“You guys, it is cold, we have a steep hike ahead of us, this is going to be a crazy adventure. Amy do you have hiking shoes? no? just ballerina shoes? that should work too”
St Mary’s glacier trail is a step and quick 20 minutes hike. I was carrying a heavy camera backpack, Amy sported her ballerina shoes, athlete hikers were glaring at her, torn between laughing and screaming in fear for her. You get the best conversation while trudging up an icy trail. We laughed about the cold and we talked about life while I was sliding down a slope on my butt. We had semi philosophical conversation while trying to keep ourselves from falling. It felt like we came straight out of a Calvin and Hobbes’ comic book (Amy is the bouncy tiger).
In the end, we saw the magic of light seeping through trees while the wind made the snow twirl. We discovered the breath-taking views of St Marys, the twisty trees and frozen lake. We saw the sky turn pink and drove down to share beer and pizza at Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs. This was an adventure that taught me more about Amy and Russ than any hourlong conversations.
I get to create the most beautiful connections while trudging on an icy trail with a bouncy ballerina and a future groom with the kindest eyes I have ever seen.
I can’t imagine how awesome this wedding is going to be at the Lakewood resort in Cable, WI!
Cecilia and Tom got married in Camp Hale, a 30 minutes drive from Vail. In order to get to this beautifully secluded valley you must drive through twisty roads lined with massive clusters of Aspen trees. The mountains looked painted from green to dark yellow, It was the most beautiful mountain road I have seen in this state.
Our couple wanted a wedding that mixed the rustic feel of the cabins, the mountains and trees with the delicate touch of dark blue and light pink and the result was glorious in spite of everything that happened that day!
Soon after we arrived it started raining and then snowing. The temperature dropped, the clouds lingered and everything was cold and wet. Cecilia’s flowers had frozen overnight and the bouquets were rearranged with what could be salvaged and aspen leaves. The ceremony site was outside and the venue wasn’t sure about celebrating the wedding there because the path to it was slippery and the benches wet with snow. Finally the speaker stopped working so Cecilia didn’t get her song to walk down the aisle.
Any one of those event would have rattled a groom and a bride who wanted their perfect day, but not Cecilia and Tom! Those two were excited about the snow, they marveled over the newly made bouquets, let go of the speaker situation and stood outside, in the middle of a frozen land, surrounded by very cold and happy guests, and professed their love to one another with the kind of intensity that warmed everyone.
The guest cheered on and everyone amazed by the beauty of the place, wrapped in clouds with the yellow aspens poking their ways through the fog.
And so here are the three things I learned from that day :
Let go of the details and enjoy the unexpected
Remember why you are there and focus on all the love that surrounds you
No matter what happens, I will stand by you and help make this wedding the most kick ass wedding you will ever have!
Many congratulations to this fantastic, resilient and loving couple. You guys rock!
Lauren and Katie’s mountain wedding at the Della Terra Mountain Chateau, Estes Park, Colorado
Lauren and Katie got married on a sunny day at the beautiful Della Terra Mountain Chateau in Estes Park, Colorado. Located near the entrance of the Rocky Mountain National Park, this gorgeous wedding venue looks like a fairy tale with it’s gorgeous stone buildings and manicured grounds, all of it surrounded by majestic mountain and evergreen trees.
The wedding
Lauren and Katie had a traditional Jewish wedding. Every single detail of this event was carefully planned to incorporate the natural beauty of the mountains and the brides’ interest. Lauren and Katie’s invitation, for example, turn into wildflowers when you plant them (they have seeds embedded inside them). The mother of the bride created custom printed chocolate bars, playing on Lauren’s last name (Hershey). The brides’ dresses matched beautifully along with simple and gorgeous hairdos and flowers.
The power of the feminine
What makes this wedding truly unforgettable is the rabbi’s speech during the ceremony, where she talked about the power of the feminine. We could feel this power all around us. It was the unstoppable power of two individuals who love and care about each other, two people who balance each other completely. We also felt it in the love that each family brought to this wedding, it was felt during the dances and the toasts.
This wedding was truly a wonderful starting point to a loving and happy marriage, and I felt grateful and honored to be a part of it.
Lauren, Katie, thank you for this amazing day. I can’t wait to share the rest of those images with you!
Wedding venue: Della Terra, Estes Park, ColoradoLauren getting ready with the help of Jessica PadillaKatie is getting into her dressKatie in the tubPortrait of LaurenMoment between Lauren and her momKatie walking toward Lauren for the first lookThe brides’ first lookThe wedding party on the bridgeready set jump!The Bridal partyLauren and Katie behind their favorite comic bookLauren and Katiebrides kissing in the meadowThe brides walking towards the ceremony siteThe ceremonyThe ceremony and viewThe brides with the Rabbithe kissJust marriedLauren and her grandfatherThe Cake !The wedding invitationHorahThe HorahThe toast
Venue : Della Terra Mountain Chateau http://www.dellaterramountainchateau.com
Event planning SeaAnna & Krista Curate Denver https://www.curateeventsanddesign.com
Carrie and Eric’s wedding was an amazingly well planned event, in part due to Carrie’s beautiful sense of style and her very sharp and detail oriented mind. From the decorations to the bridesmaids shoes, this wedding was a delight to the eye.
It was a pleasure to photograph this beautiful event, hand crafted with all the love and attention that Carrie brings into everything she touches.
Congratulations to my lovely couple! Can’t wait to show you the rest of the pictures!
the bridal dress with all the fine details of a well orchestrated weddingthe bridal pearls : something old…the wedding bands on lacebridal bouquetthe flower girlsSt Mary’s Lake LodgeThe BoutonniereThe first lookThe first lookThe bridesmaids shoesThe ceremonyThe ceremonyThe ceremonyThe ceremonyThe marriage licenseThe wedding cakeThe receptionCarrieEricThe first dance
The garterThe bouquet tossCongratulations Carrie and Eric!
Venue : Mary’s Lake Lodge http://maryslakelodge.com/
Cake :Colorado Rose Cake http://www.coloradorosecakeco.com/
Megan and Brian got married on a sunny afternoon in Westminster, Colorado. For this beautiful wedding, Megan chose purple and burned orange for her colors and everything from the dresses to the table centerpieces looked absolutely stunning. The highlight of the wedding was with the first dance, a breathtaking performance by the groom and bride followed by a medley of flash mob dancing that left everyone cheering!
Congratulations to my beautiful, fierce, charismatic Megan and my oh so funny groom, Brian, who by the way can dance like none’s business!
I can’t wait to share your wedding pictures with you!
The Wedding dressBridesmaids Getting ReadyMegan and her bridesmaids by the hot tubThe GroomThe groom and his groomsmen in the LobbyThe BrideThe bride before her first lookFirst lookMegan and BrianThe bridal BouquetThe BrideThe VeilMegan and her momFirst look of Megan and her dadMegan and the groomsmenBrian and the bridesmaidsThe wedding partyThe walk down the aisleThe kissThe Wedding CakeBustling of the dressSunset by the lakeThe first danceFlash mob!
Venue and catering : The Westin Hotel http://www.westindenverboulder.com
Julia and Isaac wanted their wedding to be bare footed, laid back, in a family friendly space. It was an intimate wedding where children played on the little sandy beach on the lakefront, where adults ate on the patio, under strings of light, before heading the gazebo and dance the night away. Congratulations to this beautiful couple for a truly splendid day!
Rings on a Carabiner, hanging from a maple treeBingham Hills Event CenterThe ceremony site by the main buildingThe BrideBridal barefoot shoesThe GroomThe First LookThe ceremonyThe ceremonyThe Groom and Bride by the apple treeThe groom and bride walking into the sunsetWedding CakeThe groom and bride
Venue : Bingham Hill http://www.thepreserveatbinghamhill.com/index-2.html
Jordan and Maya are mountain climbers, Kombucha drinkers, mushroom lovers (that would be Maya) who have recently moved to Colorado. Their laid back and happy personality made for a splendid wedding.
Brian and I felt honored to be part of their special day!
The Red Barn at Meadows at MarshdaleMaya’s beautiful wedding dress hanging from a pine treeMayaJordanThe Bridal FlowersThe First LookMaya and JordanMayaBedekenBedekenThe Wedding Ceremony at Meadows at MarshdaleThe Wedding Ceremony at Meadows at MarshdaleParty at the Red Barn : The HoraPixelStick image of Maya and Jordan
Here is the list of all the wonderful vendors who made Maya’s day special:
Abby and Brett got married on a beautiful summer day on a golf course. This young and happy couple arranged a really gorgeous wedding of pink, gold and cream.
Abby’s dress, shoes and ring . The bridesmaids necklaces were Abby’s gifts.Abby and her bridesmaids wear matching robes to hang out by the poolsideAbby is getting ready with the help of her mom and bridesmaidsAbby is getting ready in her hotel room in Lakewood ColoradoAbby is posing in her hotel hallwayAbby and her bridesmaids walk around downtown GoldenAbby and her bridesmaids walk on the streets of downtown GoldenAbby and her bridesmaids downtown Golden, on the main bridgeAbby and her Bridesmaids on a shoot around Golden, ColoradoBrett is getting readyBrett getting readyImages taken in high noon on the golf course, we used the sunglasses and cold drink to help the groom and his groomsmen to feel more comfortable in the sunThe flowers and table decoration (pink, white and gold) reflected the wedding colors.A gorgeous little flower girlsThe ring bearer, flower girl, bridesmaids and Abby’s brother and of course the bride and her dadAbby and Brett’s ceremony at Fossil TraceView of the ceremony area and the wedding detailsA unique group picture of the wedding partyAbby and Brett on the Golf CourseAbby and Brett’s flowers reflect the wedding colors of light pink and goldThe groom and bride’s kiss on Fossil Trace golf courseAbby and Brett’s first dance
I wanted to write a bit more than I usually do. If you don’t want to read, please scroll directly to the bottom of this page to see my albums. They look even better in person, so please schedule a consultation to have a look at them !
Pictures hold completely different meanings depending on what stage of life we are in when we look at them.
A new mom looking at her babies pictures while she is still not sleeping at night, while she is still recovering from the birth, will look at them with delight. The pictures will be shared and go somewhere on a hard drive. Or be stored somewhere on social media.
But an album will be stored in a bookshelf. No one was quite sure why this crazy photographer forced them to make an album, but hey, they just did it.
20 years later, when her little child is about to leave for college, she will look at those pictures with a completely new look. The pictures will bring back vivid memories of her time as a young mom and she will feel many wonderful emotions.
If she is lucky, the sleep deprived mom was organized enough to create backups of her digitals and had them readily available, on a new handheld (20 years from now) device.
But her album will be in her office, now that she has opened her own business. She will be glad to touch her baby’s face while her grown up child drives away.
Then one day she will be a grandmother. The pictures will be brought back up to compare features, new memories will be created and with it will come new images.
Hopefully someone will have remembered to transfer the pictures from the old drive. USB technology? What is that? Who know who saw the pictures last?
But the album is now in the family room with the other precious books. Ready to be opened again.
It is very likely that old prints are brought back up, old family albums are dug up. The pictures will be touched. A little rip or stain adding texture to the times long gone.
I know that people love digital. I understand the need to possess and use what we have. Most people, unfortunately do not print anymore.
This is why, in this era of digital images, I firmly believe in the power of prints. And this is why, before my clients purchase the digitals, I convince them to get an album that I design with love. An album that is beautiful and solid enough to withstand time. With UV coated pages and seamless pages. Albums that are built like books.
Here are just a few samples of my albums. There will be more to come and I hope that more and more of my clients will understand and embrace the power of prints.
All my albums are “lay flat” so that I can use larger images that take both sides without interruption.Some come packaged in this beautiful wrap.Each is unique, some people love heavy and thick pages. Others will want many pages and so prefer the thin paper *My album are built like books, with rounded or square corners *Example of cover materials : brocade, silk, velour, leatherAlbums come in a wide variety of cover materials, sizes and designs. Each is a unique as my clients.Other examples of lay flat albums.
H2O in Islamorada, Florida. The Perfect venue for a beachside wedding
I met Kirsten and Damien in January of 2013 on a very cold wintery day near Monument, CO, for a creative engagement session. For this shoot Brian and I had created a bed that could be built under 5 minutes and could be transported in my Mazda 5. The pictures came out as beautiful, creative, and out worldly.
A year after this very cold session, I met Kirsten and Damien again, in an 85 degree perfect weather. On the menu: palm trees, blue ocean and white sandy beaches. We were in Islamorada, FL.
This dream location was to be our playground for their destination wedding. My hotel was right across the street from their property and we traded our snow boots and hats for sunglasses and flip flops.
Damien and Kirsten’s wedding was laid back, sundrenched and beautiful. Kirsten’s colors where white, coral and gold! With the ocean and setting sun as they backdrop, the groom and bride exchanged their vows and the party moved on to the beautifully decorated tables, set outside under streams of lights. Brian was second shooting the wedding and Sophie and Sarah stayed for the reception. We ate, danced and even made “snow angels” in the sand.
It was a memorable wedding in every way; it was both laid back and graceful, with the love of Kirsten and Damien’s family and friends surrounding them. We felt part of the family as well and couldn’t have hoped to spend this delightful December night in better company.
H2O, Islamorada
The bouquet
The bridesmaids, in their matching robes, taking it easy at the H2O’s pool
Giant palm trees on H2O property
The bridesmaids walking with the bride
Beautiful light at the ceremony
Romantic couple under the palm trees
Center piece
Nothing better than having a party in the sand, under the stars!
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