Topeka Wedding: Michael and Sara October 5, 2009

The day was filled with tradition. And family. And love.

It was everything you expect a wedding to be, when a couple unites as one and their closest family and friends celebrate right along with them.

For Michael and Sara, that was a big crowd. And it was amazing. :)

I’m going to get all sentimental talking about how sweet these two are, and how fun their families are, and how beautiful their wedding was… so I’m going to cut it short and just show the photos. I’m working quickly to get these up before the couple leaves for their honeymoon in the morning. :) Let’s just say that Jeff and I had an awesome time sharing the day with Michael, Sara, and their hundreds of guests!

The ceremony at Holy Name Catholic Church in Topeka, Kansas, was beautiful. The morning light was streaming through the stained glass, and I knew it was going to be a great day.

Jeff’s shot:

Sara walked down the aisle with both of her parents, and she was just beaming.

And Michael was, too. They didn’t see each other before the ceremony, so this was his first time seeing his bride — Jeff captured this one:

The ceremony was lovely, and filled with traditions from their culture. I loved it.

The beautiful (and packed) church:

Here, Michael and Sara are presented with the arras — 13 coins that represent Jesus and the disciples and symbolize the sharing of riches between the bride and groom. They also signify hope for future prosperity and their promise to take care of one another. 

Here are the arras up close:

Another tradition is that of the manquerna. It is shaped like a figure eight, the symbol of infinity. The bride and groom’s mothers place the manquerna to symbolize the lifelong bond between husband and wife.

Some more of my favorite ceremony shots:

The next few are Jeff’s ceremony shots. I love Sara’s sweet expressions in these!

My view of their first kiss as husband and wife:

Jeff’s shot:

And mine — I love this moment!

Michael and Sara had two portions of their reception — the first was a dinner reception in the afternoon, followed by a break, and then everyone returned for a night filled with music and dancing. At the dinner, guests were served delicious homemade (seriously, all of it!) Mexican food, all prepared by their families!

After the first portion of the reception festivities, we had Michael and Sara all to ourselves for their portraits together, which were taken around the reception site (Agricultural Hall in Topeka). The weather was great, the fall colors were just emerging, and the couple was carefree — the only thing left to do was celebrate!

Here’s one of Jeff’s:

And my shot of the lovely Sara!

I couldn’t decide which of the next two I liked better, so you get to see them both. :)

Jeff also captured some pretty awesome shots of their rings! Here are two of my favorites he took:

After that, it was time to party. :) The couple hired both a live band and a DJ, who were both amazing. The band — Grupo Picante — kept everyone salsa-ing all night. And the DJs didn’t use iPods… oh no, they had turn tables and mixed music with them all night. It was awesome.

This one goes out to Josh, who I know is reading this right now. :)

This is Jeff’s, and I wish it were my shot. :) I love the motion of the dancing, and how beautiful Sara looks.

And I’ll leave you with one of my favorite reception shots — bride and groom surrounded by their wedding party (or, a small portion of the wedding party!). :)

Michael and Sara, congratulations to you both. Jeff and I are so thrilled for you and excited to be a part of your engagement, wedding, and marriage. Enjoy Chicago!

For family and friends who would like to see all of the images (and there will be a LOT to see!), click here to sign in to the online gallery. You’ll receive an e-mail when all of the photos are available to view.

 

Also, one last shout-out to Whitney, who came along to assist with this wedding. Whitney, thanks for being a part of the day — I can’t wait to see where your photography endeavors take you. :)

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!

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! :)

Wedding traditions: the rings! November 18, 2008

This post kicks off our little series on wedding traditions, ideas for how you can personalize each one to your wedding, and a look back at some of the best of 2008! :)

 

When I got engaged, it took every ounce of willpower I had to not run around waving my hand in strangers’ faces, exclaiming loudly to the world that I was engaged, and getting manicures every other day so my hands looked just perfect to show off the engagement ring given to me by my new fiancee. Is anyone with me?? :)

Engagement and wedding rings are used as a symbol of love and commitment — every wedding ceremony has a portion devoted to the giving and exchanging of rings, and each officiant has a varying, but similar, message to share about the significance and symbolism in the rings.

So how did this get started? Wedding rings date back to the 11th century. According to many countries’ traditions, rings are worn on the “ring finger” because the vein in that finger on the left hand runs directly to the heart (from Roman beliefs). However, brides in countries like Denmark and Austria wear their rings on the right hand. The custom for women to have an engagement ring and a wedding ring began with Pope Innocent III, who instituted a waiting period between engagement and marriage, and required by law that another ring was used during the wedding ceremony.

Rings can be as unique or as traditional as you want them. With custom jewelers and designers, many with services that let you create exactly what you want, the possibilities are endless. There are several things to consider when picking out a diamond (which you can read about here), and that’s just one part of the ring! The metal options, setting style, band width and thickness all play a role in the final design of the ring.

 

Ideas for how to personalize your ring:

1. Wear a family heirloom. The diamond in my engagement ring belonged to my husband’s mother. It’s so special to wear something on my hand that connects me to a family heritage. Friends of mine have also worn grandfather’s rings for the groom’s ring, or had the metal from a family-owned piece melted into a wedding band.

2. Choose a unique style of engagement ring, or make the look creative with one of the many options for wedding bands.

3. Have your two wedding bands molded from the same piece of gold (seriously, so neat!).

4. Engrave personal inscriptions inside the rings — these could be a surprise for your spouse on the wedding day!

 

Okay, drumroll, please… on to the voting of your favorite ring shots from 2008! :) There are five options here, and the voting poll is at the bottom of the post!

 

Beth’s engagement ring, from Riddle’s Jewelry in Manhattan, Kansas. Beth knew she wanted something unique, with more than just traditional white diamonds.

 

Stephanie’s ring, from Jeweler’s Bench in Kingwood, Texas. Daniel’s parents went with him to pick it out, and he designed it himself!

 

Ashley’s engagement ring, from Joslin’s Jewelry in Overland Park, Kansas. Garrett’s grandma has been buying all of her jewelry there since she got married!

 

Nic and Julie’s wedding rings — her rings are from Helzberg, his is from Hannoush Jewelers. Julie chose to have her two rings saudered together after the wedding.

 

Kelli’s ring from Shane Company. Although she had browsed for ideas online, she had no idea that Tim had even bought a ring until he proposed!

We had a little sports-themed engagement year it looks like. :) I love when we can incorporate some other element into a ring shot to showcase the personality of the couple! Okay, time to vote for your favorite… click on your choice below!