Renee & Ryan- Brookside Gardens Wedding July 9th

Eventually, maybe someday, I'll get better at this blogging thing. Until that day, I wanted to share another wedding from this summer. Ryan & Renee were married at an awesome new venue up north in Berthoud, Brookside Gardens. This place is just beautiful! With a full Aveda Spa right there on the property, we started by meeting the bride there. Afterward everyone headed to get ready in their great bride and groom suites upstairs. It was so nice having everyone so close by! My good friend Tyler was shooting with me and we just popped between the girls and guys while they were getting ready just a few feet away from each other.


Then we set up the first look. Now I know this is a debate for many couples. We've been told time and time again that it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, but does anyone know where this tradition came from? It's actually back from the days of arranged marriages! Weddings were business deals, and no one wanted any member to second guess the decision based on the looks of the other person, so no one saw each other until the ceremony! I don't know about you, but I feel like we've come a long way since then. ;) This moment is always so special between a couple. Not only do we set up a private very intimate meeting for the bride and groom, but I know that when I saw D on our wedding day, all i wanted to do was hug him! It would have relieved SO much stress if I could have just held him, been excited with him, told him how excited I was for our day! And that's what this moment was about. And I tell you what... not only do I feel like it doesn't take anything away from the moment the bride walks down the aisle (that moment is so amazing and emotional, seeing the bride before that doesn't change it), but none of my brides or grooms have ever regretted the decision to see each other beforehand. In fact, many of them tell me it was their favorite part of the day. Now I always let a couple decide what is best for them. It's their day! But I have to admit, I really love the first look. ;)


Does anyone recognize this kilt or this little girl? ;) This is my good friend's husband, Ben, and their daughter Emelia (click here for a few pics from her newborn session). Crystal was the amazing graphic designer one who worked for me in Glenwood and Ben actually got this kilt for their wedding! Now who wouldn't use a wedding as a good reason to dress up and wear your kilt! haha. Renee and Ryan are good friends of theirs and I have to thank Crystal for sending them my way! :) Emelia just cracks me up.


We were worried about the weather and dark skies and even had a few raindrops, but you certainly couldn't tell by the time we started the ceremony! It couldn't have been a more perfect afternoon! See, this is why you don't stress about the weather. ;)


After the ceremony we took a few more pictures around the amazing grounds at Brookside. I thought Renee looked absolutely stunning. Although Ryan busted out the blue steel a couple of times to show me he could definitely hold up to Renee. So really?... They are just stunning together... ;)


To Renee & Ryan: Thank you, thank you, thank you, for asking me to be a part of your day. I've really enjoyed getting to know you both! I know you'll have many years of happiness together!

Lisa & Tony- Denver Bontanic Gardens & Wellshire Inn Wedding

Lisa & Tony had a beautiful wedding this past summer with their ceremony at the Denver Botanic Gardens, and the reception at the Wellshire Inn. It was an amazingly beautiful and sunny day in Denver and everything turned out so wonderfully.
The guys started the day out with a round of golf at the Wellshire Golf Course. I met up with them there and took a few pictures. It was quickly obvious that my presence made them super nervous! We laughed and I promised that hacked shots wouldn't be visible in pictures, so not to worry. (sorry, boys! haha)So after a couple holes, I left them to their own demise so I would no longer be the excuse for a mulligan. ;)


One of the fun surprises of the day came right away. I met the girls at the fabulous Bang Salon When I walked in to find Lisa, I realized that the make-up artist working on the girls looked oddly familiar. And then I realized... it was Monica! Monica and I went to High School together and hadn't seen each other in almost 10 years! haha! It was really great to see her and she's also amazing. She did a fabulous job with the ladies and I'd recommend Bang and Monica to any of my brides looking for a stylist.


I was lucky enough to have Dusty of Volkel Image along with me again for this wedding as my 2nd shooter. He's such a great photographer and we always have a fun time together, so of course, I was super excited to have him. While I was hanging with the girls, Dusty went over with the guys to take this fun shot below. The ceremony location was also pretty hard to move around in, so I was glad to have Dusty in such a great position for the ceremony. He took the ceremony shot below as well.


I may have been trapped up in the front for the ceremony, but it made for a good view! :)


I love when the dance floor gets going! And these guys all knew how to party! :)


To Lisa & Tony: Thank you so much for being so willing to try anything and go anywhere! You didn't even let the dark stop us from taking pictures! I think we could've played half the night with you guys if they hadn't have been asking us to get out of there! We had so much fun! haha. Thanks again for being so wonderful and fun! Dusty and I wish you many years of happiness together.

Kristin & Bill's Wedding- Mt Vernon Country Club, Colorado

Kristin & Bill had a beautiful wedding at the Mt. Vernon Country Club this past summer. Kristin picked the perfect gown and she looked absolutely stunning! She also had an amazing bouquet made by her friend Kristen, which was made out of feathers and I believe paper flowers. It was so unique and pretty and I hope that I see more like this!


Their cake was definitely fun. Kristin and Bill actually met working on power transformers like these, so they decided to incorporate it into the wedding! We would have actually taken photos with some of these power lines nearby, but it was really foggy. So instead we decided to go out and take advantage of the fog before it got completely dark. Congratulations to you both! Thank you so much for letting me be part of your special day!