Beautiful Fall Afternoon

Kelsey and Curtis got married on a gorgeous day in October in Gardner, Kansas, and what a fun day we had. We first took advantage of the old Gardner military base which just happens to have air force fighter planes sitting around, then moved on to some fantastic abandoned buildings with great weathered exteriors and then finally a small farm property with a classic old barn.

Nita and I love riding around on the trolley on gorgeous afternoons with the entire wedding party.  An amazing day.  Thanks so much for letting us share this gorgeous October afternoon.

The ingredients:

Wedding Dress: Bridal Extraordinaire

Flowers: Golden Goose

 

 

 

Winter Wonderland in Kirksville

Jeff and I had a chance to travel to Kirksville, MO for a beautiful wedding with Whitney and Adam. We love Kirksville with its fantastic town square and we also always turn our Kirksville trips into a vacation by staying at our favorite hotel, the Depot Inn.  Whitney and her mother used a Christmas theme that was embraced throughout the entire wedding, from ceremony to reception.  Whitney in white and her lovely girls in red satin and black. Whitney also wore red satin shoes to match the theme. The church was perfect for the ceremony complete with red carpet and white everywhere, but the best part was the Gone With The Wind staircase!

Before the ceremony, we took off to a few fun locations in downtown Kirksville where we found fantastic brick walls and cool alleys. Whitney looked absolutely stunning in her gown and white fur bolero jacket. The weather was a tad cold but we LOVED the overcast look, not to mention the moment the wind embraced Whitneys cathedal veil and  lifted it up towards heaven and then wrapped around Whitney and Adam as they kissed. Adam and his guys in black and red ties and boutonniere’s looked “so cool” you’d never know they were all freezing.  After the ceremony, the bride and groom exited the church to gorgeous sparklers reflecting off the wet streets.

At the reception everyone was in for a great treat with one of the best and prettiest candy bars we have ever seen !!! The room was decorated as if Martha Stewart herself had come to Kirksville. The Christmas theme continued with nice touches like two trees that had the bride and groom’s photos in small old fashioned picture frames hanging on the trees as ornaments. The entire room SPARKELED with lights, Christmas tree balls, silver, copper, gold and red were everywhere, but one of the highlights were the snowflakes that danced above the bride and groom as they took their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. The only thing outshining this room …the love between Whitney and Adam.

Thank you for letting us be a part of this wonderful day !

The Mix:

The Wedding Dress: Teresa’s Bridal Boutique Kirksville,MO

Tuxedos: Shawns Bridal And Formal Shopp Kirksville,Mo

Flowers: Taylors Flowers Kirksville,Mo

Cake: Hy-vee Kirksville,MO

 

A Day in the Park

Maksim, Mindy and Rob ……..what a day we had at Loose Park.  This sweet and beautiful little boy is definitely one of our favorites to photograph. With the sunshine on our side and Maksim’s smiling face and laughing eyes, it just doesn’t get any better.  This little blue eyed wonder has been a joy to photograph from the very beginning, and I mean VERY beginning!

We did mommy Mindy’s pregnancy photos (Check a few of them out under our gallery - Baby Face.) Mindy was gorgeous with Maksim in her tummy and we knew then that this baby was going to be someone very special.

It would be impossible to pick our very favorite photo of the day, because Maksim loves the camera and the camera loves Maksim, but really driving the mustang are classic images.

We cherish the times we have had with first Mindy and Rob when we shot their engagement session and now the three on their family shoots.  This is not goodbye, this is just Thank You for giving us the opportunity to capture moments in time that might have otherwise been a memory but now are memories on paper that along with the ones in your hearts, will last a lifetime.

Jeff and I love our lives, partly because of people like ….Maksim, Mindy and Rob!

family portrait in loose park

We start off with a few hugs and kisses

baby photo at loose park kansas city

Cool Shoes

I'm gonna nail that camera guy

Strictly a Ford Man

Baby portrait in Loose Park Kansas City

Just Hangin'

Baby portrait in Loose Park Kansas City

Deep thinking

Baby portrait at fountain in Kansas City

You lookin' at me

Baby Portrait in Kansas City

Making a right turn

Baby portrait on Fall Day Kansas City

It feels good to be me

Baby portrait Kansas City

Does this go with my hat?

Picture Perfect Summer Afternoon

Jenny and I met years ago and became friends right away, she saw some photos of a wedding I had shot and informed me ” When I get married someday, I want you to be my photographer”.

Well, that “someday” finally arrived, and on a warm beautiful August day,  Jenny and John got married.  We started out the day at Arista Hair Salon in Leawood  where they did a fantastic job on hair and makeup.

Then off to one of my favorite churches , Our Lady Of Sorrows , to get married!  I can’t explain how beautiful Jenny looked on her wedding day ,as she expressed nothing but sheer joy, all day and all night long. It also needs to be noted that the three little flower girls and the three little ring bearers were the cutest ever!

One of my favorite moments of a wedding day is when the new bride and groom exit from the church, and Jenny and John did it in such a unique way.  Everyone waved colored ribbons with messages on the ribbons.  People of all ages loved those ribbons!!!!! ( and it made for really fun photos!)

The crossroads district was where we decided to go for fun and fantastic photos of Jenny and John and their great wedding party.  WOW, did we have a blast there!!!  It is SO wonderful to take photos of people in love and having fun, and that’s just what Jeff and I did .

Once at the reception the fun continued as everyone danced the night away!

What can I say except thank you Jenny and John for asking us to capture your wedding day, it was an honor and it was Amazing!

The Wedding Details:

Church: Our Lady of Sorrows

Cake: Creative Cakes

Flowers: Cains Flowers

Dress: David’s Bridal

Event Center: AMP Event Center

Wedding at Our Lady of Sorrows

Groomsmen at Our Lady Of SorrowsBride in dressing room at Our Lady Of SorrowsBride outside Our Lady of SorrowsBridesmaids at Our Lady of SorrowsFlower Girls Our Lady Of SorrowsBride at Church in Kansas CityJenny Smith WeddingBride and Groom Wedding Kansas CityBride and Groom Downtown Kansas CityJenny Smith in Downtown Kansas CityBridesmaids in Crossroads DistrictBride in Alley

An Evening At Powell Gardens

Nita and I were invited to shoot Under A Harvest Moon at Powell Gardens on a gorgeous September evening.  We arrived to the aroma of smoked pig and was greeted by Chef Howard Hanna of the Rieger Grill & Exchange.  I covered the wine reception and shot guests while Nita had the pleasure of shooting the gardens.

At dinner time we all converged on the open air Missouri Barn where Chef Howard talked to us about his exquisite dishes prepared from the local gardens.  The seating was at two long tables which gave the feeling of a Sunday Night dinner with the family.  We were fortunate to sit across the table from the senior horticulturist for the gardens.  While everyone kept asking him questions about the complex job of  maintaining such large gardens, I kept asking him about the dead spots in my lawn.

I could do this all the time!  Here are a few pics but if you want to see all the images from this amazing evening check it out: Under A Harvest Moon

as seen in HER LIFE

We were thrilled to have one of our weddings featured in a recent issue of Her Life Magazine.  Ashley and John were the perfect couple for this shoot and would you believe it…their both doctors.  We started our day at the Aloft Hotel and then worked our way around the streets of Town Center in Leawood.  The wedding ceremony was at Church of the Nativity.  Nativity is one of those churches that just has a drop-dead gorgeous environment.  With a skylight in the middle of the sanctuary and tile floors, the light just bounces around the room creating an almost surreal look.

We ended up at the Leawood South Country Club with, of course, a few shots on the golf course before the reception.

State Fair at the Mission Hills Country Club

Have you ever wondered what a wedding day would look like when the bride is a professional event coordinator?  Spectacular!!!  We had the pleasure of filming Alyssa Ashby’s wedding day.  Alyssa also happens to be the event coordinator for the Mission Hills Country Club.

Alyssa and Mark were both from small towns so the wedding day was designed around one of their favorite activities…The State Fair.  Guests enjoyed fresh baked pies, candy and classic outdoor games for everyone’s entertainment.  The evening even included a fire breathing magician.  This is a video you must watch to catch all the details that Alyssa included in her wedding.

The Yellow Jeep

We finally got to one of our most anticipated engagement shoots.  Marc and Sadie and their Bright Yellow Jeep.  I thought it would pour down rain…Sadie told me to wait it out. Sadie was a better weather forecaster then I was.  We Headed downtown to some of our favorite spots. Dodged the oncoming traffic and everyone came back alive.  Great shoot!

Kansas City Skyline

Washington Park Kansas CityUnderground Union StationEngagement Shoot Garage Union StationEngagement Shoot Kansas CityEngagement shoot downtown Kansas Citybrookside missouriParked in house brookside missouriwashington park kansas cityfireman signs

Amazing Evening At Club 1000

This was one of those days where everything just worked.  Liz and Chase were married at the beautiful St. Peters Church which has the most amazing stone work. We then took advantage of the glorious afternoon and roamed around town including a stop at Meyers Circle Fountain.  (Liz was our traffic stopper.)  We then went on to Club 1000 for a gorgeous reception with the evening sun setting through the windows.  Here’s a quick look at some of our favorites.

To view a full slideshow just click here: Liz and Chase Wedding Day

Ingredients:

Church: St. Peters Church

Florist: Bella Design Studio

Reception: Club 1000

Catering: Brancato’s 

Makeup: Makeup Artistry by Heather

Liz getting ready at Mariott Kansas City

Great moment with father

Fantastic eyes brought out by Makeup Artistry by Heather

Final touches at the Mariott Downtown Kansas City

Absolutely gorgeous dress.

Flower girl supervising my family group shots.

Groomsmen helping each other out

You never know what a bride is wearing for shoes under that dress.

This is why I love St. Peter's Church

Great moment during wedding ceremony

Bagpipes provide the perfect backdrop for the church exit.

Stop off at Meyers Circle

Photo ops at Loose Park

Rooftop Club 1000

Chase's Aunt knows how to bake a cake.

Those eyes say it all...what a fantastic day.

Maksim

One of the special parts of our job is our ability to photograph children as they grow older.  Mindy and Rob were wedding clients, then became good friends, then  Maksim entered our lives.  Man, did Maksim come marching into our lives.  We absolutely love this boy.  With Mindy’s looks and Rob’s personality he has become one of our favorite ongoing projects.