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WELCOME TO "THE" BLOG OF THE SOUTHEAST

Hey folks! Welcome to the action packed blog of Rae and Wesley Leytham.  We are a husband and wife premium photography business located in the beautiful Florida Panhandle.  We travel throughout the southeast and worldwide to provide our clients with some of the best wedding portfolios in the country.  This is where we post some of our favorite images along with a quirky thing or two about us and our life.  Every one of the photos on this site are available for download with digital use only (myspace, facebook, personal websites, e-mail, etc.).  Please DO NOT print any of these photos or remove our name and logo without permission. Say that with me 3 times! Be sure to check out our main website at www.raeleytham.com if you have not already found it. You can e-mail us directly at rae@raeleytham.com or dial us at (850)554-2538.


Lindsey & Chad | Gulf Breeze Wedding Photos

Monday, June 29, 2009 at 4:06am

I am pretty sure Lindsey’s mom called from Baton Rouge, LA to book us as Chad was pushing the engagement ring on Lindsey’s finger. There was no date or location, but they knew they wanted Rae Leytham Photography to be a part of it. Cathy saw our photos when her coworkers bragged about her niece’s photos. We have been bookmarked on Cathy’s computer ever since and she jumped when it was time to book. We LOVE those kinds of clients…they book everything around our schedule! And as soon as we met them, we knew we’d be friends. I’m not sure if they adopted us or we adopted them as family first, but we are glad to have them.

They booked Bliss Event Group to take care of all the details. Renee of Two Fishes Artistry did an amazing job (as usual) on Lindsey’s makeup. Kebbie Hollingsworth did an outstanding job on the florals. The amazing Betty Weber made some amazing cakes. Celia Casey catered the reception. Lindsey’s godmother made some addictive cupcakes and cookies. Joe Occhipinti and his guys played during the cocktail hour and reception. Northwest Parking Company did the valet.

Since we took three weeks to get them blogged, we’re giving them some extra love with all these details!

Lindsey’s Godmother, Jackie, makes the best cupsakes you will ever eat.  These little jewels were lemon with lemon cream, and peanut butter creme in the chocolate ones.  Unbelievable!

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Renee is by far the best make-up artists around.  Lindsey was flawless….

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Chad’s sisters loved the details in her dress…

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But Jackie’s first look was priceless…..

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We caught her checking out the Betty Weber cake!

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Hello Gorgeous!

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My favorite…..

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Mom and daughter… What’s that Travis Tritt song? T.R.O.U.B.L.E?

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Look at that sexy beast! And the bride isn’t too bad either! We do our best to stay out of each others way, but sometimes we catch each other like Rae did me in this one.  I usually leave these in b/c I like the paparazzi effect ;-)

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We had a setting sun…..

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and a rising moon at the same time!

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These flower balls floating in the pool were a nice touch.

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Here are more great details!

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Aw yeah…. Betty Weber cake!

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Posted in Weddings

by Wesley & Rae

6 comments

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Laura Eastes - Love it! Great job Rae and Wes I think Cathy and Lindsey are going to be very pleased. Love the photo of the couple walking on the beach. Also, the Betty Weber cake turned out fantastic and the ribbon was a great touch. I always look forward to your blog post.

Kebbie - Great shots.... as usual it's always a pleasure to work with you!

Anonymous - What great pictures! I LOVE the one of her dress blowing in the wind!

Christina Jager - What great pictures! I LOVE the one of her dress blowing in the wind!

Krystal Radlinski - So charming!

Jan - Beautiful pics -- lovely bride!!!

Nikki & Andy | Gulf Shores Wedding Photos

Friday, June 26, 2009 at 4:32pm

I know Nikki’s mom is dying to see these photos! But first, let me thank my dear friend Stephanie for referring this sweet couple to us!! Nikki and Andy were so easy to photograph!! They had a Pensacola Beach engagement session a while back and it was evident how much these two love each other.

This was our first wedding down Ft Morgan Road in Gulf Shores, AL and we were thrilled when we drove up and saw such a pretty church. You have GOT to see these pink and green bridesmaids dresses too! They were just like the ones at Lauren and Colin’s wedding, but paler versions. Too cute!! The ceremony was really sweet and we are so glad we were a part of their day.
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Posted in Weddings | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

by Wesley & Rae

3 comments

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Patsy - How totally BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Sara - Great action shots! Who knew Gulf Shores had such a cute church?

Micha Everett - GORGEOUS couple and fabulous shots! I LOVE those dresses too!

Beach Photos in South Walton

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 11:40pm

Summer family sessions are in full force at the beach, and we have dates still available! This wonderful family visited Blue Mountain Beach in South Walton recently, and gave us lots of prettiness to photograph. The first family grandson “Jack” was the star of their session, and the apple of his grandparents eye.
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Aunt Abby loves her nephew…
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Of course Jack loves Grandpa too….
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Santa Rosa Beach Photographer

Posted in Family | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

by Wesley & Rae

1 comment

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Courtney Craver - Hey these look great! What a stunning family! :)

Quick Look - Catherine & Terrell

Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 3:17am

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Posted in Weddings | Tags: ,

by Wesley & Rae

1 comment

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Suzanne - Hee hee - that 2nd one reminds me of something Lee would do (just before he would pretend to drop me)

My sweet baby girl went to a wedding!

Friday, June 19, 2009 at 2:00pm

Yep, she went to a wedding without us.  Avery’s Nana and Papa took her to my dear friend Stephanie’s wedding a few weeks ago.  Why didn’t we shoot the wedding you ask?  Because Stephanie chose a day we were already booked.  Bad girl.  But, she was in good hands with the sweet and talented husband/wife team at Beach Bum Photography.  You should really check out Jessica and David’s work out if you haven’t already.  I was so excited when Jessica sent me a few photos of my baby little girl.  I can’t believe how grown she looks in these.

Stop with the cuteness!!! Oh, you think Avery’s outfit would look better with a big white bow in her hair? Me too. Too bad she yanked it out and said, “NO BOW.” My kid is SO opinionated.
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I think she’s flirting with David in this one. She really likes him!
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My baby bug with Steph. Stephanie and I have been friends for over 20 years. WOW…we’re old.
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Posted in News

by Wesley & Rae

6 comments

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Jessica - She is IMPOSSIBLE not to photograph well! Love her to death! :)

Margie - She is growing up so fast!!!

Karla Boyse - Sooo Cute! And congrats Stephanie!

diana williams(rae's mom) - looks like we will have to quit calling her our baby. she is growing up so very fast and man is she bossy, but you can't help but love her

Kebbie - awwww..... too adorable

Brittany Gilbert - what a doll!!!

Dancing with the Stars

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 2:14am

What a great night!  The Covenant Hospice teamed up with local celebrities and the dancers from the popular show Dancing with the Stars for an all out gala here in Pensacola.  Leah Harrison with Covenant called us a couple of weeks ago to ask if we would photograph the event for them, to which we quickly replied YES.  What a great opportunity and adventure being backstage with these fabulous guys and gals for a three hour performance.  We’re working with Covenant on the details, but we will be offering these photos for sale on our proofing site soon with proceeds going to the Covenent Hospice.  You missed a fantastic show for a great cause if you were not there!

For privacy purposes of our stars, I am requesting that these photos not be removed from this site unless you are in them or with Covenant Hospice.  I have the ability to track these if they are posted somewhere else, and you will be asked to remove them without permission!

My favorite shot of the evening…. Rae made fun of my little fat head poking out from behind the curtain for this one.

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Mrs. Sue Straughn from Channel 3 news was beautiful, and a very good dancer too.

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This is Mr. Ballinger of Ballinger Publishing.  His company printed a great little magazine some of you may have heard of called Southern Weddings……

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Roy Jones Jr. was quite the dancer as well…..

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The VIP party at Jackson’s Restaurant afterward was full of great food and cocktails….. This was shot at 4000 ISO with the 5DMKII for my fellow nerds.

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Posted in Family, News, Uncategorized, Us | Tags: , ,

by Wesley & Rae

13 comments

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Jenny Christianson - Really cool! Great shots! Looks like fun!

Suzanne - Wow! These pictures are stunning. Looks like it was an awesome event! (I LOVE Sue Straughn's dress, btw)

Leah @ Covenant Hospice - You two are amazing...thank you SO much for being there and for your sweet offer to continue to support our patients by a portion of the sales coming to Covenant. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Love you guys!

Ursula - I have just been slapped with beauty and inspiration. The last shot at high ISO is awesome! I haven't needed to push mine past 3200 yet, but now I might need an excuse just to try it. Gorgeous!

Sara - OK so the sequence of your pics on the blog are funny...the girl being held above the guy's head and then the next pic is her on the floor and then the next is him looking a little sad! Hilarious. I LOVE the pic of the 3 couples with red lighting!! Fantastic!!!

Patsy - I loveeeeee these. I hate that I missed it. So fabulous yall. Love ya, Uncle Patsy

Brittany Gilbert - Amazing as always you two!!!

Danielle - Awsome shots guys, but it looks like you could have used an assistant...*cough, cough*....Great event Leah, you are an amazing woman!

Angie - You guys are SO flippin' talented. Thank you so much for your support to Covenant! It was so great to see you two and we shouldn't wait so long for the next time.

Lara - These are SO FUN! What a fab event!

diana williams(rae's mom) - wow i missed a wonderful night. it's hell to have to work beautiful pictures...........

Jamie - These are so amazing...they are so good, they almost look staged! I bet it was sooo much fun for you guys to shoot this event! Congrats!

Jessica - Those are some awesome captures! I bet it was so much fun to shoot an event like that. Fellow nerd here, drooling over the MKII goodness. ;)

Lauri & Will | Destin Beach Wedding

Friday, June 12, 2009 at 1:37pm

We got a phone call a few months back from our friend Melissa at Masterpiece Weddings in Gainesville. Her best friend from Houston was coming to our beautiful beaches for her wedding, and Melissa knew we would all have a great time working together. The weather that week was horrible, but we had a some divine intervention and got an hour of dryness right around the ceremony. We had a really great time, and really enjoyed our afternoon with everyone!

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This is their son Jaxson who loved mom’s bouquet…..

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He also loved all of the water puddles!

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Now that is Melissa on the right.  She played Maid of Honor and officiant that day.  They are hilarious!

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We crossed the very busy road from their rental house to the beach… the look says it all :-)

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Melissa did a beautiful job with these…..

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Love those clouds…. I can stare at this and almost feel the stormy breeze blowing through my hair again.

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Now beach weddings can be a lot of fun with your friends…..

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Until somebody gets hurt!

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They finished with a nice dinner at the beautiful Bistro Bijoux in Baytown Wharf…..

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Destin Wedding Photographer

Posted in Bridals, Weddings | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

by Wesley & Rae

2 comments

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Melissa at MasterPiece Weddings - WOW! WOW! WOW!!! I love them so much!!! You guys are amazing, you made me look good, and that is hard to do! And Lauri, looks amazing, like seriously AMAZING! (not as hard to do by the by!) Wes and Rae, I heart you till the end of time, and I can't wait to work with you again, or just plain ole hang out!!!

Jessica - What a cute couple! Love the shot of them crossing the street, it made me and David LOL. ;)

Quick Look - Lindsey & Chad

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 1:58am

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Posted in Uncategorized

by Wesley & Rae

10 comments

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Megan - The color and movement of the one on the rocks is phenomenal!

Karla - Wow...love all of those ..can not wait to see the rest!

Jackie Bone - Dear Rae & Wes, Just wanted to let you know what a pleasure it was to meet you both on Lindsey and Chad's special day. Your sneak pictures are so beautiful! Can't wait to see more. If you're ever around Baton Rouge, let us hear from you and I'll make special cupcakes for you. Again, thank you and your sneaks are out of this world. Hope to see you again! Jackie aka Nanna:) jackieb53@gmail.com

Lauren - oh my Rae these are gorgeous! beautiful job, can't wait to see the rest!

bob pride - RAE, IVE BEEN GOING THROUGH ALL THE PHOTOS I CAN FIND ON LINE AND I MUST TELL YOU , YOUR WORK IS HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE ANY ONES WORK IN THIS AREA . IT IS CERTAINLY WORLD CLASS !!!!!! WE HAVE MADE A DECISSION HERE AT MY SPAYCE TO ALWAYS REFER CLIENTS TO YOU FIRST, AND ONLY . YOUR WORK SELLS ITSELF !! I WORKED IN NEW YORK CITY FOR 26 YEARS AND HAVE WORKED THOUSANDS OF HIGH END EVENTS, FOR SOME OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY. I CAN SAY WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT YOUR WORK IS HANDS DOWN ,SOME OF THE FINEST QUALITY I HAVE SEEN IN MY MANY YEARS OF CATERING FOR THE RICH ,SPOILED AND FAMOUS !! BRAVO RAE , WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE OF YOUR WORK IN THE FUTURE..... WITH REGARDS....BOB PRIDE... OWNER/ "MY SPAYCE" AND "GOTHAM CATERING"

Renee Armour - I so love that first one for obvious reasons! ha! ok, and the second and third! Amazing work--I can. not. wait. for the full reel. Just beautiful Rae & Wes, really beautiful.

Jessica - Wow, the dress blowing and the moon behind them.... PERFECTION! :)

Laura Eastes - Lovin the photo of Lindsey & Chad on the rock. Beautiful!

Lara - Gorgeous! Lindsey and Chad are such an amazing couple. I loved this wedding and their families SO MUCH!

April - Rae you never cease to amaze me! Love your work!

Sarah & Tom | Mobile, AL Wedding Photos

Friday, June 5, 2009 at 11:55pm

We headed to our home turf of Mobile, AL to photograph Sarah and Tom’s wedding a few weeks ago.  It was a sweet wedding at an amazingly beautiful church!  We met at Sarah’s sister’s home for some getting ready photos and that was the first time we met Sarah.  She was so calm and laid back…love that!  After that, we had a little First Look session for the couple at a gorgeous bed and breakfast.  Their ceremony was at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and it was full of stone, marble, and granite.  I am pretty sure it is one of the most beautiful churches I have seen on the Gulf Coast.  We had some tropical weather move through in the wee hours of the morning, so the weather was cloudy, sunny, and really windy all at the same time.  We were so glad the rain held off after dodging it for the previous two weddings!

Sarah made these cute boutonnieres and corsages herself out of fabric and I LOVE them!!  She put the bouquets together too.

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This confessional room had some beautiful light….

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Wes caught this before the big walk down the aisle. I think I’ll title this one “patiently waiting”.

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Awesome…

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This is one of my favorite ceremony moments that Rae has captured…. Sarah reached over and caught a little tear of Tom’s.

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Great Details…..

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We had a great walk to the reception…..

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Mobile, AL Wedding Photographer

Posted in Weddings | Tags: , , , , , ,

by Wesley & Rae

1 comment

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Kayla - These are beautiful!

Dancing with the Stars

Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 11:39pm

We are proud to announce that we will be the official photographers for Pensacola’s very own Dancing with the Stars being sponsored by the Covenant Hospice on June 15th.    You can see the celebrity dancers listed below, or get the full details by visiting the official website HERE.  We hope to see you there to support this charitable event!

Pensacola Fred Astaire Dance Studio owners Dawn Westberry and Victor Luna present an elegant evening of show-stopping dance featuring performers from ABC’s Dancing with the Stars -

Tony Dovolani

Georgia Ambarian

Mark Ballas

Elena Grinenko

Eric Luna

Derek Hough

Fabian Sanchez


with local celebrity dancers -

Malcolm Ballinger

Dan Brask

Anita Ingram

Leslie Ingram

Roy Jones, Jr.

Teri Levin

Greg Litton

Sue Straughn

General admission tickets are $75 and available through Ticketmaster. VIP tickets are $150 and include prominent seating plus entrance to the exclusive post-show casting party at Jackson’s. Purchase tickets online through Ticketmaster or through the Saenger Box Office at (850) 595-3880.

Posted in News | Tags: , , ,

by Wesley & Rae

4 comments

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Brittany Gilbert - Wow, that is AWESOME!! Congrats guys, they really have picked the best photogs in the region!

Starry-Eyed Barefoot Bride - So fun!! Cant wait to see the photos!!

Leah Harrison - I am so excited....thank you guys for supporting Covenant!

Katie Parker - Let me know if you need someone to "hold your umbrellas" and assist you! Not kidding, you know how to find me! Love you guys :D