Photo Blog

Erin + Dallas | St. Louis Hyatt Regency Wedding

It’s funny how I always seem to break into a new post by talking about the weather! ha! It just so happens to be a really pertinent detail of this day-slash-entire-weekend! Hurricane Isaac had made its way to the Midwest and we were expected to have high winds and lots of rain. Luckily for us and this sweet couple, we got a little bit of everything. However, despite its gusty winds we were able to get fantastic photos! And that makes this photographer really happy.

Meet Erin + Dallas! I was so impressed with the look & feel of this wedding that I had to feature it on my blog. With a planning background, Erin was able to team up with Sabrina Torti from Proposing Dreams to create this fabulously sparkly + romantic event. Before all the crazy planning (am I right girls?) can take place, a proposal had to happen. Sweet Dallas wrote her a song.While singing it.Playing his guitar. (ahem – love!) The last few lyrics ended with a proposal. She said yes, and the rest is history! I loved how the hotel venue had circle patterns throughout and even in the curtains…which they carried into the invitation suite, those gold sequin discs and theme! I’m sure that was planned! And I love that.

We started our day at the hotel with some getting ready images and then had the first look on the rooftop. It really was special. Most of my couples like something a little private and intimate, but standing just a few feet away inside stood their closest family + friends watching every moment. Ryan caught the cool reflection shot. Heart! We headed down to the Arch (the perfect silver metallic to pair with the golds) for portraits and then back to the Hyatt for the ceremony and reception. What a really cool day. I think I’m going to be using some of the ideas for my own parties. Look out – my next party is SO having donut skewers.

Congratulations Erin + Dallas!

xox

HSR

P.S. We worked with a really fun videography crew – Lovebirdstudios. I’m always getting asked for referrals, so here is one for you … so keep them in mind and check out their video from Erin + Dallas’s BIG day!

Vendors:

Venue – Hyatt Regency St. Louis At The Arch

Planner – Proposing Dreams Sabrina Torti

Dress – Brides By Demetrios

Florist – The Special Event Florist Tina Barrera

Decor – Parties & Props

Ceremony Musicians – Gateway Guitar

Stationary – Unique Moments By Midwest Marketing

DJ – Millennium Productions

Videographer – LoveBirdStudios

Melanie and Todd | Forest Park Engagement

Happy Autumn!

The leaves are changing and that also means the color in my images will too. 🙂 Thought I’d share a fun engagement session at the Boat House in Forest Park. I always like to ask a couple where they would like to meet for their engagement session … and sometimes I try to sway them into doing something out of the ordinary. But Melanie and Todd had their heart set on Forest Park since that just happens to be the place where Todd popped the BIG question. I *might* have had to twist Todd’s arm to get them in a boat, but at least I had Melanie all for it! He just couldn’t say no. 😉 Wine in hand, they both took a little romantic ride. I was actually giddy for them, and kind of wished I would have hopped on so I could sip on some wine too! 🙂

The sweet love birds are planning their May wedding at the St. Louis zoo. The date happens to be my birthday, so I hope someone is going to save me some cake!

Enjoy the photos!

xox

HSR

Annie + Nathan Wedding Day | Blanchette Park, St. Charles

I couldn’t believe I was going to start my Fall wedding season with an 80% chance of rain – with an outdoor ceremony! Sadly, this is what makes couples so nervous to plan an outdoor wedding in St. Louis. Bah! Although Annie + Nathan didn’t get the outdoor garden wedding they had planned, it was still wonderful! The day was a little bit of everything – overcast skies, spotty rain and then towards the end of the day, the sun popped out. You might want to set your music to “Mushaboom” by Feist while you are going through these favorites. I love that song, and it is forever going to remind me of this sweet couple. 🙂 It was performed by a band (their friends!) during a tree planting ceremony, a wonderful part of the broader ceremony which was moved inside Memorial Hall in Blanchette Park in St. Charles. I love it when couples don’t always play the typical wedding songs. They made their grand exit to “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys. 🙂

Annie + Nathan have been together for quite some time – 9 years! You see, Nathan is in a band (hence the band performance during the ceremony + his killer dance moves). 😉 Annie actually went to see the band play with a friend who was interested in Nathan. Funny how things work out. On their Oregon/Cali camping vacation, Nathan proposed with his grandmother’s ring (awwww, heart thump!) and a really amazing view! Annie enjoys gardening and flowers, so each guest walked away with a mini succulent to plant in their own garden.

These two are loved. Several of their friends gave toasts sharing very special and funny things about each of them. I gotta say, these two are met for one another… and we were really lucky to be a part of it all. Thank you Annie + Nathan! May your days be filled with love and sweet, sweet music.

Enjoy some of my favorites!

xox

HSR

Venue: Blanchette Park, St. Charles, Missouri

Gown: David’s Bridal

Suit: Macy’s

Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Asos

Hair: Jen Glasgow, J Scott Hair Design

Flowers: Parkview Gardens, St. Charles

Cake: J Noto Bakery, St. Charles

Harpist: Eva Murphy

Tressamé + Jonathan Wedding Day | Eureka Springs, Arkansas

If you follow all my silly updates on Facebook (I’m not a tweeter…yet), you might have read one of my updates saying that I was going to be staying at one of America’s MOST haunted hotels for a wedding I was shooting! Nestled smack dab in the middle of an artsy and hilly/”healing water” town of Eureka Springs, AR, stands The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa. Go ahead, google, it! Ghost stories galore will pop up! Of course, my friend, Tressamé, would choose a place like this to have her wedding. 😉 In college we would make frequent visits here to be silly and take photos on the staircase hoping to see a ghost and hang out on the rooftop to have a beer and take in the Ozark mountain view. It’s actually quite charming, keeping a lot of the original character. It even has all the same furniture and wallpaper, with updated baths (thank goodness!).

To give you a little bit of history of this hotel – it was originally the Crescent College & Conservatory for Young Women. Due to the Great Depression, the college closed and it was converted into Baker’s Cancer Curing Hospital. However, Mr. Baker wasn’t really a doctor, and many people died and story has it, still roam the halls. Supposedly, there is a ton of paranormal activity going on! They were even doing nightly tours just outside our room (#3500, a.k.a. Pain Asylum / bridal suite) where I slept with one eye open the entire time, scared out of my wits. The next night I had to ask a bridesmaid if she was willing to share a room, because I couldn’t sleep alone! ha! (Thanks, Kelli!)

But all the silly ghost stories didn’t change the minds of Tressamé & Jonathan, where they celebrated their intimate wedding ceremony on the East Lawn with their most cherished family members, no ghosts allowed. 😉 Afterwards, we got to walk around the property to take some fun photos. 😉 One person drove past us yelling Look! It’s a ghost!, but no, it was just Tressamé climbing an ivy wall – dress + veil blowing in the wind! Dinner + dancing followed, where I’m not gonna lie, my seat was pushed in towards the table. Thinking I was in the way, I turned around to apologize, but NO ONE was there! When I returned home, I told Ryan all about the trip. His words exactly: “Come, on!” I don’t think he believed that I encountered a ghost!

Tressamé + Jonathan: Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your BIG day. I can’t believe that with all the photos I took throughout college of you, that one day I would be photographing your most special day. Congrats!

If you missed their engagement session visit here.

xox

HSR