Archives : 2010 : May

{Karen + Greg} Wedding Reception Photography; The Oxford Hotel in Bend, Oregon

After spending such a great time with Karen + Greg for their wedding in Captiva Island, Florida, we had the pleasure of meeting them back in Bend, Oregon for their big bash at The Oxford Hotel.  These two know how to have some fun and The Oxford was transformed for them into almost a nightclub scene like we were in a major metropolitan city.  Truly, it was easy on the eyes and camera

Karen + Greg (as you met in the engagement session) are a casual, fun-loving couple and this night didn’t disappoint.  Complete with passed hors d’oeuvres, full bar, king crab buffet, projected slideshow of their wedding, masterful cake and dancing all night long…it even cured Karen’s flu and made her smile ear-to-ear.

We’d like to thank the vendors that made it so seamless and beautiful to photograph: Venue and Food – The Oxford Hotel; Floral – Leaf & Petal Floral Design; Cake – Enlightened Patisserie; DJ – Star Productions; Event Design – West Coast Event Productions

All the best to you two and hugs to you both!

B + W

The official Stillwell cake

The Karen fan club!

The food was drool worthy – for SURE.

Love this shot – the sweetness of friendship

Engagement Session Basics: Part 1

If we asked you to set aside everything in life and revel in the person you’re about to marry for 2 hours, would you? Leave every mental stress behind and be present with your one love…it sounds kinda NICE!  An engagement session is the start to that journey, the journey to marriage and is so important to document.

Importance
We love engagement sessions for so many reasons – so much so that we include them in every collection we offer.  Why, you ask?  For us, it provides a relaxed setting to get to know you, your story and the moments you want to keep on your wedding day.  It’s a way to connect with you – our clients – and make you feel comfortable being behind the lens while having a little fun!  When you’re relaxed and having fun, we can capture the BEST smiles!

Spotlight
Zoom forward to your wedding day, now that you’ve seen our work and we’ve connect with the camera in the middle, you never have to worry about us getting those special wedding images.  Most won’t tell you this but we as photographers spend the most amount of time with you on your wedding day, as much or sometimes more than your family – really!  Spending most of your waking moments on one of the most important days of your life with someone unknown, well it’s kinda weird.  So, the engagement session brings that essential level of comfort to you on your day.

Incorporation
We also often have clients purchase a slide show of some of the favorites from the engagement shoot to incorporate into the wedding or prints for the guest book or invitations, images for their Facebook or wedding websites – these are some of the great ways of utilizing your engagement shoot as a prelude to the wedding.  A DVD of all engagement images from the session can also be purchased separately (although both engagement and wedding image DVDs are available in our high end collection).

Overall, the goal for the engagement photography session is for us to get to know you, have a little fun, and take a moment of your lives to celebrate the start of your marriage.  Let the stress of everything else in life shed away and take 2 hours just for the two of you to be together.

Here’s a few samples of  engagement sessions that capture that moment.

UPDATE: Engagement Session Basics: Part 2 (Wardrobe, Locations, Timing, Proofs, etc.)

{Karen + Greg} Wedding Photography; Captiva Island, Florida

Right as Karen was ready to step onto the sand in Captiva Island, Florida and walk down the beach aisle, she looked up and took a deep breath.  The sun was right behind the clouds at sunset throwing the most beautiful rays down to the ocean.  She slipped off her sandals and walked barefoot toward her closest friends, family and future husband.  Greg is a bit shy but when Karen walked down the aisle, he had the BIGGEST smile on…it was the exact experience they had both envisioned.

Byron and I were fortunate to travel to this adorable little island on the Gulf coast in Florida and were greeted by sun, warmth and piña coladas!  The sunset that evening provided the most powerful detail – all their prayers for good weather were answered!  The ceremony was simple, sweet and casual – just what these two were looking for in a joining of their two families.

The reception (follow up post coming soon) was held in Bend, Oregon at The Oxford Hotel a few weeks later and included a catered party and slide show of their wedding for friends and family at this new, hip hot spot downtown.

Karen, Greg – we wish you the both so much joy and fun on this next chapter.

B + W

The Golden Sandal

What a great smile Greg!  Isn’t Karen beautiful?

A-MAZING sunset.

Our favorite   The sun shines on both of you Karen + Greg.

Adorable

Oh yeah, Charlie’s Angels or is Bond Girls?

{Emily + David} San Francisco Engagement Session

We were fortunate to work with Emily and David down in San Francisco for their recent engagement session.  The camera loved them and they loved the camera.  Truly, we played around for hours at the Palace of Fine Arts, capturing beautiful vistas of the Golden Gate bridge (on a clear day, mind you) and finally Point Bonita Lighthouse at sunset.  Can we have a who – ya?

David is in the Coast Guard and had private access to the lighthouse, a special place for them as it was the location of their first date!  Emily and David have a natural, easy love for each other that came out on camera with little to no prompting.  We have so much respect for couples that don’t mind being gooey behind the camera, showing us their love, right after our first face-to-face meeting

Emily and David, thank you for this special opportunity.  It was a slice in time for you both to just ‘be’ (away from the stress of the world) and we were so grateful to join you in that moment.  The casual comment at the end, “I feel like we’ve known you for years” is the greatest compliment.

Enjoy these and we look forward to seeing you again next month at McMenamins for your BIG day!

Best,

B + W

Dancing under the Palace

This was the kind of bridge that’s a hundred feet up off the water and wobbles when you walk over it.

The most of tender moments.

The Palace in all it’s fine glory.  It reminded us of being in Europe (in Rome particularly!).  Emily, you’re striking!

David’s sayin “Hey, cutie?  What’s your…name?”   Just kidding!  Love how relaxed you are here and the bodacious reflection!

That’s a keeper

Okay, this is a postcard shot.  Just beautiful and the light here was getting better and better!

Before the lighthouse, there was this tunnel.  I totally felt like we were in that movie The Goonies!)

Love this unusual shot through the lighthouse prism.

Emily, you’re so cute in the shot!  Adorable. – Wendy

This makes our all-time favorites list.  Love David’s eyes in the shot and Emily, your expression!

This is why we had such a hard time choosing favorites for this post!  Beautiful!

Literally, the last frame of the evening.  Stunning.