Anya + Chris

Sorry all faithful blog followers. I am just now getting caught up, so I promise blogging will be more regular. Here's a great one from October. Anya and Chris are wonderful. It's always fun to shoot wedding ceremonies that are a little divergent from the usual. Anya grew up at this really neat Eastern Orthodox church, and the ceremony had tons of visual interest (check out the crowns below). Both Erin (my faithful assistant) and I remarked all day on how nice and laid back everyone was. Thank you so much all of you for letting me into your day!
Anya's mom made all of the cute bridesmaid's dresses!

Anya's sister Alli did the flowers- she used some really unique flowers

I love the way kids connect with the camera

beauty.



I love this moment. Anya and her family and bridesmaids were picked up in the limo, and then arrived in front of the church, and walked straight into the doors and down the aisle. I absolutely love this way of doing things. So dramatic- the anticipation is outstanding. People always say they don't want to wait to see eachother because they're afraid they'll be so nervous, and I usually say "great"- that's what makes the moment so powerful.








Anya's family is Russian, so instead of throwing flowers or bubbles or whatever, they exited the church with a vodka toast. Fun!

Dad and Grandma toasting

I asked Erin to shoot the reaction- she nailed it. Yuck!




Lake Quivira- the sun had just set- This is one of my favorite lights to shoot in- that blue night sky




...and they danced the night away. :)

Andy and Brecken Engagement

I got to know these two when I shot Andy's sweet sister Lucy's wedding last December. The Rumseys are just all around good people. Andy and Brecken met when they were both working at Blockbuster. They are cute. They are quirky (aren't we all?) and they bring out eachother's cute quirks. (See the picture under the tree canopy below- kind of an endeared laughing at eachother- I like that in couples). During our shoot I told Brecken that she reminded me of Claire Danes, and she said "I LOVE Claire Danes!" Then we started talking about how people are always infatuated with the celebrities that kind of look like them. True?
Check out some shots..

Budding Bird family

Still the baby of the family...


...until Nathan arrived!

Amber and Michael

Amber and Mike met at a friend's wedding at Club 1000, and after being persuaded to dance by friends, they made their way downstairs to Tanner's to hang out more.
Soooo...of course we thought it would be fun to start their engagement pics off at the place where the magic first happened.
What fun!

Pretty Things- ScarlettGarnet Jewelry

For my birthday this year, my husband Mark set up a meeting with a local jewelry artist, Garnet Baker, so that I could choose or commission a custom piece. Garnet met us at a local coffee shop one Saturday morning and we rummaged through a huge box of amazing natural stones. She was so passionate about the rocks. She was bubbling over with ideas, and I immediately wanted to tell everyone I knew about her quickly budding jewelry company.
Then, I learned that she and her partner Katie do custom jewelry (at a very reasonable price) for weddings. I wished I would have know about this when I got married!
What could be more special than a custom designed piece of jewelry to give to your bridesmaids?
So a few weeks ago we shot a few of the pieces that Garnet and her partner Katie have made. Enjoy the eye candy, and be sure to keep your eye on this incredible duo of designers- they are destined for success! (great Christmas idea too)
www.scarlettgarnet.com




beautiful finishing detail- the back is just as gorgeous as the front. And those draping beads sewn into the back of the dress were also done by Garnet. Oooh la la!

this set is actually very special to me. I gave Garnet this cameo locket that my grandma passed down to me and asked her to put it on a beautiful chain- she came back with this lovely delicate combination of stones that just showcases my family treasure.

Here is an amazing creation of Katie's. Made of antique finds- bottons and such. Eclectic and clean at the same time


Garnet has incredible range- she does both classic and delicate and a little more edgy. This piece is actually centered around a pendant made of a real live orchid. and I love the way this echoes the model's tatoos.