Noi and Kyle’s Wedding at the Sunrise Amphitheater
I only took on 6 weddings this season. And Noi and Kyle’s wedding was exactly the type of wedding that I love to photograph–Simple, natural, and to the point (which of course is the marriage itself). In my humble opinion, after doing weddings for 12 years, a wedding should be the union and celebration of love between two people amongst their dearest friends and family. The details are icing on the cake–quite literally. If the love is there, if the couple is more excited to see their significant other at the end of the alter more than the alter pieces, then the alter pieces aren’t necessary. The emotion and energy outshines the most opulent embellishments.  Congratulations, Noi and Kyle—It was a spectacular wedding!
Natalie and Dustin
Mother Nature had her own idea of how June 8th should look for Natalie and Dustin on their wedding day. It rained. Hard. But what can one do? Everyone rolled with it beautifully and it was actually a very romantic, and quite memorable day. To me, the rain added to the overall feel of Pastures of Plenty. The earth was more fragrant, the grass, more green. The colors in the pale pinks of the flowers popped and there has never been a more desirable June day for a bonfire and s’mores. There was even a whiskey fountain to warm people from the inside out. To me, it was perfect and intimate and something out of a woodland fairytale. Mother Nature always knows best and at the end of the day, Natalie and Dustin married their best friend and left in a warm farewell of sparklers and cheers.
Baby Mabel
I have so much love for this little family. I’ve been working with Meagan since 2008 when she was just engaged to Stephen. Then came a wedding (unfortunately, I was unavailable to photograph this one), pregnancy number 1 with Vivienne and a whole year’s worth of yummy photos with her, and now little Mabel. These images speak to me because I see so much love and comfort here. Everything seems to be in it’s right place. Meagan and Stephen love being a mama and daddy and Vivienne loves her new sister, Mabel. I also feel like Meagan and I have a similar attitude and approach to motherhood. We’ve connected so much since our little girls were born and I am looking forward to spending much more time with this precious foursome…
A “Once in a 1000 Years” Wedding
Lisa and Brad’s wedding happened to fall on the day after the 1000 year flood hit. Originally, Lisa and Brad planned on having a small ceremony at the Sunrise amphitheater in Boulder, then head to Brad’s aunt’s home in Longmont for a small reception. Needless to say, there was no wedding at the amphitheater, but that certainly didn’t stop Lisa and Brad from having a wedding. They “rolled with it” and swiftly moved the ceremony to Brad’s aunt’s house and notified all their guests. They are my heroes. Their optimism and ability to make the best of a situation inspired me. They were incredible through all of this, knowing that a wedding would be a wedding no matter where they held it, and at the end of the day, they would be married. I honestly can’t imagine a more beautiful ceremony. Backyard weddings are always a personal favorite, but this one makes the top of the list. It was extraordinary.  It was also incredible to see guests drive through flood conditions and brave the elements to make it to the event. Every guest was honored, and Lisa and Brad were honored by every guest. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better wedding for Lisa and Brad myself–Flood or no flood, this wedding goes down in history as one of my all time favorites. For so many reasons…
The Solots
I’m still madly in love with photographing families. There is nothing more honest than a family documented naturally. You can pose kids and fix their hair. You can put them on the couch or prop them up with stools and toys, but that’s not my cup of tea, so to speak. I love loosely capturing the honest moments–the emotions, the movement, the growth. I feel like I’m still learning to shoot looser. After years of trying to get contrived smiles, I’ve learned that the best smiles are those that happen naturally. The moments that I capture have nothing to do with me being there. I’m simply there to capture the “decisive moment” and to put capture it on film, forever. For me, this is magic.
Katy and Orlando’s Dream Wedding on Necker Island
For many guests, Katy and Orlando’s wedding was a dream vacation–a once in a lifetime trip to far away, rarely visited tropical islands. Not only was the wedding on the exclusive Necker Island (Sir Richard Branson’s private island near Virgin Gorda), but the week was packed full of parties and activities that made the wedding feel more like a week long party. Katy and Orlando opened the celebration with a welcome dinner on Necker Island (unfortunately, we didn’t make it to that one because we were being “detained” in the airport due to a mix up on my work permit). The following night they held a Moroccan beach party alongside Branson’s beautiful, famous flamingos, with hooka pipes, a bonfire, an incredible Moroccan dinner, custom cocktails, and a view of one of the most beautiful places in the world. The third night, Katy and Orlando hosted their rehearsal dinner as a “White Cuban Casino Night”. There was gambling, an amazing Cuban band from Puerto Rico, the best mojitos I’ve ever tasted, Cuban cigars, some lemurs (yes, lemurs), and of course some very heartfelt toasts by friends and family. Every guest was invited to every party. It was really fun for me to get to know some of Katy and Orlando’s friends and family as we partied and boated together from our resort Island to Necker.
The wedding itself was held at the temple house on Necker Island which basically overlooks the entire island and is surrounded by the turquoise sea. Unfortunately, along with the logistics of the layout (no aisles, 4 videographers, pillars and an enormous swimming pool that I couldn’t work around), the flowers were so fabulous are extravagant that even from the other side of the pool I wasn’t able to get any wide shots from a distance. So, I guess you just had to be there to truly witness the grandeur of the ceremony. It was spectacular.
The reception to follow was also another grand party with a live 80’s band, 4 different cakes, incredible food, desserts, drinks, decor, and major celebrating. I imagine that I will never again have the opportunity to photograph a wedding quite like Katy and Orlando’s. It truly was a once in a lifetime vacation for many and for me, a highlight of my career. Thank you, Katy and Orlando–I am so, so honored that you flew me across the world to photograph your spectacular event.
And many, many thanks to Caroline Treadway, who assisted me at this wedding and devoted 6 days of her life to tagging alongside this preggo. I couldn’t have done it without her and am constantly blown away by her talent.
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