Here's a little more of Jane and Glen's beautiful and touching wedding in Oregon. Take a look at their slide show...
I LOVED their first dance song so much that I had to use it in their slide show... a little ode to Billy Idol & Adam Sandler
This past weekend I was so touched and honored to be a part of a very special ceremony between Jane & Glen. They asked that I meet them in Portland for the beautiful wedding.
This couple exudes joy, happiness, laughter and love to the extreme. Glen's eyes sparkled everytime he stole a little side glance at his new bride and Jane laughed with the biggest smile I've ever seen. It was truly an evening full of touching moments and belly laughs!!
Now, I've been to quite a few weddings and I must say that NEVER have I been to one that had EVERY SINGLE person dancing... sure usually you've got the small kids sliding across the dancefloor, the college friends dancing to LoveShack, the parents slowly dancing in the corner, and maybe once in awhile the grandparents will take their turn too... but THIS was something else, the bride's aunt was being swirled around the dancfloor by the bestman as both sets of parents boogied down with the couple, everyone else boogied in a circle... even the amazing caterers from Fresh Palate Cafe were dragged out there. I'm telling you... not a single person was sitting down (no exaggeration)... I was truly impressed!!
... and did I mention the whole affair was planned and executed in a month... without missing a single detail... it was a beautiful and elegant evening from beginning to end.
Jane & Glen... You two warm my heart every time I see you... thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your special day!
Love, A
Here are the amazing vendors who made the affair such a success:
Venue: Zenith Winery (the most AMAZING bridal room EVER)
Caterer: Fresh Palate Cafe (So accommodating and the food was awesome) & dancers too
DJ: Ryan Hein from Perfect Memory DJ (obviously he must have been doing an out of this world job to get the ENTIRE wedding out on the dancefloor)
I just found two great new resources that I had to share with all of you...
Best Destination Wedding
(http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com)
This one is AWESOME for all things destination (my good photographer friend Nate Thompson told me about this forum) . .. I just joined and am really excited to start exploring it more. I know it has great reference information having to do with Trash the Dress, and destinations around the world. Its a wonderful place to talk with other brides... and not be bothered by vendors (they have very strict rules about vendor participation... which I love... I'm not much of a sales girl)
Mackinac Island Weddings.. the blog (http://www.mackinacislandweddings.blogspot.com)
and THIS one is awesome for all things Mackinac Wedding style. Its a great reference for planning an island wedding, have questions answered directly from professionals, and see who, what where, and especially WHY things are done the way they are on the island... Keep an eye on this one, I'll be a contributing writer in the future discussing photography related issues and what all couples should know about their wedding photos.
Hope this helps!!
Love,
A
In the middle of this cold winter (okay chilly in Santa Barbara)... I thought I would talk about Hawaii... or to be exact Candice and Michael's amazing wedding in Kailua this past year (specifically at the beautiful Kualoa Ranch)
Not only was the weather as warm and sunny as can be but so was the love in their eyes. There was such warmth and joy between these two that you would have to blind to have missed it. The way that Candice would look up at Michael and the way that Michael smiled as he first saw her at the end of the aisle... the memory of this day can keep anyone warm this winter... as I'm sure it does for everyone who was there...
This was an espeically magical ceremony in that Michael's sister Alice, an amazing minister, had everyone (herself included) in tears as she married her little brother.
To my dear dear friends. . . I'm so happy for where life has taken you in the past year and am so thankful that I was able to share this "beautiful day" with you and your families.
Love, A
I am so excited. Next September I am going to be shooting this wonderful couple in Mexico... I just love destination weddings... there is always this extra sense of vacation and relaxation thrown into the whole affair... always adding for an amazing party!! Everyone who is there is there because they want to be there!!
So, I did Elizabeth & Will's engagement shoot a few months ago (check out their slideshow to the right). They are so much fun I can't say enough great things about them... well, I just recieved their save the date in the mail... another reason I love them . . .they used one of the pics.
Which brings me to my point... I love Engagement shoots not only does a couple walk away with a ton of pics showing their different personalities from goofy, to casual, to the "I'm so in love I can't take my eyes off you look" BUT there are a million ways to use them throughout the year of wedding stuff... below is just a list of a few ideas... but there are plenty more and a million ways to be creative...
So next time you wonder why have an engagement shoot think of these:
Save the dates
Thank You cards
Event Cards (that give the website to your wedding pics)
Guestbooks
Casual Invitations
Special Table decor
Specialized Stamps (seriously . .they are cool)
You could even have the images transferred to cookies if you want
Ideas are endless...
Another great thing about these shoots it gives you the opportunity to get to know your photographer and get comfortable before the big day!!
Can't wait for Mexico you two... yeah!!!
Love,
A
It was an amazing weekend. The M.I. Tourism Bureau held it's 3rd annual Dream Destination Wedding Weekend. This is unlike any wedding expo. It gives each couple the opportunity to see every venue for themselves and meet every vendor face to face. How many destination locations offer that as an option? It makes planning a destination wedding so much easier.
I had such a blast... I met so many amazing people. I hope they all make it back to the island for their weddings. I get so stoked talking about wedding photography . . .that I may have talked a few people's ears off. . .Well, At least they got these cute little boxes that contained a Mackinac photo book I made & personalized mm's how cool is that... check it out anyone can do it... my m&m's
Registration took place at Mission Church . . . just check this pic out. . . . how cool does it look all lit up at night... so fallish ... the church is so historic that it doesn't have any electric lights inside, so they brought in construction lights to light it for the event... (not to mention in the daylight it is a GORGEOUS place to get married)
Thanks to all the brides, grooms, families, friends and vendors for attending this year. . . and a very special thank you to the tourism bureau for doing such an amazing job at putting it all together!!
Good luck with all the planning!!
Love,
A
BTW. . . if you happened to make it this past weekend leave me a comment.. say hello and let me know your favorite part of the weekend... was it the reception at MP, the cake tastings all day long, the gobs of information, the horses. . . or that pub crawl you decided to do late Satuday night . . . ;)
Wow . . . I usually post about weddings within days of the event... but this specific wedding ceremony is beyond words. I've tried to write this entry several times now and can't seem to come up with what to say. So... I'll just post a few pics...
CM... I feel so incredibly blessed beyond words to have been a part of your beautiful day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!
Love,
A
and . . .man could they dance...
Well, last night I arrived at LAX at 10 pm ready to board yet another late night flight... although this time instead of heading east I headed west . . .
So at 2am when I landed... blurry eyed and tired I look outside . . . wait . .did they go the wrong way . . did I get my trips confused . . . it looks just like Detroit... it's funny how airports in the middle of the night really all do look exactly the same (how else could you explain a Detroit-Hawaii confusion)
Ahhhh . . but when I awoke just 5 hours later (thank you jet lag) and went for a walk on the beach . . . I realized. . .nope, it's a little different! (thank you iphone . . music & camera all in one)
Aloha . . .welcome to Hawaii . .. my first time here, I can't believe it and am sooo excited ... I've never seen anything like it. . .
and to be here... to shoot one of my best friends' wedding ... to the most amazing girl ever... on a Hawaiian beach. . . wow!!
Stay tuned. . .I'm sure I'll be shooting tons!
Have an amazing weekend!
Love,
A
Did my mascara run . . .oh shoot . . . occupational hazard. . .but who would of thought this bride and groom (and all of their guests) would bring me to tears ... I had only just met Melissa and Andrew the night before and yet still as she stood beautifully sillouetted by the tall Michigan trees and her hansome groom gripped her hand as she said her vows . . . tears started flowing down my face . . . (and hers . . . and their guests . . .and even a few groomsmen were biting their lips to hold back their emotions).
I have never witnessed such a tender ceremony that brought so many to tears. Although I may not have known the couple for long or their friends and family, it was impossible not to feel the love and happiness that surrounded Melissa & Andrew. It was truly beautiful, as if the entire chapel secluded by woods, decorated by two simple ferns and an unimaginable amount of natural beauty was glowing not only by the rays of sunlight peaking through the trees but the love that these two obviously have for each other.
Oh . . . and it wasn't long before these tears of joy and tenderness turned into joys of extreme laughter as these peeps hit the dance floor. . .
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