We have done engagement sessions everywhere from Atlantic Station to an elegant hotel to a rustic wooded area all the way to Bourbon Street. But, this was definitely our first photo shoot that involved 14 horses! Kate and Butch simply love their ranch and it was the perfect spot for their engagement photos. We can’t wait for them to see the guest book we created with their favorites from our afternoon at the ranch. Here are some highlights:
We were beyond excited to be asked to be the photogs for Usher’s New Look 2010 World Leadership Awards. The event is honorarily being chaired by Usher, and President Bill Clinton! We can’t wait. What an honor to have a small piece of involvement with this group.
Ric shot the Host Committee event at the Four Seasons last night and it was such a great mix of smart, involved, talented people all coming together for this great organization. My personal 80’s favorite was seeing Jasmine Guy (yes, Whitley Gilbert!) as a grown woman and involved committee member. No, she didn’t bring Dwayne Wayne with her…
The mission of Usher’s New Look is to empower youth as they use their talents and creativity to become corporate and community leaders. It is such an incredible organization, we encourage you to get involved is you can. If you want more info: http://www.ushersnewlook.org.
The event is being held at the Cobb Energy Center on August 6th, and they are expecting over 2500 in attendance. No, we are not going to (thank goodness) photograph the 2500 people there…just work on documenting a behind the scenes look at what goes into such an incredible event, the amazing people who work so hard to put it together, and the amazing kids it will benefit.
Stay tuned, we’ll be sure to share more as the event gets closer. Yeah, yeah! (sorry, I couldn’t resist)
It is always extra special for us to shoot a second special milestone event for a family. We were the photogs for Livvy’s big sister’s bat mitzvah a few years ago, and now it was her turn!
We saw part of Livvy’s rehearsal at the Temple and I was blown away by her beautiful singing voice and her poise when she was practicing her Torah portion. Also, her yad (hand in Hebrew, that is used to point to the Torah as you read) was specially designed by the bat mitzvah girl. That was a very special detail that we had not yet seen.
The celebration was at The Temple in their amazing ballroom. It had an “Anthropologie” type of theme, with oranges, greens, browns and very cool tree and natural decor. Sharon Fisher from It’s My Party was amazing–she and the gals from Tulip came up with all the fantastic ideas. It was just beautiful. Sandra Bank from Added Touch Catering created the most amazing dessert area…oh yeah, the dinner looked good, too. But–those desserts!!! Whoa.
DJ Jazz did his awesome thang, and I don’t think Livvy was off the dance floor for a minute. I was most impressed that she got up to the microphone to thank her family and also all her friends and family for being there with her. It was a really sweet and genuine thank you–we don’t always see the kids do that! The invitations and table cards were done by Susan Hammer–they were letterpressed, and perfectly fit the theme of the night.
Livvy, we wish you and your amazing family a big Mazel Tov! Thanks for letting us share your special celebration with you. Now…on to younger brother Phillip’s bar mitzvah in 2017. 😉
It is always extra special for us when one of our friends becomes our client, and this past weekend was one of those days. Cate has been our associate and good friend since we met a few years ago at a wedding industry event. We instantly connected, and when she asked us to be her wedding photogs, we were honored! She could have had her pick of anyone in the industry, and she picked lil’ ole’ us.
She got ready at the Four Seasons (of course!) and we even piled all her girls (and her “Man of Honor”) into the fabulous bathtub for a fun shot. The pre-wedding stuff was fun, what a great group. Christina Zubowicz was her planner, and as always, she had everyone where they needed to be at exactly the right time.
Cate looked absolutely gorgeous in her Anne Barge creation with a black sash and cool black shoes. Her flowers were done by Marie-Laure’ of Le Jardin Francais from the Four Seasons, and I wanted to take Cate’s bouquet home with me–it was so lovely and smelled incredible.
When Cate and Tim saw each other for the first time, it was really sweet…she pins boutonnieres on grooms almost every weekend at the Four Seasons…so tonight she got to pin one on her own groom. It was a really sweet and personal touch.
The ceremony was warm, Cate’s cousin was one of the officiants and I remember something about marriage being amazing and amazingly difficult at times (something about dealing with morning breath). It was a beautiful service, and Cate and Tim were beaming.
Afterwards, we walked from the church to the Biltmore with them, and got some really cool pics of Cate and Tim walking down the street just happy to be married. The Biltmore looked beautiful! The ballroom is already breathtaking, and the flowers and candles just created such a gorgeous backdrop for the celebration.
I LOVED their choice of first dance song…”Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by the Four Seasons. Such a classic and romantic song! The band was Party Nation, it was our first time working with them and they were so much fun. You could just tell how much they loved what they do–they really had a blast with the crowd.
What was the best part of this great celebration? Was it seeing a ton of our industry pals and watching them really enjoy a celebration instead of being “on duty” at one? Was it working with one of our favorite event planners? A little bit of each…but I would say, hands down, the greatest highlight was seeing one of our pals so incredibly happy, both families so incredibly happy, and being a small part of what we know is a forever marriage. Congrats, Cate and Tim!!! xo
I love when kids have an appreciation for stuff from the good ole’ days. Not to sound like I’m 80, but when a 13 year old can appreciate actors and entertainment from the days before Nick Jr., I’m impressed.
Rachel chose an “I Love Lucy” theme for her bat mitzvah and it was adorable! The centerpieces (Denise Rindsberg from Let’s Celebrate) were so cute and festive and each table tied in a different Lucy episode. Don’t you wish you sat at the Vitametavegamin table? 😉
The big surprise was a Lucy impersonator (she REALLY looked like her!) who came and mixed and mingled with the guests. It really brought the theme to life. DJ Tod was in charge of getting the kids moving, and he came complete with games and trivia and dance contests.
We had a great evening watching the family celebrate, and I always love seeing a close family that is really connected like Rachel’s. Mazel Tov!
It is always so much fun to shoot at the Aquarium, and we had a ball at Matthew’s Bar Mitzvah. They did the coolest thing during the cocktail hour, and we hadn’t seen it before. DJ Jazz (who is really great with keeping the party going) announced a surprise at the back of the room at the big tank. All the kids came running over to see a diver down under with all the sharks and fish and rays, sporting a sign that said “Congratulations, Matthew!” It was pretty cool.
Once the adults and kids all came together, the party really started, and it was a ball. The room in the Aquarium is just beautiful, and Steven Eisenstein there watched carefully over all the details! Tobi Lyons was the planner, and it was great working with her! She pulled in a great team…DJ Jazz (one of my new fave DJ’s), along with Barbara Roos and Christopher from Event Design Group who really created an incredible environment for the party. A few room highlights are here:
It was fun to see such a nice kid celebrate with his friends and family…and we wish them all Mazel Tov!
To be able to spend the day behind the camera is Ric’s happy place…to be able to coordinate some of the best of Atlanta’s wedding industry people to come together for an amazing photo shoot…well, that’s my happy place. It was a great two days earlier this month at the Ritz Carlton Atlanta. We were asked by the hotel to photograph their newly renovated lobby and bar area…and we did it in style!
Lauren at Priscilla of Boston was gracious enough to lend us some of their incredible creations and accessories and they were beyond gorgeous. My personal fave was the Sex and the City type tea length retro dress. It was perfect on our first day’s model, Hannah. Steve and Mika from the Moore Agency did the hair and make-up and transformed the lovely models into breathtaking brides. Catherine and Kathleen from Arrangements worked their floral magic and created such a variety of bouquets to compliment the gowns. They were incredible. Whitney, our model for day two is also an upcoming bride, and we loved having a dress rehearsal with her for when we shoot her own wedding in June! All of this happened with the beautiful Ritz Carlton as the backdrop…quite an amazing two days.
Personally, I adored the “flowergirls” who modeled with the bride on day one. My sweet daughter, Mara, was one of the little ladies, and one of her little bff’s Lillian was her partner in crime. I know I’m biased, but I think the shots we got of the flowergirls are some of the best. (I’m partial to the brunette cutie…!)
Thanks to all our amazing partners for this fantastic shoot. Here’s to many more fun shoots in 2010!
It was fantastic to be at the Piedmont Driving Club (PDC) celebrating Morgan’s Bat Mitzvah. The theme was sort of a South Beach, turquoise and white decor and Barbara Roos and Christopher from Event Design Group just nailed it! It is really a gorgeous room and the floral and linens and lighting just transformed it into Morgan’s event.
Sharon Fisher from It’s My Party kept things rolling perfectly–her energy should be bottled! This was the first time we’d worked with DJ Jazz, and he was outstanding. The kids and adults had a blast. I loved the mix of music…a little Journey, a little Beyonce, a little of everything!
Button It Up was there with their greenscreen, and transported the kids photographically to South Beach. And, the kids each left with a cool beachy t-shirt with Morgan’s initials and PDC and the date created into a cool logo.
Morgan was a doll, and her family was just so great to work with this weekend. We look forward to photographing Morgan’s brother and sister’s mitzvahs soon! Mazel tov!
Ten years ago, when the American Jewish Committee launched the first Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Ric and I were the co-chairs of the young adult evening. It was a great experience, and little did we know that this little festival would blossom into the 2nd largest in the US!
When the AJFF asked us to be their “official photographers” (sounds like the Olympics!), we were thrilled and honored. And, we couldn’t believe that the festival was celebrating its tenth year!
The celebration started at a VIP party at the upper balcony of the Symphony, leading to a concert with Jewish Film Scores being performed onstage. It was beautiful! They talked about the beginning of the festival in 2001–and that really struck a chord with us! (and made me feel a little old, actually!)
The week continued with a Opening Night celebration at Strip at Atlantic Station and a screening of the film Berlin ’36. Our next evening was the Young Adult evening that we had co-chaired years ago. There were even some familiar faces there! The film was called Breaking Upwards, and the film’s writer/director/stars (who were one in the same) were there for Q&A after. It was very cool.
It was great to be involved in such a huge event for the Atlanta Jewish Community. Here’s to 10 more years of this incredible festival!
We see all sorts of milestone events in a family…births, b’nai mitzvah, graduations, weddings… it is so incredibly rare to participate in the kind of milestone we shared with Judy and her family on Saturday night. Judy turned 80 and her children and grandchildren hosted a fabulous evening at the 51st floor of the Residents at the Mansion in Buckhead.
A Legendary Event led by Event Designer, Amy Saltzman did their magic and transformed this raw open unfinished concrete space into a beautiful around the world adventure. Each table was a different city or country that Judy had visited, and the floral and accessories tied right in with that location. It was gorgeous!
Judy loves singing, and her daughter created a songbook for all the guests with well-known songs customized to fit Judy. The crowd fave was “One” from A Chorus Line. It was really fun and warm and such a beautiful tribute to lovely Judy.
We wish Judy many more special celebrations–she really is One Singular Sensation!
Woo hoo!
We love being featured in magazines…well, not US…but our photos! 😉
Check out Emma’s Bat Mitzvah with the phenomenal Tiffany’s theme in the new issue of Atlanta Occasions Magazine. We worked with Sharon Fisher from It’s My Party and Tulip for decor. It was outstanding.
We were so excited that they featured Salima and Matt’s incredible Indian-American wedding celebration in the newest Atlanta Weddings! Such an emotionally and visually breathtaking weekend…decor by J Wilbur at EventScapes.
Woo hoo!
We got to meet some of the cutest little peanuts during our Family Photo Days…and it was incredible to have a few of our brides now coming to our studio with the newest addition to their family. We were honored to start photographing the next phase of their life!
Hope you all had a wonderful HanukChrisZa (etc!) and wishing you a happy and healthy 2010! Here are just a handful of the pics!
<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} —Ric was thrilled that the crew at Tony Conway (A Legendary Event) asked him to photograph the St. Regis holiday party for event planners. The room was beyond gorgeous, and Ric was inspired by the beauty. Ric is always his happiest when he can just shoot and enjoy being creative. And that is what he did. Tony, your gang is amazing, the décor was incredible and just enhanced the already gorgeous St. Regis. Ho Ho Ho!
We were so excited when Omar called us! His plan was to surprise his sweet girlfriend, Linday, with a proposal at the Monteluce Winery, and wanted Ric to document the proposal (in a hidden camera sort of way!). We photographed Lindsay’s big sister’s wedding a few years back, and so Omar called us as soon as he developed his own plan.
It was fantastic! My very NOT sneaky husband, was able to sneak around the winery unseen and caught the moment and the YES! And now, they’ll have photos of that special moment in time to show their children one day!
Lindsay, we were so glad to see you so happy and loved being a part of the true beginning to your marriage!
It is always fun to shoot in a new venue, and we knew that Aja in Buckhead would be a really cool spot. We were right!
Elijah’s Bar Mitzvah celebration was held at Aja and the décor was incredible. Tony Conway and his crew outdid themselves…the reds were so vibrant and gorgeous, the details were all so beautiful, down to the orchids on the napkins at each place setting.
Sharon Fisher (It’s My Party) organized such an amazing event. She thought of every touch…a station for girls to customize little make-up bags, fun green screen pics with Button It Up, air brushed hats, very cool giveaways for the DJ and (our personal fave) a gigantic candy ROOM…not just a candy bar, but a candy room!
The DJ was Ralph from E Ovations, and he kept the kids moving all night while the adults feasted on the amazing Aja cuisine. It was the best mix for kids and adults. Great party!
Elijah, we had a great time with you and your family! Mazel tov on this great accomplishment!
We knew that we were in for a great day at the Four Seasons…all the right ingredients were in place. A phenomenal venue, gorgeous decor by Catherine Walther, planning to perfection by Sue Winner and a beautiful ceremony with Rabbi Tam…what more could Tami and Brent ask for?
Tami looked so pretty when we arrived…she was all dolled up (great make-up a la Steve Moore!) and she was in her cute white hoodie (seems to be THE thing these days for brides!) She was calm and really excited and we were so excited for her! Brent was calm after the initial tuxedo glitches were fixed (uh-oh) and then we were ready for them to see each other at the chuppah.
When Brent saw Tami, his expression was priceless. In a heartbeat, this strong bodybuilder became a teddy bear, it was charming!
The ceremony was beautiful, as Rabbi Tam does so well, and then we were off to the cocktail reception. The Four Seasons did an outstanding job on the food, as always, and all the guests were eating, drinking and celebrating.
Inside the beautiful ballroom, everyone had a ball celebrating Tami and Brent’s union. People danced all night long, and no one wanted to leave when the band played Last Dance.
Tami and Brent, we were thrilled to get to know you both and can’t wait to photograph all the milestones in your long life together!!! Mazel tov!
Their five kids were the bridal party and they were all surrounded by their closest family and friends for the warm ceremony and luncheon celebration.
Mazel tov to Beth, Ben and their sweet kids. We wish you all a healthy and beautiful life together!
The Mansion is such an amazing location for any celebration, so when we heard that Naomi and Dan were getting married there, we were extra excited! There are so many incredible spots there—and we knew we’d have a great time with Naomi and Dan!
Yay us!
We searched and searched and found quite the fantastic little gift! Welcome to our new intern, Kieu-Thu. When we first met, and I learned that she was a marketing student at Emory, who loves photography and just adores weddings…I thought, ok, really? Is this too good to be true. Nope. She is smart and fun and funny and doesn’t laugh at our music. Although we do play a little Beyonce’ when Ric is out of the studio!
Welcome, to our team, Kieu-Thu!
Ric Mershon Photographers - The Blog 
