Tee & Jeff

We headed back out to Girdwood for another summer wedding but this time at Crow Creek Mine. The area is filled with old buildings with random tools and vehicles strewn about as well as forested areas, which made for a fabulous diversity in shots. You can also go panning for gold if one wishes ... or get married ... 

Tatiana was a bubbly bride with Jeff serving as her anchor. Tatiana's dress was incredibly unique and had the all important twirl factor (plus pockets!) I had a hard time choosing these photos and many of them made me laugh thinking back to this day. This couple had such fun personalities, which made them easy to work with, and reflected in their wedding. And yes - those are hand painted silk ties on the boys (painted by the bride herself). Another thing I enjoy about many of these photos is seeing the expressions of people in the background reacting to the happiness of the couple.

We did a first look with this couple. Maybe 10-15% of our clients choose to see each other before the ceremony. The plus side is that it allows you to get a lot of your formal photos out of the way, makeup and clothing are fresh, and people usually aren't hot, hungry, and tired yet. We still captured a great reaction from Jeff as he watched Tatiana walk down the aisle, even though he had seen her moments earlier. 

Taija & Hal

Girdwood is a small town tucked off the side of the Seward Highway south of Anchorage. We love going down there to eat at the restaurants, ski, and ride the Bird to Gird. We were very excited to be able to shoot our first wedding at the beautiful Alyeska Resort. 

The wedding was outdoors beneath a cooperative but moody Alaska sky. The reception was held in the well lit Kahiltna Court, overlooking the pond. The resort provides many beautiful opportunities for photographs, albeit, perhaps a bit difficult to navigate in stilettos and a wedding dress. Taija was an awesome sport for wandering out at the top of the mountain in her heels with metal grates covering most of the walkway. 

We headed back to the party where the little kids were eager to show off their dance moves and we had a great fight for the garter and bouquet.

Erin & Matt

Nick & Tara

January is actually one of the nicest months in Santa Barbara - temperatures can hit the 70s and the sky is blue with no hint of May Gray. Tara and Nick were our first 2013 wedding. We met the couple at the University Club where they were getting ready and would later have their reception. One of my favorite parts about shooting as a couple is getting to see what Scott and the boys are up to while I'm with the girls. The guys are typically working hard being goofy while the girls pull off the actual hard work.

The ceremony was in the Mural Room at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. This room can be notoriously difficult to shoot in depending on the light and whether the courthouse people have opened the heavy drapes (which you're "technically" not allowed to touch). However, today was a beautiful day with the sunlight streaming in and giving the ceremony an ethereal look. 

Then it was back to the University Club for the party. Tara, in Japanese tradition, folded 1000 cranes to bring good luck to their marriage. Music by Bonnie kept the dance floor busy and Pink Diamond (who also did Tara's beautiful makeup and hair) had an impressive, well stocked photo booth and guest book station. Tara and Nick were very gracious clients who always went out of their way to make sure that we were taken care of. Congratulations to the both of you!