Vail Engagement Photos - Betty Ford Gardens - Lauren and Keegan

For Lauren and Keegan's engagement photos, we had decided to shoot in East Vail along the Gore Creek.  This is one of my favorite locations to shoot, however as I was driving there, the clouds over the Gore Range were growing blacker and rain drops started hitting my windshield.  What is one to do when the weather is about to ruin your shoot?  Go to Plan B and drive half a mile up the road to the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens!  Luckily Lauren and Keegan were on board to try the new location, even though they had never seen it.

Lauren had been hoping to have a rustic feel to her photos and the old wood and architecture of the gardens fit the look perfectly.  Thank goodness they were both stoked with the Betty Ford Gardens (and how could you not be!)  If you've never been to the Gardens, it's basically one picturesque spot followed by another and it backs up to the Gerald Ford Amphitheater.  It sits at the base of Golden Peak and we were lucky enough to catch the last of the leaves that it takes its name from.  

Here are a few of my favorites from their session.  

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Cordillera Wedding Photographer - Kristi and Brad

Kristi and Brad's wedding took place at the very top of Cordillera and we were literally on top of the world!  The house had a spectacular patio where the ceremony took place, with views all the way to the Gore Range.

The girls chose to get ready on the top floor while the boys were getting ready on the floor below.  Because the house was so large, it meant that I was able to run upstairs and take some shots from one of the balconies looking down over the ceremony, which gives some perspective to the stunning views.  

Many joyful tears were shed during the ceremony and they were quickly followed by smiles and laughter as everyone enjoyed dancing and dinner - catered by Moe's BBQ!

Congrats to Kristi and Brad and thank you for letting me part of your special day!

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Vail Village Wedding - Alana and Keith

Every year when the leaves start to change, there's a whole lot of happy chaos in my work load as we all try to make the most of the beautiful colors and the last of the warm weather.  Alana and Keith had booked me as their wedding photographer several months ago and I was fortunate enough to shoot Keith's parents 60th wedding anniversary during the summer.  It was so great to be able to meet all of the family and then to see them all again at the wedding.

If you're a Vail local, chances are that you might not even know about Roger Staub Park.  I've walked past it several times, but I've always been hurrying to the amphitheater or Golden Peak and I've never really had a chance to hang out there.  It really is such a gem and I'll definitely be using it for more shoots in the future.  A gorgeous park in the middle of Vail Village, right on the Gore Creek -  who knew?! 

The weather was spectacular and the ceremony couldn't have been more perfect.  You'd never guess from the photos that Oktoberfest was taking place, just one block over.  If you've ever been to Oktoberfest in Vail Village, you'll know how crazy the crowds are.  On that note, pay particular attention to the photos on the Covered Bridge.  The gorgeous bridesmaids held the (slightly inebriated, yet happy to oblige) crowds back just so that we could get a few quick pics with an empty bridge.  They did a great job!  

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Cordillera Family Photos - Sharp Family

One of the things I've enjoyed most about this summer is seeing so many of my past clients as they've come back for their annual family vacations.  It's fun to see how much the kids have grown from last year and to catch up with everyone again.  This recent shoot with the Sharp Family was exactly one of those. 

We shot up in Cordillera and of course the scenery was gorgeous, but the light was a little harsh at the first location we tried. Because of the conditions, we decided to head to a second location that had a little more coverage from the harsh sunlight.  This location proved to be much better.  Not only was there great lighting,  there was also plenty to keep the children entertained.  We were in a giant aspen grove, so of course there was dirt, sticks and wildflowers!  What's not to love.  Here's the highlight reel from our session.

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Vail Wedding Photographer - Anna and Jeremy

Vail put on some spectacular scenery for Anna and Jeremy's big day a couple of weeks ago.  Originally everything was supposed to take place at Little Beach Park in Minturn, but there was a slight snafu and the bride and groom were left to find another spot at the last minute!  Thankfully Anna's brother is a local here in the valley and he knew just the spot.  We ended up in a beautiful field in East Vail with the wildflowers out in full force, a gorgeous sunset, an amazing waterfall and a mountain backdrop.  It couldn't have worked out any better!  Now I have another secret location up my sleeve for future shoots.  Hooray!

 

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Beaver Creek Wedding - Jessica and Isaac

It's been a while since my last post, so I have a lot to catch up on!  My last post was from a snow covered mountain and clearly a lot has changed around here.  

Recently I shot a beautiful wedding up at The Park Hyatt at Beaver Creek.  I've shot weddings there before, but they've always been in the winter, so it was a great opportunity to see it from a different perspective.  

Even though we had some problems with the air conditioning, you'd never know from the photos that it was around 104 degrees in Jessica's room while she was getting ready!  She kept her cool and was flanked by a gorgeous wedding party.  I had a lot of fun capturing all of them along with Jessica's mom and aunts, doting on her and having a great time.

This was such a fun wedding to capture and now it's official - wedding season has begun!!

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