Best of 2013 // Wedding Moments

Photojournalism. It's a word that gets thrown around so much these days, and many people have a hard time really explaining what it is, or even why they like it. Couples come in to our office all the time saying, "Oh, we love your work, it's just so…." and they can't figure out that next word. Sometimes it's "natural." Other times it's "real." Every now and then it's "good." But at the end of the day, it's our ability to tell a story as it happens that people are really drawn to. It's the moments, the little details, the interactions between family members, and the tear in a groom's eye as his bride walks down the aisle that really matter most. We absolutely LOVE our portrait time on a wedding day (which you'll see in part three of our Best of series), but the little moments are what really make each wedding unique, and what really make each memory special.

Enjoy some of our favorite moments from 2013.

Jaime + Ryan // Peach Picking Engagement Session // St. Louis, Missouri

I've known Jaime for a very long time, and I've never seen her smile quite they way she does around Ryan. Their wedding is going to be amazing, and we can't wait.

 

Peach picking at Eckert's Orchard in St. Louis, Missouri.

Maggie + Bill // St. Louis Wedding Photography

I grew up in St. Louis, but I don't think I've ever lived there. What I mean is that I've never spent more than a few days at a time in St. Louis as an adult. I've never experienced many of the things that make St. Louis the great city that it is. Sure, I've been to plenty of Cardinals and Blues games, and I've been up in the Arch way too many times to count. But there's so much more to St. Louis that I wish I knew. The Hill. The Landing. The Loop. The Rams? If you remember from their engagement session, Bill is the "little" brother of my best friend Joe (the really hairy brother in the group, you'll know it when you see him). Mindy and I both absolutely love the Bubenik family, so obviously it was a huge honor to be there to photograph Maggie + Bill's wedding. It was awesome to catch up with so many old friends too.

We started at Maggie's parents house...

The guys got ready at the church...

As we were scouting out locations, we found this killer little spot sandwiched between a few buildings and a parking garage. We were shooting in the middle of the day, and it was blazing hot, but this little shaded area gave us some great soft light and some relief from the heat.

With the exception of Harrison, the best man, all of these guys are brothers. And they're huge.

Then, across the street, we found the holy grail. This little walkway between two of the buildings had this absolutely killer rainbow awning. And adjacent to that was a great water feature, and some benches, and some shade. It was perfect and really meshes with Maggie + Bill's personalities. They were loving every minute of it, and you could just see both of them relax and come out of their shells a bit. This is them.

Yeah... it was hot.

Joe's daughter Evie was the flower girl, and I swear this little girl cannot get any cuter.

The reception was at The Malt House Cellar, literally one of the coolest spaces I've ever been in. Such a great vibe, with the stone walls and exposed wooden ceilings (it was in the basement), it was an extremely casual reception, but everyone was having a great time (and if you ever go there, you HAVE to try to Beer Cheese Fondue. AH-MAY-ZING).

Maggie + Bill // St. Louis, Missouri // July 9, 2011

Flowers: Emily Testrake

Dress: Blushing Bride

Tuxes: Blossoms Bridal

Ceremony: Hanley Road Baptist Church

Officiant: Jon Hessel

Reception: Malt House Cellar

Caterer: Moulin Events

Cake: The Cakery

DJ: Complete Music

Photobooth: Park Avenue Photographers

Definitely another case of friends-turned-clients-turned-even-better-friends. Congratulations guys.

Jessica + Ryan :: St. Louis Photographers

Jessica is my sister, and Ryan is her boyfriend. Over Thanksgiving they asked us if we’d do a shoot with them, and we were excited to oblige. We found this old warehouse last time we were in St. Louis, and it was perfect for this casual session.  

Sunflare to the max!

Apparently I’m funny:

LOVE Mindy’s perspective here:

Joyce + Tom :: PART I :: St. Louis Wedding Photography

Part One.

We always love being able to experience something different at our weddings. Change is what helps get the creative juices flowing, and always seems to make our jobs more exciting. Every wedding is unique, but Joyce and Tom’s wedding was something completely different for us.

We started the day bright and early (great time for photos by the way!) at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. You see, Joyce is Chinese. Tom is not. We had the huge honor of photographing not only their wedding ceremony, but also the traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony. Our first stop was the Chinese Garden, with beautiful morning light spilling over the trees onto an eastern landscape with Joyce and Tom in traditional Chinese attire. Joyce looked absolutely beautiful in her bright red dress!

The Chinese Tea Ceremony is a way for the family to give their blessing and show their approval of the spouse to be. Joyce and Tom presented a cup of tea to each family member, starting with Grandma and working their way through parents and then aunts and uncles. After accepting the tea from Joyce and then from Tom, the family members then gave the couple a gift. It was either jewelry or “lucky money”. Red is a symbol of luck in the Chinese culture, so the family would put money in red envelopes to wish the couple luck in their marriage. It was intimate and emotional, with only family and their closest friends surrounding the events.

We gotta admit, one of our favorite parts was the homemade Chinese food for lunch right after the ceremony… SO GOOD!

Make sure you stay tuned for part two coming soon!

Emily + Joe :: St. Louis Wedding Photography

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s a great city, and I’m still a hardcore Cardinals fan. When Emily called me and asked if I’d be willing to shoot her wedding, I was honored! You see, Emily is the little sister of one of my very best friends (and one of my groomsmen) David. Our families are incredibly close, and I imagine we would have been guests at the wedding had we not been the photographers.

The wedding was at the b-e-a-utiful Botanical Gardens on one of the most perfect spring days you could ask for. It was a late morning wedding (which was something new for us), with a lunch reception at the Randall Gallery. Emily has grown up into a beautiful woman, and Joe is a really lucky guy and has also gained a really wonderful set of in-laws!

It was nice to see old friends, and it was a pleasure having my sister help us out with some detail photos and my mom help us with coordinating. Thanks to both of you!