NEW BLOG!

No! Not a new post... a new BLOG!!! YAY!!!

Go on over and check it out.

www.jessicamesser.com/blog

I'll be posting all my January weddings there and new events and news will go there as well. This blog will remain, but will no longer be updated.

:)

SNOW?

So there's all this talk about us getting 3 to 6 inches of snow tonight. Under normal circumstances I'd be thrilled.... But I have a wedding tomorrow in Montevallo. I am excited for the bride that sooo few people can say that they had a "white wedding" in Alabama and I'm sure the pictures will be amazing... But I have to say that I'm a bit concerned about travel! I hope that we get just enough to be beautiful but not enough to cause major travel problems. Prayers for safe travel and good shooting conditions will be appreciated! :)

It's Official

OK, so all the bugs have been worked out and the new site is fully functional.

Enjoy.

ITS ALIVE!!

I got up this morning to find that my new website was live! I'm so excited to reveal what I've been working on. I didn't expect it to be up so soon! I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks!

www.jessicamesser.com

As with any big change, we are having one minor issue. Slideshows are temporarily unavailable, but we're working on getting them back up as soon as possible.... so hang in there for me! :)

Heirloom Photography becomes J. Messer Photography!

In just a matter of hours, Heirloom Photography will become J. Messer Photography!

So what's changing besides the name?
Perception mostly.

For years I've had to battle the assumption that I am a traditional wedding photographer who shoots traditional, old fashioned portraits. That couldn't be further from the truth.

After much thought, I decided it was time to take a risk and shed my skin. It is time to leave behind an identity that no longer fits and move forward with something that reflects who I am and what I do.

So be on the lookout for the change to happen within the next few days.

No fears... I'm here to stay... nothing is going away, except maybe a few common misconceptions. The slideshow feature will remain available and all current proofing galleries will also remain available.

Adventures at Panera

Funny story. As most of my past brides know, I often meet clients at restaurants, coffee houses, etc.... So tonight I had a meeting at Starbucks in Alabaster at 5:45pm and one at Panera in Birmingham at 8:00pm. Both were brides from out of state that came home this week to work on wedding plans.

The first meeting went very well and the bride and I really hit it off. We chatted about the ceremony and reception locations and looked at albums... The second meeting went equally as well. After the meeting we decided to ride over to the church and look around at what kind of outdoor areas were available. When we got back to my car at Panera we still had so much we wanted to talk about... So we sat in the bride's mother's car and looked at magazines and her wedding binder and all that good stuff.

So after a while we say our good-byes and get ready to leave. I'm sitting in my car and I look over and the bride is waving at me. Their car battery had died while we were sitting there talking! Neither of us had jumper cables! OH NO! Its now 11:00pm and there are no stores open. So I find a security guard. He says he'll have someone to us in 10 minutes... 30 minutes and one AAA lady later, I decide to go find some myself instead of leaving them to wait an hour for AAA. Well.... that task wasn't as easy as I thought. I finally find a guy at the Cheesecake Factory who has some! He follows me to the bride & her mom, jumps the car off, and saves the day. He even refused the $20 her mom tried to pay him.... What a great guy!

People ARE good.

Just a peek....

Get READY, Cause HERE I COME! :)

A few more from Katherine & Mattie

In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, I only posted one photo from Katherine & Mattie's wedding. Here are a few more of my favorites.

The Bride getting ready

I loved the look on Katherine's face in this imageThis is one of my all time favorite moments. Kay had just put the veil on and couldn't contain her emotions.A letter to her future husband, written long before she ever knew Mattie would one day become her Groom.The Groom getting readyKatherine & Mattie seeing each other for the first timeKay seeing Katherine come down the aisleThe Bride and her fatherDuring the ceremony, Katherine's Maid of Honor sang to them. Her voice was angelic, one of the most beautiful I've ever heard.The kissMr. & Mrs. Mattie Nelson The first danceFather and daughter danceMother and son dance The cake .... and more kissesKatherine is a dancing fool! I've never had a Bride who loved to dance as much as Katherine!Yes, Katherine LOVES the Soulja Boy! HAHAHA! I laughed until I cried at all the wedding party doing the Soulja Boy!Then all the bridesmaids did a dance to Prince's "Kiss"Katherine secretly had a shrug made from the lace of her mother's wedding gown. She'd told her mother that the seamstress couldn't use it. Her mother had no idea until the moment that she and Mattie were making their getaway!

Tiffany & Kevin

Tiffany and I went to highschool together and I was so happy when she called to see if I was available for her wedding date. She and Kevin got married at the Auburn United Methodist Church in Auburn, Alabama. It was a beautiful historic chapel with tons of character. Their reception was held at the June Collins Smith Art Museum, also in Auburn, Alabama. Here are just a few from the wedding.

The beautiful Bride before the wedding

The Bride writing out her thank you notesTiffany and Kevin decided to see each other before the ceremony. The look on Kevin's face when he saw his Bride for the first time was priceless. As I was posing Tiffany for this shot, I noticed the way Kevin was watching her with so much love. So I decided to shoot the image wide so that I could capture him in the portrait as well.I love it when a Groom gives me a big toothy grin! Auburn First United Methodist ChurchThe Bride being escorted down the aisle by her fatherThe kissMr. & Mrs. Kevin OstertagYummyThe first danceThis was a hilarious game that the band had the Bride & Groom play. He had each one hold one of their own shoes and one of their spouse's shoes. They stood back to back while the band leader asked them questions. The B&G had to raise the shoe of the person they thought was the answer to the question... This one might have been "Who is the better kisser?" Off to the honeymoon!