Crystalyn & Jonathan / Twin Oaks Winery Wedding

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We have had SO much rain lately in the midwest. The day that Crystalyn and Jonathan were to get married they were calling for 100% rain...all day. This was no light rain either, we are talking torrential downpour rain. Ugh. Plans were altered and it didn't go exactly as they had hoped, but at the end of the day Crystalyn and Jonathan were still married. I'm just grateful that we did catch a small break and were able to take a few photos outside! Thank you so much C&J, I hope you're having a great time in Napa. :)



The Hinderer Family / St. Louis Family Photographer

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I don't even remember who liked who's photo first or who friended who first, but Lindsey and I met on social media (more than likely it was Instagram). We knew that we were both living in St. Louis but had never actually met...until recently. A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of photographing Lindsey's adorable family. I was a nervous wreck because A) Lindsey is an amazing photographer herself and B) I put the digital camera aside and shot this session entirely on film. Oye, the pressure. ;)  Lindsey is fabulous and her family is so cute I can hardly stand it. I'm so thankful that we finally met and grateful that they allowed me into their home to document their afternoon. Thank you Lindsey! :) (shot on kodak film developed & scanned by Richard Photo Lab)


Brooks is 6 months / St. Louis Lifestyle Photographer

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Brooks recently celebrated his half birthday and I was lucky enough to spend some time with him capturing some of his favorite activities. At six months Brooks enjoys daily reading time with his mom and dad, tummy time with his toys and being introduced to a world of wonderful food! Thank you Brooks for letting me take your pictures, I look forward to seeing you in 3 more months! :)


Shaye & Christopher / Fox Run Country Club Wedding

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SHAYE & CHRISTOPHER - June 5, 2015

Planner? - Rouge Event and Design

Venue? - Fox Run Country Club in Eureka Missouri

Dress? - Justin Alexander, Signature Series

Shoes? - Betsy Johnson, Blue

Jewelry? - Macy's Collection

Hair/Makeup? - Cody Bouckaert from A Valeria Boss Salon in Springfield Missouri

Bridesmaid Dresses? - hand picked from different dress shops around Missouri.

Flowers? - Fleurette Design with Lara Trudell

tux/suit? - Navy attire

Cake? - Harter Bakery Arnold Missouri

DJ? - Complete Music

Shaye's fave part of the day? - First hearing Christopher sing his vows to me in front of our families, then being able to relive it during the reception when guests would comment about how thoughtful and romantic Christopher's vows were.  I couldn't agree more!

Christopher's fave part of the day? - Seeing Shaye during our first look pictures.  It was fantastic to share that moment between just the two of us.

Anything you would change? - If it was possible, I would relive that day over and over again!

Baby G / St. Louis Newborn Session

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I photographed Alison and Clay's engagement session nearly four years ago. I was so excited to hear they were expecting and was even more excited when they asked if I would take photos for them. It always warms my heart to have repeat clients and see them evolve from engagement to wedding to baby. I'm so grateful to be a part of these momentous occasions and happy to document it all. Thank you. :)


Faith & Owusu / Park Avenue Mansion Wedding

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Faith was born in Missouri and Owusu was born in Chicago, it would seem impossible that these two would meet under normal circumstances. After college Faith moved to New York for work and around the same time Owusu also moved to New York to peruse his music career. Of course there are a bazillion other people living in New York City as well, yet these two met and fell in love. Faith's father shared at the reception that he believed without any doubt that God had brought them together and that He would see them through any situation. Faith and Owusu had prayed for one another before they even met, and God was certainly with them as they exchanged their wedding vows. :)

FAITH & OWUSU - May 31, 2015

Dress? - JNEAL Label by Jennifer Neal

Shoes? -  LaBoutiqueBride on Etsy

Jewelry? - MissJoansBridal on Etsy

Hair/Makeup? - FACE by Scotti

Bridesmaids Dresses? -  Weddington Way

Tux/suit? - Mens Warehouse

Venue? - Park Avenue Mansion

DJ? -  DJ D Jones;  Duerell Jones

Faith's fave part of the day? -  Seeing Owusu for the first look.

Owusu's fave part of the day? - Our first dance.

Katie & Jesse / Chaumette Winery Wedding

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KATIE & JESSE - May 23, 2015

Venue? - Chaumette Winery - Ste. Genevieve, MO

Dress? - Mori Lee from Robin's Bridal

Shoes? - Antonio Melani from Dilliards

Jewelry? - Nordstrom Rack

Hair/Makeup? - Mary Mullins from American Image

Bridemaid Dresses? - Tevolio from Target online 

Flowers? - Bought flowers from Harold's Wholesale, but all the arrangements were done by me, Johanna (sis-in-law), Karen (mom-in-law) and Tom (brother)!

Tux? - BLACK by Vera Wang

Cake? - Blue Owl Bakery

DJ? - Equipment from PRO Sound DJ Rental & iPod by bride.

Katie's fave part of the day? -  There were countless, but the moments that got me were the amazing toasts/speeches and the guest's reactions.  EVERYONE was so engaged in those moments.  It made me realize how much fun everyone was having and that meant the world to me! 

Jesse's fave part of the day? - The nonstop dance party.....literally it did not stop til 230 am.

Anything you would change? -  NOTHING! Weather was perfect, venue was gorgeous, food was delicious, but most of all THE PEOPLE MAKE THE PARTY!

The Owler Family

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The Owler family contacted me a few weeks ago and said that they were interested in a large family session. The grandparents live in St. Louis but the rest of the kids/grand kids live out of state. They were all going to be in town over Memorial Day weekend and wanted to have pictures done, especially since there were a couple of new family members! I'm happy to have captured such sweet memories for this beautiful family and hope they cherish these photos for years to come. Thank you! :)


My Girls

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm shooting more film. I started out as a film photographer and I just love the colors and look of film. Shooting film causes me to slow down and think before I shoot and it's helped me become a better photographer. I almost always shoot film for my personal work, here are a few recent shots of my sweet girls. :) All photos shot on kodak film and developed/scanned by Richard Photo Lab.


Film Workshop

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Earlier this month I attended the Yan Fam Way photography workshop. I like to attend workshops at least once a year just to stay inspired and hopefully learn something new. I have been pushing myself to shoot more film and I am in love with it. I've been shooting mostly film for my personal work and I'm just starting to incorporate film into my professional work. I attended this workshop because I wanted to be more comfortable shooting film AND learn more about why I shoot. I am a photographer because I love to document and preserve pieces of history. I have a degree in history so it only seems fitting right? ;) I mean, think back twenty years ago and try remembering everything that happened. Sometimes its difficult to remember every little detail, unless you have pictures. Pictures preserve our moments, our milestones, our memories. Whether I'm shooting a wedding, an engagement, a family or a child I always shoot from the heart and think about how these photos will be cherished down the road. This workshop taught me to be myself, shoot for myself and not be worried about having my photos look like everyone else. This session was more about capturing this family as there are everyday, focusing on the little moments that are often overlooked. More of a "lazy Sunday" feel where everyone was relaxed and at ease. Enjoy! All images shot on Fuji/Kodak film and developed/scanned at Richard Photo Lab.


Jen & Phil / St. Louis Engagement Session

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Jen & Phil met through mutual friends and knew instantly there was a special chemistry. It's easy to see how happy they make each other, their smiles are contagious. Jen & Phil, thanks for meeting me and being ok with all my crazy ideas. Looking forward to your October wedding! :)


Miss Delaney / 9 month old session

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Last week I went out to visit Miss Delaney. She is 9 months old and not slowing down one bit. She is a very active little girl and we decided to capture her in her element and doing what she does on a daily basis. At 9 months old she enjoys crawling everywhere, reading books, playing with tickle me Elmo and eating snacks! :)


Kelly & Andy

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Oh. My. Gosh. I loved this wedding. Every detail was so personal and unique. Kelly and Andy love Wes Anderson movies and wanted to incorporate that into their wedding.

Dress?  Clarice's Bridal in St. Louis.

Shoes? My shoes were Betsey Johnson...if you didn't notice, I really love red, and I can't resist bows, so they were really made for me!

Suit? Andy's suit was from J. Crew.

Jewelry? I wore my grandma's pearl earrings and that was it. :) 

Hair/Makeup? Bouffant Daddy in Maplewood.

Cake? The cake and macaron favors were from La Patisserie Chouquette in Tower Grove. 

Catering? Mad Art provided all of the catering. 

Venue? Mad Art Gallery

DJ? Andrew Warshauer 

What was the style/theme for your wedding? Our wedding had a loose Wes Anderson theme; we both love his movies and wanted our wedding to be colorful, fun, and a little quirky. 

Andy's favorite part of the day? Andy was a Best Man twice last year, so his favorite part was the speeches, probably because he didn't have to make one. 

Kelly's favorite part of the day? A toss up between exchanging our vows and getting to catch up with all of our Midwest friends and family at the reception and on the dance floor!

Anything you would change? If I could, I would have made sure that we had a nice, sunny day for our outdoor ceremony, but I think everything worked out really well considering the rain and potential thunderstorm situation. Mad Art was super accommodating and the ceremony was beautiful! 

Honeymoon? Paris

My baby is 15 months?!

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Gah! I wish mom's had a pause button to use on their kids, time goes by too fast! My sweet little Ella turned 15 months on April 13th and I took a few pictures of her. I wanted these to be more candid and show a bit of her daily routine and some of her favorite things. All shot on kodak portra film and developed/scanned by Richard Photo Lab.

Brooks is 3 months old!

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This sweet little guy turned 3 months old last week. His mom and dad wanted to do something different than a regular "posed" session. They wanted to capture their everyday life together and what they normally do. This was a super fun session and I hope to do more lifestyle sessions. This is how you really want to remember your babies because its often these little everyday moments that we forget. :)