sarah & justin (estes park wedding photographer)

Wow, gosh, I just adore these two so so much.  I can't help it.  First, there was this awesome engagement session... next, their amazing wedding at Casa de Luz near Estes Park!  What a mellow, fun, lovely day.  One of my favorite parts about this job is getting to meet so many amazing people - not just my clients, but their friends and family, too!  And Sarah & Justin have so many stellar people in their lives.  Love this day! 

Aquamarine is also my birthstone, so I happen to be a little partial to Sarah's gorgeous ring :)

This cradle was a gift from Sarah's grandfather:

Crying or seriously cracking up?  You can decide :)

And, this was the moment when one of the little ones grabbed the tablecloth and started pulling... almost dooming the cake.

Haha... oops.

Justin earned awesomeness points by turning and force-feeding wedding cake to his friends:

I. LOVE. THIS.

Oh yeah, did I mention this was the day of the super moon?

Eesh.  What a fantastic day.  Hope you guys are loving Chile!

chandra & jeff's denver wedding reception (denver wedding photographer)

Okay, here comes part three of Chandra & Jeff's epic wedding week - their fabulous reception at the Skyline Ballroom at the Courtyard Mariott in Denver!

I love it when couples hire a photo booth - it means tons of great funky props gradually make their way on to the dance floor :)

This is why I love Chandra.

Thanks again for everything, guys!  It's been so wonderful getting to know you :)

lindsay & aaron (salida wedding photographer)

What began as love between a handsome bearded fisherman and a Katrina-refugee artist developed into this fabulous eclectic wedding and will continue on to a beautiful marriage as Lindsay & Aaron begin their life together.  Seersucker suits.  Louboutins.  Cruiser bikes.  Pedicabs.  Balloons. Two amazing dresses, paired with two amazing veils.  Live jazz band.  One amazing historic art deco home.  I loved absolutely EVERYTHING about this wedding!  I know a lot of you have been anxious to see the results of this fabulous day - enjoy your preview!  The rest of your images will be ready soon :)

Lindsay, you are absolutely radiant!

Lindsay looked especially lovely, thanks to my dear friend Peter at Mr. Beauty.  Oh, how I love working with Peter!

Lindsay & Aaron's families stayed at the Heister House in Salida - this totally amazing art deco home that's available for rent (and listed on the National Register of Historic Places!)  I love love LOVED shooting there.  And how crazy amazing is this gigantic bow veil?  I could have NEVER pulled it off - which is what makes me love Lindsay even more - she totally can :)  This girl has some serious style, in ways that I can only dream about.  Both veils were custom made by Sara Gabriel.

Love the Heister House and love dress #1 from J Crew!

One of the wonderful things about Salida is how most things are within walking and biking distance.  Since the ceremony at First United Methodist is only a few blocks away from the reception at the Salida Steamplant, most of the guests rode their cruisers, and Lindsay and Aaron took a pedicab :)

Guestbook?  Nah.  A signed paddle is way cooler :)

Dress #2 : A custom tea-length creation by the utterly fabulous Stephanie James.   I really cannot begin to explain how much I love the blue tulle.  I'm tempted to try, but my love for this dress is totally beyond words.

We had perfect lighting.  Perfect.

At one point during the reception, I overheard Lindsay & a guest talking about me.  Lindsay referred to me as " this awesome indie photographer".  This totally delighted me.

I always love shooting at the Salida Steamplant! What an excellent venue.

Unsuspecting dude catching the bouquet = do-over.

Lindsay & Aaron - you guys are wonderful!  I absolutely loved your wedding and I was thrilled to be a part of your festivities :)

shelly & daniel: the day after (destination wedding photographer)

Other than the fact that they're wicked fun, destination weddings are extra special because we get to shoot for a few days!  Shelly & Daniel recently got married in Estes Park, and the next day, we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for a fun day after / trash the dress session.  I realized how spoiled I was when we were driving through the park and hit a traffic jam on the narrow, windy mountain road.  Huge black thunderclouds threatened in the distance, we hadn't started shooting yet, and I was getting a little frustrated.  I knew if we didn't hurry, we were going to get dumped on.  So, we're crawling along, we pass some elk on the road, and then traffic sort of let up.  It took me a few minutes before I realized that traffic was stopped FOR the elk - everyone was taking pictures out their windows and ooh-ing and aah-ing.  Me, I'm just like, "Elk, whatever, let's go."  People from all over the world come to Rocky Mountain National Park probably just to see the elk, and I see them so regularly that I don't care unless they're about to hit my car :)We finally found the perfect spot and pulled off the road and started shooting.  Within minutes, people were honking and waving and yelling congratulations from their windows.  One older German guy was cracking us up, shouting things like, (to Shelly) "You are ze best animal in ze park!"  and (to Daniel) "You are ze best hunter I have met!"  Which... you know... was a little awkward.  But made us laugh.  So there's that.

Anyway.  Here's to timberline, marshy fields of wildflowers, and knowing what the elk feel like in front of the tourists.

Then it got all dark & stormy & awesome.

shelly & daniel (estes park wedding photographer)

This is how it should be done. I had that thought at least three separate times while shooting Shelly & Daniel's fabulous wedding in Estes Park.  For three days, I watched their love for each other, the kindness and playfulness they shared with their friends, and the way each of their separate families had already become one huge family, and I loved every moment.Okay (deep breath).  This post is going to be HUGE.  Actually, I could probably devote an entire blog post to Shelly's facial expressions :)  She is so animated and expressive, making her a blast to work with.  Excitement, contentment, and joy radiated out of Shelly & Daniel and everyone close to them.  I love shooting at Della Terra, and I strongly encourage you to take a look at them if you're thinking about getting married!  It's perfect for photographers - it's like it was designed with photographers in mind.  I love it!  Congratulations you guys!  I am so so thrilled for you :)

Venue : Della Terra Mountain Chateau, Estes Park

Florist : Floral Design of Europe, Estes Park

Dress: Sottero & Midgley

Shoes : Liz Claiborne

DJ: 1s and 2s DJ Company

Daniel's mom's reaction to seeing Shelly in her dress :

Want a two story indoor waterfall with amazing backlighting?  Yeah, sure, Della Terra's got that.

Brigitte from Floral Design of Europe created these stunning arrangements :

The image below feels like it summed up the wedding for me.  Shelly's family genuinely loves Daniel's family.  Daniel's family adores Shelly's family.  This is how it's supposed to be (and this was an "outtake" shot in between family photos, which makes it twice as sweet.)

A little drizzle wasn't stopping anybody.

I LOVE this shot on the left, below.  Shelly had no idea I was shooting them walking away, and that's what made it perfect.

Here's part of what makes Shelly so cool.  "Yeah, sure!  I'd love to get in this great bathtub in my wedding dress and curl up like I'm sleeping inside an egg.  No, that's not weird at all!"  Thanks for making me feel normal, Shel :)

I challenge you to not smile while looking through the ceremony:

Not only is Della Terra in a totally unbeatable location, but they shuttle you around everywhere in golf carts, like you're really important.  These little guests were loving the star treatment :)

Right about now, I have to give a huge shout-out to DJ Austin Quinty from 1s and 2s DJ Company.  I have seen my fair share of weddings, and I've definitely sat through my fair share of wedding DJs.  I really can't recommend him highly enough.  He was laid-back, classy, and fun, and I'm pretty sure I didn't hear "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" one time.  Thanks for being so cool, Austin.

Phew!  That was a ton of images.  But - I think you'll agree- totally worth it.  Stay tuned for Shelly & Daniel's Day After/ Trash the Dress shoot in Rocky Mountain National Park :)  Congrats guys!  Hope you had fun in Hawaii!