This time last year I was tromping around in the snow taking engagement photos of Alison and Alex in anticipation for their wedding that is to take place next week! Wow! Where did a year go? On this Valentine’s Day I was thinking about them and all the other couples that might be getting engaged today! This is the next biggest holiday for engagements after Christmas! I’m so excited to finally share these awesome photos with you on a day that celebrates love! I can’t wait to cover their wedding next weekend! Enjoy!
November is becoming a more popular time of year to get married, due to it being a little bit off “wedding” season. There are usually savings to be had if a couple chooses a venue during their off peak times. And if you book around the Thanksgiving holiday you might still get a time when all your relatives are planning on gathering anyways! It’s typically not a great time to get married outdoors because the weather is hit or miss and the trees have lost all of their foliage, but with a beautiful venue with indoor photo options it can still be a wonderful event.
Ashlee and Jacob still wanted to host an outdoor ceremony, but provided blankets for guests to warm up. The ballroom at this venue is really close to the outdoor ceremony site so guests were able to view the quick outdoor ceremony and had straight up to the mansion to warm up and enjoy the cocktail hour while we finished up with a few more photos of this couple with their small wedding party. Check out some of our favorites from an awesome venue we love working at Willow Ridge Manor in Morrison, CO.
Venue: Willow Ridge Manor
Photography: Crystaline Photography and Video
Officiant: Rev. Scott Awbrey
Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Caterer: Rocky Mountain Catering
Fall is by far the busiest time of year for both wedding coverage and family portrait sessions in Colorado and its easy to see why. Beautiful fall foliage colors last for just a brief moment and people love capturing the season in their memories. Because of this we’ve been offering quick mini sessions for one day only in the Fall so that we can accommodate a bunch of families looking to get a quick updated family photo for their holiday cards at a reduced price. If we are able to host a mini session day then we wait until September to see what dates are still open on our calendar after all the weddings and other events have been scheduled and pick a day as close to the peak of the Fall foliage colors as possible to schedule these special sessions. Mini sessions are for immediate family only and last 20 minutes. Due to the short period of time given for these sessions we are also not allowing pets for them. I love taking photos with your family pet, but they need more time to be worked with than the short time-frame we have for the mini sessions. If you are interested in booking a session with your pet please reach out to us directly to check availability for a full one hour session. For our mini sessions, families are encouraged to arrive a few minutes before their session start time to ensure an on-time arrival so we can get started right away. This way we can spend the entire twenty minutes allotted taking multiple poses of your family. We book sessions back to back to accommodate as many families as possible on this date. Late arrivals will get shortened sessions if we have time to still photograph them. Check out some photos from our 2021 Fall Session below. If you have a highly organized family that is punctual and would like to get on our monthly newsletter email so you can be informed when we are running these specials sign up on our newsletter form here – http://eepurl.com/cuTnlH
1. The Photo-Booth Guest Book – Not only does this fun idea give your guests a fun activity, but it can also serve as your wedding favors. Your guests will have a memorable moment that is captured, printed and to take home with them. The photo-booth guest book option allows you to also get photos of all your guests attending along with leaving space for the guests to leave some well wishes to the couple. Most booth companies (the booth our company offers) also include digital files that can be downloaded by anyone from the internet too!
2. Found Items to Sign – Typically this is an item that means something to the couple that has been turned into a piece of art for collecting the signatures of their loved ones. The top photo is a motorcycle gas tank as the couple getting married were avid riders and had a shared passion for bikes. The photo below the tank is a custom made snowboard that not only fit the Colorado theme, but the couple’s snow filled ski weekend wedding.
3. Postcards and Mailbox – Set out postcards that guests can write a longer message to the couple with a fun unique way to collect them. The mailbox will also be a cute addition to the couple’s new home once they purchase one!
4. Custom Signage – Lots of sites such as Etsy and Amazon offer custom made signage or if you have a craftsman in the family that can create one for you. It can be created from a wood piece or something else that will make an awesome piece of art to hang on your wall after the big day is over.
5. Photo Guest Book – Take some of your amazing photos from your engagement session and turn them into an awesome photo guest book. An album with pictures will be looked at a whole lot more than your standard blank guest book with just signatures. Remember to use archival pens that do not smear.
6. Little Pieces for Memories – Adding your name to a wooden heart or personalized puzzle is another fun idea. The puzzle can be enjoyed by the couple everytime they put it together and the heart display box will make a lovely home decoration for the couple.
7. Framed Mat & Photo – Set-up a large mat for collecting signatures with an open space for placing one of your amazing wedding photos in it. While it’s on display at your wedding venue make sure you use it as an opportunity to display one of your favorite photos of you as a couple before the big day!
8. Keys Attached to Advice – The “Key” to any good marriage is lots of helpful advice. Set up a space with keys attached to tags for wedding guest signatures and lots of helpful advice.
9. Custom Books, Coffee Table Book or Book Special to the Couple – A few weddings I’ve been to used a coffee table book with photos from the area they were getting married at to collect signatures. The top photo shows a couple that created their own fabulous book for signatures. The bottom photo is from a Superhero themed wedding. They used a comic book depicting Superman & Wonder Woman in love to collect the signatures of friends and family.
10. Video Toasts – Not really a “Guest Book” per se but giving your guests the option to say something to you on your wedding video helps you to capture your family and friends in a special way that 2D doesn’t offer. We offer this to any couple that has booked one of our full wedding video coverage packages with two videographers. We can either set up a dedicated space to collect “well wishes” from guests or go around during the cocktail hour to see if people have anything to say to the couple. Years from now it will be wonderful to hear the voices of your loved ones on your wedding video!
Kerry & Augustus planned their big day for over two years due to Covid issues and because it was still a factor in 2021 they decided to host a very small event with just 40 of their closest friends and family at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Denver, Colorado. Because it was such an intimate event I suggested taking a group photo of everyone present on the outside steps in front of the church. This is something that can’t always be done at large weddings, but will be a great way to document everyone who was able to be there. After their very traditional ceremony and formals in the church we stopped by Washington Park on our way to the reception to get some beautiful photos with the fall colors of just the two of them. Another idea came to mind when we passed by an ice cream truck because the couple had told me they were not doing a traditional cake cutting at the reception…. I said how about a shared ice cream! And an adorable relaxed photo of just the two of them resulted in this impromptu photo.
The reception at the newly remodeled Doubletree Hotel in Cherry Creek was a simple affair with heartfelt speeches in front of the traditional paper crane backdrop created by the bride who folded hundreds of paper cranes for the event! After dinner the entertainment for the evening was casino style gambling for all of their guests. A very unique and fun option for this amazing couple. Enjoy some of my favorite photos from the big day!
Another beautiful fall wedding from last season! This bed and breakfast is an amazing small venue to host weddings and events in the mountains, but just a short drive from Denver in Pine, Colorado. It’s especially beautiful in the fall because it has a meadow with aspen trees surrounding it! Marci & Eddie came to us via a referral from another couple who’s wedding we covered already almost a decade ago! It’s awesome when couples think so highly of us that they recommend us for friends and families’ events. This October wedding had our whole crew out again for it… Chris was filming their video, I was covering the photography and my husband, Michael was providing the entertainment with his company Digital DJ. Having the whole crew just makes the day so much easier for us to cover.
Check out their wedding highlight video above and some of my favorite photos from their event below! My favorite thing about this couple was Eddie’s boisterous laugh! These two envelope what love means and make us so very happy to just be there to capture it!
We just passed this couple’s first year anniversary at the beginning of October! Congratulations again to Pascal and Jennifer who celebrated their amazing DIY wedding at a close family member’s home out on the plains East of Denver. This home made for a perfect wedding venue! A large open back yard with rolling hills and horses in the background. A lovely waterfall feature and a great pole barn that worked out great for hosting the wedding reception and our photo-booth! As far as do-it-yourself weddings go this one was the tops!!! Every part of this special day was taken into account and turned out amazing! Check out some of my favorite photos below!
It’s the one year anniversary today of Daphnee & Jordan’s lovely simple wedding in Loveland, Colorado! If I were hosting a small wedding for close friends and family this is exactly how I would do it! The couple held a ceremony at the church they met at – Foundations Church in Loveland with a reception held in the pavilion at Benson Sculpture Garden which is a great location with lots of picturesque features. Take a journey through their special day in the photos we provided for them.
Vendors who made this day possible:
Ceremony Site – Foundations Church
Reception Site – Benson Sculpture Garden
Photography – Crystaline Photography & Video
A year ago Becka and Bryce booked us to cover their wedding that will already be next weekend and then we photographed their fall engagement portraits to memorialize the special occasion! How quickly a year flies by! It hardly seems like a year has passed, but the fact that I’m just now getting to blog about it shows you how busy we’ve been! With the leaves just beginning to turn here in Denver I was thinking about all of the fall weddings and portrait sessions coming up for us in the next couple of weeks. Fall is a magical time of year and just so happens to be the busiest season for photographers everywhere. Families are wanting to document their family for holiday cards, couples are wanting those beautiful colors in their save-the-date cards and who doesn’t like wearing boots and chunky sweaters.
I just wanted to share some of my favorite photos from this session with their puppy in anticipation for their wedding next week. It will be great to see them again! Enjoy these fun festive fall photos!
The summer going into fall is the perfect time to schedule a high school senior portrait session. Most Colorado high schools require the yearbook photo submission by the end of September or first part of October. By scheduling your session early you ensure that you can find a great photographer available to meet your needs. Since Colorado is also a beautiful state with lots of outdoor background opportunities many students want to have their photos taken outside. We offer both an outdoor or an indoor session depending on the desire of the client. Whether you are doing an indoor studio or outdoor session you’ll want your outfits to coordinate with the backdrops. It’s a good idea to discuss the types of looks you are wanting with your photographer so if you’re doing an outdoor session they can suggest locations that will work with your wardrobe or they can pick out some studio backdrops that compliment your chosen outfits.
Here is some suggestions on how to style your wardrobe for your portrait session:
1.) Choose Solid colors over patterns and prints! If you do choose an outfit with a print it’s a good idea to break up some of that print with some solid color items like a belt, scarf, jacket etc. A pattern with a larger scale print is going to look better than a smaller pattern that can be distracting to the camera. I also find that some patterns can really “date” a photo. Choosing a solid color outfit is going to give your portraits a more classic look that will look good hanging on the parents’ wall for years. If you have chosen a session with multiple outfit changes then incorporating one or two outfits with a little bit of pattern isn’t bad.
2.) Consider a casual and a more dressy option. A casual option would be jeans and a couple different shirts. A more formal option is a dress, skirt or cocktail dress (this can even be your Prom dress or other dress from a formal dance). For men a dress shirt, jacket and even a tie if they so choose. It’s just nice to have options! One of your more formal photos might even be great addition to a job resume in the future!
3.) Make sure your outfits fit well! I find that clothes that are baggy or oversized are not very complimentary on almost all body types and will make you appear larger than you actually are. If your outfit is supposed to fit-to-size, make sure it actually does that and doesn’t fit too tightly or loosely, especially when it comes to your straps, bust area, mid-section area, and hemlines.
On that note, wear something you feel comfortable sitting, standing, and kneeling down in as we will also be incorporating those types of poses. Don’t forget to iron your clothes! If you show up to your session with wrinkly clothing covered in cat hair it’s going to show in all of the photos. Extra retouch costs will be assessed if wrinkles and hair need to be removed in the photos.
4.) Keep the location, weather and season in mind. A summer dress in the middle of winter might not only look out of place, but will keep you shivering during the photoshoot. Chunky sweaters and layered looks are always great for Fall and Winter sessions. Spring and Summer is the perfect time to wear a cute skirt, tank tops and shorts!
5.) Don’t forget the accessories! Jewelry, scarves, shoes and more can only improve a photo! This is also a time to show off your school spirit by bringing your letterman jacket, musical instruments that you play, items that go with the sports you do such as a basketball, football, tennis racket, etc. And if you are into something else like collecting stuff, art, etc. you are always welcome to bring some of those items to commemorate your love for whatever you’re into. Years from now it will be fun to look back at the hobbies you enjoyed as a teenager saved in your senior photos!
6.) Stick to your known style. While it may be fun to get experimental with your clothes for creative photo-shoots, I don’t really recommend it for senior sessions. This goes for hairstyles and make-up as well. My biggest regret from my own senior session years ago was cutting off my signature long hair to above my shoulders a week before I did my senior photos. While it was a fun change, it’s not how I usually looked and I hated my senior photos. It’s best to capture you the way most people know you before you go wild with a new look!
7.) Think about reflections. We use additional lighting in almost all of our portrait sessions so wearing glitter make-up, highly reflective glasses or anything else that can reflect light is not a great idea. If people are used to seeing you wear glasses on a regular basis and you want to wear them in your photos look at removing the lenses for just the photo-shoot or borrowing a set of frames from your optometrist. We can also incorporate poses that minimize reflections in glasses, but that can also limit the types of poses we can do with you during your session so if you can help us out by removing the lenses it makes the session run smoother. Some reflections can be removed in retouch later, but again that’s an additional charge for the work involved.
I also recommend bringing a translucent make-up powder that can be used to cut down the shine on faces. If men are not into using powder, then I suggest at least bringing some blotting sheets to use when you are a bit too shiny. Make-up should look natural and not too heavy. If you don’t wear a lot of make-up or any then at least bring some chapstick for dry lips.
8.) Lastly, have fun with it! It’s great to pick up a few new items before the shoot, but don’t discount some of your old, but favorite outfits! Your senior session should ultimately represent “YOU” and be a fun way to remember your last year of high school!