Kelly Pratt Photography

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! FROM KELLY, IAN, SAM, AND DILLON.

Amini - Family

2011-12-21T12:23:00.000-08:00

This is Gemma! She is the newest addition to the Amini Family. We did her newborn session at home, when she was just a couple days old. Gemma’s big bro, McCormack, also turned one a little while ago, so we did some big-boy shots of him as well.

McCormack had fun getting his Christmas shots taken, Gemma however...

...not so much. But she still looked cute, all the same.

Congratulations to the beautiful Amini Family!

Becker - Maternity

2011-12-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

These two will soon be three! Christina and Mike are expecting a beautiful baby boy very soon. Christina is actually the sister of Jessica, one our brides from earlier this year. We joined Christina and Mike at their new home (the’ve only been there a month!) for some cozy shots. They have been hard at work getting their house ready for Michael Nicholas to arrive. We continued our session at Longview Farm Park...a new location for us, how exciting!

Little Michael’s room is looking beautiful and welcoming already :)

Christina and Mike, congratulations ahead of time!

Ryan - Senior

2011-11-22T13:20:00.001-08:00

We love senior sessions! Ryan is a senior at Triad High School, in Troy, IL. We did his session at Lafayette Park on what was yet another gloomy day. We’ve gotten used to shooting with very little natural light lately. Oh well, it worked out well actually! Ryan was cool with trying whatever, so we did. Did I mention we love senior sessions?

Ryan shares my love of all things theater, so we thought we would try some different, dramatic lighting for some of his shots.

Thanks Ryan! We had fun!

Beehn - Family

2011-11-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

This is the Beehn Family - Leah, Shannon and little Taylor. We did their session on a late-fall evening at Laumeier Sculpture Park. We shot Leah and Shannon’s wedding a couple years ago, and now we got to meet Taylor! I think Taylor was more interested in playing with sticks and eating cookies than taking pictures, but no biggie! We captured him in action.

Johnson - Family

2011-11-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

This is the Johnson Family - Stephanie, Jimmy and Kiley. We did their session on Jimmy's family's farm, and as you can see, we included a couple of the family's ponies into the session. We photographed Stephanie and Jimmy's wedding a few years ago, and it's so fun to see how their family has grown. I've gone to Stephanie for years to have my hair done, and I always get to hear about how big Kiley is getting. Kiley is a HAM. She showed us all around the farm, her ponies and her dance moves!

Here comes Honey...

...Honey is like a puppy! She follows everyone around, craving lots of petting and attention.

Kiley helping Dad get Bebe saddled up for his pictures.

Kelly and Noah - Engagement

2011-11-15T11:01:00.001-08:00

This is Kelly and Noah. We did their session in Downtown Kirkwood and Kirkwood Park. Kelly and Noah just moved to Kirkwood this year (they actually live very close to us!), so it seemed appropriate to shoot their session where they live their lives from day to day. We got to include their dogs, Cona and Ollie, in on the fun as well.

Cona and Ollie did such a goof job!

Stephanie and Bobby - Wedding

2011-11-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

Stephanie and Bobby were married at Messiah Lutheran Church, on Grand Ave., with the reception following at Royal Orleans, in South County. This was our last wedding of 2011... what a great year it has been! Stephanie and Bobby had a lot of friends come in from overseas for their big day. They included everyone in their day and they made sure to celebrate Stephanie’s family’s German heritage as well.

Congrats, Stephanie and Bobby!

Erika and Tyler - Engagement

2011-11-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

This is Erika and Tyler. It’s always interesting when we meet a couple for the first time at their engagement session. Erika and Tyler are the most adorable couple! We had a lot of fun with them, and they were up for anything so we happily took advantage of that :) We started their session downtown, to get some urban shots. Then we continued on to Forest Park to get some fall colors and the beautiful, golden sunset.

Gorgeous!

Davis - Family

2011-11-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

This is the Davis family: Sara, Brian and 6-month-old Natalie. We did their session at Bluebird Park, in Ellisville. We had to wait for a few sprinkles to go by, but everything worked out great. The leaves were beautiful. And as we learned from Natalie, they were very tasty as well!

I love me some little girls in tutus :)

Ashley and Joe - Wedding

2011-11-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

Our very busy fall season continues! Ashley and Joe held their wedding ceremony and reception at Whitmoor Country Club, in St. Charles. They had the most beautiful fall day for their wedding. The ceremony was outside on the veranda, overlooking the fall colors on the golf course.

Love the dads helping each other get ready.

Seeing each other for the first time...

Starting the Halloween festivities a few days early!

Congrats Ashley and Joe!

Sarah and Bret - Engagement

2011-11-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Bret wanted FALL COLORS for their engagement session. Well they got some of the best colors of the season. The leaves are always best the last week of October and the first week of November. We did their session at Lafayette Park and Lafayette Square. We will be shooting Sarah and Bret’s wedding in their home state of Kansas next year.

Natalie and Eric - Engagement

2011-10-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is Natalie and Eric. They are getting married next summer. For their engagement session they wanted to capture the fall leaves and also their love of baseball. We started downtown, which was in the middle of a Cardinals - World Series frenzy. We then went to Forest Park, where Natalie's chocolate lab got in on the action as well.

Natalie and Eric, see you soon!

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Stephanie and Cory - Engagement

2011-10-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

We got the opportunity to do Stephanie and Cory’s engagement session this past weekend in Chicago. Stephanie and Cory are originally from St. Louis, and that is where their wedding will be...but for their engagement session, Stephanie and Cory wanted to capture their life where they work and live. We had a beautiful (albeit chilly) morning for our shoot. We started out by the Field Museum, which features Cory’s favorite view of the city...

...We continued on to the heart of the city, for some fun, urban shots.

Stephanie and Cory, it was a blast! Can’t wait for the wedding!

Monte - Children

2011-10-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here are the Monte girls again....Sonia and Marlena, along with their parents, Anita and Phil. We did their fall session at Lafayette Park. The girls had a blast playing in the piles of golden leaves on the ground and riding on their horsies.

Anita made Sonia and Marlena's adorable dresses for their session.

Jen and Wesley - Wedding

2011-10-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

Jen and Wesley were married at Atonement Lutheran Church, in Florissant, with the reception following at Trigg Banquet Center, in O'Fallon. Jen and Wesley's friends and family were very involved in putting together their wedding. The decorations, the cake, the music...everyone pitched in to make their day special. Jen and Wesley are such a laid-back couple. They were super easy to work with, and they had a gorgeous fall day to tie the knot!

Jen's pup made an appearance for a couple impromptu "family" shots.

Jen and Wesley, congratulations and hope you are having fun on your cruise!

Megan and Michael - Engagement

2011-10-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

This is Megan and Michael (and Brewer). We did their engagement session on a beautiful evening, at Shaw Nature Reserve. There is always so much to work with there, that we have still only scratched the surface of settings to use. Unfortunately, Michael had to miss the Cardinals play-off game for the session, so we do apologize for that :) Hopefully it was worth it.

Love this gorgeous field! Yellows and whites and reds and purples!!

Megan owns a dance studio, so you know we had to have a little dancing in the sunset light.

Megan and Michael, we will see you in the spring!

Melissa and Dan - Wedding

2011-10-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Melissa and Dan were married at St. Genvieve DuBois Catholic Church, with the reception following downtown, at the Sheraton City Center. Melissa was so excited to get married. She was simply glowing the morning of the wedding. And Dan actually was very involved in the wedding process. He took care of a lot of the details himself. The day was absolutely beautiful and I think we got some nice graphic shots!

This shot makes me happy! Sorority squat!

These are German toasting glasses. The bride and groom drink from both ends, and whoever drinks their side the fastest will be the boss in the relationship (Melissa won).

This is the "Spoon Dance", which is a tradition on Dan's side of the family. They put spoons on their noses and dance to "I Heard it Through the Grapevine". These kind of traditions are awesome and so unique and memorable.

Congrats Melissa and Dan! It was fun!

Angelides 2011 - Children

2011-10-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

These are the Angelides kids: Danielle, Abigail and John. We did their session in Forest Park, on a beautiful sunny afternoon. All three kids have gotten so big since we did their session last year. Danielle, the youngest, grew a full head of blonde curls!

This is Danielle’s “Pose”...too funny!

Ellen and Tim - Wedding

2011-10-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

This is Ellen and Tim, whose wedding and reception took place at the Bevo Mill. We will call their wedding "Classic with a Twist". Ellen and Tim are a fun, unique, laid-back couple who wanted to share their special day with their friends and family, and especially their two sons. They had an elegant wedding, but were still able to work in their love of classic rock and computer gaming, among other things.

Ellen and Tim's boys were LOVING the dance floor.

Congratulations Ellen and Tim!

Sarah and Jeff - Engagement

2011-09-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is Sarah and Jeff...a cute, fun couple, who are getting married next September. Sarah and Jeff spend a lot of time at Forest Park, so that's where we decided to do their session. They told us they were up for anything, which we love to hear. We started at the History Museum, which is one of their favorite places in the city. Then we headed over to a field FULL of yellow daisies. It is only like this for a little while so we HAD to take advantage of it.

Sarah and Jeff, it was super fun! Can't wait for the wedding :)

Sara and Juan - Wedding Part 2

2011-09-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Here is Part 2 of Sara and Juan’s awesome wedding! Their reception took place at the Palladium. This was our first reception there, and we were super impressed with everything...the atmosphere, the service, all great. Before the reception we went to this rundown area downtown for some urban shots with lots of texture. LOVE!

Sara and Juan’s Flowers were all done by Kirkwood Florist. They did an AMAZING job! Each centerpiece was different and all of them featured different tropical flowers in unique ways.

Sara and Juan’s reception featured lots of fun music, including salsa and merengue! Such a fun touch!

Congratulations Sara and Juan! Everything was beautiful :)

Sara and Juan - Wedding Part 1

2011-09-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Sara and Juan were married at St. Margaret of Scotland Church, in the Tower Grove neighborhood, with the reception following at one of our new favorite venues, Palladium. Sara and Juan live in Chicago, but Sara's parents are actually next-door neighbors with Ian's parents...small world! It's not often we can walk to work! Sara and Juan had a clear vision for their day, which was both modern and beautiful. They were all about working with us to find some different, urban and architectural spots for pictures, which was awesome.

Sara and Juan did several things throughout their wedding day, including having readings in Spanish during the ceremony, as a way to include Juan's family and their Colombian heritage.

We seriously LOVED these details! Very unique and gorgeous bouquets by Kirkwood Florists, along with equally awesome ties. Kirkwood Florists outdid themselves (p.s. WAIT until you see the reception flowers!).

Part 2, including Sara and Juan's reception, coming tomorrow! Stay Tuned!!

Jamie and Mark - Engagement

2011-09-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

This is Jamie and Mark. They are getting married next summer and they came in town from Nebraska to do their engagement session. Since the rainy weather was not cooperating with us, we went to the City Museum and Union Station. We also made a stop at the City Garden in between, when we got a small break in the rain. Mark is an aspiring photographer, so it was fun talking shop and having someone who had a clue what all our craziness was about :)

If you have ever been to the City Museum, you know how rare it is to find it this empty. We weren’t complaining, as it let us get some nice shots.

A little dip in the rain :)

Jamie and Mark, we will see you next summer!

Stacey and Josh - Wedding

2011-09-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

Stacey and Josh were married at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, with the reception following at the Lemp Mansion, in Soulard. Stacey is my cousin, so this was an extra special wedding for us. It’s funny to work when we have my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins around us. Stacey and Josh had a beautiful fall-like day. Rain was skirting us all day, but we managed to avoid it completely!

Stacey’s nephews, Luke and Adam are a couple of hams! Can you tell?

Stacey put so much thought into the details at their wedding. Everything was beautiful and fit the day perfectly. They even had flip-flops for guests’ tired feet and Gus’ Pretzel for their hungry bellies.

Congratulations Stacey & Josh, with lots of love from Kelly & Ian!!

Debbie and Dan - Anniversary Session

2011-09-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

Debbie and Dan were married last year in Chicago, but Debbie wanted to get pictures in St. Louis for her anniversary gift, since St. Louis is where they met. Debbie even wore her gorgeous wedding dress for the first half of the session! We went to St. Francis Xavier College Church, at SLU, where Debbie and Dan went to school. Then we went down by the Arch and Laclede’s Landing.

Debbie and Dan, it was fun!

Stephanie and Derek - Wedding

2011-09-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

This is Stephanie and Derek. They were married at the Conservatory, on Main Street, in St. Charles. Their reception followed down the street, at the Grand Opera House. Stephanie definitely had a vision for their wedding, and hopefully we added to here lovely vision. All the details were beautifully planned and put together. Stephanie made all of the invitations and other stationary herself, along with many of the other sweet details from the day.

Stephanie designed this beautiful stationary (save-the-dates, invitations, programs, everything!)

NOT seeing each other for the first time...

The hearts represent St. Louis, where the wedding took place, and where Stephanie and Derek are from...this made for a really cute and unique guest signing board!

Lisa & Tom - Wedding

2011-09-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

Lisa and Tom were married at Concordia Lutheran Church, in Kirkwood, with the reception following at the Westin Hotel, downtown. Lisa and Tom were high school sweethearts and have been together for a long time. Their wedding was very summery and fun, while still incorporating the stateliness of the Marines.

We went to the Kirkwood Train Station for the some fun pictures, since Lisa and Tom live in Kirkwood (just like us!).

Congratulations Lisa and Tom! You guys are awesome :)

Britney and Ryan - Wedding

2011-08-31T14:49:00.001-07:00

This is Britney and Ryan. They got married at a beautiful home in Ladue, owned by Ryan’s grandmother. The evening was all about simple, classic, almost Grecian elegance. There were fountains, lots of white flowers, sparkly lights and Britney looked like a goddess in her gorgeous dress. Britney and Ryan are such a sweet couple, too. They included all of their family and friends in the ceremony and reception...even their dog, Rudy (who we totally want to steal, by the way), got in on the action.

That regal lady in the portrait is Ryan’s grandma.

It is a tradition in Ryan’s family for everyone to circle the bride and groom, during their first dance.

Congratulations Britney and Ryan!

Ryan & Ethan - Children

2011-08-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

These handsome boys are Ryan and Ethan. Ryan just turned three and Ethan just turned one! We did their session at Faust Park, on a beautiful, sunny day. The boys had fun exploring the park and Ryan told us all about their special joint birthday party.

Ethan is starting to stand and walk! How exciting!

David - Newborn

2011-08-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Here is beautiful David, who is only a couple weeks old. David stayed awake the whole time for our session! That is very unusual, but he was pretty content to get jostled around, and he let us get some great shots.

Mom, Dad and big bro, Daniel are all very proud of their new addition.

Welcome to the big wide world, David!

Lindsey and John - Engagement

2011-08-12T16:31:00.001-07:00

This is Lindsey and John. We did their engagement session in Forest Park, on a shockingly cool August day. We got to use some new spots, and some old favorites for their session. Lindsey and John are an easy-going, fun couple who really enjoy the outdoors...fishing, camping, running, you name it. Because of this, we felt a connection to them right away. They even got engaged on a camping trip, just like us!

Thanks guys! It was a blast :)

Devi - Senior

2011-08-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful Devi. She is going to be a senior this year, at Belleville East High School. Devi was so fun to work with. We did her session in Forest Park, and she was up to anything we asked her to do...even doing repeated jumps and flips for her cheerleading shots.

Check out that gorgeous smile! She makes our job easy :)

Devi and her mom. So cute together!

Thanks Devi for an awesome session!

JoJo and Joe - Post- Wedding Session

2011-08-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

We love post-wedding sessions where the bride and groom get dressed up again in their wedding clothes. This is Jojo and Joe, who were married about a month and a half ago. When we first started talking to them about their wedding, we found out that Jojo was a competition show jumper. So we jumped on the chance to go out to Fulton, MO, to get some beautiful shots with Jojo and Joe, along with her horses, Tom and Max. We were originally going to do this as an engagement session, but Jojo and Joe thought this would be more special....and we were ecstatic :)

The chestnut above is Max, and the grey guy below is Tom, Jojo's jumping horse.

Jojo has such a strong connection with Tom. It's amazing to see this kind of communication without words.

Jojo and Joe, thank you for the opportunity and for braving the heat!

Melissa and Dan - Engagement

2011-07-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

This is Melissa and Dan. They are getting married this fall, and they wanted to do something different for their engagement session. Their session was very personal. We started down in the Loop, where Melissa and Dan had their first date (getting thai food and seeing Chuck Berry). Actually, their first date wasn’t supposed to be a date at all. Their coworker, who was supposed to be meeting them, conveniently didn’t show up. Afterward, we headed over to Forest Park for a very “special” picnic.

Melissa and Dan love food...Dan is into cooking and Melissa loves doing the baking. So we thought it would be fun to have a little picnic. Of course, we couldn’t just have a normal picnic....

It started out innocently enough....

FOOD FIGHT!!!

Too cute!

Thanks guys for being troopers, and putting up with our crazy ideas! I promise, no projectile food on the wedding day :)

Meghan and Josh - Wedding

2011-07-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

This is the wedding of Meghan and Josh. They got married at the beautiful and ornate Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, with the reception following at the Coronado Ballroom. Meghan went to high school right next door to the Cathedral and always dreamed of having her wedding there someday. Meghan and Josh have been together since high school as well! So I have a feeling Meghan has known what she has wanted this day to be like for a long time.

Meghan’s grandfather had the great privilege of presiding over Meghan and Josh’s wedding ceremony.

Meghan’s cousin sat in with the band to play the drums for “Don’t Stop Believin’”.

Congrats Meghan and Josh!

Avery & The Hof's - Family

2011-07-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

This is the Hof Family: Kari, Adam and Avery (who just turned two!). I have been friends with Kari since we were both five years old. We photographed Kari and Adam's wedding a few years ago as well...so I was excited to get a chance to capture her beautiful family. Avery is the sweetest thing in the world! It makes me so happy to see how my friends have raised such awesome kids.

Tea party with teddy! Avery made sure to share her "tea". :)

Jessica & Michael - Wedding

2011-07-14T11:08:00.001-07:00

This is Jessica and Michael. They got married at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, with the reception following at Windows on Washington. Theirs was actually our first Greek Orthodox ceremony. It was beautiful and full of lovely tradition and symbolism. Jessica and Michael are such a beautiful couple...inside and out. We had a great time working with them and their wedding party. They were happy to brave the heat to get some fabulous shots.

Michael's daughter, Ellie, was a junior bridesmaid :)

Opa!

Congratulations Jessica and Michael! It was lovely!

Colleen and Scott - Wedding

2011-07-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the wedding of Colleen and Scott. This was pretty much a destination wedding for them. They live in Washington D.C., and planned everything from there. They got married at the Jewel Box, with the reception following at one of our favorites, Lumen. Colleen and Scott are such a fun couple! They are full of life and always smiling...even in 100 degree weather. No lie, it was HOT. Not just a little hot, heat advisory hot! But we loved the styling of this wedding. The colors, the clothes (and SHOES!!), the venues...all were very much to our tastes.

Check out the eyes on this girl:

No enhancing here! Those are all Colleen.

Love the dark blue seersucker suits! So perfect for a summer wedding.

Vuvuzelas! Colleen and Scott are obviously big soccer fans.

Since it was so sizzling hot outside, we decided to finish up our pictures at Union Station...and we love what we got:

Dueling pianos! Always a good time.

Congrats Colleen and Scott!!

Samantha and Matt - Wedding

2011-06-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is Samantha and Matt’s wedding in Union, Missouri! St. Joseph Catholic Church, where their ceremony and reception took place, is in the middle of gorgeous fields. It was so nice to get out of the city for a weekend. Samantha put a lot of time and thought into the beautiful details (mostly DIY) that she incorporated during the day. But of course, not everything can be planned. Samantha and Matt had some crazy weather for their big day! There was a storm before the ceremony and then a another storm during the reception. Luckily we got some nice, peaceful sunshine in between the two storms to get some beautiful shots.

During storm number 1, the power went out...right when everyone was trying to get ready! The girls had to get ready by window light.

Luckily, the power came back on right before it was time to walk down the aisle.

Check out Samantha and Matt’s DIY photo booth!

..And we just HAD to steal the newlyweds from the reception to take advantage of this gorgeous “break in the storm” light.

Congratulations to Samantha and Matt! It was a blast!

Stephanie and Derek - Engagement

2011-06-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is Stephanie and Derek. They came in from Indianapolis to do their session with us in Faust Park. Stephanie is very creative, and she had lots of ideas for their shoot. Between the two of us, we were able to come up with an overall “look” for their session...even though I’m not sure what that look would be called! It’s a little country, and very sweet and whimsical.

Stephanie and Derek met each other when they both went to Ball State University together.

Stephanie and Derek, it was great. Can’t wait for the wedding!

Jojo and Joe - Wedding

2011-06-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

This is Jojo and Joe. Their wedding ceremony and reception were at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Jojo and Joe were so excited to be getting married! When you saw them look into each others’ eyes, you could tell that they are so in love. We had a beautiful day to be outside, especially considering there was a thunderstorm the morning of the wedding! Planning by the lovely Katie Sotiriou and Blush Weddings & Events.

Jojo and Joe’s first look at the Botanical Gardens...

One of Joe’s daughters, Amy, designed and made the wedding cake! She did a beautiful job, don’t you think?

Congratulations Jojo and Joe! We will see you soon for the Celebrate the Dress Session :)

McCormack & the Amini’s - Family

2011-06-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

This is the Amini family: Dana, Arash and McCormack. We went to their house to get some shots of little McCormack (or “Mack”), along with his parents and grandparents, while everyone was in town. The whole family welcomed us into their home and were lovely to work with. We actually did a session with Dana’s nieces and nephews, the Fletcher kids, last year.

McCormack in a basket!

McCormack’s room is absolutely beautiful! He has a jungle menagerie to play in every day! He particularly likes his buddy, the big giraffe.

What a beautiful little family!

Sarah and Kevin - Wedding Part 2

2011-06-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here is part 2 of Sarah and Kevin’s wedding. After taking pictures downtown and in Forest Park, we headed to the reception at the beautiful Missouri Athletic Club. The building is fantastic, with lots of beautiful old-world details! Plus all the gorgeous flowers by Tina Barrera. The reception room smelled amazing...the flowers were so fragrant. It was like being in a garden!

Congratulations Sarah and Kevin!

Sarah and Kevin - Wedding Part 1

2011-06-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is Sarah and Kevin’s wedding! They were married at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, in South City, with the reception following at the Missouri Athletic Club, downtown. Sarah and Kevin are a fun, lively couple and their sunny yellow color scheme matched their personalities to a tee. Sarah and I (Kelly) went to high school together, as well. It always makes me happy to see people I know have a beautiful wedding and start to the rest of their lives.

This last one was based off of an idea Kevin had...it worked out splendidly :)

Come back tomorrow for more of Sarah and Kevin’s big day!

Sonia and Marlena - Children

2011-06-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

These adorable little ladies are Sonia and Marlena. They are the daughters of the first couple we photographed a wedding for, for our own company! We owe a lot to Anita and Phil, since they took a chance on us, when we were just starting out on our own. For Sonia and Marlena’s session, we went to Queeny Park to get some really cute shots. They brought lots of red and white props to play with :) Anita even made their monogramed dresses!

Andrea and Chris - Wedding

2011-06-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is Andrea and Chris. They had a true South City wedding, with their reception at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church and their reception following at the Bevo Mill. We always seem to have a June wedding that is H-O-T...and yes, this was it for this year. But Andrea, Chris and their wedding party were really great about it.

Chris actually bought Andrea and her mom flowers on the wedding day (aww!). Major points! Very classy :)

Always amazed with the incredibly long aisle at Our Lady of Sorrows...what a long walk! We'll actually be there for our next wedding as well, so you'll see it again.

Congratulations Andrea and Chris! Wish we were in Antigua too ;P

Raegan - Children

2011-06-06T14:20:00.001-07:00

Here is Raegan! We did her pictures last year, and she’s back. We did her session at Francis Park, in south city. Raegan is such a hoot! She loves saying “Hi" to everyone she meets and we all had fun getting some great shots.

Ethan -Nine Months - Children

2011-06-05T18:42:00.001-07:00

This is Ethan's 9-month session. We got to take some fun shots outside at his house. Ethan is on the move! He is all about crawling (just not in the grass...not sure about that yet) and clapping.

Love this picture! Ethan was unsure about sitting in the ivy, but he still wanted to clap...so the result is an expression saying, "um...yay?".

Liz and Jeff - Wedding

2011-06-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

This is the wedding of Liz and Jeff. They had a beautiful day for their outdoor ceremony and reception at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Liz and Jeff’s wedding was very laid-back and relaxed...we had plenty of time to get great images, and we had our favorite late afternoon/early evening light to work with.

Love the flower girl’s watering can bouquet :) Such a cute idea.

I love how this looks like Liz is royalty, surrounded by her court.

Liz’s brother-in-law used to be a DJ, so he led the everyone at the reception in a follow-along dance.

Congrats Liz and Jeff! Hope you are enjoying the Bahamas :)

Beth and Tyler - Wedding

2011-06-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is Beth and Tyler’s wedding. They got married at Manchester United Methodist Church, in Manchester, with the reception following at the Sheraton City Center, downtown. They had a fun color scheme of blue and green, which was incorporated throughout their wedding details (including bright green apples!). Beth and Tyler are a model couple for “acting natural” in front of the camera. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s just their chemistry, but it works.

Manchester United Methodist Church has this beautiful atrium hall. It’s almost MADE for picture-taking.

The ring bearer and flower girl were so awesome! I always think the perfect age for kids in the wedding is 5 to 7 years old.

Photo booth fun!

Congrats to Beth and Tyler!!

Lisa and Tom - Engagement

2011-05-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is Lisa and Tom. They are getting married this September. We did their engagement session on a beautiful day in Forest Park. Lisa and Tom are a genuine, active and fun couple who laugh a lot (which is awesome!) and love the outdoors. Tom is in a Marines and is leaving for California at the end of this month, so we wish him luck!

Lisa and Tom, we’ll see you soon!

April and Greg - Wedding

2011-05-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is the wedding of April and Greg. They got married at the Jewel Box, in Forest Park, with the reception following at Windows on Washington, downtown. Through the week, the weather kept saying that we were going to have severe storms all day on April and Greg’s big day, sending us all into a tizzy for a rain plan. But come the day-of, we had full sun...what luck!

April and Greg had their very sweet and intimate first look on a bridge near the Art Museum...

Here are some pretty details from the reception at Windows on Washington. Planning was done by the lovely ladies at Lucky You Productions, and the flowers for the day were arranged to perfection by Becky Huffman Flowers.

Congratulations April and Greg!

Kelly and Brian - Engagement

2011-05-23T17:42:00.001-07:00

This is Kelly and Brian, who are getting married next summer. They came in from Indiana, and we did their engagement session at the Shaw Nature Reserve, in Gray Summit, MO. A storm was rolling in, but we decided to go for it and take our chances. Luckily the rain held out until the very end of our shoot. The weather also made for some beautiful color saturation.

Love the light and ferns in these two...reminds me of LOST.

This is right when the rain came in. Kelly and Brian saw it coming first!

Kelly and Brian, it was a fun one!

Ellen and Marshall - Wedding Part 2

2011-05-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Here is Part 2 of Ellen and Marshall's wedding. As I mentioned in their first post, there was misty rain and wind and it was cold...but they were up for anything, as long as it meant getting good photography. We picked this location in downtown St. Louis for it's graphic nature. Then we had the idea to add pink balloons to the mix...not only as a cool contrast to the modern buildings, but also because Ellen is very bubbly, light and happy...like pretty pink balloons :)

We found this cool wall, with multiple arches and graphic pictures, and knew we HAD to use it for some images.

Ellen and Marshall's reception took place at the the Four Points Sheraton in Fairview Heights, IL.

Congrats Ellen and Marshall! Thanks for going above and beyond, you guys rock!

Ellen and Marshall - Wedding Part 1

2011-05-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is Part 1 of Ellen and Marshall's wedding. They got married at St Jerome's Catholic Church, in their hometown of Troy, IL, with the reception following at the Four Points Sheraton, in Fairview Heights, IL. Ellen and Marshall were awesome to work with. They gave us full control over where we took pictures in between the ceremony and reception (YAY!!!). This allowed us to be really creative and come up with some really cool images that I don't think anyone has gotten before. I'm not saying everyone should let their photographer decide everything, but trusting us to know what will work and giving us room for creativity is so important in order to get interesting images.

Ace! Our new buddy :)

The guys all got new shoes for after the ceremony.

Ellen and Marshall were super troopers the whole day, when it came to the weather...which was, let's say, less than dry. They even stood in the misty rain for ALL of our images. It looks dry, but it was NOT. It was wet, windy and cold.

More to come from Ellen and Marshall's wedding in Part 2! Stay Tuned...

Stacey and Josh - Engagement

2011-05-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

This is Stacey and Josh, who are getting married this September. We did their session at Lafayette Park and Lafayette Square, where they spend a lot of time. This session was special because Stacey is my cousin! It is a very different feeling to work with someone you have known your entire life, as opposed to someone you've met once or twice. We had nice light, nice weather, and we got to trade stories about traveling...overall a good time :)

LOVE the light created in this one!

Press - Laura & Mark in The Knot

2011-05-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Laura & Mark, who's wedding has been featured in two double page spreads in The Knot - Missouri/Kansas (Fall/Winter 2011).

Laura & Mark were married last August at Immaculate Conception of the Dardenne in Dardenne Prairie, with the reception following at Cedar Lake Farm, in Wright City. Laura and Mark put so much time and care into every detail of their wedding. They definitely deserve the recognition! Pick up your copy now and check it out!

You can see our original posts for Laura and Mark's wedding here: Part 1 & Part 2.

Ehrhardt - Family

2011-05-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

This is the Ehrhardt family. They came down from Bowling Green, MO to do a session with us in Old St. Charles. Nolan and Brayden were so handsome and had a lot of fun exploring. On a side note, it was also prom night in St. Charles, meaning there were literally 100 + prom kids lined up around the block to take pictures at the bandstand on Main Street. Craziness! Clearly, St. Charles needs a wider range of picture taking spots.

Nolan and Brayden LOVE trains (especially good ol’ Thomas the Train). So they were very happy to seen these train cars and play on them.

Beth and Rick - Wedding Part 2

2011-05-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

Here is part 2 of Beth and Rick’s wedding, which took place at the 9th Street Abbey, in Soulard. We had some beautiful light, which made for some lovely pictures out and about, around the Abbey. Continuing the fairy tale theme of Beth and Rick’s wedding, the reception featured Disney characters (a love of Beth’s), and even some Disney music here and there during dinner.

The cocktail hour took place in the ivy-covered courtyard of the Abbey.

A cake fit for a (Disney) princess...

Rick’s groom’s cake was a complete surprise...Dierberg’s!
For those from out of town, Dierberg’s is a grocery chain here in St. Louis, where Rick has worked since high school. That is where Beth first noticed him, and they’ve been together ever since.

Congratulations Beth and Rick (and Jasper)! Thanks for letting us be part of your day :)

Beth and Rick - Wedding Part 1

2011-05-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

This is part 1 of Beth and Rick's wedding. Beth and Rick got married at the beautiful 9th Street Abbey, in Soulard. I went to grade school with Beth, so it was fun to see her looking beautiful and in love on her wedding day. Beth and Rick's day was all about creating a fairy tale. I think it was a success! The 9th Street Abbey is very castle-like with it's vaulted ceiling, and ivy, and Beth looked just like a fairy tale princess.

Beth's Grandpa is so cute!

Rick, getting Jasper dressed in his tux, for his important job as ring bearer :)

A new dance we learned, called the "One-finger Boogie", lol.

Yay, they're married! More portraits and the reception in Part 2, coming tomorrow!

Linda and Casey - Wedding

2011-04-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

This is Linda and Casey. They got married at St. Joseph Catholic Church, in Cottleville, with the reception following at the St. Charles Convention Center. We also went to New Town to get some very sunny pictures in between the ceremony and reception.

The flower girl was so hilarious. She went through every emotion possible while getting her hair done, from excited, to angry, and back again. She even exclaimed, "This is so overwhelming!"...too funny.

Linda surprised Casey with a very special guest at the reception...
...Fredbird!

Congratulations Linda and Casey!

Klein - Family

2011-04-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

This is the Klein family. We did their session on a beautiful spring afternoon, in Forest Park. The two lovely girls are Maggie and Katie. They were so nice to work with...and they lasted a lot longer than most kids their age! They were so patient and sweet. We all braved the muddy swamp-land that was Forest Park that day, and we got some amazing shots!

Lovin' on Dad...

...and such a sweet moment with Mom :)

How cute are they? Seriously!

Thanks, guys! It was delightful :)

Miller and Caiden - Newborn & Children

2011-04-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

This is Miller James, who is not even a month old. We’ve done his big brother, Caiden’s pictures for that last couple years. Caiden is very proud to show off his new little bro.

Caiden and Miller, sharing some brother time.

We got some cool 4-year-old shots of Caiden too. Check out this cool dude :)

Emily and Matt - Wedding

2011-03-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the wedding of Emily and Matt. Their ceremony took place at St. Monica's Church in Creve Coeur, with the reception following at the St. Louis Airport Hilton. Emily and Matt are extremely laid-back and mellow, so their wedding day reflected that. Even when we had a bit of a weird surprise at the reception (which you will see below), they went with the flow and just had fun with it.

I LOVE this pop of green. What an awesome color for a spring wedding!

I love how Emily looks like a greek goddess with that dress, and the columns.

Oh boy! The fire alarm went off right as guests were starting to enter the reception from the cocktail area. The whole hotel had to be evacuated and the fire department had to investigate.
Luckily, nothing was on fire...someone most likely just pulled one of the fire alarms. So we all went back in - talk about a memorable entrance to your wedding reception!

Congrats to Emily and Matt!

Andrea and Chris - Engagement

2011-03-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

Here are Andrea and Chris, who are getting married this June. Andrea and Chris really like hiking and nature, so we decided to do their session at Laumeier Sculpture Park. When you think of the sculpture park, you most likely think of the gigantic red sculptures out in the middle of the park. But if you go through the trails, you will find hidden gems among the woods and creeks.

Back in the woods, there is a wooden sculpture area that we've wanted to use for a while. We just needed the right people, willing to go with our vision :)

Andrea and Chris, we'll see you sooner than you think!

etcHed Handcrafted Invitations - Product

2011-03-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

These gorgeous invitations are the work of Laura Meyer, owner of etcHed Handcrafted Invitations. Laura was one of our brides and had one of our favorite weddings of all time. She even did her own wedding invites for her wedding, which you can see below and in our post, here. Laura's invitations are custom made for each couple, by hand...what an amazing and unique way for couples to show their personality and style!

I love the texture in these! No one would throw these pieces of art in the trash.

These are the invitations Laura designed and handmade for her own wedding.

Ethan's Six Month Portraits

2011-03-01T12:08:00.001-08:00

Here is our buddy Ethan again. He was a lot happier to see us for his 6-month session than he was for his 3-month session. Big bro, Ryan was our helper, as always. And he even got in on the picture action.

Look how big Ethan is getting!

So cute!

And for the finale, we give you Ryan's belly :)

A break in Tortola - Personal

2011-01-21T17:40:00.000-08:00

After a very long and full year shooting weddings and portraits in 2010, we were happy to take a much-deserved break in Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands. We spent 5 lovely days at the Long Bay Beach Resort with perfect sun, ocean breezes...and no phone calls or e-mails. Here are some shots from our trip.

Smuggler's Cove: The ocean water is like a swimming pool here, calm and crystal clear.

You never know who you will come across on the beach in Tortola :)

We spent one afternoon climbing some rocks to take pictures of the surfers at Josias Beach.

One evening we decided to have our own portrait session in the beautiful light, during sunset.

Hiking to the peak of Sage Mountain at Sage National Park.

The following are our snorkeling pictures, taken with a good ol' throwaway underwater camera. I like the "imperfect", retro quality of these.

Back to work! Here's to a great 2011!

Suzy and Wade - Engagement

2011-01-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

This is Suzy and Wade. they are getting married this August, in Iowa, where Suzy is from. We did Suzy and Wade's session by the Arch, the riverfront and by Laclede's Landing. Wade was actually in Leah and Eric's Wedding that we had at the end of November as well. Even though it was cold, we had fun with these guys. They were great troopers and we got some great shots.

The Skybox is where Suzy and Wade had their first date :)

Jen and Wesley - Engagement

2010-12-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

This is Jen and Wesley. They are getting married next October. Jen and Wesley got engaged around last Christmas, when Wesley proposed at the Wild Lights at the Zoo. So we all decided that it would be a fun idea to have their engagement pictures involve Christmas lights. We also did some shots before it got dark.

We decided to try some light-writing. Admittedly, it was not dark enough to do this (it needs to be almost pitch black to get the best effects), but we had fun anyways :)