I really shouldn’t be writing this. I’d rather let this story speak for itself, because I can hardly find the words to do any justice to the brilliance, culture, diversity, and straight up fun this downtown Denver wedding day had in store. I spent the day with Vanessa and Juan as it unfolded from a beautiful, […]
I’ve added morning engagement sessions this year to welcome the growing popularity of engagement photography – a bit of a challenge for this night owl photographer type [ ;) ] but, oh so refreshing to have an early start to the day! Thank you, Denver, for the perfect weather: blue skies and crispy light breeze – […]
I think it’s ideal to have somewhat of a ‘soft’ plan for an engagement session. It’s great to connect with the couple and choose comfy settings that suit them well and offer diversity to the camera – but, beyond nailing down sites and timing – I favor letting the session unfold, and making the most of stumbling […]
Family and culture are by far my favorite aspects of the wedding day. Weddings are always candy stores for my eye- loaded with opportunity to photograph details, architecture, color, and texture. But I am truly a people person, and a family person above all – so when Julia and Andrey described their ideas for their J.W. Marriott wedding in Denver, Colorado, I couldn’t help but notice that what was most important to them were their loved ones. Their families coming together to celebrate was the utmost cherished part of the day for them – not the cake, or the flowers, or the attire (though they were all lovely, of course). Simply family. I knew we would be a great fit.
The Cherry Creek neighborhood set a diverse scene to include the handsome, modern touches Andrey favored in wedding photos, as well as the lovely tree-lined streets that Julia preferred. We had very few minutes set aside for some photographs of the newlyweds, and a little jaunt in a vintage Bentley served the bride and groom quite well – both as a quick getaway from the cocktail hour, and as a stunning background in photographs. We were all back to the reception in no time, under the care and beautiful event design of Stephanie Hinkle and staff at the J.W. Marriott. Stephanie recently requested some of my photography from Julia and Andrey’s wedding day for a published book to be featured in the hotel – can’t wait to see it!
Photographing weddings brings oodles of diversity into my life. “Don’t they all start to look the same after a while?,” quickly follows in conversation when someone learns of my profession. Nope. Rarely ever. Sure, there are parts of a wedding day that are routine, since it is usually a day of ceremony and celebration. And the adrenaline rush for me as a wedding photographer has sort of a pattern to it, I suppose. But I can sincerely say that no two weddings have ever felt the same.
I can also testify that, though I could probably tell you memories from every wedding I’ve documented over 10 years, there are weddings that will forever stand out in my mind; each for different reasons, of course. Amy Beth and Drennen’s Sanctuary wedding day fits that outstanding category for me. Their wedding was a balance of black tie elegance and mountain shin dig, conveyed flawlessly by the talented ladies of the Colorado Wedding Company. Amy Beth was so kind and lovely; Drennen was dapper and completely smitten for his bride – that alone may be what will forever stand out to me. Just the way he beamed around her put a lump in my throat many a time throughout the day.