Drew + Kelsey are the sweetest couple. Not only do they put others before themselves, but they are very selfless in their relationship with each other. This will be a wonderful foundation for their marriage.  Both families have gone to church together for years and have a great friendship. Drew remembers all too well how their relationship began… he had to tell Kelsey’s brother (Drew’s best friend) that he was in love with his sister Kelsey.  Needless to say, it didn’t go over very well at the start.  But, over time, the whole family discovered that Drew + Kelsey are a match made in heaven. Their wedding day at Integrity Hills was full of beauty and happiness- a true celebration of this couple. Their ceremony took place at 10:30am on a Saturday morning, followed by a brunch for their guests, catered by Integrity Hills. I hope you enjoy these images that tell the story of their wedding.

Kelsey wore a gorgeous dress and earrings from Ella Weiss in Springfield.  Her hair was done by Chris Link at A Wild Hair in Branson.

The gorgeous flowers and bouquets were designed by Ron at The Nest.

The first look- always the sweetest moments.

Drew + Kelsey exchanged gifts before the ceremony. She was so excited about her new jewelry box.

Always the sweetest moment.

Love this shot of Kelsey and her mom.

Men’s suits from Men’s Wearhouse and ladies dresses from The Limited.

Wedding rings and bands from Mitchum Jewelers in Ozark.

Cake from Sugar Leaf Bakery in Branson. Cake Pops from Lollicakes in Ozark.

The couple honeymooned at Excellence Resort in Playa Mujeres, Mexico.

I wish you all of the best, Drew + Kelsey, as you start your life together!

We woke up early again this morning for another day of fun! I will admit that it was hard to get out of bed after such a full day yesterday! We found our “parade spot” around 7:45am, which was much later than we had planned. But, it worked out great, and I think we would have had hypothermia if we were out there any longer! Mom and sis went and got us lattes while we waited for the parade to start.  It was such a neat experience. I will admit that the balloons seemed a littler smaller in person than on TV.  During the parade, a lady dressed as a birthday cake (she was part of the parade) came over and said HAPPY BIRTHDAY directly to my mom- it was her birthday today! Kinda crazy.  The parade was definitely a memory that I will never forget! But, it sure made me appreciate being warm at home watching the parade with my coffee.  After the parade, we walked around and looked at a few stores that were open. I was surprised that so many places were open today!

We had Thanksgiving/mom’s birthday meal reservations at The Roosevelt Hotel- fancy! It’s such a beautiful hotel.  We took a family photo there that might be for our Christmas card!

After we ate, we walked around and saw the Plaza Hotel, went into the huge Apple store, had Starbucks in the Trump Tower, walked down 5th Avenue (we are staying right off of 5th avenue, and it’s perfect!) and looked at the A-mazing store window displays. It wasn’t too cold out this evening, so we had a nice time. Saks had this amazing light display on the outside of their building (the whole side of the building) to music- my sister got some of it on video.  We ended the day with a Hallmark Christmas movie- perfect! Today was amazing. I am so blessed with a family that I love dearly, and we have the best time together! I hope you had a wonderful day with your friends and family!

Today was so much fun. I am enjoying my first trip to NYC. I very much have a small town heart and love the green grass and vast open land… but it’s always fun to visit a big city!  [Today my sister said that she should have taken dramamine as we rode in the Taxi. I agree! lol.] We got to our hotel last night around 1:30am (or I should say this morning). Our flight was delayed, setting us back for our connecting flight… we arrived in Chicago 15 minutes before our flight left… on the other side of the airport. But, United graciously waited for us to arrive as we ran frantically through the airport. So thankful!  Needless to say, we didn’t get very much sleep, because we were up and on our way to the Martha Stewart show early.  The whole experience was so neat! I love watching her show and following her books and magazines, so it was fun to see what the sets look like in person and the 50 plus people that it takes behind the scenes to make her show happen!  It was a LIVE show, and I got to say my name and ask Martha a question on TV. So neat! I will post a link when they put it on her website.  All of the members of the studio audience received a copy of Martha’s new entertaining book ($75 value!!) It’s such a neat book.

I have been a long time fan of the movie Serendipity with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale which was centered around the quaint restaurant, Serendipity.  I have always wanted to go to this restaurant, which is famous for their frozen hot chocolate! YUM!  The wait was about 1 1/2 hours, so we shopped at a couple of nearby stores. JUSTIN BIEBER must have had the same idea, because he was eating at Serendipity at the same time! It was kinda crazy- girls were screaming and crying (just like in the movie- this is for real, people!!), but he had a lot of security with him. Fun times! (see photo of Justin below)

Before we headed back to the hotel, we went to the balloon inflating event for the Macy’s parade. It was CRAZINESS- there were SO many people, and it was freezing cold/drizzling.  I can’t really describe the mobs of people… you had to go around this street block, shuffling along with everyone. We decided to cut it a little short and enjoy the giant balloons during the PARADE tomorrow!  Check back tomorrow for more fun stories!

This year has been amazing. The Lord has been so very good to me… It’s had its ups and downs for sure… but, at some point each day, I am always reminded that I am SO blessed. I am so very thankful for your support of me and the photography business. You bless me so much by giving me the opportunity to build relationships with you and to do what I love.

As I celebrate the beginning of Year #26 today [november 12], I am excited about all of the possibilities that lie ahead. I am so THANKFUL that I get to celebrate another birthday.  For this birthday, I am doing something a little different.  I have been inspired by The Birthday Project and Robyn’s Story.  Today I will be doing 26 Random Acts of Kindness to celebrate my birthday (eek! so excited!) with the hopes of blessing every person I come into contact with. My desire is that this will begin a year of greater generosity and awareness of the opportunities I have to bless every person that I encounter. The greatest joy in life is giving, whether to someone who has blessed you- or someone who could never repay you.

I will be sharing my story with some photos on Monday- so be sure to check back! Now I would like to ask you… Would you do a Random Act of Kindness for someone who crosses your path today in honor of my birthday? Or maybe someone who is on your heart?  I would LOVE to hear about it… please let me know about it via TWITTER, FACEBOOK, a comment on this blog post, or an e-mail at heather@heathercheriephotography.com

CAN’T WAIT to hear from you and see what the day holds!  Be blessed!