If you don’t know Courtney, you must be living under a rock. I remember when she first started her blog and I thought to myself “This girl knows how to do it.” Pizzazzerie has to be one of the fastest growing entertaining blogs out there right now and that is for a very good reason. Do yourself a favor and head on over to her blog today to see what all the hype is about. You will love it. I promise!

With a love of entertaining and design, Courtney Dial is quickly becoming a well-known stylist in the field of party design and décor. Growing up in the South, she attended Vanderbilt University earning both a bachelors in Communications and masters in Organizational Leadership. Since March 2010, she has grown Pizzazzerie.com into a go-to source for all things entertaining, with over 100,000 visits a month and numerous press mentions both in print and on the web. Regularly appearing on Nashville news broadcasts, Courtney has also been published in several print publications including Nashville Lifestyles Magazine. In addition to designing everything from children’s birthday celebrations to chic dinner parties, she is also a writer for several online food and lifestyle publications.

Wedding Photography Faves:

My favorite style of wedding photography is a more intimate, photojournalistic style– capturing the once-in-a-lifetime moments of the monumental day along with the personalities of all involved. Candid shots combined with dramatic lighting techniques (effects?), a modern feel, and bold use of color really make a couple’s wedding photos special.

Advice for the engaged:

The biggest piece of advice is to find someone the couple is comfortable with and puts them at ease!  Think of them as a long-time, trusted friend.  You want to be confident they are getting the shots you’re looking for, without being overly intrusive.  Speaking of the shots you’re looking for,  it’s never a bad idea to give the photographer a list of what you have in mind.

After a whole lot of work, we are finally ready to start the Photo of the Year contest! The votes are in and the Top Ten Finalists in each category have been selected. I couldn’t be more excited about the talent we are about to share in the coming week. This is awesome! The first part of the series of posts is going to be an introduction to all of our lovely blogger judges. These ladies took the time out of their crazy schedules to help select the Top 30 photos out of over 500 submissions. Yes, you read that correctly… 500 submissions! The biggest group of submissions yet! I can’t wait to share them all with you!

Here is who you will be meeting this week!

Tuesday is Brit Tucker, from Landlocked Bride. Wednesday is Courtney Dial, from Pizzazzerie. Thursday is Lauren Grove, from Every Last Detail. Friday is Emma Arendoski, from Emmaline Bride. Four of my favorite bloggers and twitter friends!