Cassie and the girls started out getting their hair done at Tony & Guy Salon in Boise.  They all looked like they were having the best time.

While they finished up, my assistant and I headed over to the church to get some shots of Mark.  It was a beautiful day and the leaves on the trees were just glowing!

Cassie arrived with her make up artist and finalized her look…..

I always love portraits of the dress and bride.  The window light in the room was beautiful and I took advantage of it with Cassie.

Cassie and Mark opted for a first look which I always adore doing.  When a bride and groom see each other for the first time, it’s a special moment!

Although it was beautiful outside, it was cold!  So we went inside the worship center to take a few photos too.  Cassie really wanted a photo of their hands together and some photos of her beautifully colorful bouquet.

The sanctuary where Cassie and Mark were married and also attend worship services.  The pastor said some really touching and emotional things and this ceremony was just perfect.

At the reception, the cupcakes were divine!!!

and I’ll leave with you a portrait of their rings……

A few weeks ago I was able to put together a styled shoot for some businesses in the  Boise area.  This week I’ll be featuring each of those businesses and the beautiful work they do.  First up is Sugar Inspired!  I met Erin at a coffee shop in Eagle, ID.  It’s the cutest yet funkiest place you ever saw……and I do have to say I’m completely addicted to their quiche!  I’ve had numerous business meetings and meet ups there over the past 6 months, and I absolutely adore the place.  Months ago, I met Erin there, and learned more about her business.

She’s a cake designer but also venturing into all things having to do with sugar!  Her “specialty” is cakes- and they are perfection if I do say so myself!  The unique thing about Erin and Sugar Inspired is that she bakes all her products fresh and takes great pride in her work.  We collaborated on a theme of a “Rustic Fall Wedding” and here’s the results……

We had 3 cakes made, each to  work together as a presentation.  All were different sizes, but complemented each other with the simple rustic details.  Sticks, fresh flowers, twine, they all worked together.  The “wood” cake was simple amazing!  It really looked like a block of wood with the detail and everything.  I was swooning and thought it was a perfectly masculine!  I could picture it as a grooms cake at a wedding.

I have to admit this cake was my favorite!  There is a trend in wedding cakes of this “messy” type frosting and the texture worked beautifully with the other simple cakes on the table!  Again, fresh flowers and natural details, really  fit into this theme!

The setting was beautiful!  Wait until you see the feature on this Boise Wedding Venue!  It’s completely beautiful!  Since our theme was “Rustic Fall”, our cake table was an old rustic antique table with an old window frame as the back drop (stay tuned for the post on the designer that helped bring this project the must have details like these).  That paired with the natural surroundings made me want to have a party right then and there and eat cake!

And here is the woman behind Sugar Inspired!  Erin is not only a talented cake, pastry, and dessert designer, but she is also a stunningly beautiful person!  Wouldn’t you agree?

Adding in some of my signature “Lifestyle” portraits, these are my absolute favorites of Erin!  I’m all about showcasing the person in photos and I do that by communicating personally with my clients.  Just ask Erin, there may be a few silly tricks up my sleeve to capture those relaxed expressions, but she does know how to work the camera!

Another beautiful portrait of Erin around the grounds of this fabulous venue…….

And lastly, a few more detail shots of the cakes.  If you’re looking for a fabulous cake designer for your wedding or event here in the Treasure Valley, then I highly recommend Erin and Sugar Inspired!  Happy Monday and stay tuned the rest of the week for the other vendors!

I’ve had a summer of beautiful weddings friends!  With moving, I purposely limited the already limited amount of weddings I take each year.  I knew I was going to be busy and stressed and so I opted to only take a handful of weddings to keep my sanity.  This one did not disappoint!  It was held at a private residence on Bainbridge Island called the Boundy Farm.  And when I walked up the drive and saw the site, I got giddy inside!  The light was perfect, the flowers were blooming and full of color, the DIY decor was to DIE for (as I knew it would be), and the ambience was set!

Please enjoy some of my favorite images of the day! And a special thanks to Sam from Samantha Jayne Photography for being my 2nd shooter for the day!  She did a great job!

First off the grounds were just stunning!  The ceremony was held in a clearing overlooking a meadow and then the reception was held later in the barn.

The brides mother is a master decorator, and I mean that in the most literal of ways.  I really keep telling her she needs to get into the wedding design business because she’d be booked solid for years with the ideas she has!  All the details and decor you will see in this post, and hopefully on a fabulous wedding blog, was done by the mother of the bride.  EVERYTHING…..

I loved the guests faces as Caitlin walked up the drive towards the aisle…then the ceremony was beautifully intimate and they were so happy to finally be married!

After the family formal portraits, I got some time with just the bride and groom and it has got to be one of the best parts of the day.  Not just because I get them to myself, but because the happiness and emotion that’s always there with a new couple is amazing to catch.

I loved how classically elegant Caitlin looked in these portraits……

I could have shot them all day long at this location!

The cute ceremony site with handmade signs and then on our way to the reception….

The light was so nice on this flower garden that I had to stop in there and finally the outside of the barn was such a cute place too!

A few of the amazing details by Terri!

And they finished the night dancing away!  Beautiful!!!

Putting this blog post together was so incredibly difficult.  As I went through the images I was in love with them all!  Finally I just decided to share a few more pictures than normal because I just couldn’t decide!  I hope you enjoy!

I started off photographing Heather getting ready for the day.  She had a fabulous make up artist and her dress was just beautiful!

My 2nd photographer for the day was Ray, and he got shots of Miguel getting ready while I was with Heather

While I was taking photos upstairs I heard this beautiful music coming from the basement.  I asked Heather’s mom who was playing and she said that it was Heather’s father.  He was practicing/calming nerves for the day, so I snuck down and got some shots of him playing……then when we were ready for the first look, I found him chatting it up on the front porch.  What a special day for his family!

I always love to do first looks with couples.  It gives us much more time for individual portraits with the bride and groom, and it also is very intimate and emotional.  They see each other for the first time without the pressure of everyone else looking on and there is ALWAYS tender moments caught.  Here, Heather walked down the front porch as Miguel was waiting in the drive.  He really couldn’t stop smiling and spinning her when they saw each other.

Weddings are my most favorite because there is so much emotion, people just fall into these comfortable, relaxed portraits.  Heather and Miguel could have been straight out of a magazine and made my job super fun and enjoyable.

One of Heather’s dreams was to take some photos down by the water.  Her parents live “on” the water, but it was very very high bank waterfront.  We walked down about 100 steep, wooden stairs…..and then back up them again.  I definitely got my work out, but it was SO worth it!  The light was beautiful down there and it was very private and secluded, away from the rest of the wedding party.

after getting back up, we took a few more individual portraits

the details of this wedding were stunning!  From the ribbon that the table assignments were hanging on, to the home made signs directing guests where to go, to the cake and personal photo touches, it was beautiful.

Then it was time for the ceremony.  I can’t remember a ceremony I enjoyed better!  I really do love this part of the day at all weddings, but this one was exceptional!  Officiating were Heather’s parents and Miguel’s mom.  There were readings by friends, musical numbers by friends, even Heather’s father played a song that was played at his own wedding.  It was very special and personalized and I loved every  minute.  Here, one of the musical numbers’ performed by their friends- Be My Only.  She had a beautiful voice and it moved almost everyone to tears singing “You’re worth waiting for, You’re worth waiting for- Be my only, be my only, be my only…”

When Heather’s dad got up to perform, I loved this look and interaction between mother and daughter.

and finally time for the vows.  As Heather and Miguel joined hands and looked at each other, it was so special.

this is always one of my favorite shots of the day!  They kiss, are finally husband and wife, and they make their exit.  It’s always so joyful, everyone can now relax and party!

the lovely girls of the bridal party….and then the very handsome men of the bridal party.

This reception was hands down one of the best ones I’ve ever been too.  EVERYONE danced.  The dance floor was constantly filled and how could they not?  The live band playing latin music made me want to jump right in and let loose too.  But- I didn’t.  I’m sure my 2nd appreciated me for that

One unique and special detail of the day was Heather and Miguel’s thumb print tree.  Each of the guests left their thumbprint on the tree so when filled it looked like leaves.  I LOVED it!

and finally, as usual, my personal note to the bride and groom!

Michelles blue shoes and accents were beautiful!  I can never get enough of the rocky Washington terrain

It was a beautiful day at the temple- perfect weather in my book- with a slight breeze.

The gardens around the temple are always great for portraits and the lights is always so nice.  I’m missing the forests a little bit here in Idaho!

When I caught a glimpse of Michelle’s wedding ring, I was swooning.  It was just beautiful and I love capturing some of the details of the day at every wedding I do.

My note to the bride and groom….

Erin had the perfect dress for her!  I loved the flower detail.  It was simple, elegant and totally fresh!  The red shoes made my heart flutter a little and this little alcove made the perfect backdrop for  the shoe portrait!

These two were so happy, but Erin was exceptionally radiant and she totally deserved to have the best day of her life!  One reason I really love weddings is because I just get to witness the couples feelings.  Most of the time I just give them a little direction and their own emotion takes over, helping me create wonderfully intimate portraits of the couple on their day.

I do have to say that long grass on a warm day and slight breeze is pretty much the perfect thing for me.  Yes please!

I love it when the groom can relax and make some magic for my camera!  Joe has made Erin one happy woman, and shhhhh……but I think he knows it

As usual, my personal note to the bride and groom….

Saturday I had the pleasure of attending Andrew and Melissa’s wedding at the beautiful Bremerton Harborside waterfront!  I had hoped it wouldn’t rain and as our luck would play out, it didn’t rain one drop!  I arrived in time for some before ceremony pictures and portraits.  First we started out with Melissa.  She had wanted one portrait in particular, a silhouette of her in her wedding dress, and it’s one of my favorite photos.  There was a light breeze in the air and I’m a sucker for breezes blowing brides hair and veils.  Melissa was a gorgeous bride, wouldn’t you agree?

Her accent colors were a deep, bright pink and her white dress set off the colors brilliantly!

we started with some photos of Melissa, and  her bridesmaids joined us.

next we moved to Andrew and some portraits of him as well as his groomsmen and family…

Even though it’s about 40 degrees cooler here than in Boise, it was still a beautiful day!  The Bremerton Harborside is a fantastic park and the wedding ceremony was right down by the water and ferry.  There were even some sailboats out on the sound.

while the bride and groom got hidden away as guests arrived, we got some details of the day…

then it was time for Andrew to head down to the ceremony site from the hotel.  This is one of my favorite times of the day, as both the bride and groom are filled with anticipation of walking down the aisle.

After Andrew was down and in place, it was time for Melissa and the rest of the bridal party to take their places.

I have to admit, it was a long walk for the bride and I loved being able to watch Andrew’s face as he caught the first look at his bride coming down the aisle.

of course it’s always fun to get some shots of the little ones at the wedding.  The three girls are all Melissa’s and they make a perfect family!  You should see how they look at Andrew…

Almost every wedding photographer I know has a favorite part of the wedding and this is it.  After the bride and groom have had their final kiss and been announced.  It always lends to great photos as they are so happy and excited, and now it’s time to party with their friends and family!

Right after the ceremony we got some photos of the bride and groom together down by the water.  This tree area is where Andrew proposed to Melissa, so there were some special moments there.

There’s some fabulous stone art all around as well as lots of water fountains.  They were a perfect backdrop to these two.

Then it was time to eat and dance!  This girl is one of Melissa’s daughters and she knows how to DANCE.  The DJ played the Hoedown Throwdown by Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) and she burned up the dance floor!  So cute!

Later in the night there were some shots going around….

and it was such a nice night that a lot of people were enjoying the nice patio outside.

special thanks to my assistant for the day, Laura Zander!  Her photos will be up on her blog shortly

The back of Katie’s dress was just stunning and she really worked it under this pergola! LOVE!

The foliage was just beautiful that day!  It was slightly overcast and here in Washington, that makes the greens just pop!  It was a perfect backdrop to Katie’s white dress!

One of Katie’s wedding colors was purple, so the flowers in the background were pefect and the stone steps worked great too.  In lieu of a veil, Katie had a hair piece that was gorgeous!

Lastly in the Zen garden was a building that I just could have shot at the rest of the day.  Katie must have had some modeling in her past because she just fell into the most amazing poses and looked beautiful!I’m so glad that I finally got to post these!  If you think you’d like a bridal session before your big day, don’t hesitate to ask!

At 1pm they exited the temple to waiting friends and family and I always love to see their faces at they exit.  They greeted Ryan’s parents and I just loved the joy on their faces!

After greeting everyone, we walked around to the back of the temple for some group shots and the bride and groom mingled some more with their friends before the reception.  Katie was just the most elegant bride!

When the group photos were complete, Ryan and Katie set aside some time with me for portraits around the temple gardens.  The last time I was here it was the end of fall.  The colors of spring this time of year were really breathtaking!  It was like they were in their own little oasis.  I really loved how Katie was looking at Ryan in the first image below.  Her face completely changes when she looks at him and it didn’t take any coaxing for her to give him a kiss.

Hello handsome!  Ryan has the most amazing eyes and these relaxed portraits captured him beautifully.  Have you noticed there’s not any photos of just Katie?  That’s because I’m saving those for another post.  Katie had a bridal session before her wedding, which is rare up here in the Northwest, and she’ll have a whole blog post dedicated to her fabulousness, so stay tuned!

The temple has some really beautiful trees and statues all around…it was just a beautiful spring day!

Later that evening, Katie and Ryan had a ring ceremony and reception at the Preston Community Center in Preston, WA.  Their patio reception was just gorgeous and all the details and colors had me swooning!

I had to post this image!  The right image kind of caught me off guard and I was embarrassed that I became quite emotional!  I had to tell Katie I was sorry that I was such a baby!  She had mentioned earlier, that she hadn’t gotten a photo of her and her grandma at the temple, so she wanted to make sure she got one at the reception.  We found time, and it just made me think of my grandma Georgia.  She’s in a nursing home now and actually will be having some risky surgery this Friday.  My grandma has Alzheimer’s/Dementia and doesn’t really remember anyone anymore.  I so wished that I had a photo like this of us on my wedding day!  In my moment of weakness, I explained quickly to them that my grandma had Alzheimers and that I wished I had a photo like this, and it turns out Katie’s grandma said she too had Alzheimers.  It’s such a devastating disease and I’m so glad that Katie remembered to ask for these photos!

my note to the bride and groom, they had a whirlwind send off bubbles and all…