Hillside Gardens Ceremony: Pam & Christy Part II

30.07.10 weddings

Happy Friday, friends!  Happy last Friday of July, in fact.  Can you believe it?  It seems like just yesterday I was photographing John’s little nephews playing with sparklers!  Things have been so crazy here — I wake up each day, not sure what I did the day before nor what day it actually is.  I’ll admit: I did have a few minor anxiety attacks looking at my iCal for July.  I wasn’t sure how I’d get through it all, but somehow time marched on and here I am again looking at next month.  I hope in the midst of your crazy lives, you’re able to sit down, look ahead, and plan some quality time with those you love.  Squeeze the most out of each day, not letting the goodness roll by.

Pam and Christy are those type of people.  They see the best in every moment. And in everyone for that matter.  Their ceremony was filled with so much symbolism and meaning.  I love these ladies.  Their day was gorgeous and heartfelt in every way.

Rather than your typical unity candle or sand ceremony, Pam and Christy did this:

Love this shot Jes grabbed of Pam’s mom exiting.

P&C danced the whole way down the aisle to “I’m a Believer.”  I just adore their expressions.

Right after they said “I do” we ran off for a few minutes to soak up (and shoot up) what just happened.

Followed by a few shots with their wedding party and nephews.  I told you Hillside was crazy. That’s a giant birdcage.

I kinda wanted to take this little boy home. He’s gonna be quite the heartbreaker!

Love this moment of excitement as they prepared to enter the reception.

A tender moment during the dinner blessing.

The toasts were the perfect combination of laughter and wet eyes.

One thing I loved was how kid appropriate this wedding was.  P&C really made it fun for their sweet nephews.

Christy’s mom:

Pam and Christy… I love you two.  I said it before at your reveal, and I’ll say it again.  I feel as though I’ve known you for years.  You have a way of loving people that we don’t see often enough.  Thank you for befriending Jesie and myself.  Thank you for letting us be a part of your commitment.

With joy,
René

What Grooms Are Saying…

29.07.10 the latest & greatest

I was so blessed when I opened up my inbox today and received the most thoughtful e-mail from one of our grooms!  Check this out, as well as a preview from their stunning wedding at Boulder’s Boulderado Hotel:

dear rené~

i know i’ve expressed it before, but especially after last weekend, i just want to express it again: you are such a wonderful human being, talented artist and above all, a great friend!

thank you for all that you did for ericka and i on the 17th, rené… we know you were with us for almost 12 hours and i’m sure you were exhausted by the end, but we truly enjoyed having you at our wedding and you made the whole day so much more fun!

i’ve read on your blog a few times about how you refer to a photo session with you as an experience and it couldn’t be more true rené… you and jesie truly made the photography at our wedding an experience!

we’ve had countless people come up to us and comment on how genuine and sweet and kind and professional both you and jesie were and how, even though none of us have seen the photos, everyone feels that you two truly captured everything (and more so captured the feel of everything) and it just makes us even more excited for when we do see them!

from the depths of my heart, rené… thank you! please pass along the thanks to jesie as well and just know that we can’t wait to see your work! we couldn’t have enjoyed our time with you on saturday anymore and are truly blessed to have shared our day with you two!

i hope work doesn’t get too busy and that you’re able to take some time and breathe and enjoy life! you’re a blessing and i hope you have the most wonderful of days, rene!

god’s peace, dear friend!

always,
matt.

Love these guys!!

Hillside Gardens Ceremony: Pam & Christy Part I

28.07.10 weddings

Happy Wednesday, blog world!  I am home from Adam and Aundie’s exquisite Austin, Texas wedding this past weekend, followed by three full days of teaching yearbook photography to 75 high school kids!  Needless to say, a massage and facial are in my future tonight. Woo!  But to get you through this week, here are some sweet detail shots from Pam and Christy’s commitment ceremony at Hillside Gardens.  Part II is filled with so many awesome emotions – just you wait!

Hillside Gardens is such a groovy venue – it’s a garden center/junkyard/wedding venue.  So cool.

Meanwhile, back in the bridal cottage…

This is one of Christy’s best friends.

And Pam’s BF. :-)

Pam and Christy got ready together which was pretty cool!

The views at Hillside are so pretty!

Loved these necklaces P&C wore of women dancing.

Both Pam and Christy each have two nephews and really involved them in the ceremony.

To  kick off the ceremony, the boys rang a big bell and then ran across the gardens to the Mission Impossible theme, ending at the alter with these signs:

Here we go!  Pam and her mom:

Stay tuned for a gorgeous ceremony and a blasty-blast of a reception!

2011 Wedding Giveaway

21.07.10 the latest & greatest, weddings

So… this is something that’s been on my heart for a while now.  I decided I’m gonna stop thinkin’ about it and dreamin’ about it and just do it! And since today’s my birthday, I thought it’d be the perfect date to announce such a giveaway! :-)

You see, marrying the man God has in mind for me is like my life calling.  I cannot wait. I have been praying about it since I practically came out of the womb.  To me, relationships are what this life is all about and what happens at a wedding is a huge deal to me — an event I do not take lightly.  I know there are many brides and grooms out there that feel this way and I know many of them can’t afford a wedding photographer for various reasons and thus rely on “Uncle Bob who has a really nice camera.”

I want to help.

I want to give away a free wedding to a very deserving couple in 2011! I know there are some not so pretty stories out there that have hindered the wedding budget.  And I also know there are some amazing testimonies of relationships enduring traumatic events. Whatever is it – tell me.  Why do you feel you deserve a free wedding?

The rules are simple:

— The couple must be getting married in 2011.
— I must be available on your date.
— The chosen couple will be given a wedding package that includes: a full day of coverage, a disc of images for printing, and ALL edited images posted to an online storefront for viewing or purchasing. A second shooter will also be included. (Upgrades can be purchased.)
— The wedding can be ANYWHERE. If the wedding is anywhere outside of the Colorado Springs/Denver area, all travel expenses must be paid for by the bride and groom.
— This contest is only applicable to new inquiries.
— Deadline for entry is THURSDAY, AUGUST 5th, 2010

If you’re interested, I’d love to give you more details, but please FIRST contact me (either at info@renetate.com or using the connect form on this site) and tell me your:

— Names
— Wedding Date*
— Location/Venue*
— Why you feel you deserve to win free wedding coverage.  Tell me your story!  Why is this important to you?
*You must have a date and location chosen to inquire.

The winner will be selected by me and my team to the couple we feel is most deserving. Be detailed and honest!  I want everyone and anyone to submit an inquiry!

As a thank you to all who submitted and was not chosen for the free wedding, we’d like to give you a 10 percent discount on everything for ONLY those who have submitted contest entries. Please inquire for more information.

Looking forward to hearing your stories!

With love,
René

And because posts are better with pictures, here’s a favorite from Elizabeth and Ryan’s weekend on July 3rd!