Moncrief Photography

prepping for isaac {maternity}

brittany — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:02:44 +0000

I am heading out of town for a couple of days…Jimmy and Ada will be holding down the fort (say a prayer :), but I most definitely wanted to get these pictures up for Rachel and Adam before I left. There little guy will be here by Wednesday!!!

Hope you love your slideshow! Click HERE

I am going to let the pics tell the remainder of the story…that is what there intention is anyway, right? :)

Isaac, your mommy and daddy already love you so much and the Lord has ALWAYS loved you! I hope you can look back at these pictures one day and truly know just how much you were already loved! Everyone is anticipating your arrival. . .see you soon!

coming soon {sneak peak}

brittany — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:30:21 +0000

jodi + matt {married}

brittany — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:52:46 +0000

Meet Matt & Jodi! They have been married for 4 years now and still have the fun flirty spirit that brought them together in the first place. Here’s to never having too many pictures of yourself and your beau!

Jodi’s beautiful floral bouquet is from The Treasured Petal

Jodi is aspiring model and makeup artist. Do you think she has what it takes? Cha-yeah! Matt you are not so bad yourself! Seriously, you both were fantastic!

This is hot!

Jodi and Matt were so playful and fun together…loved that!

While there were over 20 people staring at them, Matt looked at Jodi as if she was the only one around.

Your laugh is fabulous Jodi and you are so beautiful inside and out!

So fun Jodi, so fun!

They seriously played and loved on each other as if it really were their wedding day!

Jodi’s more than perfect hair and makeup was by All Made Up Team! Vivian did a fabulous job complimenting the look and feel of the dress.

Seriously love Matt’s scrunched up nose in the first shot and Jodi’s expression in the second.

you are gorgeous…and…gorgeous

Oh wow, Jodi’s incredible handcrafted jewelry is by Noaki Jewelry. It seriously made this dress! Brides, definitely go check out Noaki’s fabulous 1920s inspired jewelry!

In the words of The Treasured Peta’s owner, Kristin Brancaleone, “An athena clip tucked into the bout adds a bit of sparkle. Yep, each and every bead is hand-sewn, because that’s how I roll!” Love it!

Jodi, HOT, seriously, HOT!

So honored to have met Joan Shum, the designer and handcraft-er of Jodi’s stunning dress! Absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much Joan and Joan I must say…you are adorable!

J* thank you for giving such a fabulous opportunity to 20 fabulous people! Muah!

j + star {the workshop}

brittany — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:49:24 +0000

Rewind to November. My mother in law was in town, child asleep, husband surfing our plethora of 13 channels on the TV and I cozily positioned on the couch with laptop in place. Opening my in box and expecting nothing but the norm, I was ecstatically surprised….

(You see, the day prior I woke up to an email newsletter announcing Jasmine Star’s Feb 2010 workshop. I screamed. I hopped out of bed and pretty much accosted my husband in excitement. How he was able to translate my thoughts through my screams I still do not know. Knowing how competitive this workshop could be to get into, he quickly told me to put in for it NOW! Being the good little wife that I am :) I did just that. I pushed send and quickly received a reply that the workshop had already filled up. How could this be? I responded within an hour of the announcement. I was bummed to say the least, but clung to the fact that I was on the waiting list.)

…to find my name and Jasmine Star’s name within the same email. I WAS IN! I WAS IN! I……..WAS……….IN! I jumped and screamed and jumped and screamed! My neighbors thought I had won the lottery, my child thought we had been invaded, my mother in law thought I was crazy and my husband…he knew exactly what had happened. This singularly, was one of the greatest days of my life!

So in short, yes it has taken me way to long to blog about it, but secretly…I just have not wanted it to end and when it is on the blog it means it is done…it is over…complete. But, the truth is, this is really only the beginning because what I have taken from this workshop will be with me forever. Thank you, thank you thank you Jasmine Star for being even more fabulous in real life than I ever could have imagined. The workshop. . .

I entered a beautifully lit room to find that I got to be “brittany *” for the day :) Thank you J* for the notepad, pin and handwritten note and OH so much more!

Fresh flowers cheerily adorned each table top

Jasmine’s beautiful mom who successfully home schooled (well, still is actually :) four fabulous children and lived to tell about it. I enjoyed talking to on how to do such a thing and do it well.

The next post consists of my pictures of Jodi and Matt during the workshop, but for now is a little behind the scene. Jasmine doing what she does best: teaching and photog-ing

I seriously have a girl crush on this chick. . .J* you are FABULOUS!

JD documenting the day for us. . .

One of JD or Jasmine’s shots. . .please excuse my overly white arms. I am pretty sure we could have used them as reflectors if needed :)

Peering through Jasmine’s arm, I got this shot of Jodi’s beautiful eyes.

Yes, Jasmine is fabulous. I love her laugh. . .and she even made us cry. No, she did not beat us nor smash our photog gear on the ground. She instead shared a personal story that had each of us a bit choked up…her self included. This shot is obviously documenting the former.

This shot made me laugh. Love these two…seriously, love them!

I was not the only lucky one that February day. Myself along with 19 other photographers from around the North American continent (yes, continent…one of us was from Canada), spent the day with Jasmine Star. I am so blessed to know each and everyone of you!!!

You each are kind. . .

lovable. . .

beautiful. . .

fun and silly. . .

incredibly talented. . .

a new friend. . .

a fabulous peer. . .

Thank you to each of you! Much love to you all!

Thank you JD for taking these last two! I personally love the first one the most-est :)

and I always thought Jasmine was the funny one in their relationship. . . ;)

thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

lindsey + ray {married}

brittany — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:59:43 +0000

It all started as an office romance. . .a little like Jim and Pam perhaps. It did not take long before they just knew and when you know you know. . . so why wait? Exactly. . .you don’t :) A proposal at Ross’ Landing last year and an engagement session in somewhat the same spot then lead to an incredibly intimate ceremony with immediate family and close friends at Lookout Mountain’s beautiful Grandview. I have immensely enjoyed getting to know this couple. Lindsey and I have chatted very frequently since we first met early last fall and during the day of the ceremony both families invited us in warming as if we were their own. Thank you to both families for making us feel at home as we watch a beautiful thing unfold. Thank you for allowing us to be apart!!!

For Ray and Lindsey’s slideshow please click HERE!

Lindsey you are gorgeous. . .

and your groom fierce. . .

Lindsey you are adorable!

Lindsey admits to being “a bit of a plant geek” and first heard of her now favorite flower, Hellebores, on a beloved gardening show on HGTV. Lindsey had a special request for said flowers in her bouquet. While these flowers are out of season this time of year, florist, Gloria, JUST so happened to have them growing in her yard and they JUST so happened to decide to bloom. Lindsey was both ecstatic and surprise to see this favorite flower nestled in her wedding day bouquet. Gorgeous florals by Making Arrangements.

Love unprompted moments such as these. . .

Lindsey and Ray’s beautiful and delectable cake by Ray’s sister, Mindy Bell.

Be sure to check out Ray and Lindsey’s slideshow for much much more! Click HERE!

Venue: Grandview / Florist: Gloria with Making Arrangements / Cake: Mindy Bell

emily + travis {married}

brittany — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:00:44 +0000

Far from their first days together that began with several feet in distance on the couch, this couple has impeccable chemistry chalk full of happiness and emotion. If one had never met Emily and Travis they still could blatantly tell that on their wedding day. . .they were happy. A happiness that evoked emotion and a happiness that made smile muscles ache. An emotional day always draws me to using primarily black and white. Color, which can sometimes be distracting, when absent puts more focus on the emotion of a picture. Therefore you will see see a large part of this post is absent of color.

While the ceremony was full of emotion, the reception was strictly party. From the bridesmaids singing “Oh Maria” to Travis’ fraternity brothers singing an initiation to his bride to non stop dancing in between, Emily & Travis’ reception was non stop fun! {Complete side note: I was singing “Oh Maria” tonight and Ada kept saying “more, more”. Jimmy commented that it is the first time he has ever heard anyone ask me to sing more. In all honesty I really can’t sing and Ada was laughing every time I started up again, so I am pretty sure she agrees.}

Emily and Travis if your wedding day was any indication, you two have a long incredibly happy life together. I wish you all the best!!!

For Emily and Travis’ wedding slide show, click HERE.

I am convinced I could not even had paid Emily to not-smile on her wedding day and I love that fact about her!

You can find Emily’s gorgeous gown through Boutique Couture.

Wedding details by Darla Seymour

A last minute adjustment by the beautiful bride before she proceeded to see her groom.

I think it is safe to say Travis was very happy to see his bride.

The girls found a perfect spot perched in the window to witness Emily and Travis’ first look.

Did I mention the day was filled with happiness? Emily was surrounded by her sister and closest friends.

This completely unprompted moment has to be my all time favorite interaction between a bride and her daddy. I.-Love-This! It was definitely an emotional day for both, but they carved out small portions of their day just for them.

The low-lite church offered an intimate feel to a very crowded church.

As mentioned prior, it was an emotional day and I am thankful the emotion in this shot was captured.

It was if like most little girls, this flower girl was dreaming about a wedding one day, just for her.

What a great addition to the couple’s reception site, a personalized marquee. . .

Wedding Coordinator: Kelly Drayer

Flowers: Darla Seymour

Cake: Jackson’s Bakery

Wedding Dress: Boutique Couture

Hair: Maegan Gooden with Pink Pineapple

For many many more pictures of Emily & Travis’ wedding be sure to check out their slide show by clicking HERE.

so much to share {sneak peak}

brittany — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:34:37 +0000

2 Beautiful Chattanooga Weddings and 1 Fabulous SoCal Workshop. . .

. . .all coming soon!

parker . 4 weeks

brittany — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:54:17 +0000

Parker was so cute while in his mommy’s belly, but he is even cuter on this side. Nothing short of adorable, Parker is such a laid back little guy. He stayed awake the entire session and was perfectly content 99% of the time.

Babies change so much and so very fast. I am very excited to document Parker’s rapid growth within his first year. So expect to see much more of this little cutie!

For MANY more pics be sure to check out Parker’s slideshow by clicking HERE.

Parker with his sock monkey for scale. You make your sock monkey look very big right now, but not for long. . . :)

I could not decide which of the following I liked the best. Oscar is such a wild man so this was very uncharacteristic of him to be this still :)

Be sure to check out Parker’s slideshow by clicking HERE

gabbie . 4 months

brittany — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:27:56 +0000

I like life, ya know, the real kind. The everyday. The sometimes seemingly mundane. I also love pictures of, said “real life” and are my favorites to look back on with my own childhood. I love to see how my family loved me as a little girl on a daily basis and these are the type of pictures I like to deliver to my clients. . .the real! I specifically started thinking about this today when getting this blog post together.

During one of our most recent trips to Nashville, TN to visit our BFFs I was able to do a mini photo session for Becca and her sweet 4 month old Gabbie. Brent had to work that day so it was just the girls. While I was sad that on this visit I could not capture the entire family of three, I was excited to get some pictures of what Becca and Gabbie’s life looks like on a day-to-day basis while Brent is at work. Besides, I find that mommies are the ones typically taking the pictures therefore are absent in the “scene”. So this post is for the mommies and the babies. To your everyday life and its beauty.

Love you girls!

-brittany-

P.S. Hope you love your slideshow!

Don’t miss Gabbie’s slideshow by clicking HERE.

melina . 6 weeks

brittany — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:30:38 +0000

This session reminds me just how big Ada has gotten at days away from turning two. Babies are a great reminder of just how quickly time flies and a great reminder to cherish everyday. I love this little family and have known Antonio and Jessica since college. These too adore each other, but are completely smitten by her…the little one. Melina came a full month early, but that has not stopped her from being a little ball of energy. Seriously, I have never encountered a newborn that was so alert and stayed awake an entire session. Melina is absolutely adorable and is going to be absolutely gorgeous when she grows up!!!!

Thanks Jess and Antonio for having me over! I too am smitten by your little one!

-brittany-

Hope you love your slideshow. Click HERE.

Be sure to check out Melina’s slideshow by clicking HERE.