Dayton Weddings | Echo by Design | Wedding + Portrait Photography

..Las Vegas Part II | Just Because..

Last year when we visited Las Vegas we stayed a couple extra days to take some time away from work. We enjoyed those days by driving across the Hoover Dam to Grand Canyon National Park. I had never been there before and had only seen the Grand Canyon by air on our way back from Seattle one year. My family had always intended on stopping, but every time we were out that far it always seemed as if we would have to squeeze it into our schedule. Unfortunately, that isn’t how my parents wanted to remember it. Needless to say, that’s how we ended up seeing it last year with only a couple of hours to enjoy God’s beautiful creation. But it meant the world to experience it for the first time with Brad and Jaylene.

Because we had so much fun last year, we decided to make Las Vegas another mini vacation since we didn’t know when we would be coming out next. When booking the plane tickets we allotted a couple of extra days to enjoy ourselves again, not sure of what we would be doing. Our initial plan was to use our rental car and drive to LA to make a couple days out of it, since I have never been to Cali. But that plan got shut down once we found out we were pregnant, as we were going to try to make it to Disneyland. So the trip to Cali became another visit to the Grand Canyon. However, since we were experiencing cold temperatures in Ohio and wanted some sunshine, heading back to a chilly cold Grand Canyon seemed less than appealing. So we decided to book a couple of extra nights in Las Vegas and take time to do things that we hadn’t done before.

After checking out of the MGM Grand, attending our last class in the morning, and dropping Jaylene off at the airport we made our way to check in at the Mirage. We were both excited to try our third hotel on the strip! We loved it and had a beautiful view of the Mirage Volcano show from our bedroom window. After taking a brief nap and getting revived for our exploration, we made a list of everything that we hadn’t done and still wanted to do. We mapped out what to do between Thursday and Friday and started to have some fun.

Thursday took us back to the MGM to hang out at the lion exhibit and watch the trainers interact and feed the lions. We didn’t get to enjoy it while we were there because it was so crowded and so busy every time we went. We walked to the Bellagio to see the inside Gardens and the fountain show during the day, which I had never experienced. But by far the coolest thing that we were able to do on Thursday was take a short ride to old downtown Las Vegas, where all the old Casinos still stand. The all too famous Fremont street is no longer a paved road, but a passage of walk under the largest LED screen and ‘umbrella’ light show. There was a unique zip line that hung overhead while the walkways still featured some of the all too familiar signs of the new Las Vegas strip. One of the coolest things we found was an old casino (can’t remember which one) that had an aquarium housing sharks and fish within an inner ring of a pool deck. It featured a water slide that slid right through the middle of the tank! We ended our night with a walk to Venetians St. Mark’s square for the famous gelato ice cream. YUMM!

Friday did not disappoint! We arose early to head back towards old downtown to visit the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop. If you haven’t heard of this Pawn shop familiarize yourself! We LOVE watching ..Pawn Stars.. and seeing all the cool things that come into the shop to be pawned or sold to Old Man, Rick, Corey, and the all too favorite Chumlee. It has become extremely famous and it was really neat to walk around in the same shop they film. The guard at the door said they were there but it was ‘hit or miss’ if they would come out. Sadly we weren’t able to meet any of them but saw some of the filming happening in the parking lot. Call me a dork but I could have stopped there and had a good day! But we didn’t, we hopped on the highway and headed about 20 minutes out of town toward Red Rock Canyon. It was absolutely breathtaking while God colored the sky a magnificent blue and the fire of the red rock stood firm in it’s beauty.

Friday evening we decided to book reservations at one of Emeril’s steakhouses and enjoy a night out on the Las Vegas strip. My steak was grilled to perfection and couldn’t have tasted any better with the ingredient rub and melted butter pouring off the top. We were able to enjoy the evening with a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I buried my head in Brad’s chest as we rode to the top and listened to the belligerent cowboy next to me, talk to his friend and girlfriend across the elevator. We made it to the top just in time for the Bellagio fountains to have their star performance. To the right of me as I was clicking my shutter I heard a woman say, “What are you doing?” I took my eye away from the camera to once again capture a surprise engagement happening at the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was that same belligerent cowboy from the elevator down on one knee. Through all the obscenities even after she said yes, I managed to congratulate them. We stayed a little longer to enjoy another show and made our way back down the elevator, where I and the guy next to me tried not to focus on the fact that we were in only 1/3 of the size of the real Eiffel tower. He got out and practically kissed the ground, me… I just breathed a sign of relief. I always have that fear that we are suddenly on the ride Tower of Terror where the elevator goes plummeting to the ground. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. We ended the night in our hotel room watching one last Volcano show and thanking God for giving us the opportunity to experience all the great opportunities of traveling.

So after being so long winded… I hope you enjoy all the beauty that Las Vegas has to offer! If your ever out that way, there are so many fun things to do!

..MINI VACATION..

love, echo

Comments

echoes of love

..Las Vegas Part I | Talking Business..

Last week was a whirlwind in and of itself. The week leading up to our trip was crazy busy tying up loose ends and finishing up some things before we took off. I will admit I wasn’t a very good housewife when it came to keeping up with the laundry, dishes, and cleaning. Thank goodness for my wonderful husband who helped keep me cool, calm, and collected while reminding me we were going to enjoy our week out of town, despite the dirty kitchen floors and unswept carpets. He was right, I left all those minor cares behind and enjoyed my time in sunny Las Vegas.

Our flight out warned us of high winds and possibly some rain. Eh, how long does rain last in the desert anyways? It was gone before we even arrived in Vegas. The winds however did not cease. With the pilot practically trying to land the plane on one wheel and my uneasy stomach in the very stuffy cabin of the 747, I barely made it without sharing my lunch with all who sat around me. Now on the ground I knew I would feel better once I was able to breathe fresh air, and thankfully I was. We signed up for our rental car and made our way down the strip with the bumper to bumper traffic to the MGM Grand. The familiarity was still there and we were able to find our way through the hotel with ease to get checked in. Jaylene arrived on a flight slightly later than ours and as soon as we received word that she landed we made our short way back to the airport to retrieve her.

The next day our classes began and they kept us busy Sunday afternoon through Thursday morning. Some starting in late afternoon with others beginning as early as 8 a.m., which amounted to 5 a.m. Eastern time. Talk about a rude awakening for a pregnant woman who doesn’t even like to get up at 8 a.m. at home! I happily dragged myself out of bed every morning, making sure I had plenty of snacks in my bag and everything I needed for the day. We sat through classes ranging from tips on branding, to creativity in your business, and even hitting on important aspects like having relationships with your clients! And after or between classes there was much combing of the tradeshow floors to be done researching the latest in equipment models, products, and some of the much needed packaging options that I hope to invest in for my all too fabulous clients. I would be lying if I didn’t say that last week completely didn’t overhaul my brain, but it did. This week has allowed me to filter through all of my notes and slowly make my way towards the businesses that have put the WPPI speakers on the platform. After all, that is ultimately where I want to be with Echo by Design anyways. I intend to make this business the best that it can be and that is why I invest in myself by attending conferences and tradeshows like WPPI.

During breaks in the afternoon or after classes let out and the night was young, we made sure to explore the ever so famous ‘sin city’ to catch a few shots and just plain old have fun with our cameras. Here are a few to enjoy! P.S. I have an obsession with shooting cool lights, it’s kinda my thing!

Stay tuned for more on our mini-vacation in Las Vegas after WPPI was over.

..LEARNING..

love, echo

Comments

echoes of love

..Babies on Board | Just Because..

After I became pregnant my level of awareness of everything baby changed. My husband and I noticed more and more babies being carried in car seats, being held and passed around at church, and even began noticing unique names for our unborn child. It’s funny because the same thing happened as soon as I was engaged, suddenly every woman’s ring was the first thing that caught my eye. And when we were buying our car suddenly there were more of them on the road in a sea of different colors. Our awareness to things in life change as we are going through them.

So I found it funny that there are plenty of women that I have photographed before at some point whether under my business or before EBD, that are now in this journey of pregnancy. There are some that are ahead of me and some that are almost on my identical track. But regardless, pregnant women love to tell their stories and I thought, “How fun would it be for all of us to exchange stories on the blog for all to read.” Some of them you have met already and others you haven’t, but there are 7 beautiful women whom will be sharing their stories with you today! Hang out it will be a long one…but interesting to say the least!

Laura is my sister-in-law (Brad’s sister) who married her college sweetheart Nick back in May 2006. They are expecting their first child.
Melanie was a college roommate and EBD client who said her vows to Kyle in July 2008. They are awaiting their second child. Their first, was a son whom they named Owen.
Esther is a friend from college and a past bride who married her husband Billy back in October of 2008. They are also expecting their first child.
Kim was a friend of a friend from college and a past bride. She married her Dave in July of 2009. They are awaiting their first child.
Tiffany is a past bride who married her husband Justin in August of 2009. This will be their first child.
Erica married my friend Mark from college and they are EBD clients. They were wed in September of 2009. They too are expecting their first child.
Jessica married my friend Patrick from gradeschool in June 2010 and they are my foundation couple for EBD. They are awaiting their first arrival.

The first question I asked the girls was, “How did you find out?”

Laura wrote, “Since we’d been trying for a while I knew the first day I was late, the day before Halloween. I laid in bed at 6 a.m. wondering if this was going to be the month. So I got up and took a test. To my surprise the test was positive and I woke Nick up by jumping on the bed. But he didn’t believe me so I went and took a second test, also positive.” (LOVED IT!)
Melanie says, “We found out by taking a home pregnancy test. I was only three weeks along when I took the test. For some reason I just knew I was pregnant, and sure enough I was!“
Esther responded, “Using an at-home pregnancy test. I had recently gone off the pill and wasn’t sure if what I was feeling was just my body adjusting to being off the pill or pregnancy symptoms, as I had heard both are similar. I had taken a few pregnancy tests a few days earlier, but they were negative, so I used my last pregnancy test around 10:00 one night and it turned out positive!“
Kim stated, “Dave had a feeling from day one I was pregnant. Of course I thought he was crazy. After some time went by I was getting curious, so I took a home pregnancy test and sure enough it was positive. I ran to Dave in the other room and handed him the results, it took a minute to sink in and process what was happening. He was speechless and full of emotion!“
Tiffany spills, “A few years ago, I was told that the likelihood of me conceiving without significant fertility assistance would be minimal. Therefore, we were not expecting the joyful news that we received on the morning of October 6th. After trying for approximately a month and a half, we received our first of three positive home pregnancy tests. We were both overwhelmed with emotions.” (SO SWEET!)
Erica tells, “Mark and I found out we were pregnant on “accident”, even though we just started trying to have a baby. Our anniversary was coming up, and I was trying to map out ‘mother nature’s gift’ and realized that I couldn’t remember the exact date last time it happened. I knew it had been a while.. or so it seemed. I had 2 tests in the bathroom so while Mark was napping on the couch, I decided to take one just for the fun of it. Expecting a NEGATIVE, I set it down, and just stared at it. When the PLUS came up, I was in total shock. “ALREADY!!??” was the first thought in my head!! I instantly yelled down to Mark to wake up and come upstairs. He was completely out of it and not thrilled I woke him up, but once I showed him the test, he said, “Really!?? Does this mean…? Really!?” It was so cute, and a total shock for both of us!! We couldn’t help but just laugh about it. We decided to wait a few days and take another test just to be sure that we weren’t going crazy – that came back positive too.” (LOVE IT!)
Jessica reveals, “I was about a week late for my monthly “appointment” and told Patrick that I thought something was up because I was NEVER late. He told me it was probably because of the stress of the holidays and to give it another week before I took a test. I couldn’t wait that long! I went grocery shopping that day and threw a pregnancy test into the cart. When I came home, Patrick was helping me unload when he saw it laying in the bag. He was surprised but said I had to go take it right away so I did and it was positive!! We couldn’t believe it so before it was all over with I had taken 3 tests to be sure.”

Then I asked them the all important question, “When are you due?”

Laura is due July 7th, which also happens to be her brother’s birthday (my husband!) And only 5 weeks ahead of me, how lovely for the cousins!
Melanie is due August 22nd, only one week after me! Our roommate reunion will have a double dash of baby this year!
Esther is expecting on May 30th. That is coming so fast!
Kim is due August 17th, just days after me.
Tiffany is expecting on June 10th. Yeah for summer babies!
Erica is due May 22nd. And her maternity session is already scheduled!
Jessica awaits the date of August 20th. Again just days after me!

Each of the girls were then asked, “Are you going to find out the gender of your baby?”

Laura stated, “Probably not, still working on the husband!” (Although our Mom is dying to know what our babies are!)
Melanie ponders,”With our first child, we did not find out the sex. It wasn’t even an option for me. My husband was very interested in finding out and determined that he figured it out while looking at an ultrasound once, although I am certain he had no clue what he was seeing. This time around, I am starting to think we may find out. They make home kits that you can use now to find out the sex so we thought it would be fun to do that and then see what the ultrasound has to say!”
Esther announces, “Yes!! We’re having a girl! Finding out the gender has made it seem so much more real for both me and my husband. We’ve already started calling her “baby girl.”
Kim gushes, “We have decided to find out the sex! It is the first grandchild for both our families and they are anxious to pick out gender specific clothing.“
Tiffany says, “My husband and I have decided not to find out the gender of our baby. I have never wanted to know the gender of our baby. However, my husband took a little convincing. I was finally able to convince him by telling him that if people know the gender of the baby they tend to buy gender specific clothing for the baby shower instead of the much needed baby accessories.“
Erica spills, “We are anxiously waiting to find out the sex until birth! At this point, it’s driving me crazy!!“
Jessica responds, “We are not. It’s going to be hard for me considering how much of an organized control freak I am, but I am respecting Patrick’s wishes. It will be a great surprise in the delivery room!”

Everyone always wants to know, “How have you been feeling?”

Laura says, “I’m feeling great…now.”
Melanie states, “I am just over fourteen weeks along now. I determined this was the end of the first trimester and that I was going to instantly start feeling wonderful. My luck has not been so. Still feeling a little nauseous at some points throughout the day but nothing horrible and just extremely exhausted yet. Crossing my fingers this will all go away soon!“
Esther wrote, “I’ve been so thankful at how great I’ve felt during my pregnancy! I never had morning sickness, which is definitely a blessing! I didn’t feel overly tired during my first trimester, so I didn’t feel a huge difference when I entered my second trimester. As my pregnancy progresses, though, I can tell my energy is decreasing. I’ll probably be taking naps more by my third trimester.”
Kim responded, “I feel wonderful! I was blessed with no morning sickness, just needed an afternoon nap to get over the constant fatigue in the first trimester.”
Tiffany spills, “Pregnancy has been difficult for me. Whoever came up with the label morning sickness lied. For approximately four and a half months I spent the majority of my day vomiting and/or nauseous. At one point in time during my pregnancy, I had to be placed in the hospital overnight. The doctors were concerned because they could not get the vomiting under control. Unfortunately, I had to be place on Zofran (anti-nauseous) medication.” (STAY HEALTHY GIRLIE!)
Erica affirms, “I consider myself lucky because I have been feeling great for the most part. For most of the 2nd trimester I had bad migraines but thankfully my chiropractor and lots of Excedrin Tension (there’s no aspirin) helped! No complaints now!“
Jessica expresses, “Superb! Very easy pregnancy so far.”

And lastly, I asked, “Can you give me a brief overview of what you think for being pregnant the first/second time?”

Laura states, “Once I got over the severe morning sickness at 15/16 weeks, I really enjoy being pregnant. The hard part is not being able to eat very big meals and having heart burn. Milk has been my friend. I actually feel more like myself pregnant than not. My energy level this week has drastically increased (21 weeks) and I am excited about getting things ready for the baby’s room and our master suite upstairs.” (Which they are remodeling.)
Melanie writes, “Finding out we were pregnant with baby number two was the most exciting news for my husband and I. Everything is going so perfectly to our plan and our children will be just over two years apart in age. Just what we wanted! I am already anxious about delivery. Last time it went so perfectly. It was about 6 hours of labor with an epidural and we had our baby. I don’t think it could have went any better. I just hope this next time goes just as well! It is so fun to talk with my son about the baby in my belly and he LOVES giving the baby kisses every night! We just feel so blessed to have been given another little baby that will soon enrich our daily lives!“
Esther gushes, “I LOVE being pregnant!! I’m in awe at how God designed my body to know how to grow a baby. What a privilege to be able to carry a baby, our baby. What a beautiful miracle. I really enjoyed transitioning into my pregnancy jeans. They’re so comfortable! It was especially exciting when I finally “popped” and people could actually tell I was pregnant. It was AMAZING to feel the baby move for the first time and recently I’ve been able to feel the baby’s head, butt or something hard, which has been so exciting for me and my husband. I’m still not ready for her to come out yet, but I know that time will come.“
Kim says, “It was like a daydream until we went for our first ultrasound and saw little baby Kisor. I am very fortunate to be going through this journey with a friend whom is like a sister to me. It is fun to share our experiences with one another as we are only due a week apart. Overall, it has been a blessing to see the love and support from our families!“
Tiffany conveys, “Although I continue to experience nausea and other pregnancy ailments, there is no greater joy then hearing the strong heart beat and seeing the beautiful ultrasound pictures of our little baby. Over the past few weeks, I have begun to feel baby movements. My husband’s face lights up with joy as he places his hand on my belly and feels the movements of our little one.“
Erica responds, “This is our first baby, and I can say that Mark and I are both EXTREMELY excited about being parents, but we have different emotions from time to time. Mark is super nervous and not sure what to do if we have a boy (he has 3 nieces!), and I am just ready for my own baby – I’ve been taking care of other’s children for almost 8 years now! I’ve got a lot of experience, but I know when the time comes I will still go through the “freak out” moments that I hear all about! Even though, I cannot wait until our blessing is in our arms and we get to raise a child together!! It’s such a miracle.“
Jessica announces, “It is truly a miracle. I still feel like it’s not real and can’t believe when I read what is going on each week in my belly how fast things are growing. I get anxious when I think about the baby actually being here and us being parents but I know we’ll both take everything in good stride. Can’t wait to meet our little one!”

Thanks for hanging in there if you made it all the way to the end. This was a personal little project for me to connect with existing pregnant mommas. Hope you enjoyed it from top to bottom and pregnant belly in between!

..PREGGOS..

love, echo

Comments

echoes of love

..Echo by Design Branding | Talking Business..

It’s the golden arches at McDonalds, the green mermaid on the Starbucks cup, and the large red vending machine for Red Box movie rentals. They all have something in common, a brand. A customer knows that they can go to McDonalds and get a mouth-watering sandwich, a premium coffee served piping hot at Starbucks, or a movie for just $1 from the Red Box. They know exactly what to expect and studies have shown that even if you only show a bottom half of a logo or a brand, that customers can still identify and relate with that product or brand.

That is my goal here at Echo by Design. I want my clients to know exactly what to expect when they see my logo and branding. I want you to automatically know that great customer service is in store, an energetic photographer and friend behind the camera, and that acute attention to detail will be placed into your wedding day or portrait session before, during, and after. I want you to know that I will provide great products for you to display your memories for years to come whether that be through albums, prints, or canvas designs. And I never want to leave a client unsatisfied in any way and to always walk away from our experience together as friends.

I have been hard at work creating an overall brand and image for Echo by Design. When I built my website I already had the branding in mind. But I knew in order to make it work and flow together that it needed to spread across all the materials that leave my hands. I made it my official project this winter to start and hopefully have it complete for the beginning of the 2011 full fledge season. I’m getting close to completing this large project and only have a few more pieces to design. But I wanted to share just a little of what I have in store for this year’s clients.

Although winter is never a fun time of year for me, it was nice to have things a little bit more relaxed to accomplish one of this year’s goals. Hope you like the branding for Echo by Design. So much to piggyback on from WPPI, more on this trip to come!

..EBD EXPERIENCE..

love, echo

Comments

echoes of love

..Las Vegas Bound | Talking Business..

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how I would be headed out to ..Las Vegas.. for the WPPI convention for photographers. Well the time has FINALLY arrived, we take off tomorrow morning for the exciting trip! And although I despise early morning rises, I know that this next week has a lot in store for me and for you!

As my husband will be out cruising the local golf courses, I will be acting as a spunge on the inside of the MGM Grand. I’m going to make sure to soak up all the information I can, and then bring it back and make Echo by Design better for the year of 2011!

Because I was able to make it out last year, I feel like I should know what to expect again. But I don’t. All I can say is that I know it’s going to be just as new, just as fresh, and just as awesome as it was last year. I plan on tackling some of those ..2011 goals.. that I shared back with you at the beginning of January.

So I fully expect that you await my return! I will be out of the office from Monday February 21st- Friday February 25th. I will do my best to answer any pertinent emails or phone messages but unless it is an emergency, please do not expect a response until my return on February 28th. I will also ask for your patience in a response to these messages, as a week away from your inbox tends to keep things busy! I will do my best to keep you updated on facebook 🙂