Happy Friday, y’all!  We’ve got some more sponsor love to dole out today, and this next batch is another set of photographers.  There is a special place in our heart for our photographer vendors.  In case you didn’t know (my sister was very surprised to learn this), about 90% of our real weddings are submitted by photographers.  We depend on them to send us the fabulous weddings we feature every week for your inspiration and entertainment, and we pride ourselves on the great relationships we have with them.  So without further ado…

Rae and Wesley Leytham, of Rae Leytham Photography, have been long-time friends of SW and we love love love them!  Their clients always rave about their experience and we can see why.  Based in Florida, they travel world-wide and make friends with everyone they meet.  Just spend 5 minutes with the Leytham’s and we know you will fall in love too!  Their style is warm, colorful, and as vibrant as the experience they give to their couples!  Be sure to check out their blog for more southern wedding goodness. 

Friends Matt and Garrett founded GB Photographers based on their mutual love for photography and for documenting the wedding days of people in love.  This duo is based in California but loves to travel for destination weddings (hint hint!).  Check out their site here and their blog here.

Next we have Christine Tremoulet, whose tagline is “a little unexpected.”  Christine is based in Houston but shoots almost exclusively destination weddings.  She’s also a whiz at boudoir photography (speaking of which, any of you ladies on the fence should check out the recently posted “shy girl’s guide” over on Weddingbee).  Check out her portfolio here, her blog here, and her tweets here.  You can also check out her business blog, Big Pink Cookie, here.

Rick Schamberger of East Hill Photo, another long-time friend and supporter of SW, describes his style as a unique blend of photojournalistic and traditional imagery, and we couldn’t agree more.  Shooting mainly in the Destin and Pensacola, Florida, areas, Rick is happy to travel, as well.  Check out his site here and blog here!  The images below were from the first shoot ever done for Southern Weddings almost two years ago- GORGEOUS!!

Next up is Kellan Studios, a husband and wife duo based in Virginia.  We are in love with the things these two do with light, as evidenced beautifully by Molly and Chris’ wedding (featured on the SW blog here).  Check out Kelly and Ryan’s site here and their hilarious tweets here.

And last, but certainly not least, we have Stacy Reeves.  Stacy is such a kind, fun soul, and we know she would do a fabulous job documenting your day in her signature “vintage modern” style (sounds like a contradiction, but is totally fitting!).  She’s based in Dallas.  Check out her site here, her blog here, and her tweets here.  Love these, Stacy!

Again, a huge, warm, SW thank you from all of us here in the office.  We know we say this a lot, but it definitely bears repeating: we couldn’t do what we do without these lovely friends, and even more than that, we really believe in their work and want to share it with you.  We hope you’ll take a moment to visit their sites and send them a little SW love!

If you want to get in on the SW sponsor love fest email Katharine for a fall edition media kit [katharine at iloveswmag dot com].  She’ll be delighted to hear from you!

P.S. Just two weeks left to reserve your November print edition ad!  They’re going fast, so hop like a bunny over to Katharine’s inbox right… now!

Missed something? 

Sponsor Love, Part I: Nancy Aidee, Nine Photography, Our Labor of Love, Dede Edwards, + W. Scott Chester

Sponsor Love, Part II: Cook Images, Agnes Lopez, Luna Photo, Brooke Schwab, + Millie Holloman

As promised, we’re back with more inspiration from a few of our fabulous sponsors. Seriously – we can’t get enough of these people, and we hope you can’t either!  I just spent a delightful afternoon perusing their blogs in the name of putting this post together, and I’ll tell you what – I could spend many more hours clicking through their archives.  But enough about me, and on to the main event…

First up is Cook Images. Their tagline is “photos that will make you smile,” and that definitely holds true for the SW ladies.  Jeremy and Hara’s style is delightfully unique – we love that they’re able to strike an edgier vibe without taking themselves (or their subjects!)  too seriously.  Visit their site here, follow them on Twitter here, and check out the fabulous bowties in one of their recent weddings here!

Next up is another Florida photographer, Agnes Lopez.  This multitalented lady does details as well as she does portraits, all in a beautifully crisp and classic style.  As evidenced by Lauren and Jeff’s wedding (featured on the SW blog here!) she also does amazing things with light.  Check out her site here, her blog here, her commercial studio, Pose Well, here, and her tweets right here!

What can we say about Luna Photo.  Seriously.  Paula and Mike are based in San Diego but love to travel (especially to the South… hint hint!).  We love the raw emotion they’re able to capture, as well as their rocking engagement sessions.  And like Agnes, this pair uses light to their advantage; so many of their photos have a lovely warm quality because of it.  Check out their site full of photojournalistic, fine art goodness here, their blog here, and their tweets here.  And if you’re ever in San Diego, you must check out their gorgeous new office!

If I had to describe Brooke Schwab’s style in three words, I would go with modern, romantic, and emotional.  I’m not sure whether she would agree with me, but I just love that she is equally talented at capturing iconic images like a bride slipping into her dress and fun, new-feeling portraits like the one at bottom right.  Brooke is based in Houston but willing to travel the world.  Check out her site here, her blog here, and her tweets here.  (You can also take a gander at one of my all-time favorite maid apparel options, on Brooke’s blog here.)

And last, but most certainly not least, we have Millie Holloman.  Oh, Millie. Really all there is to say about Millie is that she is amazing, and that any couple would be lucky to have her by their side on their wedding day. Just to give you an idea of the consistent quality of her work, I didn’t even get through the first post on her blog before I had found eight photos I wanted to feature today.  Another thing we love about Millie is that she works closely with a team of photographers, any of whom might be a perfect fit for a couple who is a fan of Millie’s style.  Check out her site here, her blog here, and her tweets here.

Again, a huge, warm, SW thank you from all of us here in the office.  We couldn’t do what we do without these lovely friends, and even more than that, we really believe in their work and want to share it with you.  We hope you’ll take a moment to visit their sites and send them a little SW love!

Check back on the blog later this week for another installment of our Sponsor Love series!  In the meantime, if you want to get in on the SW sponsor love fest email Katharine for a fall edition media kit [katharine at iloveswmag dot com].  She’ll be delighted to hear from you!

P.S. Just two weeks left to reserve your November print edition ad!  They’re going fast, so hop like a bunny over to Katharine’s inbox right… now!

Missed something? 

Sponsor Love, Part I: Nancy Aidee, Nine Photography, Our Labor of Love, Dede Edwards, + W. Scott Chester

I’m thrilled to launch my new site and business blog today! The wedding market is a big mystery and navigating through branding, marketing, submissions, business strategy and perfecting the client experience can be a huge frustration for so many. My goal with Lara Casey Reps is to take businesses to their fullest potential so artists can focus on their art and wedding pros can focus on the client experience. I’m taking the guesswork out of business and helping wedding professionals get clear, focused, and put their energy where it matters most.

I have been so fortunate to work with some incredible artists over the last months. My clients blow my mind on a daily basis with their commitment to their work and their brides. Jory Cordy, Jeff Holt, Kyle Barnes and newcomer to the wedding world, celeb photographer, Jeremy Cowart, have filled my days with excitement and inspiration. I look forward to sharing more about them and how their businesses evolve on LaraCasey.com. The blog will be filled with a lot of surprises– not only biz advice, but personal adventures, insight from my team here and top advice from the best of the best in the wedding industry. I also have a new twitter account specifically for Lara Casey Reps news and advice: WeddingRep.

I have to thank Ross and the team at Flosites for being so patient with me during the creation of my sites. They are really one of a kind and a joy to work with! And thanks to Kyle Barnes for recommending Ross to me and to Kyle, Jeff and Nick Onken for helping me through the initial design/branding stages. Most of all though, thanks to all of my friends and encouragers who have waited patiently for my new sites since I first mentioned the concept on Twitter many months ago. Your belief in the integrity of the wedding world is why I do this!

Making the leap,

Excuse me while I dust off my keyboard…. it’s been near forever since I’ve had a moment to post anything on this fabulous blog of ours!  Well, lot’s of new things coming my friends….

I’m launching my new business blog and a new company in about 24 hours.  Stay posted for the big reveal. Here’s an exclusive sneak peek of on of the many headers for the blog. The new company site you’ll just have to wait for :)  ps- thanks to Jory Cordy for my Venice Beach pics and thanks to Ross and the team at Flosites for being so patient with me in getting both sites perfect.  Also, the Southern Weddings blog is getting some much needed sprucing up in the next couple weeks.  So excited!  You can follow along with the progress with me on Twitter.

Bee Kim of –Weddingbee fame– just posted her mega recap of Engage09, a luxury wedding symposium I was blessed to be a part of a couple weeks ago in Grand Cayman.  (ps- if you haven’t already, be sure to vote for Grand Cayman as the top honeymoon destination pick for the next Today Show Throws a Wedding!)  Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce outdid themselves once again!  My megapost is coming very shortly, but until then be sure to check out Bee’s amazing post with pics and all the details of this phenomenal week of priceless education, lavish parties, and new friends galore. I had the honor of speaking on Social Media with two very inspiring women…

Above left: my new friend Jeff Fowler from the beautiful Breakers Resort, me, Bee looking fabulous as always. right: outside our Social Media platform with my fellow panelists Bee and the amazing Liene Stevens of Think Splendid.  MUCH more to come!

For all you desperately seeking copies of Southern Weddings, we have an update for you! Books-A-Million stores are having a computer glitch with our magazine, so when you call and ask if they have copies make sure they check their shelves and not the computer.  If it’s on our list, they DO have copies (unless they have sold out)

For everyone in the Texas area looking for copies, we have confirmed that they are being sold at 80% of all Safeway (and sister stores) locations. Go out and grab yourself a copy!

If you find that you cannot get Southern Weddings at your local stores or are not located within the United States, you’re in luck. You can now purchase the magazine online and we will ship them all over the globe!

Check these two posts for the store locations we have confirmed so far:

Books a Million Locations

Barnes and Noble + Hastings Locations

We REALLY wish we had a full list of locations, but getting these lists from wholesalers is like “herding cats”!  If you find a copy, please post locations here so we can let others know. 

Note from Lara:  Here’s how this works…  we are a new magazine, so when stores see the magazine doing well, they ask for more and put it in more store locations.  This happens pretty quickly. So, if you are in an area that you know doesn’t have the magazine, leave a comment here with where you would like to see it.  This info will help us get wholesalers to push copies to those locations over the next weeks.  They are SO excited about the response so far and can’t wait to get us in more stores ASAP!  Thanks to everyone here, on Twitter, and FB and to all the new brides who have personally emailed me to tell us how much they love the issue!  We are such a small company, so all of this amazing feedback means the world to us!  THANK YOU! Lara

Enjoy a few of the ADORABLE pics we’ve received so far this week!

top row: from fabulous photographers {Scarlett Lillian}, {Millie Holloman}, and {Kate Benson};  middle row:  the team from {Favor Events} enjoying a relaxing moment with SW, Lindsay Pitt from {Toast Events};  bottom row: SW on newsstands Target in Austelle, Ga as found by {Sara D Harper}, photographer {Leslie Roark} finds her copy, Emie from {Oh Me Oh My Wedding!} bought the last two copies in Charlotte at Target!