Dayton Weddings | Echo by Design | Wedding + Portrait Photography

..Out With The Old | Talking Business..

As I rang in 2012 I thought to myself what is it about a new year that brings about reflection? A desire to start fresh. To create something new. Whether in yourself, or like me, both business and self. New ideas forming and places I want to go, all while looking back at one whole year gone by. I ask myself did I do what I wanted to do this year? Did I accomplish any of the goals that I set out for myself last year?

For me I felt my year was half and half. I hit the ground running in 2011 and accomplished quite a few things that I set out for myself. I continued to build my business up in only ways that God had always promised me he would. Prayers answered and opportunities came knocking, some asked for…others unexpected. The craziest part is the unexpected is the one that always challenges you the most. Looking back it was a HUGE learning experience for me, but I wouldn’t take him away in a heartbeat.

We found out we were pregnant at the tailend of 2010, just in time for Christmas. It was such a joy and something we had been praying about months prior. Pregnancy came a lot faster than we anticipated and I was overjoyed, yet terrified all at the same time. I didn’t want to skip a beat in my level of customer service and client satisfaction, but being human…I did. For a short while after Elijah was born in August I had no choice but to take the time needed to rest and get to know my son. As a mover and a shaker, this was not easy to do. As an OCD clean freak, this was not easy to do. As a person and a business woman who expected herself to bounce back in a week…THIS was not easy to do. Matter of fact, none of it was even close to being possible. Thankfully, I had the most understanding clients who appreciated everything that I was able to do, and they released some of their expectations. I thank them every day for that.

Some may say that I have been a little hard on myself, but most times you are your own worst critic. Even though Elijah was born to us this year, I accomplished more than I could have asked for in a year. Looking back on ..Last Year’s Goals.. there were some things I checked off my list, others that could still use some improvement, and a few that I should have taken more initive on. All in all, here are some of my favorite accomplishments from 2011:

Echo by Design’s brand is beginning to take shape.
I’ve set a blogging schedule to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday’s for consistency.
I ordered a couple of sample albums for client viewing.
I was blessed to capture many weddings, couples, newborns, and families.
With respect to showing my personality, I worked a little harder on my grammar skills.
I continued to keep a 24 hour turn around time on email response.
Happily I updated my camera body and purchased a new lens.
Photographed my first destination wedding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Enjoy this picture of our friend Sebastian…

I’m pleased with where 2011 has brought me, but I am SO looking forward to 2012. I have some FABULOUS couples this year and I am so excited and blessed to have the opportunity to photograph their dream days. Can’t wait to share!

..UNEXPECTED..

love, echo

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echoes of love

..Merry Christmas | Talking Business..

The last few days and weeks have been nothing but pure insanity. I never realized how hard it was going to be to do all of your Christmas shopping, wrapping, and packing with an infant. I can’t really call Elijah a newborn anymore since he is now 4 months old. Gosh, where has the time gone? It’s funny to think that I had actually planned on staying on schedule here in the office lately and I apologize for my lack of blogs. There has just been a few things that I have had to take care of on my personal side of life. I do promise to you that once the madness of the ‘Christmas’ season slows down that I will be back in the office at full speed ahead. So many fun and amazing new ideas to come for this new year and I can’t wait to see them all unfold.

When I do get back to blogging there are quite a few things that I need to share! One of them mainly being my son, Elijah. Ever since his birth I have been saying…I have to blog about Eli, I have to blog about Eli. However, one thing after the other began to pop up that was more business relevant and I wanted to make sure that I stayed true and focused on that. I did share Elijah’s birth story, but there is a whole second part of that to come! As if I wasn’t behind on our little guy, we have MANY photos of our trip out west to Grand Teton National Park as well as Yellowstone to share. I have wanting to share those images for a very long time and can’t wait to share the many adventures we had. All of that and more to come in the blogging realm.

Please take note that the office will be closed for Christmas and New Year’s from Friday, December 23rd until Tuesday, January 3rd. Brad and I are going to specifically take that time to be with our families, as well as spend our first Christmas together with Elijah. So today I would like to leave you with the portrait that we had on this year’s Christmas card. We would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and hope that you have a blessed one.

All in all, many plans are being drummed up for the new year and I can’t wait to have you join me! Until then, please have a safe and wonderful Christmas season. Happy New Year…see you then!

..CHRISTMAS..

love, echo

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echoes of love

..Erica’s Legacy | Just Because..

I was feeding my little guy early Monday morning. I was in the process of giving him a ‘talk’ about how he didn’t sleep that well that night, I stared into his sweet little face thinking to myself just how lucky I am to be his momma. Seconds later my heart sank when I got a text from a friend, asking if I had heard about Erica. I immediately called her to find out what happened, only to learn that she no longer was walking among us here on Earth. I was in disbelief thinking it was only a bad dream, and that Elijah would wake me up any minute for his mid-night feeding. As the news began to circulate among our web of friends, it became more real to me that she was truly no longer with us. Erica had passed due to cardiac arrest. She was born with a pre-existing heart condition and was on medication for it. She hadn’t had problems in years and it tragically came about on Monday morning. She left behind her husband Mark of 2 years, as well as her charming 7 month old daughter Peyton.

It shreds my heart knowing that Peyton has only had her mom for such a short while in her life, not even old enough to remember who she was. I look at my own little boy and it hits home thinking of him never knowing me. Friends and family have begun to gather pieces of Erica’s life in words and pictures to place in a chest for Peyton, in the hopes of someday she will know the legacy her mom left. In the year’s that come I pray that she is comforted in ways that only God can comfort her, and that she will truly know her mom without her being there. I know Mark is going to be a great dad he will make sure that Peyton knows about her mom.

I’ve known Mark since 2004, when we had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala on a mission’s trip. He waited his whole life for Erica. I watched him fall head over heels for her and even go to Atlanta where she was currently living to visit. Not knowing Erica that well yet, they got engaged a few years later after she moved back. I was so happy for him and excited when they asked me to photograph their engagement session. That was the time that I truly had the opportunity to see that he finally found his soulmate. She was goofy and loved to have fun just like Mark. We were so happy because she fit perfectly into our circle of friends. We attended their wedding in 2009 and I knew that they would be together forever. One year later, Erica contacted me to do a Take Two session. She wanted to do some fun stuff, including squirt guns! If that didn’t tell you about her personality, then I’m not sure what would! Days later we found out she was pregnant and thus allowed me to photograph her and Mark’s maternity session and then Peyton as a newborn. Those were the last images I was able to capture of this sweet family. As I look back, I’m glad I had the chance to take those portraits. They truly are a legacy. It’s real to me now more than ever, how important it is to photograph your life…to have your legacy in pictures no matter the cost.

My only consolation in this whole situation is knowing that Erica knew our Lord Jesus Christ and that she will be dancing with him for all eternity. God wouldn’t have called her home if he didn’t believe that her purpose in life was fulfilled here on Earth. She made so many friends with her sweet personality and didn’t have one enemy in the world. Erica was one beautiful woman inside and out and would have done anything for anyone, she was always asking how Eli was and always said how she couldn’t wait to meet him. The last time I saw her radiant face was at my baby shower in July. As I held tiny little Peyton, we promised that we would get the baby’s together for a play date. With life being so busy on both ends, and being three hours apart, she never had the chance to meet my sweet little boy.

I know she is looking down over us, knowing full well how much she was loved. She will be a guardian angel to many and will be dearly missed by all who loved her.

I ask of you today to keep Mark, Peyton, and family and friends of Erica in your hearts and prayers this Christmas season. It is going to be a tough one for them as I can only imagine. Also, because of Erica’s heart condition she was unable to receive life insurance. If you would like to help support Mark and Peyton, you can donate at 5/3 bank to the Erica Montgomery Memorial Fund. Thank you so much for all the kind words and support that you have shown me and their family thus far. May God bless you and keep you safe this Christmas season. We love you Erica!

..LEGACY..

love, echo

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echoes of love

..Heather & Ryan | She Said Yes..

We met on a chilly fall afternoon on Tiffin University’s campus…well that is what there is of it anyway. Heather and Ryan both went to school there and thought it was the perfect place for their engagement photos. Their story began on Cupid.com, and after meeting they realized they already had a history together. Heather put it that they just kept ‘missing each other‘ in the real world. She says, “Ryan and I had so many family connections before meeting, which made our relationship so easy.”

Being the sister of my foundation couple, Patrick and Jessica, she was bound and determine to have me as her photographer ‘one day.’ While I was pregnant, we both were at a community get together. We were in casual conversation when she looked at me and asked, “Your not giving up photography after the baby…are you?” Her look of hesitation in anticipation for my answer made me laugh. I chuckled and said, “No of course not! I love it wayyy too much!” A sigh of relief washed over her face. Looking back, I cherish that moment. She wasn’t even engaged yet, but she knew that I was going to photograph her wedding! Now that is a bride I would do ANYTHING for! You will melt my heart every time!

After Heather had been gone for a week, she came home to a candle lit dinner of lasagna and all of the fixings. Ryan wanted to serve her. So with the lights off, Ryan got down on one knee with her plate in hand. In the middle of Heather’s plate sat the ring box. After he asked those beloved words, she said yes! Heather explained that it was very romantic and thoughtful! Ummm, what girl wouldn’t think that? Am I right…?

Ryan pulling off his best, hip pop for me!

What guy doesn’t want to share his girl’s lip gloss? TOO funny!

Heather and Ryan, thank you for picking me even before your ring was even on your finger! It means the world to a girl like me! I know you are going to have an amazing day and even more and amazing marriage! Good luck with all of your plans and I can’t wait for warm July! Bring it on 🙂

..CUPID.COM..

love, echo

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echoes of love

..Kyle & Jessica | She Said Yes..

I’ve been so excited to tell you all about Kyle and Jessica! They are both from my home town, and met at our local fair. (Funny, that was Brad and I’s first date!) She was in college at Kent State at the time, so that very next weekend he drove to see her to take her out on their first date. Jessica says, “Since then we have been inseparable, even while living in different cities and then states!” Kyle had been living in Myrtle Beach while Jessica had landed a teaching job near Houston. He decided to visit her the weekend of Spring break. She picked him up at the airport, and made their way towards the beach in Galveston. On a cloudy and freezing day with picnic in hand, Jessica got the perfect proposal from Kyle.

After they decided to book their wedding with me, I had the epiphany of traveling to Texas to do their engagement session, and take the time to visit family while I was in state. It would have been awesome to take my little guy down to meet my ‘one thousand relatives’ and to do a very fun destination session. So we planned to try to work something out in early November. As soon as I realized how tough it was juggling being a new Mom and running a full time business, I knew that we weren’t going to be able to make it. Even if it was to just visit family. I emailed Jessica and mentioned we were revising our plans to make the drive to Texas in February instead, hoping that we would connect before their July wedding. As much as we both would have loved for it to work out, Kyle wouldn’t be able to guarantee that he would be in town. You see, Kyle is an airline pilot and never has a set work schedule. So knowing that we both would be ‘home’ for Thanksgiving we decided to meet up!

All along we had this session planned out to be on the beach. Well, since the Texas beaches didn’t fit into our scenario, we decided to head up to Marblehead. Unfortunately for us, it really didn’t turn out to be beachy ‘weather,’ a similar story for a ton of my couples and brides this year! (And pretty ironic with their engagement!) As always, I made it work…it had to work! Kyle was flying back out that night. It was cold, wet, rainy, and oh the wind…but I wouldn’t replace it at all. We had a blast! Being that we had to fight the wind coming off the lake we made our way inland. On the fly…no pun intended…I had to find another location that would give us a break from all of the day’s elements. I was running on adrenaline then, driving pretty slow and scoping out all my options. Then I saw it! It was a bright red phone booth! I LOOOVVVEEE me some old phone booths. This one was perfect…weathered, painted chipping off, and even a piece of glass missing at my couple’s perfect height. Time for me to do my happy dance! We used all the great textures that this little spot provided, and even found a really cool traffic light and sign in the back of the building! Too much fun!

Kyle and Jessica, THANK YOU sooo much for braving the weather! I hope you had as much fun as I did. Let’s pray that your wedding weather doesn’t yield the same results as your proposal and engagement session. Can’t wait until July, maybe it will be ‘cooler’ here than in Texas!

..PHONE BOOTH..

love, echo

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echoes of love