I want to thank all the great couples who entered to win both shoots.  I was overwhelmed by the response and it was hard, hard, hard to narrow it down!!! Part of me had so much fun I want to do a wedding contest and another part of me thinks how in the world would I ever choose a couple?

and the finalist are……(in no particular order)

But before I do that, I want to tell people how to vote.  Please vote by sending an email to contest@leighmillerphotography.com and put the name of the couple you are voting for in the subject.  I will not be opening the emails and reading them.  I will only be looking at the names in the titles.  And also, this is important,  please ONLY VOTE ONCE for each contest – the engagment session and the day after.   If i see numerous votes coming from the same email I will throw them all out.  Votes will be taken until midnight CA time on August 12.  I will post the winners on the blog on August 14.  Also I promise that you will not get any spam email or email from me at all by voting in this contest! 

So read on.  A little about each couple and a photo.  Thank you all.  And good luck!!!

ENGAGEMENT SESSION FINALISTS

Colleen and Jimmy

Hi Leigh:

I just found a note about your contest on theknot.com. This is pretty exciting and I’m glad I have the chance to enter. So I am recently 3 weeks engaged. My now fiancé, Jimmy, proposed to me on June 29th. I was having a jewelry party at my house with a bunch of women, my mom, sister and Jimmy’s mom included, when in walked Jimmy, who was supposed to be at work. Jimmy is a New York City Fireman and I knew when he walked in the door, that he was about to propose. So he asked me to be his wife in front of a bunch of crazy, crying, laughing, screaming women. Me, I couldn’t laugh or cry. I was so shocked, it took me a good hour for it to hit me, what just happened. I never predicted I would receive a gorgeous diamond engagement ring at my own jewelry party!

We both grew up in Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York. Ironically, we did not know each other growing up, but our grandparents did. My paternal grandmother and Jimmy’s maternal grandmother, worked together at the age of 16 years old.. They lost touch but since Jimmy and I met our grandmothers get together for lunch every Saturday. My paternal grandfather and Jimmy’s paternal grandfather, both worked on the piers in Manhattan as Longshoreman together. My grandfather has since passed. I love that our families knew each other so long ago. There is something to be said about knowing the person you are marrying and in my case, both families have so much history together.

After graduating high school in 1995, I moved back to New York. While I was flying back to New York, Jimmy was flying to California to pursue his passion of surfing. While in California, Jimmy also joined a local rugby team which would later on send him all around the world to compete. He then moved to New Zealand and played for a local team there. In 2000 and while living in New Zealand, Jimmy was called to the FDNY to become a fireman, but he turned it down, because he was not ready to give up his love of rugby. When 9/11 happened, Jimmy decided that coming home and being with family and friends was more important than playing a sport. So he came back home about a month later to attend all of the funerals of the 9/11 deceased. There were many from our neighborhood who perished, mostly firemen. Jimmy called the FDNY and asked to be taken into the next class and so he started the FDNY Academy in February 2002. I on the other hand, have been working at various firms in Manhattan since 1997 as an Executive Assistant. I love being an assistant and I love Manhattan. While I was here that horrible day in 2001, I never let the terrorists get the best of me. I take buses and trains in and out of Manhattan through tunnels and over bridges. I love it here!

On September 18th, 2004, we met at a party in our neighborhood and we haven’t been apart since. 2 weeks later, I had an already scheduled trip to Ireland with my sister and her boyfriend, who has family there. I bought Jimmy a plane ticket without asking him first and a week later, he flew to Ireland with us for 10 wonderful days. Our relationship only just bloomed on that trip. We had a great time and were truly and madly in love with each other. So now that we are engaged, I would love the opportunity to have professional engagement pictures of us. There are some really great photo opps in this great city. If you were to choose me and Jimmy, I would love to take you to my favorite spot, the Brooklyn Bridge. Ahhh, the walk over this bridge is magnificent. It truly gives a person like me, who works here 5 days a week, the chance to really see the sky line and appreciate the beauty of New York City. My other favorite spot is Coney Island in Brooklyn. With a good imagination, you can almost see how it was in the early 1900’s with men and women walking so elegantly and dressed in their tuxes and big dresses holding fancy umbrellas. Of course, Coney Island’s clientele has changed since then, but they have a beautiful boardwalk, amusement park, ball park and the world famous Nathan’s hot dogs. They have many photo opps to choose from.

I hope to meet you on August 28th!

Cara and Wes

Hi! Ok so here’s our deal…..

Wes and I fell in love in and with New York. But we are not one of those cheesy couples that goes to central park for engagement shots of me sitting on my fiancé’s lap on a boring rock. That is NOT us. This is the perfect way to bring New York to our wedding in Italy and I’ve been sad that we haven’t done the whole engagement pic experience, but like I said, traditional is just not our thing. So, we’re ready to take NY by storm with you! Whether it’s a shot in Strawberry Fields, on Carrie’s stoop from Sex in the City, with the Soup Nazi, at the Empire State Building, on the Brooklyn Bridge, on the subway, in a cab, or even with the Naked Cowboy in time square!!! Maybe we’ll even show you some places you’ve never been!!! And of course, we’ll grab a hot pretzel along the way!!

I am Cara and my fiancé (Wes) and I both live and work in NYC (well, we live in Hoboken for 4 months now but we’ve lived in NYC since college and Wes refuses to admit he lives in Jersey). We met on a blind date through mutual friends and we have been making each other laugh ever since. We were engaged March 9th- we took the day off of work and we pretended we were tourists in NYC- we hit central park, top of the rock, brunch, times square, shopping etc. Wes proposed later that night and we haven’t stopped celebrating with friends and family!!

We are now planning our destination wedding in Italy (whoo hoo!!) and I want to do something to highlight how important NY is to us and our relationship. But now that I saw this contest, this could be the PERFECT way to incorporate New York into our wedding. Wes and I looove NY. Wes knows every neighborhood, all the good restaurants and places to go. Wes is what I would call the master tour guide of New York. He is always planning nights out and excursions for us in the city. If we were picked I would have the pics framed on each table at our reception!! I’m so excited just thinking about it!

Thanks for your time and consideration!! Great contest idea!!!

Cara

Sylvia and Adrian

I am officially entering me and my fiancé Adrian in your contest for an engagement shoot! And although you already know a little about us, I guess I should provide a little info for your blog stalkers (of which I am one!!). Adrian and I have been together for over 4 ½ years and we just got engaged over Christmas 2006. We’re getting married on the newest trendy wedding date 8/8/08 in Mexico and we’re so lucky to have persuaded the fabulous Leigh Miller to come with us and shoot our wedding.

Adrian and I met in 2003.  Little did we know that he had been “in” my life for much longer than that.  It wasn’t until after we started dating that we realized he was friends with my brother since they were little.  They hung out together, played on the same sports teams and grew up together yet we never met.  Now I know it was because it wasn’t our time.  After a string of near misses and almost encounters we finally met and have been inseparable ever since.

On Christmas Eve 2006, almost 4 years after we began dating, Adrian proposed.  One of my Christmas gifts was a beautiful wooden puzzle.  He knows how much i love to build them, and I could see that this was a custom puzzle that was a picture of us.  After we had opened our gifts we went to build the puzzle.  Piece by piece, a beautiful picture of us began to come to life, until the second to the last piece of the puzzle.  I picked up the piece and it said “You are the final piece to my puzzle…”  I placed the piece in but there was still a piece missing.  Adrian went to go “find” it, came back, gave it to me and watched as I put the last piece in the puzzle.  When I looked down I realized it said “Will you marry me?” and Adrian was beside me on one knee to propose.  I, of course, said yes and now we’re planning the day that will start the rest of our lives together.

Now, why should we win? Well because 1 – We’re from New Jersey and it would give us the chance to shoot with Leigh before next summer, we’d get to meet, become comfortable with each other and this would make our wedding that much more fun. And with her in California and us all the way across the country this is something that otherwise will not really be possible. 2 – We are super fun and you really can’t help but have a good time around us, and don’t you want Leigh to have fun while she’s in NY! 3 – We know good spots to shoot and we’re always up for anything. 4 – We LOVE to take pictures of ourselves!!! And normally I’m the one taking them, so it would be nice if there was someone else that could help us out so that my arm isn’t in every picture of us that we have. And finally 5 – I already have the perfect dress to wear!!!

Good luck and congratulations to all couples! Thanks so much Leigh!

Xoxo, Sylvia

On to the DAY AFTER FINALISTS

Iris and Andrew

Hi Leigh,

I live in NYC and have been following your blog for a while. I was so excited to see that you are holding this contest and of course I have to enter!!!

We met in 2002 at a party held at a Mars themed restaurant in Times Square. Purely random meeting, he walked up to me and we started talking! It was one of those chance, fate things – my friend has just left me for two seconds to go get a drink at the bar and I was standing there by myself (only time I was alone all night) when he walked by. He actually walked past me, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone circle back and stop in front of me. Normally, I am a bit weary of strange guys I meet at parties, but when my friend got back and we were all walking through the crowd to go find a seat to sit down and talk, he turned to me and said “hold onto your friend so we don’t lose her in the crowd”…that was it, I knew he was a nice guy. Most guys would have been trying to ditch my friend so they can talk with me alone.

Long story short, we dated for 4 years – he proposed on our 4 year anniversay on top of the Empire State Building in 2006 and took me to the restaurant where we had our first date (also called my parents for their approval beforehand) and we just recently got married on June 10, 2007. We’re very different in many ways too – he’s in the art field working in Advertising (but currently going to grad school part-time for Illustration) while I’m in the banking field (currently going to school part-time for my MBA). He likes independent, artsy movies, while I’m into the chic flicks and big blockbuster type movies. He listens to rock, different bands, blues, etc while I listen to pop music. But what binds us together is that we’re both extremely family oriented and we value friendship and loyalty tremendously. Also, coincidently, we were both born in Taiwan and moved here with our families at the age of 4! Except he grew up in NJ while I grew up in VA – but it really helps that we have similar family upbringings and similar views on life.

We would like to do the “Trash the dress” shoot. Our wedding was a daytime Sunday wedding and our ceremony/reception were all at the same location. We only had a few hours before the ceremony to take pictures because we wanted to spend as much time with our guests as possible. It was held in Long Island and given the time of the wedding, we didn’t have time to go around in NYC to take pictures. We want another opportunity to take pictures – with no time restraint, no worries of the dress dirty, just plain having fun!

Thanks for doing this contest!

Iris

Christine and Joe

Hi! My name is Christine and my husband’s name is Joe. I’m from Hawaii but have been living in NYC for the past 6 years. Joe is from Long Island. We got married on May 11 (so this would be for a day after/trash the dress shoot) in Hawaii. In one word I would describe us as silly :-) We met in NYC and currently live in Brooklyn (which we love). I say we have a NYC love story so it would be awesome to have the photos to go along with it. Also, since getting engaged and now married I think I have become a little obsessed with photography especially wedding photography (I’m constantly looking at blogs yours included!) and I love the photo journalistic style :-) Also, I really loved wearing my wedding dress, and was lucky enough to wear it twice because we had another reception in NY after our Hawaii wedding so to wear it again would be fab! There are tons of cool locations in Brooklyn to shoot, DUMBO (down under the Manhattan bridge overpass) has views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge as well as the NYC skyline, and is right on the water (the east river) it’s really cool! It’s a totally different take of NYC and I love it! There also a lot of alleys and cool places to shoot in the area. I know this isn’t very long, but I hope its enough. We would really love to be a part of your contest!

Hope to hear from you soon! Christine

Karen and Tim

My name is Karen I have actually been married since Oct 06 and before that we had done JOP in Jan 06. I am 22 and my husband is 23 and in the military. I am always around NYC and my husband will be a NYC firefighter (FDNY) once he is out of the military. I attend school in the Bronx and live just outside.

We are a fun couple and I would love for us to do this together, yet I do not know if he will be in or out of the states. If he is out and I can still do the shoot I would love to do the TRASH YOUR DRESS shoot. I know my way around the city and Central Park is amazing, along with the Seaport, etc. If my husband can’t be there I would really love to be able to do this so I can give him the pictures to have while we still live apart (he is in Virginia and while I am up here in NY).

Tim and I met when I was 15 and he was 16.  We worked at our local ski mountain and both instructed ski/snowboard lessons.  I had a crush on him instantly.  We joked and wrestled around like 15 year olds do and the “ogrown” instructors would joke with us that we’d get married one day and we would just laugh and say no way!  Well we lost touch every spring/summer and would reunite in the fall/winter again.  Each time one of us would have a significant other.  Finally in the fall of 2003 we reunited.  My freshman year of college I was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to come back to my hometown.  We met again when I went to the annual meeting for instructors.  The rest is history.

 I say him off to bootcamp June 2004 and waited until Oct 04 to finally see him again.  We emailed back and forth and I only saw him once more before he deployed in March 2005.  In October 2005 we finally saw each other when I went down to VA.  The majority of our relationship had been long distance.  In December 2005 he proposed and we married month later at a JOP due his pending deployment.  We planned our wedding for October 2006 and just one month after the wedding he deployed again.  He was gone Nov thru May.  I have one more year to wait until he will finally be back in NY with me, back with our family and friends.  I cannot wait!!!

I was born and adpoted from California, where you come from too:) Attached are pictures of us from out wedding taken by family and friends and then the last one is us having fun after he just got back from being in Iraq for 6 months, taken Memorial weekend 07.

Thanks and please consider me.

Only a few more days left to enter the great New York City Contest.  For details click here.  I’m so excited about meeting two fabulous couples and have a blast shooting around the city.  Entries will be accepted until midnight CA time July 30th.  The finalist will announced sometime before midnight August 1st.  Can’t wait.  Good luck :)

Yep here I am again, getting to shoot at home :)  Laura and Andy found me through my sister-in-law, Faith.  Andy and Faith went to high school together in Frontenac, KS.  And npw Lauren and Andy live in AZ and are planning a wedding at La Venta Inn in November and I get to be their wedding photograper!  So I was thrilled to meet them and their doggy Reese for the engagement session in Coronado.  Can’t wait for the wedding!!!  See you guys soon.

I was so happy to be Lauren and Ian’s wedding photographer for a number of reasons.  First of all they are just really awesome people.  Secondly Ian was my son’s spanish teacher in high school for 2 years (we actually didn’t realize that until we exchanged a few emails).  And lastly I got to shoot in my own backyard – right here in Coronado!!!  And what a joy it was.  Right from the beginning Lauren and Ian talked about the most important thing to them about their wedding was being surrounded by the friends and family that they care about so much.  I knew this wedding was going to be full of fun, laughter and celebration!!!  Lauren and Ian made sure every last detail was taken care of to ensure their guests had a blast from the food and drinks to the band (more about that later).  They are that thoughtful.  Ian even wrote me a thank you note the day after the wedding as he was packing to go to Hawaii.  So congratulations Senor and Senora!  Thank you again for letting me be a part of your wonderfully fun wedding day! 

Lauren getting the star treatment she deserves.

Seeing each other for the first time.  They decided to do that before the ceremony so we could go ahead and shoot the family photos. That way no one missed the cocktail hour.

Ian waiting for Lauren.

Here’s where I live.  Lovely Coronado.  What a great place for a ceremony!

Ian also coaches the high school water polo team so the pool seemed like the perfect backdrop. 

The food was spectacular!

Lauren and Ian had this amazing 80s cover band.  The 80s all-stars.  They play all over San Diego. 

I’m not sure Lauren was excited about doing the hora!

Happy to be back on the ground.

Did I mention all the joy and celebration at this wedding?

Rock on Flock of Seagulls.

The long wait is over!  Congratulations to Denise and Carl who got married earlier this month!!!  I was so happy to be their wedding photographer because I knew what a fun group they would be since I shot Denise’s sister’s wedding last year.  It’s always fun to see familiar faces and catch up.  Denise and Carl had a lovely church wedding followed by a reception at the amazing Mission Inn in Riverside.  WOW what a place.  If you get married there be sure and put aside some extra time for photography as there are so many cool backdrops to use.  I could have shot for hours but alas Denise and Carl had a wedding reception to go to ;) So here’s a small preview of what’s to come.  Congratulations guys!  I’m so happy for you and both your wonderful families. 

Denise’s dress had the most beautiful buttons and lace detail.

And her bouquet was lovely.  Notice one of the new blog headers?

Carl waiting.  I love how excited his best man/brother is.  Trying to get a peak of Denise coming down the aisle.

If you follow my blog you know this is an iconic shot that I love!  The dad handing off the bride.  Sometimes its a funny moment and sometimes its bittersweet with tears and joy. 

Carl!  Glad the formals are over.  Really I’m pretty fast at those!

Love the architecture at the Mission.

Sassy Denise! 

Carl showing off too.  This shot was taken by Nic who was working with me.

Martha Stewart get outta the way.  Meet Uncle Art.  Uncle Art is wedding coordinator extraordinare.  He keeps the show moving.  Making sure things are where there supposed to be and people are too!!! Next year he will be hosting a wedding with the Today Show you just wait! And not only can he coordinate a wedding, but he can sing and dance too :)  Everyone should have an Uncle Art.

Carl gets some $$$!

And keeps the gals laughing by doing the robot.

Rosanne and Jon who just celebrated their 1 year anniversary! Congrats :)  It was nice to see you both.

Yes I’m still here.  It’s that time of year and I feel like I’ve been leaving my loyal blog readers hanging.  So sorry!  I’m checking in now to let you know there are lots of new posts coming up – woohoo!!! Before I head off to Cabo in a week for Elizabeth and Ben’s fabulous wedding at Las Ventanas I will be blogging 4 weddings and an engagement session. And of course there will be lots to blog when I return from Cabo cause not only am I shooting a wedding while I’m there but also an engagement session and a few boudoir shoots.  I’m hanging around for a little longer in Mexico to see the sites and shoot some fun local stuff.  Yeah, thats right, stuff!  Then the fun continues as I travel to Sonoma, Cape Cod and England for weddings the rest of the month.  And of course I’ve got some great things going with the New York City contest (Please spread the word! Only 1 more week to enter!!! ONE MORE WEEK!!! I just added a slideshow to that post, right below this one) So please don’t forget about me.  Great photos coming!  I promise :)

Yep, thats right I’m having a contest and giving away two photoshoots!  I’m going to be in NYC for a few days in between weddings in Cape Cod and England and am looking to take advantage of one of my favorite cities in the world.  New York City you’re all mine :)  And just to get all you guys and gals entering ready, heres a slideshow of some recent engagement pics :)

So here’s the deal.  I’m looking for a few lucky couples who are a lot of fun! And I mean lots of fun, for an engagement session and also a day after, trash the dress, whatever the heck you want to call it session.  There will be two separate winners. To qualify you must be fun, did I say that already?  Willing to do anything I want.  Available August 28th.  And a great knowledge of the city and fabulous locations is a plus.  You can be engaged or already married.  Just as long as you like each other and are willing to prove it.

 So how do you enter?  Easy. Email the following to contest@leighmillerphotography.com

1. Of course I want to know who you are, a little about you as a couple, and which shoot you want to do and why.

2. Attach a current photo of the two of you. 

3. And if you’re entering for the day after, trash the dress shoot please attach a photo of your wedding gown.  You don’t need to be willing to ruin your dress to do this.  I’ve never actually had a dressed ruined in the process of doing one of these.  They clean up pretty well.  But if you don’t care what happens to your dress please indicate that.

What will you be getting out of this experience?  Well a fun day with me and the edited images on a DVD to keep.  You might think wow that’s pretty cool.  Yep :)  

The deadline for entries is July 30th.  I will choose and post the top three finalist for each shoot here on August 1st and let the blog stalkers decide! (love you guys)  Voting will stop on August 12th at midnight California time and the winners will be announced on August 14th.

I’m so excited.  I’ve never done anything like this before.  Good luck and I can’t wait to meet two new fabulous couples and take NYC by storm!!! Ok, 1, 2, 3…..go!!! 

PS - A few questions have come up since I posted this.  Please only enter yourself.  If you know someone who would like to do this help them out by passing along the information.  And please only enter once.  This isn’t a drawing.  I will be choosing the finalist based on their entry info.  Yes, I will personally be reading each email!!! This is fun!

I have been looking forward to Jessica and Brian’s wedding since they hired me about a year ago.  They are the sweetest couple and so in love.  When you’re with them you can just feel how much they care about each other!  I hadn’t seen them in forever so it was like a fun little reunion seeing them again on the wedding morning!  And it turned out to be a beautiful wedding day at Westlake Village Inn.  Jessica chose so many cool details that really highlighted her Japanese heritage and remembered their family members who couldn’t be there on the wedding day.  So here you go guys, a little preview from the wedding day.  I hope Europe is a blast!  How could it not be?  Talk to you soon. Congrats again – Leigh

Don’t you just love Jessica’s shoes!

Some of the beautiful details.  The tables were named for favorite authors and poets.

Brian waits.

A quiet moment with the bridesmaids before Jessica walks down the aisle.

I love this moment.

Isn’t Jessica lovely!  And yes, her eyelashes are real!

Jessica had a unique and beautiful bouquet of orchids.

Mr. and Mrs.  Congrats :)