We are definitely looking forward to witnessing the wedded bliss of these two later this fall!  For now check out the rest of their engagement pics at http://erikandcarrie.donnellprobst.com!

The ceremony was beautiful, the families were amazing, and the reception featured some great dancing and high energy!  We could not be happier for Adam and Mary as well as their friends and family, both present and absent, as it was clear to us that this was a match made in heaven.  I believe it was Mary’s father who said she told him she was marrying her best friend.  I have no doubt Adam and Mary will spend many, many happy years together!  Congratulations to all!

Here is a quick highlight video from their day as well as some of our favorite photos from the day, but don’t forget to check out their full gallery on their personal wedding website at http://adamandmary.donnellprobst.com!  Enjoy!

Adam and Mary were married at St. Francis Xavier near the SLU campus.  I’ve always admired this church from the outside, so I was thrilled when I finally was able to shoot inside this historical venue!  Mary really did such a beautiful job of creating a very timeless, classic feel throughout the day!Sometimes nerves can get the best of a bride and groom, but Adam and Mary were ALL smiles all day!  I made friends with the ring bearer during the hour long ceremony!  At one point, I think he was trying to take pictures of me!  :)Mary was looking forward to taking some pictures throughout Tower Grove and Forest Park for their bridal party formals.  While Forest Park was celebrating Earth Day, Tower Grove Park provided more than enough locations for their pictures!This was one good looking bridal party!!!  Gorgeous, gorgeous ladies!!!
The men weren’t’ so bad themselves!I absolutely adored the wraps that Mary gave her girls… they added such a great pop of color!Such easiness and love between these two… Loved this sign!World’s Fair pavilion is always a beautiful setting for receptions!  Adam and Mary had doors put on the pavilion because the temps were going to be a bit chilly, so Heather and I were happy to see the doors had windows – there is so much great natural light in the pavilion!Have I mentioned that Mary and Adam met at Clemson?  I saw several of these paw prints throughout the day!!This was such a cute idea for table assignments!  And the TINIEST little clothes pins I’ve ever seen!  Adam and Mary were both Clemson swimmers, so we snuck outside to get a picture of them in their letter jackets from their days of swimming.  Heather and I also noticed one of the only table assignment cards left on the board at the end of the night?  The bride and groom!  What better setup for a ring shot!!
Adam and Mary also called all of their Clemson friends out on the dance floor for a group picture.  We were ALSO serenaded with the Clemson fight song!  Best performance of the night!  LOLFinally, friends and family helped send off the happy couple with paper lanterns!

Congratulations, again, to Adam and Mary, their families, and all of their friends.  What a wonderful evening and a great start to many happy years of marriage!  Also, another big thank you to my second photographer extraordinaire, Heather Rega!

But… life intervened and now I have the immense pleasure of photographing so many lovely couples and their families as they celebrate one of the most important days of their lives.  I love my couples, and I love seeing them through the process knowing they will walk away with an amazing experience with their wedding photographer.  Not all couples can say that!

On March 8th, 2012, my “why” changed.   Sadly, on this day my father was killed in an accident on my parent’s farm, and so many lives were forever changed.  Like many who have experienced the loss of a parent, child, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friend, the enormous task of preparing for the final goodbye begins.  Preparations are made, and inevitably, the search for all of those long lost photos ensues.  And there are never enough photos.

As we sifted through 69 years of my dad’s life, decades of marriage, children, grandchildren, vacations, holidays, birthdays, and hobbies, we were left with a handful of pictures of my dad and his mother.  I think in total we had three or four photos of the two of them together.  As I sat looking at the few photos in front of me, I started to search my own memory for photos of myself and my own children.  As you can imagine, being the family photographer (and a typical woman who doesn’t necessarily enjoy being in front of the camera), I can think of only a handful of pictures of me with each of my children.

This experience has really made me take a hard look at how we document our life.  Are we taking time to photograph the day to day happenings, or just the major milestones.  Are we ALL in the photos… or am I constantly hiding behind the camera?

And I’m sure I’m not the only parent hiding behind the lens!

As you can imagine, this new awareness has also made me take a hard look at how I am serving my Donnell Probst Photography families.  So stay tuned for some pretty exciting announcements about additions to the DPP offerings!

For today, on what would have been my dad’s 70th birthday, I am going to leave you with some of my favorite photos we found of my dad while at my parent’s house along with a slideshow if you really feel ambitious and have 8+ minutes to spare…

I got a call about six months ago from Jon and Jaci letting me in on a little secret… they were going to be getting engaged and were considering a surprise wedding!  And the plan?

1. Tell everyone except your parents, siblings, and vendors that you are planning a destination wedding in Bora Bora.

2. Announce that you will be having a fabulous engagement party here in St. Louis.

3. On the night of your engagement party, give arriving guests a passport which contains their seating assignment as well as a fun message on the front page, “Surprise!  There is no Bora Bora!”

4. Chime the bells, pull the drapes on a secretly fabulous ceremony room and pull off the secret wedding of the century!

If the idea of a secret wedding wasn’t enough, I was certain Jon, owner of Downtime Productions, and Jaci, who throws fabulous events regularly at the Coronodo Ballroom, assembled the most incredible team of wedding professionals to help pull off the entire event.  From insanely gorgeous florals by Tina Barrera, stunning lighting and design by Erin at Exclusive Events, and some of the most organized wedding coordination by the adorable Ashley at Dishy Events… Jon and Jaci made sure every last detail was attended to.  Be sure to check out the end of this post for a full list of all of the amazing vendors (and I’m sure they would love it if you headed over to Facebook and showed them some love!).  Also, a big thank you to Joanna Kleine for filling in for my second photographer while she was on vacation (She may have been in Florida, but I’m pretty sure Joanna and I had more fun!!)!  She kept us all laughing, that’s for sure!!!

The best part of all?  I had the enormous pleasure of photographing this beautiful event, and going on this journey with one of my favorite couples!  I really cannot begin to tell you how gracious Jon, Jaci, their families, and all of the other vendors have been!  So grab a cup of coffee and pull up a seat… there are so many great images, it was hard to choose!  And there are even more in their full gallery.  To view all of their images, check out their personal website at jonandjaci.donnellprobst.com.  We also put together a little highlight video for the happy couple with licensed music from The Music Bed!

The photo on the left is a piece of lace from Jaci’s mother’s wedding dress, and the promise ring her father gave her mother before they got married!  Jaci wrapped the stem of her bouquet with the lace!  Love!Tina Barrera is a woman after my heart!  Seriously stunning florals everywhere!!!I think Joanna said it best when she looked at the to.die.for stationery created by Two Blue Doors and said, “How could you NOT come if someone sends you an invitation like this?!”  As if the event wasn’t magnificent enough, I ALSO was lucky enough to have two of the nicest families to work with throughout the day.  Both Jon and Jaci’s mother’s greeted us with the biggest smiles, laughter, and an excitement that was contagious!  I would like to send a HUGE thank you to both families for welcoming us into their celebration and making our job so incredibly enjoyable!

Jaci had cuff links made for Jon that had tiny maps of each of their hometowns!  The thoughtfulness was neverending!!!Because the wedding was a surprise and would be occurring in the evening after the guests arrived, we arranged to have Jon and Jaci have a few moments to see each other privately before we started photos.It is possible that 1) I could get lost in the Union Station Marriott, and 2) I wouldn’t mind because I would never run out of things to photograph!We all got a kick out of watching the guests arriving from the balcony… not to mention it was the perfect location for pictures!Shoot from one balcony to another??  Yes, please!After a few near run-ins with wedding guests, we managed to sneak into Union Station to grab a few photos!  And with a little sweet talking, I managed to convince the tourists to give us the entire corridor!  ;)Jaci had told me about the uplift floor several times, but I had no idea just how beautiful it was until I was standing on it!
I imagine Jon is thinking, “Do you HAVE to take my picture??”I have no words… Jaci, you are gorgeous, my dear!So, so lovely!
We set aside a special time for Jon and Jaci to bring their grandparents back to reveal the big secret!  That’s right… not even the grandparents knew!  Their reactions were priceless!  I don’t think they could have been more surprised… or happy that they would get to be a part of their special day!Let the games begin… it’s time for guests to arrive!  This is the first page of the passport that guests were instructed to read as they arrived.  Joanna and I were on hand to document the reactions as the guests arrived because Jon and Jaci were in hiding before the surprise ceremony.  I’m not sure quite everyone understood what was going on at first, but here were a few of my favorite reactions! LOLOn to the ceremony… My jaw DROPPED when I saw the room set up!  Wowzers!!!As the guests started to file in from the cocktail hour, the energy was electric!  There was a dull roar and you could see the excitement and anticipation on everyone’s faces.  The officiant attempted to quiet the crowd a few times, but I don’t think there was any way to tame that beast!
Such an exciting moment!  I still get goosebumps just seeing the pictures!Mr. and Mrs. Jon Spindler!!!After the surprise went off without a hitch, it was time to party!  And what a party it was!  What’s the saying… it’s all in the details?!  Jon and Jaci joined their guests for some toasts, dinner, and rug cutting… just what the doctor ordered after such a suspenseful, exciting day!Oh, and we can’t forget Stan the Donut Man (no… seriously!  Google him… unless you are on a diet b/c they are DE-lish!)!  :)Between Jaci’s father, Jon’s brother, and Jon’s own shenanigans, there was no shortage of entertaining moments!  At one point during the evening, Jon and his brother Dave kicked some of the band members out and took over.  Am I remember correctly that Dave even stole the mic for… what was it?  Salt-N-Peppa??
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Spindler!  I could not be more happy for two of my favorite people!!!

I also had the pleasure of squeezing in some pictures of a GORgeous photographer friend (and singer!) of mind, Rachael.  Seriously?  Gorgeous AND a singer??  She’s a woman after my own heart!  Oh, and we also enjoyed some In-N-Out Burger mid-session care of my friend Jen.  Thank you, Jen.  That was one of the highlights of my trip!  ;)  Here are some of my favorites from the shoot… there were a ton of great shots because Ms. Rachael is absolutely gorgeous, so it was hard to choose!!

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!