Tiffany & Kyle Married at the Robidoux Landing Playhouse

While Tiffany & Kyle are enjoying their honeymoon in Hawaii I wanted to post a preview of their wedding. I know Tiffany is a big Facebook user so these will be going there next. Kyle & Tiffany love fall so we first met last fall for their engagement session. Tiffany & I kept in touch quite often over the last year so when the wedding day arrived it certainly didn't feel like it'd been a year since we'd seen each other!

Kyle & Tiffany were married on the popular date of 10.10.10. There should be no trouble remembering that anniversary date! Their wedding and reception were held at the Robidoux Landing Playhouse in St. Joseph, MO. The building used to be a cracker factory. The place was small & dark, but perfect for their intimate little wedding. The place had a lot of character and the way Tiffany styled everything was really beautiful. Their wedding colors were chocolate brown, latte and just a hint of sage green. They stood on the stage for their ceremony; Kyle had a bit of stage fright but no cold feet! The guests watched from their tiered seating at dinner tables--a fun mix of dinner theater & a wedding!

I hope you enjoy your preview Tiffany & Kyle! Congratulations again and best wishes for many years of happiness!!

The pictures were a really important part of the wedding day for these two and Tiffany even brought along a couple props for their portrait time. I love the umbrella!

Tiffany with her girls helping get her ready to see Kyle for their First Look. Kyle & Tiffany got ready for the day at the rustic Stoney Creek Inn.

Tiffany and her besties

Ah, fall! I am so glad the trees have started to change. It made for some spectacular scenery at Krug Park.




On stage for their vows.


Railroad tracks right outside the Playhouse made for some fun wedding party shots!

Programs placed at each place setting.

The way Kyle looks at Tiffany says it all!

I loved the lanterns hanging above the cake area. Cupcake tower by Rebekah Cake Artist.



They had such a fun idea for "favors" for their guests. They hired a caricature artist for each guest to have their caricature drawn to take with them at the end of the night. Kyle & Tiffany got one too, their's is below. My mom/2nd photographer & I also had one drawn! That is a first for us at a wedding, but so much fun!

Sal & Gina's Fall Wedding at Our Lady of Sorrows

Gina first contacted me almost a year before their wedding day. I documented Adam & Ashley's wedding last September and Gina's mom is friends with Adam's mom. I love working with people who were referred to me by past clients and their families because I know we are already starting off on strong ground--and there's no bigger compliment than a referral. Gina & Sal had no problem trusting in my skills and creativity and that's always a relief, and allows me to do some of my best work. We met over the summer to do their engagement session and I met all of their siblings then so I already knew half the wedding party by the wedding day! We had a blast!

On their wedding day when I walked into the hotel room where Gina was getting ready, it was like walking in to see old friends. I was instantly greeted by her sisters and mother. The weather was a warm & perfect fall day--good thing since they had allowed lots of time for pictures outside later. I just in time to capture her getting her dress on. Then Gina & Sal had their "First Look" in their room at the Argosy Hotel.

It was a whirlwind day and these two are so meant for each other. Every time I'm able to witness love like this it reminds me why I love my job so much. Their ceremony was at the beautiful Our Lady of Sorrows near Crown Center and the Hallmark campus. The reception followed at The Argosy Ballroom. Here are just some of my favorites that tell the story of their oh-so-Italian wedding day.

Congrats Gina & Sal! I just adore you two and your wonderful families! May you have many many years of wedded bliss!

Gina & Sal did their First Look in their hotel room which made for a very private moment.

I have always wanted to get pictures in the couple's room but it has never worked out. I am so glad we were able to get these before the ceremony!

Gina's gorgeous bouquet, full of color. All the bouquets & bouts were made by Clara Bauer of Clara's Flowers.

A gust of wind blowing down Gillham made for some veil fun!

What a beautiful bride!

I loved the bridesmaids deep purple dresses. They just pop with those flowers.



More fun with the veil in the wind. Aren't they an amazingly gorgeous couple?! They are truly beautiful inside & out--and so relaxed!

This ring bearer is all cheeks! And I thought my little one had big cheeks. He's got nothing on this little guy!
Gina's dress was layer upon layer of pure fluffiness. Love it!

I captured this shot as the sun was setting. While in college I used to work at a law firm near this church (near Crown Center/Hallmark) so I used to see this church every day & think to myself "I'd love to shoot a wedding there someday!" I have always loved this church.



Exchange of rings

Mr. & Mrs. LoPorto!

This beautifully intricate cake was made my Amy Smith. The flowers echo some of the flowers in the lacework on Gina's dress.

They are so romantic...pure happiness



The bouquet toss. All the girls, including the flower girls, gathered around.

Aww, but the flower girl's hopes of catching the bouquet were dashed, leaving her in tears.

Gotta love Italian Wedding cookies! The women of the family who made all these delicious cookies are nothing short of amazing!

Cherah + Colt's Engagement Shoot

Cherah & Colt are getting married next year at the Lee Andrews Hall in Blue Springs. So they requested an engagement session for this fall, along with some ideas for specific looks they wanted and left it up to me to suggest some great places. I'm always looking for a good excuse to do some new location scouting around town and thanks to their requests I found some fabulous new areas! And within close driving distance which makes everyone happy!

They were both so much fun during their photo shoot and relaxed right away--complete naturals which makes my job sooo easy. Aren't they adorable together? And Cherah was so brave going without shoes in the weeds & muddy gravel drive. Colt was such a gentleman though & carried her around. :o) I am totally in love with all these images so I have been eager to get them edited & posted up here to share! I smiled back at them on the computer screen the whole time I edited. I am so looking forward to their wedding next year!

Working With Your Wedding Vendors

Many thanks to Lauren at EveryLastDetailBlog for this super helpful post! I am re-posting below because it's truly fantastic advice & what every bride should know! Follow the link below for the original post and to find MANY more great posts.

Working With Your Wedding Vendors

"Part of the objective of {ELD} is to educate brides throughout the wedding planning process. So, I thought that sharing some tips about working with wedding vendors would be beneficial to both brides and vendors. No, these aren’t bad things or industry secrets. These tidbits are just things to consider when working with your wedding vendors.

- Go to your meetings prepared. Bring photos, swatches, contracts- whatever you desire really. Have a couple of questions. If you don’t have any clue about what to expect for the meeting, it doesn’t hurt to ask beforehand. If you’re going to an initial consultation, have an idea in your head of what you want your wedding to be like. If you’re at a complete loss, try the {ELD} Style Dictionary for some help. If that’s the case, tell the vendor outright that you haven’t decided on what kind of wedding you want.

- Going along with the previous statement, TALK to your vendors. They can’t read your mind and know what you want. If you don’t have anything specific that you want, tell them so they can give you ideas and suggestions.

-Don’t be afraid to ask your vendors for other referrals. Good vendors working with each other results in a good experience for ALL!

- Your wedding vendors work weekends, of course, as most weddings are on weekends. However, just because they are “working” does not mean that they are sitting at their desks all weekend. They’re out, on location, at weddings, working. Please don’t be worried or mad if an email you send on the weekend or at the end of the week isn’t returned immediately. I know they’re all super awesome at returning emails during the week, but come Thursday or Friday, things can turn into a madhouse preparing for weddings. Please have patience with your vendors if you send emails during “peak days”, and give them time to get back to the office and respond.

- Running late for a meeting or did life just get in the way? Call the vendor and let them know! Wedding vendors don’t have the most normal schedules, and although most of the time they’re very accommodating, more times than not they also have lots of other things on their plate.

- Something else to remember: your wedding vendors’ respective profession is their career and job. They don’t do it “on the side” or as a “hobby”. Meaning it’s their livelihood and how they put food in their family’s mouth, just like your job. Yes, they love what they do and it’s a fun, rewarding job, but they also have to make money. Their prices are what they are because it’s what they live off of.

- Some vendors you have that may be working with family members on the day of your wedding (coordinator, planner, photographer, videographer, DJ) won’t know what their names are unless you specifically tell them. Give them specific names for your bridal party and any family involved. For photos, have a family member act as the “round up person” to get needed family members efficiently.

- And of course- sorry to sound like a broken record- everything is better and easier when you have a wedding planner/coordinator. It’s pretty much unanimously agreed upon by all wedding vendors.

I just wanted to share these tidbits to help when working with your wedding vendors. Hopefully it will help you all have great experiences with your vendors! And any vendors or brides, feel free to share your tips in the comments as well!" -- Lauren, everylastdetailblog.com

You're "Looking" at a new WPJA Member!

I was quite thrilled this week to learn that I was accepted for membership into the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA). I have heard stories from photographers all over the country of how hard it is to get in, some people applying multiple times with still no luck, so when I got the email only a week later welcoming me as a new member of the WPJA I was elated.

So, what is the WPJA, you ask? For non-photographers reading this, here are some excerpts from their site:

"The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) is a professional organization composed of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world. What sets our members apart in the industry is their candid, documentary approach – a distinctly artistic vision toward wedding photography."

"The Wedding Photojournalist Association puts the world’s best wedding photography at your fingertips. We offer a new perspective on wedding photography - quietly capturing the real moments as they happen for the bride and groom. It is our goal to use photography to tell the story of your wedding day, not dictate it for you."

"IMPORTANT NOTE: Membership in the WPJA depends entirely on photographers meeting our high standards for inclusion. One CANNOT simply pay his/her way into the WPJA. We emphasize this is NOT another ad-driven wedding web site."

This is what I'm about, a story teller, driven to capture the real emotions and events of the wedding day, so it's nice to be a part of an association that helps explain my style for potential clients. I also look forward to the quarterly photo competitions!

A few more from Kyadda & Brian's wedding

I just got finished going through & editing all of Brian & Kyadda's wedding photos and wanted to share some that my mom, a.k.a. the 2nd photographer, took. It's so important to not only have another person there to catch anything I may miss but to have another point of view as well. I can't be in two places at once and even if I could, I wouldn't see the same thing the same way & capture it exactly the same as another person. I (& every couple) so value her added point of view & style. We make a great team. Nice captures!

Kyadda & her Mom walking out to see Brian for the Big Reveal

What time is it? Wedding time!

A different view of the cake topper

This moment makes me tear up every time I look at it so of course I had to post it here. I love the way they're looking into each other's eyes. It doesn't even matter whether those looks are because of the toasts going on or something unspoken. It's just a great moment! Kyadda's face says it all.

Chocolate covered goodness

Senior Portrait Special

In celebration of this fantastic fall-like weather this week I have decided to offer a very limited-time Senior Portrait Special. Set up your Senior session appointment by August 31, 2010 and receive 15% off your session fee! This means the session can take place anytime in the next 9 months, not that you have to have the session in a week. So all you have to do is give me a call or submit my website contact form, pick a day and pay 1/2 of the discounted session fee and you're set! The remainder of the session fee won't be due until the day of the session. And, don't worry about bad weather either. If the weather doesn't cooperate for us on your session day we can reschedule for a time that is good for everyone, possibly even the day or week after, without any added fees (nobody can control the weather!) But more days like these would definitely be welcome!

Happy Back-to-School to the Class of 2011!!