Freeze Frame

Engagement ~ Crystal & Christian

2012-01-12T00:24:00.000-08:00

Mike and I had so much fun doing this couple's engagement session that I couldn't choose just a couple of the photos to share... Now I'll admit, ice skating was not my idea! Christian is a hockey player and the couple came up with this idea on their own, but after Crystal had saw some of the photos I had taken with Christmas lights she wanted photos with those in them as well... so I came up with the Belmar Shopping Center's Ice Skating rink as the perfect place to do their photos... I'll admit it was a little challenging for the skating shots... and I felt like something of a sports photographer working my camera through all the skaters to just the two of them. And they were definitely troopers... going around and around the rink until I had just the right photos! But the end result was fantastic! Now I can't wait to cover their wedding next October at Arrowhead Golf Club! Yes, folks next October...10 months away and we booked them before the holidays! I think we're going to have a very busy 2012!

Album Delivery!

2012-01-09T14:11:00.001-08:00

Finally got Diane & Brandon's wedding album back... so it's ready for the couple to pick-up! This is the first time I printed an ASABook with the full leather cover and the metal insert. I really like it... gives the album both a classic and a modern look to it! Awesome!

Also just diving in to the album designs from 2011. Currently, I have one first draft up and I am starting my 2nd design for another couple. I'm still waiting for photo choices from a few other couples who pre-ordered albums so I can get started on their album designs as well... you know who you are! Please don't wait until Spring or Summer to get those to me... if you do I don't have much time to spend on them so your album may end up simpler in design... if you are having a problem choosing photos you can always contact me and ask me to do it for you.

Anyone from 2011 or previous years that would like to talk about having us design an album for you the Winter months are the best time to have us sit down and do a consultation with you (before we get into wedding season again... I don't work on any non pre-ordered albums over the busy shooting months.)So give us a call!

Portraits ~ Bosma Family

2011-12-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

Shayne & Elizabeth found me via the internet with their search for a family photographer. Beth and I chatted on the phone and I found out that they are planning a move to North Dakota where my sister-in-law lives so we chatted about that and hit it off right away. They are also expecting their first baby in March... which talking to Shayne sounds like the 1st in a huge family they have planned. Too bad they won't be staying around because I would have work for life! LOL! All my best to you both in your future plans.. keep in touch!

Portraits ~ Wulf Family

2011-12-09T12:24:00.000-08:00

I love it when the couples I just saw get married move on to having a family and call me to cover those special moments in their lives too!
Jillian & Nathan are expecting their first baby in March! So they decided to do my baby belly & newborn package. This consists of a photo-shoot of the mom and dad highlighting the maternity belly approx 5-6 months into the pregnancy and then a session scheduled right after the baby is born where we highlight the infant and also do a few family portraits! An exciting time in their lives and I'm happy to be a part of it!

Portraits ~ Kippenberger Family

2011-11-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

Photographed my favorite family again this year.... The Kippenbergers are friends as well as clients and have been some of my greatest supporters. I've been photographing them every year since before there were babies! This year we decided to showcase their very first purchased home! We did more lifestyle shots... like something you'd see in an advertisement about family living! And I will say these have been some of my favorites! enjoy!

Thank you ~ Sparkman Wedding

2011-11-16T14:35:00.001-08:00

Thank you card from Annie & Jeff's June Wedding!

Wedding ~ Kristen & Daniel

2011-09-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

I just love, love, love this wedding... beautiful Fall colors and lots of photo opportunities at Shadows Ranch in Georgetown, CO. The bridesmaids and the bride arrived in a horse drawn carriage to the ceremony and then the couple were set out on a raft after they tied the knot. Fall is becoming a really popular time in Colorado to get hitched due to the beautiful colors.

Wedding ~ Jennifer & Jeremiah

2011-09-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

Lionscrest Manor was the lovely venue for this early Fall wedding! And what a perfect day it turned out to be. Jennifer and Jeremiah were picture perfect for their special day and so were their guests. Thanks for having us be a part of this special occasion!

Wedding ~ Amanda & Josh

2011-09-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

We were able to follow another wonderful couple from Colorado to Florida for their beautiful beach wedding! Amanda & Josh had an amazing and fun wedding in St. Pete Beach, FL. It was out first time to the area and I was amazed at how beautiful the beaches were there! My husband and I left as little early to enjoy a little R&R for our five year anniversary before we covered this event and enjoyed every minute of it... including the wedding festivities! I would definitely go back in a heartbeat!
Congratulations you two! Many more happy years to come!

Wedding ~ Venus & Mike

2011-08-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

Venus and Mike had a beautiful backyard wedding at their own home in Windsor, CO. The bride was very creative making all of the decorations, flowers, cake and even the dresses for a few of the bridesmaids and flower girls herself! The theme for the wedding was Rockabilly! And they certainly rocked out! We did all of the formal photos before the ceremony at a nearby park ... Simple done up in a big way!

Wedding ~ Amylee & Blake

2011-08-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

Our longtime friend, Amylee married her long ago high school sweetheart, Blake back in South Dakota at one of the most beautiful chapels Chapel in The Hills which is a replica of a beautiful chapel in Norway. This place also holds a special place in my heart as my own grandmother loved it so much and I remember visiting it with her as a child. Mike and I were so excited that we were able to attend such a momentous occasion and capture it for years to come. Flowers were also done by our favorite Black Hills florist: Jenny's Floral in Custer, SD.

Portraits ~ Myhr family

2011-08-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

We didn't end up photographing all of the Myhr's like we planned due to some scheduling conflicts, but the two families who came ended up with a fun family session to last a lifetime! Used one of my favorite locations, the park by the Butterfly Pavilion... awesome!

Wedding ~ Abby & Kolby

2011-07-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

We've been averaging one to two weddings a year at Meadows at Marshdale in Evergreen, CO for quite sometime now due to being on their preferred vendor list... and I love working at this venue! There are so many photo opportunities that I almost never have enough time to use them all. It was a perfect day for a wedding.... and a Western themed wedding at that! The cowboy hats and boots were on all of the gentleman and the Red Barn fit the setting perfectly! Abby & Kolby were such troopers tromping through the field to the dock by the pond after the ceremony... just to get the perfect shots! They also picked my favorite baker for a fabulous "hay bale" shaped cake - Das Meyer and of course used my husband and DJ extraordinaire - Digital DJ. Perfect day for the perfect couple!

Little Theatre Culture Centers, Inc.

2011-07-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

After an intense month of June (editing multiple weddings and countless hours of videotape of dancers) LTCC's orders are all complete and have been dropped off at the school where you will be able to pick them up. If you are interested in purchasing additional copies of photos or videos you can do so up to a month before the 2012 show via our website here: Little Theatre 2011 the password is included on all of the orders at the school or you may call or email us to get it. As always we enjoyed working with all of you and hope to see you all again next year!

P.S. Due to Highlands Ranch School closing please pick up all of those orders at the Ken Caryl School... address and directions are on Little Theatre's website: http://www.4littletheatre.com/kencaryl.html

Wedding ~ Stephanie & Terry

2011-07-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

A wedding at a casino? Why, yes! The Ameristar Resort in Black Hawk, CO. offered an amazing venue to host a wedding with excellent service, wonderful food and a fairly affordable price for Stephanie & Terry's big day! I was truly impressed with the service provided by the resort.... we also ran into that pesky rain again (July must have been the wettest month in the past decade!) but luckily it held out long enough to complete the wedding ceremony on the beautiful outdoor deck. While our outdoor "formal" photos after the ceremony were canceled the venue offered up many other interesting and photogenic options... they even allowed us to do a fun photo in the casino with the couple and a slot machine! The only drawback I can see to having your wedding at a casino is that the temptation to go gamble and play is too much to keep your crowd dancing for too long! But when they danced boy did they! Digital DJ kept the room hopping with a lot of traditional Italian dances that were requested by the couple that were also a lot of fun to photograph. Awesome wedding!

Wedding ~ Nikki & Robert

2011-07-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

So I've been neglecting my blogging duties! LOL! Just because we've been so busy this year. So thought I would do a quick update on some of the weddings from July...

We covered Nikki & Robert's rain soaked wedding at The Event Center at Church Ranch in Westminster, CO. Everything was going fine... and luckily the couple chose to do almost all of their formal photos before the ceremony (this mainly because they were having a late ceremony on a Friday night and they wanted to make sure they had the most photos before the sun went down) because right before they were slated to walk down the aisle the hugest rain storm I have ever seen in Colorado decided to descend on their event! The officiant decided to postpone and get all of the guests indoors right before it hit. There was an earlier storm that day which had soaked the ground a lot so the water from this storm had nowhere to go so it ended up in the reception hall itself! And again luckily the groom worked for a disaster recovery company called CoCat , I think his boss was in attendance to the wedding so he called up a team and had them there in no time flat! They cleaned up all the water, used fans to dry it out... and after an hour delay we still had a wedding ceremony and the reception hall was set-up again and ready for the party! They were amazing! I'm going to keep their number in my phone because you never know when that might come in handy again! They completely save the day! After that... nothing could effect the couple's mood! They were extremely positive considering the situation and just happy to finally tie the knot! They say rain is suppose to bring you luck on your wedding day! This couple should have luck in spades! Congrats you two!

Wedding ~ Taylor & Kyle

2011-07-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

This was our first time covering a wedding at Bear Dance Golf Club in Larkspur... and WOW! what a spectacular view and amazing service. Michele, their event coordinator was standing by at all times so Taylor and Kyle didn't have to lift a finger! We even got an escort from him up to some fabulous vantage points for photos afterwards on the course... this will be marked up as one of my top ten venues to work at! Picturesque views and wonderful service always makes the day go easier and a lot more fun! Not to mention a lovely couple who really had a lot of fun taking photos! I'll be working on their video soon as well... can't wait to see Taleen's coverage! Especially of the packed dance floor.... way to go, Mike, my hubby and DJ extraordinaire!

Wedding ~ Jennifer & Brian

2011-06-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I met at a Bridal Show last year... the funny thing is she was working for a vendor in the booth right beside ours... because she is an amazing baker for Red Rocks Country Club! I think we hit it off because well, we were both laughing about the pink chocolate fountain that looked like flowing Pepto Bismo that another vendor had... ewww... not appetizing at all! So a month after that her and Brian were engaged and she was calling to book us for our 3 service package deal: photo, video, & DJ! Yeah! I spent some time with the two of them on their engagement shoot in Eldorado Canyon and I knew these guys were going to be into their photos! Their wedding at Lower Lake Ranch was awesome... the weather perfect and we took some creative photos! We're even planning a trash the dress session towards the end of July! So excited. So thanks for hiring us... looking forward to a working relationship for years to come!

Wedding ~ Danielle & Danny

2011-06-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

Danielle came to us by way of referral from one of my favorite clients turned wedding planners... the Goins sisters! They own Divine Weddings & Events. Danielle grew up in Colorado, but now resides in Texas so she was planning a large wedding from quite a distance! They held their event at Lionsgate Center's Gatehouse in Lafayette and on a Thursday evening.... which again if I haven't mentioned it having a weekday wedding saves couples big bucks! Venues usually have price breaks for weekdays as well as other wedding vendors! In their case they were able to get two photographers for the price of one with us! We even set up a fun portrait station for the guests to take photos for their wedding favors complete with props... Photo-booth rentals are quite popular right now, but to save that $1,500+ fee just add on a portrait station and print the photos yourself when you get the disks from us! The high cost is in having extra people there for printing and the mark-up for printing. If it's something you are interested in having at your event give us a call.

Wedding ~ Jenny & Jonny

2011-05-28T23:40:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and Jonathon were married at one of my favorite locations to do photography: Denver Botanic Gardens... It may be one of my favorite locations, but it also one of the more challenging locations to do video & photography for a wedding... the location is open to the public while any event is going on and it can hold multiple events at one time. The day of their wedding there were 4 weddings! The challenging part of this is that you may have to compete with other brides and not to mention regular clientele for prime spots to take portraits at as well as worry about keeping an eye on all of your equipment! But all went well... I hired an additional assistant named Chris who did a wonderful job of watching and moving gear as well as was able to take some of his own photos... so basically this couple got 2 photographers for the price of one on this event! The overcast day made for some wonderful lighting for the photos and the rain stayed away just until they were exiting! Whew! And did I mention their wedding planner? If not she gets a million recommendations from us! Cheryl Lynn Foster-Gerton owns An Essential Event and she was worth every penny this couple spent! I saw her running to and from the ceremony and reception site at least 5 times that day (and it was quite a distance between the two!), she organized the entire timeline for the couple as well as designed centerpieces and coordinated with the catering staff which was Catering By Design! Also always awesome and now the premier vendor for receptions at the Botanic Gardens. My husband, Mike from Digital DJ also loved working with her!

Graduation - Jefferson Academy

2011-05-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful commencement ceremony at The School of Mines for Jefferson Academy with lots of orders from the graduating seniors! I finally finished up on all of the pre-orders and mailed them out on Tuesday, June 7th! So everything should be coming soon to you via the US Postal Service so keep an eye open. Any re-orders can be placed via our online proofing site which you can get to through our main website or by following this link: Crystaline's Online Proofing Site
We look forward to meeting the Class of 2012 next year! If you know of any graduating seniors who need their Senior Portraits taken, please keep us in mind as we also do those!

Graduation - Eagle Ridge Academy & Highland's Dance Spring Recital

2011-05-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

So our first year covering Eagle Ridge Academy's graduation was today... it was there first year of existence as well! There had been previous schools in the same location with different names... sounds like they went through some tormenting years before that, so glad to see a class come out on top! It was a wonderful event.. their commencement speaker was even Senator, Ed Perlmutter! So all in all a great event! As of May 31st all pre-orders from this event have been shipped so keep an eye out in the mail for those.

After the graduation we had to hurry to The Oriental Theater and set up for Highland's Dance Spring Recital... Another wonderful event! I always love the music that the teachers pick for this dance school! And as of June 4th all of the completed videos for this event have been dropped at the studio so please see Whitney for your pre-ordered copy!

Featured Wedding On Other Blogs!

2011-05-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

So we've had two weddings recently featured on a couple wedding related blogs and I wanted to share those with everyone.

First... Julie & Carl's beautiful mountain wedding at Della Terra Mountain Chateau in Estes Park, CO. Julie managed to have a first class wedding on a shoestring budget by having their wedding on an off day... Check out the rest of the details on the Rocky Mountain Bridal Magazine's Blog: Click Here.

Next.... Jessa & Brian's fabulous destination wedding in the Virgin Islands... this was our first beach wedding coverage and it was amazing! I'm all about travel so if you live in Colorado and want us to go somewhere with you to cover an awesome wedding give us a call. Check out the details of their special day on Wholly Matrimony's Wedding Blog: Click Here

Professionalism at a Wedding....

2011-04-05T09:56:00.001-07:00

This Spring I've been really thinking about what makes me stand out as a photographer. Especially since I'm now competing with so many amateurs who buy a nice camera print out some business cards and call themselves photographers. I start to wonder why I spent $40,000 on an education learning how to properly light a subject and how to run my fancy camera when "Susie" can pick up any old camera and say she's a photographer. Why also out of the 30 students I started school with only 8 graduated and out of those 8 only 2 or 3 of us are still actually working photographers. I guess price is a factor... it's hard to justify to someone that $1,600 - $5,000 to spend on your wedding photography is fair when they can go on craigslist and find someone willing to photograph their wedding for less than $500! But that old saying is you get what you pay for also rings true! You may get someone who is great, or you may get someone who has no idea what they are doing... it's a craps shoot, do you really want to gamble on your wedding?

I do photography for a living... which means I pay my bills with what I do and as such I have to charge accordingly. Sure I love what I do, but I spend hours upon hours working on images, researching photography trends, updating my website, designing albums, going to bridal fairs, purchasing new equipment. I'm not a weekend warrior. I live, breath, eat, sleep my profession... In the 11+ years of being a photographer I've had some young freshly or about to graduate high school seniors say "Hey, photography is so cool I would love to do that." "What does it take to become a photographer?" I tell them... "You can't go into it just thinking hey, this would be something cool to do with my life." "You have to love it... you have to love it to the point that you are willing to go about 5-10 years without making a dime doing it" "And you have to take some professional classes if you want to be a professional!" "Do not shoot a wedding with only one camera!" "Weddings are a once in a lifetime event and there is no do overs! Cameras will and do break, have a back-up plan. If you can't afford a 2nd body starting out... either rent a 2nd body or stick to portraits (things you can re-shoot) until you can."

So back to my original question... what makes me stand out? Professionalism! I've been to friend's weddings where I was just a guest and not the photographer and I've worked with many photographers prior to starting my own business and I've seen the best and worse of photographers. Here are a couple of my favorite stories of the worse and ways to avoid them:

1.) The photographers showed up in cargo shorts and Birkenstocks to a formal wedding. (Make sure you talk to your photographer about proper dress attire... this would seem like a no brainer, but I assure you it is not! My friend said that when she met with her photographer she was dressed in business clothing, but when she showed up for the wedding it was a totally different story and she had an assistant that was dressed the same as her!) Myself and my staff always wear a suit unless otherwise specified by the client.

2.) The same photographer from above had a family medical emergency and had to leave in the middle of the wedding. Now in her defense she had another photographer come and fill-in for her while she was away, plus the assistant so she had a back-up plan in place.... however she neglected to tell the other photographer some of the photos that the bride had requested like a large group photo so they had to make the DJ stop dancing in the middle of the evening to do this shot (some of the guests had already left, and I knew that it wasn't going to be a great shot with everyone half drunk and smashed together on the dance floor.) (Make sure your photographer has a back-up plan... Do they own more than one camera body, more than one flash, more than one lens.... If it were me I'd almost ask them to show you their equipment. How do you know they own professional grade equipment unless you see it! What is their plan in case of a medical emergency, etc. - I even share my story with couples on how I had to have knee surgery back in 2007 in June! I hired 2 extra camera men for every wedding I had and also went to every wedding still on crutches to supervise and still take photos!)

3.) Make sure you get along with the photographer and like their personality! I was at a wedding as a videographer only once and I actually saw the photographer tell the mother of the flower girl that her daughter was a brat! If you like their photos, but don't like the person, don't hire them! The photographer is the person that is with you most of the day... if you don't get along it is going to be a very long day and I guarantee your disgust with this person will show up in your expressions in your photos! (Now it's hard to predict something like that coming out of your photographer's mouth... but first impressions really do tell you a lot and also don't be afraid to ask for references! A professional should have a list of people to talk to!) On an after note... this same family ended up hiring us for their son's wedding as the photographer a couple years later, recommending us to friend for a wedding and since then we've photographed their family reunion photos! Being a professional paid off!

4.) Make sure that the photographer will respect the customs of your church or venue. I've seen many photographers getting on the alter during the ceremony at a church or standing on pews with their dirty feet. Because of this they are giving us professionals a bad name. I've started to notice a recent trend lately where churches are sending out a photo contract that the photographer must sign before they can work in their church basically saying what is and isn't allowed. Again common sense says don't make yourself the center of attention during the ceremony by standing on the alter! But not in this world we live in now. I'm all about getting the shot! But not at the expense of the experience for the couple! (To alleviate this issue plan a walk thru with your photographer at your venue with the person officiating the ceremony so they know what is expected of them. If you can't find time to do this, then make sure they have at least spoken to someone at the venue to make sure they know what is expected of them!) If we are going to a new location I always plan a meet and greet with the people in charge on my own befoehand. Recently, I just met the coordinator and the media tech person at a Catholic Church we will be at this Summer and they both told me they've never had a photographer take the initiative to do this beforehand... once in a while the photographer shows up with bride in tow to look at locations for formals, but never have they had a photographer want to know the "dos & don'ts and discuss options with them beforehand!" All I could say is Wow!

The last piece of advice I have is look at the photos... make sure that the photographer has a wide arrange of photos to show you from more than one wedding, but at least a few complete wedding albums to showcase what a wedding looks like from beginning to end. The trend the past few years also has to been to have a photojournalist style of photographer, but make sure that the photographer is also willing to do formal groups. Some photo-journalists may not be willing to do that. I actually did a 2nd wedding for a couple that specifically asked for formals because at the bride's 1st wedding she never got a photo with her grandmother who passed away shortly after the wedding. You may really love the photo-journalistic style, but the only way to guarantee a specific photo with family members is if you have a photographer willing to do formals! We do both! I could go on and on... put I will end with this for now! A professional is worth every dollar spent!

Commercial Photos ~ Storm Chaser Truck for A.R.E.

2011-03-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

So I actually did this project last summer for A.R.E a manufacture of truck canopies & toppers. They wanted to show off a truck that they built for Tim Samaras of the Discovery Channel's - Storm Chasers. It was a lot of fun doing something a bit out of the normal for me... The photos on this site of the truck and it's operator are all mine... they added in the tornado, but it just so happened that the sky was perfect for this shoot:

http://www.4are.com/product/project/stormchaser/

Portrait ~ River

2011-03-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

River stopped by with her mommy today for some fun photos! Finally got to use my new tutu!

Engagement ~ Annie & Jeff

2011-03-10T17:09:00.001-08:00

Jeff and Annie make the cutest couple! Since they are friends of ours I've had the privilege of seeing their relationship grow over the past couple years.... While we were doing their photo session Annie shared the story of how they met it was an even cuter story! Apparently they were both attending Rock Bottom Brewery's tapping of the Fire Chief Ale celebration, which coincidentally is happening right now, today!... at this particular celebration they were auctioning off firefighters for dates to women for charity and Annie was set on hooking herself a fireman! And well, she met Jeff instead who was just there for the beer! She made a comment... "Too bad they're not auctioning off you, cause I'd bid" and he asked how much would she pay and she said "$50" and the rest was history!
Although she mentioned that she never did have to pay the $50 for him! LOL! Congrats you two! Looking forward to your big church wedding in June!

Advantages of a Wedding Coordinator!

2011-03-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

I would say about 90% of the weddings we cover do not hire a wedding planner... and for me that made me think why would anyone need a wedding planner... But after a "round table" discussion this past week with other vendors in the industry it got me thinking about all the advantages of actually getting one! This also became more apparent to me when a recent mother of the bride of a wedding I photographed mentioned to me after the event... I felt like I didn't get to enjoy my daughter's wedding, all I did was organize and make sure everything happened to make her day special.... I wish I would've hired someone to do all that for me! Wow! That put it all into perspective for me! The #1 reason to hire a wedding coordinator is so that you can enjoy your event and not have to worry about the details!

Gone are the days of wedding planners being for the ultra rich... there are planners out there to suit every budget. And most now even offer what is considered "A Day of the Event Coordinator" package.... let's say you took care of all the details up to the actual day and now all you want to do is watch your plan unfold without having to do much more for it! This person usually takes your time-line and plans and pretty much puts the plan into action. I've even seen "Month of Coordinators" - This person usually helps you bring all of your last minute details together... They may meet with or call all of your vendors to make sure everything is all set and that their are no last minute details left untouched. And the big advantage is that they will help you organize a time-line of events for the special day along with helping you run your rehearsal.
Of course if you are just not very good with planning or organizing or have no idea where to start in the planning process you can get a planner from beginning to end of the process as well. The advantages of hiring someone this early in the process is that the wedding coordinator usually knows people in the industry and can help steer you to the right vendors for your needs and may even get a discount for you with that vendor. They will be there for you for support and questions throughout the planning process... remember they've seen hundreds of weddings and their expertise may be invaluable to taking care of any problems or logistics of an event.

One other thing that I hear a lot from my clients is this... "Oh, well we have a coordinator that comes with the venue" What most couples don't know is that the Venue coordinator is there just for the VENUE and not you! Not that they won't lend a helping hand when asked, but that they are there to look out for the best interest of the venue and not yours. They are usually very busy checking to make sure that the caterers you have hired are cleaning up after themselves, or that the person decorating is not putting holes in their walls. If the venue includes things such as tables, linens and china and set-up of these items then they are busy making sure their staff is getting that completed. They are not doing what a certified wedding coordinator would be doing and that is being by your side all day... Wedding coordinators usually collect and bring your personal items to the ceremony and reception, coordinate your wedding party and everyone else involved in making the ceremony happen while also overseeing the reception plans and coordinating between all the vendors to make sure that your time-line is followed. So while a venue coordinator is a nice perk and is certainly better than not having any coordinator they may not be taking care of a lot of the little details.

As I mentioned before 90% of the weddings we cover do not have a coordinator.... so what does that mean to us as the photographer and videographer and my husband as the DJ.... we then become your unplanned pseudo coordinators. This means we may end up spending a lot of time talking to vendors to find out when things are suppose to happen or organizing people for photos. Not that we don't expect some of that... it comes in the job description! But just think of how much more time I would have to photograph the important things if I wasn't running around looking for Uncle Bob who's suppose to be in this photo, but nobody told him he's suppose to stick around for it! Or how many times have I been to a wedding where I see the guests waiting and waiting for dinner to be served because the bride and groom didn't think to talk to the caterers about the timing of it beforehand. Something that would've been addressed by a wedding coordinator when going over the time-line. If you want a seamless event that looks like it just happened magically with little effort and you don't want to be stressed about the details on the day of your event then hands down you want a wedding coordinator!

I've met some pretty amazing coordinators over the years.... so here are some that I recommend (they are all at different price points, so for sure call around and ask them what's included in their services):

Jennifer Hyde at Occasions Designed
Shairon & Sharice at Divine Events & Weddings
Julie McKenney at Bliss Elevated
Tammy at Eye for Wedding Design
Jessica at Meant to Bee Wedding Services
Honey at Seize the Day Event Planners

We welcome any opinions on this blog post.... any experiences you've had with planners good or bad.... let's not use names, but rather give tips to find the best coordinators for couples! Happy Wedding Planning!

~Jamie

RHCC ~ Father & Daughter Dance

2011-02-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

Got to see all of the fathers with their adorable daughters at Rolling Hills Country Club's Fatehr & Daughter Dance tonight! This year Erin went with a Sock Hop 50's theme and it was so cute! I was surprised to see how many people really got into the theme by dressing the part... so many adorable poodle skirts.... which raises the question... Where do you get a poodle skirt? I think most of them had to be made... so to all those moms who had to sew or put together an outfit for their husband and daughter, bravo! The photos are available on our online proofing site for re-orders, enjoy!

Hottest 2011 Photo Wedding Trends!!!

2011-02-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

Touching Base on some of the hottest Trends for Wedding Photography!

1.) The Engagement Session - No longer does the couple get one photograph for their newspaper announcement. Now, there is an entire photo session dedicated to getting some romantic and fun photographs of the couple together beforehand for the wedding. These photographs are used in all sorts of items: save-the-date cards & magnets, photo wedding invitations, photo guest books, wedding websites, photo slide-shows of the couple's dating days plus some from their engagement session, and even wedding favors... have your engagement photos printed on a cookie! Or used in your centerpiece designs! All ways to showcase the photos of the two of you usually in a more casual light.

Ideas for engagement session locations: parks, urban downtown spots, favorite building or restaurant, or make it a theme that says "you". I did a session once of a couple who taught ballroom dancing... we did photos of them doing different dance moves that were used in their photo guest book and then also as table markers... guests sat at: Tango, Cha Cha, Etc.

2.) The Photo Booth! - There are many companies out there now catering to the bride and providing trendy Photo Booth set-ups to take photos of guests at your wedding. Most of the basic rental packages out there are starting at $900 - $2000 which is quite a chunk of change to add on to your wedding budget, but if you have the extra money for it seems like a really fun idea. I've come up with a way to do the photo booth, but in a more budgeted style. If you add on a 2nd photographer to any of our packages which is $700... if you want we will also throw in our version of the photo booth. This consists of a professional photo backdrop & lights and the 2nd photographer to shoot the photos. After the wedding those photos will be included with all of your other wedding images and online for guest to purchase. Of course prints are not included with that price and can be added on at a significant upgrade price, but if you still want the fun of a booth, plus a 2nd photographer to get all the extra angles of the ceremony at a more realistic price this is a great alternative. After the wedding print the photos yourself and send them out with your wedding thank you's as a gift!

3.) After the Wedding Sessions - Trash the Dress! - If you haven't cleaned your dress yet... hold off and do some fun photos again with your photographer where you don't have to be as careful about not getting the dress dirty. From something simple as running through a field to jumping in a lake. (FYI - The dirtier you are the funner the photos, but saving your dress may not be as much of an option!) Just another reason to wear that dress before it goes into hibernation.
4.) Preserve those Photos - Get a Wedding Album & Prints - Maybe it wasn't in your budget at the time of the actual wedding and maybe it's two years after and all you have done is printed out some low quality photos at Costco. Now's the time to do something with those photos you've spent all that upfront money on. Opt for a fun coffee table book with lots of pizazz! Or have us do some additional retouch and photoshop effects and get some high quality prints to decorate your walls. We have an array options such as canvas prints, and metal wall hangings.

Maternity to Baby Portraits - Bouley family

2011-02-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

Photographed this couple's wedding in 2006 and now I get to photograph their extending family! We're offering a Maternity to Baby portrait package... get one session of baby belly photos and then another session of the baby alone and with family with all high resolution digital images and a copyright release for $275!

Displays at Ben Bridge

2011-02-03T14:31:00.001-08:00

Just took my trusty cell phone camera to take this quick photo of the duratran displays that are now up at Ben Bridge Jewelers advertising the Free Engagement Session and Free 8x10 with purchase of an engagement ring! A great deal from the jewelers that is being full-filled by us! Stop in at both the Flatirons Mall or Park Meadows Mall and ask a sales representative for more details!

Proposal Photos ~ Peter & Kashia

2011-01-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

Completed my first surprise engagement proposal for Ben Bridge Jewelers new Free Engagement session with purchase program! It was a lot of fun... I felt like a spy! Peter, the groom to-be contacted me only a day before the proposal so luckily I was available to cover it! I traveled up to Empire, CO to a lovely little restaurant called The Peck House, which incidentally the menu looked wonderful I shall have to return with hubby in tow! The couple actually met there when Kashia used to work there! Great idea for the proposal! Anyways, it was a slow night so there was only one other couple in the restaurant and I was a little worried about being spotted... I picked a spot at the bar so I could see them, but be far enough away. Peter, the groom to be excused himself after their appetizer to use the restroom and on his way back... whispered "Ok, Ready to do this" so I grabbed my camera out of my large purse concealing it and as soon as he was down on bended knee I was shooting away! And Kashia was so engrossed in the proposal she never even noticed me until Peter pointed me out! We took a few more picks with a flash due to the low lighting of the room and I suggested a photo outside the restaurant that still had it's holiday lights on and in the snow that was coming down... Wonderful! A fun time for me as well as the couple! Congrats you two!

Wedding ~ Leigh & Tim

2011-01-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

Just finished a lovely Winter wedding held at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Leigh & Tim were again another couple planning their dream wedding from out of town. Leigh grew up here, but attended college out of state where she met Tim... rumor from their wedding guests was that they met at a "Swing Dance" lesson! which explains why they wanted lessons for their guests at the wedding reception held at Maggiano's in the Denver Tech Center.
The church they were married in had a lot of beautiful picturesque locations for photos and beautiful lighting on the stage which is great when you have to take photos without a flash to keep from disturbing the ceremony. The couple also chose to have their ceremony on a Monday morning with a small intimate number of guests invited, which probably saved them a lot of money with vendors... me included! I'm always up for discounts when covering a non-peak season weekday wedding... so if you are planning one it never hurts to ask us if we can fit your budget! Great couple, and loads of fun! Here's to you both!

Wedding Video ~ Amanda & Jim

2010-12-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

Amanda & Jim were married at the Hilton Hotel in Ft. Collins, Colorado. A beautiful setting especially with all of the holiday decorations... Enjoy their video!

Wedding ~ Diane & Brandon

2010-12-11T22:26:00.000-08:00

First time covering an event at the C Lazy U Ranch in Granby, CO. and I was privillaged to spend two whole days with the Goodyear & Halvorson families which was awesome.... I photographed the rehearsal, ice skating and games after that. All of the activities the next day which included: snowmobiling, horseback riding, skeet shooting and of course the actual wedding proceedings. The couple got the romantic Winter outdoor wedding of their dreams! Some of the guests and the groomsmen arrived on a horse drawn sleigh... and there was a light snow during the ceremony which was beautiful but allowed us to see the mountain backdrop. This will definitely be a wedding to remember!

Portraits ~ Williams Family

2010-12-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

Received a frantic call from Melanie... seems the photographer they had lined up to take family portraits of them this year wigged out on them... Was I available? Yup! So after speaking to her about what she wanted and was looking for we decided that the best bet would be for me to photograph them in their home in Castle Rock. We were able to use their beautiful Christmas tree and staircase for some photos and then I also set up a backdrop and took some more formal shots. All in all a great family session!

Portraits ~ RHCC Santa Claus

2010-12-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

Back to Rolling Hills Country Club for yet another successful Santa Claus Portrait Session... New Clubhouse, More People, and tons of fun! Extra orders can be placed via our website under "View Your Events Online"... Extra orders that were made at the event will be available for pick-up on Thursday, Dec 9th at the club's account office!

Thanks a Bunches!

2010-12-01T20:15:00.001-08:00

So I've been a bit behind on posting "thank you" cards from this past summer's events... long story short my scanner was no longer working with my new computer... stupid Windows 7! Anyways, got it done and decided to put them all in one post! Thank you so much - Jillian & Nathan, Julie & Carl, Jackie & Rocky, and Jen & Trenton this is what makes it all worth it!

Wedding Video ~ Valerie & Eric

2010-11-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a clip from Valerie & Eric's weddin gin August at the Red Barn at the Meadows at Marshdale event venue in Evergreen, CO. We got a little behind in creating short clips of wedding videos from the past year... so just catchin gup and sharing some wonderful venues!

Official Engagement Session Photographer for Ben Bridge Jewelers!

2010-11-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

So I have some great news to share with everyone... and especially with those getting ready to "pop the question" to their lovely lady! We were just chosen to be "The" official photographer for the Colorado Ben Bridge Jewelers chains in the Denver Metro area. What this means to their customers... Any person who purchases an engagement ring from Ben Bridge will be getting a FREE (yes FREE!) engagement session and free 8x10 from us! How exciting! I'm going to be a very busy girl in the next couple months! To find out more stop in at either the Flatirons Crossing Mall or the Park Meadows Mall stores and ask about the photographer referral program!

This is also a great way to try us out before hiring us for your wedding (for FREE!)... so if you are still ring shopping check it out! Can't wait to post the first sessions from these photo-shoots!

Portraits ~ Spinnato Family

2010-10-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Love, Love, Love The Spinnato Family... Brian and I have been friends since our early "waiting tables" days and it has grown from business associates to a lifelong friendship that has since come to include Allison and their daughter Ava! It had been over a year since I had seen any of them so really glad I got a chance to see how much Ava has grown! She's a little heart breaker! I hope they had as much fun as I did! A beautiful family for sure!

Portraits ~ Gomez Family

2010-10-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

I met Mary through my new business networking group with Team National... very excited to be a part of this group! Can you believe that this photogenic family had never had a professional family portrait done! Exciting for me because I got to be their first and hopefully their last family photographer! We had a lot of fun... so I hope they come back in the future!

Portraits ~ Lechman Family

2010-10-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful Fall day in Boulder... headed out with Angie, Matt & Paige to take some family portraits in the 70 degree+ weather! Amazing! I think the beautiful weather has been driving everyone to want and do family portraits! I had a lot of fun with these guys! Paige moves quick so I had to take a lot, but we still got a lot of wonderful photos! Thanks... Hope you love the photos!

Senior ~ Holly

2010-10-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

Holly actually graduated in 2010, but never got her senior photos taken because she was still wearing braces. The Goins sisters recommended her to me and she kept my number for over a year! Awesome! So I received a call from her mom on a Tuesday and we did her photos the next day! Using a lot of the beautiful Fall colors to make some very colorful and unique portraits!

Portraits ~ Wheeler Family

2010-10-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

Ah, Fall... the wondrous time of year when the leaves change color and the temperature starts to get colder! And I start to get many family portraits in anticipation for holiday cards! Getting to photograph the Wheeler family has been exciting to me! I photographed Anthony & Colleen's wedding back in 2006, so this is the first time I've met their new edition! What a handful! But also so much fun! The more photos I do of little guys the better I get acquainted with their little quirks! Here are some suggestions I have for making their photo sessions run smoothly whether they are with me or someone else: 1.) Try to make nap time as close as possible to their session time. If they wake up refreshed and ready to go, more than likely they will be much happier in their photos. 2.) Bring something that grabs their attention: a favorite toy, something that makes noise, etc. 3.) Let the kids be kids... and don't rush them, some of my favorite photos are of children having fun. If your session is going to run an hour plan on 2 hours just to make sure you have plenty of time in case your child gets cranky so you can allow for time for the crankiness to wear off. 4.) An extra shirt or outfit is also always suggested in case of spills or getting dirty!

Engagement ~ Jennifer & Brian

2010-10-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Fall colors are upon us! A perfect time for family portraits and engagement sessions! I'm working feverishly to get as many portrait sessions as I can in before the leaves are all gone! I have plenty of dates available during the week, but weekends are filling up!

We met Jennifer at a bridal show in August, surprisingly she wasn't a bride yet! She was there representing the company she works for Red Rocks Country Club as their pastry chef! And I guess we just hit it off... and then wow, Brian proposed to her and we were booked to do her 2011 wedding! I actually had a lot of fun photographing this couple... they were very playful and even Brian had suggestions for shots! I love it when the couple really get into the photo-shoot.... I'm really looking forward to their wedding next year! Enjoy their engagement session photos and their forthcoming photo guest book!

Portriat ~ Landon ~ Cake Smash

2010-10-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

Got to photograph one of my favorite little guys today for his 1st Birthday Cake Smash... My first experience with a photo-shoot of this type so I didn't know what to expect! Landon was just adorable and so careful! He didn't really like smashing into the cake although I did think he liked tasting the frosting! Lots of fun and awesome images!

Senior ~ Donavon

2010-09-29T21:00:00.001-07:00

I photographed the entire Nickel family last fall for a birthday celebration for their grandfather so I had an acquaintance with them before I received a frantic call from Donavon's mom just a couple days ago... seems they had forgotten all about getting Donavon's senior photos taken and could I help them by taking it and having the yearbook photo to them in 3 days! I was happy to oblige! Especially for such a wonderful family like the Nickel's! We did a short session to accommodate Donavon's hectic schedule, but hopefully he will approve of the results!

Preschool Portraits ~ APC Preschool

2010-09-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

Update: We have extended the due date for order forms at the school to Thursday, October 7th due to not all of the parents receiving their forms this week and not all of the kids having class. Please have all forms turned into the school by that date. If you do miss the cut-off date you can still order online. Thank you.

It's that time of year again! Time to take Fall Portraits of my favorite preschoolers! We photograph APC preschool two times a year and it's always amazing to me to see how much the kids change just in a few months time span. The school keeps expanding, and this year they even added on a kindergarten program! So I had nearly twice as many kids to photograph this time around. I always try to change things up a bit, by bringing different backgrounds, different props, etc. This time it hadn't occurred to me how interested in those block the kids would be... almost every child had to pick them up as they came up for their portrait! LOL! Quite cute and lots of fun.... can't wait to see what Spring will bring!

Denver Diamond Dash

2010-09-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

We were chosen to be the official photographers for the Denver Diamond Dash being held on Sunday, September 12th 2010... It was a blast and a very happy and wonderful couple won the ring! To see a photo slide-show of some of the images from the event go to the link below!

http://www.denverdiamonddash.com/

Senior ~ Ariel

2010-09-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

And then Ariel is cousin's with Kayla... if the the whole family keeps coming to me for photos I will be in business for many years to come! LOL! Honestly though I couldn't have photographed two more nicer girls. We lucked out again with a wonderful day to do Ariel's photos... the flowers are all still in bloom and I was able to find water features everywhere! Her mom and sister were also a lot of fun and it didn't even seem like work! Those are the kind of shoots I love to be on! I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did! Best wishes to her future as well!

Architectural Photoshoot ~ Rolling Hills Country Clubs

2010-09-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

This day marked the end to an intensive two-day photo-shoot project with Rolling Hills Country Club in Golden, CO. Their new clubhouse was just unveiled and they needed some great architectural shots of the exteriors and interiors of the building. We also decided to photograph the new menu items in their restaurant! It was a long two days to say the least! We started each morning before sunrise to get the perfect light on the building and spent 6-8 hours each day photographing all the key areas in the building. It still was a lot of fun for me since I don't do a lot of this type of photography... maybe I will start to do more of it! The photos above are just a small fraction of my favorites!

Trash the Dress ~ Julie & Carl

2010-09-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

So Julie, Carl & I tracked up to Boulder Falls for their "Trash the Dress" session... we completely forgot that it was Labor Day weekend.... and the place was crowded. So we warmed up with some photos down by the creek first, ever carefully scaling a hillside in Julie's wedding dress! We almost didn't go over to the waterfall because there were so many people, but I decided we came all that way to not get photos there! And the weird thing was when we showed up everyone moved out of the way! It was crazy! I guess they all knew we were doing a professional shoot and they wanted to make sure it was awesome. At one point I turned around and we had a crowd of 15-20 onlookers and it was growing! I think Julie & Carl had a lot of fun too! After we did some falls photos we came down to the park just outside of Boulder... I said "Julie, how do you feel about getting completely wet!" She goes "Sure!" and the next thing I know her and Carl are submerged fully in the water. it was a little warmer down there, plus I knew the pools would be bigger with less current. Luckily it was a very hot weekend!

The very next day the first Boulder fire started and they shut all the roads up to the falls, so I feel fortunate to have taken these photos when we did. I haven't been up there since the fire and I have no idea if the fire hit that area or not. If it did this will also be a great photo for posterity as I'm sure it will take years for the area to recover!

Senior ~ Kayla

2010-08-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

Kayla came to me as a referral from her cousin, Justin. I photographed him for his senior portraits last year! She and her entourage (LOL!) were a lot of fun to work with... she didn't even blink when I asked her to pose in front of some crazy locations like a Tattoo parlor! Which by the way ended up being one of my favorite shots.... it's just fun and different. She's a beautiful girl and I wish her all the most success out of her adult life a head!

Wedding ~ Valerie & Eric

2010-08-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

Back to Meadows at Marshdale - Red Barn for this lovely mountain wedding! The end of summer came way too fast this year! I started working with Valerie and Eric on their wedding vision almost a year ago.... they were planning their wedding with the help of her parents all the way from Missouri. I can't imagine how anyone would have done this in the years before the internet! We chatted every once in a while via email about ideas they had, photo requests and so on and I even helped her with some of the DJing planning since they also hired my husband's company, Digital DJ. The day was not without a few hiccups, but turned out to be very lovely! My only regret was not having enough time the following day to go see Eric race Motocross (another reason for their Colorado wedding!) With such an action packed wedding I'm sure he was a little tired the next day, but I'm sure he and all the guests that were able to attend that event as well enjoyed it!
I also have a list of all the vendors who serviced their wedding and wanted to share them as well, as everything went beautifully and I would love to recommend them all:
Florist - Lisa Weddel Design 303.587.7912
Caterer - Catering by Design 303.762.7320
Liquor - Applejack 303.233.3331
Cake - Whole Foods
Officiant -Rev. Scott Schiesswohl 303.674.4086

Wedding ~ Jennifer & Eddie

2010-08-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

It just so happened that I was cleaning out my email inbox when I came across a pricing inquiry from Jennifer back in July for her August wedding. I thought it was a long shot that she still hadn't decided on a photographer, but I thought... What the heck I'll email her and see if she still needed someone and boy did she ever! it was only 4 weeks out from her wedding when she booked us (technically only a week when we signed contracts, both too busy to get together!) Seems their budget had gotten really tight and they were going to just have friends photograph it. I knew this just couldn't do and since I still had the date on my calendar and it was coming up I worked out a heck of a deal for her. Upon our meeting we got to talking about all the issues she was having, seems her DJ flaked out on her too! Well, I have just the person for you then.... see my husband owns his own DJ company as well called Digital DJ... and the rest was history. I'm a true believer of everything happens for a reason and maybe all the problems Jennifer was plagued with lead her to us. Who knows? All I do know is that because of my follow-up email we were included in a very beautiful intimate wedding in the mountains for a very special couple. Mike and I both wish the best and good fortune from here on out!
Also another Kudos goes out to Greens Point Catering for some delicious food!
Also I just found out that their amazing cake was made by Cool Cakes by Lindsay!

Wedding ~ Brittny & Gabriel

2010-07-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

Brittny's mother contacted me about her daughter's wedding about a month from their wedding. She wanted to purchase the video as a gift to the lovely couple. It had been a bit difficult to interview videographers all the way from her home state of Ohio, but for some reason we clicked! I had previously covered a wedding at The Sunrise Amphitheater in Boulder so I knew some of the challenges a videographer might face there. But luckily it turned out to be the perfect day! the storm clouds passed us by without even a drop of rain, the wireless microphone helped with picking up words from the officiant as well as their vows to each other without any wind noise. And the party after wards at Rembrandt Yard Art Gallery really fit their personalities. I again would highly recommend the venue for more of an intimate feel to your wedding. Thanks for the business and enjoy the video!

Wedding ~ Jackie & Rocky

2010-07-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

We went to Lennox, SD immediately following Julie & Carl's wedding so that we could cover Mike's cousin, Jackie's wedding. They were married in the church Jackie grew up in, The 2nd Reform Church with a reception that followed at The Crooks Community Center in Crooks, SD. The highlight of the event was the fire truck that Jackie's father purchased for the wedding. Rocky is a firefighter and to do something extra special for them he wanted them to be able to leave on a firetruck and of course take photos on it! The day was a lot of fun and it was also great to get to spend some time with family. Here's to the Happy Couple!

Update ~ Little Theatre's Big Show!

2010-07-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

As of Friday, July 23rd all pre-ordered photo and video orders have been delivered to Little Theatre's Main School office. Items should be delivered to the other schools in a few days and can be picked up at the school on the day that you ordered ie. 6/11 Highlands Ranch Performance's orders will be at Highlands Ranch, 6/12 Main will be at The Main school and 6/13 Ken Caryl will be at the Ken Caryl school unless you specified otherwise with us. If you have any questions or concerns please email or call us. Thank you.

Re-orders can be placed through our online website for any photo that was taken or for videos of any performance. By Clicking Here and using the password located on the envelope of your order. Or please contact us if you need the password.

Wedding ~ Julie & Carl

2010-07-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Julie & Carl had a fabulous weekday wedding at The Della Terra Mountain Chateau in Estes Park, Colorado. This facility offers great weekday rates... and this bride was a self proclaimed bargain shopper. She was too cute telling me about all the places where she saved money. It's no secret that weddings are expensive. So if you are not working with an unlimited budget then you have to find ways to save money... having a weekday wedding may very well be the answer. Wedding vendors book almost every single weekend during peak season and plan on getting their full rates for their weekend dates; by having a weekday wedding you may be able to negotiate a more affordable price that fits within your budget! This couple was even able to bundle their florist and wedding planner together with one company called Occasions Designed. Owner, Jennifer is a very savvy budget minder, so if you are overwhelmed by the wedding day tasks give her a call... having her in charge of everything and picking her brain for budget options is well worth the money you would spend on her! Julie & Carl even saved money with us by bundling their photo, video, & DJ services. Believe me it was still a dream wedding! We were so excited to be a part of their day!

Wedding ~ Jillian & Nathan

2010-07-10T23:27:00.000-07:00

Jillian & Nathan had a picturesque wedding at Hudson Gardens Event Center in Littleton. All the flowers were in bloom and the weather was perfect in the Monet Garden. This facility is awesome for outdoor weddings and I loved the rickshaw driver who helped elderly guests to the ceremony spot and chauffeured the couple around the gardens after the ceremony! So CUTE! One of our favorite caterers The Food Guy provided the amazing cuisine for this wedding, yum!
I kept thinking back to their engagement photos and how shy Nathan was... he was definitely used to my style by the time of the wedding and was all about the romantic shots! Congrats again you two!

Wedding ~ Darcy & Ryan

2010-07-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

Back to Lower Lake Lodge for this beautiful Colorado wedding. It has been nearly 3 years since we've covered a wedding here and many improvements have been made. The facility now has two ceremony and reception locations so they can host multiple events at the same time. This couple chose to go with the three service package with us: photo, video, & DJ with an add-on of a 2nd photographer for the most coverage we offer. We also got to meet a new florist called Snowdrops & Sage who did an amazing job on the flowers! We had a few raindrops before the ceremony started, but the skies parted as they often do in Colorado and it made for a very lovely day!

Wedding ~ Avni & Kraig

2010-07-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

The second half of Avni & Kraig's wedding was today. What a way to spend Independence Day! This was the first time we covered an entire Hindu ceremony. I've covered an abbreviated one before, but it was nothing like a full ceremony with all of it's pageantry. The bride was adorned in beautiful gold jewelry for the ceremony and groom was paraded to the front door of the hotel where they held the wedding for a "Welcome Ceremony" After the ceremony and photos everyone changed into their evening attire, were photographed again and then announced into the reception ballroom by my husband and his DJ company, Digital DJ. The traditional Indian food was spicy, but amazing. The dancing was spectacular. A few chosen guests even performed for the newlyweds. An amazing end to a perfect 2 -day celebration

Wedding ~ Avni & Kraig

2010-07-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

The beginning of Avni & Kraig's wedding celebration took place today at St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church with a morning ceremony followed by trip to a park for outdoor photos and ending at The Grand Hyatt in the tech center for a brunch.
The couple and their families looked stunning in their traditional American wedding attire. I loved the pinks! All in all the day turned out great... the rain stayed at bay... you couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

Wedding ~ Jennifer & Trenton

2010-06-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

A return trip to my hometown of Custer, South Dakota this weekend... I was hired to photograph our friends Jennifer & Trenton's wedding and my husband, Mike was hired to DJ the event. It's a long haul with all of our gear, but well worth the trip. Jennifer and I went to high school together (we weren't more than acquaintances then)our friendship really blossomed when she moved to Denver... and actually when we decided to attend our 10 year class reunion together! Wow! What a trip! We met Trenton early on in their dating and immediately liked him and for some reason knew that he was the one for her! We were so happy to cover this momentous occasion in their lives, see old faces, and attend the smashing event of the year in Custer! Jenny's Floral provided flowers for the occasion, she's been a florist in the area for over 20 yrs. Pastor Bill Savory from the local Baptist Church officiated the ceremony. And they rented the amazing tent and other items from Time Equipment Rental in Rapid City. The bride's parents provided the amazing location on their own property and her mother made the amazing cake!

Thank You ~ Audrey & Nathan

2010-06-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

We received some really great words of encouragement and thanks from the wedding we did in April. Thanks guys! Good luck and congratulations on your forthcoming bundle of joy!

Thank You ~ Julia & Jim

2010-06-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Just finishing up on the items from Julia & Jim's wedding last year and I received this "thank you" in the mail. Glad you enjoyed the wedding video... your album should be in soon and on it's way to you!

Wedding ~ Jessica & James

2010-06-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

This was the first wedding at Willow Ridge Manor that the ceremony had to be held indoors for us due to the weather, but it was still fabulous! Gregory and his staff had to do a quick change around to the room to accommodate the indoor ceremony, but it was quick and painless... the couple hardly noticed and neither did I! We were lucky enough to have the clouds part long enough just to get some wonderful outdoor formals with the foggy mountains, made for some very romantic pictures! Jessica had a dress change mid-reception to put on a more traditional wedding gown from her father's heritage. It too was very lovely and added to the whole wedding experience. Thanks and congratulations to the happy couple!

Delivery of Photos & Video ~ JA Grad & HOPE Grad 2010

2010-06-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

As of today 6/7/10 all photo and video orders for Jefferson Academy's Commencement Ceremony have been mailed out via the US Postal Service. Your orders should be arriving sometime this week.

As of 6/4/10 all photo orders for HOPE's Commencement Ceremony have been delivered to their main office where they can be picked up. Any additional orders can be placed via our online purchasing site through the main website and will be mailed directly to you.

Wedding ~ Jewlya & Frederick

2010-05-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today one of our very best friends got married.... Fred to Jewlya! We lucked out with some amazing weather for this mountain wedding. Fred was the best man in our wedding and previously a business partner with my husband as well as a roommate of ours in our early years in Colorado. I'm so happy he has finally found the person to complete him!

Their wedding was very unique... many couples are now planning "Green" or Environmentally friendly events, but they went all out! Their invitations were evites, instead of gifts they requested friends and family to sign-up on a pot luck website to cater the event, recycling and compost friendly silverware and plates were used. They held their event at family friend's cabin in the mountain that didn't have electricity or running water. I'll admit I was quite skeptical when I first heard about all their plans, but it turned out to be wonderful day that suited the personalities of the couple! A generator was brought in so that the DJ could play music. That was all the energy they used for the entire event.... Candles lead to the ambiance later in the evening.

We met some really great people! My husband, Mike was co-best man with their friend Matt who introduced them and both gave some tear jerking speeches. We even hiked up to the large rock to see the stars as the event wound down.... A Great Day and the Perfect Reason to spend it in the mountains!

Wedding ~ Weslynn & Dennis

2010-05-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

Photographed Dennis & Weslynn's fabulously romantic wedding at The Grant Humphreys Mansion in Denver today! This couple came to us via Jenny Lissy at Royal Peach Wedding & Events. We actually did the wedding video for Jenny's wedding two years ago before she started event planning and although she and her partner, Ann Marie are new to the scene they have proven that they have a knack for weddings! Lots of creativity, great organizational skills and my first wedding with them was a pleasure!
There were so many aspects of this wedding that I loved... first the location, lots of wonderful photo opportunities and perfect for the smaller quaint wedding that the couple had. Second the design elements from the flowers right down to Weslynn's dress! She picked the perfect dress for both her and the venue! I also particularly enjoyed the band they had. the rain missed us, but the clouds made for great photography and helped cool down everything! What a wonderful day!

Wedding ~ Carrie & Curtis

2010-05-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

I've been making quite a few trips back to South Dakota this year... and not all of them for fun reasons (lost both of my grandmothers in a two month span), but this was definitely for a great reason... to cover a very awesome couple's Rapid City wedding. Carrie & Curtis found me via the internet and www.blackhillsweddings.com I advertise on it because of two reasons 1.) I own it! 2.) Because I love going to my hometown to visit friends and family. Long story short I created the website 8 years ago when there was nothing like it for the area and when my business was still pretty slow. I, for some reason thought I would have time to sell advertisement on it along with doing weddings... ha! Well, anyways, I keep the site because all the people on it get so much work from it and I myself get 2-3 weddings a year there. A perfect opportunity to travel home!
Carrie & Curtis booked me without even meeting me and with me being over 400 miles away, which in my eyes is a lot of trust on their part! And I thank them for giving me a chance to cover their event. I treated their wedding with the same respect and love I put forth for every wedding, so I hope they will enjoy their wedding photos for years to come. A lovely church service was held at South Maple United Methodist Church with a lovely reception following at the Quality Inn on Lacrosse St.
I'll be making my way towards the Black Hills again 2 more times in June.... so if anyone in South Dakota is interested in meeting with me to discuss their wedding plans hit me up as I would be happy to schedule time to talk to you while I'm there. Also traveling to Sioux Falls in July... so give me a ring...

Video ~ Jeanette & Timothy

2010-05-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Just finished a 3 and a half minute clip from the Hodgman wedding.... check it out!

Wedding ~ Jeannette & Timothy

2010-05-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

First time covering a wedding at the historical Louviers Village Clubhouse which coincidentally is located in the tiny town of Louviers... I just love this little town! It feels like walking into an old 50's sitcom like "Leave It To Beaver" It's the perfect place to hold a very small and intimate wedding. Tim and Jeannette had about 60 people, any more and I think it would've been too crowded. Also it is very inexpensive with many photo opportunities on the grounds around it. Two thumbs up from this photographer! Click on the link above if you would like to find out more information about this facility.
We unfortunately had a little bit of rain at this wedding... but on the plus side there was a great side room to the hall which had a fireplace in it, so it was the perfect spot to hold the ceremony. The clouds parted after the ceremony giving us just enough time to do some formal photos outside. It was a pleasure doing the photo, video, and even having my husband their as your DJ with Digital DJ. Everyone madde us feel like family which made the night fly by so quick... lots of fun!

Engagement ~ Darcy & Ryan

2010-04-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

Just finished uploading photos from Darcy & Ryan's Engagement Session at Chatautauqua Park in Boulder, CO. Still one of my favorite places to take photos! We will be covering their wedding in July! We had a lot of fun... so looking forward to their wedding!

Wedding ~ Audrey & Nathan

2010-04-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

We traveled all the way to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for this wedding! But part of the reason for this one was because it was my cousin's wedding! Mike and I were both born in this city and all of our extended relatives live there, so it was nice getting to see old familiar faces that we don't get to see too often anymore. It was also a little strange for me to see Audrey all grown up. Because my parents moved us to the Black Hills of South Dakota at a very young age I really didn't get the opportunity to grow up with my cousins. Sure we saw them on holidays and usually a few weeks out of the summer, but Audrey is about 10 years younger than me. So most of the memories I have of her and her twin and her younger set of twins is as young babies and children. It again is another reminder of how quickly time passes us by. It was my great pleasure being of service for such a special and momentous event in her life. I hope she loves each and every photo... and the forthcoming video!

Portraits ~ Myhr Sisters

2010-04-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

Photographed two of my favorite flowers today.... Lily & Laurel! I was fortunate enough to get them both in an extremely good mood so we had a lot of fun, probably some of the best photos I've taken of these two! Happy Birthday Laurel and here's to Spring!

APC Preschool ~ Spring Portraits

2010-03-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's portrait time again at APC preschool.... and how much the children change in just a few months. We were putting on the mini graduation gowns and photographing all the kids that are going on to kindergarten next year and I got a little teary eyed... some of them I've been photographing for 2 years already and now they are moving on to the "big" kids school! It just reminds me of how quickly life passes us by and how what I do is document the memories, the growth of children, and the passage of time so that people can remember the past for lifetimes to come. It kind of gladdened my heart that day to know I have such a full-filling career! Thanks for keeping us a part of your history and we hope for many years to come!

Wedding Video ~ Stephanie & Ramsey

2010-03-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Just finished editing Stephanie & ramsey's wedding video... to see a clip I put together from their big day click on the link above!

Family Portraits ~ Dahlin

2010-03-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

A family reunion in Denver lead this family to seeking out a photographer to mark the occasion. And luckily the weather held out to just as I was pulling away from Red Rocks Amphitheater for this one. The clouds filled in and you couldn't even see the mountains as I pulled away! Luck us! Thanks for braving the cold and making this memorable portrait!

Wedding Etiquette

2010-03-11T12:44:00.000-08:00

I've been helping my aunt plan my cousin's wedding for the past couple months... not helping a lot since I do not live in South Dakota anymore, but giving her advice and helping her with invitations, photography, finding a DJ in the area etc. and today we got into a discussion about guests bringing dates and wedding etiquette in general. This discussion made me decide to look into the etiquette of whether or not to bring a date if you are an invited guest to a wedding. Modern times are a lot different than the past and figuring it all out maybe isn't as simple as whether or not you are married yet. Technically, the only time you can assume that your significant other is invited is if you are married, engaged, or living together otherwise it is best to check in with the host ie. the bride & groom or whomever is paying for the event ie. parents' of the couple to see if it is ok to invite a date. Rule of thumb though is... if only your name is on the invitation and no one elses then usually you are the only one invited. If you do not see "John Smith plus guest" then the likeliness of the event budget including you plus a date is very low. Weddings are fun, but expensive! Especially with plated dinners ranging from $20-$100 or more a plate (this is not counting all the extra items such as cake, flowers, dresses, services etc.) So just showing up with a date is usually not your best course of action.

And RSVPs are greatly appreciated. This helps with budgeting immensely. I often get calls a week or two out from a wedding with couples asking me if I'm still available for photo or video. This is usually due to the fact that their guest list has shortened immensely from their earlier expected and budgeted for amount and now they may have extra money to splurge for something they might not have had money for before like a wedding video. And if we are still free we are usually able to work out a great deal with the couple just so that we are filling a date on our calendar that otherwise would of been a day off for us. In fact I'm doing a wedding video for a couple next Saturday that just happened to call me a week ago because of this exact scenario. The bride's fiance thought there was no way she would find someone to do a video for the price she wanted to pay, but she didn't give up... she called around. I wasn't busy, she sounded nice and excited about her event so we booked it for the amount she wanted to pay... lesson here is that it never hurts to ask, the worse they could say is "No".

Speaking of RSVPs... it also really helps your hosts if you had previously planned on attending a wedding and RSVPed to it and then found out that you couldn't go for whatever reason, if you take the time to call your host and tell them that you can't make it. Catering companies, hotels, etc. charge according to the final numbers turned in a few days before the wedding. So your hosts could end up paying for your meal whether you ate it or not! Four or Five of those could work out to an extra hour of DJ service or tips for the catering staff! Think about how upset you would be to see the bill at the end of the night knowing that so and so didn't make it and didn't call and that you basically just paid for food that would be thrown out. (Another tip... if that is the case ask your caters beforehand to box up any extra meals that get paid for and are not eaten and have them sent home with family members if they want them!)

A little respect for those planning an event like this goes a long way in the appreciation department... and will win you brownie points!

Family Portraits ~ Rohlwings

2010-03-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Photographed the Rohlwing family at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs this morning. Their daughter, Elisa contacted me a month ago to see if I was available to cover their parents' 40th wedding anniversary. We photographed Elisa & Alex's wedding back in 2005. It was great getting to see her family again and how much it has grown... I counted at least 4 new additions in grandchildren! Thanks so much for continuing to give us business!

Schedule Updates....

2010-02-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

2010 is shaping up to be the busiest year yet for us! The economy seems to be recovering (at least to us) because people all over are getting married! Most of June & July is completely booked already for us with lots of calls already for the busy Fall months. Our three service package that we are offering for the first time this year... photo, video, and DJ for $2995 has been very popular! If you are planning a wedding and you still need one or all of those services give us a call to check availability... Discounts are also given when multiple services are booked through us. There are also special discounts available for what we consider "last minute" or "elopement" weddings.... planning a wedding for this Spring?! Give us a call... you could save hundreds!

Also wanted to post a link to this "One Wed" article I just read on wedding trends for 2010! It is very informative and helpful to all those planning a wedding! Check it out by clicking here

Wrestling Photos

2010-02-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row it was our pleasure to photograph the Pomona Youth Wrestling League. I love taking these photos... where else can you ask a kid to look mean in his photo! Thanks for having us back! Photos are now posted online for reprint orders. The password will be included with your print orders when they are delivered to you.

Published in A Spice of Life's Catering Brochure

2010-01-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

We just received information that A Spice of Life's catering brochure will be released this month. The online e-brochure is already available. We have a few photos as well as our advertisement in it. A Spice of Life is not only a great catering company they have a wonderful event facility located in Boulder on Flatirons Golf Course. To View the brochure click here!

Senior ~ Rhiannon

2010-01-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Rhiannon is probably the last senior I will photograph from the Class of 2010... Pomona High School's yearbook photos are due next month signifying the end of the year and preparing for the Class of 2011. We had some awesome weather this month which worked out well... still able to get some amazing outdoor shots!

Graduation commencement ceremonies are right around the corner... so all of you had your photos taken with us this past year if you still need prints please keep in mind that it does take some time to full-fill your order if you need wallets or photo announcements, best bet is to place the order at least two weeks before you need them. Please give us a call if you have any questions or need help with placing your order. You can place it online, in person, or via the phone.
We will begin taking appointments for the Class of 2011 in May. We run some really great deals for Senior Portraits in the Spring months. So if you are looking to save some money, book early for specials!

Engagement ~ Jennifer & Trenton

2010-01-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

Jennifer is an old friend from my high school days in South Dakota. By chance a few years ago I found out she had moved to Denver and we started hanging out, and even more so then when we were kids. We've developed a pretty great friendship over the past few years and we were also around when she met Trenton. I knew immediately that he was the right guy for her. We're so excited to be covering their wedding back home in June. It is going to be amazing... What's even more amazing is that we have four weddings scheduled back in South Dakota now for 2010! That is the most ever trips we've had planned for back there... so I will be getting to visit with a lot of friends and family this year. Mike and I love to travel, so if you are planning a wedding a bit of a distance from Denver and you'd still like a photographer, videographer, or DJ for your event give us a call. If we still have your date available we will travel anywhere if travel expenses are covered (they are less for the Sioux Falls & Rapid City South Dakota areas as we have family there!)

Wedding ~ Lauren & Devon

2009-12-12T23:27:00.000-08:00

Just finished up our last scheduled wedding of the year... Lauren & Devon were married at the brand new facility in Estes Park called the Della Terra Mountain Chateau. It was quite stunning to say the least. Beautiful rooms for the wedding party to stay in with gorgeous bathrooms with waterfalls in them! The event center sits at the foot of the Rocky Mtn. National Forest to say the views were breathtaking would be an understatement. There is an onsite salon so that you can bring in your own hairdresser to work on the ladies at your wedding and a video room for the guys to hang out in. Mike and I have been friends with Devon for a number of years now and were around at the very beginning of his and Lauren's relationship! It's kind of neat to see how an entire relationship unfolds prior to their wedding and we know that these two are definately made for each other and will last the test of time! Best wishes to you both, we hope the wedding was everything you dreamt it could be!

More Thanks from the Buchalters!

2009-12-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

Just received another thank you note from Jessa & Brian... I finished their wedding video right before Thanksgiving so I'm sure they wanted to express how much they liked it, plus show me the the thank you cards they made with the photos I took! Thanks so much for the kudos! We had a BLAST! I'm going to download a short clip from your wedding video below!

Holiday Cards

2009-12-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

This wek is pretty much your last chance to get holiday cards before Christmas! We offer inexpensive slimline cards that can be ordered directly through our online ordering site or the more stylish Stylart cards that can be ordered through our partner site. Link here! For your photo choice you will have to call me and let me know which image number you want so I can send it to the company. Please call if oyu have any questions.

Santa Photos at RHCC

2009-12-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

This is the last year doing Santa photos in the old clubhouse at RHCC. Next year they will be in a brand new facility! I can't wait to see the finished product although it will be sort of sad too... as my husband and I were married in the old one! Either way we enjoyed the last hurrah there with our favorite Santa Claus! Merry Christmas to all.... Have a Happy Holidays!

Photo Invitation ~ Silk Wedding

2009-11-11T12:18:00.000-08:00

Devon & Lauren's wedding invitations have arrived! They are beautiful! Very excited to see how these turned out and also I am excited for the wedding... only 30 days to the big day!

New ! Order Photo Invitations, Greeting Cards & More Online!

2009-11-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

Although we have been offering Stylart's line of greeting cards, graduation announcements, and invitations for years we've finally got our dealer's website online... this will make it easier for you to look through samples from home. Whether you want to use that fabulous family portrait we took on your Holiday Greeting card or your favorite wedding photo on thank you cards to your friends, now you can do it from the comforts of your home and have the cards mailed directly to you!

As always we keep catalogs on hand so if you still want to feel the textures and see the colors of the ribbons, etc. you are more than welcome to set up a meeting with us to browse our catalogs! Please call if you have any difficulties with the website or have any questions!

Click Here to View Our Stylart Dealer's Page!
http://www.crystalinephoto.stylartstore.com/

Thank you ~ Buchalter Wedding

2009-10-31T16:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! We just also received this note in the mail from Brian & Jessa... This has been a wedding that we were almost as involved in as doing our own! It was awesome being more a part of the planning and execution then we usually are... I think it brought us closer to your family and friends and allowed us to share in special moments that we otherwise would not have captured! Jessa you have an amazing place from where you come from and you both have wonderful friends and family... I hope your wedding was everything you ever dreamed it could be... I'm looking forward to working on your wedding video next! So please be patient it is going to be awesome!

Thank you ~ Mesko Wedding

2009-10-31T16:21:00.001-07:00

Audra stopped by to pick up her photos today and brought us this cute card with a little extra tip for us! Thank you so much you two. After sharing this with my husband, Mike, he told me that he received one of the greatest compliments he could have received the night he was DJing your wedding... He said Grant came up to him and was so impressed that almost every guest was dancing... Grant said he had never been at a wedding where everyone was so involved with the dancing! Mike was very happy.... I always say he reads crowds very well... and can tell what is going to work the best for them! Case in point a full dance floor all night long! Best wishes to you both.... I'll be looking for your call after the first of the year if you want to do those family photos! Thanks again!

Portrait ~ Nickel Family

2009-10-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mr. Nickel! Stephanie, the daughter-in-law called me just two days before the 80th birthday celebration of her husband's father... the entire family was due to be in town for the celebration and would I be able to do a family portrait?! Sure!
Well, the weather wasn't really cooperating for the outdoor photo with the mountains that we planned, but we managed. I set up a backdrop at their home instead. What a charming and hospitable family! I hope they will enjoy these photos for years to come!

Engagement ~ Julie & Carl

2009-10-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Julie and Carl have gotten a jump start on their summer wedding plans. We just booked them for our three service package deal: photo, video, & DJ with my husband's company Digital DJ. It's an awesome deal... so if you are thinking of having all three services at your wedding give us a call... you'll regret it if you don't!
We added on the engagement session so they could have one of our amazing photo guest books! So look for their sample book to appear on our website soon. Another great couple who are going to be a lot of fun to work with! They picked the amazing Della Terra Mtn. Chateau for their wedding in July!
They are saving some bucks by having their wedding on a Thursday. Just thought I would put that tip out there for any of you who are planning a wedding and want to find ways to save money! See if the venue and other vendors will give you a discount for having a weekday wedding. Another great option in a tough economy!

Portrait ~ RHCC Board Members

2009-10-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

I was asked to fill in on this one since we do a lot of work out here and Rolling Hills Country Club had the photographer they booked canceled on them at the last minute. I was pleased to be of assistance! Thanks gentlemen for being such easy subjects to work with!

Senior ~ Dane

2009-10-17T15:40:00.000-07:00