And this is only the ceremony!!

Hey everybody!

I just can not bring myself to put up all the details from Brittany Lavy and Chase Priest's wedding in one day. That would be such a waste because you'd just scroll right through them, and the details were done SO well (with the help of the amazing Jenessa Bailey) that I'm committing myself to giving them the credit they deserve. So there!

I will start with details and story from the first half of the day. I said it yesterday and I'll say it again today - this is totally Style Me Pretty worthy! Have a look:


Beautiful Brittany as she finishes getting ready...


Typical boy... and typical girl... don't you love them instictively?!


Okay, I LOVE this moment as Dad is about to walk Brittany down the aisle. She's focused! I think she was trying to keep herself from crying...


But she just couldn't help it...

First United Methodist Church in Fayetteville is so pretty!

And the sweet kiss...

And the getaway...


Okay, tomorrow, get ready! You won't even know what hit ya!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Brittany and Chase's wedding portraits

Hey everybody!

For the next few days, I'm going to share an UNBELIEVABLE wedding with you. For a day that was supposed to be spoiled by rain, Brittany and Chase defied nature and had an beautiful wedding and a Style-Me-Pretty-worthy reception. Seriously.

Today's post includes some of my favorite portraits.

Details galore tomorrow!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Ellie's Trash the... uh... tutu?

Hey everybody!

Each year, our family heads to Gulf Shores, Alabama, for a week away from it all.  We lounge around Orange Beach like Kings.  Lazy Kings.  Also each year, we do a trash the dress session with Ellie.  This year, for some odd reason, we didn't pack dresses (lots of skirts, though), so when it came time for our annual trash the dress session, we had to be a little creative.

In other news, the next three weekends are DOUBLE wedding weekends, (so it was a perfect time for a refreshing vaca!) which means this blog is going to be HOPPIN in the next few weeks with tons of wedding photos, and Meredith and I will be worn to the bone after all is said and done.  And now we're off to Memphis for Chelsea and Seth's wedding weekend.  Peace out!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Guiding Light - Wedding Day Planning

Hey everybody!

Today is a very important BRIDE post.  When you're planning your wedding day, it's so important to think about lighting and how it aligns with your wedding day portraits.

Here's a very helpful link to know the sunset times: http://www.almanac.com/sun/rise/AR/Fayetteville/ - this is of course for Fayetteville, but if you're one of my distant stalkers, www.almanac.com is what you need.

So, let's put this to use - if you're getting married in November and have a 6pm ceremony, are you going to get sunny portraits AFTER your ceremony?  According to the almanac, it'd take a freak-occurrence for that to happen.

For Benfield Photography couples, we prefer to have some portrait time during the hour before sunset - this ensures some deliciously scrumptious portraits with lovely light.  We never force a couple to see each other (yeah, we hear stories), but we will work with you on your schedule to get the best portraits possible.

Talk to you soon!
Dale

Two Dogs and a Wedding Couple

Hey everybody!

While I was photographing my best friend's wedding, Meredith was photographing one of her good friend's wedding. Dana Sargent (you probably follow her on Twitter :D ) married Alan Schlagenhaft in a super sweet ceremony a couple weeks ago. If you know Dana, you know she's crazy about her two girls, Claire and Eleanor. Meredith and Lauren shot portraits with them after the wedding. Fun, huh?! Have a look through the highlights of Dana and Alan's wedding day.

Talk to you soon,
Dale

The Very Stylish Couple

Hey everybody!

I'm no Carson Kressley, but I think I have a little bit of fashion sense. Hello - my love for fancy shoes! Anyway, it's rare that I hang out with a guy and am envious over what outfits he has no trouble in executing, but Chase can dress! This man has style. And his fiancee does too. No only that but she brought the best accessories to their engagement session. I love when a girl--nay, a couple--finishes a look.  See below and you'll see what I mean.

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Emily's Bridal and Secret Session

Hey everybody!

Notice again the pink Christian Louboutins.  Love.them.  As do I love both the bridals I shot of Emily and the secret session the Meredith shot.  What a good team we make!

Have a peek!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

How could I forget to post these?

Hey everybody!

With all the awesome details and moments of Tom and Emily's wedding day, I almost forgot to post portraits. Am I getting forgetful?

How could I forget about these?!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

The Groomsman Photographer Strikes Again

Hey everybody!

I can't tell the story of Tom and Emily without including Chloe. When she's not being ornery...

... she's being precious...

Here's a shot of the groomsman (me) photographing the groom. I'm a special part of the day, right?!?!

I mean, I got to hold the ring after all!

I love this shot of Tom with his nephew...

...who is definitely a future pro-skater...

Then it was dancy-dance time. Did I, or did I not, get the best first dance moment? I love the dipping kiss.

Care to explain? Sure. Some of us boys thought we'd entertain the crowd with our pretty voices. Yep, we did that.

Definitely my favorite moment of the night (remember: daddy/daughter moments get me BIG TIME): Tom and Chloe choreographed a dance together to entertain the guests. Entertain.They.Did.

Tom, Em, and Clover: I love y'all, and I look forward to our continued friendship and life together. And the countless games of Tecmo Super Bowl.

Talk to you soon,

Dale