This time last week we were photographing Sarah and Dan’s wedding at Red Rocks Park!

We arrived just as Sarah was finishing off her hair:

After Sarah and Dan got ready, we headed over to Red Rocks Park for some pictures.  The boys were looking smart in their tuxes!

Sarah did a beautiful job with the details.  Their wedding ceremony spot at the Red Rocks Park Trading Post looked amazing!

I love it when we’re able to get into the perfect spot to capture “the hand off.”

The weather kept us guessing throughout the ceremony.  The dark clouds threatened, we heard plenty of thunder, and the wind kicked up, but we never saw a drop of rain and by the end of the ceremony we had sunshine again!  Check out this view:

Sarah and Dan have been through a lot this year and there were few dry eyes as they said their vows.  They are a rock solid couple and we know they will have a wonderful marriage!

My favorite shot of the day:

After the ceremony it was portrait time!

Sarah is so beautiful!

Oh wait!  Maybe this is my favorite!  I saw this spot on our way to another location and I was like “OOOOOH!  Gotta stop here!”

There was a big balcony by the ceremony site, so we were able to quickly get a shot of the guests.  (It was a miracle–we made it happen in less than five minutes–thanks everyone!)  I have other crops that show everyone there, but I like this tight one best:

After pictures, it was back to the Sheraton Hotel for the reception.  Sarah and Dan went straight into their first dance:

I love this moment between Sarah and her dad during the father-daughter dance:

And there was lots of dancing!  (I think Sarah had her dress bustled at least four times–it was always just a matter of how long it would last…but it made for some great dancing shots with various people holding her train!)

Thanks again, Sarah and Dan, for a wonderful day!  You were both such considerate hosts and we loved photographing your wedding.  The setting couldn’t have been more beautiful and we hope you love the pictures!  We will be thinking about you and hope everything goes well in the next couple of months!

Posted in Wedding Photographer

 

Kara and Drew found the most amazing spot for their ceremony. It’s not an official spot at all, just a little spot near one of the main roads through Gold Hill. They made an aisle out of stones, had some chairs for guests who would prefer to sit, and enjoyed an incredible view.

It’s a little early to expect snow on the mountains, but as luck would have it, it rained for two days prior to the wedding and it snowed in the mountains, so the vista included snow-capped mountains! By the afternoon the snow had all melted, so their 11am wedding couldn’t have been timed more perfectly. Everything about the weather cooperated beautifully–even turning partly cloudy in the afternoon so we could get a bit better light for a few bridal party shots we wanted to try!

Kara and her dad coming down the aisle. I love it when brides are so excited!

More cute excited-ness! When Will saw this picture he said “happy prin!” (Prin=princess in the Turchin home.)

Kara and Drew played rock-paper-scissors as a surprise to everyone to see who would say their vows first. Check out Ty’s face (Ty is their friend and served as the officiant and a groomsmen)!

Had to capture how blue the sky was!

And with a kiss, it’s official!

Did I mention that underneath her Vera Wang gown, Kara wore cowboy boots?! Hello, hotness!

Drew looked pretty good, too. (even though he didn’t have a Vera Wang dress or cowboy boots.) ;)

Kara and Drew had several different cake flavors–including this intriguing Coca Cola cake. I wanted to taste it. It sounded amazing. But I was a little worried about how little it was. What if everyone else wanted to try it, too? I discussed with Nic my dilemma: how badly I wanted to be professional versus how badly I wanted a piece of that cake. I wanted him to get a read on the crowd–see how many people were out-of-towners. The more out-of-towners present, the less horrible the fall-out to our business would be if I elbowed them out of the way and rushed the cake screaming “IT’S MINE!!!” As luck would have it, no one was injured and no one compromised their dignity or professionalism. There were enough pieces. I got one. And it was heaven. Best cake flavor ever. (I’m really into the wedding cake. It’s pretty much my favorite part of my job.) We need more behind the scenes shots of me greedily devouring a piece of cake and trying to will myself not to go back for more. I love cake. I can’t help it.

The following two images are so cute that if you’re a girl and your ovaries don’t ache just seeing these, I’d visit a doctor and make sure your ovaries are still there.

In this one, the kiddos are spying on the cakes and deciding which one they will go for (it was unanimous: chocolate [kids are so dumb!]).

I *LOVE* the three little heads watching Kara and Drew like hawks! CAKE TIME!!!! (Thanks Nicolas–another brilliant “only from a dad” photo!)

A giant thanks to the bridal party for sticking with us for this shot. It was a partly cloudy day, and we wanted overcast light for this shot. We waited until it looked like we’d have a good 5-10 minutes of cloud-cover, arranged the bridal party, and then BOOM, the clouds shifted and we had full on sun. So we had the bridal party remember their spots, go back to the reception, and come back when the lighting conditions were better. We’re so glad they were willing to run around to get it right!

Kara and Drew, it was such an honor to photograph your wedding day! We think you guys are awesome and wish you an amazing life together!

***

Behind the scenes…this is me with a camera instead of a face, standing in the middle of a field. That is pretty much me in a nutshell. ;) (I would like it noted that I wasn’t actually trying to bounce my flash off the atmosphere…it wasn’t turned on, it was just physically on my camera from the getting ready shots.)

I was sort of a slacker photographer and didn’t take any behind the scenes shots of Nic that day. BUT Kara and Drew’s flickr stream has some whoppers of us together! Check out my total all time favorite behind the scenes shot . I like Nic’s “my wife chooses the dumbest spots to stand” grimace! And this one as we decided how to work with the light and background. :) Or this one of me hiding in some bushes.

And remember the storyboard Kara was going to use for her guestbook? It turned out so well!

Posted in Wedding Photographer

 

Okay. I gotta say it. We love Kara and Drew!! They are so cute and fun and easy to work for! They make me want to move to Boulder so we can force them to hang out with us all the time. There is no groom in the history of the world more patient about picture time than Drew. He was game for anything (and that is a rare quality in a groom–they are the ones that tend to get the most squirrelly come picture time)! And no one is more easy to adore than Kara!

They got ready at the Gold Hill Inn, and my favorite make-up artist, Danica , did Kara’s make-up!

Kara had her rings made on Etsy (I think Nic was secretly super impressed with himself that he knows what Etsy is). I mentioned to Kara that she is the bittiest person in the whole world and that everything from her shoes to her dress to her rings are so cute and little it’s like they belong to a doll, and she said that when Drew sent in the measurements for her ring, the Etsy person wrote back asking if he’d gotten the measurements right and if the ring was for a child! That’s just how cute and little she is!

If you’re thinking "wowza, that’s a gorgeous dress!" you’re right. It’s a Vera. As in Vera Wang. (Kara finishing up her wedding vows…)

Kara was so cute pinning on Drew’s boutonnière! (She had a gorgeous teal shawl for the chilly September morning and get ready to ooh and ahh over her veil puff!)

Look at this "he is mine and I adore him" face!!

Kara and I talked a lot about wedding photography and portraits, so I knew she wanted a vintage look for some of the portraits (which I’ve carried over into a lot of the post-processing). She asked for an old school "we don’t look enthused to be here" no smiles at the camera pose and suggested the tiny library at the Gold Hill Inn. I think it turned out exactly right!

More portraits! Kara and Drew did their portraits before the ceremony, which we loved, as always. It makes everything relaxed and it’s easy to try lots of things in different locations.

This one just makes me giggle: bride retouching her make-up in the reflection of a car window. :)

(I’m splitting this sneak peek into two, because I promised Kara photos for her return today, but I also promised my boys that I would take them out for Costco pizza. So that’s all for now, but stay tuned for more!) :D

Posted in Wedding Photographer