kenzie and joey: september 18, 2010

Kenzie and Joey were married on a perfectly rainy day at the beautiful Springhill Pavilion in September and oh. my. god. I cannot even begin to describe the party that was had . . . I arrived to a completely calm and cool, and completely ready, Kenzie, who was waiting to see her groom for the first time that day. And they are completely adorable together, by the way.

One of my favorite things about shooting weddings is the unexpected . . . I love to socialize and I love to meet new people, and I can honestly say that there are people I meet that always leave the wedding with me. I remember them, I think of them often, I feel inspired by them, for whatever reason. Kenzie and Joey's wedding was packed full of amazingly emotional people . . . no matter how many tattoos were on their arms, they cried and hugged their friends, toasted Kenzie and Joey's wonderful, generous parents, and enjoyed themselves truly to the fullest. I knew when I met Kenzie and Joey that they were all about simply having fun, and I couldn't agree more as that being the glue that sticks them together.

Kenzie and Joey, thank you for inviting me into your lives and your wedding day . . . to your families for being so kind and appreciative, and to your friends for being so entertaining. ;) I designed the slideshow to show lots of candids and details . . . hopefully everyone who watches has wonderful memories :) Click here to view!

Happy New Year with much love!

2010: engagements

Happy Monday-after-Christmas! Every year when the gifts are opened, I think, so this is it. It comes and goes so quickly with so much hooplah . . . and then I remember there is going to be an amazing meal in just a few hours with the people I love the most, and as we all should know by now, that is what it's all about. Food, not the presents. ;)

I still have a handful of shoots I'd like to blog by the end of the year - which, um, is Friday - but I'm definitely going to be sharing my favorites of engagement images, wedding portraits and family photos. When I went through my engagement photos, I realized I didn't have quite as many engagement shoots as last year. I think this is partly due to the fact that a good chunk of my weddings were out of town, and because a lot of my wonderful couples live outside of Montana and we simply didn't have the opportunity. But without further ado (I talk alot), here are the ones that caught my peepers this year. Enjoy!

trimming the tree

It's a very good thing we have some height now in our little family . . . usually my trees are much shorter, and the top doesn't get decorated nearly as much as the bottom. And a topper? Fugghedaboutit.











I am horrible at getting out Christmas cards, so you may want to consider this yours ;) Merry Christmas everyone!

hot mama

I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . I love, love, love boudoir shoots! I love everything they represent and, more than anything, a woman's confidence. I recently had the privilege of photographing a very dear friend of mine, and here is a small sneaky peek of her gorgeousness!







Discussions are happening about setting up a boudoir marathon weekend . . . it would be complete with gorgeous natural light, a vintage bed frame, champagne and nibbles! Stay tuned!

Happy Tuesday!

thea and nate

downtime

I think I can safely say, it's that time of year . . . us in the wedding industry are shuffling about, leaving our email accounts wide open on our oversized computer screens, waiting for those three beautiful words. New. Client. Inquiry.

It's our downtime.

I get asked quite frequently, so what do you do this time of year? Are you shooting a lot of winter weddings? And while a winter wedding is beautiful, unfortunately, they aren't all that common. So what am I doing this time of year? Here is a lovely little list for you. Check it twice.

1. I have four more weddings to edit, a portrait shoot, and a boudoir shoot. I edit everything in the evening with Christmas music playing in the background, a small lamp turned on next to my computer, and a Christmasy-smelling candle lit.

2. I am falling back in love with the vintage look, be it my photographs, the Anthropologie website, or feathering my hair. Wow, I just admitted that.

3. I just started reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, and just the thought of being more happy makes me want to launch my own happiness project.

4. I am practicing The Art of Being Patient. It's my biggest downfall, and it doesn't really go all that well with The Art of Parenting. I suppose I could call it the first chapter in my happiness project!

5. I am trying new recipes. My heart still belongs to Giada and everything Italian, but my Chicken Saltimbocca got cut.

6. I am dreaming about one day having one of those rooms from Pottery Barn that are dedicated 100% to wrapping Christmas presents. You know, the room with the built in wrapping paper wall racks and ribbon cutters and snowflake-patterned lights hanging over the island in the middle and a cup of egg nog (or a glass of pinot) on the counter? Speaking of islands . . .

7. The doctor and I are headed to HAWAII next month! Optometry conferences are the BEST!

So this is my downtime . . . I am slowing down for a little bit, making business changes, learning from past mistakes, following my gut more, and listening to my heart. I get extremely anxious and excited this time of year because I'm a big believer in a fresh start, that each day is a new beginning. My birthday falls on New Year's Eve, so I always gift myself just that . . . that this next year, day by day, will be the best year. And that I am in charge of my happiness.

oh, the times they are a changin'

I am finding that my favorite portraits are simple, sweet, and have a little vintage twist to them. Here are Laura and Bryce again among the amazing light at the Gallatin River Hideaway. Happy Tuesday!

thankful

Oh, how lucky and thankful I am this year . . . for the shorties, glitter stickers that don't litter glitter all over the house, and to Cost Cutters for being so conveniently located right next to our grocery store so I could stay as far enough away from the mall as possible. : )











I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and spent it with those who truly make your heart happy. We all sigh as it means back-to-work, but isn't it nice to fall back into routine? I promise to bring lots of good eye candy this week to the blog. Enjoy your Sunday!

i'll be back

I have been off in family-land the past couple weeks with alternating visits between Joe's family and mine, but here is a little eye candy for you until I'm back with a full blog post after Thanksgiving! And there's so much to blog! For now, here are Laura and Bryce, processed with a vintage feel thanks to my Totally Rad Actions. :)

occupational hazards

Guess where I ate dinner on a gorgeous fall evening in early October with my best girlfriends?



Yes, yes . . . probably my biggest occupational hazard yet, I got to spend a Saturday night at the Double T River Ranch in Clyde Park with the Assets . . . now don’t get me wrong, this was a working weekend. This night benefitted so many of us. In a wonderful twist of collaboration, this night brought us all together to style a photo shoot for the most lovely chef, Sarah Knecht, using the ideas, design and products of Leslie Lukas, Angela Trudeau-Klotz, and Elsa Campbell of The Woodlands. Addy and Deborah of the Double T Ranch hosted their amazing venue while keeping us entertained with their fabulous banter. Leslie and Angela brought in bucket after bucket of flowers to decorate two tablescapes each, photographed by both Lauren Brown and myself. And in between those setups and breakdowns, we photographed Sarah’s amazing food. (Angela’s and Leslie’s tables will be shown in two separate blog posts, but hurry on over to their websites and blogs to see what a fabulous addition to your wedding day each of these ladies would be!)

We arrived to a lunch of Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Prosciutto. Two of my favorite foods in one hot dish? Yes, please!



While we were off shooting and designing, Sarah was preparing Sunday's breakfast . . . Buckwheat Bagels and Caramel Cinnamon Rolls. Now, normally I am not a breakfast person, but you can bet your hiney on that Sunday, I was!





This is the kind of food I cannot. stop. eating. Sarah started the amazing dinner meal with a Ratatouille Bruschetta with Artichoke Leaves, which was topped with fresh goat cheese and a balsamic reduction. I think at one point she had to pull the plate from my hands and offer it to the others. I even called her for the recipe a couple weeks ago. :) Eat your veggies!



Hi, Sarah!



And for dinner? I have seventeen words for you. Chili-Rubbed Prime Rib, Thai Noodles with Cinnamon-Curried Scallops, and Broccoli with Sun-Dried Tomato Crust.



We spent the rest of the evening sipping wine, gossiping in the hot tub (don't worry, we weren't talking about you), playing pool, and comparing the size of our bellies after all this fabulous food. Sarah, thank you from all of the Assets. You are an amazing chef, a beautiful person, and a new friend. Muah!

katie + casey: 8.14.10

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Montana is covered in a beautiful snow this morning, the coffee is hot, jazz is playing in the background . . . and Katie and Casey are married!

Katie and Casey are another couple who I hadn't met until their wedding day, but I was greeted with a big hug and warm welcome. I hadn't seen them interact, and had no idea of their rapport, but it was obvious during their first look that they are undeniably in love. I watched them interact and remember thinking to myself, look at how happy they are . . . and today they are marrying each other.

Katie was effortlessly beautiful and in amazing spirits, as a bride should be. ;)





Can I just say I am in love with the back-button dresses? And a gorgeous pair of hot pink open-toe pumps?



The moment they saw each other was incredibly touching. I think they could have stayed there all day . . .













So happy to be married!





Click here to see many more photos of this gorgeous couple . . . Katie and Casey, thank you from the bottom of my heart for having me be a part of such a wonderful day. Stay exactly who you are. :) Much love!