Inspirational Women's Week: Elizabeth Messina

Today we are honored to have the amazingly talented and highly respected photographer, Elizabeth Messina! Again...where do we begin! Elizabeth is a beautiful breath of fresh air. Elizabeth’s blog, Kiss the Groom, was literally love at first site for us. It is like entering a charming dream world! I can remember Kellie and I just being captivated by her magical photographs the first time we came across her blog. Elizabeth is one of the top ten wedding photographers in the WORLD, and she is an all film photographer as well! Elizabeth’s photography can only be described as passionate, timeless, romantic and enchanting. Her images are so real and honest, it is almost as if Elizabeth shares a piece of herself with each and every photo. Kiss the Groom is a place where you can truly get to know Elizabeth. Every photo she takes tells a story without saying a word, although, we are lucky because she is also a beautiful writer! Some of our favorite photographs are the portraits she takes, no matter who is in the picture, Elizabeth has a way of making them look regal and glorious. You can get a sense of how the people that she is photographing trust her. It is as if no one else in the world is around, the photographs she captures are so incredibly intimate. We are also very touched by her crown portraits, there is something so beautifully haunting about them! It seems that whomever the crown touches a new story is created. Elizabeth is also kind, humble and gracious. Kellie and I had the opportunity to send Elizabeth some of our note cards and gift tags for the gift bags for A Lovely Workshop in France this past spring. As Icing Designs is a very young business, we were so overwhelmed that some like Elizabeth took a chance on including us in something like that. Thank you so much Elizabeth for joining us today. We are so thankful to you, we admire you so much and we will always be inspired by you.

This is Elizabeth's beautiful daughter and the first crown portrait she ever did.

I don't know what it is about this photograph but it is just so touching, those little boys are just angelic!

Icing Designs: Who are some of the people that inspired you as you were getting your start, who is inspiring you now?

Elizabeth: When i first discovered photography i was very inspired by sally Mann....her work is so poignant, so personal & powerful....i’ve also always been very drawn to fashion photography....I love the place where "real" intersects with "fantasy".....with photography, anything is possible.....

Icing Designs: Where do you draw inspiration from?

Elizabeth: from life...the nuances of affection & love...the unexpected beauty in the subtle details....a single flower....a delicious meal...a kiss




Icing Designs: What is one of the most inspirational projects you have worked on?

Elizabeth: i love photographing weddings....there is so much love & joy...so many lovely details....there is something so beautiful about the sweetness of a kiss on a couple's wedding day....on a personal note...i've been working on a project photographing children with multi-cultural backgrounds....this is something very close to my heart...my children are bi-racial.....and i have loved photographing them & other beautiful blended children.....





These are Elizabeth's son and youngest daughter, how sweet are they!?!

These are two of Elizabeth's most recent magazine covers!