Stacey Bode Photography

What’s the only thing better than a party?  Two parties, of course!  Or at least two parties in one.  I got to second shoot with Robin Nathan at the elegant St Regis Hotel.  The celebration was for the 40th anniversary of Ann and Jay, and the engagement of Elizabeth and Matt.  Yay!  It was a fabulous evening with tons of great friends, food, and music.  I’m already looking forward to shooting with Robin again this October when Elizabeth and Matt tie the knot!

Here’s a little bit of what I shot that night.

Fifty years of marriage is definitely a good reason to throw a fabulous party.  My friends Robert and Kristi recently held a wonderful event to celebrate the anniversary of Robert’s parents.  It was held at the cool 1420 Room, and naturally, Big Mike and some of the fellas from Kingsized were there to play lots of sweet tunes.  Both Robert and Kristi are creative artists, so it was no surprise that Robert’s speech was really touching and eloquent.  This is obviously a tight family, and his folks still look at each other in that special way.  Here’s to many, many more years of marriage and love!

I finally got to meet gorgeous baby Stella.  So sweet, and Kristi really brings out the beauty of motherhood.

I feel so lucky to have met the Tolchin family.  I always have room in my world for people who are kind-hearted, gracious, and who know how to throw a really great party!  Back in May, I had a wonderful time taking some family portraits with them.  Time sure flies, and a week ago, Zachary’s big day finally arrived.  I stopped by the beautiful Temple Sinai to snap some pics while he practiced everything he’d been learning (he did a super job, by the way).  The following day, we headed to the cool sushi spot, Nori Nori for some major celebrating.  Amid the atmosphere of fun music, amazing food, and fabulous dance moves, what truly stood out was the love shared in this family.  That is certainly a joy to witness!

Here are some of the photos from this awesome event…

Congratulations, Zachary!!

In today’s beauty-obsessed society, it sure is nice when a group of girls is presented with the message that they are just dandy the way they are.  That was a big point made during the recent fundraiser for Bert’s Big Adventure, an organization I’ve worked with for two years now.  The Peace, Love, and Pure Fashion Show celebrated not only the latest clothing trends for girls, but also the fact that we’re all beautiful just being ourselves.  Woo hoo!

I met Akaya on last year’s BBA trip, and her face lights up the room every time I see her!

The event was held at Opera in Midtown.  I had never been there before, and it’s really cool and HUGE!

Crystal and Nya looked so pretty!

Corinna Allen of CBS Atlanta hosted the event.  If you go to her blog, you can check out the Cadillac contest she’s involved in that will donate $2500 to Bert’s Big Adventure if her blog gets the most votes.  Please click and help out!

Stacey Weiss did a great job with this fundraiser!

Angel was one of the awesome kids I met on this year’s BBA trip to Disney.  Who knew she could work the runway too?!

After the fashion show, Jonny Diaz performed for everyone.  His songs really helped convey a positive message to all the young gals.  Yay!

BBA, thanks for letting me be part of yet another incredible event!

As if Sara and Scott hadn’t already earned their share of awesome points during their way cool Halloween wedding last year, they also now get credit for allowing me to get to know their friends Cassie and Keith better.  A couple months ago, I got a voice message from Cassie.  It was one of those messages that was so lovely and sweet that I probably kept it on my phone longer than I should have.  She was hoping that I might be able to photograph an event she was planning.  She and her hubby, Keith, were going to renew their vows in celebration of their 10 year anniversary.  What a fabulous reason for some photos!  I don’t throw around the word “blessed” too often, but I do feel really blessed that they wanted me to capture this day for them.  It was a beautiful event that included their two adorable sons, family, friends, food, and even a loud train that crashed the ceremony.

Here are some of the images I snapped, and there are more pics in a slideshow at the end of this post.  Woo hoo!

Cassie has one of the brightest, warmest smiles you’ll ever see.

It’s a cutie-pie sandwich!

I love this one of the boys spying on mom and dad.

Their celebration was held in downtown Acworth, which had some really charming places to take photos.  Yay!

Cassie put out some super pretty decorations.

I was a little obsessed with all the wonderful mirrors in the space.

The whole gang!  Gotta love people that are okay being a little goofy.

Keith and Cassie talked about how important their boys are to them, and presented both of them with a special engraved tag to wear around their necks.  So cool.

She brought a gift certificate that she wasn’t able to find on her original wedding day.  If I have the story right, I think she was pretty upset when it was lost 10 years ago….and I believe Keith found it on this day when they renewed their vows.  Isn’t that wild?!

The boys were so cute checking out the trains going by.

Thanks so much you two, and here’s to another fantastic 10 years!

To view a slideshow of more images from Cassie and Keith’s heartfelt vow renewal ceremony, please click HERE

So much cuteness!  Riley is one adorable little fella, and recently celebrated birthday #2 in style.  His cool mom, Ryan, planned a fun bug and garden themed party at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens (one of my favorite places…even though I still get lost every time I’m there!).  The party was filled with lots of playful details, decorations, and happy families.  I loved the sound of the joyful squeals, and all the little feet running around the room.  For my next birthday, I just might request a trip to the gardens and a neat-o giant frog cake!

Here’s the super birthday boy!  That little angel face!

This party had me wondering if there’s a new law I’m not aware of that requires all children to be ridiculously cute.

Jenna, Florent, and little Rio were there!  Yay!

Riley gets a little help blowing out candles from his pretty mommy.

Ryan got these antennae headbands for everyone to wear.  LOVE it!

At the end of the party, we all headed outside for some playtime in the gardens.  It was a gorgeous day.

I can’t get enough of moments like the one in this next pic…

Riley, I hope you have a wonderful year of learning, playing, and lots more of those big smiles!

Last night, I was selling my wares at The Wedding Party held by Atlanta Magazine. The show took place at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, one of my favorite places.

I was there to promote my photo services, and the makeup and massage talents of my friend Sloane. It was so fun hanging out with her, and I now have proof that we are kindred spirits. Take a look at the photos below. I don’t think either of us realized that we were doing the exact same goofy pose! Sometimes life is so good, you just have to sport the double thumbs-up!

We met a lot of great folks planning weddings, and some cool people who also work in the biz. I hope I didn’t scare any of them away with my enthusiasm or wild hand movements.

I can’t think of a better use for a portrait session. Dell and Ferlando are two very caring people who were concerned that Ferlando’s mother would not be able to attend their wedding due to health issues. Therefore, they scheduled a mini event so that she could watch her son marry the woman he loves. They had several loved ones in attendance, beautiful flowers, and a cake I won’t soon forget.

It was a gorgeous day, and a wonderful gesture for someone they care about so deeply.

Thanks so much to Dell, Ferlando, and their awesome family. Matt and I had a great time shooting your fantastic wedding last weekend, and I’ll be posting some of those pics soon!

This is the first time that my packing list for a trip has included “sparkly plastic tiara”. Check.

I am beyond privileged to have been chosen to photograph Bert’s Big Adventure this year. Bert is the host of Q100’s morning show, and this is the 8th year he’s organized this all-expenses paid incredible trip for families with chronically or terminally ill children. This experience provides these families a much-needed break from all the challenges of daily life, and allows them to just have fun together.

I can’t imagine a more wonderful event to photograph, and I am SO excited to meet all the families, the Bert Show staff, and hopefully take some beautiful images for them.

They will be posting updates daily, so check out what we’re up to, by clicking HERE.

The fabulous Synchronicity Performance Group hosted a cabaret fund raiser at one of my favorite venues, The Moulin Rouge Room at Paris on Ponce. The evening was a very entertaining mix of songs, dances, holiday themes, jokes, and some good old-fashioned naughty versus nice.

I loved their idea of auctioning off “table songs” sung to individual attendees. Man, there was a lot of talent in that room! Everyone seemed to be in a really giving spirit for a great cause. Everybody wins!