Colorado Children and Wedding Photographer

Wow I can’t believe we’ve purchased our first home.  Just four months ago my husband and I were out in CO on a family ski trip and I said “Hey Wade, why don’t we move here?”  The easy going, most awesome, loving guy that he is agreed.  So the adventure began as he started looking for a new job in the mile high city.  It wasn’t long before word got back to his company that he in fact would be leaving.  Not only is he an incredible husband, he is also a killer software engineer and very talented at his job, so the CEO and owner of the company, not wanting to loose him, offered him a position to start a new western branch of the company in Denver!  I’m so overwhelmed by God’s blessing in our lives that I can’t help but to thank Him everyday.   Anyway, we closed on our new home today and will be moving in three short weeks.  However, I’ll be flying back frequently in 07 to finish out the rest of my wedding season in PA.  Then I’ll be available for weddings in CO in 08, so if your planning a destination wedding to Vail or Aspen, or perhaps you live in CO and have always wanted to be married in Estes Park, then please drop me a line, as I would love to meet with you.

Oh, btw I took a drive to the location of the wedding I’m shooting tomorrow and it is super sweet!  It’s the most amazing location in the hills of Western PA at a renovated farm.  I had a chance to talk to the owner of Lingrow Farms today, Linda and she is really cool.  She owns  her own landscaping company and did a remarkable job on renovating the barn and providing a beautiful backdrop for weddings, parties and receptions!  Check back soon for images from Nate & Sarah’s wedding!

You might remember this couple from the e-session I shot last month at the Yellow Barn Farm (if not click here to find out how they met). This wedding was a fairytale come true for Katherine and everything about the day was perfect. I met up with the couple on Wednesday at the Farm to discuss last minute details and they were busy picking flowers from the garden for their wedding…how cool is that? Kate’s mom, Carol did a lovely job of arranging the flowers that served as center pieces for the tables and Mussigs in Zelienople provided the bouquet’s and corsages. Medure catered the event and it was by far the best food I have ever had at a wedding! Their staff was professional and very gracious, I highly recommend them if you plan to be wed in western PA. This wedding was so unique, as the groom, Vicente is from Chile and much of his family had flown in to attend the festivities.

I apologize in advance for all the pictures I’m about to post, there were so many wonderful images, it was hard to only pick a few. A special thanks to Nate for helping me capture all the amazing photographs. View the slideshow here!

Here is a picture of her dress….I’ve never seen anything like it. It was very classy and elegant, just like Katherine. In the image on the right, Kate’s looking into the mirror and seeing herself as a bride for the first time. I love it because you can also see Kate’s mom, Carol smiling with excitement.

GORGEOUS!!! (enough said)

I love this image because Kate looks like an angel with the sun filtering through her veil, as her proud father walks her down the aisle.

(L)I love flair! (R)Vicente & Kate shared a beautiful Spanish love poem…it was all I could do to hold back the tears as I captured this image.

The two are soooo in love.

(L) Bill (one of the owner’s of Yellow Barn Farm), holding a mojito, wipes away a tear as he greats Vicente Sr. The groom and his brother, Gabriel (in the background) embrace in an emotional heart warming hug.

(R) No farm is complete with out chickens. Check out this handsome rooster, I think he is posing like a rock star for the shot!

They made honey from the bee’s that live on the farm and gave it away as personalized favors!

Gabriel is interpreting Vicente senior’s toast to Bill, Kate’s Dad. Nancy, Kate’s sister, whom also knows Spanish is laughing in the back. I however was clueless, as I only speak a small amount of Spanish. Nancy was a huge help in coordinating the day’s activities. My hats off to her, as she just returned from a month long trip to India! Oh ya, Lucinda, Kate’s room mate from undergrad and maid of honor is on the left. I don’t have a picture up here, but she had the coolest kicks ever!

(R) Here they are off to go fly fishing.

There were miniature horses grazing in the fields…how divine!

Vicente is a professional fly fisherman, so it was hard to get him to come back to the party, but after a few casts his beautiful bride persuaded him otherwise. This wedding was such a fairytale! I had the best time shooting the entire wedding outside. The light was incredible and they couldn’t have choose a more perfect day.

The reception was a wild success as everyone danced late into the night to Euguene and the Night Crawlers, a local blues band. These people know how to dance!

A special thanks to Bill and Carol whom originally booked me for their daughters wedding. Congrats Vicente and Katherine! I hope your having a wonderful time in Thailand on your honeymoon! Thanks for allowing us to be a part of such a beautiful day!

Brian and Pam are such an amazing couple. You can really sense the deepness of their love when they look into each others eyes. You’ll probably remember them from the moraine e-session back in May. I had a little home field advantage, as we were shooting in my local church. The funny thing is prior to talking to them about photographing their wedding, I had never met them. I think it was a little divine intervention, as Brian, the groom thought he knew me from somewhere. Feeling embarrassed he returned to his fiance, whom told him he didn’t know me. I then went over and introduced myself to the amazingly gorgeous Pam and her mother, Anna and that is how the wedding photography connection took place. I have to give a little plug to John Walton, whom sung at their wedding. This is the second wedding that I’ve photographed that he’s sang at and he has an incredible voice, so if your looking for someone to sing at your wedding or special event I would highly recommend him. A special thanks to Frank, whom also helped document the occasion. Here were some things that caught my eye on their lovely day. Click here for their slideshow!

Here is Pam a short time prior to the ceremony, isn’t she gorgeous?

Pam made a small book full of pictures of her and her father. Here she is handing it to him as Brian wipes tears from his face after seeing his radiant bride walk down the aisle.

A proud father gives his son, the ring bearer a kiss.

The newlyweds give one another a hug after the receiving line.

Pam shows her ring to her enthused bridesmaids.

The wedding party boards the school bus to head over to the park for some more pictures. It was the ideal vehicle, as Pam just finished receiving her teaching degree from SRU. Way to go Pam! I love the expression of the ring bearer (L) in this picture.

These two deserve the H-O-T couple award of the year, aren’t they striking?

The groomsmen strutting their stuff. Check out the guy to the right, he is Brian’s twin brother, Chris. I kept getting them confused, it was pretty entertaining. Brian also has twin sisters that were in the bridal party too!

Brian’s father passed away a few years ago. Here is a picture of the couple watching a slideshow that included pictures of Brian’s beloved father.

Pam and Brian I wish you all the happiness and joy that comes with marriage. May God Bless you and shine his light upon your blessed union. Thank you for choosing me to document your wedding day, as we had a wonderful time! Hope your having fun in the Riveria Maya! Talk to you soon!

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph my cousin, Andrea’s senior portraits.  She is a phenomenal swimmer and this past school year she not only made it to states, but she placed as well.   She could beat me in the pool any day.   Although we decided not to do her session in the water, we certainly had fun reenacting her diving off the block, as seen in the series of three below.  Click here to see her slideshow!

I love her “A” shirt, the colors worked perfect with the background.  She also got her makeup done at the Clinique counter at the Mill’s Mall, doesn’t she look beautiful?  A thank you to Mary for helping come up with some great ideas for the shoot!  Good luck at your upcoming swim meets Andrea and I hope to see you before we move to Colorado!

My husband and I went to the new Aladdin’s Eatery in the Street’s of Cranberry for the second time  this week.  There food is incredible fresh and they specialize in Middle Eastern food, which I love!  I took a few pieces of their homemade baklava home today after enjoying a freshly squeezed glass of carrot and apple juice, accompanied by a large plate of humus with pitas.  By the time my chicken sambuseka wrap had arrived, I was completely full.   In addition to the fantastic food, the service is unbeatable.   On a side note I think I know the owner’s sister, as she was attending the same school that I was teaching at in Prague during the summer of 2001, and was telling me then about how her sister was opening up an Alladin’s in Squirell Hill.   In any case if you enjoy hummus, baba ganush and tabolie then you have to check this place out.  It is a little slice of the city, right in Cranberry Twp, I just hope they have a place like this in Denver!

I’ve been really busy with the purchase of our new home out West and coordinating my flights back to PA for my remaining weddings this fall.  It is a really exciting time and I can’t wait to get out there and start photographing the beautiful surroundings!   I will continue to have our original PA contact number in addition to our new CO listing, so if your a client in PA you’ll still be able to get a hold of me via phone or email.

I shot a sweet wedding yesterday and wanted to post some images tonight, but there are just too many to choose from.  So I’ll have some up by the end of this week.   Last weeekend, the popular 7.7.07 date, I second shot with Kimberly Reed at Springwood.  This is a super great place to get married.   I love any kind of reception that includes the out doors and this location takes the cake.

Also I’ve had a number of other shoots, of which I can’t promise that I’ll put up pictures of each because I would be lying, but I’ve been having an incredible summer and feel so blessed to be able to make a living out of something I love to do, capture life’s fleeting moments through imagery.

This past Saturday we headed over to Somerset for  Shawn and Julie’s wedding.  I have a special place in my heart for that area, as my husband and I got married at a winery in the Laurel Highlands.  If you’ve never had Christian Clay wine, then you should make a trip down there for one of their wine tasting events.  I’m a big fan of the Washington Tavern Red.  The weather was perfect and Shawn and Julie’s reception was an ideal location for such a day,the Somerset Golf course.   We had a great time and felt really lucky to be a part of their special day.  To view their slideshow click here.  Check out below for some of my favorites!

Julie’s Dad congratulating Shawn.

This was the cutest couple, next to Shawn and Julie of course.  They have been married 49 years and had some great advice to  give to the newlyweds, “Sometimes you’ll go through bad times, but you always come out of them stronger.”

Aron, Shawn’s brother caught the garder and was wearing it as a fashion statement.   Aron also gave a stellar toast to the new bride and groom.

Congrats Shawn and Julie and I hope you have a wonderful time on your honeymoon in Cancun!  Wade and I had a great time capturing images of your wedding day.  Thanks for allowing us to be a part of it!