SUCCESS!

The 6th Annual Buffalo Area Wedding Showcase was a huge SUCCESS! I mean... in the 1st hour we had over 50 people in the door! It seemed to be pretty steady much of the day too! We had two DIFFERENT style shows this year and CASH prizes! So I saw many brides hang out for both style shows to win the $200 prizes! I have also met many GREAT new vendors too! the show is very stressful to put on... but shows like this one we had make it so much more worth doing! Our booth was the best we have ever done as well! I was so excited to have people see my booth this year too! I had a slide show going with several images so it was SEEN first thing they walked in, and had HUGE prints made for the back of the booth to hang and a new banner as well! I am confident my 2012 is going to be a great year for business! I just met with an old friend who does marketing so she is getting me some AWESOME deals & I will be doing ads in her book that comes to Buffalo this Spring. among many things we have in the works.
I am adding some images from the 2012 Buffalo Wedding Showcase!

2012

The holidays are done and it is 2012!! I am excited as 2011 was just NOT a good year for me personally. I am looking so forward to 2012 & the fresh ideas I hope to get going for the business this year!! As always I am a bit sad when the tree comes down... I look forward all year to: getting the tree up (live), going downtown to Macy's for kiddos to see Santa, Going to the Hollidazzle Parade, baking cookies, the gingerbread house... you know all the stuff that memories are made of!!

So what Christmas memory will you remember from this past Christmas? Me... it was my hubby going above & beyond! The kids, Grandma & me all got what we wanted! I kid you not... he really did THAT good!!

My Dad, Step-mom & brothers came over for Christmas eve... and I do not think I have ever seen my size zero step-mom eat as much as I saw that night. We had made Crab Legs... My hubby bought several pounds of them, and made them ALL!! It was fun to see everyone enjoy them as much as they did! It was a BLAST!!!

I also will not forget my silly mistake of having Santa bring my twin girls MAKE-UP!!! I do not get it... isn't kids stuff suppose to be easily washable?? Well the darn lipstick that comes in the little kits it like EVERYWHERE in my house!! And let me tell ya it is NOT easy to wash off a face let alone clothing! That goes down for a BIG lesson learned!!! WHAT was I thinking?? Come on... I remember loving to play dress-up when I was that age... hum... now I know WHY my Grandma used to take the make-up away from me!!

New Year's we went to my aunt's & enjoyed the company of family... and then we were introduced to Jeff Dunham... and Achmed, and Walter, and Peanut.... !!! Any one watch comedy central & has see this?? I am not big into stand-up stuff, let alone a ventriloquist... but OMG this stuff is so funny it brings tears to my eyes! If you have not seen this stuff... You Tube it!! My hubs & I watched another one last night & I was giggling so loud I had my kids hollering down they could not sleep because I was laughing too loud. Ha ha ha!!!

Anyway, we have some new changes for the business... My landlord at the studio is getting Jill & I a larger studio space, and we may open it up to having another photographer come in with us too! We have several options we are thinking about at the moment!!!

Well I would like to say THANK-YOU for following the blog this past year, and I hope to have you continue your support in 2012.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! HAPPY 2012!! Hope to see you January 29th at my 6th Annual Buffalo Area Wedding Showcase!!

Newborns!!

We just had a ball photographing new baby "G". We photographed her mommy's pregnancy images... only Mom & Dad did not want family & friends to know the baby's gender... so I had to hold myself back & only use the more neutral images that did NOT show the pink ribbons, and what-not.
Now that little "G" has arrived, we photographed her as well... and am amazed how well this session went. I usually try to get the heat up in the studio so the baby stays comfortable, but as cold as it was out, the heat just was heating as usual... and she still did a great job! Mommy is a friend of mine who is starting a new line of baby-photo props so she had a ton of fun stuff she gave me & we used at the session!
We have another newborn any day now we will be photographing as well I am super excited for! A bride & groom we photographed not too long ago are in the hospital today expecting their new baby girl! So I'll head up to the hospital and then she'll be in shortly after they bring baby home for the newborn session. FUN!!!

Tis the Season!

Hard to believe the Christmas season is upon us! Our family had one of the best Thanksgivings ever! We had just our family & Grandma for dinner. Brother-in-law & his girlfriend stopped over for dessert, and a friend stopped by later that evening before she hit the stores for Black Friday. Very relaxing day! Kids made Turkey cookies (the ones with more candy on the to look like turkeys) and had a blast!
Saturday we got our Tree put up, then went to Macy's 8th Floor auditorium to see Santa and then spent the rest of the day at Mall Of America's Nickelodeon park. The kids had the BEST time! Zander is now old enough for ALL the rides... and made me go on many with him! I USED to be a huge ride buff... but the older I get the less I enjoy them. I was screaming SOOOO loud! Zander was laughing his head off at his mom screaming! It was a FUN day with the kids!!! A memorable day for them I am sure! :)

We are currently punching out Christmas cards like mad! Many JUST ordering their cards... so we are trying to get them all to the lab as fast as we can. Still editing a wedding we took a TON of images at, as well as a baby session. So we are still pretty busy on the production end of things.

We are currently running a neat deal for anyone interested... Buy a portrait session by this Thursday (12/1/11), and get one FREE for yourself! Get that hard-to-buy-for person on your list the forever gift of a professional portrait taken of them, their family, their new baby... or whatever. Is good for ANY type of portraiture other than weddings. EMAIL us if you would like one! Kellie@kellieallynphoto.com
only 27 days left to shop! Make it easy on yourself & call us for a gift certificate for a portrait session!!

WINTER

So... Winter is here... well when it snows to me it is officially winter. I hear Thanksgiving is suppose to be nice & warm though. Which bums my son out who was sledding down the hill all day Saturday and wanting MORE snow.
This past weekend was the big Birthday weekend at our house. I turned 29 (again) on Friday (LOL), and our twins turned 4! Where has the time gone? We took the girls yesterday to get their ears pierced and it went very well! Only cried for a few minutes afterwards, then when they saw themselves in the mirror, the tears stopped & they were showing off!
I am currently preparing for the wedding showcase! I started the Buffalo Area Wedding Showcase years ago when I got sick of the feeling I was simply a number to brides who attended the shows. I wanted to have a show that was different, and more exclusive. And coming into our 6th year, I have other fellow photographers often upset they cannot participate. I feel bad, but that was the whole point of this show. We set limits on ALL vendors so that no other business has to feel like they are simply handing out a resume, or their price list to the brides. This means much better networking with fellow businesses and allows more for one-on-one mini consults right at the show for all the vendors. Our photographers are the first to book up, and then as a participant they get first dibs on coming back as a participant to the next show before we allow any new business... and most of the vendors we get do return. It is also nice for the brides too, as many of us who do the show also work together in creating big discounts working with each other so the more a bride books of the businesses who participated in the showcase, the better deal they'll get from EACH of the businesses. A win-win for all!
 So for our booth I am trying to think of something just different.... Accepting any ideas!  :)
We have been getting inquiries from brides who have been referred by former clients, so that is AWESOME to hear! Three since Halloween! We must be doing something right! LOL!!
 So much to do & never enough hours in the day. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
I Thank God for my family, and for having fellow clientele like you! Have a wonderful week!

WEDDING WEEKEND CRAZINESS!!

OK... so this weekend has been FULL! Plus we missed the Monticello Bridal Expo we try to do EVERY year..but with all going on it was just that much more to do in one weekend. As you may know I am superstitious... and had my 5th grade teacher told me all about 11:11, and to make a WISH... and on 11/11 is an even more lucky day. Well 20 years later this teacher is now my twins God-mother and I had to call her on 11/11 to tell her I would not forget to make my wish later at 11:11. So I had told this story to my friend... who also decided about 29 days before 11/11 she was going to get married on 11-11-11... WHAT!!??  Jessie is my former boss, who has become like my older sister throughout the years. She has held my hand in the craziness I go through with my nutty family , and more. So when I heard she was getting married I was THRILLED... when I heard the date my heart sunk! I was so bummed, as I was already booked to photograph a wedding in Monticello that same day. So I took Thursday off help prepare. Her ceremony was at her new house with the lake as her background setting. Beautiful. I photographed her rings and the details and her new husband's daughter & her boyfriend were photographing the wedding for her. I came back AFTER my scheduled wedding to photograph her reception.
So the wedding we had scheduled to photograph was an AMAZING wedding on Friday for Mike & Laura. This wedding to us in itself was unique as we worked with the Mother of the Groom, and only spoke with the bride & groom once at their engagement session in October. I swear... any one needing wedding decor ideas & assistance contact Mrs. Flaig. In the almost 15 years I have been photographing weddings I have seen a wide spectrum of odd, plain-jane, beautiful and spectacular when it comes to the wedding decor, cake... the whole event in itself. I have weddings where the couples have since become good friends of mine, and some I hide when I see them in a store... ha ha ha just kidding. But this wedding had no detail spared. The ceremony & reception were at the Monticello Chapel and Community Center. At the Chapel they had candelabras, an arch, and the most beautiful glass container for the sand ceremony I have ever seen. Along the aisle rather than a bow, or floral item they had lit candles in hanging bird cages with butterflies. (did I mention it was a butterfly themed wedding-- as was my OWN wedding nearly 10 years ago so that alone brings back my own memories) at the reception they had a candy bar with candy ONLY candies in the colors of the wedding with huge beautiful lanterns lit hanging above that. The ceiling was fully draped with draping & lights. The cake had the butterflies... and even the napkin rings were engraved... I kid you not there were details I have never seen nor thought of before. So much details and everything personalized. It was truly amazing. Then the PRANK... so we are waiting & waiting as all the guys in the wedding party took off, for well over an hour. We had photographed many of the guests, and all the decor while waiting for them...they come back with their heads call shaved with spiked MOHAWKS!!! YES REALLY! mind you.. this also included the groom and we still had yet to photograph the cake cutting, the first dance, and wanted to get more with the grandparents. However this really lit the party up! Everyone must do things in their own way & not be judged. They did their own fun thing & enjoyed themselves and had a BLAST! It truly was a memorable weekend of beautiful weddings!!

WINDY!

Holy Hannah! Have you been outdoors in the wind yet? Jeepers!
Well... I was at a continuing education seminar earlier this month they said the smell of CHRISTMAS envokes a feeling & helps clients feel more at ease, and tend to spend more as well. So I super "smell-ified" my studio. He he he... Boy oh boy I love Christmas! My kids are already having me play the 70's Christmas CD in the truck ha ha ha!! Now at my other job, since telling my boss this little hint I learned, has gotten cinnamon scents to set out... Well now here I am smelling cinnamon sticks listening to the wind howl and want to take a NAP!! LOL!
This weekend is our mini-sessions & we have a bunch of them both Friday & Saturday. I am not a fan of Mini sessions simply because I lack control when I photograph. I had a college professor once say You cannot SELL, what you do not SHOOT. Since then I have been on over shooter. Even switching to digital did not help, just made it worse I swear. Have a wonderful weekend all!