Wedding
Before the reception, we got a couple of additional newlywed photos on the grounds around Magnolia Grove.
...and then the party got started!
Be sure and check out the full galleries for Brett and Joelle's wedding day and reception here.
Joelle and Brett had a ring ceremony after the sealing at the SLC Temple at Magnolia Grove in South Jordan. They had a bit of a break in between, so we got some "getting ready" photos in the fabulous brides room there.
Congratulations you two!
I loved the grounds at Magnolia Grove- they were way larger than I initially expected, and everything was immaculate. It was a perfect location for the ring ceremony.
Ok, here's some highlights from one of the last fall weddings.
I loved Brett's choice of formal footware- Nike Air Jordans with just a hint of tuxedo patent leather. They were chosen well in advance- in fact, the purple-toned blue color that was one of the primary wedding colors? -Taken directly from the shoes.
Fall gave us a great sendoff that day... now that the days are a lot shorter and a lot more grey I look back at the unbelievable blue sky we had and just sigh a little bit...
Here are the final set of photos from the amazing wedding festivities in Austin.
The grand entrance!
The toasts!
Katherine sang the song she wrote for Matt. She really is an amazing songwriter!
Katherine's brothers also sang a song for Katherine. This family is so unbelievably talented, it's not even funny.
Ok, maybe it's a little funny.
Wedding Pie. It's where it's at. Tell your friends, it's like liquid cake.
The first dance.
Daddy-daughter dance!
Now it's time to party.
The grand exit. Bubbles!
That's all folks! Be sure to check out all the different galleries here.
Katherine has managed and organized all kinds of events and spent a lot of time directing theatre productions (we actually did a pretty impressive child's theatre camp together with a production of The Jungle Book at the end of the week. She is an amazing director!) So she put together a reception was both well thought out and planned. They thought of everything! My favorite, of course, was the variety of food. Not only was there a dinner, but also a whole table of treats.
I love this! Instead of a wedding cake, they had a wedding pie. And why not? You can cut a pie just as easy as a cake.
...and extra little pies for the guests.
Amaaazing cookies from Tiff's Treats (where Katherine used to work).
A fruit bouquet.
And they had the incredible flowers done by Sherri Toler (Chelsea's mom - remember Chelsea and Dan and all their amazing flowers?)
It was also neat that they had so much history together (growing up together, dating as young teenagers) and they brought this into the reception. There was a whole timeline of events and gifts given throughout the years.
And a life size chess set. (I was hoping they'd let me take this one home... but I probably couldn't have gotten it on the plane anyway ;D)
And then the venue. Vineyards at Chappell Lodge is just dynamite as a reception location. So much character and beauty. It looks good during the day, but my favorite (as usual) was when the sun started to set. This patio was gorgeous in the blue hour!
It was an amazing party.
First, let me apologize for my extended absence. We were supposed to have blogs posting automatically while I was gone for the holiday, but clearly I messed up! I'll try to make it up to you with a contest for a free shoot this week!
But back to the Austin wedding...
I have the opportunity to photograph weddings of all kinds. Themed costumes, crazy dance parties, small family weddings, outdoor, indoor, etc. Each couple brings in different traditions and personalities. Every wedding is unique, and that's why I love it. I grew up in Austin, but I've lived in Utah for almost 6 years now and started my business in Utah. In Utah, a little over half of the wedding I photograph are at LDS (Mormon) temples. I love the temples, taking pictures around the grounds, the beautiful architecture, and all the symbolism. Thomas and I were married in the Timpanogos temple in Utah. But for all the wonderful things about LDS temples, as a photographer, we don't actually take pictures during the ceremony, we just take pictures after the wedding on the temple grounds. We don't photograph the "I do's" and the ring exchanges, so it's a different experience.
Katherine and Matt decided to do a ring ceremony the day after the temple ceremony. It was absolutely beautiful. (Much better than the dream I had of a vow-renewal with Thomas where he forgot to write his vows and everyone showed up late. I must have been subconsciously jealous of this ceremony :D)
It's at a new reception venue in Austin called the Vineyards at Chappell Lodge. A gorgeous venue with lots of land and trees. But without further ado, here are the photos:
Below, Katherine's siblings singing to her. This family is just awesome.
This is the other reason I love ceremonies: The couple walking hand in hand down the aisle. I'm female, so I'm allowed to admit that it made me cry... right? They just look so happy.
Spending time with the Gees is like being in a Broadway show. Literally, they randomly break out into song (often original music) and others join in with harmonies. It's quite a unique experience. The serenading started at the wedding dinner at Little Italy in San Antonio, Texas.
Katherine's brother Matt sang to the couple.
Then Katherine sang to Matt (the fiance, not the brother).
Then people talked, gave toasts, laughed, and sand. And there was much rejoicing.
Tomorrow we'll post the ring ceremony from Austin at Vineyards at Chappell Lodge.
Ok, this week we'll be posting more highlights from my trip to Austin. Katherine and Matt were married in the LDS San Antonio Texas temple, with a ring ceremony and reception in Austin the next day. It was a beautiful day, with the ceremony in the evening. I loved the chance to walk around this temple in particular, because I remember when it was built and attended the open house and dedication.
My favorite part of the building is the beautiful stained glass windows representing the Hill Country area (around Austin, where I grew up). They looked amazing as they lit up at evening.
Katherine and Matt started dating way back in middle school, so this was an exciting day for everyone who had been part of their lives. I'm thrilled to see them so happy.
Next up: the wedding dinner at Little Italy.
Silvina and Josh were married yesterday! We did their engagement photos a couple weeks ago up Big Cottonwood Canyon before most of the fall colors disappeared, and as yesterday was the day they officially started their new lives together, I figured it was the right time to share them. :)
Josh is a full-time manager for a security sales company based in Utah, and spends 4 months out of the year working basically around the clock managing an office in different parts of the country. He met Silvina on a company trip down to Cancun, where she was visiting with her family from her native Argentina. Out of all the places to meet the love of your life, Cancun definitely sounds like one of the most awesome.
It's interesting how Josh doesn't speak any Spanish at all, but they manage to communicate so well. The best thing about being around them was how easily Josh was able to make Silvina laugh.
Yesterday was a special day- it was 11/11/11, and while Silvina and Josh's wedding at the South Jordan Courthouse was actually at 11am, the funny thing was that ALL of the weddings that day were "at 11." The judge ordered that the official clock be stopped at 11, so he was able to perform all three of the ceremonies from the day at 11/11/11 at 11. Pretty cool.
