The Kelly Manno Show : July 2014

~ Emily and Aron ~ Married!!!

No, I didn't spell Arons' name wrong. He is named after the late, great, Elvis Aron Presley. I've been a huge Elvis fan since I was about 10 years old. My Grandma Sally taught me all about him when I was a kid. On their early dates Aron won Emilys heart by driving her around town and serenading her with Elvis songs. I would have fell for it to sister ;)

Together, Emily and Aron have an adorable, spit-fire son, who they did NOT name Elvis. His name is Henrick, and he stole the show all day.

These may be my favorite bridesmaid dresses of the year. The pale pink chiffon with the jeweled neckline were gorgeous. They are from David bridal, the special occasion section :)

Emily and Aron had an incredible wedding day surrounded by friends and family who love them more than anything in the world. It's just a shame Henrik didn't get to have any fun at the reception :) LOL

A heart shaped sand-pit just begging for a night shot :)

~ Cool things I see at Weddings ~ Part two

Being a Wedding Photographer I'm always interested in the new trends and watch many of them rise and fall quickly. One that seems to be sticking around is Country Weddings. After all, we live in the heart of the Midwest. I think I've spent just as much time shooting in barns over the past year as I have churches. I've seen many of my bridesmaids ditch stiletto heels for cowgirl boots. In May when I shot Cameron and Gary's wedding I was in LOVE with the gifts they gave their groomsmen. Landscape logs with their last name hand carved in.

Then I saw her cake stand and I was in love with that too! I can see this cake stand being their "First Family Heirloom" for years to come. I asked Gary all sorts of questions about where he found these awesome pieces. They are from a local shop called "The Wood Den" in Festus.

I knew I had to check this place out for myself. So me and the 3 kiddo's all piled in my minivan and headed to The Wood Den in Festus Missouri. I got a chance to browse their brand new "Wedding Room" which has gorgeous wood carved pieces to buy or rent for your wedding.

Check out this beautiful box that can be used for a ring bearer.

Table numbers.

Centerpieces with center holes drilled ready for arrangements.

Napkin rings, tea-lit center pieces.

My favorite piece is a card box with the bride and groom initials carved on the front. It's something I could see sitting in the family garden for years and being passed onto children.

I really can't say enough good things about The Wood Den in Festus. If you're planning a country wedding this is the place to shop. Visit their website listed in the link above and email Ryan with any questions you have. Make sure you tell him you saw his awesome work on my blog.

They don't only carve wedding pieces, the things these guys can do with a chainsaw are simply amazing. I wanted to order the whole store, but I settled on a name log my for family :)

Did you miss the first installment of "Cool things I see at Weddings" - Click HERE

~ Baby Karina ~ Newborn photos

I'm a sucker for a good labor & delivery story, and Valarie will have a funny one to tell her daughter one day. Mom was still 4 weeks away from her due date when her water broke early…with her husband 2,000 miles away for work, and it was almost 9 o'clock at night.

So yeah, there aren't a lot of flights going in and out of airports after 9pm. However, Dad, rushed through the airport like a mad man, was able to secure a flight AND made in home in time to see the birth of his daughter. It's like a scene straight out of a movie. Seriously could you imagine how long that flight must have felt for him, he did NOT have in-flight wi-fi by the way so he wasn't able to get updates while he was in the air.