2 more guest book designs

We just finished up 2 more fabulous guest book designs. Tatum & Shane are getting married in September and Katina and Robert are getting hitched in October.

These guest books are a hot product. They're such a unique idea for a guest book to use at your wedding. And they look great filled with notes from your family and friends all over the pages.

Click here to view Tatum & Shane's guest book and here to view Katina & Robert's. Keep in mind that the actual books are 11x8 in size.

My Grandpa

This past week I got to see my 86-year-old grandpa up in Minnesota. After he put his teeth and hearing aid in, we got to sit down and talk. I think old people tell some of the best stories so I asked him about how he met my grandma (who died 10 years ago). And he told me the story of how they dated and eventually eloped! I think it's pretty cute how he tells it.



He went on to tell the story of how he served in WWII as a medic for the red cross but unfortunately my SD card ran out of space. Anyhow, the part I got is 9 minutes long so I guess that's enough to put up here. Hopefully it's not too boring for you since you don't know my grandpa :).

Laura & Nate

Yesterday I shot my cousin Laura's wedding in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. It was a rough week for Laura and Nate leading up to the wedding. Nate was in a motorcycle accident and thankfully was wearing a helmet and leather jacket but still broke his shoulder blade and bruised himself up pretty good. Pain killers helped him through the wedding. And the morning of the wedding Laura woke up struggling to swallow and went to the doctor only to find out she had mono! So they were both on drugs but the wedding went well and I honestly couldn't tell that Laura was sick. Plus Lee, Laura's brother, who was supposed to be an usher, came down with a violent flu bug on the day of the wedding and was completely out of commission. I'm still up here one more day with my aunt and uncle and now my uncle has the flu! Hopefully I won't be bringing it back to share with all of you in Arizona :).

The wedding was very simple but also very special with many family and friends in attendance. This is my gorgeous cousin Amanda up from Nebraska:


The dress:


Getting the dress on without messing up the hair is always a fun challenge:


Laura & Nate seeing each other for the first time:


We just walked around the church grounds for portraits but I loved what I had to work with:



Laura & Nate were so sweet together.





Here's the bridal party:


The groomsmen:



The bridesmaids:


Laura's dad walked her down the isle to the country song "I loved her first." It was a tear-jerker.


The cute ring-bearer:


And the sweet flower girl:


I've never seen Laura happier:


Finally married and off to nurse each other back to health :).

If you'd like to see a slideshow with more photos from the day, click here.

Congratulations Nate & Laura!!

Life in Northern Minnesota

Today I spent some time exploring my aunt & uncle's property where I'm staying for a few days. My uncle used to run a lumber mill and used a bunch of equipment on his property over 20 years ago to build their log home. And it's still there along with a bunch of other junk that has accumulated over the years. I enjoy photographing old stuff just for the fun of it so I felt like I hit the jackpot today!

To start with, here's the beautiful log home he built:


And the driveway looking out toward the highway:


This is a tractor that my uncle claims is rare. I'll have to take his word for it.




The caterpillar's treads:


And a bunch of other rusty stuff that is foreign to me but was fun to shoot:







And old army truck cab that my uncle bought for parts:







After all that trekking through the brush, I attracted a community of wood ticks--7 is the total count that was extracted from my person. Fun stuff! Thus is life in Northern Minnesota :).

Traveling

Sorry I haven't blogged in a few days, guys. I've been scrambling to get everything wrapped up at the office and then today spent the day traveling up to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where I'm shooting my cousin Laura's wedding on Friday. I made it even though I feared for my life a bit in this small plane I took from Minneapolis to Duluth in the midst of a rain storm. It was pretty turbulent.

It's been nice to see family today and breathe in some cool tree-scented air. My aunt and uncle live in a log house they built near a swamp and the noise from the frogs that live there is unbelievably loud. I'll have to post some photos of how beautiful it is here soon.

In other news, I sent out my May newsletter yesterday. So if you didn't receive it and are interested, just put your email address in the box to the right and you'll receive fun news from me every month.

Alex & Ryan

Saturday was Alex & Ryan's wedding. These two are a totally sweet couple who are friends of Laura & Daniel -- a couple who's wedding I shot a year and a half ago. So it was fun to see them again--happily married :).

This wedding was a dream to shoot. Even though it was hot and sunny all day, we had great light overall and beautiful places to shoot. Not to mention beautiful people :). We started out the day at a great salon in downtown Tempe -- Mood Swings. If you're getting married and looking for a salon to get ready at--check this one out--I would love the chance to shoot there again.

Here's Michelle--the maid of honor:


Alex getting her make-up done:



Next we headed to The Secret Garden, a great venue in south Phoenix. I love shooting there. My friend Sarah is the coordinator and she is a joy to work with. Also, The Secret Garden has the prettiest getting ready rooms I've seen at all the venues I've worked at.

Here's the dress:


And the shoes--one for style, one for comfort:


The girls were so funny--they really wanted the day to be peaceful and fun so they brought Uno to pass the time before getting dressed:



Alex was a gorgeous bride:



Here's Ryan hanging out with his Best Man, Scott before the wedding. I love how they're sitting the same way:


During the portraits of the guys I was working with the 2-year-old ring bearer to sit like this:


And instead, he came up with his own pose:


So hilarious!!

Here's the adorable flower girl:


Preparing the way for the bride:


The guests looked on as Alex's dad walked her down the huge staircase to get married:


Such a beautiful setting--you wouldn't know we were in Arizona except for the heat!



Some fun portraits with Alex and Ryan after the ceremony:






And the first dance:



A great moment during the father/daughter dance:


And then the par-tay!


If you haven't had enough and would like to see even more photos from the wedding, click here to see the slideshow.

Congratulations Alex & Ryan--it was such a magical day!

Jim & Julie's Engagement Shoot

Friday I shot Jim & Julie's Engagement Shoot up at Desert Mountain near where they live and where they will be getting married in November. They have a great story of how they met and began doing business together, developing a friendship before their relationship blossomed into a romance. They're a great couple and we had a fun shoot. Here's some of my favorites:





Jim has a two-year-old daughter named Bella who came along as well--super cute!





It's so beautiful up at Desert Mountain. I can't wait for the wedding!





Thanks for the great shoot and for dinner you guys!

Eric & Melanie

Eric & Melanie got married last Saturday in Sedona. It was absolutely picturesque. Buckle up because I have a LOT of favorites to share with you. The day started out with hair and make-up:



I love the old-world feel to this photo:


The dress:


A couple shots of Eric getting ready:



Melanie warned me ahead of time that her family is a bunch of mad picture-takers. And she wasn't exaggerating.


Another one from later in the day:


Melanie's sister, Lindsey, was one of the bridesmaids:


More fun prep shots:



Melanie is absolutely gorgeous:


Walking down the aisle:


I love this shot of Lindsey:


It was an emotional ceremony. Melanie tried her best to hold back the tears:


After the ceremony, the bridal party had a toast. Jamie caught this shot of Eric missing the glass as he poured Melanie some champagne.



Portrait time was so much fun with Melanie and Eric. What a beautiful setting!







It was fun seeing their custom-designed guest book put to use:


The flowers and table settings were beautiful:


I got the chance to play with my new off-camera lighting equipment for the first time at a reception. Here's the results:




What a great wedding! Thanks Eric & Melanie!!

If you'd like to see a slideshow with even more photos from the day, click here.

#64...check!

64. Be on "Simple Photo Minute"


I'm so excited! My friend, Dane Sanders, a wedding photographer in OC that started his business up around the same time as me and helped found OSP (Open Source Forum) has this great thing for photographers called "Simple Photo Minute." He puts together short videos that are educational and seek to help wedding photographers simplify their lives and businesses. It's great and I've been watching the weekly podcasts for over a year now.

When I made my list of 101 goals to complete in 1001 days, I put this one on there. About a month ago, I filmed a segment of myself walking through how I run my client meetings and Dane used it! Click here to view my 1st Simple Photo Minute!

Lunch with Gino

Today I went to lunch with Gino Lucadamo of Story by Photo. Gino has been in the wedding photography business a lot longer than I have and is doing very well for himself specializing in destination weddings. Not only is he talented but he's a fun guy to hang out with. We've gone to lunch a number of times over the past couple years and it's always fun.

I really enjoy hanging out with other wedding photographers. We have a great industry of people who enjoy networking and helping each other out.

Thanks for lunch Gino!

The Puppy's Name Is....

Dixie!

I decided to name my new puppy Dixie. It's a fun name that fits her personality, I like the south and she's tiny like a dixie cup. I don't have any deeper reasons for picking the name. Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the decision. It definitely helped me a lot to have so many ideas pouring in!

I caught this video of Dixie tonight finding the "other dog" in my office. It's hilarious.





Isn't she SOOOO cute!? Now if I could just get her potty trained and get some work done....

Love you Mom!!

Happy Mother's Day to my amazing mom and all the other great moms out there!

Tonight we're celebrating at my sister's house and it's a double-whammy because my mom's 53rd birthday is tomorrow as well! I am very close to my mom and appreciate her strength and support SO much. Over the past 5 years, she has taken on the role of the rock in our family after my dad had a brain aneurysm and nearly died. She has been so amazing through the whole thing and it has really brought us closer together. I'm so thankful for her!

On another note, I just got home from an amazing wedding in Sedona yesterday. It will take me a few days to post up some photos and a slideshow but I'll try to get those up soon.

Have a great Mother's Day!

#4....check!

4. Get a dog

I did it! I finally got a dog!! Isn't she CUTE?

Today started out like any normal day. I helped my sister bring my nephews to the doctor and then we stopped at the mall to pick up a mother's day and birthday present for my mom. We stopped by the pet store in the mall and I honestly didn't plan on getting a dog--just oohing and ahhing at all the cuteness. But they had the most adorable little minature schnauzers! I've grown up with these dogs--they are perfect cuddling size, don't shed, and are super-cute. So I spent some time with three different dogs and ended up falling in love with this little sweetie. She's only 2 months old and very tiny. She has a really calm disposition and snuggles right up to you instantly. And she wants to be as close as possible to you. Right now she's asleep on my lap as I'm typing.

As of yet she has no name yet. So if you have any ideas, please comment! I don't really like people names for dogs and no food items or typical dog names. But I need to come up with something soon! Right now she's just "sweetie" or "puppy."

Off to search the internet for name ideas....

I feel like I just had a baby or something :).

New issue of The Wedding Chronicle!

I just got the new issue of The Wedding Chronicle and Elizabeth & Nathan's wedding was published in it!! Very exciting!

Here's the story that's included:

"Nestled at the base of South Mountain, Secret Garden Event Center is the perfect place for a romantic wedding. The 1929 historic home has been lovingly restored to provide the backdrop for brides and grooms to have the weddings of their dreams. And to this beautiful place Elizabeth and Nathan traveled from their home in Minnesota to become husband and wife. Elizabeth spent several years as an on-site coordinator for other venues in Phoenix, but she chose this place for her own wedding."

"With lots of attention to detail, bright, bright colors and many handmade favors for the guests who traveled from the Midwest to be with them, Elizabeth and Nathan planned a party to be remembered for years to come."

"Their minister took a moment during the ceremony to read letters written by the bride and groom to each other. These letters were filled with moments shared and many words of love and concern as the couple lived through Nathan's deployment in Iraq and his safe return home to Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth's advice to other brides would be to start planning early and concentrate your money in the areas you think are most important. For the bride it was photographer, DJ and florist."

Thanks for the shout-out Elizabeth! What a beautiful wedding! It's been fun to re-live it!

Speaking on Blogging

Last night I had the opportunity to speak at our monthly Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) meeting. I've been a part of this networking group for two years now and it's been a blessing to my business. I've met a number of consultants that I've gotten to know and work with as well as many other vendors within the wedding industry. We meet at a different wedding venue each month and enjoy a fully catered meal. There are always new people to meet and now that I've been going for awhile, I have some good friends who I get to touch base with as well.

Last night I was able to share a little about my business and then I talked about blogging! Out of 30 people who were there, only 3 had blogs. I was a little surprised! The two main reasons people gave for not blogging were that it takes too much time and that they don't know if they would have anything to say. I can relate to these because this is exactly how I felt a little over a year ago before I started my blog. But I jumped in and quickly came to enjoy blogging and see that there are also huge benefits for my business! If you'd like to take a look at the handout that I passed out last night that lists a number of those benefits as well as ideas for blogging topics and tips, click here. And, by the way, I'm not sure what happened with the font. I used a very readable font on my handout but for some reason when it was converted to a pdf it got all funktified.

Greg & Shannon's Guest Book

We just finished another great guest book design! This product is turning out to be quite the hit with brides. Everybody wants one to use for guests to sign notes to them at their wedding.

I shot Shannon & Greg's engagement shoot in Jerome and Prescott, Arizona. The book turned out very colorful because of the photos we had to work with. You can see the design by clicking here.

Miles & Alison's Engagement Shoot

Tonight I shot Miles & Alison's engagement shoot at the Phoenix Zoo. Miles loves animals and they've spent some fun time together there. We went a little after the zoo closed with the permission of the park ranger and had a great time. There was beautiful light and great locations to shoot. Here are some of my favorites:














Miles and Alison were really cute together. Can you believe that Alison doesn't think she's photojenic?

We didn't have full run of the zoo so we didn't see too many animals but here's a few. The buzzard (glad he was behind a cage):


An elephant who despite my prodding wouldn't turn and smile for me:


And a hummingbird happily doing his job:


Alison has a beautiful and unique ring:


And a few more of my faves:




Thanks you two! I'm looking forward to October!

Bright Event Gallery

Yesterday I spent some time at Bright Event Gallery shooting some images for their website. Bright was started this year by fabulous wedding coordinators, Victoria Canada and Kelly Gill, as a high-end "one-stop-shop" for planning extraordinary events. I am honored to be one of their select vendors that they feature at the gallery.

Bright's Old Town Scottsdale location is so fun and beautiful and every time I stop by there are new things to look at. The girls do a great job.

They've got lots of fun favor ideas:



Purses in every size and color:


Cute wedding planning binders:


Fun quotes on the walls:


Table settings that are updated and changed frequently. I love this one:


Look at these fun, colorful glasses:


I loved how Kelly from Kelly Ashworth Design used characters' names from one of my favorite TV shows, "The Office" as place markers (this one says "Jim Halpert" in case you can't read it):


Fun T-shirts:



Colorful wraps:


They've got everything displayed so beautifully. Check out these cubicles:


Scented candles:



Stationary:



This is a great idea -- packets to keep the children busy at receptions:


These are great too. They're etch-it cups and stickers that you can use to personalize your drinks:


They even sell custom made jewelry:


And Victoria always amazes me with her creative ideas. These are inexpensive candles she bought from a grocery story and stuck letters onto. You could spell out anything (happy Cinco De Mayo, by the way!):


Finally, one of my favorite things about stopping by the store--the candy bar:


The girls were nice enough to model the wraps for me. From left to right --Ashley--an associate planner, Victoria, Kelly and Mary with My Wedding Film who was there to meet a client:



Gorgeous girls! Fun hanging out with you today!

Playing with Light

I finally got all of my new equipment that I was inspired to get after the One Light Workshop. So last night Jamie, Shannon & I went out to Old Town Gilbert to play with it. It was fun! I was so thankful to have both of them because the light stand kept wanting to blow over and it was so dark that I needed someone to shine a flashlight in order to focus my camera. I would definitely recommend bringing an assistant for this kind of shoot.

Check out some of the fun shots we got:






Thanks guys! I can't wait to use this stuff more!

Where on earth are you?

I found out about this cool blog tool on David Jay's blog and thought it would be fun to try on my own. Now I can see where all my friends are logging on from. It looks like I have some all around the world, which is fun.

If you click on the map, you can see current and past visitors and even zoom into different areas of the globe. The dark parts of the map are where people are sleeping; or are supposed to be sleeping, I guess. It's dark where I live right now but yet here I am, blogging. What a crazy workaholic blogger I am :).

#67....check!

67. Find good legal music to use on slideshows


I'm still working away on my list of 101 goals to complete in 1001 days. It's going pretty well but I'm working on some bigger goals that are taking me a little longer to complete. For instance--running 3 consecutive 10 minute miles--I'm realizing that is a BIT of a stretch for me. But I'm going to eventually get there.

When I was at WPPI in March I came across Triple Scoop Music -- a new company that is working to bring musicians and photographers together. For photographers, finding good music that is legal to use is tough. Everything is copyrighted and we could be sued hundreds of thousands of dollars for using a song without permission. But large music labels and famous artists don't tend to respond to our emails about wanting to use their songs on our small business websites. They're selling the rights to the songs to people who are making movies for thousands of dollars. We're chump change. So it's a dilemma. We want good music but it's nearly impossible to get the permission to use it legally.

So I made a goal to find some good legal music to use. There's a lot of royalty free music sites but the songs are generally pretty cheesy. But thankfully I found Triple Scoop Music at WPPI and had them put together a custom CD for me with 10 songs I picked off their website. They have some decent stuff. I still think there's a ways to go in bridging the gap between musicians and photographers but this is a good start.

Check back on my website soon to see some fresh intro slideshows with some of the new music. I will also be using the new songs on my upcoming wedding slideshows that I link to on my blog. I'm sure you're all getting tired of the old stuff :).

Katina & Robert Take 2

Katina and Robert had so much fun last weekend shooting their first engagement shoot that they decided to do another one. I think they maybe missed me too :). We felt adventurous and went to their local Home Depot--their home away from home. They love to do home remodeling projects together. So I thought this would be a fun location to shoot. And it was!

Some fun with the cart:




Hanging out in their favorite section--plants: