As always, I had GREAT intentions of blogging at least twice last week while I was in Jacksonville for my best friend’s wedding. Obviously, that did not happen, but I’m really not sorry. Being home last week to enjoy all of the wedding festivities was SO much fun, and I’m thankful for such a flexible job that allows me to jet off to Florida for a whole week! While I didn’t shoot Danielle & Will’s wedding, I was able to do her bridal session, and OH MY WORD… She is GORGEOUS! Enjoy a few sneak peeks while I get my life back in order today! :)

No, this is not some melodramatic story of the time I realized I was in love with my best friend and tried to sabotage his wedding… This is simply a post about my best friend, who happens to be getting married this Saturday.

After staring at this text box for 30 minutes, I think it’s safe to say that I’m at a loss for words. How in the world am I supposed to recap 12 years of friendship with just a blog post?? When Danielle and I first bonded over a middle school retreat in the 7th grade, I had no idea how deep the roots of our friendship would grow to be today. From making ridiculous home videos in middle school to countless hours spent laying on the beach in high school to all the pranks we pulled on each other in college, I could not have asked for a better best friend to help shape the memories of “the glory years”. She is fun-loving, compassionate, incredibly selfless, a great listener, beautiful, and a picture of Jesus to everyone around her. For the last few weeks leading up to her wedding, I’ve been thinking a lot about our friendship and how far it’s come in the last 12 years, and there’s one thing that’s for sure: I absolutely have not deserved to have such an amazing friend like her all these years. Her friendship is nothing short of a gift from God, and I can’t imagine what my life would be without it. Sure, there are countless times that we probably could have killed each other, but that’s normally a sign of the strongest of friendships. :)

Danielle – I cannot wait to see you become a wife on Saturday… Will is blessed beyond measure to be able to call you his bride. Thank you for being the best friend that I didn’t deserve all of these years – For loving and supporting me in the midst of struggles, for never judging but always joining my weirdness, for all the endless birthday surprises, for all the many spontaneous Jon McLaughlin dance parties, for making it a priority to visit me when I moved to Arkansas, for letting me give you about 800 nicknames and answering to ALL of them, for forgiving me when I was an idiot, for being the best roommate I could have asked for, for not being afraid to confront me when I was again being an idiot, for all the really embarrassing PhotoBooth photoshoots, for listening to countless hours of boy drama over the years, for always making me feel included despite being 1100 miles away, for standing by my side on my wedding day, and for being a constant example of Jesus in my life. People say that you always grow apart from the friends you had in high school and college, but I know that won’t be true for us because our friendship is centered on the Lord. Besides, you know WAY too many secrets, so I have to keep a close eye on you. :)

I love you, Yellow!

If I’m slightly absent from the blog this week, it’s probably because I’m in Florida for the next 8 days enjoying all the wedding festivities, and I’m definitely not sorry for that!

For two years of my time spent at Liberty, I worked as a RA (Resident Assistant), which meant that I got to meet and live with so many wonderful girls. Being a Christian university, one of Liberty’s favorite things in the world is seeing their students get a “ring by spring”, and a way that they make sure this happens is by assigning every girl dorm with a “brother dorm”. My first year, I was on a dorm with almost 70 girls, most of whom were freshmen. Yeah, that’s A LOT of estrogen. One of those freshman girls was Caitlin – blue-eyed, beautiful, driven, and so excited about life. It was in the fall semester of 2009 that Caitlin met Chase through our brother dorm, and while she didn’t get it by that spring, she did finally get her ring by the spring of 2013. I hadn’t seen Caitlin or Chase in over 2 years but like a normal person, I stalked their relationship on Facebook. Don’t judge. You know you do it too. When Caitlin emailed me in October to tell me she and Chase were engaged (which I, as a stalker, already knew) and were interested in booking me for their wedding, I was so excited!

Being able to travel back to Virginia this past weekend was so fun! I had forgotten how beautiful Lynchburg and the surrounding areas are… You really can’t beat their mountains, huge flowery fields, and you DEFINITELY can’t beat their sunsets! On the afternoon of Caitlin and Chase’s wedding, I drove through the gorgeous mountains into Blue Ridge, Virginia. I always know I’m in for a great time of shooting when I have to turn down multiple gravel roads to get to the venue. :) When I pulled up to Diamond V Farms, I might have been freaking out a little because it was INCREDIBLE. Seriously, y’all… Most gorgeous venue I’ve ever shot at, and totally my cup of tea! Caitlin had poured her heart into all the little details of their wedding day, and it was so worth it because their wedding was the perfect representation of she and Chase. They were surrounded by their amazing families and one of the most fun bridal parties I’ve ever experienced! We kept joking throughout the day that Caitlin only picked girls who were beautiful to be her bridesmaids, but hey… I’m not complaining. :)

Caitlin and Chase – Thank y’all so much for flying me to Virginia and giving me the privilege of capturing your day. I know y’all will LOVE marriage because it is rooted so deeply in the love of Christ. I hope Curasol (definitely had to Google the spelling of that) is incredible, and feel free to send a little tan my way. :)

I just loved these invitations!

Beautiful ladies and an AMAZING colors. Good job picking those, Caitlin. :)

Love the image on the left… That’s her reaction to seeing herself for the first time. :)

Colleen, you are probably the most awesome Mother of the Bride I’ve ever worked with!

Y’all are gorgeous!

Caitlin. STOP IT!

This bouquet is EASILY my favorite I’ve ever photographed…
I was dying over it all day!

Thanks to my second shooter, Erin, for capturing these next few of the men getting ready. :)

These guys had me laughing A LOT!

Chase, you made such a handsome groom!

Prepare for some amazing details coming your way!

I didn’t know a cake table had the ability to be this beautiful! I could have shot it all day!

If you’re wondering if it tasted as good as it look, the answer is yes. :)

I LOVE that they had childhood pictures of each other eating cake on the table! So creative!

This tablecloth was handmade by Caitlin’s godmother. I so badly wanted to steal it and bring it home to Arkansas!

Y’all KNOW I loved this combo of peach and lace!

Caitlin’s mom spent the last 6 months searching for different pieces of china they used at their wedding. Each was a little different and added so much character to the space!

Amazing!

I loved seeing Chase’s reaction to his beautiful bride.

Caitlin, you are breathtaking!

Married!!

Doesn’t this picture just make you want to be friends with all of them?!

Caitlin read my blog post on Sunset Time, so they decided to have all of their portraits done at this time!
I was so thankful that they prioritized great light and gave me so much time with just the two of them. :)

Be prepared for a lot of favorites here!

Love the simplicity of this…

Caitlin, you are adorable!

Oh, Virginia. You SLAY me!

Get it, girl!

A favorite, for sure!

It isn’t a TRUE southern wedding without a John Deere!

More of the cake table because I was STILL mesmerized by it!

Such a fun reception! These people know how to get down!

All of these beautiful girls started as freshmen on my hall at LU, and it was so great to see them. I can’t believe it’s been almost 4 YEARS since their move-in day!

Maybe one of these days I’ll be smart and take this picture at the beginning of the day, instead of waiting until I’ve sweated every ounce of makeup off. :)

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Pritt!

  • June 6, 2013 - 1:59 pm

    Fallyn - What absolutely breathtaking photos of my beautiful cousin;s wedding! I am devastated that I could not be there to share in their special day. What a beautiful couple. I love you, Caitlin and am so very happy for you! <3ReplyCancel

  • June 6, 2013 - 3:50 pm

    Erin fetterhoff - Love these Kelsey! You’re so talented & captured Chase & Caitlin’s day perfectly! Thanks for letting me shoot with you!ReplyCancel

  • June 6, 2013 - 7:13 pm

    Colleen Green - Wow Kelsey! I’m absolutely speechless!! These photos are amazing!! Caitlin and I both agreed during the wedding planning stage that the photographer was probably THE single most important vendor that needed to be picked first. That was one area that we knew we didn’t want to skimp on. And your photography has proved our point! You did a fantastic job capturing the details that we worked so hard on and more importantly the entire overall mood and emotions of the day. I personally will be forever grateful to you for capturing these memories for us! Love you so much!ReplyCancel

  • June 6, 2013 - 7:57 pm

    Avery - These pictures literally made me cry.. You are awesome Kelsey!!! And of course, Caitlin and Chase are unbelievably good looking. I love my best friends!ReplyCancel

  • June 13, 2013 - 10:57 am

    Caitlin & Chase| Blue Ridge Wedding Second Shooter » - […] awesome privilege of being a second shooter for Caitlin & Chase’s wedding with Kelsey of Kelsey Tice Photography! When Kelsey asked me to be her second shooter, I must admit that I fan-girled a little bit! I have […]ReplyCancel

  • October 27, 2013 - 7:46 am

    Robin Jones - Your photos are just lovely! My daughter is getting married at the Diamond V next June and I wondered what time the ceremony was for Caitlin and Chase? Trying to pick the best time so that heat won’t be too much of an issue for guests. Plus the lighting in your photographs is just perfect. Thanks for your help!
    Robin JonesReplyCancel