This is Julie and Rory, and this is one of my favorite moments from their wedding.  Guests were arriving, the ceremony was to start in a few minutes, things were (as they usually are) running a bit behind schedule, and Julie and Rory hadn’t had their first look yet.  Behind the EJ Roberts Mansion, over a wall from where the ceremony would be taking place, is an aptly named “Secret Garden”, and it was there that Julie and Rory saw each other for the first time on their wedding day.  And as soon as they saw each other, all the stress and worry and hurry-up-and-waiting disappeared, and they interlocked their hands and just looked at each other, smiling.  And nothing else mattered.  I loved that.

Besides the Secret Garden, the Roberts Mansion is cool because there are lots of cool places for portraits, both indoors and out.  Julie, who is a photographer herself, was particularly interested that we take advantage of those locations.  (And one nice parenthetical bonus about working with couples who are in the military [Navy, in this case], is that their posture is outstanding.)

Another cool moment.  While Julie was walking down the aisle with her dad, one of the grandmothers, who was sitting right next to me, said, in almost a gasp, “Oh, what a beautiful bride!”  When I looked over at her, she had her hand over her mouth and her eyes closed.  You can look for that image in this gallery of photographs from Julie and Rory’s wedding, located at this link.  Those are the little moments I love.  As I’ve said many times, I consider myself very privileged at the weddings I shoot.  I got to see one of the most important days in Julie and Rory’s lives, and I got to see it from the front row.

Kristin and Sam had their wedding at Elks Point, up on top of a hill overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene, and it could not have been more scenic.  Add to that a photogenic couple, and it made for a fantastic day of shooting.

I think you can tell a lot about a couple from their family and friends; based on their friends, you can tell they are loyal, caring, generous, passionate, fun-loving, unpretentious, grounded people.  After watching Kristin and Sam on their wedding day, I am pretty sure these are accurate adjectives.

Besides having a spectacular venue and fantastic friends, Kristin and Sam’s wedding day included dancing.  All kinds of dance.  Tender slow dancing, and wild, crazy, limbs everywhere dancing.  Did I mention crazy?  (I’m looking at you, Jesse).

And then, in case that wasn’t all enough, Kristin and Sam managed to have their wedding day coincide with some fireworks over the lake.  It was a spectacular close to a spectacular day.  Click here to see photographs from the wedding day.

This is Anna and Tom.  I’ve been friends with Anna for a number of years, though for a long while our interaction has been limited too facebook.  After shooting her wedding this weekend, I realized what a shame that is, because Anna and Tom (whom I met for the first time) are delightful, smart, funny, and kind people.  And I think all those qualities were reflected in their wedding.

Their official color was “Rainbow.”  They and their attendants were decked out in multi-colored Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars.  Their cake featured cats (and a mouse, apparently a family tradition), and there were lollipops and candy aplenty.  Tom wrote the ceremony, and Anna did all the decorations.  And they got married at what seemed like the top of the world; the top of the Spokesman-Review building, with spectacular views all around.

Actually, a line from their ceremony described them better than I can:  ”Their energy is infectious, free-spirited, and unshakeable. They live to the greatest expressions of joy. They want to live their lives together, to support, encourage, and enjoy each other.”  You can see a gallery of photography from their wedding day here; when you go through the wedding photographs, you’ll notice that there are lots of “detail” shots, because every little detail expressed who Anna and Tom are.  It was great fun photographing their day together.

I have often become friends with the people whose wedding I photograph, but Kristi and Ben’s wedding was unique; they are the first couple with whom I was friends before I shot their wedding.  We’ve celebrated New Year’s together and been to teach other’s houses and taken care of each other’s animals (though I don’t think Kristi wants me near her wiener dog anymore).  I suspect I would have been at this wedding whether or not I was photographing it.

That made this Kristi and Ben’s wedding especially fun.  It was fun to see my friends enjoying each other’s companionship and celebrating their love together.

The ceremony was at Trezzi Farm, a fairly new wedding venue that is also a winery, and where the owners cater some spectacular Italian food.  There are vineyards of various maturity, all green and leafy, with a beautiful green lawn and a field of wild grasses just beyond the fence–plenty of fine places for wedding portraits.  And the weather even cooperated, the day neither thunderstormy nor 100 degrees (unlike the previous week).  You can see a gallery of their wedding photographs here.

It’s always an honor to shoot someone’s wedding, but of course it was extra meaningful to be able to document the wedding day of my friends.  Congratulations Kristi and Ben!

I loved photographing Abigail and Micah’s wedding.  I mean, I love all the weddings I shoot, but I really loved this wedding, for a bunch of different reasons.  For one, it’s really difficult to take a bad picture of Abigail and Micah.  Not only are they extremely attractive people, but they are so connected, so very much in love.  Throughout the wedding day, they touched each other.  Sometimes they gave each other furtive glances.  Other times, one just gazed at the other.  They whispered things into each other’s ear, and smiled.  I loved photographing all this, not because it makes my job easier (though it does), but because it is so much fun to watch.

Another thing I loved about this wedding was the first dance — it was one of my favorite ever, and I’m sorry to say the pictures don’t do it justice.  The pictures don’t capture the music, Carlos Gardel with Argentinian accordions, nor the bold, graceful movements of the tango they danced.  It was elegant and graceful and sexy and fun.

The wedding also had an extra bonus for me.  Last summer, I photographed Abigail’s sister’s wedding (you can see Katie and Bret’s wedding photographs here), and before that, I photographed her other sister’s wedding (you can see Danielle and Ryan’s wedding photographs here).  It was great to see everyone again.  I almost feel like a member of the family.  Unfortunately, there are no more sisters, but they all did indulge me in an Essential Moments Photography Alumni picture:

Add it all up, and the whole day was amazing.  So much fun.  I’ll leave you with a couple more of my favorites images from the day, but be sure to go here to see the rest of the photographs of Abigail and Micah’s wedding.

Here is Sara and Ben. If you are a regular reader of Essential Stuff, they might look familiar. Last summer, we spent a warm afternoon in Pullman, wandering around WSU, even going down on the turf of Martin Stadium, taking engagement photos. Now, this summer, it was their turn to get married.

Their ceremony was at Camden Ranch in Elk, Washington, both a Christmas tree farm and event venue, out in a meadow surrounded by trees. We had lots of time for a long, festive portrait session, which included adorable kids, walking through forests, wild dancing, and a little football.

Sara and Ben’s wedding ceremony included a wonderful set of vows, which they wrote, that had people laughing through tears. And then, after the kiss, the bogeyed up the aisle together.  The reception had some lovely dancing, a bit of frosting on a nose, home-made jam, and some dandy Mickey Mouse ears.

The result of all the fun and excitement was that I had far more wedding photographs to edit than usual, but it was definitely worth it.  To take a look at the day, click through to the wedding photographs.

One of the cool things about having been in business for a while is photographing the weddings of friends and relatives of former brides and grooms.  Such was the case a few weeks ago at Katie and Bret’s wedding.  Just last summer, I had been the photographer for Katie’s sister Danielle when she married Ryan.  There is a picture of both happy couples together at the right, Ryan, Danielle, Bret and Katie.

This day, however, belonged to Bret and Katie. We started with some portraits at the park (and field) near the childhood home of Katie. She had played there as a little girl.  After a fun portrait session, we ran off to the church.

It was a beautiful ceremony, complete with joyful singing, and was capped with a very cool first kiss. Cheers all around.

Then it was on to CenterPoint for a reception with lots of friends, family and good cheer.  It was another perfect wedding.  Here is a gallery of photographs from the wedding day.

Kandace and Andre had their reception covered, but they wanted a photographer for portraits and the ceremony; happily, they selected Essential Moments Photography.  The day started with a first-sight and portraits in Riverfront Park.  Their wedding was on a Tuesday, so there weren’t a ton of other people in the park, even though the weather was gorgeous. The blue sky (and blue bridge) went nicely with the blue wedding dresses. After a small crisis regarding flowers, everyone was relaxed and had a good time.

Then it was on to Dance Street Ballroom just up the street for the ceremony and reception. The ceremony was very well-attended, and elegant, and Andre and Kandace were fun to watch.  Connected, looking into each other’s eyes, and very much in love.

Leaving before the reception was a bit unusual, but all accounts are that a good time was had by all, and from facebook pictures, it appears that the Hawaii honeymoon was spectacular. Click here for a gallery of the wedding photography by Essential Moments Photography.

Natalie and Jake’s wedding was awesome for so many different reasons. The setting, overlooking Priest Lake, was gorgeous. The ceremony was filled with personal touches, such as the children bringing Natalie flowers and the guests taking part in the vows. The ceremony was tender and heart-felt, the highlight perhaps being when Jake sang “The First Day of My Life” to Natalie.  (And the bonus was the bald eagle gliding overhead.)

They extended the personal touches to the reception. Natalie and Jake have traveled the world together, and lived together overseas, so each table was marked with a flag of a country they had traveled to. And they incorporated wedding traditions from different cultures, including a flower-lantern ceremony on the water.

I had been looking forward to their wedding for personal reasons, too.  For one, I had photographed their engagement session, and watched them a bit via facebook as they finished their teaching in Viet Nam, so knew they were fun, bright people, and I looked forward to seeing them again. Secondly, their wedding was the first where I would be joined by my new partner, Eric Ashley, in addition to our assistant Deborah.

Above all else, what made the day awesome was Natalie and Jake. Their warmth and generosity set the tone for the entire day, and their kindness and compassion was reflected back to them from their family and friends. Most of all, their love and support for each other was evident in everything they did.  If this was the first day of their lives, then it couldn’t have gotten off to a more perfect start. Click here for a gallery of Natalie and Jake’s wedding.

Emily and Mike were married at the Glover Mansion in Spokane, Washington, which is always one of my favorite places to shoot. Gorgeous hardwood floors. Rich wood paneling. Lots of architectural flourishes. And nifty overhead views besides.

I had photographed Emily and Mike’s engagement photographs, which is always nice, since it gives us the opportunity to work together before the wedding and get to know each other better. So when I saw them both getting ready for the first time, it was great to see them again.

The wedding itself had lots of personal touches, including a homily that told the story of their courtship. Apparently Mike knew right away the Emily was the one for him; it took Emily a bit more time than that. But since then they have become best friends, and it was fun to watch them engage with each other.

My favorite part of the day was sneaking away from some sunset pictures, with a view of Spokane and some good color in behind the clouds, and just the three of us (plus a few), very much like that first evening when we took the engagement pictures together, except, of course, with a little more excitement and joy.  A gallery of wedding photographs can be seen here.