More photos will come very, very soon. For now, this one caught my eye and I had to share it. Lisa was absolutely stunning on her wedding day. Can’t wait to share a full blog post with you about Lisa and Ben’s amazing wedding. Stay tuned!
Molly and Trevan’s Wichita Wedding March 8, 2009
I traveled to Wichita this past weekend for Molly and Trevan’s wedding. It is always a joy to see two people commit their lives to loving one another, and it was so special to be a part of Molly and Trevan’s big day. They are both from my hometown, and I really like stories that start in a small town and end up in awesome things. Molly and Trevan’s love story is one of those.
We started out the day with all of the girls getting ready at the church. They were one of the most relaxed groups I’ve ever spent a wedding day with, which was just so much fun. I love the behind-the-scenes preparation shots.
Isn’t Molly just beautiful?
Molly and Trevan opted to see each other before the ceremony. I love these photos, too, because there’s something so special about the one-on-one time.
It was a warm but cloudy day, so we were able to go outside for some of Molly and Trevan’s portraits. We didn’t go anywhere far away — just right outside the church doors. I love how these turned out… and it’s a great example that keeping things simple can result in some amazing photos! After all, it’s not about the location — it’s all about the people!
The beautiful bride:
And the handsome groom:
The wind came up right on cue for these next two photos. :)
More cute couple-in-love shots. I can’t get enough of these! :)
Their ceremony was very romantic, with lots of candlelight and twinkly lights wrapped in tulle. It was perfect for a Friday evening wedding.
Molly and Trevan’s “getaway” vehicle was this great car that belongs to a friend of Molly’s grandpa. I love the shots we got with the car!
And the ring shots… I love these, too. I really like positioning the round shapes of rings against other patterns and lines. Any guesses where I took these ring shots?
The reception was at Tallgrass Country Club, just around the corner from the church, and it was just beautiful. Check out this cake! It is a masterpiece.
A few fun dancing shots:
A girls huddle before the bouquet toss… so cute!
Trevan and his mom:
And one last shot of the newlyweds — their first dance!
Molly and Trevan, thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of creating your wedding day memories. Best wishes to you both for a wonderful honeymoon and marriage!
Family and friends can click here to sign in to the online photo gallery. You will automatically be notified when all of their photos are ready to be viewed!
Wedding Traditions: The First Meeting! January 27, 2009
Okay, okay… I know what you’re thinking — since when is this considered a “tradition”? :) Most people would assume that the opposite — waiting to see each other until the wedding ceremony — is the tradition. And you’re right. But sometimes, new traditions can be so awesome… like weekly breakfast-for-dinner night at the Short house. So maybe we haven’t started this tradition yet, but after the breakfast food Jeff made for dinner tonight, I’m considering it. :)
Anyway, all I’m saying is that when you’re thinking about your wedding day and all of the traditions you want to incorporate, why not consider making amazing photography one of them? A big part of having fantastic photos of your wedding day — real, emotional, natural photos — is allowing yourself the time to be creative and be unstressed so your portraits are natural, relaxed and are a real portrayal of the JOY on your wedding day!
By seeing each other before the ceremony, you’re giving yourself time (and actually, it takes me LESS time to do all of the portraits before the wedding than to spread it out before and after!) and making a point to give you and your soon-to-be spouse some alone time. Think about it… wouldn’t you like a few minutes, by yourselves (and me, somewhere nearby) to just BE there and really soak in the emotions of your big day (and let out some of those nerves)?
I read recently that the tradition of waiting to see each other as the bride is walking down the aisle has its roots in arranged marriages — where the groom wasn’t allowed to see his bride until the ceremony, because they had no choice but to get married! :) Now, I am definitely not one to tell you that you have to see each other before. I totally respect the choice to wait and to save that “first look” for the wedding ceremony. It’s a choice that you have to make… but while you’re considering, I thought I’d throw in my two cents!
Having a private first meeting makes for some of the BEST images of the type of joy that I’m there to capture on your big day. What’s that? You want to see some examples? :) Okay… I’ve given you three here — you know the drill! These are some of my favorite “first meeting moments” from 2008 weddings, and you get to vote for your favorite set!
#1 – Seth and Jessica. I love Seth’s nervous-yet-cool face, and the pure happiness in Jessica’s expression when they finally saw each other!
#2 – Nicolas and Julie. I love the progression here (there are actually several in the series) — smile, hug, kiss, smile, smile, smile… :)
#3 – Matt and Becky. I just can’t get enough of Becky’s expression in these photos. I love the location of this first meeting (that’s in the lobby of their church), and the princess-like feel of Becky descending the stairs!
Voting time! :)
If you’re one of my awesome 2009 couples and you’re trying to decide if you want your portraits before or after the ceremony, e-mail or call and we’ll talk about your wedding schedule with both options — so you can make the decision that works best with your vision for your special day!
Kansas City Brides Blog! January 14, 2009
Hey, all of you brides! :) I know you are all in the midst of wedding planning — either just starting out (those of you who got engaged over the holidays!), halfway there (wondering what you should be working on right now!) or almost there (the end — er, beginning!! — is in sight!).
Have you checked out KCWeddingScene.com yet? They have this awesome feature — the Bride’s Blog! Guest bloggers — brides, just like you — write posts about their own personal wedding planning experiences. I am so excited to let you all know that one of our very own ericamay brides, the fantastic and funny Beth is their newest bride blogger (her engagement photos from last September are shown here)!
To read Beth’s first piece of advice, click here for the blog. She’ll be posting again in the coming months until her May wedding!
If any of you are interested in being a KC Bride Blogger and helping other brides sort through all of the details that come with planning a memorable and personal wedding day, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll get you in touch with the wonderful people behind the scenes of KCWeddingScene.com!
Don’t miss Beth’s blog — and leave her a comment while you’re there!
Kicking Off 2009: Stephanie and Daniel’s Leawood Wedding January 6, 2009
We didn’t wait long to kick off our 2009 wedding season — on January 2nd, while the confetti and noisemakers were still being swept off Times Square, Stephanie and Daniel were getting ready for their special day! :) It was an awesome way to ring in the new year, celebrating the love and commitment of two people.
If you missed the sneak peek of their portraits, check it out first.
The day started with Stephanie getting ready. I love this shot!
Stephanie’s dad was finally allowed into the room to see his daughter in her wedding dress! Priceless!
Stephanie and Daniel decided to not see each other before their ceremony, so we coordinated two separate portrait sessions before the ceremony. Here’s a shot from Daniel’s:
And two from Stephanie’s:
Their ceremony was held at The Church of the Nativity in Leawood, Kansas. It was still decorated for Christmas and was just beautiful!
Stephanie’s dad giving her away to her new husband!
See what I mean about the gorgeous Christmas decor?
One of my favorite moments to capture is the time right after a wedding ceremony, when friends and family shower the bride and groom with hugs and congratulations! I love this shot of Stephanie right after she became a wife, with her bridesmaids all around!
Since the couple didn’t want to see each other before for photos, and it was dark when their evening wedding was finished, we didn’t get to do an outdoor portrait session. Since the church was so lovely, we did all of their portraits inside, and I love the wintertime feel they have!
I love this one!
The reception was at the Lodge at Ironwoods, a really neat modern barn in a park in Leawood. It was a fantastic venue!
Toasts are some of the best times for capturing great reactions! Stephanie’s sister and maid of honor gave a funny toast with advice for Daniel and things he should know about Stephanie — there was a lot of laughter during this one! :)
Double camera coverage capturing the best man (and groom’s brother) speech!
This shot of their first dance has such a dreamy quality, which I love. It reminds me of an old black-and-white movie.
And this expression on her dad’s face is so proud. I love this one of their father-daughter dance:
The tradition of throwing the garter and bouquet is always approached differently from couple to couple. I’m sure this garter approach took Stephanie by surprise (it’s okay…they’re married!). :)
And the bouquet toss reactions were just too great!
I can’t get enough of dancing grandparents — here are Daniel’s grandparents joining the fun on the dance floor!
Stephanie and Daniel, congratulations on your marriage! Wishing you the best 2009 as husband and wife!
Family and friends, click here to sign the guestbook for the online gallery — you’ll be notified when all of the wedding photos are available for viewing!
So, what do you think? What’s your favorite image from the first wedding of 2009?
Another sneak peek: Nick and Sarah’s Manhattan Wedding! January 4, 2009
We just got back home after Nick and Sarah’s awesome wedding in Manhattan, Kansas. They aren’t leaving for their honeymoon until tomorrow morning, so I wanted to get up a few fun images for them since I now know that Sarah has my blog as one of her permanent tabs in Firefox. :)
So, you two newlyweds, enjoy this very small black-and-white preview of your wedding images!
I love these images… so dreamy and soft and real!
Sarah made such a beautiful bride!
And Nick made one very excited (and equally handsome) groom! :)
They had a great ceremony — here they are just after they said their vows! Can’t you just feel the happiness? :)
Their wedding party was amazing — they even braved the freezing temperatures for some outdoor shots at K-State’s Old Stadium!
Their first dance as husband and wife!
Congratulations, you two! I can’t wait to share more images with you very soon. Have an awesome time in Cabo!! :)
Special Sneak Peek: Stephanie’s Bridal Portraits! January 3, 2009
Okay, so I know I’m crazy for blogging photos the very NIGHT of a wedding… but I was downloading these photos as soon as I got home to back them up right away, and I couldn’t help myself… I had to take a peek at the images from Stephanie’s bridal session before her and Daniel’s wedding today!
So, loyal blog readers (who are probably feeling SO on the back burner right now…sorry for the break this week!), I present you with my sincerest apologies, in the form of this awesome night-of-the-wedding sneak preview of Stephanie’s bridal images.
Is she not absolutely stunning?
A full-length shot… showing off her gorgeous dress! I love images of laughing brides. Just so joyful.
The detail in the church was really neat — I really like how the yellowy glow of the evening sun on the ceiling picks up the subtle yellow/creamy tones in her bouquet. Plus, Stephanie looks very much like a professional. Professional model, that is. :)
Okay, and one of the handsome groom!
More — many more — to come in a few days! I’m really excited to share the fun moments and details of this day. Stay tuned!
Wedding: Janae and Travis October 21, 2008
Janae and Travis’ wedding in Blue Springs, Missouri, wrapped up the 2008 wedding season here at ericamay photography! And we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful fall day. You all know by now that I’m a softie for golden light, glowing through trees — well, there was plenty of that to go around last weekend. :)
Janae and Travis opted to do their photos prior to the ceremony, so they would have time in between for an outdoor location and some fun times with their wedding party on their “party bus.” When couples meet beforehand, we always coordinate a private meeting between the bride and groom (and me!) so they have a minute to see each other, and to capture those emotional images of the first sight! Here’s one shot of Janae, getting a little emotional:
I love Janae’s bouquet and all of the florals for the wedding. The colors really “popped” against their color scheme of black, silver and purple (K-State fans!).
The ceremony was beautiful, and the church had a huge skylight right above the altar area, which provided some glowing ambient light. Beautiful!
This little cutie was “flirting” with me throughout the whole ceremony… :)
And the flower girl? Adorable. :) She even had her own veil and her dress had a train. So precious! Here she is, climbing onto the party bus to hang out with the wedding party:
Okay, so I love outdoor photos at weddings. There’s just something so romantic and dreamy and natural about shooting outdoors — and wedding dresses look seriously amazing in sunlight. If you’re considering doing photos outside, just do it. You won’t regret it — and that doesn’t mean you have to travel to a destination to grab some outdoor shots…we can make use of any outdoor space!
However, if you’re up for a beautiful location, it is certainly worth it. These shots were all taken at Lake Jacomo near Blue Springs. Does this look like Missouri to you? :)
Oh, beautiful golden autumn light! Thank you for appearing on Janae and Travis’ big day! :)
Check out those gorgeous eyes!
I just really can’t get enough of this photo. Thanks for being willing to sit in the grass, guys!
See what I mean about the sunlight? :)
The reception really tied together their K-State purple theme with super classy centerpieces and TONS of candles. It was beautiful! Here’s one of the centerpiece styles:
And the really fun cake (with more gorgeous glowing light peeking through the window!)…
Janae and Travis, thanks for choosing ericamay photography! I hope you’re having an awesome time in Puerto Vallarta!
Friends and family, click here to sign up for the entire online album.
The next ericamay wedding posts are coming in January — but be ready for the in-between posts, where we’ll revisit some of the best wedding ideas, themes and personal touches from this past year! For the brides-to-be, I’ll give you some great tips and suggestions for how to incorporate your personality into your wedding details! :) If you have specific questions or want to cover a certain topic, send an e-mail to this address: me[at]ericamay[dot]com or use the “contact” form on www.ericamay.com!
Wedding: Jayme and Tim, Take 2 October 16, 2008
They met at K-State. Landscape architects. Two country-loving people. Now, they’re husband and wife.
Jayme and Tim’s wedding day was such a happy day. Everyone was so relaxed and in good spirits, it was just a joy to be there all day. Their ceremony was at Jayme’s grandmother’s church in Olathe, the First Christian Church. It was the perfect setting for their quaint wedding, accented by real Kansas touches — sunflowers, gingham print, cornflower blue flowers, metal buckets filled with white daisies, turquoise mason jars filled with Kansas-grown petals… it was such an elegant twist on a country Kansas theme.
And Jayme was one beautiful bride. Ahh, I love All-American girls like Jayme. :)
Jayme and the ladies — her sister and cousin!
Jeff captured some really great shots of Tim — this one is in a parking garage right across the street from the church. And I love the second one, Tim in the sanctuary, looking just a little bit nervous with excitement. :) The next three shots are Jeff’s:
I loved these buckets of daisies that lined the pews on the center aisle of the ceremony, and then served as centerpieces on the candy bar and cake table during the reception.
These two were so cute during the ceremony:
During their ceremony, Jayme and Tim invited their guests to participate in communion. They stood at the front and served it to their guests, along with their maid of honor and best man. I thought that was a really neat personal touch!
I just love this shot of Jayme, serving communion to her grandfather:
Jayme and her mom loved the front steps and front door of the old church in downtown Olathe. I think this shot is so classic:
Then we were off to the reception site, Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farmstead, for a few quick photos of the bride and groom on the historic site’s property.
I can’t get enough of these corn field shots! This is a fun way to incorporate Tim and Jayme’s personalities — Tim grew up on a farm, so touches like this help define their photos as personal and unique to them.
Their reception was in a really neat natural wood barn building on the site, built specifically for hosting events like this. It was a great space for an intimate wedding reception, and absolutely perfect for Jayme and Tim’s barbeque-themed reception dinner.
I love these centerpieces! I want some for my kitchen table. :)
And you just can’t go wrong with a candy bar of your favorites. Jayme and Tim chose their favorites and their wedding party members’ favorites to share.
Jayme and Tim, thank you so much for choosing me to capture your big day. It has been so much fun getting to know you both… I can’t wait to meet up soon after you’re all settled in your new home!
Family and friends, click here to visit the online album. Sign in to receive an e-mail when the entire album is available online!
Congratulations, you two. Never lose that cute, we’re-madly-in-love look that you gave each other all day. :)
Wedding Preview: Jayme and Tim October 13, 2008
Can I just start out by saying how much I loved Jayme and Tim’s wedding? :)
The day was gorgeous, the people were beautiful, the details were personal and fantastic.
I’m going to share a lot more about their big day very soon…but for now, I just wanted to share a little preview of some of my favorite images from the day.
There are a few similar photos where Jayme is actually in her wedding dress — but I just loved this version in her jeans and cute blue-checked shirt (that matched her wedding theme!). So, here’s this version:
They have some really cool ceremony shots, too. I love when the bride and groom don’t have their back to the audience the whole time…especially if the photographer has to stay in the back!
And…the highlight of my 2008 wedding season: wedding portraits in ROWS OF CORN! :D You guys totally made my year by agreeing to do this…and the photos? Well, I think it was worth it!
More fun photos and all of the official details about their day are coming soon! Stay tuned!
In the meantime, family and friends — head over to the album site to sign in and receive an e-mail when all of the photos are posted!
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