thought me so many things, most importantly patients and learning how to let go of situations I can’t control.
Now, we’ve embarked on this whole new stage of life- our careers! We’ve had to trust each other and spend more time together than ever before and I’m grateful I know that you and I can handle that challenge. It’s been so fun and rewarding! But even in all the time we spend together, I feel like I forget to tell you how much you mean to me, how proud I am of you, how grateful I am for you, and how much I love you… so, P.S. I love you. 
You could be the next P.S. I Love You! Submit yours to see it posted on the blog!
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I think Fall weddings are beautiful! I almost had mine in the fall, however I couldn’t wait that long! So Esther and Billy must have shot up a million prayers because this October day was like no other. GORGEOUS is the word for it! If you remember from their engagement session Billy is in the Navy and Esther was proud to be marrying one. She chose her colors of the day to be navy and cornflower blue and played off the stunning dress whites that the Ensign’s and other groomsmen were wearing. Everything just looked beautiful.
Mr. & Mrs. William Inch decided to tie the knot at DaySpring Assembly of God, and were joined by family and friends alike. The ceremony was beautiful and they even did the ceremonial sword arch after being pronounced husband and wife. Before each sword was lifted they were demanded to kiss. After the last set of swords Mrs. Inch was tapped on the butt and was welcomed into the Navy family.
This portrait just speaks so much. Honor, strength, pride, blessings, and more.
In trying to keep his mind off the wedding nuptials the guys had a little fun!
Here’s a great angle Amanda was able to capture.
After the ceremony we took portraits at the Historical Society in Bowling Green which made a beautiful backdrop to all of that afternoon’s pictures.
A reception followed at the Findlay Inn where they entered through a top stairwell as they were introduced. Meaningful toasts by the bride’s twin sister, Suzanne and the best man, Chris which lead to many laughs all around. A cake battle was indured and the dance floor was hopping. In the bride and groom’s words, “It was more than we could have asked for!”
To Esther & Billy, thank you for honoring me as your photographer! I wish you all the best in San Diego and you can bet that Brad & I will make it out to visit! God Bless you both and your new life together.
Love Echo & Amanda
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So an old friend from freshman year at college called me up and left a message on my phone telling me he wanted to propose to his girlfriend. I’m thinking great I get to take engagement pictures! What I didn’t realize when he originally called is that he wanted me to take the ACTUAL engagement pictures. Yes, down on one knee, handing the ring to his future bride, and hearing the word that all guys long to hear in that state of position, “Yes!”
So the planning began, he booked me as the photographer, picked the perfect spot at Toledo Botanical Gardens (one of their first dates), arranged for a limo to pick them up with roses and champagne to sweep them off to dinner at The Seafood and Company at the docks. Plans were completed and the day finally arrived.
Bernard had told Krystal that they were modeling for the JP website, it was a harmless white lie and mostly true. And more importantly it worked! So when they arrived we had arranged for the ring to be placed into my camera bag while Krystal was less than attentive. They went to change and we mapped out our shooting locations. So the shoot began and Jaylene and I were capturing the couple as if it were a normal day, until we arrived at what we felt was the perfect spot. Bernard had left this up to me, which of course I was nervous the whole time. I had to pick the perfect location and I had this gorgeous diamond ring in MY camera bag, that’s a big responsibility people! So as nervous as I was for Bernard I played it cool. So anyways we arrived at the perfect spot. My cue to Bernard was, “What do you think about getting down on one knee and look like your proposing to her?” And Bernard’s response was, “I can do one better than that.” He extended his hand and I pulled the ring box out of my camera bag on cue. Krystal did not know what to do, she didn’t know if we were serious and thought it all as a dream. More importantly, she said YES!!!
Congrats to the both of you on your engagement, I hope with the photos we were able to capture made that moment as memorable as it should be. Happy wedding planning!
Love Echo & Jaylene!
1 CommentCody is a senior from Fremont Ross and will be graduating soon. So his mother Laurie who works with my mother-in-law Christine contacted JP to set up a shoot! We met up and had fun getting some cool unique shots for Cody that no one else at his school would have. Thats the great thing that mom liked. Cody is a pretty typical quiet teenage boy but when I mentioned his girlfriend’s name… I always managed to get a smile that looked quite similar to this one
He looked so much older with this cap on, I loved it!
Thanks Cody, good luck in your Senior Year!
1 CommentSo I guess the fever hasn’t caught on yet, but I’m not willing to give up so quickly. I know there are a lot of people out there that we love and haven’t had the chance to tell them enough just how much they mean to us. But I have a really good one!
I met my cousin Pedro (aka. Peter, Pete) about 6 years ago now. Yes I know that sounds funny that I had just met my cousin. Sad but true. My Dad’s family was raised in the south Texas Valley, and thats where most of them have remained. He came to Ohio and stayed and had his family. So unfortunately about 6 years ago he lost his sister, which was Pete’s mom. Out of that sad time I met someone that has remained very close to me. So here is my P.S. I Love You to Pete!
Pete, in a family of all girl’s I dreamed of having a big brother. Unfortantely time couldn’t turn itself back to give me one, and for the most part it was never in God’s plan. Although my three older sisters could have done as much harm as any older brother could possibly do I longed to have that brother. When I met you 6 years ago in Texas I just thought you were some crazy cousin that wouldn’t stop calling my phone after I left, after all I was trying to graduate high school. But the more and more the phone rang the more eager I was to pick it up and talk to you. We got to the point that I was talking to you for hours which seemed like minutes. You became the big brother that I never had and I love you more and more for that. You always put a smile on my face and make me laugh. And yes even as “brother and sister” we have had our fights. I love that you are fun, outgoing, would do anything for your friends and family, that you call me UGLY, and more importantly I want to thank you for always being there for me. Your my favorite cousin and more so my big brother! LOVE YOU!!
During college my Spring Break’s were spent with Pete on South Padre Island, here is a picture of me being goofy with Pete!
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