Kelsey and Danny’s Wedding (Topeka and Lawrence) August 31, 2009

Every once in a while, we meet someone who is everything a person should be — happy, energetic, driven, kind, smart, and thoughtful. Every once in a while, that kind of person blesses our life with and brings us just a little more joy and reminds us what it is to love the details in life.

And every once in a while, two people who share those qualities meet. And fall in love. And invite me to photograph their wedding. :)

Kelsey and Danny. What can I say about these two except that they are absolutely wonderful? Jeff and I have been looking forward to their wedding day all year, especially after their awesome engagement session. Their wedding day was exactly what we expected it to be — a celebration of their love. These two were so excited to get married! They put on an amazing wedding, and I’m going to stop gushing about it now and show you the photos. :)

We started off wit Kelsey putting on her finishing touches:

Her dress had a jayhawk sown in (they are both die-hard KU fans… more on that later!):

The flowers were beautiful, done by Corlis at McLouth Flower Loft. I’ve worked with her a few times in the past, and I’m telling you, she’s brilliant with florals. Here’s Kelsey’s elegant bouquet:

Kelsey and Danny opted to see each other before the wedding for their formal portraits. I absolutely love the “first look” between the bride and groom on their wedding day. Kelsey and Danny were just so excited, and I love the sheer joy in these photos!

Jeff caught this awesome photo of Danny’s expression when he saw his bride for the first time!

I love how Kelsey dropped her train as she hurried towards Danny!

Jeff’s view of their first meeting — this one is sooo romantic!

Seriously, I could not have scripted this cuteness! :) I love it!

Their expressions here just make my heart melt. 

We started with their portraits together, and did most of them outside since the weather was absolutely perfect. Who knew we’d get a 70 degree weather day in August? :) The church provided a beautiful backdrop for photos.

One of Jeff’s shots:

The gorgeous bride:

And the handsome groom (these are both Jeff’s):

I could’ve taken photos of Kelsey all day long. She’s beautiful. So I have to share a few more with you… :) I wonder if Danny knew he was marrying a model? :)

A few more of their cuteness together… 

Jeff did some creative shots of their rings. This is one of my favorites:

Kelsey’s nephew Oliver looked so cute in his baby-sized tux. :) You might remember him from this post.

The ceremony at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Topeka, Kansas, was beautiful. The architecture was lovely. Kelsey’s dad walked her down the aisle.

A few of my favorite ceremony shots:

Seriously, how sweet is Danny? I think I almost said “aww!” out loud when he kissed Kelsey’s hand during the ceremony. :)

Here’s one of Jeff’s. I’m not sure if Danny was wiping away tears or just rubbing his eyes, but either way… :)

Their exit was one of the cutest ever. :) Yes, I just said “ever.” They opted to use confetti poppers for their guests and it looked amazing in the photos! To give you an idea, I’m going to give you the extended version of their grand exit from the church! :) The first three are Jeff’s view:

And one of mine:

I hopped in the stretch-Hummer limo for a few photos of Kelsey and Danny during their first few minutes as husband and wife!

Their reception was in a beautiful ballroom at the Holidome in Lawrence, Kansas. The details were very elegant, and the party was amazing! I usually don’t share so many reception shots, but these are too good to pass up. :) Kelsey and Danny’s first dance:

… which turned into THIS:

… an amazingly choreographed first dance to a mix of songs. It was awesome, and a surprise for the whole crowd!

Jeff’s shot:

I love how Kelsey and Danny can have so much fun and get a little crazy, but they’re also super classy. :) They wrapped up their first dance with a few more minutes of a slow dance.

One surprise wasn’t enough for the crowd. Oh no, not when Danny’s involved. :) He surprised EVERYONE — Kelsey included — with a smaller version of the KU marching band. Yes, you read that right. I even laid aside my K-State loyalties and got into their lively renditions of KU fight songs. :) And I sacrificed my hearing for some of these close-up shots. :)

Kelsey and Danny, big congratulations to you both. I’m so excited for you and the fun chapter of your lives that started this past weekend. Wishing you a very happy — and fun-filled! — marriage together. :)

For friends and family who want to see more of the c-r-a-z-y reception photos, the beautiful portraits, and the other memorable moments throughout the day, you can view all of the photos online. Just click here to sign in to the online guest book, and I’ll let you know when all of the photos are ready to be viewed!

Backyard Wedding in Wichita: Allyson and Rafe — Part 4, Reception! June 5, 2009

Are you ready for this? :) Here’s the final set of photos from Allyson and Rafe’s beautiful backyard wedding. This post is full of fun shots from their reception — held underneath a white tent on a gorgeous early summer day while the sun set! Beautiful!

I loved Allyson and Rafe’s first dance. It was so entertaining and very well done. I think Rafe might hold the title as “best dancing groom” in the ericamay archives. :) They took dance lessons, and I’d say it was worth it!

The beautiful cakes:

Cutting the cake/toasting — these two are Jeff’s:

And this is mine:

Rafe’s dad said the blessing before dinner (which was AMAZING — kabobs on the grill!).

The first dances with parents — Allyson and her dad and Rafe and his mom:

Since the reception was held in the backyard, the kids got to hang out on the play set the whole time — it was a great way to keep them entertained and nearby… and it made for some super cute photos:

The bouquet toss (too cute!):

As the night went on, we were greeted with a gorgeous sky as the sun set and the moon rose!

And then the party really started. :) I don’t usually share a ton of dance shots on the blog, but today I’m going to — these are too much fun not to.

This next section is dedicated to Aleks, the best man and brother of the groom, who also happens to be my best friend’s husband. Enjoy.

From the front…

Aaand, the back…

And a few more fun dancing shots:

They ended the night with a bang… literally. Fireworks to the tune of “My Little Baby is a Firecracker”… :)

Allyson and Rafe, I’m wishing you a very happy life together. :) Don’t lose that super cute we’re-so-in-love way that you look at each other. :)

Family and friends — don’t forget to sign the online guestbook to be notified when all of their photos are online!

K-State Wedding: Nick and Sarah’s Manhattan Celebration! January 7, 2009

So remember when I promised you more images of Nick and Sarah’s January wedding in Manhattan? Well, here they are… all 40 of them! :) It was hard to narrow it down for these two, who have been such great friends to Jeff and I.

I just want to take a few lines out of this blog post to let you, Nick and Sarah, know how delighted we were to share your special day and witness your marriage! Nick, who would have guessed during our flight to D.C. a few years ago that we’d be celebrating your marriage like we did last weekend? And Sarah, how could we have predicted on that day that I found out that you were a HOBY alum that you’d one day marry my good friend and fellow HOBY enthusiast? :) I love the connections you two share, even before you knew it. I love your story, and the fact that there are many more memories to write in our history book! And while I love each of you separately, I love who you are as a couple even more. Awww… I’m just so happy for you!! :)

Okay, okay… on to the photos, right?!

Some of my favorite moments from any wedding are the preparations/getting ready shots. There’s still some nervous excitement, and brides look simply gorgeous putting on the finishing touches — especially Sarah!

Hee hee…look who it is! :) (Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself!).

Sarah’s best friend Kelli was her maid of honor — this photo just gets to me. Friendship is so important, and it’s so awesome to share special times with close friends!

Sarah had TWO incredibly fun pairs of shoes for her wedding day. The first, custom Nikes with “I Do” on the back — how cool is that? And the second, some really adorable purple (for K-State, obviously!) flats from Ann Taylor.

Even the super stylish and heartbreakingly cute ring bearer got in on the getting ready fun!

Nick and Sarah chose to see each other before the ceremony for photos with their wedding party and family members. I highly encourage couples to do this, since it gives us extra time for really creative, fun portrait sessions (either before the ceremony or off-site in between the ceremony and reception). It also gives the bride and groom the perfect time to catch a few minutes alone (well, with me!) to calm nerves, see each other without distractions, and really just soak in the moment of a wedding day. Plus, the photos are always so great. Like this shot of Nick, seeing Sarah for the first time… his expression is priceless.

Earlier in the day, before their ceremony, the weather was actually pretty bearable for January 3rd. :) I’m so glad we stole a few moments to head outside of the church for some portraits! You two look AMAZING!

Their ceremony was very traditional, personal, and moving. They incorporated a lot of family members into the ceremony as readers and communion servers, and their priest, Fr. Keith, knew them well. The shot below requires a little explanation. Nick is known for wearing a button on his shirt called the “Fun Meter” — so he can let everyone know just how much fun he’s having in a certain situation. :) Well, those of us who recognize Nick best with his Fun Meter on were disappointed that it wasn’t hidden beneath his jacket or under the lapel of his tux jacket. Apparently, so was Fr. Keith. :) When he mentioned it during his message, there was a chorus of laughter from the audience… including the photographer at the back. ;)

After the ceremony, the temperature had dropped 15 degrees or so and it was spitting an icy-rain mixture. Sarah and Nick, determined for fun K-State themed photos, said “let’s do it!” so we headed to  K-State’s Old Stadium for photos with the wedding party. I’m so glad we did!

The ladies did a great job of looking somewhat warm in the above photo… but what they really wanted to do was bundle up. :)

What a lovely bride! :)

The wedding party on the sidelines… you all look great!

Chris Hsieh of La Brisa Photography came along for the day’s festivities as well! I’m excited to see how this image turned out!

And a quick game of football with the guys… :)

A forgotten flower on the football field:

I love this image. It might be my favorite Nick-and-Sarah together shot.

Nick and Sarah’s wedding reception at the K-State Alumni Center was beautiful. And boy, can this group DANCE! If anyone needs dance lessons for their wedding, Nick’s brother and best man could probably offer some incredible private dance lessons… now, speech writing, on the other hand… well, he leaves that to the last minute. :) Still, it was a hilarious best man toast.

A moment between Sarah and her dad:

The dancing king himself (Rylan, I am so impressed!):

Although the ring bearer gave the best man a run for his money with his dancing skills… :)

I’m not quite sure what went down here, but it obviously embarrassed Sarah. :)

I love this photo (how many times have I said that in this one post? Ha ha!)… but seriously, people laughing and smiling at receptions make for such great photo memories.

And I’ll leave you with one last photo of the newlyweds!

Family and friends, click here to sign the guest book and be automatically notified when all of the photos are available for viewing online!

Nick and Sarah, many happy wishes to you both. I can’t wait to see you again after you’re all settled!

 

(If you missed the first preview post, check out those photos here!).