2013 Comes to a Close... Weddings in Review

  The clock struck midnight and everyone cheered, kissed, danced, hugged...  My phone buzzed with messages of gratitude,  messages of well wishes for future, and  messages of love, friendship, reflection.  I had a few moments to sit and reflect as well.  While there's nothing particularly different about the moment of midnight December 31st than any other moment, I still like to join everyone in reflection - what made this year great?  Another 365 days of life.  What do I want next year to be like?   Reflections and Resolutions.   I am grateful for 2013, for the challenges, the growth, the learning, and the many people who have impacted my life.  I've photographed some beautiful moments and worked with many beautiful, loving people.  That's why I like to photograph weddings:  There's very little more rewarding than seeing the way a bride and groom look at each other, recognizing TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF OUR LIVES.  I believe this is true every day, but I love capturing the moments when people are so aware of it.  It's inspiring.

As I stated at the beginning of the year, we were only going to accept 10 weddings in 2013.   We aren't keeping the same limit for 2014, but I'm glad we did this.  We stayed true to the limit, though I did take a few photos at my older brother's wedding (I couldn't help myself!).  That was a special day.  Such a unique, emotional experience!  Sometimes I think it's easier to hide behind the camera so no one knows how sentimental I am - They might not be able to see the tears that way :)

Here's my brother and his wife, Nathan and Liz: Ceremony and reception at South Padre Beach, Texas

I want to thank each couple for contributing to my year.  Thank you for inviting me to be there to witness and capture such monumental moments in your lives.  I feel incredibly humbled and grateful that my job includes opportunities like this.  Here's a photo-review of each wedding day in celebration of you!

1. Mattie and Carston

Ceremony: Bountiful Utah LDS Temple

Reception: Wight House, Bountiful UT

 

 

2. Kiera and Brandon - Los Angeles California LDS Temple

 

3. Michelle and Sam - Salt Lake City LDS Temple

 

4. Kathryn and Merrick - Timpanogos LDS Temple

 

5. Britney and Taylor

Ceremony: Salt Lake City LDS Temple

Luncheon: Joseph Smith Memorial Building

Reception: Huntington Beach, California

 

6. Jordyn and Colton

Ceremony: Timpanogos LDS Temple

Reception: Sleepy Ridge Reception Center (Orem, UT)

 

 

7. Sarah and Brady  -   Ceremony and Reception: Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT

 

 

And yes!! They had a life-sized Jenga game :):):)

8. Alexis and Bret - Ceremony and Reception at Noah's Reception Center

  

9. Melissa and Nathan - Ceremony and Reception at the Alpine Arts Center, Utah

 

 

10. Angela and James

Ceremony: Salt Lake City Temple

Reception: Bella Vista Reception Center

 

Thank you all for a wonderful year.  Congratulations at this exciting stage of life!  We are looking forward to the future and welcoming in 2014.  As a good friend of mine said, "A book of 365 blank pages starts today.  What are you going to create each day... each moment?"

Happy New Year to all!

Heidi & Steve: LDS Summer Wedding Reception

  This final post for Heidi and Steve has some additional newlywed photos that we took outside of Sleepy Ridge before the wedding dinner and reception, some family and group photos we took upstairs in the Sunset Room, and some fun tradition pictures from the reception itself.  Heidi and Steve were both so great to work with, and I hope y'all have had fun seeing some of the different photos from their wedding this week.

The Garden Room is really pretty, especially in the summer, but if I had to pick my favorite spot at Sleepy Ridge it would definitely be the Sunset Room.  The wood floors, vaulted ceiling with the huge chandelier, and all the windows that let in just the right amount of light.... yep.  Definitely my favorite.

  

  

Cutting the cake and feeding it to each other is always a moment of truth.  No matter how many weddings I go to, I can never quite predict what will happen.  Will they feed it ever so nicely to their new spouse?  Will it be a cake-pocalypse with frosting and baked goods permanently mashed into the pores of the skin like some delicious lotion?  I never know.  I have seen some of the quietest, most laid back people I have ever met go to town when it comes to cake-smashin' time.  I think this is an example of one of the things I like best about weddings... they are always the same, and yet always different.  You do just about all the same things at 99% of the weddings that happen, but each and every one turns out differently.

I am so glad we decided to open up the french doors going into the Garden Room so we could see out into the patio for the dancing.  Getting to see the post-sunset blue sky and all the lights strung up over the patio really helped set the scene.

Heidi and Steve decided they wanted to make sure they were comfortable when they blasted out of their party and on to their honeymoon.

Be sure to check out all of Heidi and Steve's different wedding galleries here.

Heidi & Steve Reception Details

So sorry for being incommunicado!  We headed out to Austin for a wedding this weekend, and the blog was shamefully neglected.  But never fear!  New and exciting posts will be shared!  First up- a few favorites from the details gallery from Heidi and Steve's wedding at Sleepy Ridge.

  

  

Gotta love the porch outside the Garden Room during the blue hour!

Heidi & Steve Dinner

Heidi and Steve had a pre-reception dinner in the Garden Room at Sleepy Ridge.  The food was catered by Marvelous Catering, and it was fabulous!

 

It might be an odd thing to rave about, but one of the best things about the dinner?  The lemonade!!!  I have no idea what they put in there (probably a combination of sugar/more sugar/crack), but it was quite possibly some of the best lemonade I have ever had.

    

I loved all the florals they Heidi had picked out.  Beautifully bright colors, and in combinations that I thought worked really well together!

 

  

Kandis & Greg: Sleepy Ridge Soiree

  Before Kandis and Greg's wedding reception started, we took some extra group shots on the grounds at the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course.  I loved the arches and landscaping they have just outside of the reception building.  You can really see why they call this the entrance to the "Garden Room"!

  

Greg has one of the best laughs I've ever seen.  He is always natural, and you can almost hear it, bubbling up out of the photo.  It's always great to work with grooms who are outwardly as happy as they are inwardly.

Bond.  James Bond.

  

Now these folks didn't mess around when it came to boogying down to the music.  I guess you can say they put the ...PARTY... in wedding party! ::insert courtesy laugh  here::

HEEEEEEEEY MACARENA!  Aiiiieee!

  

  

Thank you so much guys for letting me be a part of your wedding!  I had the best time, and you two were some of the best clients a girl could hope for.    Congratulations on finding each other!

Sleepy Ridge Wedding Reception Details

  I love the Garden Room at the Sleepy Ridge Reception Center, it's got some amazing light and really gives an airy, elegant feel to a reception.  The details at Kandis and Greg's reception were beautiful and complemented the location perfectly.

Here are a couple favorites...

  

  

Heidi and Steve- Sleepy Ridge Wedding Preshoot

  So this last part of the formals shoot is proof positive that when you don't cancel the shoot because of massive impending thunderstorms, that good things can happen.  We got some gorgeous sunlit shots at the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course and the Reception Center there, and then it was time for the sunset.

  

As a photographer, I am so happy Heidi and Steve decided to go with Sleepy Ridge for their wedding, because the place is so dang elegant.  The building is absolutely gorgeous, and for bridal shoots and formal pre-wedding photos you can get some amazing skies in the evening.  The golf course and the grounds are so open and well done that you can really go crazy with pictures.

When I got the prints that we ordered for their reception last week, I felt like it was Christmas.  We did 20X30 metal print of this one above, and a 30x40 of the one below.  It went on the massive mantlepiece in the Garden Room there at Sleepy Ridge, right behind where they had the receiving line.  So awesome to have something like that, and in a size to do it justice.  Heidi's mom had to keep pointing it out to all the guests saying "do you see this amazing photo?"  Gotta say, it's one of the best feelings in the world as a wedding photographer to hear something like that over and over.  Thanks guys for an awesome shoot, and a fantastic wedding day!

Kandis & Greg - Part 1 (Formals at Sleepy Ridge)

  Kandis and Greg were married yesterday!  I loved getting to hang out with them and their families. I could completely tell where Kandis and Greg got it from, because each of their families were as cool as they were.  They are just some of the nicest, relaxed, and genuinely positive people I have ever met.

 

We actually did a two part formals shoot for Kandis and Greg, and the first part was where the reception was to be, at the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course Reception Center.  I believe I have already mentioned how much I love this venue- it's absolutely gorgeous!

We did a "first look" with Kandis and Greg in the upstairs ballroom, or the "Sunset Room".  For LDS weddings in particular, a formals session that includes a first look can be a huge advantage, and a source of some fantastic memories.  At the beginning of the photoshoot, we'll set up the groom and then let the bride come out and turn him around.  Because it's just us, we can take all the time we need and get some great photos of the groom seeing his future bride for the first time in her dress.  It's awesome, and I can't recommend it high enough if you get the opportunity.   Greg and Kandis were particularly cute with their first look.  Greg just looked completely dumbstruck, and they both took their time together, just enjoying the moment.  I'm pretty sure they actually forgot Thomas and I were there for a bit- and I loved it!

Because Thomas and I met dancing and it was such a huge part of our lives for so long, we are both suckers for a really beautiful (and danceable!) wood floor.  The floors in the Sunset Room are to die for.  And the really high arched ceilings aren't too bad either... ;)

Sleepy Ridge not only has this gorgeous reception hall, but being right on the golf course means there are some really great views for outdoor shots as well.  As it happened, we got some really wild colors in the sky that night, and the wide open vistas were really able to show them off.

  

One of my favorite times to shoot is what my friend Kenneth Linge calls the "blue hour".  It's the time right after sunset where the reds, oranges, and yellows have all gone, and we just start getting these deep blues in the sky.  It's so romantic, and just creates a mood that you can't really get any other time of day.

  

Congratulations Kandis and Greg!  You guys were so fabulous to work with yesterday, and I hope you have a fantastic honeymoon in Las Vegas!   I'll be posting part two of the formals shoot from the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square tomorrow, so be sure and check them out.

Pinks & Greens: Formals at Sleepy Ridge

  Orchards are awesome.  Especially in the springtime, with little green buds about to burst with blossoms.  Blossoms of Luuuuuve.

Chandra was such a hoot!  She is apparently "everything pink"- pink is DEFINITELY this girl's color.  She is also one of the most naturally expressive girls I have ever shot.  Just look at her- she's so fun and happy and gorgeous.  The shoes she and Roland picked out were also very spring-appropriate.  And after all, if you've been following this blog for a while, you know I am a sucker for nice, vivid colors.

We finished the formals and bridals at the Sleepy Ridge Reception Center in Orem.  The golf course there is beautiful, and has some amazing views.  The wedding reception center itself is also fantastic, and they kindly kept the exterior lit for us so we could get some photos like the one below...