Oh the weather outside is frightful....

Wedding photography, like life, takes place in all seasons and all kinds of weather.  I love sunshine because it gives such a bright and happy feeling and results in really vibrant colors.  I love cloudy days because it creates beautiful, soft and diffused light.  I love rainy days because it reminds me of a musical (I always feel like singing and dancing!), and because the rain clouds can make the most amazing and dramatic skies. I love snowstorms because they are just romantic.  Can't you picture going for a walk in the snow, getting twirled around by the one you love?

...ignore the fact that we couldn't feel our appendages and snow was pelting everyone in the face sideways at 40mph.  Romantic, right?

Because of the weather, we decided to start the formals session with Nicole and Josh indoors at Heritage Gardens.  Their reception would be held there the next day and we were lucky to have access to it.  It's a beautiful location, and if you are looking for a venue, I definitely recommend it.

Nicole's dress (from David's Bridal) was beautiful!  I especially loved the texture of the pink band around her waist.  It always helps to bring some more color into the photos.

After Heritage Garden we shot a little bit at the LDS Timpanogos Temple where they were getting married.  The lights on the grounds and the snow just made it a magical setting... it was AMAZING.  Nicole and Josh were such troopers with the snow.  We would jump out and shoot for a few minutes, and jump back in the cars to thaw;  the temperatures were freezing, but the Nicole and Josh were just wonderful!

Take a look at their entire formals session here.

Keepin' Austin Weird

Some people like Christmas.  Some people go all out for Thanksgiving.  Jenn's family LOOOOOOOOOOVES Halloween.  They have got some of the coolest and most unique decorations in their house that I have ever seen.  Even the most subtle things are switched out to celebrate Halloween- to the point where you do a double-take and realize that yes, those white lace curtains actually have little ghosts in the embroidery.  So when Jenn and Jared got married near the end of October the reception in Jenn's backyard was BOO-utiful!

Bad news Future Brides- too many shots like this and I will have to abandon the wedding industry and become a food photographer (and Taste Tester!).... even looking back at these photos, I start drooling.

I love how the confetti looks in the photos, but I sure don't envy whoever had to pick it all up after everything was done!

Home sweet Home

Jenn and Jared were married in the LDS San Antonio Temple.  I LOVE the colors of the stained glass windows, and could we have found a more attractive couple to put in front of them??

My favorite thing about Jenn and Jared is how happy they look when they are together.  Their families look pretty happy too.

One of the reasons I was so excited to shoot at the San Antonio temple is because I grew up in Austin.  When I was little, the closest temple to us was Dallas, then Houston, and finally when I was about 17 the San Antonio temple was built.  I attended the open house and dedication, and it was a great experience to see that kind of growth in such a short period of time.

Austin will always feel like my hometown.  I love the culture and energy there. Maybe we'll end up there one day.

2011 -

We had such a wonderful time at the Showcase this year!  We met so many beautiful brides and awesome vendors.
We decided to highlight our new favorite print product in our booth this year: metal prints!  These are a modern look and a completely new concept - the metal is heated up and the ink is infused into the pores.  Along with the two 50 inch monitors showing some of our favorites vertical photos from the last year, we also printed out 8 20x30 horizontal prints on a glossy metal.  Combined with a little catchlight from below, the metal prints just glowed- it was jaw dropping.  We had brides and vendors both coming to the booth asking us if they were backlit somehow.  Not backlit, just awesome.
If you are looking for a print surface for your portrait or wedding photo, and want something modern, frameless, where the colors will really pop- you have to go with metal.  They are absolutely GORGEOUS.  Feel free to contact me to set up a consultation to view examples in my studio in Lehi.
We're so grateful we had Jacque from Riehl Events (www.riehlevents.com) to help us with our booth.  She was able to work with us to create something we really felt that expressed our style and showcased our photos.  She and her team went above and beyond this weekend, and we can say without a doubt that if you are a bride looking for help coordinating and creating a beautiful wedding day you should give Jacque a call.  Right now.
We were also so happy we were able to get to know some more vendors better this year.  We got to know the folks from Midway representing Johnson Mill (gorgeous location- we stayed there our last anniversary).  We loved chatting with Carrie from Carrie's Cakes. She is absolutely adorable and actually rides a pink scooter!  How cute is that?  We Ooo and Awed at the custom vintage wedding gowns created by Betsy of Modest Couture- she had some truly unique designs, from fun to elegant... I was very jealous.  Finally, we privileged to meet Something Vintage Something Blue.  They have some of the most AMAZING vintage cars available for weddings.  Thomas was drooling all day over "Daisy", the 1937 Buick special series 40 they were showing at the Showcase this year.  Absolutely gorgeous cars!

The Bridal Showcase

This Friday from 3pm-8pm and Saturday from 11am-7pm we will be up at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City for the Bridal Showcase. We've put a lot of work into our booth this year, and I think we'll have a great time meeting everyone attending the show! If you are engaged or are beginning to plan a wedding stop by our booth. We're dead center down the middle aisle.
Hope to see you there!

Libraries and Lights

The Salt Lake City library is a beautiful building, and is an awesome modern look for a location.  It was especially appropriate for Leigh and Craig, as Craig is getting his Masters degree in library science, and Leigh works in the library at BYU.  So they were right at home!

This next photo just makes me so happy! I love happy people and showing that giddy happiness that comes from true love.  It's moments captured like this that make me grateful to be a photographer.

The lights around Temple Square were just fantastic, and gave some truly gorgeous backgrounds as it started to get darker....

You can see the entire gallery for Leigh and Craig's pre-wedding day formal session here.

Carrie + Andrew

Still catching up on some shoots that never made it to the blog earlier this year.

Rustic Charm- A wedding at Wadley Farms

This was a beautiful ceremony and reception at Wadley Farms in Lindon.  It was so GREEN!!!

Yeah yeah yeah, I know the bride is supposed to be the focal point, and it's her day, but every single wedding that I shoot where there is a flower girl I question where my loyalties lie.  Brandy's daughter was ADORABLE. She starts down the aisle, dumps half her flowers immediately and looks back at her mom, who encourages her to keep going.  She then goes to the end of the aisle and happily dumps the remaining half.

Miniature tuxes.  Enough said!
I love my job.

This was a gorgeous reception venue!  A fantastic combination of rustic country and sophisticated elegance.

Mike and Lindsey's Formals

I had the privilege of shooting my brother-in-law Michael's wedding.  He and Lindsey were married in Portland, but we did some formals in Utah a few weeks before.  I'll post pictures from the wedding soon, but here are a few favorites from the session at Daybreak.

This sunset was absolutely unbelievable.  No enhancement, no alterations needed.