So lets discuss… the dress.  Personally… I call it Classical elegance but honestly I think it was a bit STIFF.  I honestly thought that Kate would be enough of her own woman to pick something a little more stylish.  I saw her wearing something more like what her SISTER Pippa wore honestly!  I would love to know if she had a more stylish dress for later in the day.  I guess my question was answered though after William refused to wear a wedding band… Something about that just doesn’t sit right with me. 

According to Harper’s Bazaar : “Kate Middleton is wearing an Alexander McQueen wedding gown. The Arts and Crafts-inspired design was specially made for the princess-to-be in silk gazar. The Royal School of Needlework, based out of Hampton Court Palace, crafted the intricate lace bodice and sleeves, and created the veil as well. We love the McQueen signature corseting and the long sleeves; both are sure to set trends. Her tiara, which has also been the subject of much speculation, is a Cartier “halo” tiara, previously worn by the Queen Mother. Her diamond oak-leaf earrings are by Robinson Pelham and were a gift from her parents”

Image Courtesy: Harper’s Bazaar

Now… here’s the fun part.

I want to know what YOU think about Princess Kate’s Dress…

Weigh in with your opinion in the comments below and you could win a complimentary 11×14 portrait to use on your Engagement, Bridal or Wedding Day images!!!

I will choose a winner from the comments on Monday morning!

ENTER: Simply Love Studio

“A Formal Affair” Royal Wedding Brunch

to celebrate the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton

128 N. Broadway Lexington, KY. 40507

Invitation courtesy: www.privilegedclub.com

This is where Kyleigh and I will be celebrating the Royal Wedding and we would like to invite each of you to come along.  Even if you cannot stay, feel free to stop by and say hello!

We have been speculating and anticipating the pageantry of the day and I am sure the the Royal Family, William and Cate will not disappoint!   Do you know I actually had a dream last night that I was PHOTOGRAPHING the Royal Wedding and that Troy was in the PERFECT spot but that there were 15 other photographers who were trying to edge me out of mine!  I guess it would be an appropriate dream for a wedding photographer eh?  Alas, I will NOT be photographing this wedding but I will be happy to celebrate the wedding of more than 25 Princess Brides this year!!   To all my brides: may each of your wedding days be as magical and memorable as tomorrow will be for Will and Cate!

See you tomorrow at Simply Love!

This is how I feel sometimes.  Honestly.  I don’t know if it’s just an IPHONE user problem or all phone on AT&T but I feel like when it was Cingular it was much more reliable!  AT&T is AGAIN not playing nice with the old SS&G phones.  Some messages/ voicemails, over the past two weeks, have been undelivered / eaten / lost / been released to the nexxus of the AT&T universe.  These have been sporadic and there is no reason or pattern.  We are hoping that a firmware update will remedy the problem (since obviously “syncing” your phone each night does NOT!).  If you have tried to reach us in the past week via phone and have NOT received a return call, PLEASE try calling again.  Or better yet, email.  That form of communication does seem to be relatively reliable in our world right about now!

We apologize for the inconvenience and looking forward to hearing from you all soon!

February 2-February 15, 2011

to celebrate the birth of our Sister Studio’s (Kimberly Smoot Photography) baby boy.  We will, be answering emails and phones, on a time delay and will begin taking appointments again after February 15th.  We apologize for any inconvenience but as with everything in life, plans change   This tiny miracle decided 3 weeks early was a good time to make his appearance and we agree!

Feel free to wish our Sister Studio well on Facebook!  Search our friends for: Kimberly Smoot

Finally, after two moved flights, and two more days of waiting, I flew out on Thursday.  It started with my flight out of Lexington being delayed by 30 minutes which was going to mean that I had less than 10 minutes to change flights in Chicago.  I was glad I had worn my Nike’s!  THEN when we get into Chicago we are made to wait on the runway for a good 15 minutes before we can taxi into the terminal to park.

God smiled on me though and magically, my flight TO Springfield was leaving from the SAME GATE that my flight into Chicago had come into.  I literally walked up the stairs, waited, and walked back down and out to the plane.  I was hugely relieved!

Flight was fine into Sprinfield, landing fine, was a little scared because their runways were still COVERED in snow!!!  They had piles of blown snow everywhere that were taller than me!  (Not hard to be when you are only 5’3″ but I digress).  The pilot turns to pull into the gate and “THUMP”  It felt like we ran over something but no one could really see what.  It wasn’t that we ran OVER something… we definitely ran INTO something.  Namely, a snowdrift / pile that was at least 4 ft deep.  And there we sat.  For 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and hour, 1 hour 15, 1 hour 30… FINALLY after much debate the airport officials decided that they would NOT be able to pull the plane out of the snow.  Enter men, and shovels…

(This pic was taken from the plane window the snow they were blowing was as tall as the plane shooting out of the machine… a wild sight I assure you!)

By this point people on the plane were less than amused. The people in my section were all joking around and saying we could call and order pizza.  Finally they realize that two men and shovels were not going to cut it through the FEET of snow.  The brought out a snow blower and managed to carve a path to the door of the plane.  They let everyone get off the plane walk down the aisle of snow (which was up past my CHEST) and then they escorted us via cars to the terminal.  Fun times was NOT had .. by all.

(Of note in this photo… do you see how the snow is ALL the way up to the nose of the plane?!!!  YIKES!)

I guess at the very least, I have a story to tell.  I mean I did get a newspaper byline out of it!  My first as a matter of fact.  Sad that my first byline came from an IPHONE pic I took as the officials were rushing us off the runway!

No one was in danger, thank God, was it was a huge inconvenience.  I landed in Springfield at 5:45 and after I got off the plane, and got our luggage (another long wait), and got to my friend’s house it was close to 9 pm.  Oiy… long day.  United Airlines… epic fail on your part.  Sprinfield Airport… even bigger epic fail on your part!  I never even SAW an official from your establishment.  Do better next time…

See the article below.  I was interviewed and landed in the paper.  Funny stuff!

I even got a blurb in the article… does that make me a rockstar?!!!  LOL

Yes… we admit it.. we LOVE winter weddings!  I am a cold weather person and there is very little that scares me!  Bring on the snow BABY!  There is so much that is magical about the holiday season and snow on the ground.  We LOVE sharing time with our family and friends but we also love photographing some amazing Winter Weddings!

SOOOOO… 2011-2012 Brides… Are you planning an Off Season Wedding?

(January 1 – April 30)

If so we would like to give you a little incentive:

For every bride who books their “Off Season” Wedding at normal Studio Rates we will DOUBLE the number of images in your wedding package for FREE!!!

Yes, you heard me correctly!  FREE IMAGES for you just because we love the snow… and brides… and brides IN THE SNOW!!!!

Email or Call Amber Schmidt for more details!!

Amber Schmidt

studio@kentuckystudio.com

859.312.5361

Yup, that’s right!  I said it!!!  Troy and I are looking to expand our destination wedding photography portfolio.  So we are looking for 5(FIVE) wedding couples, each in different destinations, who would like to apply for FREE wedding photography by Schmidt Studio!  Seriously?  Is it a joke?!  Not at all!  Having a beach wedding in the Islands, or a winter wedding in Vail, or maybe a Central Park Wedding in New York, or a Castle Wedding in Europe…. whatever destination… we have current passports and are ready to fly the friendly skies and join you!!!

So, how does it work?

You cover the costs meaning: airfare, transportation and accommodations for 3 -5 nights at YOUR destination wedding and you will in turn receive:

• FREE engagement session at destination or at any destination within 4 hours of Lexington, KY (Louisville, Cincinnati, various locations in Eastern Kentucky, Southern Indiana, Tennessee and Illinois even!!) with DVD and print rights to ALL photos from engagement shoot.
• FREE unlimited hours of photography on your wedding day at your destination.
• FREE DVD of ALL fully edited images from your wedding day and prints rights.
• FREE Online gallery with viewing for family and friends for Engagement AND Wedding
• AND a $500 credit toward your wedding book!
• Retail value: $3850!!!!

-  You must be willing to allow us to share your wedding images with the world! (LITERALLY) and agree that we may use them in both print and web ads.

-  Your destination MUST ALLOW outside photographers and you must cover any fees related to this.

- Airfare / Accommodations must be secured and receipts / tickets turned over at the time we sign the contract (seeing as how are not being “paid” in order for us to hold your date we will need some kind of guarantee)  OR you may pay the normal $1000 retainer and secure these items within 30 days of your contract.  As soon as you present us with confirmation of airfare and accommodations, your $1000 retainer will be returned to you in full.

- If the destination is within 6 hours of Lexington, KY we will be happy to drive and save the cost of airfare but reimbursement of ground travel will be expected.

We do have a legal contract that each party will sign that commits us to you so no fear that we are some shady people who just won’t show!

Feel free to contact us directly for more details:  studio@kentuckystudio.com or 859.312.5361

View the VIRTUAL Issue of TOPS in Lex- WOW Weddings here

We are so proud to announce that TWO Schmidt Studio & Gallery Couples were recently featured in the WOW Weddings issue as some of Kentucky’s TOP 2009 Weddings!!!!  We are very proud to be featured alongside some of Kentucky’s TOP wedding photographers!

Congratulations to Trish & Shawn, and Kimberlee & Denver!  You truly had amazing weddings that we were PROUD to be a part of!

Also, shout outs go to Alex and Mark, Ashley and Keith, and Britney & Eric.   Each of these couples had various parts of their weddings highlighted in the “Inspirations” pages throughout the magazine!

I do have to say what a privilege it is to be here, in this place in our life, running this studio, and getting to WORK every single day, doing something we love.  This is not a JOB for us.  It is a truly expressive and beautiful way to live.  Spending the MOST special day of a couple’s life with them, as their sidekicks… it is always an honor!  Maybe that is why our wedding couples are so special to us and why we like to keep them around long after the wedding is over…. who knows.  We are blessed to be acknowledged for our work and to be listed among “the best”.  We are SO excited to see what new opportunities this will bring to SS&G and to our couples!

You can pick up your copy on stands at various Bridal vendors in Lexington NOW!!!  Or visit the digital issue through the link above… YAY!

Hosted by The Wedding Center and Tre Chic Boutique located at 258 Plaza Drive in Lexington (just off Southland Drive) this event promises to be THE premier formal gown event of the year!

The event runs from 10 am on Saturday Feb 28 until 5 pm on Sunday March 1.  The Trunk Show featuring the newest designs from Mac Dougal Couture, Antonio Castelle, Cassandra Stone, Plus lines Cassandra Stone II and Fabulouss in size O-30!!!  No matter what your size Tre Chic will make sure you loo STUNNING for your big day!

There will be special promotions and giveaways from The Wedding Center, Thoroughbred Limo and US!!!  Be sure to stop by and check out Thoroughbred’s amazing pink limo!

AND………….

Purchase a Cassandra Stone, Mac Dougall, Flash, CSII, or Antonio Castelli and be in the photo contest for the new model advertising campaign!

Schmidt Studio and Gallery is proud to announce that together with the Kentucky Children’s Hospital the piece created for the Kentucky Children’s Hospital Fall Mailer (as seen below) won a Silver Addy Award!!  Top that off with the Judges Choice award for Excellence in Copyrighting also!  We are proud on so many levels!  To be able to share our photography and our story and raise money for the Children’s Hospital all at the same time was a truly amazing experience!

I have to give kudos to Aimee Baston (KCH Office of Development), and Jennifer at Sumo Designs for the layout!

God has blessed us with the opportunity to share His love and mercy and we are very proud to say that we KNOW miracles happen.  We know because we live with one every single day.  Every breath that Kyleigh takes is a new miracle and we treasure her!!!  We are so proud to be her parents and are genuinely glad that God chose us to be her guardians!

The Text of the letter reads:
Dear Fellow Kyian,
When I found out that I was having a baby girl, I dreamed… I dreamed of little pink dresses, games of Peek-A-Boo and tea parties. I never dreamed of scary hospital visits, endless surgeries and many worried filled nights watching my baby fight for her life.

I dreamed of what my daughter would look like. Though you cannot see from her picture, Kyleigh- now two years old- has fought through 13 major surgeries (including two open heart procedures). She has battled through life threatening staph infections and double collapsed lungs.

I never dreamed that Kyleigh would be one of the thousands of children helped by the amazing compassion and skill of the Kentucky Children’s Hospital each year. They have become like family to us. Because they have cared so well for my little princess, I ask for your support today.

A gift of $12.50 per month over the next year supports and enhances the incredible care Kentucky Children’s Hospital provides through the best doctors, nurses and staff available for our children, right here in Kentucky. If you wish to take a leading role in the quality of healthcare for Kentucky’s children I invite you to join the Leadership Circle of giving at Kentucky Children’s Hospital (see enclosed bookmark).

Now, I dream of what your support can do at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital. Please join me by helping the hospital today!

Sincerely,
Amber Schmidt
Kyleigh’s mom

As always if YOU would like to make a donation to the Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Ky’s honor please visit the link below!

https://giveto.uky.edu/KCH_p/kch.htm