All About the Elegance - Atlanta Wedding

Star and Cedric’s wedding was all about the elegance! Their Atlanta home was transformed into the most beautiful scene. The ceremony took place next to the Chattahoochee river, which set the tone for the rest of the evening. The ambience of the lights under the tents, the magnificent display of foods, the balloons in the pool, and lets not forget the bride’s dress, everything screamed elegant! See their wedding story at www.vsphotography.com/miller2

RELATIONSHIP COMMUNICATION

“Why don’t you come to bed,” my husband asked. “I’m not sleepy,” I responded. A few minutes later, came the same question with an agitated tone. “Why don’t you just come to bed?” “I told you, I’m not sleepy”, I snapped back! About 15 minutes later, he insisted, “Michael-Renee, just come to bed!” I yelled back, frustrated, “What part of ‘I’m not sleepy’ do you not understand?” “You don’t have to sleep. Let’s just snuggle,” he said. “How are we going to snuggle when you are going to sleep? That’s not snuggling. That’s me holding you while you sleep and I lay there awake looking at the ceiling and I don’t want to do that! You’re not my father! I’ll come to bed when I am sleepy!”

OUCH! What an insensitive response to the man that I claim to love with every ounce of my being. Did I totally miss the point of that whole dialogue or what? My husband and I did not speak for almost two days after that exchange. He was hurt and I was angry. So, what happened? Miscommunication – that’s what happened. We lost two days of “togetherness” because we didn’t take ten minutes to try to understand what we were each trying to communicate.

So, let’s break it down. What my husband really wanted was “cuddle time”. All I heard was “come to bed.” I am very concrete, meaning I have trouble “reading between the lines.” He did not clearly state his need and I did not ask for clarification. I was too busy being defiant, controlling, and selfish. So, I missed an opportunity to be close to my husband “just because” and he missed getting his need for some quality time and physical touch met. We both lost in this senseless argument because we did not stop to find out what was really being communicated.

Communication is a learned behavior. We learn how to communicate as children by watching those around us. As adults, our communication is affected by more societal influences – what we think is hip or cool, what is politically correct, what is socially acceptable, etc. Communication is complex. It consists of words, body language, intonation, and emotion. When all facets are congruent, a powerful message can be generated. For example, “I love you” - whispered with soft passion, while maintaining direct eye contact, and holding hands – feels genuine. When some facets are incongruent, meaning they do not match, then the message not only loses its power, but may become incredulous. For example, “I love you” – mumbled under the breath with crossed arms and a frown – feels quite disingenuous and may not be perceived as true.

Communication, not sex, is what gets couples through relationship situations. When there are financial problems, communication helps find a solution. When there are intimacy problems, communication can help spark new passion. When there are parenting problems, communication can help develop a unified strategy. When there are communication problems, there is silence. Nothing gets solved. No growth happens. For couples who seem to be speaking different languages to each other, I recommend reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Our love language is what makes us feel loved. Once you learn each other’s love languages – quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving of gifts, and physical touch – you will have a new understanding of how to better communicate your love to one another.

Let’s talk about words. We all know words can evoke different emotions. They can bring smiles and they can bring tears depending on what the words are, when they are used, and how they are said. Words can cut like a knife and they soothe the deepest hurt. So, be very careful about the words you choose to use with each other. Once they have left your mouth, you cannot take them back. So, be kind to one another and think before you speak.

What about your body language? Folded arms communicate that a barrier is up between you and you will only get so close. Eye contact communicates interest and integrity. When someone cannot look you in the eyes, it does not necessarily mean that they are not telling you the truth. Eye contact has a cultural background. There are some cultures that believe that making direct eye contact communicates a direct challenge of authority and is very offensive. Other cultures believe that women should not make eye contact with men. Another reason someone may not make eye contact initially is out of shame. Now, if there is no cultural difference and no shame associated with the discussion and there is still no eye contact, then you may want to question the level of honesty. When someone is really listening to you, there is usually eye contact and they will probably be leaning toward you. You know indifference when you see it. In the South, we like to reach out and touch people when we talk – this communicates concern or affection.

Intonation is hard to write about. It is simply how you sound to the other person. I get told a lot that I am abrasive. I have a very loud voice and I can be very short. I am the kind of person who says what I mean and don’t add a lot of fluff. So, to people who do not care for my directness, it seems abrasive. So, I have had to work on my tone. A lot of strong, black women I have talked to seem to get this same feedback. So, my best suggestion to you, when it comes to intonation, is to ask for feedback. How do people hear you? What do you sound like when you talk? Be open to what people tell you and remember that their perception is 100% of their reality. Soften your tone if needed. Don’t be condescending. Those are the two biggest complaints about tone.

Your emotions may affect your tone. When we are depressed, our tone can be very flat – completely lacking emotion as if we don’t care. Anger, joy, and sadness can be heard in our tone as well. Unfortunately, though, fear and hurt can sometimes be mistaken for anger when we are listening to tone. So, again, be careful to look at the whole communication picture. What is the discussion about? What happened to provoke the conversation? What emotion would you have if the shoe was on the other foot? Try to understand the emotions behind the tone if you get confused or feel yourself becoming defensive.

Lastly, learn to listen effectively. You can talk until you are blue in the face and your partner may not really hear you. When your partner needs to have a serious discussion with you, stop what you are doing and give [him or her] your undivided attention. Face each other when you talk. If you are taller than your partner, sit down so that you can be at eye level with each other. After a few minutes, stop and make sure that you have heard [him or her] correctly. Simply, say, “What I heard you saying was……….” and explain in your own words what you heard your partner say. Then, allow your partner to answer, either, “Yes, that’s correct” or “No, what I was trying to say was……..” allowing them to rephrase what they said so you might understand better. Then, continue your conversation back and forth. Take moments throughout your conversation to check in with each other and make sure that you are hearing each other correctly. This will stop any misunderstandings before they start to fester.

Remember that communication can make or break your relationship. You will not always agree on everything. However, if you fight fair and are kind to each other, you can talk about anything and work it out. Fighting fair means no name calling, no cheap shots, no degradation, no throwing up the past, and no lying. Choose words that you will not regret. Use your words to uplift each other. Don’t use them as a weapon.

Do You Trust Your Partner

TRUST

If you look in the dictionary, you will see the following definitions of the word TRUST:
1. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
2. confident expectation of something; hope.
3. the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed: a position of trust.
4. something committed or entrusted to one’s care for use or safekeeping, as an office, duty, or the like; responsibility; charge. www.dictionary.com, 7/19/08

The common threads to all these definitions are confidence, responsibility, and care. A husband and wife rely on each other’s integrity, strength, and ability. A husband and wife have confident expectations of one another. We have an obligation and a responsibility to love, care for, and respect each other as husband and wife. Our hearts, bodies, minds, and souls are committed and entrusted to one another “until death do us part.” One might assume that since you have agreed to marry each other, that you trust each other. Unfortunately, this is not always a correct assumption. Many times we give “lip service” to trusting each other, but then do not completely give that trust. Trust is the foundation of any relationship – parent-child, boyfriend-girlfriend, friend-friend, employer-employee, and husband-wife. Without trust, your marriage has very little opportunity for growth.

According to Erik Erikson, “trust versus mistrust” is the very first stage of personality development. Trust is developed before the age of two. Erikson believed that trust in the infant years created a lifelong expectation of what we believed about the world. Our parents had the ability to write on our souls, as infants and children, and influence who we are as people. Did yours write something good or not? What did you learn about trust as a child? Did you learn that married people cheat on each other? Did you learn that when you share your feelings they are used against you later? Did you learn that you would be understood when you shared your feelings? Did you learn that feelings, like anger and sadness, caused fights and/or divorce? Did you learn to trust the opposite sex? Did you learn trust once you started dating? Were your boundaries respected or ignored? Were you taken advantage of? Were secrets, that you thought were private, shared with outsiders? As an adult, have you learned to trust? Are you willing to share your deepest, darkest secret with your spouse knowing that it will always be a secret and will never be used against you? Or do you censor what you share because you are not sure? If I asked you to fall backward into your spouse’s arms, would you trust him or her to catch you?

Trust is earned with consistency. Trust is not given simply because you think you love someone. How can you actually love someone that you do not trust? Hopefully, the two of you have been together long enough to have established a pattern of consistency and earned each other’s trust. If not, start now. Can you depend on your spouse to tell the truth, to be faithful, to listen effectively, to put the top back on the toothpaste – ALL THE TIME? Of course not, nobody’s perfect. MOST OF THE TIME would demonstrate consistency, though. Does he or she do just the opposite of what you expect or do something one time and not the other? That inconsistency breeds fear and mistrust. There are several reasons that men and women may be distrusting.

A lot of women have different trust issues related to their fathers, abuse, the “independent woman syndrome”, and infidelity. A little girl’s father is her first model of what a man is supposed to be and how he is supposed to treat her. If that relationship was a loving, nurturing one, then a woman may have a very solid idea of how to trust a man to care for her. If her father was not in the picture at all, her father left, or her father was physically present but emotionally unavailable, she may not be sure that a man can love her and take care of her. Abuse, whether physical, emotional, or sexual, can destroy a woman’s trust for a very long time. When one man (or multiple men) has taken advantage of them, women are less apt to trust men to respect and love them. If they have been deeply wounded once before by a man they trusted, they may be a lot more protective of their feelings. With the “independent woman syndrome” there is a feeling of: I am the only one who can take care of me. When you have learned to do for yourself and can depend on that, why entrust that security to someone else? Infidelity causes months, maybe years of doubt. There is no explanation for cheating that can make a woman feel better. From the moment she finds out until whenever, she will wonder if you are where you say you are and if you are really with who you say you’re with. She will question phone calls, working late, financial transactions, and even your tie choice. She will NOT be willing to give intimacy during this struggle because she no longer trusts you to respect her, protect her, and love her the way she deserves to be loved. She may doubt her self-worth and her value to you. You will have to EARN that trust back and it will not be easy.

A lot of men have some of the same issues. Because men tend to be more logical than emotional, you might think that their feelings don’t run as deep. That is a myth. Men tend to love from their head first and then to their heart. They make a conscious decision a lot of times to allow someone in their heart and love them. Therefore, when men truly love, their love can run very deep. When a man has decided to entrust his heart to a woman and he gets hurt; it can be very difficult for him to open up and trust again. A man’s relationship with his mother allows him to model how to care for a woman. However, his relationship with his father teaches him how to be a man. If the father was a good role model (i.e. loving, faithful, honest, hard-working, etc.), then a man may develop a good sense of self. If the father was not a god role model (i.e. abusive, unfaithful, dishonest, lazy, etc.), then the man may not develop such a good sense of self. Abuse, whether physical, emotional, or sexual, can make a man question his manhood, his sexuality, his self-worth, and his ability to protect [himself and anyone else depending on him]. When this abuse is inflicted by a woman, he may have a very difficult time ever trusting women – even the one he is going to marry. Infidelity is taken as a personal affront and comes with a lot of hurt and pain. A man may question his decision about choosing to love and choosing to trust his spouse. He may question his value or lack thereof. It will take a very long time for him to trust again because he will go back in to their head and start over again. The journey back to his heart will be even longer after a betrayal like that.

Lack of trust can be seen in many different ways. When you hide money from each other, you don’t trust. You don’t trust your spouse to be responsible with your money. When you don’t allow your spouse to parent your children, you don’t trust. You don’t trust your spouse to be a good parent. When you lie to each other, you don’t trust. You don’t trust your partner to handle the truth, whatever that truth is. When you don’t tell your spouse when something feels good or hurts during sex, you don’t trust. You don’t trust your spouse to make the necessary adjustments to lovingly meet your needs. When you make a major decision without your partners input, you don’t trust. You don’t trust your partner’s opinion. When you check your partner’s wallet/purse, cell phone, car, e-mail account, etc., you don’t trust. You don’t trust your spouse to be faithful. When you are having a major emotion – happiness, sadness, anger, confusion, whatever – and you don’t feel like you can share it with your partner, you don’t trust. You don’t trust your spouse to validate, appreciate, and soothe your emotions. When you don’t feel comfortable being naked in front of your spouse, you don’t trust. You don’t trust your partner to love you just the way you are. When you do or say something that you would not do or say in front of your spouse, you don’t trust. You don’t trust your spouse’s reaction to whatever you are doing or saying – maybe because it will be hurtful to them or maybe because it will keep you from getting what you want.

So, how do you trust? First, if you have difficulty trusting, you must admit it to yourself, then to your spouse, then to your counselor. That’s right, your counselor. You will need an objective third party to help you work through your struggle and help you find healing. No matter what the problem is – dysfunctional childhood, abuse, infidelity, etc. – a counselor can help you sort through the emotions and really heal the wounds rather than just continuing to put a band-aid on your problems. Once you can deal with the true depth of your distrust – where it stems from and how it affects you – you can close that chapter in your life and open yourself to new beginnings. Second, you need to talk about your distrust with each other – openly and honestly. Third, you need to agree to accept each other where you are in your struggle and support each other while you grow. Fourth, make a conscious effort to do whatever each other needs to help build trust (e.g. checking in by phone at specified times, having a “safe” word during sex to stop uncomfortable sexual activity, creating intimacy without sex, sharing bank records, etc.). Lastly, be patient with each other, honor each other’s commitment to facing this problem, and celebrate each new level of trust and depth you develop together.

Imagine the new depth you will have in your marriage when you can trust your partner unconditionally. What would it feel like to be able to share anything and everything with your spouse without fear of retribution? What would it feel like to be able to share your hurts and pain, your fantasies and desires with your partner and know that you would be heard, understood, and not judged? How freeing would it be to find safety and security in the one person that you have vowed to spend the rest of your life with? Be careful with each other and take your time. Most importantly, be wise. If you realize that the person you are with is not trustworthy, does not value you and your feelings, or is hurtful without remorse, then you may not want to open yourself up too much. You know what’s comfortable for you. If the two of you are in this together, however, you must be willing to step outside your comfort zone and push for new emotional breakthroughs. The new you and your new relationship will be incredible. Trust me.

by Michael-Renee Astree, RN, LAPC

My Real Wedding From The Knot

My Real Wedding from The Knot published Natasha Taylor Wedding by Visual Statements Photography and Video. http://myrealwedding.theknot.com/photo/view/My-Fabulous-Wedding

Make a Statement... Give a Smile

As a philanthropic arm of Professional Photographers of America Charities (PPA charities), a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, allows Visual Statements Photography and Video to become a force for positive change, making a difference in the lives of children and families impacted by facial deformities.

Throughout the world, Operation Smile volunteers repair childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable health care systems for children and families. Together, we create smiles, change lives, heal humanity. For more information about Visual Statements Photography events, please visit Visual Statements: Operation Smile Events

Mocha Moms Testimonials

Visual Statements's photography is phenomenal! I first used them for my wedding in 2005. My wedding photos & album were “awesome”. Since then we have used Visual Statements for our family photos, our son's first birthday party & other social events. Each time they have created unique & flawless photos. Visual Statements's attention to detail, professionalism & warm environment is unparalleled. Ericka Smith (Atlanta Chapter Mocha Mom)

Let me say that Visual Statements has restored my faith in photographers. After never receiving my wedding album from the photographer, I decided I would only use places like Sears to take picture because I knew Sears couldn't run off with my money. Well the husband and wife team of Visual Statements proved that I can trust them to solidify precious memories. Their level of professionalism is amazing but not constricting, they have a level of comfort that allows you to open up and be captured by the camera. I went in with my husband and daughter for my maternity shoot at 38 weeks feeling very self conscious and they made us feel right at home. It was such a pleasure being able to witness my husband take pictures with my daughter for the first time that I made sure to get a print just in time for Father's Day. I will be returning to the Visual Statement team to capture all of our precious moments for a lifetime!!!!
Mocha Tomikko Robinson (Metro Atlanta Mocha Moms)I love the Visual Statements team. They are just phenomenal. When I went in for my photo shoot, they were courteous, professional, and accommodating. I love the fact that they asked me what was my vision or style I wanted to convey in my pregnancy photos. I shared my vision and they enhanced it and ran with it. The photos are so beautiful! Plus I had so much fun! They made me feel like I was a supermodel! The Visual Statement team, who are husband and wife, are a great complement to each other and they work well together. I am sure this is why they are so successful! My family and I are definitely going to hire them again for all of our family and special occasion photos. All of their photos are absolutely beautiful. They are the best!

Mocha Latoicha Givens (Metro Atlanta Mocha Moms)

We found the photographers to be incredibly professional and personable. And, the best part is that their work is AMAZING, and their prices are fantastic!!!!! They know how to work with small children. And, their ability to capture the innocence and wonder of youth, as well as our family's love and affection is remarkable! We know who we'll be using for all of our family photos from now on!!!! And, to my pregnant friends who are considering maternity photos . . . VS Photography has great pricing for individual sessions, as well as reasonably priced packages for maternity and new baby photo sessions that include birth announcements. If you’re looking for a photographer . . . look no further!

Mocha Shenia Kirkland (Metro Atlanta Mocha Moms)

Rokeya and Tony Wedding

A Dream Wedding

Rokeya Johnson and Tony Jones tie the knot, in Atlanta, at the KTN Ballroom. See their wedding story at http://vsphotography.com/jones

Why Do People Become Entrepreneurs?

People become entrepreneurs because they WANT... to follow their dreams, be all they can be, do what they want, when they want and with whom they want. Furthermore, they hope to gain success, power, independence, financial security, peer recognition, more control over their life and freedom from the 9-5. Read the full article at http://www.vstatements.com/gb1.pdf

Premier1Sports

Brian Smith, of Premier 1 Sports, selected Visual Statements Photography (http://www.vsphotography.com/) to capture his vision for a line of Sports Performance Training DVDs. Smith created the DVD series to teach superior proven techniques for developing an explosive strength and speed program. The company's website is located at http://www.premier1sports.com/home.html

WEDDING AND MARRIAGE - REALITY CHECK
by Michael-Renee Astree, RN, LAPC

So, you have made one of the biggest decisions of your life. Someone proposed and someone said, “Yes.” But, to what did you say yes? Was it yes to a lifetime of fun and joy and romance like in a Harlequin romance novel? Was it yes to a business arrangement? Was it yes to a lifetime of work and struggle? Was it yes to sacrificing who you are as an individual and no longer having a sense of self? Was it yes to a biblical union that will be absolutely perfect in the sight of God? Was it yes, finally, to commitment? The answer is a quintessential, NO! You did not agree to any one of these things; but rather to all of them. Was it yes to a fantasy or someone’s potential rather than reality? Let’s hope not. What you have both agreed to is being married – not to a wedding and not to a honeymoon – but to the covenant of marriage.

After the ceremony, the reception and the honeymoon, you will come home to the real world and you will be husband and wife. You will forever have the joy of the beautiful memories captured in your wedding album and your wedding video by Visual Statements Photography and Video. You will have great memories from your honeymoon. You have begun forever! So, what happens now?

A lot of couples are disillusioned from the start. Their entire focus is on the wedding, and not on the marriage. Although the wedding is an important event, the wedding is only one day. The marriage is for a lifetime. Unfortunately, some couples do not take the time to figure out what is going to happen after the wedding day. There are several tough questions that need to be discussed before the two of you say, “I do.” Communication, trust, finances, sex, and [lack of] covenant are the five topics that tend to destroy marriages today. In 2008, although the statistics have not gotten much worse, the general consensus still seems to be that it is easier to just get divorced than try to stay married. I challenge all new couples to dare to stay together. It is one of the hardest, yet most rewarding jobs you will ever have. If you can put forty hours a week into a corporate job, you can certainly put that amount of time or more into your marriage. The truth is: we make time for what is truly important to us. So, how does your list of priorities run?

Better yet, do your lists match, complement, or antagonize each other? Do you communicate your needs? Do you trust your partner to meet your needs? Do you know how each of you handles finances? Do you have the same sexual expectations? Have you asked the hard questions? Are you willing to accept the answers? Thus begins your communication.
Communication is multi-faceted: problem identification, talking, listening, understanding, and resolving. Communication is not a naturally assumed behavior. It is a learned skill. As a couple, you must identify the problem, talk about it, and come to a resolution. No one can be held accountable for something they do not know (e.g. you get pissed off when they leave the toilet seat up or when they leave hair in the sink after blow-drying it). So, identify your needs honestly and respectfully and then talk about how to get your needs met. Check to make sure that your partner understands what you are saying. If they do not, simply rephrase it so they will. Discuss it calmly, agree on a resolution, or agree to disagree. DO NOT EVER GO TO BED ANGRY! Then, trust that your new spouse will implement the actions you agreed upon to make sure your needs get met.

Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Trust can be destroyed before you even get married. If someone was raped, molested, or abused (mentally, physically, or emotionally), trust is going to be a huge issue in your relationship. Has this happened to you or your partner? Do you know? Do you trust each other enough to share that information? The other trust destroyer is infidelity. Has one of you been unfaithful? Have you dealt with all the emotions of that incredible betrayal? It is possible to get past infidelity; but only with a great deal of professional help, commitment, forgiveness, and prayer. If you begin your marriage with a shaky foundation, you are setting yourself up for failure. Remember, you are agreeing to commit your heart, mind, body and money to this person forever.

So, are you ready for a joint checking account? Who makes more? Who is the better money manager? Is one of you a spender and one a saver? Do you spend money the same way? Have you agreed to keep separate checking accounts? Who is responsible for which bills or do the bills get paid out of a joint account? Is there a spending limit at which you must ask the other person for permission? What is the retirement goal? If you are both homeowners, whose house will be sold? If one person is a homeowner, is the other person comfortable moving in or do you want to get a house together? What is the timeline for that? What is each person’s credit score? Have you talked about these things? If your partner has an expensive hobby, are you willing to include this in the monthly budget? Does one of you pay bills early and the other floats checks to rob Peter to pay Paul? These are things you need to know prior to marriage and it is one of the hardest conversations you may have to have, next to the sex discussion.

Sex tends to freak people out, believe it or not. Sexual relations require a level of intimacy that we are not all ready to share. Have you been having sex with each other all the while you have been dating? Are you waiting until marriage? Have you taken a vow of celibacy? Is someone in your relationship a virgin? Has someone been violated? Do you know how to be intimate without intercourse? Is sex used as a weapon in your relationship? Have you discussed with each other your sexual histories? Has there been homosexual activity, drug use, blood transfusions, multiple partners, or unprotected sex? What is your partner’s STD history and current HIV status? Did they tell you or did you see the results on paper?

In 2008, over 30% of HIV is spread from unprotected heterosexual contact. It is something that, unfortunately, we still have to talk about. Beyond that, though, how often are you going to have sex? Does one person think every day, four times a day is normal while the other person thinks four times a month is normal? A difference like that could cause a huge problem. You may want to figure out what each person’s expectations are now, before the wedding and the honeymoon. What is going to happen when one of you is sick or unable to perform sexually? Is the other person willing to wait or will oral sex or manual stimulation be offered as an alternative? Remember that God expects you to be servant lovers to one another. It is part of the covenant of marriage.

A covenant is much deeper than a commitment. You commit to a contract, a job, a schedule. A commitment is legal (i.e. ordered by a judge). A covenant is a vow or agreement made between God and His people. So, as much as you have agreed to get married, I hope you have considered the depth of the covenant you are making. You are vowing to love, honor, respect, and protect each other in the sight of God and in the sight of each other. If this contract is broken, there will be much more than financial loss; there will be emotional and spiritual devastation as well. God is omnipotent. He has given us direction in His word as to how we are to be as husbands and wives. He has given us direction as to how to be servant lovers to one another. He has made it easy. The challenge for us humans is to step up and be the men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers that He has created us to be.

So, as you get ready for your big day, get ready for the days after. Commit to yourself that you will wake up every morning and ask yourself this question, “What can I do today to make my husband’s or wife’s life better today?” Whatever you did when you were dating to win each other’s hearts, keep doing it. Don’t get complacent and don’t take each other for granted. Don’t assume that your spouse knows you love him or her. We all like to hear it from time to time. Look into each other’s eyes for one minute every day and read each other’s souls. Cherish every moment you share together – every smile, laugh, touch, and tear. Share your dreams and your goals. Kiss every day. Say “good morning”, “hello”, “goodbye”, “goodnight”, “I’m sorry” and “I love you” whenever you have the chance because tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Thank God for every day you get to love your spouse and to feel loved in return. It is the greatest gift any of us can experience. Make it awesome every day of the rest of your life together!

Tyler Fantasy Wedding

Maurice and Penny met one evening while out having dinner and drinks with friends. Their eyes met across a crowded room, and Maurice eventually sent a waitress over to get Penny’s drink order.

Penny was having a diet coke; however Maurice refused to buy her a coke, and insisted that Penny have a glass of wine. Maurice and his friend walked over and introduced themselves shortly thereafter. Maurice and Penny sat as a group and talked and laughed for hours.

Penny was so intrigued, by Maurice’s honesty and character, that Penny jokingly told Maurice that night, 'If I ever get married again, I want my husband to be just like you'. Never in a million years did she really think that the stranger sitting across the table from her would eventually become the man that she would fall so deeply in love with and marry.

Maurice and Penny wanted a very romantic, fairytale wedding and Endless Summer Villa gave us that and so much more. Once they decided on a destination wedding, they wanted a villa that would set the mood for the whole week. Maurice is a romantic, and they knew that the place they chose would definitely need to convey that romance. The name, Endless Summer, of the villa says it all. Their week was like an Endless Summer romance. Although they didn't think it was possible, they fell in love all over again.

See Photographs from the Tyler Wedding

They offered their guest a wonderful line up of events during their stay. This included memberships to the Wyndhan Rose Hall Resort and Country Club to which they could enjoy all water sports and beach activities. A private massage therapist, a 'Diva' photo shoot with Visual Statements Photography for the ladies, and horseback riding in the Caribbean ocean. The destination wedding was planned by www.fairytaledestination.com

Penny Tyler - Graduate of the University of Southern Louisiana and Atlanta College of Business. She currently employed with Tyler Technologies as an Implementation Consultant.

Maurice Tyler - Graduate of Morgan State University, Retired from (NFL) National Football League with his longest career being with the Denver Broncos. He is currently employed as a Health and Physical Education Teacher in Atlanta, GA and an Assistant Football Coach for the Atlanta Explosion. The couple resides in Ellenwood, Georgia suburbs of Atlanta.

Visual Statements Fine Art Photography Website Release 2008

Visual Statements Photography Fine Art Photography Website has been released!!!!! We invite you to visit and share with all of your friends and family. Let us know what your favorite images are. Here are a few of ours. We hope that you enjoy!!!!!!

Karrianna and Ché in Atlanta, GA

REAL WEDDINGS - WWW.BRIDES.COM

Karrianna and Ché in Atlanta, GA

An outdoor ceremony preceded a ballroom reception with a rich, romantic feel. Customized CD favors and a surprise drumline performance paid homage to the groom's musical background. —Meredith Bodgas ModernBride

http://www.brides.com/weddingstyle/realweddings/159173/

Personalized Wedding Albums

Your personalized wedding album is a real decoration of the family scrapbooks and online journals. In everyone's life a special occasion takes place one day, which may be a wedding, graduation day and so forth. On these occasions families come together, arrange parties and have fun. And no such thing ever goes without a camera and/or video camera. Your personalized wedding album is a real decoration of the family scrapbooks and online journals.
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Think Pink Photography

Visual Statements Photography is a member of the Think Pink Photography Network. Think Pink Photography was founded in October 2007 to support individuals and their families who have been touched by breast cancer. It is a non-profit organization that serves two main purposes - celebrating life and supporting the cause.

The Think Pink Photography network helps breast cancer survivors and their supporters to celebrate life with charitable photography sessions. Sessions are available to document the fight before or during treatment or to celebrate the victory when treatment is completed. Please see the "Celebrating Life" section of http://www.thinkpinkphotography.org/ for more details and information. Awareness is everything and we can't be successful without you.