There are so many reasons I love photographing weddings. To be able to capture one of the most important days in a couple’s lives is such a privilege. To be trusted to do so is an absolute honor. To be able to feel the love, connection, and excitement through my camera is exhilarating. But one of the reasons I love photographing weddings is one that I didn’t expect when I first started… getting to know these fabulous couples and consider them friends when all is said and done is such an added bonus to the whole experience for me. I form a different connection with each of my couples. One of the reasons I do engagement sessions is to develop a relationship with both the bride and groom before the wedding.

From a selfish perspective, I get a preview of how the couple interacts, what makes them smile, what brings them joy, how comfortable they are showing intimacy in front of the camera, how they make each other feel. I feel like I further get to know them through my editing process because I spend hours staring at their expressions, their postures, their never ending gazes into each other’s eyes, and of course their apparent love and adoration for each other. By the time the wedding arrives, I feel confident I will know how to pose them and get them to look completely natural and comfortable in front of the camera so that they fall in love with each and every photo of their special day.

From the couple’s perspective, they get to know how it feels to have a camera in their face while they’re expected to act like no one is watching. They realize how the photographer they chose has no problems telling them exactly what to do, down to simple little things like how to touch a face or where to point a toe, so that they don’t have to think about a thing other than each other. They see how much joy I get from capturing a photo that makes me simply stare with wonder and amazement because of how a single image can make me feel. And they realize that I’m a pretty pleasant person to be around… kind of important when I will be on them closer than their shadows on one of the most important, exciting, joyful, and arguably stressful days of their lives.

It’s a win-win situation.

I love my couples.

Julie and Steve are no exception.

I met up with Julie at a Starbucks during the winter to go over the contract, how it will all work, details about her wedding, stuff like that. She and I instantly hit it off. You ever start talking to a person you just met and you feel like you’ve been friends forever? That’s how it was. I love it when that happens. I have no idea how long we sat there and talked but I just thought she was a true pleasure. I didn’t get to meet Steve until the engagement session, but we hit it off right away too. We met up at the Riverplace Hotel where their reception will be this summer. We had to reschedule a couple of times because of all this dark, cold, wet weather Oregon has been giving us. We made a last minute call to reschedule our session that morning to catch on of the clear 71F days we got this month. When I showed up they were enjoying a nice drink on the porch. They looked so comfortable together, like being together was just easy. I mean, does it get any better than that?

Julie sent me a note the next day. I hope she doesn’t mind me pasting what she wrote.

“I just wanted to share with you that last night was awesome! We were both so nervous to have so much attention focused on us in such a public place but you made it so easy! You put us both at ease and managed to make the whole thing really fun! Steve and I were both very impressed. Can’t wait to see the pictures and to work with you on our wedding day! Thank you for everything .”

I love getting notes like that. Of all the things I love about photography, making my clients happy takes the cake.

Now, enough words… let’s get to the good stuff. The photos.

That blue sky is fake. There wasn’t any detail in the sky in the photo I took because I was using natural light (no flash) and would have had to underexpose to get any detail in the sky. Pretty nifty, eh? Love my photoshop.

I love seeing the marina with all the boats in the background. Her boots are pretty freaking awesome too, don’t you think?

What you don’t see is what happened between the photo on the left and the photo on the right. They told me at the beginning that there would be no tongue all session, meaning dry pecks on the lips only. Totally cool. Most couples aren’t down with full on making out in public. However, the tongue did come out in between these photos. Julie stuck it right in Steve’s ear. I got a photo of it but I dare not post it.

This was a fun photo. We wanted to get the Riverplace Hotel in the background. Funny thing was that all of a sudden the dock filled up with people because they were doing dragon boat races on the river.

This is one of my favorite photos. Its so peaceful.

I love her ring. Gorgeous and elegant.

Congratulations Julie and Steve! I can’t wait for your wedding!!!

Kara and Daniel booked me last year. We’ve been putting off taking their engagement photos because they really wanted to have them done in the snow. Unfortunately, Portland winter weather didn’t play nice and give us a nice fluffy white snow storm to play in, so we did the next best thing and enjoyed the cherry blossoms down on the waterfront…

It almost looks like snow, doesn’t it?

These two are so sweet together. A lot of my couples aren’t huge fans of PDA, but by the end of the session, its easier for them to forget that I’m there and just enjoy lovin’ on each other. In fact, my favorite part of an engagement session is when the couple not only forgets that I’m there right in front of them, but they seem to be completely unaware of everything and everyone around them. As if nothing else in the world matters more than the person in front of them. I see that with Kara and Daniel. The two of them have this still quietness between them, and during our session I caught them sharing a sweet whisper or a silent look that produced smiles I’m sure only they can give each other. At the end of summer, they will be married in front of friends and family at Skamania Lodge on the Columbia River. I honestly couldn’t think of a more spectacular location for these two to start their lives together. I can’t wait to be able to document it for them, so when they share one of their sweet quiet moments thirty years down the road, they will have beautiful photos to remind them how perfect their wedding day was.

I am so incredibly excited to share with you a peek into Ashley & Nick’s wedding. On the only fair weather day, sandwiched right in between two weeks of heavy snow before and after their wedding, Ashley & Nick exchanged their vows atop Mt. Hood. The ceremony was small, quaint and intimate. Their closest family and friends were transported up to the Silcox Hut by snowcat. When the guests arrived to the mostly buried in snow rustic cabin, they were greeted with beautiful strung lights, candles, flowers, and delicious food and drinks. The bridal party was last to arrive, and Ashley waited to don her gorgeous fitted lace gown until she was about ready to walk down the isle. The first time Nick saw his gorgeous bride-to-be, she was walking towards him on her father’s arm.

The ceremony was perfect in every sense. The words spoken were meaningful. Not one person in the room couldn’t feel the love and admiration shared between Ashley and Nick. It was all sealed with a passionate kiss.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom signed their marriage certificate and then mingled with guests atop the mountain while the snowcats shuffled them down in small groups to the reception that was held down at the lodge. When all that was left was the wedding party and the immediate family, we took as many formal shots as the downright frigid weather would allow.

The bride & groom were the last to enter the reception. They entered and were surrounded by a room full of 150 or so guests, all excited to see the recently married couple. The decorations were gorgeous. The centerpieces consisted of a rustic wood disk cut from a tree trunk. There were candles everywhere. Every place setting had a jar of homemade preserves, lovingly made by the couple to give as favors. The food was delicious. It was definitely a party to remember. I stole the couple away from their guests to take some shots of just the two of them. The day is so busy it can sometimes be hard to do that, but in the end, the shots of the bride and groom alone, sharing a private intimate moment, are often the best ones.

If you’d like to get a better sense of who Ashley & Nick are, take a look at their engagement photos HERE.

If you’re planning a wedding and haven’t chosen a venue yet, you cannot go wrong with Timberline. Below are a list of their vendors.
Caterer – Timberline Lodge
Cake/pies – Larson’s Bakery | Vancouver, WA
Florist – A Floral Affair | Oregon City, OR
DJ – Adam Nicewonger | Portland, OR
Hair & Makeup – AJ’s Hair Design & Makeup | Portland, OR
Officiate – David Griffin | Seattle, WA

The Bride & Groom

If you’re familiar with my photography, you know that I have a definite style and always produce a consistent product. I do this so that my clients know what to expect based on what they have seen. I edit clean without a lot of heavy processing so that my photos remain timeless. I did, however, take a lot more creative liberties with the photos of the bride & groom together. I took some of the photos to the next level and processed them with a vintage rustic feel to match the gorgeous setting of the lodge.

Of the 1600 photos taken that day, this one is my favorite. I adore the way Ashley’s hair is whipping around her face. I shiver at how they’re touching each other with only their fingertips. I see nothing but pure joy, content, and passion on both their faces. I can feel how much they love each other when I look at this photo.

The flowers were so gorgeous. Before the ceremony when I got my first glance at them, I told Ashley how much I loved the bold colors. She said “I did that for you”. Me? She knew I would love how they photograph against the snow. Isn’t she awesome?

I love ring shots. This one was particularly challenging because her engagement ring and wedding band weren’t fused together, plus the weight of that big old diamond wanted to let gravity take over and just hang on the little branch. Absolutely gorgeous set, isn’t it?

Taken through the window from the reception.

We moved inside for the rest of the shots. This one is classic Timberline.

Ugh. The way they kiss. The passion…

Yes, she is biting his ear.

Before

This was the view from the reception room before the ceremony. Sadly, the clouds moved in by the time the ceremony was over and the sky went from vibrant blue to dark grey, but we were so fortunate to see sunshine for part of the day.

This is the Silcox Hut where the ceremony was held. As you can see, it was almost completely buried in snow.

Ashley’s feet, walking from the snowcat to the hut.

The Ceremony:

My favorite shot of the ceremony.

After the ceremony, we went outside in the bitter cold for some formal shots.

I LOVE this photo. I asked each pair in the wedding party to do something completely inappropriate. You never know what you’ll get when you ask people to do something like that. These guys definitely took it to a level that had me almost unable to take a photo because I was laughing so hard. You get to see the sensored version. All the while, Ashley and Nick are loving each other as if time were standing still.

The Reception:

For the first time as husband and wife, please welcome Ashley and Nick!

Every single detail of their wedding was thoughtfully and equally planned by both the bride and groom.

The kids table had a pack of crayons and a wedding coloring book at each place setting. Super cute.

The first dance. They could have been completely alone or on a stage in front of a thousand people and it wouldn’t have made one bit of difference… they were in heaven at that moment.

Daddy and his little princess.

My last shot of the night.

Congratulations, Ashley and Nick. May every single day be filled with the same love and passion that you shared for each other on your wedding day.