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.