Seth + Lauren + baby girl on the way!!!

Republic, MO (studio)

Seth & Lauren came to visit me in my studio and were ready to go with some super cute baby items!  And with the beautiful weather we have been having, we also got to do some shots outside as well.  I am so anxious to meet their baby girl once she arrives, although probably not as anxious as Seth & Lauren, as they are still waiting and will be going in this Thursday to meet her, ready or not!

One of my favorites of the day...

And another fav.....

Congratulations once again Seth & Lauren, and I hope to hear from you VERY soon so I can meet your baby girl!!!!

Bryan & Jessica

Springfield, MO

I would like to introduce to you, Bryan & Jessica, one of the sweetest couples who will be getting married next fall!   I had such a great time with these two and cannot wait to be a part of their wedding!  They will be getting married May 28, 2011 at Samuel Cedars in Rogersville, MO which by the way is an outdoor venue, my favorite...WOO-HOO!

I could immediately tell how much they both just absolutely adore one another from the moment they sat down across from me at a local coffee house.  It was so sweet and definitely touched the sweeter, sappier side of me : )

Our session started at Jordan Valley Park and we were anxious to make our way to the fountains.  It was very crowded around them when we first arrived so I suggested we use some of the other areas first and then work our way down the bottom of the hill.  Not such a good idea....you'll see why later!

For this next shot, I used both sides of a hill, but really liked how the silhouette version turned out

So we make our way down to the fountains, and there are still at least a dozen kids playing around and just wouldn't budge, so instead we decided to use the stone river like part that leads down to the fountains first.

And yes, they really truly are as sweet as they look in every single photo!  I wonder how many times I said "awwwwe" as I worked on these photos???

We've done all we can, and so we go to the fountains, which by the way are on some kind of timer and shoot up every few minutes or something.  I get Bryan & Jessica just where I want them, and I finally notice who I think were parents asking at least two of the 5 or 6 kids to move so I can take pictures.   Not kidding, I bet we waited more than 10 minutes for the kids to finally move.  I just kept promising it would only take me 2 minutes and then we would be out of their way.  So finally everything is all set, I go to snap the photo...I'm waiting, it goes to shoot up and only goes about 2 feet up rather than the probably 8 feet it normally does.  A mom just looked at me and says, yeah, they are scheduled to shut off at this time every day.  Hmmmm, so you already knew this as you watched me waiting oh so patiently for everyone to move.  Thankfully, it gave us a good laugh, and we still had some more places to go.  But in any case, here is the shot of the lovely fountains!  HA!!!

And finally, one of my favorites from the day...

Some of the questions that I asked Jessica...


1.)  Where did you two meet?
   Bryan and I actually dated in high school for a while...it was my senior year and Bryan was getting ready to go off to college.  We kind of just met by chance and started talking all the time.  We weren't together very long because he was going off to college.  Shortly after he graduated, he looked me up on Facebook and we have been together ever since.  

2.)  How long have you been together?

   We have been together for almost a year and half this time.

3.)  How did he propose?

   Bryan actually went "home" (Springfield) for the weekend to see some friends.  Apparently they all went to the mall and he told me he had gotten me something but he wouldn't tell me.  When he got home that night, I kept begging him for it, but he was teasing me and told me it was a Christmas gift.  Of course, I was throwing a fit, I didn't want to wait, so I kept begging and begging.  He went out to the car to get it and came back in with it behind his back.  I was in the bedroom getting ready for dinner and when he came in the room with his hands behind his back I knew he had my present.  So I said "is that my present?"  He said, "you have to guess what it is!"  I kept naming off random things like shoes, clothes, cd's, whatever I could think of.  After a while I was getting frustrated and said "ok babe just give it to me, I give up?"  Then he brought it around and I saw that it was a jewelry box that was open with a ring in it and Bryan (being kind of shy and nervous about the whole thing) mumbled "will you marry me?" and I acted in such disbelief about the whole thing and couldn't believe it!  It was the LAST thing I was expecting!  I said "are you serious???  oh my gosh, yes I'll marry you!!"  It was one of the greatest moments in my life!

4.)  What are you most looking forward to on your wedding day?

   Bryan would say "joking around" shoving cake in my face!  But I think we both agree on our first dance as husband and wife.  I would also have to say that another thing I'm looking forward to is the look on his face when he first sees me coming down the aisle.  To me, the look on his face will always be a moment I will never forget.  

See...I told you those two are the sweetest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bryan and Jessica, I cannot WAIT for May 28th to arrive!  I had such a great time with you for this engagement session and am so ansy to see what a beautiful bride and groom you two are going to make!  

Madilynn

Republic, MO (studio)

I met Madilynn in March just before Easter as she was only about a month old.  What a lucky girl I am to be asked by her parents to be there for special milestones throughout her first year!  This little one is such a cutie pie to say the least, but this came to no surprise as I had the chance this past weekend to meet the entire family including her older brother and sister.  I adore this family and absolutely cannot wait to see them again very soon!!!

Adam & Shannon

St. Louis, MO

I first met Adam & Shannon when photographing Shannon's brothers wedding about a year and a half ago.  It had been one of my favorite wedding's of the year, so when Adam & Shannon called me last winter to ask if I would be willing to travel to St. Louis once I again, I was not only ecstatic from head to toe, but also felt so truly honored!

This wedding was one I will never forget for so many reasons and so needless to say, there were way too many photos to choose from....I tried my best to narrow them down and hope that it shows the true beauty of the day, starting with some of the most important details of the day I do believe.

Shannon had such a beautiful dress...almost as beautiful as she is!

Adam & Shannon were married at a chapel on the campus of University Missouri-St. Louis.  Wow, talk about magnificent, not to mention the immense picture perfect lighting coming in at the time of the ceremony!  I was in heaven : )

This one makes me smile : )

Adam is definitely as sweet of a guy as he looks.  Awwwe, just look at him as he first sees Shannon!!!  And props to Shannon for keeping it cool as she made her way down the aisle.

I always find it so special when lost loved ones are remembered during a ceremony, but this was a very unique and perfect way.  Adam & Shannon lit a candle for each grandparent and parent that were there with them in spirit that day.  So beautiful...

One of my favorite shots to try and capture is that moment that the Bride & Groom make it out of the ceremony site and are alone as husband and wife for the first time.  This is not always an easy shot to get, but I'm so glad I got this one...

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous Bride!!!!

Seriously, could these two be any more in love....Awwwweeeee!

One of my favorite times of the day was the BIG chunk of time that Adam & Shannon allotted for the entire wedding party to travel to Forest Park for photos.  I was in a for a big surprise though, let me tell you!  I don't consider my town of Springfield, MO to be all that small, but when compared to St. Louis, it's about the size of a dot : ).   Proof of this was going to a destination like we did and literally having to "wait our turn" for our chance to get a photo in ANY of the areas throughout the park.  There were at least 5 other wedding parties everywhere we went it seemed.  Good thing this group had stopped for "refreshments" to keep them tied over on the bus.  All in all, it really was so much fun, and the day would just not have been the same without it...not to mention all the wonderful photos we got! :)

So I am in the midst of getting a shot of the wedding party, when all of a sudden all the guys start going CRAZY with cheers and before I know it, they take off running full speed ahead for the golf course behind me.  Apparently, they had been watching a husband and wife playing, and were ecstatic when the wife made her tough shot.  So funny!!!!!!

Luckily, because of this, I got the idea of perhaps asking this very nice lady if we could borrow her clubs for a moment.  Sure enough, Shannon was thinking the exact same thing and so off we went!

That a girl!

Did I mention how much I LOVED this wedding party????

One of my favorites of the beautiful bride & groom...

Now on to the reception...  Adam & Shannon had some of the BEST ideas I've ever seen.  One of them was a candy table complete with little bags for everyone to stock up on their favorite candy.  I'm sorry, but uh...this should be a mandatory thing at ALL wedding receptions!!!  : )

Another favorite...

Shortly after Adam & Shannon asked me to photograph their wedding, I heard from them again.  But this time with some news that no one ever wants to hear.  Shannon's father had gotten very sick and passed away.  This was so incredibly heartbreaking, especially after knowing how close this family was and how much Shannon's Dad meant to her.  It was her dream to have her Dad at one of the most important days of her life and so the family saw to it that his presence was there throughout.  One of the hardest times came during the reception.  Brett, Shannon's brother had walked her down the aisle and also tried his best to take his father's place by giving a speech, but when it came to the Father- Daughter dance, Shannon just couldn't have that replaced.  So instead, Shannon took a moment to talk in front of everyone and tried to put into words how truly wonderful her Dad was.  Adam stood by her side the entire time holding her hand and keeping her strong.  And then a slideshow was presented of some of the many memories the family had through photographs.  Adam, Shannon, her mother, her brother, and his wife Tori and their son Max all stood together as they watched.

Once the slideshow was over, and everyone was able to hug and wipe their eyes, somehow, the family was able to pull themselves together and start to celebrate the joy and love that had filled the room by so many people who truly and deeply care about them.

After a few moments had passed, the night moved on to other dances including the wedding party dance.    LOVED this one....  I'll start it for you.... "Life is a mystery, everyone will stand alone, I hear you call my name..."

"When you call my name, it's like little prayer..."  Every time I hear this song now, I will always think of this dance and fantastic group of people and.... SMILE!!!

And yet, another great idea.  I've seen the photo booth thing before, but this time, everyone put their strips of photos into a book for Adam & Shannon and signed a message to them.  Awwwe, LOVE this!!!  With all the family and friends that filled the room that night, you can only imagine how good of a job everyone did completing this "project".

Here's another first sighting for me...invisible double dutch...in dancing style!  LOL!!!!!  I have to admit, I really, really, really wanted to put my camera down a few times and jump in and join in on the fun.  I'm telling you, these people really know how to celebrate!

But perhaps one of the funniest times was when Shannon and one of her bridesmaids joined in.  By this point, just about everyone had spilled their drink a time or two so the floor had become a bit slippery to say the least : ).  This didn't make the situation any less funny though.   Michelle, the bridesmaid, fell not just once, but then got up and fell yet again!  

Many props and "costume" changes took place throughout the evening.... : )

Cheers to one of the best groups of people I have ever met!  

Adam & Shannon, thank you sooooo much asking me to be a part of your special day!  There is not a doubt in my mind that you two have years and years and years of  happiness together ahead of you, and I truly wish you nothing but the absolute best in life!!!

Adam & Shannon Questionnaire...

What was your favorite memory of the day?

Dancing with all of our family and friends at the reception.  We had a blast.

What was the funniest memory of the day?

When my cousin Michelle ran in to do the invisible double dutch and slipped and fell and then proceeded to get up and try again and slipped in the same spot.

What was your favorite detail?

My favorite detail was my wedding party.  Everyone looked so perfect.  I couldn't have asked for a better looking wedding party.  They are pretty great people too!

What was your favorite wedding purchase?

I would have to say my dress.  I loved it and I want to wear it again.  Maybe in 50 years it will still fit haha!

If you could do it all over again, is there anything that you would change?

I would have taken time to go to the photo booth and the candy bar.  I expected to have a ton of candy left over and there wasn't so I missed out on all the goodies.

Any advice you might have for future Bride & Groom's?

Take time to have fun at your reception.  There are so many things that have to get done, but make sure you get the chance to eat, drink, and dance because it all goes so fast.

Where did you go for your honeymoon?

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Any favorite memories you would like to share about your honeymoon?

My favorite memory about the honeymoon was not having a plan.  We woke up every morning when we wanted to, took naps when we wanted to and did whatever we wanted to.  Our biggest decision of the day was where we were going to eat dinner!

A few of my favorites:

1.)  Seeing Shannon in her dress

2.)  Waiting our turn amongst all the other wedding parties at Forest Park

3.)  Adam not being able to take his eyes off Shannon.  His eyes would dance every time he saw her.

4.)  Fearing that Tori (my other favorite bride from last year) might go into labor at any given moment...her due date was only 6 days away at the time!

5.)  The playlist at the Reception...one of the best of all times

6.)  Shannon's "costume" changes throughout the reception.  Let's see I believe there was a Hawaiian Bride, Construction Bride, and Dark Angel Bride!

7.)  The photo booth album...a seriously great idea.

And my least favorite moment:

Having to say goodbye to the Perry family at the end of the night.  Unfortunately, Brett & Shannon are the only siblings, but I truly hope our paths will cross again at some point! 

Don't forget to leave your comments below!!!