phoenix Archives - Melodee Lynn Photography

May 15, 2017May 15, 2017

The McFadden Family

Cookie Dough. America Idol. Nau. Lake Tahoe.

I have so, SO many memories with Ben and Anya. We were there for other when we needed someone the most. It’s been 9 years, NINE since I’ve seen and hugged Anya in person! I’m thankful for social media so we can keep up with each other even though we haven’t seen each other in so long! So much has happened in the span of years that has passed. We’ve both have gotten married, have two sweet little blonde haired babes and have both continued pursuing our passion for photography! She always had a camera with her in college and was there documenting all the fun times we shared with our college group!

So you’re probably wondering about the cookie dough and America Idol, huh? Though it probably doesn’t take much explaining! Almost every Tuesday for an entire season (I believe the year Jordin Sparks was on) she and I would meet at her apartment, eat dinner and watch American Idol and there was almost always, cookie dough in one form or another. Cooked, raw, it didn’t matter. We ate it. To this day, that recipe is hands down my all time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!

After she and Ben got married, they moved to Sacramento for Ben to start his first job in construction management. At the same time they were starting their marriage, mine was ending. It was a very painful time but I went to visit them for a few weeks and it brought so much healing to my soul. We hiked, we canoed, we ate, we laughed. It was what we both needed and it’s a time I’ll never forget!

Fast forward 9 years and God’s healing and restoration has been so evident in both of our lives. From the challenges that faced us then, to the challenges of mother hood now, the one constant in our lives has been the presence of our loving Savior. He is hope everlasting.

April 21, 2017April 21, 2017

Coup de Tartes | Phoeniz, Arizona

Anytime a vintage flower truck is involved, you know it’s gonna be a good day.

I’ve passed by Coup de Tartes a few different times and was always captured by the charm of this little venue. When I saw that this styled shoot was going to take place here, I was even more excited than before. The tall trees and shrubs in the back create a private and secluded environment making it the perfect setting for intimate events. On the back patio, a fireplace is set in one corner which as you can see makes this space even more unique.

Can we talk about this vintage floral truck? The gals of The Local Stem can be found at Farmer’s Markets and are making their way into the wedding scene. The truck is the cutest and made for some amazing wedding photos. I always admire florist’s work. I may have a creative gene, but it stops short at flowers. I can’t for the life of me arrange a bouquet so anytime I see one I just can’t help get all excited.

The Confetti Studio did it again with her adorable place settings and furniture. I don’t think there is a style she can’t beat.

Katie from Sift Bakehouse is extremely talented and I am blown away every time I see her work! I feel so lucky I actually got to see it in person this time!

Suzanne’s Bridal and Celebrity Tux and Tails knock it out of the park every time with their selection they offer. This dress was stunning on the bride!

Frou Frou Chic and The Family Joolz were styled with simply Lola Lee’s simply perfect invitations. I love her the level of sophistication she brings to everything she does!

Flourish Handlettering was on point with her beautiful signs. Not only was her calligraphy can’t-stop-staring-gorgeous, the fact that they it was on glass was simply stunning and added an element of high class sophistication.

It was so fun to watch Tara work her magic while she videoed the whole shoot! I can’t wait to see her final video!

The was the first time I’ve shot an event that Desert Whim has styled and I am SO impressed with how everything turned out!

As a Phoenix Fashion Blogger, Bethsaira styled the wardrobes for the models and everyone looked so beautiful. Vanessa did a great job on the girl’s hair!

It was so wonderful being able to capture the hard work and talents of all of these vendors along side so pretty fantastic photographers. My group consisted of film photographers and I was in awe of how they worked and approached everything! I absolutely cannot wait to see their work!

Jen, you did such an amazing job coordinating this shoot! Thank you for giving us all the opportunity to work along side you!

August 15, 2016

Date Night Diaries No.1

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and yet there I was watching it with my own eyes.

There we were, sitting and waiting for our movie to start. We looked up and saw a teenage guy on his hover board holding the hand of his girlfriend walking beside him. He hovered over to a coffee shop and left his ride outside with his girlfriend while he went inside. I know what you’re thinking, aanndd? What’s the big deal, I hover next to my girlfriend all the time. #facepalm

We sat there watching this scene take place in front of us and I thought, this is why I want to date my husband. Our boys are growing up in a world of hover boards for pete’s sake and I want them to at least have the decency to put down the dang hover board and escort their girlfriends like men!

So my husband and I have made it a priority to have a date night. If you have kids, you know this is a big deal, and if you don’t then let me tell you, it’s a big deal. Life just zooms by too fast. We’ve been married 5 years now and have two beautiful boys, the oldest who will be 4 in October. Yikes, I can’t believe it. My husband and I used to go out all the time before kids. We were such foodies and would love finding new places to eat. We still do of course, but don’t always have the time or energy for it. Now that we are out of the funky newborn stage, we’ve committed to ourselves to have two dates a month. But what is so unique about our date nights, is that we want to share them with you.

In my Welcome Gifts to all my bride and grooms, I give them a set of 10 date night ideas. Dating your spouse is so important and sometimes you just get in such a routine of what you think a date should look like that you forget why you do it. It’s good to mix it up every once in a while! Ryan and I are taking those 10 date night ideas to heart and are going on them ourselves! Last night was already planned so we enjoyed a night out at a new favorite restaurant, went to a movie and made sure to leave plenty of room for conversation. But the next night we head out, we’re checking Date #1 off the list!

While the food and movie was great, it was what we talked about that was icing on the cake. We talked about work and the kids some, but as we sat and waited for our movie to start, we talked about the one thing we both hold near and dear to our hearts, Corvettes. Don’t laugh, but it’s true. We are car people! We were pulling up the different body styles on our phones talking about the differences we saw, what we liked and didn’t like and which one we would drive if we had the chance. Nerds? Probably. But my husband was on cloud nine! And I have to admit, I was too.