Kansas City Wedding: Lisa and Ben, The Carriage Club and Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church July 28, 2009

I love my job. Have I said that here lately? Well, I do. I absolutely love that I get to be a part of the love story for amazing couples. Lisa and Ben — and their fantastic family and friends — reminded me of just why I love my job. The people. This wedding was such a joy to be a part of, because Lisa and Ben are obviously so in love, and they have an awesome support system of family members and friends who are cheering them on through every chapter of their love story.

Their wedding day this past weekend began at the Carriage Club in Kansas City, where the ladies were getting ready.  I always love getting to see the bride, bridesmaids and moms hanging out before the big day — it’s one of my favorite parts. Lisa was all smiles from the time I arrived — and she has a gorgeous smile. :) Yes, she made my job easy!

In this photo, Lisa was chatting with her mom and Ben’s mom… and I think taking a sneak peek out the window to see if her groom had arrived yet. :)

Check out the detail on Lisa’s dress. Beautiful.

An emotional moment with Lisa and her mom:

The flowers were absolutely stunning. Heather with Botanica did an amazing job on the floral design. I loved the classic beauty of the floral arrangements. Here’s the bridal bouquet:

Jeff shot this wedding with me, which was fantastic as always. :) He grabbed this shot of Lisa making a few finishing touches, and then the one following of Lisa and Ben during their first meeting, outside of the Carriage Club.

Lisa and Ben opted to do their portraits before their ceremony, and even scheduled extra time for portraits downtown (which I obviously love!). First, they met at the Carriage Club and we had some time for a few portraits inside the beautiful venue.

Lisa. Is. Stunning. :)

And her groom… well, he looked awesome in his tux and bow-tie!

We headed downtown for portraits with the wedding party to Liberty Memorial and the Washington Park area next to Union Station. It was great for a variety of shots with greenery and architecture.

Lisa’s cathedral length veil made the bridal portraits extra fun. Add a little bit of wind and we have some dramatic shots of a gorgeous bride.

The sweet couple:

Lisa’s sister did an awesome job with her maid of honor duties! The bridesmaids’ dresses were all custom made — aren’t they great?

Lisa’s satin dress was beautiful, and had  a long row of rhinestones all the way down the back. The details were gorgeous. Here it is in a full-length shot:

The whole wedding party:

More portraits of Lisa and Ben:

This one in black and white is Jeff’s:

These are my shots:

The ceremony was at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri (close to Crown Center). As we all know, I love shooting in churches with cool architecture and old details. This church was built in the early 1920s. Jeff took this shot of the outside as the guests were arriving:

Here are more floral details — I am a huge fan of flower balls lining the pews in the aisle of a church. These were perfect:

Lisa’s dad walked her down the aisle:

Jeff’s view:

A few of my favorite ceremony shots:

Jeff took this one of the organist:

And he also took this shot of Lisa and Ben walking back down the aisle — married! :)

Afterwards, we did a few more portraits outside of the beautiful church building.

Then it was time to head to the reception! :)

The reception was at the Carriage Club, and I can’t even begin to say enough good things about this venue and the people who work there. It was a wonderful location for a wedding reception, and the staff was incredibly helpful and attentive to details. Also, did I mention how gorgeous it was? :) The space was lovely, and the details were so well done.

Jeff’s shots:

The table setting (with more gorgeous floral arrangements):

Each place setting had a menu, with their monogram that they carried throughout in several different elements.

Lisa and Ben also had individually wrapped gifts for each of their guests — boxes of Russell Stover chocolates (which is fitting, since they are headquartered here in Kansas City!).

The wedding cake was yet another beautiful detail. Sandy with Creative Cakes designed it, and she did a wonderful job. I couldn’t stop taking photos of all the details on the cake. The second shot is Jeff’s — again, notice the monogram.

Fun reception shots:

These are Jeff’s. First, the saxophone player from the live band — The Karen Davis Project.

I love this great silhouette shot of Jeff’s:

Another one of Jeff’s:

The first dance (this is my shot):

A few ring shots we took during the reception. First, my shot of the rings on the ledge of the fireplace. The second shot is Jeff’s, also on the fireplace.

And, I leave you with two shots that Jeff took (seriously, he is so great!) of the reception venue at the Carriage Club. Bonus points if you can find me in the first photo below. :)

It was a gorgeous wedding filled with beautiful, fun people. This is why I love my job. :)

Lisa and Ben, congratulations on your marriage. Thank you so much for asking me to be a part of your special day.

Family and friends of the couple can click here to view all of their images in an online gallery (or sign the online guestbook and be notified once the images are all available).

Kansas City Engagement Photos: Kate and Brett, Overland Park Arboretum June 8, 2009

Kate and Brett. What can I say about these two? They’re basically professionals. Professionals at being really cute, taking super awesome photos, and having fun personalities. :) I was so glad that I could meet up with them on their way from Denver to Iowa (where they call home right now). I’m really excited for their wedding next January — I have a feeling it will be here before we know it!

Their session was at the Overland Park Arboretum, a gorgeous location that I don’t think too many residents in this area take advantage of… it’s awesome, filled with trails and ponds and waterfalls — and great photography locations. :)

A pretty couple in a pretty place… perfect! :)

I think we were in a wind tunnel here… but I love some of the photos that resulted from it! :) So sweet.

See what I mean? They’re too cute. Professional models, really… :)

Like any good parents of a canine child, Kate and Brett had to have a few with their Puggle. :) Isn’t he sweet?

I encourage my couples to change outfits, wear something fun and bright and summery (if it’s summer) — I love their outfits for this session, and especially Kate’s cute dress!

And I’ll leave you with one that almost didn’t make the final cut… but I decided that I loved that Kate was flipping her hair back over her shoulder, ready for a stroll with her future husband. It’s so cute and casual and fun! :)

Kate and Brett, thanks for asking me to take photos of this awesome time in your lives/relationship. I can’t wait to work with you on your wedding day this winter!

Family and friends, click here to sign their online gallery guestbook and be notified when the photos are all ready to be viewed!

Leawood Wedding Reception: Amber and Josh May 29, 2009

Amber and Josh chose to say their vows at a beachside resort in the Turks and Caicos islands. At the end of April, they took a trip with each of their parents and got married on the beach! Since some resorts don’t allow outside photographers for destination weddings, Amber and Josh opted to have me cover their reception this past weekend, where they celebrated with their family and friends who didn’t make the trip to the islands!

I loved how Amber and Josh tied in their island theme, displayed photos and showed a video from their destination wedding, and really helped share that experience with their guests. The reception was held at Terrace on the Green in Leawood, and it was a beautiful venue with tons of natural light.

This post will have a lot of fun details from their reception — full of great ideas for other couples who want to throw a reception at home after a destination wedding!

First, the happy newlyweds:

And some of the beautiful details:

I loved the big paper lantern globes on the ceiling!

These wedding mints are shaped like seashells!

Wedding favors — with one of their beach wedding photos printed on the box!

The dinner buffet by Above and Beyond Catering — they’re always SO good… yummy food, great service!

The dress (gorgeous!) — and perfect for a beach wedding AND an elegant reception!

Okay, now on to the events! First, they watched a video of the wedding ceremony and a slideshow of the couple through the years. The crowd loved it, and it was fun to watch Amber and Josh’s reaction to their wedding video.

Amber and Josh’s first dance was so cute.

During the father-daughter and mother-son dances, they invited other dads/daugthers and moms/sons to join them on the dance floor. It was a nice touch! Here’s Amber dancing with her dad, and another father-daughter pair:

The couple toasting:

The bouquet and garter tosses:

I love grandparents, and especially grandparents dancing at receptions. :) First up, the cha-cha slide! Secondly, the “anniversary” dance. Amber’s grandparents won the dance — they’ve been married for 59 years! How awesome is that? :)

More fun shots:

Amber and Josh, thank you so much for letting me capture your special wedding reception! Congratulations!

Kansas City Workshop for Brides-to-be! February 5, 2009

Okay, all of you engaged ladies (and gentlemen)… I’ve got some fantastic news for you!

Plan to attend:

Engaged!

Saturday, March 21st

1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Third Eye Event Space (2024 Main Kansas City, MO)

I am SUPER excited to partner with KiSS Events on the Engaged! workshop — an absolutely FREE event for brides-to-be and their guests. The event is bringing together some fantastic wedding vendors in the Kansas City area for an afternoon of candid conversation, tips from the pros, door prizes (including a free portrait shoot with ericamay!), food, drinks and FUN. :)

The awesome Sharon from KiSS Events describes the event like this:

“It is not a bridal fair, bridal show or open house and it’s definitely not a sales pitch.  Engaged! is a fun and inspiring hands-on event designed to equip brides with the tools to plan a wedding. The workshop will be more like an episode of Oprah meets Martha Stewart, all about weddings and insider tips!”

I am super excited to meet brides, grooms, mothers of brides, and help them learn a little bit about wedding photography and how to choose the best photographer for their special day. I would LOVE to see some ericamay brides attend — and who would want to miss the chance to meet other KC vendors, get their advice, AND also be entered for a FREE WEDDING COORDINATION package (with KiSS Events, of course!).

Here’s the thing — it’s totally free of charge. It’s only a few hours. And space is very limited. Registration is required to attend, so head on over to www.engagedworkshop.com for more details and to register!

If you have any questions, leave a comment here and I’ll be glad to help you out! This is the PERFECT event for brides who are wanting to learn more about the options, ideas, details and necessary vendors for their awesome wedding day plans.

I hope to see you there!!

Click here to register for the event.

Kansas City Wedding: Tara and Tom February 2, 2009

Tara and Tom were married this past weekend on one of the most gorgeous days I’ve ever experienced in January. The beautiful weather fit perfectly with their beautiful wedding ceremony and reception. Tara did a fantastic job with the details of their day — she thought of everything! There were so many great and personalized details that I’ll be dedicating a post in the next few days specifically to the details of their wedding day. :)

For now, I’m so excited to share with you the portraits, ceremony and reception photos!

Tara has great style. I have a minor obsession with birdcage veils and lacy wedding dresses. Tara looked absolutely amazing — all day, I kept thinking that she looked like a movie star from a decade gone by. I love these bridal portraits… love, love, love them.

 

Whoa… seriously… Tara, you are beautiful!

Add in the lucky groom… and we have a cute couple on our hands. :)

The weather was unseasonally nice — in the 60s! — so we took advantage of it and opted for a portrait session in the park! These photos were all taken at Loose Park near the Plaza. They’re all proof that outdoor photos in the winter can still be lovely!

The bride and the bridesmaids all wore “fur” stolls, handmade by Tara’s grandmother! I love the classic, vintage feel that their outfits have. Everything really just fit together so well.

The church was perfect for photography — their ceremony was beautiful and traditional, and I just loved how interactive Tara and Tom were throughout the service. There are so many photos of them whispering and smiling with each other, and I love that! :) They waited to see each other until the ceremony, so I’m sure it was hard to contain their excitement. Here are some of my favorites from the ceremony:

Husband and wife! :) The flower girl and ring bearer were so cute and entertained even on the way back down the aisle!

Tara and Tom’s reception was at the Uptown Theater in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It was a gorgeous venue and really added to the elegant feel of their entire day. It also fit well with the Tara-as-an-old-time-movie-star look. It was just so classy and the details were beautiful (photos of those to come later)!

Congratulations, Tara and Tom! Thank you so much for choosing ericamay photography to capture your special day. It was a joy to be there.

Family and friends, click here to sign the guestbook for the online album! You’ll be automatically notified when all of the photos are available online.

Kind words, cool blog. January 22, 2009

Last week, I shared with you a little tip about KCWeddingScene.com‘s Bride’s Blog. It’s a great resource for Kansas City brides (and non-Kansas City brides, too!) to get ideas, advice and follow someone else’s journey through wedding planning. I was so excited when ericamay bride Beth joined the bride blogging team… so imagine my excitement when I read an entry about how she chose her photographer — me! :)

Beth, your words are so kind and so sweet… and reminded me exactly why I love what I get to do. Being involved in your special day is one of the most fun, challenging, creative and rewarding things I could ever do. Thanks for trusting me with your memories.

Here’s a little bit of what Beth wrote (for the rest of her story and advice, click here!):

“…Pictures are so important and being on a budget, I wanted to leave room to spend what I needed to so that I would have the best pictures! I can’t tell you how many countless hours I spent online looking at people’s pictures. Just looking at pictures wasn’t making my decision any easier…I wanted to be able to trust my photographer…really know and trust them! This is where fate stepped in…

(click here to read about how she found ericamay photography!)

…Once I arrived home after a fun weekend, I hopped on the net, and there she was…my photographer! I could see in her photos that she was really capturing moments and memories, not just poses and fake, forced smiles! I love creative and personal shots…ones that are candid.

After Geoff & I met with Erica, we knew that she was perfect for the job! She is not only my photographer, but someone who I can trust and who I look to for advice about my big day…I am a lucky bride!”

Beth, you are too sweet! Can’t wait for your big day in May!

And a big thanks to Breanna for being a part of our “fate.” :)

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!

Wedding traditions: the cake (yum!) November 28, 2008

Okay… the next installment of our look at wedding traditions — the cake! :) Are you excited? Because I am! I have to admit that I don’t usually get to TRY the wedding cake at all of the weddings I attend, but I always appreciate the works of art. :)

The history behind the cake-cutting tradition is somewhat scattered, and you’ll find various reasons for it. Wedding cakes started out in fruit-cake style. I’d like to see how well this would go over with a room full of guests…ha ha, anyone up for it? :) Today’s more common choice, the multi-tiered wedding cake, apparently originated in English royalty weddings. I also found out that it was first designed to resemble the bell tower of St. Bride’s Church in London. I love that idea!

For the less wealthy, 17th century brides had a “bride’s pie” filled with sweet breads and mincemeat (yum?). It’s rumored that these pies also contained a ring inside — and the woman who found the ring would be the next to wed, similar to the bouquet toss tradition of today. Wedding cakes really began to get elaborate — and continue to do so — from about the 1930’s on.

Some weddings opt for a “groom’s cake” as well. Today, we use this as a chance for the groom to choose exactly what he wants (like the SpongeBob Squarepants cake Tim chose!) or another opportunity for variety in the selection, but it started out as a very interesting tradition. :) Apparently, if a woman took a piece of the groom’s cake home and put it under her pillow the night of a wedding, she would dream about the man she would marry. Pretty funny… :)

 

Anyway, enough with the history lesson! So how can you personalize your wedding cake? Some ideas:

• Use your wedding colors as accents on the cake (ribbons, fresh flowers, fondant additions).
• Choose a tiered cake with multiple flavors — perfect to please a big crowd and if you just can’t decide.
• Think miniature. Cupcakes, mini versions of your favorite desserts, etc. Here’s the best Kansas City cupcake vendor.
• Choose a fun cake topper! These can range from traditional figures to monogrammed initials to anything wild and crazy. Search online for ideas. If you can’t find one you just love, opt for a flower arrangement to match your bouquet.
• Stay within your budget — there are some amazing Kansas City cake designers who can create an absolute masterpiece for you. If cake is one of your priorities, go for a creative professional. If it’s not, check out the selection of wedding cakes at the local grocer.

 

Okay, on to the vote! The voting poll is below the photos — choose the number corresponding with your favorite wedding cake!

Greg & Meryl’s cake by Rebekah Foster Cake Artist (specializes in sugar flowers…how fun!):

 

Travis & Janae’s, from Blue Springs, MO:

 

Matt & Becky’s groom’s cake, which was made by Heidi Rollins, the sister of Becky’s maid of honor:

 

Seth & Jessica’s cake, a collaboration of a family friend (who baked it), her daughter, Jennifer Bentch of Pastry Bentch, who decorated it, and their florist, who arranged the orchids! Nobody ever said the cake was an easy detail! :)

 

Happy voting! :)

Kansas City Wedding Coordinator: Sharon Turner November 4, 2008

Last week, I had the honor of taking headshots for an up-and-coming wedding coordinator, Sharon Turner. Sharon serves Kansas City area brides and grooms with a variety of wedding coordination skills — with packages that range from minimal involvement to planning every detail of the big event, Sharon’s services are designed to fit with any type of wedding and work with a variety of budgets.

Sharon and her husband moved to Kansas in 2003, leaving their home in Long Island, New York. She said they were told they were crazy by New Yorkers and Kansans alike, but they immediately fell in love with their home.

The biggest challenge, she said, was getting used to the lingo. Lollipops were “suckers,” soda was “pop,” a bag was a “sack,” and pie was apple or pumpkin…not the pepperoni (pizza) kind she was used to. :) And rush hour traffic? It was just that — one hour.

What she loves about Kansas was that even with all of the changes, there were still some constants. And couples who were not expecting to use a wedding coordinator soon realized they wanted someone to make sure all of their plans came together. Enter: Sharon Turner. :)

She has been helping couples with a variety of backgrounds make their wedding day perfect since 2004. Whether you want someone to assist in all of the detailed planning from the day you get engaged, or you just need a coordinator to help during the last few weeks of “crunch time,” Sharon offers customized plans.

With a touch of New York flair, Sharon helps create moments so you can look back and say, “Yeah, my wedding day was the best day of my life.” :)

If you’ve even remotely considered having a wedding coordinator help out with the details and checklists and errand-running, click here for Sharon’s contact information. Her list of services is just too long to list…just e-mail her for the details!

Wedding: Serena and Steve September 30, 2008

“True love waits. And true love waits on,” the pastor said during the ceremony. He talked about how awesome it was that Serena and Steve believed in God’s plan for their lives — and how these two came to know each other, and then cross paths yet again six years later. Serena, an Air Force pilot; Steve, an Air Force navigator. True love waits, he said.

He also said that by serving each other, two people can find joy in being givers, always focused on each other. When a husband is focused on the needs of his wife, and a wife the needs of her husband, the cycle of giving and loving continues. True love waits on, he said.

It was such a privilege to photograph Serena and Steve’s special day. These two are so completely in love, and it was awesome to witness the love shared between people who have waited for their one true love.

These bridal portraits of Serena were taken outside the historic church near the Plaza in Kansas City. Central Methodist Church is a very traditional, beautiful church with some amazing photographic backgrounds. Serena’s natural beauty and model-esque features looked awesome everywhere…but especially against the backdrops of this historic church.

Steve and Serena had some of the most supportive wedding party members I’ve seen so far — those bridesmaids were seriously professionals. It’s because of them Serena’s dress is absolutely perfectly placed in all of these photos!

Steve and Serena waited to see each other until she was walking down the aisle. It helped make their ceremony photos extra special — I’m pretty sure they were beaming the entire time! Here are just a few from the ceremony:

The absolutely amazing vocalist, Nathan Granner with the American Tenors. Oh my. No words can express his voice. I had chills during his performance of The Lord’s Prayer.

For their exit from the church, guests threw lavender. One of my favorite scents, this was really pretty, unique and smelled amazing! It’s a great idea for something different.

I adore this shot of Serena waving at her mom — so joyous and excited!

In between the wedding and reception, we had some time for creative couples’ portraits with Serena and Steve. I love when couples are up for stopping somewhere in between for portraits, so we can spend time focusing on the two of them. The sessions don’t take very long, but result in images like these, taken at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I love this location!

After the photos, we headed to the reception at the Clubhouse on Baltimore. I wish I had some more reception photos to show you, but I’ve just started on those, and I couldn’t wait any longer to get these up! :)

Serena’s dad is probably the most proud father of the bride I’ve ever photographed. A great photographer himself, Christopher was just beaming all day long — here’s a few for you! First up, his “Father of the Bride” hat…and second, the awesome father-daughter dance. According to Christopher, they didn’t practice once together, but they sure fooled me! It was awesome!

Serena and Steve, thank you so much for letting me share your special day! May you be blessed in the years to come!

Friends and family, click here to sign in and receive an e-mail when the entire album is online!