HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Ziggy the Witch

Yoshi the Pirate


Louie the Warlock


Mac the Old Wizard

The witching hour - Happy Halloween!


Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween from our family to yours! Enjoy and have a safe one!

80TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

On Saturday I made the jump from Florida to North Carolina to attend my Grandmother's 80th birthday celebration. The family worked hard to make this a big surprise and it worked out great! I was so glad I was able to be there and visit with family members - some of which I haven't seen in nearly 20 years. One of the greatest ideas was a table set up with photos from my Grandmother's life. I love looking at nostalgic photos - they really are the only way to preserve our pasts, which is part of why I am in this business. The beautiful image of her posted on the blog was taken when she was in her early twenties - as lovely then as she is today! I love you Grandma and I am glad I was able to share in your party!

AUBREY AND PHILLIP WEDDING

Love you Aubs :-)


Last Friday I photographed the wedding of Aubrey and Phillip in Orlando, FL. This wedding meant a lot to me because one, Aubrey is one of my closest friends and two, because Aubrey has waited a long time to find the right man for her. I have to say, this was one of the few times I actually choked up during a wedding and totally broke into tears saying goodbye.

Aubrey, since I met you in the Photo Program a decade ago, I have become close with not only you, but your entire family. I have always admired you for sticking to your convictions, taking such loving care of your family and simply being such an amazing and strong woman! I love you dearly and know that your marriage to Phillip will be a strong and loving one - he is a wonderful man. Congratulations!!!

AUBREY - BRIDAL SHOOT

Today (well technically yesterday seeing that it is 3:30AM) I photographed Aubrey's bridal shoot. Aubrey has been one of my dearest friends for a decade now and she has always been one of my favorite people to photograph (I think the why is fairly evident; Aubrey, you should have been a model!!) We took the hour-and-a-half drive to St. Augustine, Florida to conduct the shoot. All in all I shot 1100 photos - ridiculous ... but I couldn't resist. Aubrey, the shoot was amazing and I had a blast!! I can't wait for the wedding! Love you!

THE FLIGHT FROM HELL

I have finally arrived in Orlando, Florida for Aubrey's and Phillip's wedding. I say finally because yesterday I was a bit unsure that I would ever make it. I will not go into detail - believe me, it would take all day - but sufficed to say, yesterday ranked up there as one of the worst travel experiences of my life (and I have traveled a lot.) After almost missing the flight because of a 45 minute wait time at security checkpoint and them not liking the looks of my camera bag (don't know what that was about), our plane turned out not to be "flight worthy" so we all got of the plane, waited an hour, boarded another plane, then that plane was delayed because they broke something on it while reloading luggage, and to wrap it up flight attendants were running to the intercom every 15 minutes during the flight to tell everyone to buckle in and be ready for "moderate" turbulence - I had by this point seriously made up my mind that this flight was jinxed and we were all going to crash to our deaths.

Obviously that didn't happen though and here I am in the sunshine state where it is a balmy 90 degrees under partly cloudy skies - ahhh, Florida in late October! It promises to be a busy week ahead with Aubrey's bridal shoot tomorrow, the reception on Thursday and finally the wedding on Friday, so check back in for all the results!

PITA AND TROY - WEDDING

Pita and Troy got married yesterday at Ashley Manor in Chandler. It was a beautiful day with an equally beautiful location to match! We loved all the unique touches like the candy favors made by Pita's sister and the autumn theme of the wedding, but especially the Mariachi band playing the wedding song as they walked down the aisle - really nice touch.

Pita and Troy, thank you so much! We have enjoyed getting to know you both and greatly appreciated being a part of your day - and to both of you, thanks for lunch too :-). You were right though, your friends are a rowdy bunch, but all fun to be around and besides, it made for GREAT photo opps. Have fun in Tahiti (we are so jealous) and we wish you both the best in life!

STEVEN - SENIOR PORTRAITS

Yesterday we took Steven out to do his senior portraits. We made full use of the aspens, which are in full peak right now - excellent backdrop for the shoot. Steven you did such a great job, we didn't even have to pose you - awesome!!! Thanks and we hope you like them!

LAUN AND CHRISTA WEDDING

So, Laun and Christa had there wedding at the Desert Botanical Gardens, to which they are both members of, on Saturday. The weather couldn't have been nicer with sunny skies, light breezes and highs hovering around 80 degrees - and they were worried about it being hot. We have to say, this wedding was magnificent! We were so impressed with every detail and how well this couple blended East and West together, along with aspects of the desert setting they were in, for a simply stunning event. Funny thing is, while we were taking photos of the couple around the grounds Christa told us that when she and Laun first moved to Phoenix and visited the gardens for the first time, a wedding was taking place and Christa thought it seemed like a strange place to get married - odd how things work out in life.

When the flowers arrived at the beginning we new this was going to be a unique event. The bouquet and boutonniere both had succulents in them and Christa's grandmother's flower had a beautiful green frog pendant attached to it - loved that! The sides of the aisles were lined with a carpet of yellow flowers with pink orchids sprinkled as accents. At the end of each row was a plate containing a beautiful green Chinese lantern and an assortment of succulents and pebbles. It was obvious that a lot of attention was paid to each and every detail.

We took photographs before the ceremony to take advantage of the light since the ceremony was scheduled at 5:30PM. We then headed up one of the trails for sunset and got some spectacular shots! From there they joined the reception where an absolutely incredible five course meal was served - which we must say included some out-of-this-world ahi tuna. Laun and Christa decided they didn't want to do a slow dance for their first dance, but instead opted for the upbeat quality of swing - you go guys!

Laun and Christa, thank you for allowing us time and creative license. You were both wonderful to work with and we have to say, this was one of the smoothest weddings as far as timing goes that we have seen. Best of luck and we know you will make it to Greece real soon - when you do, have a fabulous time!

LAUN AND CHRISTA - CHINESE TEA PARTY

Friday morning we met at a private residence to photograph Laun's and Christa's Chinese Tea Party. Their official wedding was to take place on Saturday and this ceremony was conducted by Laun's family to honor his heritage.

This was the first of this type of ceremony we have photographed, though I have been a part of a Vietnamese wedding before, so I knew a little of what to expect. We really enjoyed being a part of this. Both of us love learning about and documenting other cultural events so this was a real honor for us, and the colors and decorations were magnificent!

Each couple in the room on both Laun's and Christa's side of the family came forward and were presented with an offering of tea. At the end of this the couple presented Laun and Christa with offerings of good luck and in some cases, gold and diamonds. After the ceremony, family groups where lined up in front of the alter to do formal photographs.

Laun and Christa, thank you so much, we really enjoyed it - and don't worry about the time delay, we were fed well and Christa, we can see why that is your favorite desert :-).

PAIGE AND JASON WEDDING

At the end of last week we photographed the wedding of Paige and Jason. It was held at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek. Schnepf Farms has been open to the public for some time now, but they have just transformed their farmhouse and grounds to cater to weddings. In fact, Paige and Jason were originally going to be the first to get married there, but someone else booked after them and Schnepf Farms hosted their first wedding only days before - oh well.

The whole wedding was unique. The property is very large and guests were shuttled on a green trolley from the farmhouse parking lot, through their famous orchards, to the ceremony and reception area which was set up in a grassy field. The ceremony took place near sunset and the reception was held off to the side under a tent-like structure of hanging twinkle lights that acted as an open air roof of stars - simply magical!

Paige had been planning a big surprise for Jason that evening. Every night in October Schnepf Farms lights a fireworks show around 10:00PM. During the planning stages, Jason had been saying that he wanted fireworks at his wedding. He had no idea about this nightly event beforehand, though a couple of slips of the tongue almost gave it away that week. Though the fireworks went off a little earlier than planned and the music drowned out the beginnings of it, Paige and Jason were able to enjoy the grand finale.

So guys, this is our gift to you - you thought we didn't get a shot of it, but we did and we hope it helps to preserve the memories! You were both wonderful and Patti, thank you for everything. Thanks for having us and we hope you are enjoying your cruise!

KRISTIN AND KYLE - ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

This past Sunday we met with Kristin and Kyle in Flagstaff to photograph their engagement shoot. Kristin contacted us recently to inquire about a shoot. They are getting married in Florida in the spring and wanted to do some engagement photos.

We started the shoot on Snowbowl Road to take advantage of the beautiful aspens, which are now changing colors. From there we headed back into town. Kyle wanted to find some leaves with red color, so we wandered around downtown taking advantage of any interesting backdrops we found along the way. We did eventually find one, somewhat red tree and a vine with deep red leaves, so the search wasn't totally in vein.

Kristin and Kyle, it was truly a pleasure working with you. You were both easy going and nice to talk to - it was nice talking to fellow Floridians. Perhaps we will have the chance of working with you again, maybe at your wedding, but if not don't forget Kristin - the Desert Botanical Gardens would be a beautiful place for a bridal shoot :-).

A WHIRLWIND WEEKEND

Wow, what a weekend!!! We left Flagstaff on Thursday and headed down to Phoenix where we stayed through Saturday night. During this time frame we photographed two weddings and a Chinese tea party. We started with a wedding at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek. The tea party was an extension of the second wedding and was held the day before at a private residence. The second wedding took place at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix and lasted late into the night on Saturday. We finally left the valley around midnight and arrived back in Flagstaff at 2:30AM on Sunday where we were scheduled to do an engagement shoot that afternoon. So there you have it, two weddings, a tea party and an engagement shoot, all over the course of a few days - needless to say, we are exhausted. It was worth it though and we had a great time. Postings will be up shortly!

KRISTEN AND TONY WEDDING

Last Saturday we photographed the wedding of Kristen and Tony. All week prior to the wedding, Kristen kept saying that the only thing she hoped for on her wedding day was it not to be windy - which in the high country in autumn can be tricky. The day was absolutely beautiful, with mild temperatures and sunny skies, the only problem being, it was very, very windy! The word windy really doesn't even do it justice - it was down right blustery. Winds were in excess of 40mph, but Kristen didn't even bat an eye, she just rolled with the punches and kept a smile on her face. Besides, we told her that wind can make for some very interesting and dramatic photos, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

Kristen and Tony took their vows in downtown Flagstaff at the Nativity Church. Afterwards, we stopped by the Colton House on the way to the reception site to take some photographs. The couple rented one of the rooms here for their wedding night and the house and grounds provided a wonderfully romantic backdrop we just couldn't resist! The reception was held at Kristen's parent's home, which happens to be within walking distance of our home :-). The theme was focused around the colors and flowers of Thailand, which holds very special meaning to the couple. It was all held under a beautiful white tent, complete with a dance floor specially made by her father for this day.

Kristen and Tony, you made such a beautiful couple, and Kristen, we cannot say enough about how unbelievably gorgeous you were - you looked as if you had just stepped out of the pages of a magazine! Everything about your wedding day was perfect - including the wind :-). Both you and your families have been extremely welcoming to us during the months and weeks leading up to this day and we really enjoyed getting to know you all! We wish you all the best in life!