Destination Wedding Photography - Destination Wedding Photographers, Arizona

KRISTIN - MATERNITY SESSION, SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:23:40 +0000

Kristin and Kyle have been coming to us for various portrait shoots for the past couple of years including their engagement shoot and Kristin's bridal shoot (their wedding was out of state and they had a photographer friend shoot it) and now they are back because they are having a baby! Kristin wanted maternity photos and then newborn photos once he was born. She was a little over 8 months when we conducted her shoot in the Superstition Mountain Range on the east side of Phoenix. She really didn't look it though ... I think it must be the height (Kristin is 6'.) We love these two but unfortunately it look as though our shooting foreys will soon be ending ... they are most likely moving to Kentucky. We will miss you two!!

JENNIFER AND JAMES - ENGAGEMENT SESSION, SEDONA

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:58:47 +0000

Jennifer and James will be getting married this April at Los Abrigados in Sedona. I am 100% in love with these two. Jennifer and I chit-chat regularly by email as if we were old friends. We talk about her wedding of course, but also about more personal matters, so I have become quite close with her. James loves photography too and is in school right now for it. The only thing that makes me sad is that it looks as though they may be leaving the state in the next year ... but we always have email :-).

We photographed their engagement shoot in Sedona, starting in the canyon at the West Fork Trail for some great fall color. The big highlight of the day was sunset though ... unbelievable!!! This had to rank among the top 5 sunsets I have ever witnessed in this state. I was in Sedona the following day and I swear, people were actually still talking about it! We had a blast guys ... can't wait for the wedding :-)!

I told you ... spectacular!!!

SARAH AND SAM - ENGAGEMENT SESSION, FLAGSTAFF

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:37:10 +0000

Sarah and Sam are so sweet ... and Sarah has been stalking us for quite some time :-). I'm just kidding :-). Seriously though, she has been following us for quite a while - I can't tell you how many bridal shows she has visited us at! She is so complimentary of our work and we are so pleased that she and Sam hired us to photograph their upcoming fall wedding at Snowbowl in Flagstaff! They live in the valley but LOVE the high country and given where their wedding will be, it only made sense to do their engagement shoot on the mountain as well. Thanks so much you two and we can't wait for the wedding!

This photo was a special request by Sarah and Sam. We got lucky because there was a full moon on this evening. In order to achieve the appearance of a very large moon (which can not be done using the very moderate telephoto I used to shoot the couple), I took a photo of the couple and then photographed the moon with a long telephoto lens. I actually took both photos within seconds of each other and then put the two together in photoshop.

FLORIDA WATERWAYS, THE EVERGLADES AND THE KEYS

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:34:35 +0000

Back in late October we went to Florida to photograph Lisa and James' spectacular wedding in West Palm Beach. While visiting south Florida, we took a few days to explore the Everglades and a bit of the Florida Keys. Here are some of the highlights!

Yes, this is a Pygmy Rattlesnake ... and yes, I am using a wide angle lens, which means I was probably way too close. Don't try getting this close to a poisonous snake unless you know well how to read their body language. This one remained very calm and I took a lot of time to ease up to it to get the shot.

Alligators

I was soooo excited to get these next few photos. These alligators are hatchlings and I have never encountered them in the wild before, despite trolling the swamps of FL for the better part of 10 years. I heard the classic "chirping" noises and new they were close. It didn't take long to locate them. I felt so fortunate to observe them but we were always cautious ... you must always be on the lookout for the mother in a situation like this. The mother will protect her young.

So cute!!!!

The cuttest baby turtle in the world on the left :-).

Great Blue Heron

This was one of my favorite shots of the trip!

A little wild turkey humor :-).

You know you are entering the Everglades when you see a Florida Panther Crossing.

Osprey with fish.

This is an American Crocodile and the Everglades is the only place you will find them and even then it is rare ... we were very lucky!

Bald Eagle and Raven.

Great Egret

Turkey Vultures

This may seem sad, but it is for my decades long personal project, "Casualties of War." I really get angry to see a beautiful animal lose its life by speeding drivers, especially in a National Park where they shouldn't be speeding in the first place. The victim was a snowy egret.

The Keys ... specifically Islamorada on the left and Key Largo on the right.

The keys are crawling with wild iguanas.

Purple Bill and Greeny visit south Florida :-)!! They had a blast!

ROBIN AND JEFF WEDDING - RANCHO LOS LAGOS, SEDONA

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:34:04 +0000

Robin and Jeff were married October 17th at Rancho Los Lagos in Sedona. Their reception was held at Agave of Sedona. This was a long day - 15 hours coverage - but it was exceptionally beautiful and we were privileged to be a part of it! The children in this wedding (the little boy is Jeff's son) were beyond adorable and the guests rocked the reception. Thank you both so much for having us as your wedding photographers and for treating us like close friends throughout the day ... you were both amazing! At one point Robin, while having a moment of happy tears over how stunning she looked in her incredible gown, thanked me for being with her and told me how much it meant to her for me to be there ... it almost brought tears to my eyes - how amazingly sweet! No Robin, again, thank you :-)!!

Jeff's son isn't too thrilled about getting all dressed up :-).

Robin's parents taking a peak at their daughter ... and a quick photo :-).

Robin, and her best friend, got very emotional when she first put her dress on ...

... and saw how beautiful she was!!

This was by far one of the best "first meetings" we have ever had!

Still part of the first meeting. This is what I love about Robin - her wonderful laugh - it is infectious :-)!!

Still part of the first meeting. This is one of my favs of the day!

The sticks that make up the centerpieces have the dates of all previous family members written on them ... going back to the turn of the twentieth century.

Jeff having a moment with his son before the ceremony.

Like I said ... the kids were adorable!!!!

Another fav ... the light is magical!!

I didn't photoshop the bird ... I didn't even see it until I was editing the images :-).

The toasts got really emotional.

Another favorite ... I love touching generational shots! They hold so much significance!

ANDREA AND ANDY WEDDING - L'AUBERGE DE SEDONA

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:07:14 +0000

Andrea and Andy were married October 11th, 2009 in Sedona! They held their ceremony at L'Auberge de Sedona and their reception at Agave of Sedona. We had the unusual circumstance at this wedding to have plenty of time for couple formals. This was really nice as we were able to take them at a relaxed pace ... usually the pace is a bit more frantic :-). Because of the extensive amount of time we had for this we started out creekside before the ceremony and then headed over to Schnebly Hill after for some classic Sedona red rock backdrops. It was a beautiful wedding day and we were so happy to be a part of it!

KELCEY AND TIM WEDDING - McCORMICK RANCH GOLF CLUB, SCOTTSDALE

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:44:46 +0000

Kelcey and Tim were married October 10th, 2009 at McCormick Ranch Golf Club and WOW, this one was beautiful!!!! The couple was stunning, the decor was elegant, the backdrop was beautiful and the weather was perfect! The sunset was amazing too! Thank you both so much for having us as your wedding photographers ... it really was beautiful :-)! We would also like to thank Joyce Day for assisting us at this wedding!

Kelcey and Tim's first meeting was so sweet ... we got some great shots ...

... like this one ...

... and this one ...

... you get the picture :-).

I loved Kelcey's bouquet and the beautiful bracelet was an heirloom gift from 1934.

Kelcey looked STUNNING ... and that dress was AMAZING!!

Tim was so funny :-)!

Beautiful details!

There was a bit of confussion about when Kelcey's father should take his seat, but it all finally worked out and added a bit of humor to the ceremony :-).

Love the get-away golf cart :-)!!

More beautiful details!!

Had to have a little golf course fun :-).

One of my favorite shots of the day!!! Just stunning scenery and a spectacular sunset as well!

SARAH AND BRADY WEDDING - THE CASTLE AT ASHLEY MANOR, CHANDLER

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:58:52 +0000

Sarah and Brady were married on January 9th, 2010 at the Castle at Ashley Manor in Chandler. It was a beautiful day with mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine ... what else would you expect though from the valley of the sun in winter.

We have really enjoyed working with this couple since they booked us last year (the engagement shoot was a ton of fun) and have been eagerly anticipating this wedding! It was all I had imagined, with beautiful decorations and details, a stunning couple, gracious (and fun) family and friends and a rockin reception! Thank you Sarah and Brady for having us as your wedding photographers. We are looking forward to the trash-the-dress shoot :-)!

My good friend and very talented wedding photographer, Melissa Dunstan, went along on this one as the second shooter. We had such a blast working together and we even took a moment to have photos taken in the photo booth ... LOVE those :-). Thanks Melissa for all your hard work!!

Love Sarah's dress and red shoes ... all the girls wore red shoes too.

This is one of my favorite photos!! It looks more like a painting than a photograph.

Sarah's team: the Detroit Red Wings and Brady's team: the St. Louis Cardinals ... you will be seeing a lot of this throughout the wedding :-)!

This is adorable :-). Sarah's friend set this up to take a photo.

How cute!!

A great shot by Melissa of Brady getting ready!

Again, so cute!!

Sarah's walk down the aisle got emotional for everyone.

Brady had a hard time holding back the tears.

I LOVE this shot by Melissa!!

Another great shot by Melissa!

This was so touching as Sarah wiped a tear away from Brady's eye.

Another of my favorites from Melissa!

These guys were such hams :-) ... just hilarious!!

More red shoes and humor.

How cute is this shot ... we didn't expect the smallest girl in the bridal party to walk with everyone, but she did and it was great!!! Only problem was, she didn't want to turn around :-).

What a beautiful setting!

I love this shot that Melissa got during the toasts!

This is one of my favorite "first dance" shots ... the mood is just amazing!

Sarah shared a very spirited first dance with her father ... it was great!!

OK ... as you can see, Melissa and I got in on the photo booth fun. I am on the left in the stunning, and I might add chic, leopard pimp hat and Melissa is on the right in the flamboyant, hooker pink feather boa. We make quite a pair, don't we??!! And look at Sarah and Brady ... I love photo booths with props!!

This little girl could sing ... she was AMAZING to listen to!!

How funny is this guy ... I think he robbed the prop box from the photo booth ... I hope :-)!

Gotta love when people really get into the "Thriller" song :-) ... AWESOME!

These two are so funny!!

ELAYNE AND CRAIG'S WINTER WEDDING - RADISSON, FLAGSTAFF

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:06:47 +0000

Elayne prayed for a winter wedding complete with snow and that is exactly what she got! She and Craig reside in Phoenix and planned their January 2010 wedding in Flagstaff in the hopes that it would be snowing on the day of ... or at least there would be a little snow on the ground. Elayne even bought the cutest pair of winter-white boots in anticipation of the snow. They didn't get a snowy day but they did get ample snow on the ground as Flagstaff had recently been heavily dumped on :-). They held their wedding and reception at the Radisson and were quite willing to go off property to get some beautiful shots in the snow ... thanks for trusting us on that one :-). Thank you both so much and we hope you enjoy the sneak peak!

Side note: We would like to thank our new assistant, Angela Beebe for her fantastic work at this wedding. She will be working with us at many of our upcoming weddings and shoots and we are really excited to be working with her! Welcome aboard :-)!

Once the dress was on, the event Elayne had been planning for so long finally became real and she broke down in tears, but they were tears of joy :-).

Love the boots!

This is one of our favorite photos! We just love Elayne's stoic look ... very humorous :-).

Another fav ... the backlight on the hairspray looks really cool!

The anticipation of walking down the aisle ...

Our assistant, Angela, took the top photo and we LOVE it!!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this image!!!

There is nothing more beautiful than romantic wedding photos taken in glistening, white snow!

Hilarious :-)!!

What a touching image!

MEGAN AND COLTON - ENGAGEMENT SESSION, FLAGSTAFF

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:26:32 +0000

I first met Megan a little over a year ago. One of her good friends, Paige, was one of our past brides and Paige and Megan decided to do a boudoir session for their men. Shortly after that, Megan got engaged and called to have us photograph the wedding. Megan and her fiance, Colton, love the mountains and wanted their engagement session to take place amongst the autumn aspens. Fall was a bit odd this year ... very sporadic color ... so we spent the day on a scavenger hunt of sorts looking for good patches of color. We had a great time and I just love these two! I can't wait for their wedding this March!!

THE FALSAFI FAMILY PORTRAIT SESSION

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:33:59 +0000

We photographed Tiffany and Ashley's wedding in May 2008 and very shortly thereafter they became pregnant with their beautiful daughter, Kylie. This past October they asked us to do a family portrait shoot at their second home in Prescott. It was great to see them again, along with their spirited pup, Lennon - they refer to him as their "other" child :-), who was the ring bearer in their wedding, and to meet Kylie. She was a very happy baby and she has the most striking eyes we have ever seen! Ashley's father, who is just the nicest man (we loved chatting with him about his journey from Iran to the States) also stopped by and we got some fantastic shots of him playing with his very precious new grandaughter. It was so wonderful to see all of you again ... thank you for having us and we hope to see you again soon!

Look at Kylie's eyes ... so big and bright :-)!

I love this series ... Lennon is great with Kylie!

The proud Grandpa :-).

She is so happy!!

Thank you both again ... she is so beautiful!!!!

DARCEY AND DAVID WEDDING - LAKE POWELL RESORT, LAKE POWELL

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:50:27 +0000

Darcey and David were married October 2nd, 2009, at Lake Powell in an intimate ceremony with their close family and friends - most of which traveled from across the US to attend! The couple is from Massachusetts, but they love the West and decided it was the perfect place for their special day.

We didn't meet them until the day of their wedding and they were simply amazing people to be around!! Their ceremony took place at sunset, on a perfect day I might add, at the Coves along the exquisite shores of Lake Powell. They then moved over to the Lake Powell Resort for their reception. I have to say, the moment of Darcey being led down the aisle by her mother and father was one of the most emotional and touching I have ever witnessed at a wedding ... beautiful! Another beautiful aspect was in the landscape. Sunset could not have been a more lovely choice as they stood to take their vows on the edge of a sun-kissed bluff with the surrounding water and escarpments bathed in a beautiful pink glow as a full moon rose behind them ... WOW ... breathtaking!!

Darcey and David, you were both so amazing to work with and get to know and that has certainly spilled over since the wedding! We thank you for the privilege of being a part of your wedding and words cannot express how much we appreciate your amazing testimonial and that you would take the time to write one that comprehensive ... thank you so much :-)!!!!

PAM AND ANDREW WEDDING - THE CASTLE AT ASHLEY MANOR, CHANDLER

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:21:11 +0000

Pam and Andrew were married September 28th - yes, that was a Monday and it seems like Monday weddings are becoming more and more popular :-)! They chose to have their ceremony and reception at the Castle at Ashley Manor in Chandler. The same heat wave that was hovering over Mexico the previous weekend was also hovering over Phoenix with no signs of letting up. I believe the temperature was a record 107 degrees that day. Luckily, only parts of the wedding were held outside so it didn't bother anyone too much!

The one thing I want to say about this couple besides the fact that we just really liked them both and they were wonderful to work with, is that their love and devotion to each other was so remarkably strong and endearing. They were so sweet together and the outpouring of emotions between them as well as from their family and guests was unbelievably touching! Thank you both so much for including us in your very special day!

KRISTY AND CARL WEDDING - PUERTO PENASCO (ROCKY POINT), MEXICO

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:39:47 +0000

Kristy and Carl were married September 26, 2009 in Puerto Penasco, otherwise know as Rocky Point, Mexico. The chose to have their ceremony and reception in Las Conchas at a beautiful beach front hacienda named Villa Del Ensueno. The hacienda perfectly highlights the colors and architecture of the local Mexican culture!

The entire event was held outdoors with the ceremony taking place on the beach and the reception set up on the spacious back patio complete with full bar. A Mariachi played as guests arrived for the ceremony and continued through the cocktail hour and sunset. Then the party began ... and it was a wild one, going well past midnight!!

This was a beautiful event with a beautiful couple and we felt privileged to be a part of it! The only down side was the rogue heat wave that hit the area that particular weekend. It was 105 degrees that day with 100 percent humidity and it was the first time that I have ever gotton a heat-related illness at a wedding. There was a short time where I thought I was going to pass out, but in the end, I pulled through and carried on with he show! Despite that, it was a truly wonderful wedding ... thank you both for having us!!

This is one of my favorite pics from the day ... this random dog came by and he was just sooo happy to be around us :-)!!

In memory of Kristy's late mother ...

Aren't the flowers spectacular??!!

Another favorite!

And this is one of my favorite first dance pics ever ... it just looks so magical!!

This guy could sing!!!!

The party gets a little wild from this point forward ...

LANDSCAPES AND FUN IN PUERTO PENASCO (ROCKY POINT), MEXICO

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:22:58 +0000

In late September we traveled to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, otherwise known as Rocky Point to photograph a wedding. Aside from the actual wedding day, we spent a couple of extra days in the area exploring and having a little fun! One of the highlights was renting ATVs and riding them around the nearby dunes. The only downside to this was the intense heat. From what I was told, September is a hot month in general, but they were having a freak heat wave that week which made the temperatures almost unbearable at about 105 degrees with 100 percent humidity. We still had a great time though!

Purple Bill & Greeny being tourists :-).

Our ATVs alone in the dunes.

Having fun ... and sweating profusely!

I know this seems sad, but it is for a personal project I have been working on for the past 13 years called "Casualties of War." It highlights the damage we humans, intentional or not, inflict upon nature, wildlife in paticular.

I love the following beach shots! They were taken at sunset and it was just spectacular!!