The Charity Wedding-Sedona-Part 2

Alicia had a beautiful lace handmade gown from Victorian Cowgirl, a local Sedona dress designer. I loved it's twirling ability! I hear from a lot of brides that they can't find their perfect dress. If you're a bride looking for that perfect dress try talking with a dress designer, it's a great alternative from buying one from a shop!

Alicia and Kyle were married at the beautiful Tequa Marketplace. It's definitely a hidden gem in Sedona with a beautiful lawn for the ceremony and a great rooftop for the reception. The back of the dress looked fantastic as she walked down the aisle toward Kyle.

The Charity Wedding couple had their first meeting and portrait session at the Sedona Golf Resort.

Alicia and Kyle included their adorable beagle, Charlie, in a few photos. Look what a good boy he is!

I love this one of the wedding party! We had a great time hanging out with you all!

I adore this one of Alicia and Kyle, such a sweet couple that has inspired so much good in this world. Congratulations!

The Charity Wedding-Sedona

I first met Alicia and Kyle over coffee in Flagstaff. There, they unveiled a plan to make their wedding benefit their community and a way to give back and raise awareness for some community based non-profits. In the end, the two non-profits that benefited were Camp Soaring Eagle, a camp for sick children, and the Second Chance Center for Animals, a no kill shelter in Flagstaff that also offers low cost medical care, education and emergency care for animals.

I'm no stranger to volunteer work. I've always believed that giving our time, and money to those in need is part of why we're here on this big blue ball we call Earth. I really, really, really do feel passionate about that statement. As an adolescent, I worked in the shadow of my father with the Kiwanis Club, in High School I was heavily involved in Key Club. In college, I gave my time to Habitat for Humanity and the Athens GA Area Humane Society. Currently, I am on the board of Flagstaff Biking Organization and am active with the Safe Kids Coalition. I've always donated at least five hours a week to charity work and donated my money when I could. So, when Alicia and Kyle outlined their plan, I knew I really wanted to be part of their wedding. Lucky for me, they did pick me to photograph their wedding.

This wedding is going to have to be split out in a few posts, so bare with me over the next few days :)

The Charity Wedding of Alicia & Kyle French took place in Sedona at the Tequa Festival Market Place. The reception had a very romantic rooftop feel created by Kim Duncan at KD Event Designs. Kim is simply fabulous. She can take any idea you have, weave a bit of your personality into it, and make your wedding absolutely stunning. I've had the fortune to be present during some of her consults, and it's really remarkable how many times I hear the couple gasp, "That's EXACTLY what I want, I just didn't know how to put it together!".

All of the details of the wedding including the details of Alicia's attire were handmade, borrowed, and recycled. The red accents of the shoes and flowers represented The American Heart Association, a sweet tribute to Kim Duncan's beautiful mom, Sandy Duncan, who sadly lost her life to heart complications. The beautiful red flower and flower bridal belt were designed by Emici Bridal.

The gorgeous fall bouquet was designed by Dana at Glamorous Occasions. Dana has a knack with flowers, textures and the best way to put all the flowers together. Floral art has always mystified me. When the flowers for Alicia's wedding arrived, I was so excited to see the end product. And, Dana did not disappoint. I loved Alicia's flowers. So elegant!

Donna Joy at Sedona Sweet Arts worked with Alicia and Kyle to create this simply stunning cake. The amount of care and love she uses to create these handmade pastillage flowers makes them that much more beautiful. If you ever have the fortune to meet Donna you'll know why her cakes are do divine. She's definitely one of the sweetest souls I've ever met and this inner beauty always come though in her work. Oh, and they are delicious! If you're ever in Sedona, you MUST plan a trip to her bakery. I love just stopping in and having a delicious piece of cake, or maybe a hand made chocolate. Yummy!

More to come next week! Thanks for involving me Alicia and Kyle!

Flagstaff Senior Photos-Model Search

Melissa Dunstan Photography is looking for positive, outgoing, and energetic high school juniors who will be graduating from any high school in the Flagstaff area in 2012. This is your chance to have your senior portraits taken for FREE and earn unique photo rewards! Signed model release will be required. The process is very selective and we will only choose one senior model per high school. If you're interested in finding out more, please email us at melissa@melissadunstan.com. Deadline to apply is May 31st.

Corine Kitchens Webb- A Tribute to my Granny

My grandmother, Corine Webb, was born April 10, 1915. Today, in honor of her birthday, I'd like to share a little about her. When I see old photos like the ones below (thank you to my wonderful cousin Reagan for sharing them with me!), I always wonder what the world would have looked like through her eyes. My grandmother didn't get to finish elementary school, which was common in the rural South, where children were expected to help out on the farms to provide for the families. I can't find one photo of her as a child, so the below one is the earliest one I have of her. My mother (little girl in the photo) was born in 1935, so I'm guessing this photo was taken in the early 1940s.

My Granny was five years old when women were given the right to vote. She lived in the deep South during the Civil Rights Movement and had so many stories to share about equality struggles in Georgia. But, she wasn't one to dwell on the shortcomings of our world. She could find the silver lining in about any situation. What I remember most about my Granny though, was how much she laughed. She could make me giggle at the slightest thing. How I miss the sound of her voice!

My grandmother had three children, and this photo show her and my uncles, Donald and Ronald, in a rare, casual moment. I love this photos because it's a glimpse into the world in which she lived in the South. I often wonder what she would think of this world in which I live...computers, planes, cell phones, texting, twitter, facebook...instant everything. I often yearn for the days of sitting on her porch, in my favorite glider chair, breaking beans from the garden, and listening to the sound of my grandparents talking.

This is a photo of my grandparents in 1960. I adore the cat-eye glasses! Although my grandparents didn't have a lot of disposable income, Granny was a great seamstress and made a lot of her own clothes. My grandmother loved to dress up, and it's really hard to find any photos of her in her everyday wear. But, I adored that about her. Granny had red hair, and her favorite color was red. Her clothing was bright and vibrant, just like her personality.

This is one of her, my brother Tim (on the left), my sister Melanie (on her lap). I do know this about my grandmother, she LOVED to spend time with her grandchildren. From the time I was born, until when my mother passed away when I was 15, I spent nearly every Sunday and most summer days with her. We spent days staying at her house where she would take us to our uncles farms, teach us how to cook (I still have a treasured cookie recipe from her!) and take us on countless trips to "trade day" (which was really a big farmers market, antique/junk sale). I can still remember the beautiful tin on her ceilings, the hum of the window air conditioning unit and the squeak of the old wooden floors of their house. I will forever be thankful for the time she would spend with us.

Happy birthday Granny. Your spirit is missed, your lessons remembered, and your love remains with all of us.

Sedona Weddings - Simply Perfect Parties

Simply Perfect Parties is a new Wedding and Event planning studio located in the heart of Sedona and I am so honored to be a part of it! We had our grand opening on March 30th, and here are a few of the photos from the event. It was simply gorgeously designed and the food from Rosalie's of Sedona was divine! I also loved the tent from Verve Events and Tents! What a great night!

I would have never thought that black and white and yellow could look so elegant! I adored these chair covers!

The chargers from Verve Events and Tents were so beautiful!

The bonbons, covered in edible glitter were fantastic. They are from Bedazzle My Bonbons. I was skeptical that they would taste delicious since there were so beautiful, but they were! The other food, from Rosalie's of Sedona, was scrumptious!

Alyssa - Marketing Intern

A new face around Celebrations Studio is our new Marketing Intern, Alyssa. She'll be helping us out with social marketing, new marketing material and updating all our websites. And, she's a total sweetheart :) Welcome Alyssa and thank you for everything!

Engagement Session-Alysa & Joe

Alysa and Joe will be married at Foxboro Ranch on a beautiful fall day in September. I first met Alysa when she was a bridesmaid last October at Kat and Zach's wedding in Sedona.

The couple has a gorgeous one year old together that is going to make an adorable flower girl!

The couple chose the Twin Arrows Ranch east of Flagstaff as their engagement shoot location. It was very personal for them because Joe works at the Ranch and it is where he proposed to Alysa.

Joe and Alysa are new owners of adorable Molly who is going to grow up as a cattle dog.

Congratulations again to Alysa and Joe on their engagement and thank you for having us out to the Ranch!