Hudson Gardens Wedding: Alicia & Joe – Pt I

23.08.10 weddings

I’m sitting here at my little corner desk, in front of my big Apple screen, staring at Joe and Alicia’s images and am serenaded by my girl, Etta James.  Goosebumps never fail to come over me as she belts out the first lyrics. And I can’t help but think how fitting this soundtrack is to their wedding.  Etta sings, “My lonely days are over.  And life is like a song. At last…”

Joe and Alicia were married on a cold, dim, dark, cloudy day when the rain poured down and never ceased. We remained hopeful all day, as a gorgeous outdoor ceremony at the Hudson Gardens was planned. But the misty rain wouldn’t stop. Sweet Alicia’s dreams of her outdoor wedding crumbled before her eyes.  In her bridal room, with big deep breaths, fighting back the tears, she talked herself into being okay with the indoor option.  Her hands shook as she clenched her tissue.

My heart broke for her.

You see, Alicia is one of the sweetest girls you’ll ever meet.  She worked so hard on every detail of her wedding and the outdoor ceremony was the capstone.  But you know, I think we all learned a lesson in watching their simple, indoor ceremony.  I know I don’t just speak for myself when I say I was captivated by their not so simple expressions of love.  In the end, when Alicia walked down that isle, it didn’t matter where her and Joe said I do, all that mattered was that they did.

And it was in that moment that their life became like a song…

Alicia had the greatest “after-ceremony” shoes by Guess:

I just love when brides have lots of details that make their wedding special.  Alicia wore her grandmother’s earrings.

Both Joe and Alicia exchanged the sweetest cards. This one was from Joe…

..who is super classy himself. The image on the left is one of my all-time favorite groom portraits.  It looks circa 1950.

Big baseball fans. :-)

Lauren at Quintessential did a fabulous job on Alicia’s flowers.

Alicia, you are absolutely exquisite.

The difference is in the details. :-)

The gorgeous girls.

Ceremony up next! Stay tuned for part II.

Colorado Springs Engagement: Anne & Matt

18.08.10 engagements

Hey, hey, hey!  Greetings from Vermont! Wanted to take a quick moment to spice up the middle of your week with a fun engagement session of Anne and Matt!  Anne and Matt were actually married just last month and had their ePix taken shortly before.  Their wedding was BRONCO themed!!  Okay, not officially, but it was blue and orange and actually incredibly beautiful!!  Can’t wait to share.  These two are so so so sweet.  I’ve loved every conversation I’ve had with them.  Anne is one of our ideal brides — she’s so organized, so passionate about her wedding, pasionate about photography, has great taste, is easy going, and loves RTP.  Can’t beat that, right?

These photos mean a lot to me as we tried something new and fun after our Salsa Brava dinner… Night photography!

Enjoy!

Um… yeah, they’re adorable. All he had to do was look at her and she was all laughter! I loved it!

Let the fun begin.  Matt brought his sweet Jeep to the shoot!

Stunning!

Favorite!

‘Nother favorite!!

And a ‘nother!

You guys are perfect.  Love you… :)

After some sweet fourwheelin’, we headed to their favorite spot in Garden of the Gods.

And after some yummy Mexican food at Salsa Brava, we shot around some more with the Jeep.

Love.

Love love.

Love love love.

Wedding Sneak Peek: Kelsey & Vittorio

15.08.10 weddings

Such a fabulous wedding yesterday in Larkspur, Colorado.  A couple favorites from their emotional first look and some after wedding, buttery light. Enjoy! And happy Sunday!

Winner of 2011 Wedding Giveaway Announced!

13.08.10 weddings

Ahhh! Hardest. Thing. I’ve. Ever. Had. To. Do.

I might not do this again in the future because it was soooo hard to choose a winner.  I was going to announce this on Monday, but took an extra few days to sleep and pray on it.  All of us on the RTP team wanted to pick all the awesome couples who entered.  We really did.  Everyone had such moving stories and were all so deserving. It was the toughest decision ever, but I feel at peace about our decision.  And I guess that’s what matters. So, with out further ado, I’m pleased to announce our 2011 wedding photography winners:

Malerie and Chris!

Malerie and Chris’ story:

Chris is a high-school teacher in Longmont, and is finishing his M.A. in ESL– he has a huge heart to help second language students succeed in school. I am an MA student at Denver Seminary, where I am chipping away at my degree in Community Counseling. Needless to say….two students/teacher don’t have a lot of extra money to pay for a wedding.

My family (who would traditionally pay for a wedding) is unable to help with the cost very much. When I was 7, my father was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s– a cancer of the lymph system. Between then and now, he has relapsed 4 times, had several rounds of chemo, two stem-cell transplants, and has been in the hospital more than he has been out. Today, he is cancer free, but the many rounds of treatment have left him handicapped. His immune system is extremely fragile, and he is constantly in and out of the hospital with sepsis, pneumonia, etc. Because of this, he is unable to work, and most of my parents’ money has gone to medical bills. I actually payed my own way through college and now grad school, fully aware that it would be too much of a strain on them to help pay for my education.

In light of this, Chris and I are trying to do a wedding as cheaply as possible, with a lot of DIY projects, friends acting as DJ’s and officiators, etc. However, the one area that I would be very sad to skimp on is the photography. I dapple in photography myself, and it has always been a very important memory-maker for me. I take pictures of EVERYTHING! But…obviously I can’t take pictures of my own wedding day. I want to always have photos of the big day (the candid moments, the small details, everything) that I can look back on, show my children and my grandchildren, and re-live the special day. Chris and I have been waiting for each other for a long time, so this day is a big celebration for us– it really will be the most special day of our lives together. I just think that wonderful photography that can capture those small, precious moments of the day, would be priceless and irreplaceable for us.

Thank you for your time, and for offering up this giveaway. I am sure that whoever ends up with it will be blessed beyond belief!

Thanks again,
Malerie and Chris