{M+B} Engaged

I love Pinterest!  It is just packed full of inspiration for pretty much anything.  This bride-to-be is also a big fan and came to their engagement session with lots of Pinspired ideas that she had customized for her and her groom.  Megan wanted their engagement session to tell some of the story of their courtship while Bruce served our country in Afghanistan.  She brought love letters that they had written to each other during that time and I loved watching her open some up and spread them out for some detail shots.  She got nostalgic, remembering the words on the pages as well as the emotion behind them.  For me, it was a great reminder of not only the sacrifice made by our military personnel, but of the ones who wait for them to come home.  To all of our service people and their families, thank you from the bottom of my heart!  God bless you all.

Ok, so here is what you're all waiting for!  Megan & Bruce, engaged:

They are such a fun, adorable couple who are so very much in love.  I cannot wait until April to share your big day with you!

Shot Gun Wedding...

Literally, Elise & Kyle brought shot guns for their wedding portraits!  I get to meet a lot of incredible people when I work weddings- these love birds were certainly not an exception!  They were so fun, so happy, and the couple so ready to take this step.  There was no stress or jitters that I could see, just so much joy and adoration.

See?  Fun!

Not only do I get to see the love between two people, but also in all the people they surround themselves with.  Elise and Kyle are very blessed with family and friends who whole heartedly came to celebrate their union with them.

Well, except maybe the kissing parts...

Congratulations!  I really enjoyed spending the day with you and your wonderful families!

Wedding in the country...

It is always a pleasure and an honor to share in a wedding day.  To say that spending the afternoon with Breann, Chris and their families was a pleasure just doesn't even begin to describe the experience for me!  They were all just so amazing, so happy and so fun!  There were lots of laughs and sincere tender moments.  So here they are:

Chris & Breann

Together with their families:

United in love:

Congratulations!

Beautiful family...

If you've been in the studio since I moved in, you've seen a previous portrait of this family right inside my door.  I was very excited when I was asked to do an update now that the kids are getting bigger (and the youngest one has more hair :o).  And I had just the spot in mind for their sunset session.  Back on Mother's day my family and I went for a bike ride along a trail and, of course, I was seeing spots that I knew I wanted to bring clients back to.  This spot and time of day really couldn't have been more perfect for this fun bunch.

I love the little pops of pink and how this family coordinates without being too matched!  They are such a lovely family, inside & out!  I am so happy to have spent more time with them!

Since this session was to update older portraits, we knew exactly where the images are going to be in their home and what sizes they need to be.  One thing Mom has enjoyed from the last time we got together was a headshot of each child so we just had to do some more.  It is great to know just what we are working toward for a final product while we are creating the images!  If you'd like to have a consultation before your next session to do some more detailed planning, I happily do that at no additional cost!

I am really LOVING evening sessions this summer for families, seniors, kids, couples!  I love the lighting and the little rush I get at the end of the day.  I would love to do more so call to set yours up soon, summer is filling up fast.

Love, Sweet Love...

Each wedding is as unique as the couples who plan them.  Having two weddings this past weekend, I realized that my approach to each wedding is a little different as well.  I always go in with a plan, I would be lost without my clip board of notes, names and shot lists!  But this particular wedding felt a little more spontaneous or organic when it came to making the portraits.  Don't get me wrong, the list was still there, somewhere on the sidelines if we needed it but there was just a natural flow that felt amazing.  The hardest part of the day was making sure the bride and groom didn't see each other before the big moment.

I know the groom's family pretty well, having taken his senior pictures, and family and engagement portraits last fall (and his dad has spent the better part of May working on my kitchen remodel as our couldn't-do-without contractor!)  They are full of personality and lots and lots of laughter and love!  I think that knowing them the way that I do, really made this day all the more enjoyable for me and I am so honored that they allowed me to be the one to document their day!

The groom and his brothers and sister...

Congratulations Kheyton & Michael!

Dubuque Wedding

It seems like I've been talking with this bride about her wedding forever, I can't believe it is over and I'm sitting here retouching images!  We went over every detail to be sure that all of it would be captured in their album- and each and every one was absolutely PERFECT!

The ceremony and reception were held at the Grand River Center in Dubuque IA.  The river front was captivating and the perfect setting for their portraits.  We did get some rain, which altered our plans slightly but it certainly didn't detract from the beauty of the day, which was almost as stunning as the bride...

One of my favorite parts of a wedding day is when the bride and groom see each other for the first time.  This couple wanted to focus on the portraits before the ceremony so they had their first glimpse outside the reception hall before their guests started to arrive.

I am just so completely in love with all the images that it took me all day to decide which ones to share!  I can't wait to reveal the rest of the images to the couple in a few weeks.

Couples 2011 Photo Contest

Leave a comment on this blog with the # of the image you are voting for.  Feel free to tag yourself in the album that is on Facebook and share a link to this page so your friends know how to vote for you too.  I do appreciate new 'likes', comments and followers on Facebook but they are not required to voice your opinion.  Voting continues until Jan 31st at 8pm and the winner will be announced right here.  Good luck!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Engaged...

I only met this couple briefly before scheduling their wedding and engagement session so most of the "getting-to-know-you" stuff happened during the session.  Which is exactly why I love engagement portraits!  I get to see what makes each couple special, the chemistry between them and I get a little peek at what makes them special to each other.  I've also had the privilege of meeting the parents of both of them, his at the consultation and hers came along to the session to help out with the pooch while he wasn't needed in a shot.  I can already see that this is one special family and that they have so much to celebrate when these two tie the knot in 2012!

Family Values...

If you read my post earlier today about the Cyber Monday Special, you saw my little note about how family portraits help instill family values in our children.  This family is a perfect example of what I was trying to put into words.  They come to see me at least once a year for an updated family portrait and we always laugh a lot along the way.  What a great way to show your kids that they are loved, cherished and an important part of the family while making a new family memory!

At the heart of the family is the parents- this year Mom & Dad wanted an updated portrait as a couple.  We are the most influential example of marital life that our kids will experience, letting them see that taking a little time for each other in the midst of family life is just one more way we can make that message a strong one.

If you haven't already, jump on JunglingPhotography.com to give the gift of portraiture to someone you love!  It is a gift that they will cherish for a lifetime!

Last wedding for 2011

I've always thought this church was beautiful from the outside & also wondered what the inside was like, dreamed of being the photographer for a wedding that it hosted and thought about the types of images I'd make on the front steps.  It was a dream-come-true that my last wedding of the year was at THIS church!

This bride & groom decided not to see each other until the walk down the isle.  It was such an important aspect of their day that I thought we'd better do something special to illustrate it.  So here they are before the ceremony, not seeing each other in front of their beautiful church.  The bride just couldn't stop smiling when she heard her groom's voice and when they touched hands.  Truly a wonderful moment and I'm so glad we got to capture it!