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Bre & Tom ~ Wedding

My peanut butter & jelly couple, Bre & Tom, got married. I'd been looking forward to this one since their engagement session because their interaction just showed me how much they mean to each other. You could just see the love and how committed they already were to one another. I knew the wedding was going to be that and so much more.

I just LOVED Bre & Tom's color scheme because Bre picked my absolute favorite color for her bridesmaid dresses. The color is so similiar to the one I have splashed all over my website and blog. So when I saw the darling little flower girl with this accent color too, I couldn't help but sing (thankfully just in my head), "girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes ..." Yes, these are a few of my favorite things ...

Beautiful ceremony in a beautiful church with really high ceilings. 

Bre had told me ahead of time that she wanted to do pictures in the pumpkin patch out in front of the church. Uh YEAH! Even more amazing October color. And one of the most cooperative grooms ever. Bonus points for Tom!

Well yeah, the girls were amazing too. But that's usually a given!

 

I could have stayed here the whole day.

 

But off to gorgeous Forest Park.

We had fun.

Once the sun set, that was our cue to head on over to Andre's for the fun. And dancing. For the very first time as husband and wife.

 

I love all the ladies' faces in the bouquet toss.

I'll finish on a high note of one of my favorite images of the day taken by my super duper second shooter - say that five times fast - Liz. This is why I love her!

I also want to give a big thank you to my girl Jaime for recommending me to Bre's mom. You're the best!

To see more highlights, just check out Bre & Tom's slideshow HERE. Thank you Bre & Tom again for being you and letting the whole world see. I was honored to capture it.

Happy Halloween

I hope all of you all had a wonderful Halloween. Our little Whit has been fascinated with the whole concept for a good couple of months now. She's very prissy but came up with a strange fascination with spiders about a month ago. So what better costume than this one. Here's the only good shot I got of the whole ensemble - with her matching metallic flats.

Love my baby girl! And not just because she brought home a bag of Snickers, Twix and Baby Ruths. But it helps.

The Urkevich Family

I'm not quite sure how to describe the Urkevich Family and what they mean to me. I guess I'll start at the beginning. I first worked on the same account as Casey when we started the same year at my old corporate job. A few years later Melissa joined the place and we worked together on yet a different account. She was part of our "Friday Fun Lunch" crew with another Melissa friend of ours. She and Melissa were close - and still are - and talked a lot about what they wanted to do in the next chapter of their lives. Most importantly, raising a family. Their stories, their talk of "only a four hour shift left today ..." still resonate in my head and make me smile.

Melissa & Casey actually crossed paths the first day Melissa started with our company. Casey was given the title of "mentor" to Melissa in our welcome-to-the-company program. And you guessed it, he apparently did a really good job because they wound up dating, and you guessed it again - later became engaged.

I had just started out in photography when Melissa began planning their wedding. She had hired a photographer to cover a few hours of their day but asked me to take the getting ready shots and some later in the evening. What?? What?! Since I didn't have the pressure of being THE photographer, I jumped at the chance. To my surprise, they wound up buying the proofs, making them my first paying client. Thinking back, they really took a chance on me and my complete lack of wedding experience. If it hadn't been for their trust and kindness, I probably wouldn't have had the confidence to officially start my photography business. I'm a believer in angels and I'm thankful that the man upstairs sent them my way.

Flash forward to almost 6 years later -- for Casey & Melissa, twin boys and a baby girl later.

During our shoot Melissa recanted the story to me about how soon after they were married she talked to Casey about starting a family and becoming a stay-at-home. He thought it would be best if they waited until they had a second child before she quit. Well she showed him in the form of twin boys Carter & Evan. Niiiiice.

And let me tell you these boys are ALL BOY. I asked them to take a look at each other and this is what those silly boys did.

 

I love this one because it just shows how Ella's life is just surrounded by her boys. Dad and one of the twins is grabbing at her as she looks up at me as if it's all pretty typical. I know she'll always have those protective hands steering her in the right direction.

 

This is about as still as Casey and I could get Carter & Evan.

And seconds later - which I love.

 

Little baby girl Ella is just a sweet, pretty princess.

With a knit crown.

Evan and Carter clowning around with their mom.

And this was the last picture we shot. I thought we'd end on a high note.

Okay, ending with one last one of the whole family. Thank you Casey & Melissa for sharing your family with me and for giving me your trust and kindness once again. I am so grateful.

Julie & Joe

Julie & Joe got married! Although the weather that day was a little less than ideal, you wouldn't know it from these two. It had rained for pretty much 24 hours the day before and all the way up to the hour before their wedding, but I admired how they both took it in stride. This, after all, was their wedding day. They were together with friends, family, but most importantly, each other.

Julie & Joe saw each other before the wedding so we could tackle the photos before the ceremony. Some couples are reluctant to do so because they feel they may be missing out on moments. I've found nothing is taken away at all - if anything, it's been added. You can still sense the anticipation of the ceremony - the quiet chaos - even in the getting ready shots seen below.

Shoes, flowers, program - check, check, check!

And of course that gorgeous dress.

It's funny because I was tucked in the corner of the tiny bathroom down in the church getting those detail shots. Tiny getting ready spaces can sometimes be a good thing. 

We kept the wedding party inside for photos. I don't post a lot of inside wedding party pics, but to show you it can work, here's a cute one of Joe and the gals.

I had Julie & Joe literally stand at the front entrance of the church for their photos for just for a bit of natural light.

 

BEAUTIFUL church, beautiful ceremony.

Off to Windows Off Washington for the par-tay! And cake. LOVE cake.

Julie & Joe and I snuck off to the balcony to do some quick city light shots of them. For fun, I snapped some with no flash at all. My amazing camera boasts ISO speeds up to 6400, so I thought I'd see what this baby could do with pretty much zero light. Grainy, yeah, but pretty cool too.

Okay, with bounced flash.

First dance.

She must have gotten a good shot. I react the same way sometimes!

And because sisters are just cute together - here's Julie & Katie gettin' down together.

And one more of Julie & Joe.

To see more wedding highlights click here for the slideshow. Thanks to Amy for being the coolest second shooter -- some shots in the slideshow are hers. Another thanks to Julie's new sister-in-law Jackie who introduced me to the McKitrick family. It was great seeing you, Bob & your parents at the wedding. You guys bring a smile to my face. And super big thanks to Julie & Joe for letting the weather roll of your backs and for letting the day be your day. Congrats Mr. & Mrs!

The Elli Family

The Elli family was such trouble for me. Only because I literally could not narrow these photos down!

Melissa & I used to work together and were part of the "Friday Fun Lunch" group of girls. We'd spend our Friday mornings emailing our group trying to figure out a place we could all agree upon to go out for lunch - the highlight of our week. And when she contacted me to do a family session, I couldn't help but think back to all of those silly emails when she asked where on earth we should photograph her family session. These are tough decisions, you know. :)

Melissa and her husband Matt had only added Peyton to their family when she left the company we worked for, so it was such a treat to see her with Owen and little Miles as additions to her family. I had remembered conversations our group had about having kids and staying home and here she was living that dream. It was wonderful to see. And of course wonderful to catch up with her again.

The Elli family is by far the most well-behaved family I have ever encountered. Melissa only had to mention a McDonald's trip once and those kids did as I asked. I was in such shock that I wound up filling up all my memory cards. But of course still one of my favorite pictures was of the family just getting silly and preparing for one of the shots. That's Peyton trying to get Owen to hold her hand.

And here's the individual shots that I got in all of about 5 minutes. Such good little subjects. :) First Peyton.

Owen.

And little Myles. 

Peyton snuck up behind Melissa and I got this one.

Owen with Dad.

LOVE the quiet moments I got of Melissa and Myles. She really is just the best mom.

At the very end Owen did get a little goofy and just wanted to swing. Goofball.

We also had a chance to get some of Matt & Melissa together. Perfect.

Oh yeah, and we got a few family pictures altogether too. Here's the Elli Family!

It was great seeing you again Melissa! You have such a wondeful family there. :)

Christine & Brett

SO excited about this wedding! A good three years ago I met Christine when she was a bridesmaid in Jillian's wedding. That wedding was so much fun and I specifically remembered how awesome and laid back her bridesmaids were (they jumped in high heels!) So I knew when Christine contacted me I was in for a treat. I was even more excited after meeting Brett along with Christine's mom when we first met up to talk about the wedding. That's when I learned Christine's mom used to work at the photo lab I use and that her maid of honor's husband is an amazing photographer out of KC - no pressure!!

First up - getting ready pictures in the itty bitty tiny room at the New Town Chapel in St. Charles.

One of the things that struck me most about the day was the genuine love between Christine and Brett and how they just literally exuded happiness. They are truly a perfect match for each other in every single way. I'm sure they know that. And fortunately for me they weren't afraid to show it. Think Brett was happy to see his bride?

Christine beamed as she came down the aisle focusing on Brett but pausing to take a glance at her mom. When she caught her mom tearing up I overheard her say, "Oh Mom ..." and I did what a good photographer would do - take a picture.

And the award for perfect-est lighting in a church goes to the New Town Chapel. 

The sand ceremony always manages to make the bride and groom giggle. I think they are thinking that it's taking forever for the sand to trickle down while all eyes are on them.

 

I followed Christine & Brett just a bit down the aisle because I just knew they'd have a special little moment immediately after. Sweet.

On to portraits around New Town. All of these are faves.

 

Thanks Amy!:

Then on to the Foundry Art Center for the first time. LOVED this place. Even the cake looks like a piece of art.

Again, the best part was that Christine & Brett just went with the flow and truly enjoyed their first day as man and wife. Even through the reception ...

Thanks Christine & Brett for letting me into your world and photographing the best day of your lives.

For more, click here to check out the slideshow. Their boat even makes an appearance - in ice! Enjoy.