For those of you looking for prints, check out little Miss Isabelle’s gallery in our online store as well as her personal website!

First, check out this super cute video with a few little surprises for Mark and Jen (make sure to select 720pHD in the lower right corner for the best viewing experience!)!  Enjoy!

But of course I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to do something different with a willing client!

So we bundled up, I bribed my  twelve year old daughter (and aspiring photographer) to come along and hold some lights, grabbed some hand and toe warmers from Walgreens, and headed down to the Arch!  Jon and Jaci were so patient as I took random breaks to warm my fingers and make sure my trusty assistant was not frozen stiff!  And we managed to get some great pictures despite lights that were struggling to keep up in the cold, and my freezing fingers that could barely feel the camera!  :)

This is just Part One of Jon and Jaci’s engagement session.  We’ll be heading indoors very soon to shoot something a little less arctic that maybe even shows all of their faces!

Don’t hold your breath for wedding photos, though.  This industry couple (Jackie is the Sales Director at The Coronado Ballroom – one of my favorite wedding venues, and Jon owns the best party band in St. Louis called Downtime Band) has decided to forgo the big traditional wedding and instead will be enjoying a private ceremony in Bora Bora after hosting an intimate engagement party here in St. Louis later in March.

It’s safe to say I’m a little jealous of their vacay and have, of course, offered my services as their private wedding/vacation photographer, but oddly I’ve yet to land the gig.  Oh well… a girl can dream!  LOL

Stay tuned for more from Jon and Jaci in the near future!

Enter Bob and Nicole.

Bob and Nicole have been together for over eight years and have two beautiful little girls.  Nicole is a stylist and Bob is a pastry chef.  They are surrounded by loving family and friends.  So this wedding was different for me.  I knew by watching them tend to their girls throughout the day and interact with each other that they had climbed many a marital mountain before stepping up to that alter.  There was a comfort between them that was easy.  They had made the journey and despite the ups and downs that they have undoubtedly encountered along the way, they were still “the one” for each other.  THAT is true love!

Congratulations to Bob, Nicole, Ava, Elliot and all of their families and friends!  Be sure to check out their full wedding gallery on their website!  Here are some of our favorites from the day with a special wedding video!

Also, don’t forget to check out all of the wonderful vendors who provided great services and eye candy for us to photograph:

Venue: Oliva on the Hill

Caterer: Catering St. Louis

DJ: Millenium Productions (Phillip Maenpaa + Ray Moffitt) <== These guys were amazing!!

Cake: Christie Maggi

Florist: Walter Knoll Florist

Hair: Angie Regh, Hair Solutions

Veil: Danielle Hamilton

Bridesmaid Necklaces: Enchanted Leaves

Wedding Rings: Shane Co.

Yes, this is, in fact, the most. amazing. bouquet. EVER.  I have never seen anything like it!  Stunning!!!

This image melts my heart… I saw Ava looking up to her mom like this so many times throughout the day.  I’m pretty sure Nicole is her hero!
You all know how I feel about first looks… love!And the venue?  To. Die. For.Not only is Nicole one of the most easy going brides we’ve had, but she is stunning.  Just stunning.Best wedding party ever.  They were a total blast and didn’t complain once!  Awesome!Nicole gave her bridesmaids clutches instead of flowers!  Such a neat detail!!Between the venue and these nearby digs for formals… I was in heaven.
Yes, this is picture 472 of the flowers.  I love them.We need more venues like this in St. Louis!  Props to Mark, the owner of Catering St. Louis who also owns this venue!Right after the ceremony, they transformed the patio into a lounge.  Now forgive me while I geek out on all of the incredible details… The toasts were so funny and incredibly moving.  I was definitely holding back some tears… always makes it difficult to focus when I’m looking through watery eyes!This was the first family cake cutting I’ve shot!  Loved it!  There wasn’t a time that these girls weren’t welcomed and included into the days events.  It was so neat to see!Bob and Nicole also opted to have a group “first dance” as this was, according to the DJ, “Not their first dance…”!  LOLI’m a sucker for a dad and his little girls…I love catching moments like this where a groom is just really enjoying himself.  And yes… they get 2nd cutest couple of the night (sorry, you can’t trump the bride/groom)!  :)  So much fun and so good looking!
Two of the super awesome bridal party!A little note Heather and I found… we are assuming it’s from Ava!  :)

Last week I enjoyed one of the many perks of my job as a photographer: flexibility.  I tailor my work schedule around preschool, nap times, volleyball and soccer practice, and my husband’s travel schedule.  It often means many late nights and weekends, but it also means school parties and mid-week playdates!  It’s a delicate balancing act, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

As I stood in the crowd of parents watching my youngest son’s fall costume parade at school last Thursday, I couldn’t help but notice the many photographer-parents standing in the crowd wielding their dSLR’s and speedlights.  I stood there with my Nikon point-and-shoot in one hand and my iPhone in the other.

As the kids started streaming out of the door, I started shooting away.  Point and shoot for still pictures and my iPhone for video!  Multi-tasking at it’s finest!!  And as usual, as I shot frame after frame of all of his quirky preschool-ness, I was simultaneously thinking about how someday he will be a grown man and these will all be memories.  And of course how I was going to use these precious images at his wedding… or maybe in a slideshow right before his very first date.

And then something happened….

I looked to my left and noticed one of the photographer-parents struggling with her camera and talking to another older child about how she had forgotten to change her sync speed back after those sports pictures she shot the other day.  Meanwhile… her child walked by.  Staring at her, waiting for their turn to smile for the camera.  My heart sank.  So many pictures were missed as this parent struggled to adjust her settings and “get it right”.

The sad truth?  In twenty years… nobody will care what those picture looks like.  Your family won’t care if your focus was sharp or if your white balance was exact.  They won’t care if the picture was “flashy” or underexposed.  I can honestly say, prior to becoming a photographer, I had never once considered the quality of pictures in my mom’s albums.  Aside from maybe some aging (pretty sure some were carved out of stone!), or different formats of prints than I was used to seeing.

So photographer-parents: step away from the camera.  Not every picture we take has to be turned into a photo shoot!  Leave the giant dSLR and speed light at home and just go and enjoy your kids childhood while you can!  Take mediocre pictures and wave and smile and show your child you are paying attention to them, not the back of your camera!  Because these moments below?  I can’t get thrse back again.  And I’m glad I have them in all of their underexposed, poorly white-balanced, soft-focused glory!

Don’t forget to check out their special wedding day highlights slideshow below with some of our favorite moments from the day AND be sure to check out the entire wedding gallery on Will and Megan’s wedding website!

Another special shout out goes to Heather Rega Photography for being an excellent wingman once again!!

What wedding is complete without a totally amazing ride!  Thank you to one of the bridesmaid’s fathers for giving us this lovely nugget to photograph!
The weather could not have been more beautiful!Will and Megan passed back and forth this note… I don’t know what it said, but everyone was a little teary eyed!There is something just so beautiful about fall weddings… and we loved that Will and Megan embraced the season and gave us some beautiful fall details to photograph!  Including a flower girl… with leaves!Will and Megan definitely have some great genes in their families!  Both mother’s were absolutely stunning!One of the funniest moments of the day… this little lady had to be woken from her nap in order to walk down the isle.  Instead, she decided to hitch a ride!  This is always one of my favorite moments… the moment right as the bride and groom see each other for the first time!  You know they are not thinking about anything else in the entire world for that one moment!This chapel was so adorable… and had so much beautiful light!This was a very emotional ceremony for many… it’s always hard to stay focused and not get wrapped up in the days events!Will had a little snafoo trying to get the ring on!  Thank goodness there weren’t any vents/grates on the floor!!Bubble exit with beautiful back lighting?  Yes, please!And the get away car!My favorite part of the day… location formals!  We only had an hour, but we were organized and managed to squeeze everything in!These next few were taken at Sacred Heart where Megan’s parents and grand parents were married!<sigh> Gorgeous, gorgeous evening light! Fun wedding party?  Don’t mind if I do!

Wowza!!!  Holy gorgeous eyes, Batman!Ahhh, more fall details at the reception!Seriously cutest little dude, ever!  He was one of Megan’s first students and he was a total crack up!  Diamonds are Megan’s best friend!

Thank you again to Will, Megan, and their families!  We had an incredible time and wish you the happiest of years to come!

I am a planner.  I believe this is why wedding photography works well for me!  This wedding was like the perfect hot fudge sundae with whip cream and a delicious cherry on top!  Not only were the details to. die. for. but the event was planned to a “T” by the endlessly talented Elizabeth Cordes and her staff over at Cosmopolitan Events, the bridal party and families were so gracious throughout the entire day, and Katie and Dan were, well, simply divine!

The day was jam packed with so many twists and turns and fun surprises that I will jump right in with their wedding video and highlights from their day… but you will definitely want to head over to their wedding website and check out their full galleries because there just isn’t enough space in the world of blogging to cover all of the goodies in one spot.  Although I did consider writing an entirely separate blog post just for Katie’s details… because I’m pretty sure the planning of all of these amazing details has been Katie’s baby of sorts, nine months in the making!

Yes, this fabulousness is going to set the tone for the remainder of this blog post…. I love these personalized hangers.  Dan told me this was one of Katie’s first purchases when they got engaged! Katie’s hair and make-up team (Rana and Charlie – see more info at the end of this post) were ah-mazing!  They did such a fabulous job!!The sisters…… This crowd was not afraid to have a good time!I don’t know what this note from Dan to Katie said, but it took the girls several minutes to clear the tears from her eyes afterwards!  I couldn’t leave out the “judgy” champagne!  Every time the girls would order another bottle as more people arrives, the person on the phone or at the door would ask if they really wanted more…  We all got a kick out of it!  Who doesn’t love some mimosas in the morning!
I love this picture… it is both of Katie’s sisters and her BFF helping her into her dress!Hello, lovely!
I think this wedding is just waiting to land on Style Me Pretty… what do you think?Yes!  I love when my couples have personality!  Dan works for New Balance and he gifted each of the groomsmen a sweet pair of sneakers!This is what I love about our generation!  This was one of Dan’s good friends that was unable to make it to the wedding, so they opened him up on iChat and set him on the table so he could participate in the preparations of the event!  Technology is sometimes truly amazing!We found the perfect stone bridge for Dan and Katie’s first look.  It was so sweet and perfect!This may seem lovely and beautiful, but what you don’t know is that just to the left is a gentleman sunbathing on a reflective chair in a speedo!  It. Was. Awesome.
Who says 2:00 sun is bad for photographs?!  :)I looooove these photos and hope Katie and Dan love them as much as I do!This was by far the best surprise wedding gift I’ve seen yet and I am so honored that Katie wanted us to capture it for them!  Dan proposed to Katie with a brick… so last year, Katie had a brick made for Dan with their names and wedding date on it.  The best part was the Katie and I planned the whole surprise reveal.  We thought it would be fun to arrange the bridal party in a very awkward pose and see if Dan would become concerned about my abilities as a photographer.  Then I asked Dan and Katie to come over and stand in the middle of the group – right on their brick.  It took a minute for him to realize what the brick said, but his reaction was priceless.  The best part was that Dan never once questioned my abilities despite Katie telling him that she didn’t think I knew what I was doing, etc., etc.  It’s nice to know my clients have such faith in me!  LOL  Thank you Dan and Katie for allowing me to be a part of this special surprise!!!After getting stuck amongst the Forest Park wedding/sunny and 75 crowds, we finally made it to our last stop over at Washington University and were able to capture a few pictures before running back to the church for more formal pictures and the wedding!We got a glimpse of the lovely details that were to come upon arriving at the church…The ceremony was so emotional and Heather and I absolutely adored the song that Katie walked down the isle to… the string quartet did an amazing job!  (Hint: We used the same song for their wedding video!)I am going to let these next few storyboards speak for themselves… and these are even the half of it!  Be sure to check out all of their fabulous details on their wedding website!Helllloooooo beautiful cake!The toasts and blessing for the night ranged from humor-filled to emotional, but each was so eloquent and personal!One of my favorite parts of the night… Katie and Dan are officially my first couple to do a surprise choreographed dance!  It was AWESOME!  Those two can really bust a move….I have to say, as a lover of music, I really enjoyed the music that Katie and Dan picked for all of their special moments for the day.  Their songs ranged from Sheryl Crow to the Beatles!  I love that they really infused their personality and thought outside the box!Attention readers: If you have not yet experienced Billy Goat Chips, you need to immediately stop reading this blog post and go find some.  Seriously.  Go NOW.  And… you’re welcome!Sparkler exit?  Yes, please!!!After Katie and Dan waved their goodbyes and got in the car, the crowd started chanting for the grandmother’s to come down the isle!  The picture on the right is one of my favorites from the sparkler event… I think she realized that her sparkler was sparkling no more!  Love it!
And one of my favorite pictures from the day!  I am pretty sure they could not be more joyful!  What a perfectly perfect day!  That, and they are headed to the hotel to get a little sleep before heading to Italy the following morning!  That is probably enough to make anyone this happy!  

Congratulations to Katie and Dan!  We are so happy to be a part of your day and hope you enjoy your pictures as much as we do!

We would also like to take a quick moment to thank all of the amazing vendors for this fabulous event – if you love what you see, be sure to contact them and tell them we sent you!!

Second Photographer: Heather Rega Photography

Event Coordination: Cosmopolitan Events

Florals: Sisters Flowers

Getting Ready Location: Chase Park Plaza

Ceremony Venue: First Unitarian Church

Reception Venue: Forst Park Golf Club

Cake: Encore Baking Company

Attire: Ultimate Bride and Men’s Warehouse

Rings: Adler’s Jewelers

Hair: Charlie Martin, Owner, Studio One Six One

Make-up: Rana Zoroufchi

Transportation: Best Transportation

I hope you guys enjoy these as much as I do… and yes, they are as much fun as they look!

And for anyone who shoots family photography… you know shooting two young boys is not an easy task!

Add on to that the fact that Kyah was used to shooting with my old Nikon D50 and that I decided at the last minute she should use my D7000 (which has different control locations and is set to back button focus), giving her less than 24 hours to get used to all these new features on the camera!  And she still rocked it out!!  And for all the photogs out there – she shoots in manual and I edited the images using the same settings I use for my own images!

Tim and I could not be more proud of our little tog and can’t wait to see where her talents take her!  Fabulous job, Baberino!!!