Kansas City Wedding: Ashley and Garrett June 23, 2009

Ashley and Garrett have a long love story. They started dating as freshmen in high school — yes, high school! — and tell a story about love at first sight. I love photographing couples who have been through years of memories together, who understand each other like nobody else ever will, and who love each other in a way that demonstrates their devotion to everyone around them. Ashley and Garrett are that kind of couple.

Their wedding day forecast never called for rain. Not once in the week leading up to it did the forecast call for rain. So we planned an outdoor session at the park for their “first sight” and couples portraits, and had elaborate plans for an hour at the park before heading to the church. And then, it rained. But you know what they say — rain is good luck on a wedding day. :) If Ashley and Garrett needed luck on their side (which they don’t!), I think they got a few extra doses of it on their wedding day. Being the great bride that she is, Ashley said, “No problem! We’ll move it inside!” so I called the Marriott hotel on the Country Club Plaza, who were so kind to give us permission to shoot in their lobby for Ashley and Garrett’s portraits. It was perfect.

The lobby was so cool and trendy — I love these shots in the booth!

A big thank you goes out to Chris Hsieh of La Brisa Photography for coming in to second shoot for me!! I’m going to share some of Chris’ shots here, too. Here’s his take on the booth scene:

After the hotel lobby, we headed out to the church… with one quick stop (in the rain) at the park. We found a nice natural umbrella underneath some gorgeous trees. I’m so glad we stopped! First, I couldn’t help but grab photos in the Escalade limousine. I love this shot:

The park was so green from all the rain:

Chris working some photo magic!

This one is Chris’ shot. I love how Ashley is looking at Garrett!

A few of my bridal portraits at the park… isn’t Ashley just gorgeous?? I love her deep brown eyes.

After the park, we headed to the church where we did family and wedding party formals, and then the sun came out! :) So we stole Ashley and Garrett away for a few quick photos in the church’s garden courtyard.

The rings (shot with my new 105mm 2.8, for you photographer types):

The ceremony was gorgeous. Church of the Resurrection in Leawood has a lovely wedding chapel (with great light for photographers!). Their traditional wedding ceremony was beautiful. While I was photographing the processional, Chris was grabbing the behind-the-scenes shots. I love this one of Ashley and one flower girl and ring bearer pair (they had two sets!):

And this moment of Ashley and her dad right before he walked her down the aisle:

Ceremonies are my favorite part of the whole day, and Ashley and Garrett were just too cute during their vows!

The gorgeous chapel:

Chris’ view during the ceremony (I love Ashley’s expression):

So happy to be husband and wife! (This one is mine):

Waiting for the bride and groom’s send-off:

I love this shot of Ashley’s parents! Isn’t her mom just beautiful? See where Ashley gets it?? :)

Too cute:

And Chris’ shot of Ashley blowing a kiss to family members (super sweet):

Their reception at the Marriott in Overland Park (the one at I-435 and Metcalf) was so elegant. They put a lot of thought and detail into their reception decor and events, and it was lovely. A few detail shots for you. The first one is Chris’ photo, the others are mine:

Ashley’s dad gave a great toast, and then took his wife out for a spin on the dance floor (I love watching the parents at receptions! So cute!).

First dance as husband and wife!

There are so many other fun photos from throughout the day… all of those will be available in Ashley and Garrett’s online gallery. Friends and family, click here to sign their online guestbook and you’ll be automatically notified when the rest of the photos are available! You won’t want to miss these! :)

To the lovely bride and handsome groom — thanks so much for asking me to capture the moments of your special day. It was a beautiful day, celebrating beautiful people! :) Best wishes for a happy life together!

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!