Katherine & Matt Ring Ceremony

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.

Italy in Texas

  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.

Katherine & Matt Temple

  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.

Fall Family Photos at Vivian Park

  Here's a couple favorites from a recent fall family session up Provo Canyon in Utah County.

  

Rod and his boys have a lawn-mowing business they do on the weekends, and so we had a bit of fun showing it off.

  

Late Fall Wedding: Engagements and a Sneak Peek

  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.

  

Mmmmmm...

  We interrupt this engagement series for a very important message.  It's been a very long week, and I'm ready to go to bed.  But I gotta say...

I loooooove creme brulee. 

Take me out to the ball game....

  When we take wedding photos, it's rare that the groom is as excited about the experience as the bride.  Craig was such a trooper to be game for all the shoots Alicia had lined up, and so she wanted to set up something to show off his passion.  She's also friends with Danica, and miiiight have gotten a little inspiration from their engagement photos.

So here's engagments part 2: the baseball edition.

 

You might not be able to see it very well, but Alicia isn't exactly a baseball player herself.  When it was her turn to pitch, the ball may or may not have exactly crossed the plate.

Craig was a pitcher for the Utah Valley University baseball team.  He doesn't play now, but you can still see how he's in his element on the mound.

 

 

I believe photos, especially wedding photos, should highlight and celebrate life.  All the emotions, passions, quirks and challenges that are involved.  For Craig and his fiancee, a big part of life centers around a baseball diamond.  I love we were able to do this shoot and show it off properly.

Park City Engagements: Alicia & Craig

  Alicia and Craig were looking for a natural, more "prairie-ish"  setting, so we started out the shoot on the outskirts of Park City right by the McPolin barn.  The white barn is a Park City landmark, and it's got some wonderful fences and tall, wispy grasses.

 

Afterwards we headed to Park City itself to get some engagement photos around Main Street.  There were some fantastic fall colors still around, and Main Street always has some great lights around the buildings so we can get some awesome night shots.

 

I kinda fell in love with this Bistro.  It was so cute!

  

Gotta love that golden hue you can get with the right kind of lights in the background. I always feel a little more at home in Park City too.  It's got a feel a lot more similar to my hometown Austin than other parts of Utah I have been to.  Artsy, fun, and full of friendly people.

Check out their full Park City gallery here.  We actually did three different engagement shoots with these two, so stay tuned for photos from the other two days!

Jessica & Luke Wedding Reception

  Jessica and Luke reception was simple and low-key (not even a first dance or bouquet toss!).  But I loved having the chance to sit down and talk to people, hear fun stories about the bride and groom growing up, and get to know the guests.  And I was pretty lucky to also get a waffle-bowl of icecream! (Does that remind anyone else of Shrek?  "And in the morning, I'm makin' waffle-bowls!")

 

 

 

Salt Lake Temple cake-topper.

 

 

There was some pretty impressive decorating of the car, we all love having friends and siblings at the reception, right?

...and off they go, on a journey to the rest of their lives!