The Personal Post: 2014 Year in Review, Part Two

December 30, 2014, 10:30 pm

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Hey everybody!

I've done it again. I blogged every day of the year for the 6th straight year. Today marks my 2190th CONSECUTIVE day of blogging. Yay!

Today is more of a personal post, sharing some of my personal highlights of the year. Though I mentioned this yesterday, this really is more of a personal favorite moment of mine: photographing my best friends engagement in Jackson Hole.






Also, 2014 was a huge year for me trying something new: I om/2014/01/announcing-baller-foodtruck.html" target="_blank">started, built, and sold a start-up side business, Baller Foodtruck!

Oh, and my darling Cece turned One! Her great-grammy played the ukulele as we all sang happy birthday to her.



Speaking of birthday, Ellie turned Ten!



I ate amazing food.
Read my Alinea review here.







My favorite meal of the year (and of my life) was at The French Laundry (read my French Laundry review here). I actually got to eat here twice this year. I feel myself very blessed.



Mere had surgery, and the doctor found no cancer:
(read that post)


Took at trip to Napa (well two, actually) and got inspired:


Ellie got first in her dance competition:


I shared a little bit of my heart:


Celebrated my 3rd wedding anniversary with Mere:

Got her these hand lettered vows (our actual vows):


Introduced y'all to the Ceester Bunny:


Took a lot of pictures of this kid:
16months:

this #gramworthy session:

and even dusted off the old film camera for some:


My Father's Day post:


I played the saxophone with my favorite band, Boom Kinetic:

All in all... pretty great year. Maybe my best yet. I'm looking forward to 2015 trying to top it!
Hugs, y'all!


Talk to you soon,
Dale

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Best Wedding Portraits: Benny Award Nominees Are LIVE!

January 1, 2015, 2:36 am

≫ Next: Best Bridal Portraits: 2014-2015 Benny Awards Nominees

≪ Previous: The Personal Post: 2014 Year in Review, Part Two

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Hey everybody!

We love showing off our amazing clients and their vision for their wedding day. If you're a bride-to-be, I hope you get inspired by our creative couples. If you're one of our brides, congratulations... you deserve a lot of recognition for your awesomeness! If you're here to support one of our brides, thank you for your kindness - they win REAL prizes, after all!

You can only vote 1 time from each IP address, so spread the word!  You can vote on the Benny Awards page. :) Enjoy!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Best Bridal Portraits: 2014-2015 Benny Awards Nominees

January 2, 2015, 1:05 pm

≫ Next: Best Engagement Portraits: 2014 Benny Award Nominees

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Hey everybody!

Today I'm sharing some of the best bridal portraits of 2014! These bridal sessions were each nominated for a Benny Award for best bridal portrait, which you can vote for here: www.bennyawards.com Enjoy!




















Talk to you soon,
Dale

Best Engagement Portraits: 2014 Benny Award Nominees

January 3, 2015, 8:54 pm

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Hey everybody!

Today I'm sharing some of the best engagement portraits of 2014! These engagement sessions were each nominated for a Benny Award for best engagement portrait, which you can vote for here: www.bennyawards.com Enjoy!


















www.bennyawards.com


Talk to you soon,
Dale

Best Wedding Moments of 2014: Benny Awards Voting is LIVE!

January 4, 2015, 12:28 pm

≫ Next: Last Day to Enter the Giveaway!

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Hey everybody!

Moments are what make my job special; they're what make our LIVES special. I'm very fortunate that God gave me a gift to unobtrusively capture special moments on the wedding for our brides, grooms, and their families. I recently got an email from a mother of the bride that said:

"We have LOVED checking your blog! It's been like opening up a precious little present . . .
some pictures provoke sweet memories and others are sweet surprises, things we didn't see!
Each picture is a little treasure as you employ your skill to tell the story of William and Sarah!
Can't begin to thank you enough." - Connie Phillips, mother of the bride

Vote for your favorite here: www.bennyawards.com














Vote for your favorite here: www.bennyawards.com


Talk to you soon,
Dale

Last Day to Enter the Giveaway!

January 5, 2015, 1:17 pm

≫ Next: Happy 2nd Birthday Cece!

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Hey everybody!

Today is the LAST day to submit your engagement story for the chance to win a FREE engagement shoot with us at Fairlane Station! We've had so many amazing entries... let all your newly engaged friends know!

Send it to dale@benfieldphotography.com before midnight tonight!





Talk to you soon,
Dale

Happy 2nd Birthday Cece!

January 6, 2015, 3:35 pm

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Hey everybody!

Another year has FLOWN by. It's bittersweet that my baby is now two years old. I already look back and think, "man, I remember when she was just crawling" or "I can't believe this kid can hold her own bottle." Now, she climbs into her food chair, buckles it and hollers to let you know she's ready for food.

Cece is above all, a SILLY girl. She loves being swung in circles, tossed around, having pillow fights, playing soccer, pressing any button she can find, and playing with any iPhone she can get her hands on. She chases me anytime I ask, holds my hand when I hold mine out, and plays the piano a thousand times a day.

Pretty much, she's just like me... but waaaaaaay cuter.




Talk to you soon,
Dale

Double Update: 0 Spots and 3 Spots!

January 7, 2015, 8:26 pm

≫ Next: Triple Wedding Feature in Citiscapes! {and the cover!}

≪ Previous: Happy 2nd Birthday Cece!

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Hey everybody!

I have a double update for you. First the Shoot Your Kids workshop next week is sold out! Sorry! No more spots!
Also, weddings for 2015 are nearing capacity... we currently only have 3 spots left! If you are recently engaged (or know someone who is) contact me fast! dalebenfield@gmail.com





Talk to you soon,
Dale

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Triple Wedding Feature in Citiscapes! {and the cover!}

January 8, 2015, 8:44 pm

≫ Next: Featured on the Senior Style Guide!

≪ Previous: Double Update: 0 Spots and 3 Spots!

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Hey everybody!

We were featured in Citiscapes this month... AND we made the cover!
Kirsten and Jordan's Pratt Place Wedding was one we will always remember!



We were also featured with Katie and Ethan's Old Main Wedding&Alex and Trevor's Hunt Chapel Wedding.
Thank you Citiscapes!



Talk to you soon,
Dale

Featured on the Senior Style Guide!

January 9, 2015, 1:53 pm

≫ Next: Kirsten Being Honored at NRF in NYC

≪ Previous: Triple Wedding Feature in Citiscapes! {and the cover!}

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Hey everybody!

So today we're featured on the Senior Style Guide! Hop on over there and check out our sweet Kacey Sanders!

Here are a few of our faves from that shoot...











Talk to you soon,
Dale

Kirsten Being Honored at NRF in NYC

January 10, 2015, 9:31 am

≫ Next: Surprise Proposal on the Brooklyn Bridge

≪ Previous: Featured on the Senior Style Guide!

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Hey everybody!

Mere and I are in New York City this weekend in support of our friend Kirsten (from Riffraff), Who is being honored at the National Retail Federation Gala. https://nrf.com

Kirsten's one of the hardest workers I know and she reinforces my belief that if you work hard and work smart you will have success. When I moved my business to Fayetteville all those years ago, Kirsten was starting her cute little shop that has grown into something extraordinary! It's been pretty great having a front row seat!

She and Jordan are also great travel partners for Mere and me... We like the same silly things, and of course both like yummy food (here we are at dinner our first night in NYC at Balthazar)

Congratulations Kirsten! We are so happy for you and are thrilled to be by your side for this special honor!

Mere and I are also using this time to work, shooting an engagement session for one of her brides who lives in New York, as well as a couple mini sessions while we're here.

And of course Meredith is using this time to look cute...

Speaking of work, this has been my office the past two days... Not too shabby!

I'll share some images from our shoots on here soon. I just love shooting in this city!

Talk to you soon,

Dale

Surprise Proposal on the Brooklyn Bridge

January 11, 2015, 10:54 am

≫ Next: Benfield Weddings Magazine, Issue 4.. Get it now!

≪ Previous: Kirsten Being Honored at NRF in NYC

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Hey everybody!

Yesterday, Mere was in the right place at the right time. We were meeting our friends on the Brooklyn Bridge and right in front of her a guy dropped to a knee and proposed - she had her camera there to capture it (what a nice bonus for them!)

Here are a few images...






Guys... if you're thinking of popping the question any time soon, make sure you have a photographer (ahem... US) there to photograph that special moment! She'll SO thank you for it!!


Talk to you soon,
Dale

Benfield Weddings Magazine, Issue 4.. Get it now!

January 11, 2015, 10:00 pm

≫ Next: Winner, Winner!

≪ Previous: Surprise Proposal on the Brooklyn Bridge

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Hey everybody!

Our latest issue of Benfield Weddings Magazine is now available! We loved creating this issue... our How-To Issue! We cover some fun things like how to ask your girls to be your bridesmaids, how to choose the perfect colors for your wedding, and we even have tips for the groom (as well as a lot of other great ideas for your wedding!). We also are featuring some of our favorite 2014 real weddings!

I've been excited to share the cover with y'all for some time and now I finally get to!

{drum roll, please.............}

Benfield Weddings, Issue 4



Talk to you soon,
Dale

Winner, Winner!

January 13, 2015, 6:13 pm

≫ Next: LAST DAY TO VOTE - Best Wedding Designs of 2014

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Hey everybody!

I've been doing some fun giveaways lately! I love that we are in a position to give to those who are out friends/followers/fans, so this has been a really good month for me!

Recently, I announced a contest on my Instagram (don't follow me? Fix that here: instagram.com/dalebenfield) for a $100 Riffraff gift card to the winner, as well as $25 gift cards to all the friends the winner tagged in the comments.

The winner is:

@meltonbritt - $100
and her tagged friends:
@ashlee_janaye - $25
@danaloran - $25

Yay!! You three winners, shoot me a quick email (dale@benfieldphotography.com) and I'll get you your prizes!

Next up, we're working on the winners for the free engagement session at Fairlane Station... stay tuned for that!



Talk to you soon,
Dale

LAST DAY TO VOTE - Best Wedding Designs of 2014

January 14, 2015, 12:48 pm

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Hey everybody!

Today is the LAST DAY to vote for the Benny Awards! Our awards show/cocktail party is approaching, and we're excited to share the winners with our couples. Be sure to cast your votes before midnight! Below are our nominated wedding designs for 2014. Enjoy!

Justi's wedding at Ashton Depot in Fort Worth (vote here)


Katie's wedding at Old Main Lawn and Fayetteville Town Center (vote here)




Andrea's Chemistry themed wedding in Hot Springs, AR (vote here)



Morgan's Meadowood Napa Wedding (vote here)



Kirsten's Pratt Place Barn Wedding (vote here)



Samantha's wedding at Rockford Grange at Bear Hollow Ranch (vote here)



Maggie's wedding at L'Auberge Del Mar (vote here)



Anna's wedding at Forsyth Park in Savannah, GA (vote here)




Sarah's winter wedding in Little Rock, AR (vote here)





Talk to you soon,
Dale

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Our Little Magazine Model

January 15, 2015, 7:10 pm

≫ Next: Portraits in New York

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Hey everybody!

Cece made her modeling debut inside the newest Benfield Weddings Magazine. I have to say, it's pretty cute! Grab a copy of the latest magazine here.






Talk to you soon,
Dale

Portraits in New York

January 15, 2015, 10:57 pm

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Hey everybody!

New York City is such a special place. Not only is it steeped in history, not only does it have some of the best food in the world, but it is truly beautiful. The sheer size is astounding, but when you're with a group of friends walking down any road, it feels as if you're in a little neighborhood... complete with all it's little interesting quirks, nooks, crannies, and people. I've been there a dozen times over the past 10 years and no trips have ever been alike.  And I love that.

This trip was spent with friends.  Yes, I did work... shooting pretty much every day I was there... so it was like Take-My-Friends-To-Work Week. We had some fun little adventures, and I was even able to spare some time to take some pictures of them!

My best buds, Kirsten and Jordan braved the cold on the Brooklyn Bridge (I think it was around 18 degrees with a nasty wind!) for some cute pics. Aren't they presh?

Alex and my new friend Chloe (well, I knew her before... but now we're buds)... fun girls. And obviously cooler than me.

I'm not sure why everybody lined up single file behind me for this selfie, but I love it.

Zac and Kelly (owners of Crown Beauty Bar in Fayetteville, and Kirsten and Jordan's bro+sister in law) were others who I really got to know on the trip. Sitting next to Zac one-upping each others jokes at Kirsten's Gala (post on that later) was one of the highlights of the trip. They're a really sweet couple, and I was thankful for a responsible couple to balance out our group.  Isn't this a SWEEEEET pic?


But wait... there's more...

This was the first picture I took when we got to the bridge - a test shot. Jordan asked if I got that flag on top of part of the bridge. I had a better idea in mind.  As soon as I got home, I created the 'Merica Collage of all 'Merica Collages... in about 14 seconds. I take no pride in the skill level of Photoshop needed here... just being ridiculous. Enjoy!





One of the other nights, our group had planned on going to Top of the Rock (on top of 30 Rockefeller Center). A few years ago, this was the location where Zac proposed to Kelly. So, naturally... we had to do a mini session of these two where she said yes.  Actually, she said, "Thank you," which is totally more adorable.




And then I found Kirsten and Jordan up on the top deck and snapped this. Lovely.


I had mentioned that the lookout-thingy looked kinda like a face.  Leave the rest to Jordan.




Talk to you soon,
Dale

Engagement Shoot Giveaway Winner!

January 17, 2015, 5:39 pm

≫ Next: Top 3 Moments from NYC Trip

≪ Previous: Portraits in New York

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Hey everybody!

We've chosen a winner for our engagement giveaway at Fairlane Station.  Big thanks to Dan and Dasha (such a cool couple!) for lending us their space for this, and for helping us pick the winner! I think you'll see that we made a great choice!!

My engagement story...

Christopher and I got engaged pretty quickly. This is ultimately because we had to go through a large amount of hardship from the beginning of us dating. Christopher and I had only been dating for three weeks when I had to fly to California to have a brain tumor removed. He flew out to see me and slept in a chair the entire time I was in the hospital. Christopher helped me learn how to walk again because I had to have my balance nerve removed. He also stood by my side the entire time I had temporary facial paralysis on the right side of my face. [This photo was my smile. And the ONLY photo I smiled in during this entire time.  My right side didn’t move at all for almost five months!] 

​

A few months later, I was hospitalized again. Once again, Chris stayed by my side the entire time [except this time he had a bed ;)]. Before this, we had looked at engagement rings but I never thought he would propose yet. Some might have thought that it would be weird for us to get engaged so early. But Chris really helped me recover.  As a young woman, I was horrified to go out in public because I felt that people would always stare at my facial paralysis. Chris would make me go out because he still thought I was beautiful and that there was nothing to be ashamed about. While I was in the hospital for the second time, Chris went to dinner with my parents and told them he was going to propose. 

A few weeks after I had been discharged from the hospital, he took me to the Tulsa Aquarium. I have a slight obsession with sharks. It might be a little bit more than “slight”. I am OBSESSED with sharks and I’m constantly talking about them. One of our first dates had been at the Tulsa aquarium so I was so excited to be feeling up to going. When we were in the shark tunnel, Christopher Hamm got on one knee and proposed. Obviously, I had to say yes! To me, there was no better place to get engaged than in a shark tunnel to my best friend. 

​This is us right after he proposed! :) 

​and this is a recent photo! Thank you for this opportunity!









Talk to you soon,
Dale

Top 3 Moments from NYC Trip

January 18, 2015, 1:56 pm

≫ Next: Pretty NYC!

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Hey everybody!

A week ago, I was in NYC... and even though it was so recent, it was SUCH a blur. Full of fun moments, yummy dinners, work sessions, hanging with NYC friends: it was a go-go-go kind of trip. I thought, for memory's sake, I'd write down my favorite three moments from the trip.  With each moment, it's pretty easy to attach a reason why I think Mere is a great wife.

Coming in at #3...
Mere is SO thoughtful // She arranged a welcome home airport party for Kirsten.

It almost didn't work out... our plane arrived early and Mere had worked hard to coordinate Kirsten's friends being there when we came down the escalator, signs/balloons in hand.  We took the longest bathroom breaks as we got off the plane as she waiting for confirmation that everybody had arrived. It's little things like this that make her so special.


#2)...
Meredith is the BEST company // Our date night.
While we were go-go-go most of the nights, we had planned that on Friday night in NYC all the couples would do their own thing.  We ate at Gramercy Tavern (a place that I'd been wanting to go to forever).  It was calm and sweet.  A great respite from the hustle-bustle of the trip. I can sit and do nothing... say nothing... with Mere. We're happy just sitting by each other. When we do talk, I love being with someone who is such a great conversationalist.


#1)...
Meredith is so SILLY and spirited // Meeting Stacy London.
I love this selfie with Stacy London... Mere spotted her at the Gala and went up and talked to her like they were lifelong friends (I don't know how, but she wasn't that awkward/starstruck fan... it was just like they were supposed to meet up and chat).  I think that made Stacy open up and be herself right away (Mere has that effect on people).  And then we took this:




I know I don't tell you enough... but it's great living my life alongside you, Mere.  XO!



Talk to you soon,
Dale

Pretty NYC!

January 19, 2015, 2:53 pm

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Hey everybody!

While I was in NYC, I took a few moments to myself to shoot some scenery of the beautiful city.  I love how these came out!  I don't get to spend a lot of time not photographing people, so I love when I get an extra few moments to myself to see art.  Have a look at a few favorites!









Talk to you soon,
Dale