Crystal Goss Photography

2007-06-15T16:28:00.000-04:00

NEW BLOG!!! NEW BLOG!!!

Woohoo!!! Come on over and check out my brand new blog! CLICK HERE!

www.crystalgoss.squarespace.com

I am so excited to have my new blog, and I will certainly be giving it lots and lots of love! :) I am still working out a few kinks....learning how everything goes, but I just posted my first post! Come check out Michelle and Brett's wedding! And update your bookmarks because I will no longer be posting on this blog, but I will leave it up as an archive of my old posts.

Bye bye, blogger! You've been good to me!

2007-06-05T16:48:00.000-04:00

KEVIN & JENNA - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WEDDING - PART 1

Well, actually this is part 2.....I'm sort of going backwards. ;)

Jeremy and I had the amazing opportunity to travel out to the Dominican Republic along with Jenna, Kevin, and their immediate families to shoot their wedding back in March. I have not had a chance to post these beautiful images because I went into preterm labor just 4 days after returning from the trip! :) These are a few of my favorite shots from the day after the wedding. Jenna and Kevin wanted KILLER wedding pictures, so we got up the morning after their wedding at sunrise and took some time to get some incredible shots. Jenna even wanted to "trash" her dress! Dress trashing is growing more and more popular and more and more brides are getting brave enough to do it. And just look at how it pays off! And we actually didn't really trash Jenna's designer gown. It came perfectly clean, and she wore it again a month later at their reception in Hot Springs!!

Check back soon for pictures from the beautiful beach ceremony! And if any of my brave brides are interested in trashing your dress just let me know!!! :)

~ Crystal

2007-06-05T01:25:00.000-04:00

SARAH ROCKS!!

I just have to take a moment to brag on my associate photographer Sarah. She is amazing! She has been working under me for almost two years, and I love her to death! We have traveled all over the state together shooting weddings and have had a blast. She is now booking her own weddings through Crystal Goss Photography, so if I am booked for your date she may be available!

We are preparing an overhaul on the website. It hasn't been updated in a year, and it is about time it was updated!! I have way too many new, amazing pictures to display in the galleries. Here are a few of my favorite pictures that Sarah took at a recent wedding in Northwest Arkansas. These were taken at Whitney and Clay's wedding at Pratt Place Barn. It was a wonderful day, a fun group, and a beautiful wedding! I'll be posting some of my images soon. I am working hard to get caught up on the blog as well as get caught up on all of my album designs so be patient with me! :)

I am starting to play with adding really cool textures to images. The look is a growing trend. I like the way this one turned out along with the picture above. I am putting a couple of textured pictures like this one in my album designs now. I love it!

Leave a comment and let Sarah know what you think! Have a great day!

~ Crystal

2007-05-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

TRAVIS HAYDEN IS HERE!

Jill and I have been best friends ever since we were awkward tweens in our first year of junior high school. She and I have shared so many wonderful experiences together, but we would have never imagined we would share the pregnancy experience! It was late one Sunday night when she called me shrieking that she was pregnant. It was no secret that she and Ryan had been having some trouble getting pregnant, so I couldn't have been more thrilled for her. I took the next day off work and spent it celebrating the good news with her. I also complained to her about my recent fatigue and aching back, and she insisted that I take her leftover pregnancy test. Hours later I finally gave in, and we cried together when the test read that I was indeed pregnant too.

Yesterday was Jill's d-day - exactly 2 months after mine. I recieved the call from Ryan at around 9:00 last night. "She's dialated to nine and a half!"

"What? Already?! I'm on my way!!"

Jill had called me just a little over an hour earlier and told me she was dialated to five centimeters! Everyone was shocked to hear that she had progressed so quickly. I arrived at the hospital in record time and headed back to room 446. She and Ryan wanted me to capture the birth of their son in pictures, and I was more than happy to do it for them.

Travis arrived at around 11:45 PM weighing in at 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 21 inches long. He is such a cutie pie and looks just like his momma!

All the proud grandparents...

Jill and Ryan, I am so happy for you guys! You were amazing last night, Jill, and you should be so proud. You two are going to be amazing parents!! I can't wait to watch our two boys grow up together!! I love you guys!

~ Crystal

2007-05-14T15:42:00.000-04:00

MY FIRST MOTHER'S DAY

When Jeremy took these pictures of me and my belly while we were in the Dominican I NEVER would have thought that just one week later I would be lying in a hospital bed hooked up to wires and machines trying to postpone labor. I would have never thought I would actually BE a mother on Mother's Day this year! But I am, and I am so happy!!!

On my first Mother's Day I must say that I truly felt blessed for so many reasons. I have family and friends who love, encourage, and support me. So many wonderful people have helped us out in so many ways over the past few weeks. Friends have cooked and entertained for us. My mother and my mother-in-law have come to the house and cleaned, organized, brought gifts, and cooked meals for us to get us through the weeks Brayson was in the hospital. Jeremy's Nanny has also cooked us many wonderful meals topped off with her fantastic desserts! We know that so many wonderful people have prayed for us and for Brayson over the last couple of months. I am blessed because I have a beautiful baby boy who is now at home with us sleeping in his craddle making the sweetest little baby sounds. Every time he looks at me my heart melts! He immediately lifts my spirits with his sweet grin. I am blessed because I have a truly wonderful husband whose love I never doubt! I referred to him yesterday as a diamond in the rough! I have to brag on him because he is so great. He is so loving and helpful and encouraging. From massaging my tense muscles to changing dirty diapers (really dirty ones!), getting bottles ready, doing laundry and dishes, running errands, doing yardwork and everything in between - he has simply blown me away! He is what is keeping our lives somewhat in order right now. I love him so much and am so thankful to have him in my life. He is going to be the best dad Brayson could ever wish for!

I can't stop taking pictures of Brayson. He seems to change a little bit every day, and I don't want to miss a thing! Here are a few a took a couple of days ago. Brayson is lying in a cradle that has been in our family for over 24 years! A friend of the family built this craddle when I was born. I slept in it, my sister slept in it, and now Brayson rests in it! How special!

Jeremy was holding Brayson in our living room, and I noticed the beautiful light pouring through the window. I had to grab my camera! I love this shot!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there!

~ Crystal

2007-05-12T20:55:00.000-04:00

MICHELLE'S BRIDALS

I have been looking forward to Michelle's wedding since she booked me to shoot it last year. She is such a fun and sweet person, and she is going to be a gorgeous bride!! She has been planning the perfect wedding. She is working with some of the best vendors around, so I know it will be fabulous! We went out to shoot her bridals while Brayson was still in the hospital. My great uncle was so kind and opened up his home for us to shoot in. We were definitely not lacking in great spots to shoot, and we had a blast with the leopard print walls!

A few favorites....

~ Crystal

2007-05-10T20:28:00.000-04:00

Things are going great! Brayson had his first bath at home tonight. It was a little stressful for all involved. We are still getting the whole bathtime routine down. :) Isn't he so cute!

2007-05-09T23:20:00.000-04:00

HOME AT LAST

Wow! It seemed this day would never come! It has been seven weeks since we have spent a day outside of the hospital. It has been a long, tiring, and emotional road, but "Peanut" finally came home yesterday!!! Our night "rooming in" at the hospital went well, and last night was even better. Everyone had told me to enjoy my sleep while I could before he came home, but to be honest, the past two nights have been some of the best rest I have gotten since I went into labor. Brayson sleeps great day and night, and we have to wake him up for almost every feed. He came home on an apnea monitor that he will have to be hooked up to for probably a month or two. It is a bit of a hassle, but it will let us know if he ever stops breathing or if his heart rate drops too low.

The dogs are doing well around him. I don't think they know what to think of him. They sniff at him, but they never get too close. Our maltese has already gotten a bit protective of him. It will be fun to see how they are around him over the next few weeks. Jeremy has the week off so that we can all spend time together as a family. The doctors and nurses told us to really relax and bond with Brayson over the next few days. We plan on doing just that! We also have to limit the number of visitors he has for a little while. His white blood cell count is still low, so it would be very easy for him to get really sick right now. His pediatrician will be checking his count again in a few days to see if it has gone up any. We will keep you all posted. Well, I am off to get his next bottle ready. Hopefully he will start breastfeeding soon, and I won't have to mess with bottles anymore! :) Enjoy these photos!!!

~ Crystal

2007-05-07T22:12:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to say that I'm sitting back watching Crystal hold Brayson, not under the harsh florescent lights of the special care nursery, but in our own dimly lit, cozy hospital room, where we are rooming in tonight! As many of you know, Crystal stayed at the hospital last night to give Brayson his feeds so that we might prevent any episodes that may have occurred due to someone not familiar with him giving him his bottle. Well, he came through like a champ, and Crystal even got about 3 hours of sleep today. Since we are having to take Brayson home on an apnea monitor and all of the rooms being reserved, we were going to have to wait a few days for a monitor to be ordered and delivered and for a room to free up; however, God delivered (as always) with a room opening up at the last minute, a monitor being able to be delivered tomorrow afternoon and our awesome nurse Shannon swinging it where we could use one of the hospital's monitors tonight! With the roller coaster ride the last 5 weeks have been, we're doing our best to live in the moment. Right now we're just thankful to have this night alone with him. Regardless of what happens from here on, God is good. All we can do is trust Him.

Please say a prayer that Brayson will continue to do well and that Crystal and I will know how to care for him like he needs.

jeremy & crystal

2007-05-06T23:04:00.000-04:00

DISAPPOINTED AGAIN.....

Alright, so we decided that we will no longer get excited about the possibilities of Brayson coming home. We will get excited once he IS home. Last night he started having episodes with desatting AGAIN, and so AGAIN we are not getting to bring him home. I, however, have decided that I will be staying day and night at the hospital so that I can feed him every feed myself since he has not desatted on any of his feeds with me. (knock on wood) So far so good. I just have to see for myself what is going on with him. I will be camping out in the waiting room making sure to be in the nursery every three hours day and night. I wish they would just let me sleep in one of the many spare rooms they have around here, but no such luck. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers. This is not easy for me or Jeremy or our families. Please pray for Brayson. His red blood cell count is low and he may end up getting a blood transfusion if it doesn't come up. It came up a little today, but it still needs to come up more tomorrow. The doctor seems to think that his desatting episodes are due to a possible infection, so they are looking for all signs of an infection. If he has one he will be on antibiotics and may end up being here for 7 to 10 more days. I don't really think an infection is what was causing his desats last night since he has not desatted all day with me, but please pray.

Thank you. We will be keeping you all updated.

~ Crystal

2007-05-05T22:43:00.000-04:00

Well, I think the doctors and nurses are beginning to see us as two kids in the back seat of the car asking every 5 miles, "Are we there yet?" But we can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel (forgive the transportation-type metaphors... we've been on the road a lot lately). The good news is that Brayson will likely be coming home in the next few days. We're crossing our fingers for Sunday or Monday. He's done really well the last few days and has taken all his feeds by bottle for almost 48 hours (which is the "come home" threshold). We also just found out tonight that he just hit six lbs!

Here are some more pics. Thanks once again for all the thoughts and prayers!

2007-05-02T11:19:00.000-04:00

TYLER AND AMANDA

So after my stressful day yesterday with Brayson I decided to take a little time to myself this morning. I am hoping to catch the blog up very soon with the three fabulous weddings I shot before I went into labor and a great bridal session I shot over the weekend, but right now it is Tyler and Amanda's fun and sexy engagement shoot. This couple is GREAT. We shared so many laughs that I really needed on a day a couple of weeks ago when Brayson wasn't doing so great. They are getting married on 7/7/07.....the biggest day for weddings this year! :) Enjoy a few of my favorites!

2007-05-01T09:40:00.000-04:00

ROLLERCOASTER

I guess this is how it goes......up and down.....up and down. Brayson has been doing so well. He has been taking his bottles like a champ, sleeping well, and making plenty of dirty diapers for us! He passed his carseat angle tolerance test a couple of days ago, and we were being told that he would be coming home with us today. But then he started desating on all of his bottles last night....he has desated on every bottle since 6:00 pm yesterday. For those who don't know - a desat is when his heart rate drops and his oxygen saturation goes down. His face starts changing colors from a nice pink color to a dusky kind of bluish color. It takes stimulation to bring everything back up again. He is doing this because he is getting choked up on his bottles. We don't know now how long it will take for him to be ready to come home. I believe the doctors may do a swallow test later on. Today will be a long day....he is getting an eye exam, another head ultrasound, and possibly a swallow exam. And my guess is that the feeding tube is going back in his nose. All of this is making me super emotional. It's difficult to focus on anything right now besides him. Please keep us in your prayers. I am so ready for him to come home, but I don't want him to come home before he is ready. I am so glad this all happened before he came home with us. Please pray for a positive outlook and patience for myself and for Jeremy. Pray for Brayson to get eveything together in his own time, and pray for any exams he will have to undergo to have good results.

Thank you, and we love you all.

Crystal

2007-04-26T22:54:00.000-04:00

Well, tomorrow night Brayson will be four weeks old. Isn't it exciting?! He is a growing man! He reached 5 lbs. 3 oz. today. We're so proud! He has been taking his bottles very well lately. He is taking a bottle every other feed right now, and that number will hopefully be increased tomorrow since he is doing so well. We are beginning to have discussions about him coming home, so that means it will be really soon!!!

Brayson has been in wonderful hands this week. Mrs. Becky is a fantastic nurse at UAMS, and she has declared Brayson as her favorite! :) She had him a couple of weeks ago and requested to have him when she was assigned back to the SCN this week. She is such a sweetheart, and it makes me feel so much better knowing that he is under her care. All of the other nurses in the NICU are incredible as well! I've really gotten to know many of them over the past few weeks. Becky let me give Brayson a bath tonight before his 6:00 feed! It was so exciting to see him for the first time not hooked up to anything!!! And he loved his bath! Jeremy got some great pictures.....

2007-04-20T10:13:00.000-04:00

THREE WEEKS!

Our little man is three weeks old tonight! We are so proud of how far he has come in the past three weeks. He is such a wonderful baby. Many of the nurses have commented on how he almost never cries. He is very content most of the time. He continues to improve every day. He is up to 4 lbs. 7 oz. and is looking great! We had a rough day on Monday...his temp dropped and he had to be put under a warmer. He had been spitting up and having other problems so there was a chance he was getting sick. Jeremy and I were pretty scared, but everything worked out and he bounced back really fast! Brayson lost an ounce that day, but he gained 2 ounces the following day to make up for it!!! :) He's doing pretty good with his feeds. He prefers the breast over the bottle and surprisingly does much better with the breast! This is a little unusual, and the doctors really want him taking a bottle well before he can come home. So occupational therapists will be working with him starting today on his bottle feeding. Pray that this goes well and that he picks up this skill really quickly!!! This is the final thing preventing him from coming home with us!!!!!

Well, I am off to the hospital to spend the day with this cutie! I just love him so much! Everyone have a fantastic weekend!!!

~ Crystal

2007-04-13T15:15:00.000-04:00

A BRAYSON UPDATE

Wow! It's hard to believe that Brayson will be two weeks old tonight!! :) The past three weeks all seemed to go by so slowly, but at the same time they have flown by.......how is that possible? Things are going really well. Brayson is such a champ! He has started breastfeeding twice a day, and we will probably go up to three times a day tomorrow. He still gets his other feeds through his tube. Once we get up to four times a day, they will introduce a bottle. So three feeds will be by breast, one by bottle, and the other four will be by his tube. We will continue to climb up until he is taking all eight feeds by mouth. He has officially been moved out of ICN to the SCN, so a new team of doctors are evaluating him daily. An ultrasound was done a couple of days ago on his head and it showed that there was a level one (the worst level is four) bleed in the left ventricle of his brain. No long term effects are expected, and he will get another ultrasound in a week or so to see if his brain has soaked up the bleed and healed itself. The doctor told me that brain bleeds are pretty common in preemies. They're just going to monitor it and make sure it doesn't get any worse and watch for signs of hydrocephalus. Now, back to good news.......Brayson was moved into a crib and is regulating his body temperature all on his own!! He is on Reglan right now to help his digestive system move a little faster because he was having too many large residuals after his feeds. His feeds are up to 35 mL now, and they are adding extra calories to his feeds to help him gain weight a little faster because he is burning up more energy breastfeeding and regulating his temp. Our big boy now weighs 4lbs and 1 oz. We cannot wait to get him home!! Spending all day every day at the hospital can be very draining and stressful. I didn't realize how tiring it can be, but when I get home every night I am ready to go to bed! It's all I can do to keep my eyes open long enough to eat a bite and spend a little time with Jeremy. Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments, beautiful gifts, and kind messages you have sent us! We appreciate everything!!! Everything is going very well, but we still have a ways to go. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

whoops! i just realized that a few of these need to be rotated.........I'll come back and fix it later.....enjoy them sideways for now! :)

Thank you and God bless!

2007-04-07T10:42:00.000-04:00

Brayson is one week old!!!

We are so proud of how Brayson has done over the past week! His feeds have increased every day. He lost 4 ounces the first couple of days, but he has gained all of it back plus some! He will probably get out from under the light today, so he won't have to wear that bothersome mask anymore. He's an active little bugger, but he almost never cries. The other morning the nurse said she walked by his isolette and he had pulled his mask down to his chin, kicked his diaper off to the bottom of the isolette, and was waving his feeding tube around in his hand! He has jerked it out several times now......makes me a nervous wreck! He graduated from the middle nursery in the NICU to the last one before he gets to come home! I call it "graduated" but Jeremy says it's more like prison overcrowding and getting out on early parole! haha! The ran out of room and chose a couple of the best babies to move up sooner than they would have, and Brayson was doing the best! We were there when they moved him. Jeremy got to help pull his equipment over and I took a couple of pictures. We are so proud and thankful. God is so good! He has blessed us tremendously this week. It's really hard having a baby in the NICU, but we have had so much support and prayer from family and friends this week! And all of my clients have been so understanding and patient. I thank you and love you all!!! I hope you enjoy these pictures!

2007-04-02T19:04:00.000-04:00

Here are some more. We got to hold him!!

2007-04-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

ROUND #1 OF PICTURES!

Here are some pics from this weekend. Brayson is doing well. He got his breathing tubes out yesterday, so we'll be posting some pics later where you can see his face better. He's been put under the billi-lite, which treats his jaundice. They tell us that most babies in the NICU get jaundice at least once during their stay. Things are progressing nicely!

2007-03-31T02:04:00.000-04:00

Well, she did it! On March 30, 2007 at 11:25 PM central time, Crystal gave birth to Brayson Cade Goss. He weighs 3 lbs 14 oz. He and Crystal are doing great. Brayson is naturally in the NICU at the moment, but other than a little oxygen help (which is completely normal), he is doing great. He even came out screaming his little conehead off!! We're both beat at the moment, so I'm making this short; but we want to genuinely thank everyone for your prayers and concerns. We love you all and will be posting pictures soon!!

2007-03-30T10:27:00.000-04:00

Crystal had a good day yesterday. She was off the monitors most of the day, and the contractions had slowed down quite a bit. At noon yesterday, she had dilated to 4cm.

We woke up this morning around 5:30 am with her first contraction. (They gave her a sleep aid last night, and she slept through most of the contractions.) From the time she woke up to around 8:30, the contractions were around 10-15 minutes apart. Since they were getting more frequent, they put her back on the monitors and gave her Demerol and Phenegren to try to calm her body and delay delivery for a few more days. At this point, they will not give her the magnesium sulfate, which stops the contractions altogether. The doctor said this morning that she would need to stay here until she delivers. There really is no timeline, so it could be today, a week from now, or longer depending on what her body does. We believe the most likely scenario is that she will deliver within the next few days to a week.

Both Crystal and Brayson are doing well as far as vitals go. Crystal is in and out of sleep right now and probably will be for most of the day. She is a trooper and is handling everything well. She has said more than once that she has a peace about everything. Thank you all for your prayers; they mean so much to us.

2007-03-29T06:26:00.000-04:00

Crystal went into preterm labor (2 months early) Tuesday night around 11:00. She was in Magnolia visiting her parents. She was taken to UAMS Wednesday morning around 9:30, where we are currently. They gave her medication to slow the contractions, but once the medicine wore off (around 4pm), she started having them again. At this point she was 3cm dilated. They continued the medication last night, and when they checked this morning at 5am, she was up to 4cm dilated. From what I can gather, they are just delaying the delivery as long as possible, but it will likely be in the next week (if the contractions do not stop on their own).

The good news is, since Crystal is 31-32 weeks along, Brayson is plenty developed to be healthy in the likely case we have to deliver in the coming days. If this happens, Brayson will likely need to stay in the NICU for up to 4 weeks, until he is developed enough to breath, feed, etc. on his own. He is currently 3.5 - 4 lbs.

Crystal is doing fine and is in good spirits. The medication makes her have hot/cold flashes and nausea.

Crystal will be trying to keep up with email and voicemail as much as possible, but this will all depend on how she's feeling from day to day. We appreciate everyone's prayers and understanding during this time.

jeremy

2007-03-27T11:54:00.001-04:00

GET READY!!

Well, I am back from the Dominican and trying to recover from 2 1/2 weeks of nonstop craziness! :) I have shot 3 beautiful weddings in 3 fantastic locations in 2 1/2 weeks! I am preparing a MONSTER of a post right now, but here is just a little peek! :) LOTS more coming very soon! (including a few maternity shots of me on the beach!! :) )

Check back real soon for more!

~ Crystal

2007-03-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

A SENIOR AND A COUPLE OF CUTIES

Suzanne and I met up last week for her senior session. She is such a sweet girl! We got some great shots, but some of the very last shots of the day were my favorites from the entire session. She has played the violin for years and wanted some pictures with it. Too bad she didn't have her bow with her. I would have loved to have heard her play a little bit!!

One of my friends from high school recently had her second baby, and she was ready to give up her maternity clothes. She and I made a trade - her clothes for some pictures of her two cute kiddos! I had a wonderful time catching up with Ashley over lunch and then playing with and photographing her cuties. And I have certainly been enjoying her maternity wardrobe!! :) Thanks, Ashley!

A few favorites......

I felt so lucky to have a chance to catch one her rare sweet smiles!

Favorites from Tabitha's wedding are coming soon! :)

~ Crystal

2007-03-15T08:43:00.000-04:00

LINDSEY & JOHN

Do you remember the last time you laughed so hard for so long that your cheeks ached even hours later....? I do - and it was with this couple! Lindsey and John are such a cute, fun couple to be around. They were up for anything at their engagement session, and we had a total blast together! I absolutely cannot wait to shoot their wedding!! Just a few of my favorite shots....

A little catch up post from a couple of other shoots I had last week is coming up next! :)

~ Crystal

2007-03-13T16:38:00.000-04:00

LAST LOOK.....

Well, we had a great ultrasound appointment yesterday afternoon. It was what will probably be our last look at our little boy before he is born. Shea Foster at Baby Views in Little Rock is absolutely amazing! She walks us step by step through everything and explains what every little part is and what each measurement means. The experience is emotional, bonding, and educational all in one! Both sets of grandparents joined us yesterday, and everyone left already feeling so attached to the little boy moving around inside me!

He rested the ENTIRE time......I'm so glad he was comfortable, but I really wanted him to wake up and move around a bit. We only saw a few kicks and slight movements along with a quick yawn. I guess he's still a tired little guy after shooting that wedding with me on Saturday!! haha! He has turned, so he is no longer breech. He actually appears to be locked in and ready to go! haha! Shea told us that he is very low. So low, in fact, that we couldn't even see the top of his head. She said I could not be carrying him ANY lower! She said that this would explain why I have been experiencing some of the discomforts that most women don't experience for another month or so. Fun for me, huh?! :(

Here are a few favorite images Shea captured for us.

He's definitely still a boy! :) This was a great shot of his little man parts next to his hand that was wrapped around his thigh.

He was definitely resting comfortably. :) I love this sweet picture. He was resting on his left side with both arms up under his little head and his legs all tucked up to his chest. Absolutely adorable!

A great 2D image of his foot. All five toes are there!

He's already a cheeky little boy!

Look at those big lips and that big, flat "pig" nose! Poor guy looks like he got MY nose. :( My brother-in-law Brad so lovingly refers to my nose as a "Whoo" nose....like the whoo people in the movie The Grinch. :) haha!

His sweet little foot and muscular leg! :)

A little yawn....

This one is a great shot of his little hand....

I just can't wait to meet this little guy!!

Have a great day!

~ Crystal

2007-03-12T11:37:00.000-04:00

QUICKIE!

I am so excited! I am on my way to Little Rock to have my second 4-D ultrasound. Both mine and Jeremy's parents are coming into town to experience it with us! We will get to see our little boy's features so much better this time around, and we are just thrilled! I can't wait to see how much he has grown! I'll be posting pictures of him later on!

Before I leave I wanted to post a quickie from Lindsey and John's engagements from last week. They were such a fun couple, and I love so many of their pictures. There are more to come on here! But this is all I have time for now. :)

Enjoy!

2007-03-08T14:01:00.000-05:00

SARAH CAUGHT ME!

I was looking through some pictures Sarah took during Jenna's bridals last week, and I ran across these beauties...... :P

If you happened to wonder what I might look like working at 6 1/2 months pregnant - here ya go! I can't believe I'm posting these on here, but they gave me a good laugh.

Here's the round pregnant girl showing the beautiful bride how to pose....

And the round pregnant girl holding up the round reflector trying to find a little light to make the beautiful bride glisten. :)

Hope you had a laugh at my expense today. :) And now I'm scared of the pictures my husband might catch of me shooting in the Dominican! YIPE!

Enjoy your day!

~ Crystal

2007-03-05T02:40:00.000-05:00

JENNA'S BRIDALS

I had an amazing time shooting Jenna's bridals Friday evening. Sarah came and did some shooting and helped me out a lot. The weather was perfect.....until the sun set! Jenna was a trooper in her gown out in the cold, and it paid off. I think we got some great shots! I can't wait for Jenna and Kevin's wedding in two weeks. The Dominican Republic will be MUCH warmer! haha!!

Jenna said Kevin was very trustworthy, and she asked me to post a few favorites....

~ Crystal

2007-02-24T20:30:00.000-05:00

ANOTHER CUTIE

I had a blast shooting this cutie patootie a few days ago! She loved her boots and her little cowboy hat! Here are some favorites....

~ Crystal

2007-02-21T11:55:00.000-05:00

TABITHA'S BRIDALS

I have had a break from weddings since January, and while I enjoy having the weekends available to spend with my husband I am also missing shooting my beautiful brides and their fabulous weddings! So I really enjoyed getting out yesterday to shoot Tabitha's bridals in Little Rock. I don't think we could have asked for a better day! The weather was perfect! The only element we had a bit of trouble with was the WIND......wow! While it was a bit of a struggle, it also provided some fun moments! :) I have been working on so many album designs lately, so editing through some great bridals was a nice change for me!! I always love it when my brides give me permission to quickly post their bridals online. ;) They all have such trustworthy grooms! Below are some favorites from yesterday.

Tabitha, you were GREAT, girl! I can't wait to shoot your wedding in a few weeks!

~ Crystal

2007-02-10T20:15:00.000-05:00

CUTIE

I got to photograph a cutie today! :) It was so great! Perfect light, perfect locations, perfect kid.....I love it!!

~ Crystal

2007-02-07T02:11:00.000-05:00

ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS....

So, what do you get when you combine pregnancy, insomnia, cravings, a camera, a maltese, and a shih-tzu? You get one really random post at 1:30 AM!

Cravings can be really distracting and wierd. Especially when you don't quite know what you want. I was craving ice cream earlier tonight, so I scooped out a hefty amount of Breyer's into a nice big bowl. But then I realized that I didn't want just ice cream......I wanted a milkshake! Instead of transferring my already scooped ice cream from my bowl into a cup, I just decided to pour milk in with the ice cream! I made chocolate ice cream soup!!! It didn't really look all that appetizing when I finished........but I ate it anyways!

If you're wondering if it hit the spot........YES, it sure did!!! :)

After satisfying my craving, I decided to try to get a nice belly shot to share with you. I set the timer on my camera and tried to get a decent picture, but Reese kept hogging all of the attention! haha! She is one demanding dog! :)

Finally, I got by with a decent shot.... my goodness my belly has grown!

My shih-tzu, Reese....

A quick self-portrait....

Finally, my maltese Gabe in his favorite spot on top of the couch...

I'm going to attempt to go to sleep now. I hope you enjoyed my random blog post. Goodnight!

~ Crystal

2007-02-01T12:28:00.000-05:00

I LOVE SNOW!

It snowed last night! Yay! And my husband is spending the day working from home with me! Fun, fun! Maybe we'll go play in the snow later......not that there's THAT much of it, but the ground is white, and that's all that matters!

I apologize for being totally MIA! A lot has gone on, and I ended up taking a little over a week off of work. I have spent the past few days working like mad to catch up on everything. We also have some super exciting things taking place in the business right now! Great changes that I am bursting to share......but not yet! :) Soon though....real soon!

Baby Goss is doing well. He reminds me that he is here by giving me some nice swift kicks and jerky movements. It is so very exciting. My parents got to feel him kicking around the other day. It was so great! This is the fun part of pregnancy!

Maybe we will have fun snow pictures to post later.....

Everyone have a wonderful day!

~ Crystal

2007-01-12T16:27:00.000-05:00

IT'S A.....

Well, we had a wonderful time at our 4D appointment! It was amazing! One of the best experiences I have ever had. I would encourage anyone to get a 4D at around 20 weeks. It was so amazing to see the baby moving around and feel it at the same time!! And there was no denying..............we're having a boy!!!! Below are a few of my favorite pictures we got to bring home with us. We got printed pictures from both the 2D and the 4D, and we got a CD-ROM full of images and also a DVD to watch! Sooooo cool!!

We are going to try to get a little bit of the DVD posted in a little while. Right now, though, I am going shopping! :)

~ Crystal

2007-01-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

Baby Goss Update

I know....I know..... This update is looong overdue, and I apologize. I have been just a little busy lately taking care of my fabulous clients and also trying to take a little care of myself. :) Here is the scoop.....

We had an ultrasound just before we left for Denver before Christmas, and we had high hopes of finding out the gender of the baby. Jeremy and I would have loved to surprised our parents with the gender at Christmas. But, alas, our little peanut was breech and very shy. While we couldn't see anything below our baby's belly, we did get all of the important measurements needed, and little peanut is measuring ahead of schedule. Hmmmmm.....

Here are a couple of pictures we got to bring home. I love the baby's big "buddha" belly! :) hehe!

More scoop..... the baby has been kicking and moving around like crazy lately! Sometimes I could almost swear there are more than one in there! haha! Jeremy even got to feel a few kicks the other night. It was so exciting! My belly has also doubled in size since I last posted a picture of myself. I am going to try to post a new picture tomorrow to share with you guys!

And speaking of tomorrow......Jeremy and I have a 4D ultrasound scheduled tomorrow afternoon! We are so excited! I don't know if I'll be able to get any sleep tonight. We are crossing our fingers in hopes that the baby will cooperate and give us a clear view between those legs! My wonderful friend Jill is just one week behind me in her pregnancy. That's right - our due dates are within a week of each other! She and her husband found out on Tuesday that they are expecting a little boy!! :) So congratulations to them. They have been thinking "boy" the entire pregnancy. Jeremy and I have been thinking "girl" our entire pregnancy. We really do not care what the gender is as long as the baby is healthy, but we have both had dreams that the baby was a girl. Everyone else seems to think Baby Goss is a boy. We will hopefully find out tomorrow if our intuition is right!

Check back tomorrow for the announcement!!!! :) I will more than likely post it sometime tomorrow evening because if I leave the office knowing the baby's gender I will be going on a little shopping spree! ;) I think baby and I both deserve it.

Everyone have a wonderful day!!!

~ Crystal

2007-01-06T01:22:00.000-05:00

TIFFANY & AARON - NEWLYWEDS

You may remember images from Tiffany and Aaron's fabulous fall-themed wedding from back in October. You may also remember that their groomsmen played a pretty crude little prank as they were leaving their reception and dumped flour, birdseed all over them and sprayed them down with shaving cream..... Due to this nice surprise, we did not get to shoot the pictures of the two of them alone as we had planned. Sarah and I met up with them while we were already down South preparing to shoot Erin and Nathan's wedding. I really thought they deserved to have some great pictures of just the two of them to add to their wedding album. I think we got some great ones!

Sarah and I are heading to Northwest Arkansas for a wedding this weekend. It is sure to be a great one!! Everyone have a great weekend!!

~ Crystal

2007-01-06T01:03:00.000-05:00

SARAH'S PERSPECTIVE

I promised to post more images from Nathan and Erin's wedding from Sarah's perspective, and here they are! I am so proud of Sarah and the amazing work she always does at each wedding. It is wonderful shooting with her. She and I work seamlessly together, and that is why I am so very proud to officially announce that Sarah will be booking her own weddings from this summer on as an associate photographer for Crystal Goss Photography!!! :) More information will be posted on the website soon along with a new gallery to display Sarah's awesome work!

Just a FEW of my favorite moments that Sarah captured throughout Erin and Nathan's day....

I love Nathan's grin!

Oh so cute!

I absolutely love the expressions in this shot!!

Sarah got some great shots of the ceremony from upstairs while I stayed down on the floor.

Sarah's creative view of the cake....

A few fun shots from the reception....

2007-01-05T01:46:00.000-05:00

ERIN & NATHAN

Sarah and I drove down to Magnolia a few weeks ago to shoot Erin and Nathan's wedding. This was a very special wedding for me. Erin and I graduated from high school together almost 7 years ago. She and I danced together, cheered together, and were involved in many of the same clubs and organizations, and it was a pleasure for me to shoot her wedding! Not only did I enjoy getting to shoot her wedding, but I also had a great time seeing so many other classmates that were there. It was a bit like an early reunion. Such a blast!! And a beautiful wedding!

The day began at a local salon. All of the girls spent the entire afternoon hanging out and getting a little pampered. Everyone got their hair, nails, and makeup done. It was definitely girl-time....topped off with a GREAT mixed CD and yummy chocolate brownies!

Everyone got a great laugh watching these two bridesmaids trying to open the bottle of champagne! So funny!

The ring....

I love this candid shot of Nathan getting ready. There is no telling what he was laughing at! He and his boys were a riot! :)

Erin getting her gown on....

Erin and Nathan chose to see each other before the ceremony and take all of their posed pictures beforehand. I love it when couples chose to do it this way. The day always goes so much smoother, the couple is relaxed during the ceremony, and they get to enjoy their entire reception. AND, I get great images like these....

The fun wedding party....

Erin's father giving her away....

The Kiss...

The fantastic cake! The details were amazing!

The first dance....

Erin's dance with her father....

How low can you go?! Everyone had such an awesome time at the reception. The band was simply amazing!

Here is the very talented Sarah in action. She seriously is a rockstar, and I loved soooo many of the images she got from this wedding. I loved them so much, in fact, that sometime tomorrow I will be posting a very special post of just her images! :) And a little exciting news.....so check back soon!

~ Crystal

2007-01-05T01:26:00.000-05:00

WHITNEY'S BRIDALS

I met up with Whitney and her mother earlier this week to shoot her bridals. We had so much fun! Whitney is definitely a fun-loving girl, and she was up for anything - even shooting in a strapless gown.....outside.....in January!! :) What a trooper!!! I absolutely cannot wait for her wedding at the Pratt Place Barn in Fayetteville in March.

2007-01-03T19:34:00.000-05:00

STEFANIE & MARK

Sarah and I had a blast shooting Stefanie and Mark's wedding a few weeks ago in Little Rock. They are such a sweet couple, and so much fun to be around. After their wedding they headed to what I am sure was a fantastic honeymoon in Figi! Yeah, I'm a little jealous.... haha!

The couple got tickled during the ceremony. I loved this moment....

The new Mr. and Mrs....

The cake....

The view from the Little Rock Club was fantastic. We even had a pretty good view of the lighting of the Capital and the fireworks show....

The first dance....

Everyone enjoying a wedding reception favorite - the Chicken Dance....

So this was something I had never seen before - the groomsmen and Mark had to get out in the middle of the floor and put huge paper bags on their heads.

All of the boys had to show us their best moves, and one by one all of the groomsmen removed their bags and stepped away....it was all set up so that Mark would be left showing his moves alone!

The look on Mark's face when he finally took off the bag and realized he was the only one breaking it down....priceless!!

hehe!

Stefanie breaking it down to the Electric Slide!

Congratulations you guys!!!

~ Crystal

2007-01-03T01:10:00.000-05:00

MICHELLE & CASEY

I had the honor of shooting Michelle and Casey's small ceremony for family and close friends a few weeks ago. The couple traveled to St. Lucia the week before and were married down there. They chose to also have an intimate ceremony and reception upon their arrival back home. It was a wonderful day. Close family members traveled into town from locations all over the U.S. to participate.

I met up with Michelle and Casey at the church before the ceremony to get a few pictures before the sun set. Here are a couple of my favorites...

Getting ready for the ceremony....she was cracking up. I love this shot!

I loved Michelle's yellow callas!

A few favorites from the ceremony....

A good friend of Michelle's hosted a wonderful reception for the couple in her home following the ceremony. Michelle and Casey had an album from their ceremony in St. Lucia available for everyone to enjoy. It was such a great time!

Michelle and Casey - Thank you for asking me to be a part of this special day! You are such a fun-loving, sweet couple, and I wish you the very best!!!

~ Crystal

2006-12-28T21:11:00.000-05:00

CHRISTMAS FUN WITH FAMILY!

So, we made it back from Denver in time for Christmas with family! The airport was craziness...and we didn't have our baggage when we got back. But it was delivered to our door the following day, which was pretty impressive! :) We had family come over to our house the first night, and then we headed out to spend time with extended family. It was so wonderful. This is my favorite time of the year!!

Jeremy and I got a new iMac for the office, and it has a fun built-in camera and is installed with "photobooth"! I had my first Mac Photobooth experience in New York with Becker, Liana, Jessica Claire and others, and it was such a total blast! I couldn't wait to get Jeremy and our family and friends in front of the camera!!! :) What better time than Christmas?! :)

How good-lookin' is my dad?!

My beautiful mother, Cindy....

Those two people are where I got my wonderful good looks....

.....so did my hot sister Lydia.... LOL!

My handsome husband took such a fantastic series of shots that I had trouble choosing my favorites! Hilarious!!!

Who else thinks he looks like the kid from "Malcom in the Middle" here?! haha!

My hilarious uncle Lorne....

My wonderful Meemee! She's so much fun!

My brother-in-law who cannot pick on me enough, Brad... and, yes, this handsome hunk of a man is currently single, girls! ;)

I have no words for this one!! I laugh so hard I cry when I see it! LOL!

My wonderful mother-in-law, Sherri.

My favorite father-in-law and the best baseball coach Arkansas Tech has ever had, Billy Goss.

Finally, the Goss Family portrait....Jeremy, Sherri, Brad, myself, and Billy.

And Jeremy and I had to do a fun little series together....

I hope you all find this as amusing as I did! And I hope my beloved family members don't hate me for posting these! :) haha! Stay tuned for a HUGE update with lots of wedding pictures! I have three different ones to post!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!

~ Crystal

2006-12-20T19:17:00.000-05:00

SNOWED IN!!!

Hello, everyone! I am writing in from Breckenridge, Colorado where Jeremy and I are vacationing with Matt and Jenna Walker of Jenna Walker Photography. What was originally supposed to be a die-hard ski week for the four of us quickly changed once we found out about the baby to a ski week for the boys and a relaxing and pampering week for the girls. We have had such a blast!! A major snow storm has moved into the area, and we are basically snowed in here in Breckenridge....which isn't so bad! :) Jenna and I enjoyed an afternoon of shopping and fun while our hubbies tore up the fresh powder on the mountain with Jenna's sister Katie. It's been awesome! We're expecting a lot more snow before the storm is over with. We're just hoping we get to make it back to Denver and catch our flight out so that we can spend Christmas with our families. It looks like we shouldn't have any problems once Friday rolls around....but you never know.

Hope you all are enjoying your week! Merry Christmas, everyone!!! I'll update again soon!

~ Crystal

2006-12-14T02:21:00.000-05:00

IT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT!!!

One day I didn't have a belly at all......then I wake up with a baby bulge! Yep, it's official! I'm finally showing, and I couldn't be more excited about it. I mean, its about time to have something to show for all of the "morning"sickness I have been dealing with. I prefer to call it "24-hour" sickness. :) That all is getting much better these days. I actually have my appetite back now! Yaaay!

Jeremy and I were so excited about my new belly that we had to take a few pictures. He took these the other night after we got in from dinner. If I look tired it's because I WAS! And I AM! haha! This baby is stealing all of my energy! :)

The firm Jeremy works for had their Christmas party the following night, and this was taken just before we left for the party. My belly was pooching this much before I even got a chance to eat!! :) hehehe!!

We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I can't wait to hear the heartbeat again!!!

~ Crystal

2006-12-07T17:52:00.000-05:00

JENNA & KEVIN

I had a blast in Little Rock with Jenna and Kevin shooting their engagements! They are such a wonderful, fun, and sweet couple. I cannot wait for their wedding in March. The ceremony will take place on a beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic.....and they're taking me with them! :) It will be my first wedding to shoot out of the country, and I am so very excited. Here are a few favorites from their engagements:

~ Crystal

2006-12-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

BRIAN & SARAH

I was thrilled when Liana Lehman asked if Joshua Smith and I would like to help her out with Brian and Sarah's wedding at the Biltmore in Atlanta a few weeks ago. They are a wonderful couple, the location was spectacular, and the lighting we had to work with was so great! Here are a few favorites:

Thank you Brian and Sarah for allowing me to be a part of your day! It was wonderful!! And thank you to Liana - I always enjoy shooting with you, girl! I miss you!!

~ Crystal

2006-12-05T23:18:00.000-05:00

ERIN AND SHEP

I had the fantastic opportunity to shoot Erin and Shep's wedding in Alanta a couple of weeks ago. Erin, Shep, and all of their family and friends were all so kind and wonderful. Joshua Smith was kind enough to come along and shoot with me, and we had a great time. They had a very sweet ceremony and then everyone headed to Brio for the reception. Below are a few of my favorite images from the day.

The dress...

The ceremony...

Communion...

The kiss...

There were a couple of big games playing that drew quite a crowd. I even got to see a bit of the Arkansas game! :)

A special moment after a toast...

A few of the cute kiddos...

The first dance...

Joshua Smith captured these sweet moments...

Erin and Shep, it was so great meeting the two of you. I thank you for asking me to be a part of your wedding day, and I hope you have a long and happy marriage!

~ Crystal

2006-12-01T04:30:00.000-05:00

CATCHING UP - PART ONE

I have been very busy lately! Just a small taste of what I've been up to......

Much more to come!

~ Crystal

2006-11-22T18:38:00.000-05:00

ZAC & ROXANA

I am typing this very quickly before I head out of town to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. I have been dying to get some of Zac and Roxana's pictures up ever since thier wedding. They are such a sweet, sweet couple! They were married in Memphis, TN on October 21st. Roxana had me and Sarah travel over to Memphis and stay the night before the wedding so that we could capture the communion that the two families shared. It truly was a special time! Roxana is a detail-oriented person, so there were so many wonderful details and great thoughtfulness that went into the entire wedding day. Because I am in a rush, I will let these pictures speak for themselves.

Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

God bless!

~ Crystal

2006-11-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

ALMOST 100%....

Hey, guys! Wow...has it really been 3 1/2 weeks since my last post?! Time flew while I was traveling and working in New York, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, but once I got home time almost stopped. I have been so super sick ever since I got back from Atlanta. My symptoms have been very flu-like, and I have pretty much been bed-ridden. I am recovering and taking antibiotics now....and I barely have a voice. So don't be surprised if you happen to talk to me over the phone in the next few days and I sound a little man-like. :)

On top of fighting off this flu-like nastiness at 13 weeks pregnant, I have also been fighting with my email. I have been having some seriously crazy issues, and I hope to get it all worked out in the next couple of days. For a while I couldn't even get into my inbox. Then I could get into it, but I couldn't read any of my emails. Now I can read the emails, but it seems that nothing I reply to is actually going through. So if you have emailed me recently and heard nothing back from me, please be patient. I am going to be going through my sent messages and resending them all from a different account until my work email is back to acting normal again.

I have lots of updates with lots of pictures that I will be posting in the next two days before I head down South to spend Thanksgiving with my family. So be checking back soon!!! :)

~ Crystal

2006-10-27T08:34:00.000-04:00

LEAVING ON A JET PLANE......

I am just a few hours away from catching my flight to NYC! I will be meeting Liana Lehman and Jessica Claire up there and assisting them next week during their XTREME! Seminar. These two girls are so fabulously talented and so incredibly sweet. I love 'em to death and can't wait to see them!! I am also super excited to meet all of the great people who will be coming up to attend the seminar.

This next week is sure to be a crazy one, but it will be sooo great! I will be doing my best throughout the week to update the blog and also check my emails. If you try to get in touch with me, please do not be surprised if it takes a little while for me to get back with you. :)

~ Crystal

2006-10-26T14:25:00.000-04:00

MINDLESS FUN...

Ok, so today is a bit stressful for me. I leave tomorrow morning for New York, and I am trying to finish up as much as I possibly can before I leave. I took a break and checked out a few blogs, and as soon as I saw this I knew I had to share it!!! :) Enjoy some mindless fun!! Actually, I'm sure it took some great minds working together to choreograph this dance.

2006-10-25T14:50:00.000-04:00

THREE YEARS!!!

Today, my husband and I celebrate our three year anniversary! Yep, it was three years ago on a rainy day - much like today - that Jeremy and I were married. This post is for him. I am often asked about my own wedding pictures. Here are a couple of poorly scanned ones.

Jeremy is the most amazing man, and I am so blessed to be able to spend the rest of my life with him. He is my rock, my encourager, my accountability partner, my lover, and my very best friend. The past three years have been incredible. When we started the photography business one year ago, he continued to work his very demanding job and began "managing" me and all of the new financial situations starting a new business brings along. I can get a little crazy at times, and he keeps me grounded. I love him dearly, and I cannot wait to have his baby!

I am so excited to see what the next year has in store for us, honey! I love you soooo much! Now hurry and get home!!!! :) I can't wait to see you tonight!

2006-10-23T00:16:00.000-04:00

Tiffany and Aaron

Sarah and I drove down to Louisiana last weekend to shoot Aaron and Tiffany's wedding. It was such a beautiful fall-themed wedding!! All of the colors and personal touches were so GREAT! I have absolutely fallen in love with Tiffany, Aaron, and their family and friends over the past few months!! They are all such kind, wonderful, caring, and encouraging people. I spent some time going through and choosing some of my favorites to post on the blog, and I have A LOT of favorites!! :) This is going to be a HUGE post! haha! So enjoy!

Aren't these girls so cute!? They were such a fun group!!

And check out those personalized pants.....so adorable!

Sarah took this fantastic shot of the gown!

The shoes.... (Tiffany's mom wore shoes just like these!)

The rings....

Getting the gown on...

Sarah took this wonderful detailed shot while Tiffany was getting ready. I love Tiffany's expression.

Tiffany's jaw dropped when she saw her bouquet for the first time! I think she stood like this - speechless - for a good minute or two!! haha!

The FABulous bouquet! The material wrapped around it was passed down from her mother's wedding. How special!

Tiffany and her girls! They are just sooo much fun!

Aaron and his groomsmen.

A really sweet moment between Tiffany and her parents just before the ceremony.

The ceremony....

I love this shot Sarah got from the back of the church.

These pumpkins welcomed all of the guests into the reception and were carved to spell the new couple's family name! :) I love the difference from day to night.

The stunning cake!!! Wow! I LOVED it!!!

Sarah took this picture during the cake cutting. Both the bride and groom were very nice as they fed each other, but I don't think they exactly trusted each other either! LOL! Things actually stayed clean for a moment. :)

Then Tiffany used the kiss as a distraction to smash a little icing on Aaron's cheek!

Check out the look of satisfaction on Tiffany's face. I think she was proud to have made a little mess on Aaron's face! haha!

Tiffany and Aaron rented an antique photo booth for their guests to enjoy during the reception. It was a HUGE hit! Everyone had soooo much fun with it!!!

Everyone took time to put their pictures in a big album and write some really great messages for Tiffany and Aaron to look through later. I LOVED this idea!!! I think every bride and groom should rent a photo booth for their reception! haha!

Even the bride and groom took some time to enjoy it!! Sarah took this great shot.

Tiffany's mother coaches the cheerleading squad, and Tiffany used to be a cheerleader at the school. All of the cheerleaders served food at the reception and wore cute aprons with their names on them!

The bouquet toss

Everyone had birdseed and sparklers for the leave. It started out just like any other leave........

.......then things got a little CRAZY! These images are self-explanatory! hahaha!!

I love this picture Sarah took. You can easily see how covered Tiffany was in flour!! And I love the little spot of it on her nose. So cute!

This wedding was soooo great! Tiffany and Aaron - Sarah and I wish you two the very best as you begin your new life together. You two are so laid back and so much fun. I know you will have a blast together as husband and wife!!!

~ Crystal

2006-10-19T01:40:00.000-04:00

JOSH & NICOLE

I apologize. I am running a little slow these days on a lot of things - especially my blog posting. So far, my body hasn't exactly agreed with pregnancy. :) I hope to be back to my normal self sooner than later! I want to thank all of my family, friends, and clients for being so patient and encouraging over the past few weeks!! You are all the BEST!

Sarah and I drove down to Hot Springs on October 7th to shoot Nicole and Josh's wedding at the Anthony Chapel in Garvan Woodland Gardens! I don't think I could ever tire of shooting weddings there. It is just a beautiful location!! I have loved every wedding there!! Nicole and Josh are such a sweet, fun couple. Their friends and family were just as wonderful as they are!! Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

Nicole touching up her makeup.
(There is actually a very funny story that goes along with this picture. I was standing on a stool over Nicole to grab this shot. I shifted my weight forward and the stool tilted one way. I pulled my weight back, and it tilted the other way. Knowing I was about come tumbling down, I immediately thought about protecting my little "peanut!" So I whipped my body around and ended up flat on my back on the stone floor! I think everyone was a little stunned. It hurt a little, and my back was sore for a few days. What was important was: 1) I didn't fall on top of the bride! 2) I managed to save both my belly AND my camera! Wooo! Close one! No more climbing on unstable stools for me! haha! )

Nicole really personalized her stunning gown by having a monogram of their initials and the date sewn into the back of it. Such a nice touch!!

The simply elegant bouquet...

The gorgeous ring.

I am such a sucker for Tiffany gift boxes! I know something fabulous was inside!!!

The cake....it was very yummy! Strawberry filling is sooo good! ;)

The girls...

The beautiful Rolex watch Nicole gave Josh. He was sooo proud of it! What a great wedding gift!

Sarah captured Nicole taking a slow, deep breath just before the ceremony began...

Josh watching his beautiful bride walking towards him....

The ceremony...

Just look at that smile!!! I love it!

One last image....

It was such a great day! Nicole and Josh - I hope you two had a BLAST on your honeymoon! You are such a wonderful couple, and I wish you both the very best in your marriage!!!

~ Crystal

2006-10-13T17:48:00.000-04:00

MY COFFEE BEAN! :)

I mentioned a couple of posts back that Jeremy and I had our first ultrasound on Monday. It was sooo exciting to see the baby's heartbeat blinking on the screen! Everything looks great at this point, and here are a couple of pictures we got. This isn't the best....but they are scanned, and I am just a little to tired to actually crop it down. ;)

We are sooo super excited!! I will be starting a seperate baby blog soon to document my pregnancy, birth, and the baby's first few years! I will post a link when I get it up and running. :)

Sarah (my assistant) and I are heading down to Louisiana this weekend for Tiffany and Aaron's wedding. I probably will not be available to reply to emails or take phone calls until Monday. Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

~ Crystal

2006-10-12T23:49:00.000-04:00

TABITHA & SEAN

It was so much fun meeting up with Tabitha and Sean for their engagements last week. They are such a sweet couple! I am really looking forward to their wedding. I know it will be wonderful! Tabitha has been visiting some bridal fairs and getting some great ideas! She stopped by and said hello to me at two different bridal fairs. She is such a sweetheart!

~ Crystal

2006-10-11T22:59:00.000-04:00

NICOLE'S BRIDALS

Okay, so I know I said I was going to update last night after my shoot.......but I got home, and I was exhausted! I ended up propping my feet up, resting, and enjoying my new back massager. :) I also read a few chapters out of my new pregnancy book. I have so much to learn!

I met up with Nicole last Wednesday to shoot her bridals. The first session she scheduled ended up getting rained out the day of the session........and...so did the second shoot she scheduled. :( I was determined to get her a bridal portrait for her wedding day. We shot these on Wednesday night, and miraculously a beautiful 16x20 arrived at my door by lunch on Friday!! Don't ask me how we managed to pull it off! :)

I will be posting Tabitha and Sean's engagements next, so check back soon! (I have lots of catching up to do!)

~ Crystal

2006-10-10T15:12:00.000-04:00

CATCHING UP........

Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful comments. I just wanted to post real quick to let you know that I will be catching the blog up starting tonight when I get in from my shoot. :) A LOT has happened, and I have lots of pictures to share! Also, Jeremy and I had our first ultrasound yesterday, and everything looks great. I will post pictures of my little "peanut" soon. :)

~ Crystal

2006-09-28T01:20:00.000-04:00

SARAH

Sarah and I met up on Sunday to shoot her senior pictures. She wanted something different, stylish and a little funky. I think we pulled that off! Especially with her great look and style! :) We had such a blast! I've been meaning to post these for a few days now, but I am a little behind on everything with all that has happened over the past couple of days!! Here are some favorites:

Her boyfriend even dropped by to get in a few pictures! What a nice guy!

A note to those of you who have contacted me in the past couple of days - I will be spending the majority of my day on Thursday returning phone calls and replying to emails. I have a TON of things to get caught up on, so if you do not here from me Thursday, please know I will be doing my best to get in touch with you on Friday. And thank you to everyone for all of the great comments and emails on the pregnancy! :) You guys are the best! I am super excited.........and cramping..........and a little hormonal! hahaha! I will hopefully know tomorrow how far along I am. And there will be a special blog started up just to keep up with the pregnancy and the new baby!!!

Have a great day!

~ Crystal

2006-09-27T09:12:00.000-04:00

BIG NEWS!

I just wanted to share with everyone that Jeremy and I found out Monday that I am PREGNANT!!! wow! This is very unexpected because we were NOT trying! But we are very excited. I have been busy over the past couple of days calling family and friends and letting them know. I am on my way to the doctor right now to have some tests run. I will let you know how it goes!! :)

I had three of these positive tests!!!! :)

I also found out on Sunday night that my best friend since 7th grade, Jill, is pregnant as well! She and her husband live about 10 minutes away, so it is going to be a blast going through this together!!!!! So exciting!!!!!!! Oh, and Jill, thank you for forcing me to take the test! I wouldn't even know by now if you hadn't!!!! :)

I had an AMAZING senior shoot with a fabulous girl Sunday evening. I have been soooo anxious to post them, but I've been a little distracted. :) I will post her pictures very soon though!!! :)

Everyone have a great day!! :)

~ Crystal

2006-09-24T02:25:00.000-04:00

CARRIE AND JEFF

Sarah and I traveled down to Lake Degray last weekend to shoot Carrie and Jeff's wedding. The ceremony took place at a lodge overlooking the lake. It was a beautiful day!! Carrie and Jeff are both from Arkansas but live in Austin, Texas now. It sounds like they love Austin.....exept for one little thing. Carrie is a die-hard Arkansas Razorback fan!!! :) (How about those Hogs TODAY, Carrie!!??)

The wedding day was filled with a little craziness and a lot of fun. Carrie has a HUGE family, and they are all sooo great to be around! Below are a few of my favorites from the day.

Getting ready.....

Carrie and her girls!

Here comes the bride!

A couple of ceremony shots I really liked....

The new Mr. and Mrs.

The sun had set by the time we could take some pictures of Carrie and Jeff alone. We managed to get a few shots of the two of them. They have a chance to get some really incredible shots in the future because they have a newlywed session with me!! I can't wait!

The first dance...

Can you guess what is going on here?! :)

The dance floor was lots of fun!

~ Crystal

2006-09-23T19:49:00.000-04:00

MICHELLE & CASEY'S ENGAGEMENTS

I have had a super busy week, and I feel like I haven't left my computer. I think it may have grown attached to me at this point. There has been so much work for me to catch up on. I haven't even had a chance to post my favorites from the wedding last weekend. That post is coming VERY soon though, I promise.

One of the few times this week that I actually seperated myself from my computer was when I met up with Michelle and Casey in Little Rock to shoot their engagements. They are such an adorable couple, and they have a great story! They met through Match.com two years ago. They immediately hit it off, and now they are planning to be married in St. Lucia. They will also have a ceremony here in Arkansas. I will be shooting their small ceremony for close friends and family in December. We had a great time the other day, and they were very patient while we took some time to wait for the sun to go down a little bit. I can't wait for the wedding!!

~ Crystal

2006-09-18T15:24:00.000-04:00

TIFFANY'S BRIDALS

I went down to Louisiana last week to shoot Tiffany's bridals. She wanted something fun and different. We went to her grandparents' house and spent most of the time out by their barn. We had some really amazing light to work with! Tiffany was up for ANYTHING, and that's how I like it! :) We laughed a lot and had such a blast!! I think Tiffany threatened Aaron not to look on here so that I could post some of her bridals! hahaha! Aaron is a trustworthy guy, so I know he will obey. :)

This store is a family store across the street from the barn. Palmer is a family name.

I would like to give a big thank you to Tiffany's friend Tara for being such a huge help with the shoot! Also to Tiffany's family for being soooo great! They were so much fun to be around, and they treated me to supper after the shoot. I had a great time talking with them and getting to know everyone better! I cannot wait for the wedding!!! :)

~ Crystal

2006-09-18T02:05:00.000-04:00

FUN PORTRAITS

I had the privilege of shooting portraits for the McCullough family earlier this week in their lovely home. They have two beautiful young girls!! I love shooting sessions like this because it is so much fun for the kids, and the pictures don't look stiff and posed. Below are a few of my favorites from the shoot!

I loved how bright and colorful the girls' room was!

Check back for favorites from Tiffany's bridal shoot early Monday! :)

~ Crystal

2006-09-14T11:17:00.000-04:00

JEFFIE & AMBER

I met Amber earlier this year at the Hot Springs Bridal Fair. As soon as she came up and introduced herself I was crossing my fingers that she would book me! She and her mother are two of the sweetest people I have ever met. Amber just glowed, and I knew she would have a beautiful wedding. She is such an amazing person, and ever since we met to discuss wedding plans she and I have had such a great connection. And when I received an email from her a week before her wedding explaining how she had been in a wreck two weeks before and broken her leg and had surgery my heart sank for her. I immediately called her to see if there was anything I could do and to discuss how this was going to affect her wedding day. I was expecting her to be really upset, but I couldn't have been more wrong. She was in such good spirits about it all! She was even laughing and joking about it and just so grateful knowing that things could have been so much worse for her.

Sarah and I headed up to Hot Springs from South Arkansas Sunday morning. Amber and Jeff's ceremony was at Garvan Woodland Gardens. David Yerby met up with us to help out, and I am soooo thankful! The day was a little crazy, and things moved slower than expected. David was such a tremendous help!! He is soooo very talented, and I am so blessed to call him my friend! And Sarah was equally just as amazing! She carried around so much equipment all day long and still managed to help me stay on track and get some SUPER shots! She's the best! Below are favorites from the day. There are a lot of them because I just couldn't narrow them down!!!

What a beautiful day for a wedding!!!

Getting ready:

The dress:

The shoes:

The rings:

The finishing touches....

I have no words here......this is just Amber: Beautiful!!! One of my favorite images of all time!

I love the light in this image of one of the flower girls coming down the aisle! Both girls were so sweet!

It was so touching to see Amber come down the aisle with one arm in her father's and the other arm around a crutch. I couldn't keep from crying.

What a beautiful chapel! Perfect setting for a beautiful ceremony!

Jeffie sang Ed Cash's "Marry Me" to Amber, and I cried.....again.

Wow!! What a kiss!!!

Jeff carried Amber out!! How sweet!!!

After the entire bridal party walked out, they all went right back in the church followed by Amber and Jeff. Everyone shared in a time of worship with song. It was so awesome! I had chills! And I cried.....again. It is so evident that God is the foundation of their relationship.

Amber and her girls:

Another one of Sarah's great shots!!!

A broken leg couldn't stop Amber and Jeff from sharing a first dance!

Cutting the cake got a little crazy!!

Amber's bridesmaids surprised her with a group dance to "Footloose." They all had sunglasses, crutches, and "casts" as props! It was soo funny! It was definitely a crowd pleaser, and Amber LOVED it!!

The happy couple leaving! (Amber was carried around a lot! :) )

haha! I love this!! Notice all of the air fresheners hanging around......wow!! The scent was STRONG!!

Amber asked if Sarah and I would follow Jeff and her to downtown Hot Springs after they left the reception. Of course we were happy to do it!!! She wanted to get some great pictures of just the two of them. This is such a great idea! I always try to encourage my brides to take a little time with their grooms alone for pictures! It makes such a difference! The sun had already set by the time we started shooting, so we got creative with our lighting! Here are a few of my favorites:

Aren't they a hot couple!?

Amber and Jeff, I hope you two got a chance to relax in Hot Springs! Thank you for being so patient on our downtown shoot. I really felt honored to have been a part of your wedding day. May God bless your marriage!!!

~ Crystal

2006-09-13T16:42:00.000-04:00

JOSH & MELISSA

I had the wonderful honor Saturday to photograph Josh and Melissa's wedding. It was a sweet, small wedding in a little country church in South Arkansas. This wedding was so special to me because Melissa and I grew up together. She and I danced together for years, sang together in youth choir at our church, and crushed on some of the same guys! Haha! It was so neat to see Josh, people in her wedding party, and guests at the wedding that I haven't seen since I graduated high school!

I had the amazing opportunity to have Joshua Smith shooting with Sarah and me!! Josh is a very talented videographer/photographer out of Monroe, Louisiana. He is such a great person to work with!! I so excited to share with you that he and I will be working together on more projects in the future. Visit Josh's site to see his amazing work: www.cinematicbride.com

The dress:

The shoes:

Getting ready:
Melissa's hair stylist was making sure her veil was secure and making sure her hair was perfect when I took this shot. Melissa was fighting the tears, but just moments after this picture was taken she had to give into them. It was such a touching moment. As she wiped her tears, she was saying, "It's real.....it's here."

Getting the gown on:

The beautiful bride:

Joshua Smith took this fabulous shot of Melissa through the grass. He was so amazing to work with! What a talent!! And isn't she beautiful?!

These two flower girls were absolutely adorable! And they were so excited about their job during the wedding. They took their time dropping their petals down the aisle - smiling from ear to ear the entire time!

This was just after Melissa's father gave her away. She and Josh were glowing!

My wonderful second shooter Sarah took this beautiful shot from the back of the church.

One of the flower girls dropped her basket and rose petals during the ceremony. I grabbed this detail shot and love it!

This Kiss:

The Rings:

The Cake:

Bird Seed is always fun!! :)

Josh and Melissa, I hope you two have a fun and relaxing time in Colorado together!!! Josh, Sarah, and I all wish you both the very best!

This wedding was the first of two wonderful weddings I had over the weekend!!! I will post on Sunday's wedding very soon!

~ Crystal

2006-09-12T20:17:00.000-04:00

ZAC & ROXANA'S ENGAGEMENTS

I apologize now for being ridiculously behind on my blogging. I was in Texas two weeks ago for the OneLight Workshop, then Labor Day weekend was also my birthday weekend, and I was in Los Angeles all of last week for Pictage PartnerCon. I arrived back in Arkansas on Friday evening and headed down to South Arkansas first thing Saturday morning for a wedding, and then headed to Hot Springs Sunday for another wedding!! :) There is so much to update on, so this post will be the first of many within the next couple of days!! Thank you to everyone who has emailed me and asked for me to update!! haha! It's been great going through the messages I have received over the past few days!!

I met up with Zac and Roxana at the Old Mill in Little Rock Labor Day weekend. This was the first time for me to meet them since they booked me to shoot their wedding. They will marry in Memphis in 6 weeks. They are such a fun, sweet couple, and I am so grateful to be photographing their big day for them!

It was a hot day to take some pictures, but they still had a lot of fun. And they brought along their beautiful lab! I love it when people bring their pets along! Below are a few favorites:

The swan noticed them first.......then all the ducks came up out of no where!!! haha!

They finished up by beating the heat and taking a little dip! haha!!

Many more pictures are coming very soon!!!! Thank you all for being so patient with me!!!

~ Crystal

2006-08-29T00:38:00.000-04:00

PINCH ME, PLEASE!!!

Okay, really, somebody pinch me! I am so excited! And I have a few reasons:

1) I am feeling MUCH better! After plenty of rest and fluids I am back to my normal self! Thank you all for the kind comments!!

2) I leave in the morning to pick up Waynette Traub and head to Dallas for a few days! She is a very talented photographer in Cabot, and she and I are attending a fabulous workshop together! It is called the OneLight Workshop, and it is lead by Zack Arias from Atlanta. Check out his work at www.usedfilm.com. He is phenomenal! I am soooo excited to learn from him!

3) And, lastly, I found out this weekend that one of my images placed in the latest International WPJA contest!! The image below placed 6th place in the Outtakes/Bloopers category! This is the second contest that I have been eligible to enter, and the second image to get 6th place. I am STUNNED! I really feel so honored to have placed among such amazing and talented photographers!! You can check out all of the other amazing winning images at www.wpja.com.

This photo was taken at the mountain wedding in Denver. Kelly and Aaron hired me to fly up and shoot it with the very talented Jenna Walker. Check out her work at www.jennawalkerphotography.com. She has a FAB new site that will be launching in the coming days!

These guys were hilarious!!!

Wow! I am just soo pumped!

I will be posting pictures from Dallas in the next few days, so check back soon!!!

~ Crystal

2006-08-25T02:05:00.000-04:00

FASHIONISTAS PART III

Okay, I know I have slacked a little on my blogging this past week. I have been super busy working on a ton of stuff. I have wedding albums I am finishing up along with preparing for a huge event that I will be sharing with you guys very soon!!! I have also developed some wonderful new relationships lately with some fabulous people in the wedding industry! It is very exciting, and I will share more soon!!

I posted last week about the shoot I organized when my friend Liana Lehman came into town. Some wonderful photographers came from across the state to meet up, shoot together, and share ideas. It really was a GREAT time, and I can't wait until we all get a chance to get together again! We spent most of the evening in Little Rock with our models Kelsey, Renee, and Taylor. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot:

I had planned on posting this earlier today, but I have been in bed most of the day sick. *cough cough* Actually, I haven't been coughing sick but tummy sick. You can leave me a get well comment, and I will feel the love!! ;) I slept so much today that I cannot seem to go to bed tonight..... Oh well, I'm about to give it my best shot!

~ Crystal

2006-08-17T02:36:00.000-04:00

FASHIONISTAS PART II

Meet Taylor....she is something of a child prodigy. :) At least, I think so. Her talent and her beauty are beyond her years. She is so smart, beautiful, and talented in gymnastics, cheerleading, and MODELING! :) What a fantastic subject to shoot. And you would never believe that she has NEVER done this before! I call soooo many of the shots from her shoot my favorites, and it was very difficult for me to select a few to share here. We had such a blast! And Renee (see in post below) came along and did her makeup and changed up her hair between looks and locations. All in all, we managed to knock out 4 looks and 4 locations in less than 2 hours!

The third fashionistas installment is coming soon!

~ Crystal

2006-08-15T22:42:00.000-04:00

FASHIONISTAS PART I

My great friend Liana Lehman came and stayed a few days with me and Jeremy last week. We did a LOT of work and got tons accomplished, but we also made some time for some fun! I organized a group of photographers and models to meet up in Little Rock for a shoot. Seven photographers came from around the state to shoot and have a ton of fun. I will explain more about that great day in another post!

I made plans with a couple of the models to shoot them again - just the two of us - this past week. I have had a blast shooting more "fashion-like" sessions! I'm going to post on all of the shoots, but I am beginning with Renee's. She and I have been friends for about three years now. She's the current Miss Conway and the former Miss Arkansas International. She's such a fun-loving person to be around! We had such a great time in Little Rock the other day. She is modeling clothes from a couple of boutiques on Little Rock. There is a chance that some of these photos may be featured in some upcoming ads for those boutiques! :)

My email is back up and running! If you need to contact me, please use the cg@crystalgoss.com address now. :)

More fashionistas to come!!!

~ Crystal

2006-08-14T12:35:00.000-04:00

EMAIL IS DOWN

:(

My email is still down. This throws a huge kink in all of my work, but I know the good people at BluDomain are working very hard to get it back up. This problem is affecting MANY of their websites and email accounts.

For the time being, if you need to reach me - PLEASE email me at crystalgoss@gmail.com. Thank you!!! And I apologize for any inconveniences!

Thanks for understanding!

~ Crystal

2006-08-13T17:48:00.000-04:00

APOLOGY

For those of you who have tried to view my website or email me over the past two days, I apologize! There has been a problem with my server, and my email and website have both been down. :( The website is back up now, but my email is still NOT working. Please try to forward any of your undelivered messages to me in the next day or two! This is very frustrating, and I am really sorry.

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!!!

~ Crystal

2006-08-11T15:07:00.000-04:00

LUKE & LAURA

I am so sorry I have not updated the blog in a week!! Things have been crazy around here, and I have been super busy working. I shot Luke and Laura's wedding at the 2nd Baptist Church in Conway last Saturday. What a beautiful wedding!!!! Everything went so smoothly, and Laura is such a gorgeous bride! Of course, I have posted some favorites from the day below.

My first ad in Arkansas Bride magazine came out last week, and I chose one of Laura's bridals to be featured in it. I wanted to wait and show it on here after Laura got a chance to see it first. I arrived at the church to start working with a copy of the magazine for her. As soon as she saw the ad she loved it! It made me happy to start her big day off with something so exciting. :)

Laura has the most amazing eyes! I just loved this shot of her getting her makeup done! Love those big eyes!

I love how tickled Laura looks in this shot! She was so nervous and excited, and as soon as she stepped into her gown it definitely showed!!! :)

Laura and her girls striking a pose! We had to stay indoors for all of the group shots because the heat was sooooo bad outside! Yuck!

All of the details of the day were fantastic!! I loved Laura's choice of black and white for the wedding party and red flowers! Beautiful!

The bouquet....

The rings....

The cake....

I have to brag on my asssistant Sarah!! She started shooting weddings with me in January, and she is so amazing!!!! She always gets those great shots that I never saw! And she gets better and better with each wedding! There is no stopping her!!!! :) This is one of my favorites that she grabbed just before the ceremony. I love how moody it is....

Just before her father gave her away....

The new Mr. and Mrs.......

A sweet kiss....

Sorority tradition.....

2006-08-04T04:26:00.000-04:00

NEW WEBSITE!!!!!

I am sooo very proud to announce the launch of the new website for Crystal Goss Photography!! I have been working VERY hard on getting the site ready along with keeping up with my wedding and portrait work. I thank all of my clients who have been extremely patient with me over the past couple of weeks as my stress level has been elevated! haha!! You are all sooo wonderful! I hope you enjoy the new site! PLEASE share your thoughts! If you notice something that doesn't look quite right, please let me know. :) A few more features will be added to the site in the coming days.

www.crystalgoss.com

If I have done work for you and you would like to have a testimonial featured on the site, please type up a few words about your experience and email it to me at cg@crystalgoss.com. Thank you! Your kind words are much appreciated! :)

I have a wedding this weekend that I am sure will be beautiful!! Pictures will come soon after, so check back soon! I'm off to get some much needed rest!! *YAWN*

~ Crystal

2006-07-27T23:18:00.000-04:00

JUSTIN & ELIZABETH

I drove up to Ft. Smith on Saturday to second shoot for Lori Creech. I love when I have a chance to second-shoot. And this was a beautiful wedding to shoot! Every single detail was perfect. Elizabeth has great style and planned a beautiful ceremony and a unique, fun, and entertaining reception! (with the help of her coordinator, or course!)

The ring:

It took teamwork to get Elizabeth's gorgeous gown down when it was time for her to get dressed.

Elizabeth had a very beautiful bouquet, and all of her bridesmaids bouquets were beautiful. The bridesmaids bouquets were all different, but the flowers used for each were the same flowers that made up Elizabeth's bouquet. It was so neat! This bouquet was one of my favorites. I love calla lilies!

Elizabeth's father spoke very seriously with Justin before he gave her away. He gave Justin a list of very important guidelines he should follow in order to be a good, loving husband and leader for Elizabeth. It was very touching. Then, he lifted her veil, kissed her, and gave her away.

The two little flower girls were adorable to watch.

I love this emotional moment during the ceremony.

Justin gave Elizabeth a cute dip during the first dance.

The beautiful cake:

Justin got Elizabeth pretty good during the cake cutting......

But Elizabeth got him back! It was great!

There were dueling pianos at the reception! It was sooo much fun! So entertaining! I would definitely suggest anyone who wants some different entertainment to get these guys! :) They came in from out of state, and they were wonderful!!!

Everyone had a blast - especially the kids!

The big exit!

Thank you, Lori, for asking me to shoot with you. It was fun! And congratulations, Justin and Elizabeth! I hope you guys are enjoying Hawaii!!

~ Crystal

2006-07-26T10:58:00.000-04:00

Amber and Jeffie

I headed down to Little Rock to shoot Amber and Jeff's engagements this weekend. And we had so much fun!!!! I absolutely love engagement shoots! Amber and Jeff are such a wonderful couple to be around. Their wedding will take place at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs in September.

You guys are amazing! And I can hardly wait for the wedding!!!!

~ Crystal

2006-07-24T10:57:00.000-04:00

KIDDOS!

Everyone knows I love to shoot weddings and everything associated with weddings! It is definitely a passion of mine. However, I have another passion as well!!! KIDS! I love to shoot kids when I get a chance. They are a blast to watch and work with, and I always love to go through the images afterwards! I have had several sessions with kids lately, and here are a few favorites from those sessions.

Check back soon for wedding pics from this weekend!

~ Crystal

2006-07-18T03:55:00.000-04:00

MIKE & AUDRA

Sarah is back from Europe and came along with me to Little Rock this past weekend to photograph Mike and Audra's wedding! The day held a few challenges, but it was wonderful overall. We arrived at the church 20-30 minutes before Audra got there to find that the air was not working in the bridal parlor. It was a hot and humid day, and the room felt like a sauna! Once Audra and the bridesmaids arrived, Heather, the church coordinator, led us to a Sunday school room. And what a fun room! Every wall was painted in murals to make it look like a bright, fun jungle! But, alas, it was a HOT room as well. Audra toughed it out though.....she's such a trooper! I also had some struggles......I got sick with a bad infection the night before the wedding, so I shot the wedding ill. I knew it would happen one day. I'm glad to know now that I can pull through shooting a wedding - feeling my worst - and actually have images that I love afterwards! :) What a relief! My husband actually took me to the emergency room as soon as I got home Saturday night where they gave me a lovely shot in my rear and sent me home with lots of great meds. I'm feeling much better now!!!!! :)

Here are some favorites from the day. I have been wanting to border my images and incorporate my new logo somehow, so I am trying that out now. :)

Have you ever seen a wedding gown hanging in a jungle?! haha! I thought it made for a great photo! :)

I loved Audra's shoes!

Fun times in the jungle room! :)

Audra and Mike chose to see each other before the ceremony in order to calm their nerves and get some amazing shots! I definitely respect wishes to wait until the ceremony for the bride and groom to see each other, but I have to say that I love it when my couples want to see each other beforehand! The day always goes so much more smoothly!

Here comes the bride!!!! Audra just glowed walking down the aisle!

The Guys:

The Girls:

The Wedding Party:

The first dance:

A few details:

An amazing cake shot that my lovely assistant Sarah got! She rocks!

Woooooo......PIG SOOIE!! This Arkansas Razorback football topped Mike's tiramisu grooms cake. Yeah, he's a bit of a Hog fan!!! :)

The remainder of this post is dedicated to "Tearin' Up The Dancefloor"!!!!!!! These girls could shake it!

Wow, I had a lot of favorites! It was such a great wedding!!

Congratulations Audra and Mike!! Enjoy Jamaica! I know you guys are having a wonderful time. You know I wish you the very best!

~ Crystal

2006-07-18T02:48:00.000-04:00

LATEST NEWS

Hello, everyone!! This post is more of a personal one. I don't normally do this, but I wanted to let you all know about some of the exciting things that are coming up for Crystal Goss Photography! But first, I should give an update on the studio.

Many of you know, but some of you do not know that the studio flooded the first week of May. This was very hard on Jeremy and me at first because we put so much hard work and money into the studio. We were only a week or two from "officially" opening when the flood came. We thought at first that just the floors were ruined, but we learned a couple of weeks ago that there is more damage. Water got under the floors and black mold has spread from underneath the floors up the walls. The place basically has to be gutted to get rid of all of the mold. Our landlord is working to take care of it all, but it is going to be really expensive. We don't know what the timeline will be, and Jer and I are trying to decide whether we are going to wait and try to stick it out or begin looking for a new space. My heart is in this building, so I hope it works out that we stay in our space. However, we also trust that God is going to give us a much better space if we have to move. I will continue to do portrait work even though I do not have a studio space for it, so if you are interested please don't hesitate to call! But do not call the studio line because I only check that answering machine every week to two weeks. Please call the number listed on the website. :)

And speaking of website.........here is a big announcement. Crystal Goss Photography will have a brand new website hopefully within the next month!!!!!!! I am very excited about this! My webguy, Chris Kear, has been amazing, but he and his wife moved a few weeks ago. He has to update the current site, and I want to have control over that. It would be really difficult for him to continue to do it from hours away. I really like the design of the new site. It is very simple and clean-lined, and I hope everyone loves it! It will also feature my brand new LOGO!!!!

My buddy Eric Cotter put this logo together for me a couple of months ago, but due to everything that has been going on with the studio I have hesitated to put it out there. But here it is!!! :) And I love it!!! Look for this logo in my ad that will be coming out in the fall issue of Arkansas Bride!

I have another announcement that is LONG overdue! :) I was accepted into the Wedding Photojournalist Association in March! I feel so honored to have been selected to be a member of this amazing organization! Here is a quote from the WPJA website (www.wpja.com):
"Leading the way in Wedding Photojournalism, WPJA represents the most discriminating talent around the world technically, creatively and visually. Qualified members hold industry-leading standards, skills and business integrity...........The Wedding Photojournalist Association is a highly screened, critical organization. Less than 5% of wedding photographers out there qualify for membership."

I also took a chance and entered a few images into the first contest after I was accepted, and I am very excited to let you know that I placed 6th in the "First Dance" category with this image:

Like I said, there are some very exciting things happening these days! My husband and I have been overwhelmed with joy. God has been blessing this business so much in the past few months, and we feel so blessed. Thank you to all of you who enjoy my work and share it with your friends. I will continue to do my best to learn and to stretch my work each and every day for all of you! I feel truly blessed to be able to say that I am truly passionate about what I do for a living! And I love how each new client who comes along becomes a new friend!

Please continue to check back for more updates as many changes are being made in the business in the coming days! I appreciate you all! God bless!!!!

~ Crystal

2006-07-14T19:41:00.000-04:00

EMILY'S SENIOR PICTURES

Today I went down to the Old Mill with Emily and her mom. We had sooo much fun!! Emily is such a pro and a sweetheart. I really think this girl should model! She just CAN'T take a BAD picture. I love so many of the shots we got, and I was very anxious to go through them and get a few posted!

I just love this one! It's so much fun, and it really shows her personality!!

Emily's best friend Kayla passed away a couple of years ago. Emily and her mother wanted to do something in memory of Kayla. A lady drew this picture soon after Kayla's death, and it touched me so deeply. We did more, but this is one of my favorites. It just means so much. Yes, Kayla is just fine.....she is in such a better place as the drawing shows.

Emily and Katy - thank you so much for today! You were so sweet and patient through the heat and everything! Thank you again for lunch. I really enjoyed the entire time spent with you!! I hope you like your pictures!!!

~ Crystal

2006-07-11T02:25:00.000-04:00

CONGRATS ALEX & JOELLE!!!

I shot Alex and Joelle's wedding in Batesville this past weekend! It was so much fun! They chose to have a photo guestbook put together from their engagement pictures, and it was a huge hit!!! They loved it and so did everyone else! They are such a fun couple, and they had their closest friends and family around them to celebrate their big day.

The gown:

Joelle and Alex decided to see each other before the ceremony. This is a quite and intimate embrace they shared when they first laid eyes on each other for the day.

Seeing each other before the ceremony calmed both of their nerves and gave us a chance to take some time and get some really fun shots of the two of them alone without rushing everything. It was hot, but we had so much fun! They are such pros! :)

Joelle and her bridesmaids:

Alex and his men:

The rings:

Joelle's honoraries and bridesmaids shared a group hug and sang "Going to the Chapel" just before the ceremony began.

The Kiss:

Joelle and Alex - I wish you two the very best! You are such a sweet couple, and I know you will have a wonderful marriage full of love and fun!

~ Crystal

2006-07-07T13:57:00.000-04:00

KELLY & AARON

I had the pleasure of shooting Kelly and Aaron's wedding with Jenna on Monday. This wedding was the whole reason that I flew up to Denver to shoot. Kelly and Aaron are very close friends with Jenna and Matt. Matt was even a best man in the wedding party! Kelly and Aaron love Jenna's photography skills, but they wanted her to also be able to put the camera down and have fun with them all day long too. So they searched for another photographer and with Jenna's help they chose me! Boy am I glad they did!!!! :) What an awesome wedding and what an awesome couple! Nothing - not even a little rain - could stop these two! haha! Read on for the story.......

The groomsmen had a blast coming up the mountain on the ski lift! It was so cute, and I knew instantly that this was going to be one fun group of guys!

Aaron and his groomsmen. You can see the rain coming in over the mountains in the back.

Things got a little crazy when the rain came in. All of the groomsmen and the groom were up on the mountain with Jenna and me, and Kelly and the bridesmaids along with all of the guests were stuck at the bottom of the mountain. The ceremony was delayed and whether the location would be moved or not was up in the air. Finally the skies cleared and the rain stopped. The ceremony was on, and the bride was on her way up! The groomsmen were put to work drying up all of the chairs outside before the guests arrived. I love this shot of Matt (Jenna's husband) wringing out his soaking towel! You can see other groomsmen hard at work behind him.

Some details:

The beautiful bride:

The ceremony had the most amazing backdrop!!

The rain started again during the ceremony. Ponchos and umbrellas were quietly passed around. Everyone was fine with it - especially Kelly and Aaron! They just laughed and refused umbrellas. haha!

Kelly and Aaron were such great sports and got out in the rain to get some fun shots!!

Things got a little CRAZY at the reception! And there were so many talented dancers!! I've never seen so much dancing at a reception!! Everyone had such a great time!

This wedding was beautiful and a total blast! I truly feel honored to have been a part of it. Kelly and Aaron, I hope you guys enjoy your honeymoon, and I wish you the best!!!!

Check out Jenna's blog for some of her pictures from the week. I'm posting from my Mac, so I don't think I can put the link in. Her blog is at www.jennawalkerphotography.blogspot.com

~ Crystal

2006-07-06T02:07:00.000-04:00

ADITI & VIKAS

I am back in Arkansas now and will be catching up on a lot of stuff over the next couple of days. I have to take a moment before I get into bed to post a few favorites from the Indian wedding that I shot with the lovely and talented Jenna Walker! It was a very interesting and surprising wedding. All of the details were sooo wonderful.

The arrival of the groom is a very special moment! He comes along with his family and is greeted by the bride's family. In a very traditional ceremony, the groom would arrive on a white horse with his family.

A few images from the ceremony:

The reception was very exciting. Close friends and family members had prepared dances to perform for Aditi and Vikas. There were five different amazing dances performed.

I wish Aditi and Vikas the best as they begin their new life together!

I will post images from the third wedding we shot tomorrow.

~ Crystal

2006-07-03T03:23:00.000-04:00

JEN & JAY

The past couple of days have been super busy and crazy up here in Denver. But I am having a blast with Jenna! It's been so great! We just got in from the Indian wedding. Pictures are coming soon!

I went through a few of my favorites from the wedding yesterday. It was so beautiful, and these few shots do not do it justice. A slideshow will come within the next week. We are heading to Copper Mountain for the wedding tomorrow! I am really looking forward to it!!!

Just a few favorites:

~ Crystal

2006-07-02T05:20:00.000-04:00

QUICK UPDATE

I love Denver, and I have decided that I may not want to leave! haha! Okay, well, I am ready to see my husband again, but maybe we could just move out here..............It's been so long since I've been up here - I forgot how gorgeous it is!!!!

Yesterday, I went to Boulder with Jenna Walker and Katie VanBuren. We bought a few tubes and filled them up at a gas station up the road from the river. We made our way to the river and eased into the ICE cold water. Wow! It was so cold that it burned! haha! The current was moving pretty fast, and there were so many drops. Jenna took a swim when she flipped on her tube coming down on of them. It was so funny!!!

Today, Jenna and I shot a wedding that took place at a beautiful mansion. Wow, it was GORGEOUS down to every detail. I will post some pictures soon. Tomorrow we are shooting the Indian wedding. I am so nervous about it because it will be my first Indian wedding experience. I'm really excited about all of the bright colors and beautiful details! Below are a few favorites that I took on Thursday when the bride was getting her henna done. The artist amazed me with her skills!

Everyone we met on Thursday was soooo nice. And the families' culture was so evident the moment you walked into the house. The wedding is sure to be a beautiful and very special one.

Check back soon for more pics!

~ Crystal

2006-06-30T03:06:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Denver, Colorado today at around 4:30 - after an exhausting flight. There's nothing like an overbooked flight that is delayed! To top that all off, there were lots of little kiddos and even a screaming baby to add to the mix! Don't get me wrong, while I love kiddos and babies.....I don't really enjoy them on a cramped flight to Denver! haha!

It is BEAUTIFUL up here though! I am here for the next week to shoot three weddings with Jenna Walker! She is an amazingly talented photographer up here. And she and her husband Matt are soooo awesome! They are the best hosts ever! :) Jenna and I will be shooting an Indian wedding on Sunday, and we shot a little of the bride getting her henna tattoos today. It was absolutely fascinating! (I will hopefully post a few pictures from it tomorrow!) After that, we headed to a local hangout to meet up with a wonderful group of photographers. We spent hours just hanging out and talking photography. It was so great. What a fun and talented group!!! I felt like I learned so much by just being in their presence.

Now, it is late, and I am about to get rested for a loooong but exciting and fun week!! Check back for updates throughout the week! :)

~ Crystal

OH, and it's pretty obvious, but for the record I DID NOT take the above picture! hahaa!!! Credit for it belongs to the people behind www.denver.org!

2006-06-22T15:17:00.000-04:00

AUDRA'S BRIDALS

I picked Audra and her future sister-in-law Tiffany up in Little Rock, and we headed down to Hot Springs to shoot her bridals! We had such a great time! Audra is a natural, and Tiffany was the best helper ever! I'd love to hire her and take her to every bridal shoot with me! haha!! David Yerby also met up with us and took some GREAT shots! He is the best! :)

Here are just a few favorites:

I just LOVE her gown! The back of it is soooo amazing!

Audra, I cannot wait for the wedding!!! You and Mike are so much fun, and I know the wedding is going to be awesome!!!

On a complete other topic: I have had trouble getting Lisa and John's wedding slideshow up on my server, so I have not been able to post it yet. Jeremy will be home tonight, so hopefully he will be able to show me what I'm doing wrong. I will have it up as soon as I possibly can.

~ Crystal

2006-06-18T02:49:00.000-04:00

John and Lisa

This post is going up later than I normally post pictures after a wedding. I have had twice the number of images to go through with John and Lisa's wedding! Not only did I shoot with two cameras, but I had two other shooters who came along with me. Lindsey was my second shooter for the first time ever, and Ron Rader came along to experience his first wedding behind the camera. He is working right now on being able to get enough experience to take the leap and do photography full-time! I thought he did an awesome job at this wedding! He is definitely on the right track!

John and Lisa's wedding took place in Searcy. It was so laid back and so much fun - despite how extremely hot it was outside! Lisa was so incredibly calm. She and her bridesmaids even played Skip Bo before the ceremony began! haha! It was so cute!

I will be getting a slideshow up shortly, so check back soon! For now, here are a couple of my favorites from the shots I got from the day!

~ Crystal

2006-06-10T01:28:00.000-04:00

SWEET TOYS!

A man in my hometown in South Arkansas collects what I like to call "sweet toys"!! haha! My mom actually works with Doug, and he has been interested in having his custom designed and master crafted Fender guitar photographed for a while now. This is a guitar that he waited patiently for years to get. It is the only one like it in the world. The entire body was carved by hand, and the inlay was meticulously put together piece by piece. It's really a very cool thing to see! And Doug is so proud of it!

Here are a few detailed shots I took of his unique guitar.

It even has "Master Crafted for Doug Ramsey" carved on it!

Doug also has a Harley Davidson that he is really proud of! So we got a few shots of it too!

This is Doug and his daughter Shelby decked out in their riding gear. :)

This was definitely something different from what I am used to, but I had a blast doing it! Thank you, Doug!

~ Crystal

2006-06-09T19:32:00.000-04:00

LAURA'S BRIDALS

I met up with Laura and her mother in Hot Springs to shoot her bridals. We had such a fun time wandering around together! She is such a lovely bride, and she can sure work the camera!! (Even in the extreme heat!) :) She actually used to do a little modeling......it showed!

I'm getting ready to shoot John and Lisa's wedding this weekend, but I had to take a minute to post some of these! Here are a few of my favorites:

Laura, I hope you love these! You're gorgeous, girl!! I can't wait for the wedding!!

~ Crystal

2006-06-05T23:46:00.000-04:00

AARON AND TIFFANY

I spent this past weekend down in my hometown of Magnolia in South Arkansas. It was a busy "weekend off" for me! :) First I met with Melissa - I'm shooting her wedding in September. Saturday morning one of my good old buddies from school married one of my sister's good friends in a beautiful backyard ceremony. It felt really odd to sit and watch a wedding ceremony without taking any pictures! After the ceremony, my best friend from high school and I went over to her house and caught each other up on our lives. It was fun to sit and laugh about old times! I left her place and headed over to photograph an awesome guitar and a Harley for one of my mom's friends. And then I finally headed down to Shongaloo, Louisiana to shoot Aaron and Tiffany's engagements.

There's a very interesting story behind Tiffany and Aaron booking me for their wedding. I booked another wedding on their original date, and they decided to change their wedding date so that I could photograph their wedding. And the new date is even going to work out better for them for other reasons too, so it all worked out for the best! And I get to shoot this fabulous couple in October!! I am so excited that it all worked out! They are really just a super fun, laid back couple! And I know their wedding will be awesome!

Here are a few of my favorites from their engagement session:

Tiffany and Aaron, I had a blast with you two! I hope you enjoy these! Tiffany - I hope you're enjoying that new car! And I can't wait for your bridals!

~ Crystal

2006-05-31T19:41:00.000-04:00

CJ AND ANGALA'S SLIDESHOW

CJ and Angala, your wedding was beautiful! I kept looking through the images and finding more and more that I liked! I wish you guys the very best!!!

Press the play button below to watch. Feel free to browse through the image gallery at the end! :)

You can also view it HERE!

~ Crystal

2006-05-29T03:08:00.000-04:00

CJ AND ANGALA

Saturday was an amazing day! I made my way down to Hot Springs and picked up Justin Turner on the way. Sarah usually second-shoots for me, but she is in Europe for a few weeks. I was really excited to have Justin come along. He is such a nice guy, and I've been looking forward to shooting with him. He just graduated from UCA and is going to be a teacher but has been doing photography on his own for a little while now and is really doing great! We met up with Angala and then Justin took my car so that he could be with the guys before the wedding.

The ceremony took place on the terrace overlooking the lake at J's Italian Villa. We couldn't have asked for a better day....well, except maybe that the temperature would drop about 10 degrees! haha! It was gorgeous though - despite the warmth! Below are a few favorites from the day!

One thing I like about Angala is the fact that she has GREAT style! I absolutely love her gown and her shoes.....and I got a few detailed shots.....

Getting the gown on.....

One of my favorites from the ceremony. I just love how the breeze caught her veil!

We took a few minutes after the ceremony to get a few good shots of just Angala and CJ. We had such a blast going around the downtown area! They received tons of attention from everyone driving by! haha!

They are so super fun!

The first dance.....

I just love the moment between Angala and her mother. Angala had requested for "their song" to be played, and they both got so excited when it was played. I could easily tell by watching them throughout the day that they have an incredible friendship and bond.

The retrieval of the garter was so much fun with this group!!

This little man was so proud of himself for catching the garter......until someone told him what that meant.....and where that garter had been!! haha!! He got so embarrassed! It was so cute!

CJ and Angala - congratulations!!!! I hope you guys have an amazing time relaxing in Jamaica!!!

~ Crystal

2006-05-25T20:31:00.000-04:00

TESSA

Last week I met up with Carra, Tessa, and Trent at one of the country clubs in Little Rock. Tessa is a beautiful and very energetic one-year-old! We had a fun hour chasing her around and taking some pictures. Big brother Trent just hung out on the sidelines and played and watched. He also helped out a little by blowing bubbles to keep Tessa's attention! haha!! What a great big brother!

Carra, I hope you enjoy these! Your proofs will be available for you to view very soon!

~ Crystal