Category archives: weddings

My best 12 images of 2016!

Colorado Springs wedding photography

I shot my first wedding of 2016 on January 1st, and my last one is this afternoon, December 31st. It’s been an amazing year! I also did tons of portraits: newborn babies, families big and small, couples, high school seniors, and even a dog or two! Here are my best images of the year, month by month. If you’re one of my lovely clients and you don’t see your picture here, don’t feel bad. I chose my best images of the year for this list, not my best clients! (You’re ALL the best!) Not counting yesterday’s wedding and the one I’m doing later today, I delivered 6,840 wedding images and 1,181 portraits in 2016, not to mention all other jobs I did, like head shots, commercial work and fashion stuff! Needless to say, it was tough narrowing all of that down to just 12 images! Enjoy!

January: Gundega and Rolly’s wedding at the Pinery.

senior pictures Colorado Springs

February: my good friend Janet’s daughter, San Clemente, CA.

Edgewood Inn wedding Woodland Park

March: a woodland-themed styled shoot done in conjunction with Rhonda Nichols Floral Design and Bridal Elegance, at the Edgewood Inn.

Colorado Springs family photographers

April: Stephen with his newborn daughter Bricole, only a few days old.

Colorado Springs engagement portraits

May: couples portraits in downtown Colorado Springs with Susan and Casey.

gay friendly wedding photographers Colorado

June: Jennica and Mackenzie’s happy, happy, happy wedding at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. (And “happy” is an understatment!)

Garden of the Gods Club wedding

July: Shelby and Christian’s crazy bash at the Garden of the Gods Club and the Briarhurst Manor.

Hillside Gardens wedding

August: a sweet moment between Kelly and her new mother in law, at Hillside Gardens.

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

September: a very excited Valerie gets ready to walk down the aisle at a private residence in Monument.

October: Tanya and her sweet pup, Lola.

family photographers in Colorado Springs

November: the Emery family!

Cliff House wedding Colorado

December: an image I took less than 24 hours ago! Here’s Maura and Wes having a romantic little moment before their wedding ceremony at the Cliff House yesterday afternoon.

I have the nicest friends.

I know this has nothing to do with portraits or wedding photography, but I wanted to share this picture and tell you exactly how wonderful my friends are. I had an “ugly sweater” party a few days before Christmas and I asked all the invitees to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Care and Share, which is one of my favorite local charities. As you can see (please ignore my dirty car!), my lovely, kind friends really delivered! I was overwhelmed by their generous hearts and their truly, truly ugly sweaters. ;^) We had a really fun time — there was even a fashion show — and in the end, we all got that warm, fuzzy feeling of helping others and that hot, itchy feeling of wearing polyester next to our skin. Thank you, my wonderful friends! I love you!

Here’s a silly picture of Pat and me at the party, wearing our ugly sweaters. Soon it will be 2017. May it be a learning, giving year for all of us!

Rustic horse ranch wedding :: Brianna + Chris

barn wedding on a horse ranch

Chris and Brianna’s barn wedding at her parents’ horse ranch in Elbert was a first for me in many ways. I’ve never before had a bride in a camo wedding gown. Brianna’s mom Diane made it, and I was awed by the amount of skill, craftsmanship, hours, and love that went into its creation… truly a custom couture piece. Brianna is a country girl with country girl style, and she stayed true to herself from head to toe, down to the Browning logo jewelry and safety orange accents! More firsts for me: I’ve never worn boots to shoot a wedding before. I’ve never gotten manure on my camera bag before, either (or for that matter, never seen equine wedding guests — the ceremony was in the barn as the family’s horses looked on from their stalls). And finally, I’ve never had a bride that made her own wedding cake. It turns out Brianna’s got mad pastry chef level skills!

All of those firsts aside, there were plenty of familiar things at this sweet event, most importantly the sight of two people crazy in love and making a lifetime commitment. Getting to document that never gets old! Brianna and Chris, wishing the two of you much happiness!

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

barn wedding on a horse ranch

Backyard wedding :: Valerie + LaRell

Valerie and LaRell were married on a beautiful, golden, gusty afternoon at her uncle’s home. These two lovebirds met online in a Facebook group, believe it or not. And they fell in love over the phone, since it would be months before they would meet in person — LaRell lived in Oregon! This was an incredibly sweet wedding. You can see how in love they are, just by the way they look at each other. So adorable! Happy honeymoon, Valerie and LaRell!

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

Briarhurst Manor wedding :: Kim + Roy

Briarhurst Manor wedding

Kim and Roy’s Briarhurst Manor wedding over Labor Day weekend was so sweet! Only about forty of their closest friends and family were present. Roy and Kim each brought two children into this new union, so now they make a family of six! I love doing weddings at the Briarhurst in September. It’s the most gorgeous time of year, and Mother Nature did not disappoint, bathing everything in a warm, golden late afternoon glow. So beautiful! Congratulations Kim and Roy, it was a wonderful day!

Briarhurst Manor wedding

wedding photographers Colorado Springs

Briarhurst Manor

Briarhurst Manor wedding

Briarhurst Manor wedding

Briarhurst Manor wedding

Briarhurst Manor wedding

Briarhurst Manor wedding

Briarhurst Manor wedding

Briarhurst Manor wedding

Briarhurst Manor wedding

Briarhurst Manor wedding