A handful of my faves from Emily and David’s engagement session shot right near their home in the Central West End. Cannot wait for their big day next fall!
Holy long blog post!!!! Welcome to Rachel and Gary’s wedding day extravaganza. I posted waaaaay more images than I normally do but I couldn’t help myself. It’s my last wedding of 2011!!! I hope you enjoy and please be sure to click on the select favorites gallery to see even more of the story! Cheers!
***Click here to visit gallery of SELECT FAVORITES (Contains approx. 375 favorite images that highlight the day. Gallery is for viewing only)***
***Click here to visit the CLIENT PROOFS SECTION (Contains ALL wedding day images – Photos my be purchased from this gallery)***
WHERE: We chose Christ Lutheran in Webster Groves because it was the church Rachel’s grandmother used to be a member of, and it was little and cute. The reception was at Forest Park Golf Course, we are both pretty big cyclists so Forest Park is a place we frequent often. And it was a good mixture of being in downtown St. Louis but still a very natural location.
THEME/STYLE: We chose our wedding colors to be black and gold. We met as cheerleaders at Mizzou so the color combination just came natural to us.
BRIDE’S DRESS: I wanted to be a princess for a day but realized the ball gowns were not my style…I tried on this dress and loved it. I was worried Gary would think it looked like his grandma’s doilies but he loved it
JEWELRY/ACCESSORIES: My something blue was a Sapphire necklace given to me by my father, along with my earrings. I struggled finding something borrowed but thankfully my sister-in-law allowed me to borrow a bobby pin from her.
HAIR/MAKEUP: My hair and make-up were both done at St. Louis Salon and spa… I pretty much just left it up to the professionals to make me look good.
FLOWERS: I love lilies and orchids so when meeting with the florist those were a necessity. I chose to have orchids in my bouquet and his boutonniere to make them more “special” than the rest.
WEDDING FAVORS: Our wedding favors were little “trick or treat” bags filled with various Halloween candies. Our wedding was Halloween weekend but we didn’t want a Halloween themed wedding, so this was our little incorporation of the holiday weekend.
THE CAKE: We both loved Amaretto cake we had at a friends wedding so when cake tasting we knew that had to be a flavor. Then decided on filling the whole thing with raspberry filling…it was so delicious. We cant wait until our one year anniversary to eat the top!
FOOD + DRINK: The Golf Course does its own in house catering, and it was delicious! On our way back to the hotel Rachel began to get hungry and realized she left her boxed up meal at the club house…she was so bummed!
RECEPTION: Unknowing to us when we filled out our DJ information sheet and included random and interesting facts about our wedding party, it would be included in their introductions. A little backwards from the traditional introductions we were announced first so we could see the wedding parties reaction to the “facts” Gary had created for them. I think everyone got a good laugh out of that. Another personal touch we put on the reception was having the fire pit outside with the s’mores. When we looked at the Golf Course as a venue the fire pits were a pretty big selling point!
BRIDE’S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: It’s pretty difficult to pick one moment out of the day as my most memorable but my top two are walking down the aisle and seeing Gary’s reaction, his eyes started to water! That was one of my goals to look so good that it made Gary emotional. And my second most memorable moment was the carriage ride back to the Chase. I think throughout our entire relationship I had made it clear to Gary that to be a true princess you have to be taken home by a pony. Well he told me that they were all booked because of the Halloween weekend for hayrides (I should have realized they use tractors not horses!) But Friday before the rehearsal he told me we would be going back to the hotel in a carriage and it was a really nice way to end such a fantastic day.
GROOM’S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: So I must say the whole day was a blast from start to finish. If I had to narrow it down it would have to be Mizzou winning against Texas A&M… wait no I would have to say that it would have to be seeing the most precious little girl walk down the aisle… my niece Alice… No it was definitely seeing my beautiful Bride walk down the aisle in her wedding dress, which thankfully didn’t have polka dots. She looked amazing as she always does but that day there was something different, it is hard to put into words that feeling but the memory will always be there.
THE HONEYMOON: We chose to go to the DR resort town of Punta Cana and stayed at Dreams Punta Cana. It was awesome to get away and relax for a week. We had to be at the airport at 4:30 in the morning on Sunday. Some of the activities we did while there included deep sea fishing where we caught 24 Mahi Mahi and one Baracuda, we also got to swim with a dolphin. We had a little bit of a hiccup on the way home but all is well that ends well. All we can say for people interested in going is that the Mamajuana is very good and the natives love their APPLE APPLE APPLES.
Rachel & Gary didn’t see each other before the ceremony but we did this for fun… just to build the anticipation. No peeking!!!!
Special thank you to my assistant photographers, Benjamin Trevor & Cassie Allen! Thank you once again for your hard work and spectacular shots!
Assistant Photographer: Benjamin Trevor
Assistant Photographer: Cassie Allan
Ceremony: Christ Lutheran Church
Reception: Forest Park Club House
Caterer: In house caterer at Forest Park Clubhouse
Flowers: Kirkwood Florist- Jon Kuhlmann
Hair: St. Louis Salon and Spa – Suzanne Weis
Makeup: St. Louis Salon and Spa
DJ: CJ’s DJ’s
Trolly: Tropiano Transportation
Wedding Cake: McArthur’s Bakery
Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones - Ultimate Bride
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bill Levkoff - Ultimate Bride
Tuxes: Savvi Formalwear
Rings: Diamond and Jewelry Brokers
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Here we go! Another of my favorite weddings of the year! I knew from the get go this was going to be an incredibly special day to photograph. Kurt and Jess are such free spirits and sooooo in love with life and each other. I learned this immediately during their engagement session earlier this year. They have boundless energy and are always smiling and loving each other, making the pictures so full of life – and my job very, very easy. Both their wedding and reception took place outside on the rooftop terrace at the Hyatt in downtown St. Louis. So beautiful! They had one really unique idea that I loved and had never seen before… There were two acoustic guitarists – Greg Crittenden and Luke Prize – that played as guests were being seated, as the bride walked in, and also during their vows and all throughout the ceremony. The song selections were perfect and it created such an incredible vibe…. very tastefully done. Jess and Kurt wrote their own wedding vows which were so sweet and had everyone in tears. Lots of happy tears throughout the entire day, I must say. One of my other favorite parts was during their reception… They had all their guest light giant sparklers which lined the perimeter of the dance floor during their first dance. It was magical and such a great idea if you’re doing an outside reception. Jess & Kurt thank you so much for having us be a part of all this magic!
***Click here to visit gallery of SELECT FAVORITES (Contains approx. 375 favorite images that highlight the day. Gallery is for viewing only)***
***Click here to visit the CLIENT PROOFS SECTION (Contains ALL wedding day images – Photos my be purchased from this gallery)***
Special thank you to my assistant photographers, Benjamin Trevor & Cassie Allen! Thanks for all your help, hard work, and beautiful images!
Assistant Photographer: Benjamin Trevor
Assistant Photographer: Cassie Allan
Ceremony: Hyatt Regency – Downtown St. Louis
Reception: Hyatt Regency – Downtown St. Louis
Caterer: Hyatt Regency – Downtown St. Louis
Flowers: Kelly Jurotich – The Crimson Petal
Acoustic Guitar during ceremony: Greg Crittenden and Luke Prize
Hair & Makeup: Amber Kohl – Belleza Salon
Wedding Cake: Whipt Cream Cakes
Invitations: Roger Sante (Brother in Law)
Table Numbers, Escort Cards, Programs: Lauren Dieckmann (Friend)
Wedding Dress: Amber Martin – The Vintage Vixin
Bridesmaids Dresses: Amber Martin – The Vintage Vixin
Tuxes: Joseph A. Bank
Rings: Shane Co.
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Rachel and Alex’s wedding day was one of the most love filled weddings I have ever experienced. These two have been together since middle school!!! The bond they share is powerful and strong and was such a special thing to get to photograph. My favorite part of the day was seeing the beautiful way they looked into each other’s eyes during their ceremony. So much love… They simply adore each other. Their day was unique and made all the more special because it took place at the groom’s parents home in St. Albans, MO. Such a gorgeous and intimate backdrop!!! I don’t think this incredible day could have been any more picturesque. Definitely be sure to check out the wedding day slideshow to see the full story. I think I have watched it about 10 times now!!!
***Click here to view WEDDING DAY SLIDESHOW!!! (Contains approx. 350 favorite images that highlight the day)***
***Click here to visit the CLIENT PROOFS SECTION (Contains ALL wedding day images – Photos my be purchased from this gallery)***
The Details… Rachel & Alex’s Wedding Day, as told by Rachel….
WHERE: Parents of the grooms house in St. Albans, after searching for so long for an outdoor wedding we decided to land on his parents home because of the view and the ability to do anything we wanted.
THEME/STYLE: We based the wedding’s style off of the architecture from the house. The house is a french inspired villa. We went with a lot of fall colors, wrought iron lanterns, ivory’s, candlelit lighting, and natural materials.
GROOMSMEN’S SHOES: Custom Converse Shoes. We bought all the groomsmen converse with the date of the wedding printed on the back of them.
FOOD + DRINK: We used Pairings A Catering Company. This was the best catering business in the NATION to us because Alex’s Aunt and Uncle own the company and they have amazing food. We would recommend their company not only because its our family but because of their professionalism and presentation.
WEDDING FAVORS: We did a donation to the Human Society of Missouri in honor of our dog, Roxy. This is where we adopted our adorable pup when she was 3 years old and now, three years later, she is the happiest dog on the block, as long as we don’t leave the house.
INVITATIONS + STATIONARY: Up Up Creative; Etsy.com. We really loved how her invitations had modern simplicity and clever wording.
PROGRAMS: Alchemy Hour Designs; Etsy.com. We chose to do cootie catchers since we were dating when these were popular. This brought back some of our childhood into our wedding.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: It really touched our hearts to have our photographer’s assistant, Cassie, come up to us during the reception telling us how she never had to stop in the middle of taking a photo because she was crying. We are blessed to have the relationship between the two of us lasting for so long considering we started dating in middle school.
BRIDE’S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: Alex dropping the candle during the lighting the unity candle.
so cute.
GROOM’S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: Rachel coming down the isle about to cry so she stuck her tounge out at me. Classic.
THE HONEYMOON: Soon to come… We are traveling to Curacao after Christmas, so that Alex could finish up his degree. We are so honored to be able to go because of Alex’s uncle and his wife allowing us to use their time share house as our wedding gift.
Special thank you to miss Cassie Allen!!! Thank you for your awesome attitude and stellar photography work once again!
***Click here to view WEDDING DAY SLIDESHOW!!! (Contains approx. 350 favorite images that highlight the day)***
Assistant Photographer: Cassie Allen
Ceremony: Home of Parents of the Groom - St. Albans, MO
Reception: Home of Parents of the Groom - St. Albans, MO
Band: Downtimes Productions - The X
Ceremony Performer: Andrew, Alex’s brother
Caterer: Pairings Catering
Flowers: Magnolias
Hair: Salon Joli
Makeup: The Face and the Body Spa
Jewelry: Ambersky; Etsy.com
Hair Pieces: Veil & Clip were from Blossoms Bridal
Wedding Cake: Sarah’s Cake Shop & Catering Co.
Wedding Dress: by Casablanca – Celebrations of the Heart (Manhattan, KS)
Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal
Bridesmaids Shoes: David’s Bridal
Invitations: Up Up Creative; Etsy.com
Programs: Alchemy Hour Designs; Etsy.com
Suits: Jos. A. Bank
Rings: Jared
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2 comments
November 22, 2011 - 10:11 am
That makes me smile, thanks Carolyn!!!
November 21, 2011 - 10:34 pm
All I can say is wow Wow WOW !!!
Welcome to Hilary and Todd’s wedding day extravaganza!!!! Their extraordinary day took place at the St. John United Church of Christ in Manchester, MO with their reception following at the Kemp Auto Museum. It was a day filled of love and lots of happy tears and was such an honor to be a part.
***Click here to view WEDDING DAY SLIDESHOW (Contains approx. 250 favorite images that highlight the day)***
***Click here to visit the CLIENT PROOFS SECTION (Contains ALL wedding day images – Photos my be purchased from this gallery)***
Special thank you to my second shooter Ryan Gladstone!!! Thanks for all your help and hard work and for all the gorgeous photos you captured for this day.
Assistant Photographer: Ryan Gladstone
Ceremony: St. John United Church of Christ
Reception: Kemp Auto Museum
Caterer: Villa Farotto
Hair: Studio Branca
Makeup: A friend of the bride
DJ: Rock Star DJ
Flowers: Les Bouquets
Wedding Cake: Sarah’s Cake Shop
Wedding Dress: by Demetrios
Bridesmaids Dresses: by Dessy
Transportation: Fun Tyme Limousine
Invitations: Paper Divas
Tuxes: Savvi Formalwear
Rings: Lordo’s Diamonds
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