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Monday morning I jumped on a plane to Vegas for WPPI -- an annual wedding & portrait photographer's convention. I've gone a number of years before but this was my best experience yet!
I didn't plan to have any fun. There were over 15,000 photographers there so I figured it would be mass chaos and I would have a hard time connecting with people I know or want to meet. Masses of people & small-talk are not on my list of fun times. It did end up being mass chaos but I ended up loving it so much because I WAS able to connect with friends and it seemed like every time I turned a corner or looked up there was someone to hug and love on. It was kind of liek Christmas. I've been in the business for almost 7 years now and I think I enjoyed this convention so much because of the relationships I've built over this time. It's such a blessing to be able to connect with people at an event like this on a deeper level rather than just making small-talk, which is what I did at my first WPPI.
I didn't take a lot of photos while there and spent most of my time walking around the trade show, hanging out with friends and eating. The above photos are from my iPhone and include a photo of me with Danny from Photojunction (who I've been in contact with for years but have never met in person due to the fact that he lives in New Zealand) and me with one of my former brides, Selena. I was shocked to run into Selena there. I knew she worked for a studio in Utah but I guess I don't associate her with the photo world. But how fun!! I love running into my brides in random places!
One of the highlights of the trip was reconnecting with my team from Tanzania and seeing this awesome album that Leather Craftsmen put together of photos from our trip: |
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It was HUGE! And it had my photo on the front as well as a few of my images on the inside. I just love the fabric from Africa that they used on the cover. My whole team signed the album and then it was auctioned off to benefit Thirst Relief. So cool! The amazing thing is that Leather Craftsmen made smaller versions of this album and GAVE THEM to every single one of us from the team!! What an amazing gift! Thanks Leather Craftsmen!!
I made a few new fast friends at WPPI who I'm so excited to keep in touch with and God really blessed me through a worship meeting that Photographers' Unite organized. I really see Him working in amazing ways through the Christian photographers in the wedding industry. It's just the coolest thing to be at a huge convention in Vegas and to be able to connect with other people who share my faith.
And to wrap up this post, here's some photo booth photos of me and my convention roomie, Jamie Delaine who is just. plain. awesome. And kinda hogs the bed. |
| Hi blog friends! Sorry I've been out of touch for a few days. I've been in Vegas for the whirlwind that is WPPI -- a HUGE national convention for wedding and portrait photographers. I'm going to post more on that tomorrow but while I take a mandatory nap I wanted to share the super-exciting news that Seth & Rachel's wedding is featured on The Bride's Cafe today! Janie over at The Bride's Cafe has one of the best wedding blogs in the nation and I feel so honored to be featured on her site! Check out the full feature here! |
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Jay and Lisa met in 2003 when mutual friends started dating. Though they enjoyed each other's company, at the time they were both committed to other people and not looking. However, life has a funny way of interrupting even the best-laid plans. Years later, when the others had fallen away, Jay and Lisa remained. Taken by her confident, caring ways Jay asked Lisa out. From that moment, everything fell into place and nothing ever felt so right.
Lisa fell in love with a man whose facial expressions told her, and the world, exactly how he was feeling. She loved his strength, even when it was o.k. to show weakness. Jay fell in love with a woman who did everything with passion and never settled for second best.
Together, these two are travelers -- adventurers with a love for finding new places, discovering new things, eating new food. It was on one of these adventures, in Vail, that Jay proposed and they knew they had a lifetime of adventures to come.
However, there was one adventure they weren't expecting. Lisa was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. It was a devastating verdict for both Lisa and for Jay, the man who loved her. The weeks and months that followed were some of the most challenging the two have known. However with Jay's generous spirit and Lisa's unwavering strength, they overcame one of life's biggest obstacles and Lisa is now cancer free!
What an amazing story these two have and I couldn't be more thrilled to be the one who was chosen to capture the celebration of their love. Jay and Lisa made their committment to one another official on Saturday at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale. This retro-style hotel was such a fun place for a wedding. There were so many bright popping colors and fun pieces of art to work with.
Here's some of my favorite photos from the day: |
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| Lisa's mom and sister helped her into her gown: |
| Jay and Lisa's golden retriever, Mason, hung out with the guys in their suite: |
| The couple saw each other before the ceremony which gave us plenty of time to walk around the property and get some fun portraits: |
| The ceremony was done in the round. What an amazing location: |
| Jay & Lisa did all of their own paper products and had so much fun doing them that they're thinking of making a business out of it. |
| Mason did an amazing job as the ring bearer: |
| Lisa looked unbelievable as her dad walked her down the aisle: |
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The ceremony was officiated by my favorite officiant -- Scott Swanson -- and included a number of personal touches. A candle was lit and a rose was placed on the front table in rememberance of Jay's father and Lisa's grandmother. A friend sang "All you Need is Love" by the Beatles and Scott read some love letters from Jay & Lisa to one another. I love what Jay & Lisa shared in these letters to one another.
Love Letter from Lisa:
"I am certain that Jay is my reward for everything good I've ever done in my life. I am so incredibly lucky to have found both a best friend and an amazing partner in him. He loves me with everything he's got, all the time. And no matter how hard life gets, that never changes. I admire his strength to stand by me through our most difficult challenges and am grateful for his unwavering belief in us. He moves me to tears with the sincerity of his heart and I love that about him. His never-ending quest for all that is good and fair coupled with his smile are daily reminders why this was the best choice I've ever made. I often wonder if everyone sees him in this amazing light. Just get to know him a bit, and you'll know why I'm completely in love with him."
Love Letter from Jay:
"From the time I first laid eyes on Lisa I had a feeling that we would be together. There was something about her joyous smile and confidence. I loved that she was always happy and seemed like she would be a great person to get to know. Years later after our first date I knew that I was right in my feelings about Lisa and that we had a great future together. I love that she puts herself and her feelings out there and is always honest with me. I love her strength. The one thing that stands above all the rest in my things that I love most about Lisa is that she is a fighter. I knew that when she survived cancer it was because of positive outlook on life and her strength. She is my best friend, lover, partner and confidant." |
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| The cocktail hour was held on the roof of the hotel. I know I've said this once already in this post but what an amazing location! |
| Jay and Lisa have some fun friends who know how to party! Desert House Productions DJs kept the tunes flowing and I had fun capturing the craziness on the dance floor: |
| Who do you think caught the garter? |
Totally looks like purple shirt or groomsman should have had it, right? Instead it went down like most garter tosses I witness at weddings do -- no one caught it. It ended up on the floor. What's up with that guys? Girls have a way better percentage on you with the bouquet and the garter has to be easier to catch. It practically floats. Let's try to step up and be more manly men next time, k? :)
Purple shirt guy ended up swipping it off the ground first and wore it on his head as the proud victor.
Fun times! Click here to see more photos from the day in the slideshow! |
Last month at the PUG meeting, the speaker was talking about the importance of a website for reaching clients. He was saying that although many photographers look at blogs, most normal people still think of blogs as somewhere that people record their weight loss and drivel on and on about their dogs. No sooner did the words come out of his mouth than nearly all eyes in the room turned my direction. Guilty!! And here I am again to show you her cuteness. Sorry -- can't help it! I try to keep the crazy under control but sometimes it rears it's ugly head.
It's my Dixie-girl's 3rd birthday today and since she lights up my life on a daily basis, I've tried to make it special for her. Yesterday we went shopping and among other things got Dixie a seatbelt harness so she can be safe when we travel in the car. Here she is modeling: |
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We went to my friend Jennifer Stein's house for lunch and a doggie play date. Jen is a former bride of mine -- she's been married for almost 5 years! -- and she is the creator and editor of the fabulous national wedding magazine Destination I Do! Jen and her husband Tony live in a gorgeous historical home in central Phoenix and their yard is the actual physical location of dog heaven. It's huge, fenced in and has huge trees that look like they have no place being in Arizona.
Here's a cute shot of Jen with her two girls Kylie and Snoop-dog: |
Dixie got to spend a few hours playing, eating treats and her all-time favorite: running around sniffing stuff. In the meantime Jen treated me to a delicious lunch and we caught up.
When we got home I made Dixie pose with her new toy that she loves and that will very shortly be in shreds: |
And since I know from experience that I'll get comments, I'll just tell you up front -- yes, the eyelashes are real. No, I don't put fake eyelashes on my dog. She is just naturally the cutest thing ever and we actually have to trim them because they continue to grow at the same rate her hair does.
So thankful for my Dixie-girl!! |
If you're ever wanting to GUARANTEE that someone will come to your event -- this is the way to do it.
I was just hand-delivered the cutest invitation I've ever received from the ladies at Outstanding Occastions. Of course, it's outstanding. They're wedding coordinators with the word "outstanding" in their business name. So you know everything they do has to be amazing, but I can't believe how cute this is!! It was all I could do to take photos of it before tearing into it. I tried the lemon bar already. Yum.
Heidi with Idieh Design designed the card and I love it! Everything about this invitation makes me want to go. And to top it all off -- it's a picnic. I JUST put "go on a picnic" on my 101 in 1001 list! So obviously I'm there.
Thanks ladies! Can't wait!! |
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