Abby & Victor

Earlier this month we finally got to shoot the wedding of Abby Betzen and Victor Mercado. We met Abby a year and a half ago at the July 2007 bridal fair. Our booth was right next to hers (Artistic Cakes...the best wedding cake in town, take our word for it!), so we got to talk all weekend long. She and her wonderful boss took pity on my exhausted, 9-months-pregnant self and kept slipping me pieces of cake all weekend, so they have my undying love & loyalty :) Abby promised us that weekend that she would call us when she got engaged, and sure enough, we received a call just a few months later.

We didn't get a chance to meet Victor until the big day, but we found out immediately what a kind, easy-going guy he is. He and Abby make a perfect match. We had a blast with them, they were open to anything that would result in beautiful pictures.

After the ceremony we all drove over to Riverside and had a lot of fun taking pictures in the park. Their entire wedding party was kind enough to come along for the ride, so we were able to get some really beautiful images of them, too.

They were even willing to hike halfway across the park in their dress shoes to a bridge that Forest & I wanted to use...

After we let the wedding party go, the bride & groom were still up for trying out some crazy shots, which ended up turning out great.

Abby & Victor were a really fun couple to work with, and their families and friends were also fabulous. We had a great time and can't wait to see them again!

Pumpkin Patch

So a couple of weeks ago we finally got to take our three gorgeous children to the pumpkin patch, where they had an absolute blast with their cousins. Gabe has been to the pumpkin patch before, but he was barely 2 years old at the time (he's 4 now), so he doesn't remember it. Declan and Annabelle had never been before. So we packed them in the car and headed over directly after church.

We went to Applejack Pumpkin Patch, and there were about a million things for the kids to do. They wanted to ride in the barrel train first, as they're currently a little bit obsessed with trains in general. So we let them give it a shot, and they actually stayed seated and didn't try to jump out! After the train ride they spent some time riding tricycles and playing on the little playground they have there...they got to experience teeter totters for the first time with their cousins, who are 2-5 years older and maybe about 4 ounces heavier than my little ones.

After the playground the kids were dying to head for the corn "maze," so we all went in and wandered around for almost 5 whole minutes before finding our way out...and this was with a group of 6-year-olds leading the way. After finding some haystacks to play in, we finally got around to picking out some pumpkins.

Everyone found a pumpkin they were happy with, even my 1-year-old, Annabelle, although she spent quite a bit of time at first struggling to pick up some pumpkins that were almost as big as her. Eventually she just sat down in the dirt and waited for someone to bring her a pumpkin like the little princess she is.

All in all, despite the 500-mph winds, we all had a lot of fun, and everyone went home happy...and exhausted.

Zebediah

Me again. Last weekend I finally got to meet a little man I had been waiting on for months :) I met his mom and dad, Steve and Amanda, when we were photographing Amanda's sister's wedding last June. Amanda was about five months pregnant at the time, and was interested in doing some maternity pictures. I encouraged her to give me a call when she was around seven months, and she took me up on my offer. We were able to get some beautiful shots of she and Steve and of course the belly :)

Steve & Amanda loved their maternity pictures and decided to come back for a First-Year package after the baby was born. Little Zebediah arrived safe and sound in early October, and by the end of the month he was ready for his close-up. He was such a good baby...he got cranky a few times, but always calmed right down whenever Mom or Dad held him for a minute. We got lots of cute pictures of him lifting up his head and looking around, cuddling up with his parents, and even some stuff for birth announcements and Christmas cards. He was a trooper :)

Steve and Amanda (their whole family, really) are some of my favorite clients, and I consider it an honor that they keep coming back to us for these once-in-a-lifetime pictures. We can't wait to see this gorgeous little baby again in a few months!

Amy & Randy

Hello again. Last month we had our second trip out to the Arboretum to shoot a wedding for Amy & Randy. We had the chance to shoot Amy & Randy's engagement pictures last spring at Botanica, so they were able to fill up their guest book for their wedding with their engagement pictures.

Amy & Randy are one of the most loving couples we've ever had a chance to meet. They have an amazing love story, which actually started on eHarmony! They chose to have their wedding at the Arboretum, and we couldn't have been happier with their decision :) They also hired Fat Cat to do their videography, so we got to hang out with a bunch of great people all day and had loads of fun.

Amy & Randy were great, willing to go anywhere to get great pictures. The Arboretum is so gorgeous, there really is no bad spot to take pictures...everywhere you turn you would swear you're in a postcard. We had so much fun with their pictures we didn't want to leave...but there was a reception to get to. So we drove back to Wichita to meet them at their reception, which was of course beautiful. This couple put a lot of thought into the details of their wedding day, making our job very easy.

When they took to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife, I swear there wasn't a dry eye in the house. This couple was so totally absorbed in each other, so happy to be together.

We love you, Amy & Randy, and wish you all the best!

Brian & Stephanie

Hi, Charlene again. We had our first visit to Camp Tawakoni a few weeks ago to shoot the wedding of Brian & Stephanie, an amazing couple. They came to know of us through a mutual friend who used to play in a band with Brian, who is a gifted musician. When we arrived, the guys immediately headed out with KC & Forest to start exploring the camp for picturesque spots, while I stayed inside to catch Stephanie as she finished getting ready for her big day. Stephanie is one of those ethereally beautiful women, and it was a joy to take pictures of her. She also has one of the sweetest spirits I've ever seen.

The ceremony was held in a beautiful clearing in the middle of a forest. I have to say that this couple did something in their wedding ceremony that is hands-down the coolest thing we have ever seen. After taking Communion, then having their wedding party serve the congregation, they had five couples who were close friends of theirs come up to the altar to join them. The couples circled around Brian and Stephanie and prayed over them while the congregation had Communion. It was just a privilege to be a part of such a spiritually uplifting and loving gesture.

We just love Brian & Stephanie and are so glad we got the chance to get to know both of them. We wish both of them the best of luck in their ministries and in their marriage!

Tambra & Grady

Charlene here. We recently had the opportunity to shoot a very fun wedding for two very cool people, Tambra & Grady. The wedding took place at Botanica here in Wichita, where I had done the couple's engagement pictures last spring. KC, Forest, and I showed up in the early afternoon to start capturing the preparations for the big day. The guys showed up dressed and ready to go, whereas the girls were still doing their girl thing. Tambra is a "beauty operator," after all :)

KC & Forest took the guys out into the gardens to start their pictures while I stayed with Tambra to make sure we got plenty of images of her putting on her dress and adding all those finishing touches, which included red cowboy boots. I love that girl. She even had her little flower girl decked out in matching boots.

Tambra and Grady wanted to get their pictures done before the ceremony so they could go straight into their reception, so Tambra met Grady in a private garden for a "first glimpse" moment, which was so sweet, and which they were kind enough to allow me to be a part of. We had so much fun with this bride & groom and their wedding party walking all over the gardens and taking beautiful images of all the beautiful people. Everyone was kind and cheerful and up for anything. And the bride & groom didn't seem to mind kissing for the cameras over and over again :)

The ceremony took place just at sunset and was so beautiful and emotional...so emotional, in fact, that a few people seemed to have gotten some WD40 in their eyes. As they were pronounced husband and wife, Tambra was kicking up her red heels and cheering along with the crowd.

The reception was just inside, and was a lot of fun. Fat Cat Productions was there to capture the whole party, and Barry & Stephanie & Deanna are always so great to work with. The bride & groom performed a beautiful rhumba for their first dance before joining the groom's parents on the dance floor. The DJ soon had the entire crowd in the mix with a special dance dedicated to the bride & groom, and everyone had a great time.

We're so honored to have been a part of Tambra & Grady's big day and wish this couple, one of our favorites, all the luck in the world!