Vail Wedding Elopement - Haley and Reza

Haley and Reza planned their Vail wedding elopement for New Year's Eve, 2016.  What a perfect way to celebrate their new marriage, with the last sunset of the year falling behind the mountains as their backdrop.   

The ceremony took place at Antlers of Vail in Lionshead, on the balcony over the Gore Creek.  We were able to use the walkway that runs along the creek for photos following the ceremony and although it was covered in snow, Haley braved the elements in her ballet flats for a few quick pictures.

They also brought the coolest bottle of bubbly to celebrate.  If you've never seen them, XXIVKarat cuvee has gold flakes in the bottle and a flashing light beneath the bottle that lights up the whole bottle.  It's perfect for a wedding and at $32 a bottle, it would be great for a girls night or a birthday present.

We walked over to Vail Square to take the remainder of their photos and the kind staff at The Arrabelle were more than accommodating when we asked if we could use their private deck at the base of the mountain.  

Here are a few photos from their special day.  

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Vail Wedding Photographer - Connie and Stephen

 In a previous life, I used to organize weddings on Vail's stunning wedding deck. Our little team could hold up to 5 weddings a day on the deck, so we spent a lot of time running up down the aisle and shooing away overly-curious tourists!

Although I don't miss that chaos, it's always nice to be able to go back to my old stomping ground as a photographer. Connie and Stephen's recent wedding was no exception! It was a stunning day, with lots of laughs and a heartfelt ceremony. Here are a few of my faves from their big day.

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Vail Wedding Photographer - Brittany and Terrance

Brittany and Terrance's recent wedding at The Sebastian - Vail was such a pleasure to shoot! Their family and friends were so supportive and sweet and the location was just a few steps to Vail Village, making it easy to take advantage of some of Vail's finest landmarks for photos. We were able to grab a few photos on The International Bridge, Gore Creek drive with views of a snow capped Gore Range and The Covered Bridge before heading back to Leonora for the reception.  

Here are a few of my faves from their 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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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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Vail Engagement Photos - Ashley and Chad in Vail, Colorado

I feel like I've said this in a lot of posts lately, so surely winter must be nearly over, but you really can't tell from these photos just how cold it was while we were out taking Ashley and Chad's Engagement photos.

We decided to head out the Vail Golf Course to get some of the mountains and the Gore Range in the scenery.  With no cloud coverage, the lighting was a little tricky even though it was late afternoon sun.  We managed to get some fun shots though, by shooting into the sun (breaking the first rule of photography) and playing with the shadows.

Here are a few shots from our session.

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Engagement Photos in Beaver Creek with Annique and Wally. Through the Lens Series, Entry 14

There's nothing like a 5 week whirlwind hiatus to get you behind on your blogging, but that's where I'm at right now.  I flew back to New Zealand early April with Maxwell and we arrived back, with Russ in tow, late Wednesday night and we've hit the ground running as we always seem to in our household!

Annique and Wally were the lucky winners of my Valentine's Day Engagement Photo Shoot Giveaway in February.  We met up at Beaver Creek on Sunday afternoon and took advantage of the beautiful spring foliage and the interesting emptiness that takes over the Vail Valley during the off season.  The staff at the Golden Eagle Inn saw us doing the photo shoot and came outside with champagne for the bride and groom-to-be.  That's just a classic example of how everything changes around here during the warmer months and the locals get to relax a little bit more.  The weather and lighting were perfect and Annique and Wally were fabulous to work with.  Here are a few of the photos from our session.

I have a very special maternity shoot this afternoon, so hopefully I'll be back up to speed shortly.  It's also Maxwell's first birthday this week and we have some very special visitors coming from Georgia to help us celebrate.  In the mean time, we'll just focus on getting back to a normal sleep pattern!

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