I think it was pretty clear to everyone at the wedding that Kathleen and Alex were very happy to be getting married (I'm not sure who was crying harder during the ceremony or having a better time dancing during the reception!)  Their ceremony in Belleville was followed by a reception at Kemoll's at the Top of the Met.  The view from that venue is fantastic, overlooking the arch and the riverfront, which seemed to please the many guests that flew in from New York and hadn't seen St. Louis before.   See their whole SLIDESHOW HERE. Kathleen and Alex are off in Bermuda enjoying their honeymoon before returning home to New York next week.  I'm a bit disappointed I won't be able to see these two again in the near future - they are both so very nice!  Congrats to them, and best of luck in New York!

Jim and Diana are probably the tallest couple I’ve ever photographed - at 6’7” and 5’11” respectively.  They were married this weekend at the First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, which has beautiful stained glass windows (and a rather strict photography policy), with a reception at Windows on Washington.  Rather than doing a traditional cake cutting, these two did a fruit exchange, which was cute and fun.  They also did something else quite unique - they created their own new last name.  By taking their original last names (Calkins and Lohrmeyer) and blending them together, they created Kinslohr.  I’ve never seen that done before!  See their SLIDESHOW HERE to see the highlights from the day.  And best wishes to the new Kinslohrs!

This weekend I served as a second photographer for the wedding of Rhonda and Andrew down in Ste. Genevieve.  Rhonda is another photographer here in St. Louis (of Rhonda Jean Photography), and there were several photographers there to capture her big event.  There were at least three people there working, and several more guests with their cameras on hand!  It turned out to be a nice day, despite the early rain, and a nice ceremony.  As I spent more of my time in the background, there are just a few photos above.  Congrats to Rhonda and Andrew!

Poor Jared had to work on his wedding day! Jared is a pastry chef, and it turns out he spent most of the morning Saturday finishing up the wedding cake and getting it to the reception venue intact.  It turned out beautifully, and, from what I heard, quite delicious.  He still made it to St. Matthew's Methodist Church before Melanie (the bride is almost always a little behind), and they had a wonderful ceremony.  I think everyone in the wedding was crying at one point or another!  It took a bit of work to figure out what their first dance song was for their slideshow- I had never heard it before (it's by Firehouse for those of you wondering).  You can hear it on their SLIDESHOW HERE.  Melanie and Jared are in Cancun right now on their honeymoon - I hope they have a great time, and congratulations to them!

The weather just held out perfectly last Saturday for Elizabeth and Josh's outdoor wedding.  They were married at the Studio Inn at St. Albans.  The ceremony and cocktail hour were outside, and just as everyone was making their way into the tent for dinner, the thunder began.  Fortunately, everything managed to make it inside the tent and avoid the crazy rainstorm that ensued!  We even had a clearing later that night to do a couple of shots in the dark before I headed out.  It was lucky!  You can see the SLIDESHOW HERE of the wedding (I found a cool new version of their first dance song on iTunes.)  They are in St. Lucia on their honeymoon - I hope they can avoid the rain there, too!

Allison and Scott's wedding last Sunday was one of the best parties I've been to this year.  The reception was at 9th Street Abbey in Soulard, and all the guests were having an awesome time.  They were all on the dance floor almost immediately (I've never seen a group of people so excited to hear Journey!) and they never left.  Because everyone was having such a great time, my second shooter Chris and I took a TON of photos.  You can see their epic SLIDESHOW HERE (it's huge!)  We also did a Day After shoot in their hotel downtown, which was fun.  These two were a lot of fun - congrats to them both!

They may have gotten the worst weather of the weekend, but Lizzie and Tom were still smiling all day last Friday for their wedding.  The ceremony was supposed to happen out on the front lawn, but some crazy rain storms moved it inside to the chapel.  Regardless, the bride and groom were in great spirits, and everyone was completely willing to brave a little rain for the sake of portraits.  It was a really fun wedding to photograph - everyone was incredibly friendly and seemed to be having a fantastic time.  A few of my favorites from the day are above, or you can see their SLIDESHOW HERE to see more of the highlights.  Congrats guys!

These two were so laid-back and fun, it was awesome photographing them at St. Margaret's and Windows Off Washington.  I think it was obvious to everyone there that these two are totally in love - if for no other reason than that they couldn't keep their hands off each other.  I came into the day thinking I would take fewer kissing photos this week, but they were constantly smooching!  It was very sweet.  I think everyone had a great time.  See some favorites above, or view the complete SLIDESHOW HERE.  Thanks to my lovely second shooter, Christine, for her fantastic images (a few of which are above) and congrats to Geoff and Colleen!

Sara and Dave had a garden ceremony in Tower Grove park last weekend with a reception at La Chateau in  Frontenac.  I think most of their family had camera envy - several of them were asking me what I was shooting with, and I overheard a few comments about the size of my lens.  Dave's mom even caught a few shots of me throughout the night with her camera (despite my best attempts to hide.)  You have to love people who value photography!  Check out the SLIDESHOW HERE to see Sara and Dave's photos.   Congrats to them, and I hope they are having a great time on their honeymoon in Vegas!

I spent 13 hours with Sarah and Kevin on their wedding day this Saturday - that was a new record for me!  But these two are so sweet and funny it really was a pleasure following them around all day.  I think they tried to feed me more than anyone else ever has (yes, I did eat dinner, I promise!)  And the way they interact made it impossible to stop taking photos of them - they are always kissing and hugging and laughing!  I also couldn't resist taking tons of photos to show off Sarah's super cute red shoes.  They were adorable!  Since I spent so much time with them, it only seems appropriate that their slideshow is truly massive (view the SLIDESHOW HERE.)  Kevin and Sarah are enjoying a two week honeymoon in France and Italy (I am soooo envious.)  Can't wait to show them all the photos when they get back - congrats guys!

The longest day of the year brought plenty of sunshine for Jessica and David's wedding last Saturday.  They were married at the Jewel Box in Forest Park, with a reception at Windows off Washington.  When the sun finally set, we got some great shots off the balcony overlooking the city (Jessica gets credit for that idea!)  Check out their SLIDESHOW HERE to see some of the highlights from the day.  The newlyweds are enjoying some rest and relaxation in Michigan this week - best wishes to them both upon their return to real life!

Truthfully, a few things went a little haywire at Emma and Carl's ceremony last Friday.  There were some mix-ups with the music, a bit of confusion during the processional, and someone forgot to light the candles until the middle of the ceremony.  But I didn't hear either one of these guys complain once - they were just happy to be married.  After dating for 10 years, I guess it was about time for them to get hitched, and they did so at the Resurrection Lutheran Church with a reception at the Two Hearts Banquet Center.  You can see their SLIDESHOW HERE.  Emma and Carl are exceptionally sweet and considerate (no one has ever insisted I eat dinner so many times!)  Congratulations to them!

These two met while running in Forest Park, so for on their wedding day we had to return to the trail where they met for a photo or two.  I couldn't resist making them run in their wedding clothes, and I think it looks adorable.  They were married at St. Roch in the Central West End, and had the reception at Randall Gallery downtown.  The wedding party was enormous (10 on each side, plus some kiddos), but we managed to get them all in line for photos.  The groomsmen gave me a little trouble for picking such an odd location downtown (I guess not everyone sees the beauty in a totally rundown building), but we were going for an urban look.  Hopefully the couple loves it.  See their SLIDESHOW HERE.  Congrats to them!

As a side note, I'm starting to understand why people say St. Louis feels like such a small town.  At the wedding last weekend I ran into one of my yoga students and a friend from college I hadn't seen in years.  At Rebecca and Ryan's wedding I ran into a couple whose wedding I shot last year, the parents of a couple whose wedding I'm shooting later this year, and another one of my yoga students (and my second shooter, Chris, ran into her old hair stylist.)  Such a small world!

The internet in my building has been down, so I haven't been able to access my website to blog about Kevin and Rachel's wedding until now!  They were married over the 4th of July weekend near St. Peters.   I only spent a few hours with them, but everyone was really nice and very cooperative for photos.  The couple and the wedding party were all being eaten by bugs at the park, but they didn't say a word when I asked them to pose by the lake - even closer to the mosquitoes.  Everyone was so friendly and easy going, it made it a very easy wedding to photograph.  At the end of the night they did a balloon release to remember all of the family members that couldn't be there to celebrate (including Kevin's grandfather, who just recently passed away.)  It made for a nice little moment at the reception. View their SLIDESHOW HERE to see more of their photos.  

I hope they enjoy their honeymoon in Mexico (I'll be there next week!)  Congrats!

When I arrived at Windows On Washington for Adam and Ashley's wedding this weekend I almost didn't recognize them - they've both had some serious haircuts!  They looked fantastic, and very '20s.  We had planned to go outside for some photos near the City Museum, but it started raining at just the wrong time.  Instead, we took their portraits inside, and I think they turned out fantastic.  I knew from their engagement session that these guys were easy to work with, but I forgot just how fun they were to shoot.  Ashley has some serious model-like qualities in how she moves and changes her expression for each shot.  It didn't take much to get some great shots!  Check out the SLIDESHOW HERE.  These guys live in New York, so I don't think I'll get to see them again soon.  I wish them all the best!

Tricia and Jon were married at her parent's farm this Saturday in Cuba, Missouri.  During his toast, Tricia's dad joked that when she suggested the farm as their wedding location he thought to himself "Great, everyone will bring a covered dish and we'll have a party."  Needless to say, it was not that kind of wedding :)  Their farm was actually a wonderful location, with a deck perfectly designed for a wedding ceremony and a giant barn that housed the reception.  Combined with the perfect weather we had Saturday, it made for a wonderful wedding.  Thanks to Tracey Haynes for doing some second shooting for me - my regular second shooter Christine was enjoying the wedding as a guest this time.  View the SLIDESHOW HERE to see more photos from the day.

I don't think I've ever worked with a more laid-back couple than Cindi and Jim.  We met before the wedding to take photos in Bee Tree Park, and Cindi was wandering around through grass and leaves with no care about her dress getting dirty.  The weather was quite cold, too, and they never complained.  The whole time they were just laughing with one another, having a great time.  And the ceremony and reception at Windows on Washington were the same - all smiles, no stress.  It was a very calm and beautiful party.  You can view their SLIDESHOW HERE.  Thanks to Michelle Williams for second shooting for me at the last minute, she did a great job.  And thanks Cindi and Jim for being so easy to work with!

 It was COLD on Saturday!  But it could have been far worse - at least there was sunshine.  Between the cold and the early sunset, we had very little time to take outdoor photos for Jennifer and Christopher's wedding.  The wedding party told me I was being bossy, but I think they appreciated that things were getting done quickly so they could get back on the trolley (I'm not bossy I'm efficient :)  ).  The ceremony was at Trinity Lutheran Church with a reception at the Franklin Room, both in Soulard.  We went out to Lafayette Park and downtown, as well as hitting Nick's Pub where these guys met and got engaged.  You can see their SLIDESHOW HERE.

This was my last wedding of 2008!  The next wedding I'll be at will be Sarah and Dan's in March.  It's been a great season - thanks to Jennifer and Christopher for making the last one a fun one!