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.

Monica & Glenn

We showed up to this wedding a little early to check out the site on the grounds of Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson. As we pulled up, we noticed a fire truck and several concerned men looking at the power lines. This meant that there was no electricity to the facility, which powered everything including water flow to the toilets. Monica's parents were quick to handle the situation and planned to set up a generator with flood lights into the main hall. Fortunately, the power was restored and the wedding went on without a hitch. We even got to spend some time outdoors for pictures.  As evidenced by the pictures, they were a joy to work with - Glenn keeping us quite entertained with his energy and Monica gracefully accepting his antics. Congrats to the two of you!

Lindsay & Steve

We headed out on the Seward Highway for this engagement session. Lindsay & Steve are getting married in California and needed some quintessential Alaskan shots. We had spotted this Alaskan railway train parked near Girdwood while passing by and always wanted to go out there for some shots. The setting sun provided some gorgeous lighting for this awesome couple. Congrats Lindsay & Steve! We wish you lots of fun and love on your special day! 

Gayla & Mike

We joined this couple on the shores of Lake Lucille in Wasilla. We were treated to amazing views of snow covered mountains across a frozen lake. While Gayla was getting ready, Scott hung out with the guys and their guns. This is, of course, an Alaskan wedding, right?

After an especially touching ceremony led by Gayla's father with prayers from Mike's mother and father, we headed out into the cold for some quick photos. This wedding was the product of the love and help of many family and friends. We enjoyed being a part of this family. Congrats Gayla and Mike!!

Shannon & Alec

Shannon & Alec are high school sweethearts, with Alec having asked Shannon out to the Prom at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris during their High School French Class annual trip.

Liz & Reuben - Wedding

These crazy kids hitched the knot on a chilly post-Thanksgiving Alaskan day. The ceremony was held at beautiful St. Patrick's Parish with the sun streaming through the stained glass windows. The party was then moved to the Dena'ina Center in downtown Anchorage, which has awesome architectural elements that made for great photos. After a quick photo with the enormous blow up Santa Claus in the lobby, we ventured upstairs to the outdoor patio for group shots. You'd never guess that it was below freezing with wind chill by looking at their photos. However, the awesome Alaskan skyline made it totally worth it!

The reception was kicked off with the traditional wedding party announcement. The party lined up in front to cheer on (and deluge with bubbles) the couple as they shared their first dance. I hadn't seen anyone arrange the first dance quite like this before. It was a great way to capture the expressions of onlookers while Liz and Reuben took a spin around the dance floor. Another first was the "shoe quiz." Liz and Reuben sat with their backs to each other and answered questions about themselves (e.g. Who is the better cook? Who made the first move?) by raising the shoe belonging to that person. It was a fun way for everyone to get to know the couple better and Liz and Reuben did pretty well!

This was one of those weddings where everyone was totally relaxed and just there to celebrate two awesome people getting married. It makes for such great photos filled with personality. It was fun to be able to go back through these photos to put together this blog posting. We were so honored that everyone treated us like part of the family. We wish Liz and Reuben the very best!!