I met Elisabeth while she was a student in a photography class I team taught through Kilns College and I was honored to be asked to photograph her wedding this late Fall.

I met Dave during our fun Esession where I sat on his lap.  Yes.   I’m fairly sure that he was a bit shocked, but here’s the thing…

You need to be close with your wedding photographer.  Okay, maybe not sit on the lap close but it’s important to be able to laugh, have fun and trust.  Sitting on Dave’s lap was a way to open him up a bit, have some fun and get him to not worry about the camera as much…

Elisabeth and Dave were married at the beautiful Aspen Lakes Golf Course just outside of Sisters, Oregon.  The weather was cold but we made the best of it and enjoyed some great portrait time outside.

A brief tangent…

In order for us to deliver our style to our clients, we need three things:

First, time with the bride and groom, usually about an hour total, just them and us.

Two, for them to be themselves and be caught up in each other–not whether or not the best man is drunk or the cake got a taste test by little Billy who has the raging flu.  Things like that are circumstantial and a part of life–don’t let circumstances ruin your day!

Three, the bride needs to be less concerned about her dress.  Now, I know dresses are potentially expensive and you only wear them once (hopefully) but without some flexibility in the area of where the dress can go and what it can do, our hands are tied, especially while shooting in Central Oregon.

Tangent over…

Elisabeth and Dave were epic, full of trust and an absolute joy to photograph.  We’re so thankful to have been a part of their wedding.

A few of our favorite things…

Taken by our second shooter Tiffany (Red Owl Photography) who is an awesome up and coming shooter. I can't tell you what a blessing she's been to our business during Lauren's needed time off with the baby and more importantly to our family.

We were blessed to meet Julie, who works at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, a couple of years ago while volunteering our services there.  It just so happened that while photographing a wedding this past year, Julie showed up with the bride’s Brother on her arm.

Everyone was quick to point out that we might want to get a picture of the two of them, “just in case.”

Well, just in case happened and Erik and Julie had a beautiful ranch style wedding in Tumalo early this Fall.

Set in the stunning Columbia River Gorge, the CG Hotel was the perfect place for Jordan and Maria to gather their family and friends for one of the most beautiful weddings we’ve seen yet.

After seeing Maria’s attention to detail for her own wedding, I’m sure she could be as busy as she’d like helping other brides bring their vision to fruition.  Jordan?  He’s just cool.

Jordan and Maria are headed over this weekend for a little post-wedding session, which I highly recommend.  We’re looking forward to seeing them and their trunk-full of props…

Here are a few of our favorite things…

We packed up the SUV and turned a 5 hour drive to Boise into 9 glorious hours with the kiddos, complete with copious potty stops and cry sessions.  Eric, a family friend, was kind enough to invite our whole family, including Mema and Papa–who saved our lives by watching the kiddos during the wedding.

I can’t say enough about Eric and Melissa, they simply were made for each other and waited their lives for the moment they walked down the isle.  Eric had a huge tear coming down his cheek when he saw Melissa for the first time, I couldn’t help but get choked up.

The surprise moment of the night?  During the cake cutting, seemingly reserved Melissa politely took her piece of cake then proceeded to smash it all over Eric’s face, then reached in, grabbed a huge hunk of cake and shoved it her mouth.  Stunning and priceless.

A few of our favorite things…

In front of family, friends and the occasional golfer, Matt and Kristin were recently wed at Pronghorn, just outside of Bend, Oregon.

Easily one of the most beautiful and loving ceremonies we’ve seen yet, we counted ourselves blessed to be a part of their day.

Thank you Matt and Kristin…

A few of our favorite things…

What do you get when you have a banker, a police officer, a beautiful family and wonderful friends?  You get “the” perfect wedding…

Blessings to you Tim and Molly…

What an absolute honor it was for us to be with Riley and Elena on their wedding day.  Elena, who is the former wedding and events coordinator for Five Pine Lodge in Sisters Oregon, knows a thing or two about weddings.  To be entrusted to capture her day through our cameras was a privilege.  To be treated so warmly by her family and friends was a privilege, and to get to know her and Riley a bit more was, you guessed it, a privilege.

We’ve had our share of extremely kind bride and grooms recently, these two were no different.  Riley is one of those guys who would sit down and chat with you for hours and genuinely want to hear about your life.  The things these two wrote about each other made it distinctly clear they belonged only in each others arms.

Riley, Elena, all the best to you in this new season of life.  God’s blessings…

Please enjoy a few of our favorite things…

One of the few times it was better to “not” watch where he was skateboarding, owner of a surfshop on the North Island of New Zealand, Ben Steward crashed into a rival surf shop’s sign and knocked it over.

Ben promptly received a lashing from the American girl (Bobbi) working at the shop who quickly ran out to tell him to watch where he was going.  After a bit of time (and persistence) Ben persuaded Bobs to go out on a date…

One of my favorite parts of their story is that on one of the first few dates Bobbi told Ben she couldn’t date him any more…Or she’d marry him.  I wish I could have seen his face…

A few weeks ago Ben and Bobbi, joined by family from NZ, England and Bend, were married at Aspen Hall at Shevlin Park.   These two are a sweet as “lollies” and we can’t wait to spend some time with them next Summer on the north island of New Zealand.  Maybe we’ll see a hobbit.  Maybe that was a bad joke.

Ben and Bobbi, thank you isn’t enough…  Rock on friends…

Here are just a few of our favorite things…

Friends and family filled the River Run Events Center at Eagle Crest to witness Tony and Brit share their vows, as well as their big hearts, with everyone.

It’s days like their wedding day that remind me how truly blessed I am to do what I do for a living.  Tony, Brittany, here’s to a “hope” that you guys will get to move back to Bend someday so we can hang out.

Until that day, here are a few of our favorite things…

Trav and Kach took some time away from saving the world, and clothing it, to quickly say their vows, kiss, then go back and exchange rings, then kiss again and be married.  Held at the beautiful Youngberg Hill Vineyard in McMinnville Oregon, the wedding took place on a Friday morning… Which was rad.  This was our first morning wedding, they just don’t seem to happen and it got me thinking, we’ve actually seen some pretty cool things this year that have made some weddings really stand out.  Maybe I’ll create a blog post for future brides to get some ideas for next year, sound cool?  I appreciated Travis and Kach planning outside the box for their wedding.  Their attention to detail and personalities made for a beautiful wedding and one we won’t forget.

On a bit of a side note…Lauren was, at this point, still “any day” with the delivery of our second little boy, so she wasn’t able to make it for this wedding.  I was blessed to have TIffany along for the ride to the valley, what a blessing she’s been to our family though this time of Bambino additions…

Travis and Kach, thank you for saving the world, and letting us capture your wedding day.  Rock on.  Here’s a few of our favorite things…

Relaxed, easy going, and completely in love.  We adored our time with Jason and Jessica, possibly two of the sweetest people we’ve ever met.  I’ll never forget their ceremony…

I’m a dog person, so when their “senior” dog came out complete with flowers for the ceremony, I just about lost it.  Not long after, I had to hide behind a tree when Jason started crying, he sent me over the edge.  Having just a bit of background on J and his past, I knew that this day was very, very special for him and I count myself blessed to have been a part of it.  Jason and Jess, we’re so excited for the both of you.  From Amanda, Tiffany, Kara, Lauren and Benjamin, thank you for being wonderful and we can’t wait to hang out again…

Seth and Kim were joined in Holy Matrimony (I’ve always wanted to put that into a blog post) a few weeks ago at their parent’s fabulous Triple D Ranch.  The wedding was coordinated by the “A”mazing Aimee Baillargeon, owner of Bend Event Company. Flowers were provided by Nicole with the always perfect Singing Sparrow Flowers.  This was definitely a celebration of love, family and friends as everyone came together to toast Seth and Kim.  The reception for the wedding took place in a beautifully decorated (all clear) tent on the lawn.  It didn’t take long for the sun to make a greenhouse out of the tent with temps estimated at one point in the 120-130 range.  Never fear, a fleet of industrial strength air conditioners (and the following weeks Groom who is an HVAC specialist) came to the rescue and it was soon manageable, and exquisite.  Thank you to the Guerra and Davenport families for your hospitality.  Seth and Kim, rock on.

Here’s a little collage of some once in a lifetime memories…