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!

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?

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!