Angela Marie Photography

Did you know????

2011-03-18T18:22:00.001-06:00

Hey for those of you who still have this blog bookmarked (I know some of you still do!), did you know that you can update this link to my new one? Even though my new blog is a domain off of my website, it still works in the blogspot link list!!!! I was surprised and happy to find this out myself! So yes . . . for those of you who haven’t updated my blog (which it’s been the new one for 4 long months with lots of fun posts!). Just thought I’d let you know that you CAN update a domain name in the supposed “blogspot” place. Go try it out!

Remember the new blog is:

http://angelamariephoto.com/blog

I know you want to see more of this cutie on my other blog . . .

Thank you to all of my awesome followers! You all are the best and I hope you are having a wonderful 2011!

NEW BLOG!!!

2010-11-02T17:23:00.001-06:00

That’s right everyone . . . you heard me right! I have a NEW BLOG! This blog will continue to remain online, but I no longer will be posting here.

So right now change your bookmark to http://angelamariephoto.com/blog/

That’s right.

If you haven’t changed your bookmark yet, go do it now to save you time in the future.

Thank you to all of my faithful readers of this blog. It seriously has been SO much fun! Hopefully you all love the new blog just as much or more than this one (Ok I secretly hope you love the new one WAY better!).

I have lots of beautiful sessions that I’m still getting caught up on from the summer, so this new blog is a perfect place to put them all! Go check out a beautiful bridal session with Mercedes and TJ! And leave some comment love to let me know how you like the blog :)

Click on this image or again go to THIS LINK to check out the NEW BLOG! Thanks again everyone for being so awesome and supporting me in this extremely awesome dream come true for me over the past 3 years. Can’t wait for the ride ahead!

Happy Tuesday!

Brian and Beth’s Wedding

2010-10-19T00:50:00.001-06:00

It was a perfectly beautiful day in August. Partly cloudy and warm weather are exactly what I call a beautiful wedding day. But not only was the weather and light incredible, even more spectacular was the love and excitement shared by Beth and Brian with their family and friends as a celebration for such a perfect day and union. I was completely honored and thrilled to capture their lovely day.

These flower girls were just too cute for words. They couldn’t get enough of helping Beth with her gorgeous princess train.

Yet somebody else was a little too zonked to join in the fun :)

You rock it Beth! Serious beautiful twirl!

These next two shots are only really possible with a train as long as Beth’s. And yes her train just so happened to be one of my favorite details. And the light here was just stunning. Can’t decide which of the next two are my favorites:

Next it was time to literally run off to the dinner reception! We took full opportunity of using some of the beautiful spots at the Provo Library just before the dinner started. By this point, these two are definitely total pro models in front of my camera. I couldn’t ask for more willing and fun couple!

I couldn’t have loved their dinner reception more. It was so relaxing for everyone. No line. Just good food, entertainment, and lots of dancing! Really the ideal way for the bride, groom, and everyone involved to celebrate and end a perfect day!

These little girls wrote up a fairy tale of “Princess Beth” and “Prince Brian’s” story. Too adorable.

Ok I personally thought this next act was the best ever! I was literally laughing my head off while taking pictures of these hilarious numbers! These are Beth’s older sisters impersonating Brian and Beth. They took three Broadway songs (I can’t remember the 2nd song, but the first was “Me,” from Beauty and the Beast sung by the character Gaston) and adapted it to fit Brian and Beth, and it was simply hilarious! Not only did both of these sisters have incredible voices, they were serious performers. Completely entertaining! The pictures definitely prove the later part, you’ll just have to trust me about their singing voices ;) Enjoy some of my favorite outtakes!

The first two songs were meant to be funny and entertaining, the last song was such a intro for Beth and Brian and their new life together, as they sang the song, “For Good.”

Now onto the party!

This sweet grandpa had lots of fun with the rest of everyone doing the “Hokey Pokey!”

Then just a bunch of fun and craziness!

Beth and Brian – THANK YOU for an incredibly fun day and evening! I loved everything about your day, as well as the two of you and how you made me feel so much a part of your family and friends. It was a blast being a part of it all and being able to document all of the fun moments! Thanks also for your patience for this post! You both have been far more patient for this post than I could have ever asked for! Thank you! It means the world to me!

Thanks everyone else for stopping by and letting me share with you TONS of my favorite images from this wedding day! Feel welcome to leave this couple some comment love and congratulations :)

And as always, more posts coming soon :)

SLC Temple in Spring Gallery Wrap For Sale

2010-10-09T20:03:00.000-06:00

Last spring I was lucky enough to take this picture of the beautiful Salt Lake City LDS Temple during the prime time in spring. I just loved this picture so much that I thought I’d print it up big in canvas. I unfortunately don’t have a lot of room for it in my condo right now though. One day this piece of art will grace the walls of my home, but for now I thought I’d put it up for sale and give it a good home hanging large and big in someone else’s house. This would also make a fantastic Christmas gift to a loved one!

So here we go:

$175 (still available)

*20x30 Canvas Gallery Wrap (This is huge. Just measure it. 20 inches by 30 inches. Yep it will definitely draw attention in your home)

*Ready to hang on the wall

*Already printed and ready to pick up or ship to your home.

*Obviously the “Please do not copy” is only for web-use, but my name in the corner is as shown and is visible on the front side, while more of the picture (which is not shown online here) is wrapped around the corners for a complete gallery wrap feel and look.

*Option to pick this up at my home in the Utah County area, or I can have it shipped to wherever you are. Shipping a huge piece like this safely starts around $25 for ground standard shipping.

*Payment taken through Paypal account.

*Contact me at: angelaliddle (at) gmail (dot) com, if you have any questions or would love to purchase this beautiful gallery wrap.

Feel welcome to email family members or friends if you think someone might be interested in this piece of art. It’s always a nice feeling having spring permanently in your home all year round! :)

Mercedes and Trefton’s SLC Temple Wedding

2010-10-08T11:48:00.001-06:00

Remember this couple? They were married on a beautiful warm day at the end of July, radiating and smiling from ear to ear, they each glowed with such happiness that it made me so incredibly happy to photograph them on this most important day in their lives.

This next one: John and my two different angles of TJ and his friends jumping. I think both angles are cool:

Got to love brothers :)

I soooo wish I would have had someone take a picture of me taking this next picture. I swear my cheek was touching the hot cobbled ground. And I was definitely pregnant by then (without the belly, but still cramped inside) so to contort my body to get this shot was for me an accomplishment. I love this shot so much that it was worth it.

These two are my definition of classy. They are eye candy together and have such poise and elegance while I photographed them.

This next one was literally one of the last shots at the temple as they raced away to get to the luncheon. I like to only half joke that my couples literally have to run away from me in order for me to stop taking pictures of them. I wish I could say that didn’t have truth behind it, but all of my wonderful couples will have to smile and nod in agreement that I really could just keep going on and on with pictures once I get going :)

But we’ll end with another shot that I adore:

Mercedes and TJ --I can’t thank you enough from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be a part of this road to documenting your fantastically beautiful wedding. Your wedding was definitely one of my top weddings of this year, and I’m so glad you somehow found me even though you are from Idaho. Thanks for making the trip down here more than once. It has been so much fun getting to know you both and becoming new friends. I wish you all the happiness in your new marriage and life together.

Their bridal session was one of those sessions that I WILL blog because it was fantastic and can’t be forgotten, but I knew how anxious Mercedes was to see these wedding shots that I wanted to blog this wedding first. Thanks for stopping by everyone! Please leave some comment love for Mercedes and TJ.

Romance in the Newsroom :) Brian and Beth

2010-10-08T10:50:00.001-06:00

Love seems to find us in the most unique places in our lives. That’s just to be expected with how unpredictable our lives can be sometimes. But when Beth became a news anchor, she never knew love would find her there. She wasn’t even looking for a new relationship at the time, but that didn’t stop Brian, who just so happened to work under her. He was determined to find a way to win over his boss and convince her to give him a chance. However, Beth found his advances slightly on the creepy/annoying side, and wasn’t willing to look past that yet to see how truly sincere Brian was about being interested in her.

By some fortunate luck on Brian’s part, he discovered her love for citrus fruits, and with a very purposeful determination, he presented his gift of bribery to Beth in the form of an orange. And as random of an action as presenting an orange to her at work, Beth surprisingly awakened to the fact that Brian just might be worth the chance. And through months of dating, very soon realized that they were perfect for each other. From that unique story, they developed their relationship’s motto: Love is an Orange. Fearing that their two strong personalities would clash, they both actually realized that they complimented one another in a way that helped them to be better people and are able to accomplish much more together than apart.

I had met Beth quite a while before, and she had informed me that when she got married, she wanted to use me as her photographer. After I read their story on her own blog, ideas for their engagements started popping up. Not knowing if it were too cheesy or way too over the top, I suggested the idea any ways: a session actually in the newsroom where they first met. And trusting me that it would work out, they amazingly followed my lead and made the arrangements to work out a session in the newsroom!

Am I happy with the results? ooooohhh yes! Was it something completely and utterly different for me. . . yes again. Nothing makes me more happy than trying something new and stretching myself as well as making completely unique pictures for my couple that aren’t like everyone else, and that adequately help them remember their courtship. Thanks Beth and Brian for trusting me and for being so much fun for this session!

This couple is now happily married, but I just couldn’t pass up sharing their awesomely unique engagement pictures!

As part of their proposal story, Brian had this ring hidden in a chocolate orange box for Beth to open up and discover. I loved how Brian incorporated their courtship as part of the way he proposed. Very romantic and cute for them :)

Another new thing for me was doing a night-shoot. It was way trickier than I thought it’d be, but was lots of fun to use my light as well as discover natural light around the city at night. Just gotta say I love my Canon 5D Mark ii. It is incredible in low light!

Thanks SOOO much Beth and Brian for being adventurous, for all the fun laughs that night, for sharing your story with me, for letting me document it in a way that’s completely yours, and for letting me capture a small piece of your love for one another for you to remember for years to come!

I still have much more of this couple coming up (bridals and wedding). Thanks for stopping by today! Let me know what you think!

Enjoy the Stages in Your Life . . .

2010-10-04T18:43:00.001-06:00

Beginning the new stage in your life with the one you love the most can be one fun and exciting journey. Fairy-tale’s and Happily Ever After’s actually don’t END, they START with “I Do” and a strong commitment of love for one another.

This next picture represents a moment in my own life which I am striving to enjoy amidst the anxious arrival of an addition to the family. It was such a blast to capture this beautiful stage in one of my dear friend’s life. I can’t wait to photograph her little girl come December.

That newborn stage in your baby’s life lasts but a short small moment. They grow way too fast. They’re only this little once. Meet these two little sweethearts who came to visit me:

Soon your rest-less nights turn into busy days chasing toddlers or running children off to school and many other activities. Even though your life is fast-paced and busy today, take time to enjoy the toys all over your house which are a part of your child’s imaginary world of play, the snuggles you get right before bedtime as you read their favorite story, your child idolizing you and wanting to be with you at all moments, and even the moments where you may get more attitude from them than you want – even those moments will soon be gone when your child moves away to college only to call you on weekends or during their busy school and work schedules. I promise you’ll miss them just being under your roof to treasure the happy moments and long conversations before they “grew up.” As I’ve heard it said before, “The days seem long, but the years fly by.” Don’t take it for granted, just enjoy life in all its stages :)

Capturing the love you have with your spouse really can be done at any stage in your life. Now is always the perfect time. Whether you were just married or have been married for 14 years.

Thank you to all of my wonderful clients who have impacted my life and let me capture the beautiful stages in their life.

Thanks for letting me show you all some of my most recent projects and sessions that I’ve been a part of and am still working on. Have a wonderful week!

Erik & Melissa’s California Wedding

2010-09-28T14:58:00.001-06:00

It was a beautiful bright sunny day in July, as she got ready for a very important day of her life. At the beautiful home of her childhood in Atascadero, California. The place where she had grown up dreaming about this day: the day where she would marry him, and become the bride of his dreams. Except not quite knowing who he was yet!

On May 16 of last year, while attending a barbecue with a friend, she didn’t realize that’s where she’d find him. Or I should say where Erik initially found Melissa, since that was the moment she caught his eye from everyone else and he fell for her. Even though Melissa had a put a temporary ban on boys after recently getting out of relationship, Erik’s persistence and good nature convinced her that he was different from the other guys that she had met. So she decided to give him a chance. A chance in which he succeeded in convincing her that she couldn’t live without him and vice versa. That’s why months later, on a beautiful mountain top, when Erik asked her to be his for the rest of their lives, she was able to answer yes with her whole heart that she wanted to be his. Only his.

And that is why their friends and family gathered on this day. To witness the union of two hearts becoming one in purpose and love. At the home where Melissa had always dreamed of this day in her life, where she could give her heart fully to that man of her dreams: To Erik.

In preparation of the ceremony: My very favorite moment from the ceremony: Melissa with the two special men in her life.

After the ceremony, checking out the new rings on their fingers:

Later on that afternoon, Melissa and Erik took me to some beautiful spots that they discovered for the pictures of the two of them. Since I had never been to this area of California, I was excited to shoot in new spots that captured their style. The first location was in Santa Margarita by the cutest little shops.

This next location was actually on the same hill and property of Erik’s dad’s beautiful home overlooking San Luis Obispo! It was completely stunning, but having Erik and Melissa there made it even more breathtaking and spectacular. Yeah I actually really love this old decrepit truck – I wish I could have taken it back to Utah! :) Doesn’t Melissa and Erik make it look wonderful?

Once we got back home, I begged Melissa and Erik to let me model them in front of the Oleander bushes in her yard right before the dinner. Seriously I could shoot in front of this bush ALL of the time and probably never get sick of it! They are that beautiful, don’t you think?

L.O.V.E. these two pictures of Melissa

I seriously think Melissa’s dad is the coolest! And he gave the sweetest/funniest toast.

I don’t think first dances will ever get old for me. I just love the emotion and moments that happen with those we love the most.

THANK YOU so much Erik and Melissa for having me come all the way out there to fun California to document your wonderful day! I was so happy to get to meet Melissa, (who is just as sweet and as nice as she looks!), and who married my handsome cousin, Erik! These two are absolutely perfect for one another, and it was great to witness that in person.

Thanks for stopping by everyone and letting me share this beautiful California wedding! Have a fabulous day!

Missing in Action

2010-09-22T19:07:00.001-06:00

Did you wonder why I haven’t been gracing this blog very much this entire summer? Ok besides the fact that I actually have been SUPER busy shooting weddings, portraits, and more weddings!?

Well there has been a good reason all along. And I’m excited to finally share it more publically:

Yes don’t be fooled by the size, because there IS something growing in there. Believe me, I am one cramped woman with a 20 week old baby growing in there!

This summer I’ve been as busy as ever, but had to be sick at the same time :( boo. Yep this baby’s pregnancy has been ten times harder for me than with my first little guy. I saved all of my extra energy for all of those wonderful weddings, but editing and blogging slacked dearly as all I wanted to do when I was home was sleep or watch movies to pass the awful nausea hitting me constantly. But it’s really all been worth it. We’ve waited and prayed hard for this little bean to join our family, and so it makes it all worth it :)

Thank heavens for self timers and tripods, or else I wouldn’t have been able to get these shots today. Caleb really is thrilled, he was just entranced by the red blinking light.

THANK YOU to all of my wonderful clients this summer and fall who have been more than patient waiting for their pictures which have taken way longer than expected due to this pregnancy whose timing was obviously unpredictable as well as how I’d take it this time around. You all have been so wonderful and I couldn’t thank you more from the bottom of my heart! I’m still editing like crazy and as fast as I can with this sore back and rear end, just know I haven’t forgotten you and I hope that now that things are finally slowing down (yes I was booked way out and finally have started to be able to control what is coming in), I am hoping to blog lots more to share with you all the amazing clients I’ve had the pleasure of working with this year! THANK YOU AGAIN!!!

We really couldn’t be more thrilled that we are welcoming another beautiful SON the beginning of next year. Go to this post to find out how I told daddy. Yay for wonderful little boys! Seriously we can’t wait to meet him!

Thanks for letting us share the news!

Reigan 2011 Senior

2010-09-21T12:20:00.001-06:00

Check out this awesome 2011 Senior!!! I was totally excited and thrilled to work with Reigan when her family and her came down in town for the wedding of her cousin (this great couple), and I had the pleasure to photograph her senior pictures! Like her cousin, she has fabulous style, and nothing makes me more happy than a subject who knows how to rock it out!

Enjoy some of my favorite pictures we got:

LOVE the bold color here!

Seriously, Reigan has the most contagious smile and laugh! And talk about beautiful!

One of my favs:

Thanks so much Reigan for the fun evening of lots of laughs and picture awesomeness! Good luck this coming year, and have a total blast!

Published Engagement Session!

2010-08-18T18:03:00.001-06:00

A couple months ago (I know I’m behind on everything lately), I was published on the Utah Bride Blog!!! I was incredibly thrilled when they loved the school bus portion of the engagement session I did for Mercedes and TJ. I seriously love the Utah Bride Blog and highly recommend any bride or vendor to check out their blog because it is full of hot new trends, tons of ideas, vendors, styles, etc. They publish a wide variety of types of weddings which are usually the very best and more unique ideas out there for Utah weddings. I love checking out their site and know you will too!

Here’s the direct link to the post of mine that they published.

Here’s a direct link to their blog so you can check out everything else and get lots of ideas.

Sarah and Adam’s Wedding!

2010-08-18T17:43:00.001-06:00

To describe this wedding day as wonderful would be an understatement. I could not have asked for a more perfect wedding day for my dear friend Sarah and her new husband, Adam! It’s about time I got this amazing May wedding up on this blog!!! I seriously fell in love with these images the very day I took them, but due to way too much going on this summer, I was forced to neglect this blog post until now. Sarah and Adam are seriously rock stars with their patience for this post! Hope you all love these images!

An old roommate thing. With a fun little twist with most of their new roommates :)

These next two images were taken at their special spot where Adam originally asked Sarah to be his . . . forever.

Beautiful beautiful Sarah!

I sort of really like this next one :) and yes they are purposely out of focus (in case you were wondering)

Now for their reception, let me just say this . . .I have NEVER seen a line so long as well as as many friends and family there to support these two in their new life together. The line was wrapped around the entire room (and probably into the hallway) for pretty much the entire evening. It was hard to even take a break for dancing and cake cutting (of course we managed eventually). Let’s just say that Adam and Sarah are two very popular individuals, but I was never surprised by that. . . if you know them, you’d know that they are two of the most kind loving people ever and would want to show up at their reception too if they’d invited you :)

Soooo . . .what did I do to kill some time (after all the other shots)? I found the cute little tikes whom were in the line, and surprisingly they found me too without me saying a word. I guess I have a friendly face that they want to smile at . . . well most of the time ;)

We’ll end with a few more favorite shots I have at the end. Sarah being her wonderful funny self before cake cutting :) You two are seriously so wonderful! I’m so happy for you and your new marriage! Thanks for letting me capture your perfectly wonderful day :)

And thanks to my blog readers who have stuck around after so long. I am determined to no longer neglect this blog as much because there are way too many beautiful couples and people whom I need to share their pictures with you. Thanks for being awesome everyone!

Some Recent Projects . . . :)

2010-07-15T00:34:00.001-06:00

Wow has it been one CR-A-ZY month! But absolutely wonderful thanks to all of these incredibly fun, creative, and awesome people! Before and after my fun excursion to photograph a wedding in California, I’ve been taking these pictures. I know I owe this blog another long post, but teasers will have to suffice for tonight. . . But June and July have been fun adventures and I can’t wait to share all of them with you! Enjoy some of my favorites from my most recent sessions:

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Ryan and Rachel’s Salt Lake City Temple Wedding

2010-06-15T22:06:00.001-06:00

At the very end of April, it was my extreme pleasure to photograph Ryan and Rachel’s wedding. Ryan was my friend from back in the good ol’ EFY days of my life, and I was more than thrilled when he told me he was engaged! And especially to awesome Rachel whom I was so very excited to meet! The wedding day was so beautiful, yet very simple and focused on the two of them and their love for one another. It was very tender and sweet. I was very grateful to photograph these two lovebirds. I’ll let the photographs speak for themselves now :)

Different life experiences tend to lead us to people we never expected to meet. This is what happened for Rachel and Ryan. They were each going to school and earning some extra money working custodial on campus. That’s where they later realized it would change their lives.

Rachel said, “I remember the first I saw him when he walked through the door in our little meeting room - I immediately felt a warm, comforting feeling by his presence as he sat next to me on the couch. When I first started working with him, I fell in love with his kindness, his interest in getting to know who I was, and the way I felt so comfortable with him, just being with him and talking to him was so natural and relaxing. I came to love everything about him as we developed, I'd notice little things that would make me fall in love with him even more every day, like when he wore his glasses (they made him look very distinguished), the color of his hair and eyes, his smile that would melt my heart, his goofiness and sense of humor - everything about him was so attractive in every way.”Ryan said about those first few weeks, “Yes, you could say there was a lot of chemistry going on the first few weeks on the job. I would do whatever possible to get placed on joint assignments with Rachel. I even mentioned to our supervisor that we particularly liked being paired up.”

What was the first thing that caught your eye about each other in those first few weeks of dating?

Ryan Said: “Rachel first caught my eye with her ability to be graceful and beautiful in any situation. Yes - she even looks like a cherub when taking out the trash, and she makes mopping floors look like a work of art.”

Rachel said, “The more I got to know him, the more in love I became. Never had I met a man as sensitive, patient, intelligent, and kind as Ryan. I was absolutely, positively, intensely, in love. I can't say it enough.”

What were some of your feelings leading up to your wedding day? Ryan said, “Excitement. What more can I say? People would ask me if I felt nervous, but this always confused me. What is there to be nervous about when you're marrying an angel.”

Rachel said, “We were engaged for 8 months - I was anxious, anxious, anxious! (My word, is it here yet?!) Time flew by so fast once it hit April 1st, however. Even though I was busy and a little overwhelmed preparing for the wedding, I made sure to stop and think about the great opportunity I had to be sealed to my love in the temple for time and eternity - and I was so very happy.”

What is your favorite thing about Ryan? Rachel said, “There are so many superb qualities Ryan possesses, but I think what I love the most about Ryan is he is so comfortable and confident with who he is - he is genuine, real - he is my example, my reminder of who I want to become.”

What is your favorite thing about Rachel? Ryan said, “My favorite thing about Rachel is her ability to forgive and to love. If someone tells you that they've never disagreed with their spouse, then they are probably married to a pebble. Rachel also has a great capacity to love, which she exercises on a daily basis in serving others.”

How did you feel once you were married? Ryan said, “Like a burden had been lifted, really. Anyone that has been engaged for over half a year wishes he had chosen a three month engagement instead.”

Rachel said, “I love it! It's incredible being able to be with your best friend all the time and share everything together. Everyday I just live to make Ryan happy - it's what makes me most happy.”

Ryan and Rachel – I wish you all the happiness in your marriage! Thank you for letting me be a part of your day and capture your love for one another!

Love is An Orange - Teaser

2010-06-04T15:57:00.001-06:00

Stay tuned for this AWESOME Engagement session that I did last night. So creative, fun, and so THEM! Find out why when I post the full preview with their story. . .

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

A High School Sweetheart’s Love Story – Mercedes + TJ

2010-06-02T18:26:00.001-06:00

It was the beginning of 10th grade, and Mercedes was looking forward to it. Being academically inclined, Mercedes enjoyed the learning environment. She was a very well-rounded student, finding time for studies, sports, as well as her friends. But she never knew her life would change when she walked into her Algebra class that year and sat in front of the “popular” kid. She knew that he was well liked by others, especially the other popular, self-assured girls, but she never knew that as the weeks and months went by that she would as well fall for that wavy brown hair and big brown eyes.

Being a quiet girl herself, she was surprised that after “helping” TJ with some of the math homework, he brought out a new side to her, and she started to flirt in her own way, having no idea what this handsome popular kid would think of her. But she had no idea that even though TJ was liked by many other girls, he noticed something different about Mercedes. “I couldn’t wait to get to school, just to see him, just to talk to him in third period.” And what started off as casual flirting, turned into deeper conversations, phone calls, bowling, dinners, and just a lot of fun in those years in high school.

Even their story was filled with a time where they needed to break up. To become who they were supposed to become, and maybe to help one another realize how much they needed each other. But luckily during the summer of their senior year, they both realized that the feelings they had for one another were still strong. They knew that they needed that time away and because of how they grew a part, they discovered that their newfound beginning to their second chance had became that much stronger and more real.

Exactly 4 years from their first date, TJ had a surprise for Mercedes. A planned specific question that would impact the rest of Mercedes life as well as his own. And because they decided to get married and seal their love, they are just at the beginning of living out their happily ever after.

And now enjoy some of my very favorite pictures of such an adorably fun couple whom I was so fortunate enough to have photographed. I mean seriously just look at the fun we had, their very stylish outfits, and the almost tangible electricity of love between these two high school sweethearts, destined to be with one another forever. I literally can not WAIT till their July wedding!

Mercedes told me that she is obsessed with cotton candy. I absolutely LOVE what we got with it!

We were going for the school girl look with her lunch, but I’m not sure what happened. But I ADORE it!

Oh my goodness, Mercedes and TJ! It was seriously my pleasure to photograph you both and have you both become my new friends! Thanks for making the long drive, bringing the ridiculously good-looking outfits/props, and waiting oh so patiently for this post! You are the BEST!!!

The Gift of Baby Greta

2010-05-27T15:17:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to photograph a cute little family and their newest addition. Camille had emailed me months before and wanted to make sure we got Greta at the perfect age. Of course some things change once the baby came, especially when she came early, and so we waited a few weeks until Greta was able to come home finally to her family. We worried she wouldn’t sleep, but after a while she finally zonked and was such a perfect angel baby for the session. As stated in my last blog post, I have started to finally share the stories found behind the pictures I take. Everyone has a story, a road they had to take to get to where they are at today. And this family has an incredible story filled with courage, sorrow, faith, and joy. I was able to photograph this family last fall, and it is always amazing when I can photograph one more step of their journey as a family. I was deeply touched by this family, more than they will know. Enough from me. Let’s get on to their story and pictures:

Is there a special significance to Greta's name? Greta was just a named that we both liked and both agreed on. However, her middle name is Jenice which is my maternal grandma's name that passed away from cancer when I was a baby.

How did you feel once Greta came to your family? Did you wait a long time for her? Back in 2008 I got pregnant and was due on April 2009. We found out we were having a girl and named her Maren. I went to a Doctor's appointment when I was 40+wks pregnant with Maren and found out she had passed away. Deciding to get pregnant again so soon was scary and overwhelming. Three months after delivering and burying Maren we got pregnant with Greta and found out we were due in April 2010. My pregnancy with Greta was an emotional rollercoaster of feelings about having another girl only a year later. So, yes, it does seem like we had been waiting forever for Greta. Well, not Greta specifically but for another living child. Having her spend almost 4wks. in the NICU kind of drug things out when we were so anxious to bring her home. We were nervous how we would feel once Greta was born but it's been a wonderful, healing experience.

What is your favorite thing about Greta? Other than that she's a pretty great sleeper? lol. I love how snuggly she is.

How is being a mom to two different from being a mom to one? Splitting the time between the two has been an adjustment. I can't always attend to Spencer as quick as I'd like to and sometimes I have to let Greta cry when something with Spencer needs to be done. It also takes a lot longer to get out the door to go somewhere. Overall, it hasn't been as difficult or scary having two as I had imagined.

(This is Spencer’s “yawn” face. It looks more like a monster face to me, but we all were just cracking up, and he just soaked up all of the attention!)

How is Spencer handling being a big brother? Is he a good helper? Spencer has been a great big brother so far. He likes to come sit with me while I'm nursing Greta or changing diapers, etc. He also loves to give her hugs and kisses and always wants to hold her.

What do you want to remember most about this time with Greta as a newborn, years down the road? I want to remember how little and cuddly she was. That time passes so quickly. Spencer is only 3.5yrs. old and I already can't believe how big he is and miss the time when he was just a baby.

What would you like to teach Greta when she is older? So many things. Most of all, I want to teach her the things that will lead her to be a compassionate, intelligent woman who knows who she is.

Camille (and family), it seriously was the biggest pleasure of mine to photograph your family and to share your story. Thank you for sharing your loss, your healing, and the joy you hare having with sweet Greta. I am deeply touched by your courage and faith, and am so thankful that the heavens blessed your home with sweet Greta. She seriously is an angel.

Thank you everyone for stopping by today. Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend with the ones that you love best :)

A Missionary’s Story - Jacob

2010-05-26T17:02:00.001-06:00

Yesterday evening, I had the neatest opportunity. I was able to photograph a missionary who was about 12 hours away from entering the MTC and going to serve the Lord for 2 years in Spain. His mom has been a friend of my mom’s longer than I have lived (actually I’m pretty sure his mom came to my birth), and she was devastated that she would not be able to fly out here to drop off her 2nd son on his mission, and she asked if I could work something out so I could take the pictures that next day. I was more than thrilled to do so. And let me tell you, it was the neatest experience, especially because I was able to learn a little more about Jacob’s story.

You know what I’ve decided? I want to share the stories. Real true stories that go behind these pictures that I am lucky enough to take. Sometimes I know the story, and sometimes I really don’t. But from now on my goal is to not only share with you pictures, but real stories that help make people who they are. So after rushing to Wal-Mart with my Mom (who was my wonderful assistant), we grabbed a tape recorder to ask Jacob some questions. I knew he wouldn’t be able to email me back these answers, so this was the best way. I hope you will feel inspired even through the couple questions that he answers about why he is here and some of his feelings right before starting this great new adventure.

What are you looking forward to the most about this mission experience?
Definitely having my horizon broadened. Just having culture shock. Having to change, having to adapt, and learning to blend in where I don't normally belong. I just want to grow.

How do you feel about eating the food there in Spain?
I am a little apprehensive, but I am excited. Because I hate fish, and it's a lot of seafood. But I like variety, so it should be interesting.

When you said good-bye to your parents what was your response?
I didn't get emotional, that wasn't the response I had to it. It didn't effect me that way, it was more like I'm ready to go right now, I'm excited, I'm pumped, I feel empowered, I need to do something about it right now. That sort of thing.

Who was the most influential person that helped you get to where you are at right now?
To be COMPLETELY honest, it was my girlfriend Dani. She was the big convincing swing. When we started to get really serious, I started thinking a lot more, really started to think about everything, and I realized that I wanted to be the best person I could be for her. And I knew that going on a mission was a sure way to put myself in that direction. After a lot of thinking and self-evaluation, I knew that this is what I needed to do, and especially if I wanted to be the person I needed to be for her, and deserve her.

And the neatest part of that last question, is that Dani, herself, is also leaving on her own mission this August. They will both be serving the Lord at the same time and growing apart, yet together in a way that is so incredible and real. The significance to the ring that Jacob is wearing is that it is his own promise ring he wears to remind himself of Dani. I seriously just can’t believe how amazing his story really is.

And of course when I told him if he wanted some fun goofy pictures, he JUMPED at the opportunity to be himself and to hopefully help make his mom laugh and remember her goofy son :) He seriously was a ham!

What would you like to say to your parents?
I love you Mom and Dad. Thank you so much for always being such a consistent and constant example to me. I think of all of the effort to push me through to the right way. I definitely needed it. I want to also say thank you for never giving up on me and always seeing the person that you knew I could be.

Thank you so much Jacob for sharing your story with us. I hope it has touched more than your family and I. I know you will be a fantastic missionary and that the Lord will bless you. Valerie, Dani, and family, I hope this little extra surprise made your day, love you!

High School Seniors are so awesome!

2010-05-21T20:46:00.001-06:00

I just had a blast yesterday evening hanging out with Matt and getting some dang cool senior shots! I am putting my OCF skills to great use and having fun with it. We got so much variety with this session, so I can’t wait to share it with you, but here are a few cool shots I thought I’d share to leave you with over the weekend. Enjoy!

And Congrats to all of the awesome seniors that are graduating this next week! Great job!

Amber and Kelly's Wedding

2010-05-20T12:17:00.005-06:00

Added to Post: I wanted to share with you the questions that Amber and Kelly answered for me to help tell their “story.” There are a few added pictures. Hopefully you enjoy hearing more about this fantastic couple and their happily ever after.

How did you meet? Amber said: Well Kelly and I are proof that blind dates work. My cousin set us up on a blind date. I was going to school in Wyoming and so every time I would come home I would go on a date with Kelly. We did this for about 7 months until I graduated school and moved back home. Then we got together and now we can’t be separated. What really made me know that I wanted to date him is he never pushed me further than I wanted to go. He helped me with things that meant a lot to me. And there was always something different about him than the other guys I dated.

I have been really excited to share with you all this wedding. It was a crazy day, but at the same time I absolutely loved what we got! It was an extremely fun day, and I loved hanging out with Amber and Kelly to get some really beautiful shots of their wedding day. I hope they will be just as happy as I am with what we got.

April Fools Day threw us for a loop on this beautiful wedding day. But luckily everything worked out perfect with timing! This is what the temple looked like while they were inside just about 20 minutes before they came out. But things can quickly change, can’t they? Especially here in Utah in the spring . . .

These awesome friends of Amber and Kelly’s were only out for a couple minutes when I took these pictures. Yep we all were FREEZING!

Then the cute newly-wed, love-birds came out full of joy despite the weather :)

What were some of your feelings leading up to your wedding day? Amber said: I had a lot of nervous going on and so many emotions.

How did you feel once you were married? Amber said: That I had made the right choice but I have to tell you I did not really feel married until we left the reception and it was just me and Kelly in the car :)

Kelly said: Once i was married i felt relieved. :) I felt that it was right and that i was on my way to a great marriage with the person that I love very very much. :)

Ah I seriously love parent pictures

Amber’s mom seriously is one of those amazing moms! Even with our few encounters with this wedding experience, I have realized what a gem she seriously is! She so incredibly wonderful to be around and helpful! I couldn’t think more highly of her :) Thank you Terri for your example!

I pretty much love the look on Kelly’s face here. Classic.

I totally thought these ladies were the best!! They were so incredibly cool, and we had fun!

So did Kelly! Jk! Haha!

What is your favorite thing about your husband? Amber said: He has the ability to ground me in a way no one else does. And no matter what he never gives up on me and does not let me give up on myself. And no matter what every day he makes me laugh.

What is your favorite thing about your wife? Kelly said: My favorite thing right now is the way she loves me. She is always concerned for me and lets me feel important to her.

Even though it was cold, these two were just so naturally HAPPY to be married, that it was contagious! I heart these next pictures.

This next sequence was such a cute natural moment that happened. So cute!

What detail from your day were you most excited to see come together? Amber said: I was most excited for the temple and to finally call Kelly my husband.

What was the first thing that caught your eye about Kelly in those first few weeks of dating? Amber said: How funny he is and one thing that stood out about Kelly is how much of a gentleman he is. He always gets my door even to this day.

What was the first thing that caught your eye about Amber in those first few weeks of dating? Kelly said: What caught my eye was the way she acted. She was very well mannered. She didn't make me feel stupid when I was in public with her.

It had already been a long day, so somebody was catching some winks before more of the excitement happened for the evening.

Amber’s Dad had an excellent voice and entertained us with some songs.

Amber, herself, is a very talented actress and singer. She sang the song from the musical, “The Scarlet Pimpernel” to Kelly. Even though I got some pictures of her, I love this one of Kelly totally focused on her.

Daddy/Daughter dances are my favorite part of the evenings. Especially tender ones like this:

Ok Kelly and Amber are in the running with maybe only ONE other couple for the most exciting cake cutting experience. Seriously it was crazy, but lots of fun and I got tons of really expressive pictures with LOTS of action :) Here’s just a few of my favorites:

They were both totally good sports about it (especially Amber!) which made it lots of fun!

But she got him one last time :)

An interesting thing about receptions is that usually the girls are VERY eager for the bouquet toss.

But the boys (at least these ones) were NOT! Haha this picture actually totally makes me laugh because they seriously just let it drop and reluctantly picked it up. It was funny, at least to me :)

Woot woot! They are all ready for a fun honeymoon! And yes in case you were wondering, it was still snowing like crazy outside. But snow can actually look really cool in pictures!

During your life together, what are you most looking forward to experiencing? Kelly said: I look forward to experiencing being a parent with her. I can't wait to see how she will handle being a mom. :) (As stupid as that may sound)

Amber said: I look forward to seeing him play ball with our kids. To go to a foreign country and help the people physically, spiritually, and emotionally and serve the Lord hand in hand every step of the way.

Amber also shared this to end: One special thing Kelly wrote to me I will share was, “I know for a fact that I cannot sing or act like you. But I wish to not act and pretend with you. But to always love and cherish you with all my heart.” I remember reading that and having tears fill my eyes. Coming from a very performing oriented life that meant a lot to me. Our love is real, nothing made up in a movie or musical something real and rare in this world today. He and the Lord are my strengths. I am so grateful.

Amber and Kelly, it seriously was my pleasure to be a part of your wedding day. It was so incredibly fun! I wish you all the happiness in your new marriage!

Thanks for stopping by today everyone!

While I’m waiting to post a wedding . . .

2010-05-19T09:34:00.001-06:00

Check out my blog about a little more Angela! http://angelaramblings.blogspot.com I posted some very funny pictures of me in action from the past year. Thanks to my wonderful husband who is my second photographer, this post is possible! But don’t worry. . . I got him back for all of the embarrassing shots, so you’ll see a little bit of him behind the camera too! Here’s just a peek of what you’ll see . . .

And yes, I didn’t post the embarrassing picture of ME on this blog . . . I only want those pictures of ME going out once :) But John doesn’t mind his funniest shot going out, now do you, honey? Love ya John!

Check out the post here or remember my picture on the right hand bar is also a link to that blog whenever you want to check it. And come back to see a full wedding post tomorrow (or hopefully later today if I can get that small detail worked out). Have a fantastic day everyone!

Lots of Peeks!

2010-05-14T16:47:00.002-06:00

Yeah! More sneak peeks! I’ve slacked enough on blogging that I’ve got quite the list of things I need to blog (including 3 weddings). But this is for those of my clients who haven’t seen anything yet. They are so incredibly patient and awesome and I am figuring out a few more things which will help make blogging faster and way more efficient! And I’m excited about that!

Let me just say again how much I LOVE my clients! They have become my friends and I just love them to pieces and it makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world :) So thanks!

Any ways on to peeks . . . The first little cutie is my niece for her 1st birthday! She was hilarious and gave us the funniest/cutest expressions! Gotta love her :) The next gorgeous girl I have photographed every 3 months, and these were for her 9 month pictures. She as well gave me some really cute expressions, but I particularly love her holding her toes.

Just did these two cuties. Baby Greta is a lucky girl to have a big brother to protect her. My friend just bought two puppies and we “attempted” to get some shots of them running around. I’ve decided that puppies are harder than 2 year olds. This next picture was from a very tender session I did a few weeks ago. Spartica was dying of a tumor, and before she died we took these. She has now passed on, and this picture hopefully will help bring some comfort to her “Mom” and “Dad.”

Yesterday, I was privileged to photograph my dear friend’s wedding day. It could not have been a more perfect peaceful day. Their true love for one another was so evident, and I am incredibly happy for them.

And last, but definitely not least, this AWESOME engagement session! Seriously! We ran into a few issues, but even with those we got some amazing pictures and even though this was my first time meeting them both in person, I totally loved these two! I am VERY excited and thrilled to be photographing more of them! Thanks for making the long drive from Idaho (and Wyoming) to hang out with me to do these engagements! It was a blast!

Well folks, that’s all for now. I promise there is more coming :) Especially because I’m LOVING the green that has spread across the state again. I’m just soaking it all in with my camera.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Melanie and Aaron's Wedding. Draper, UT Temple

2010-05-05T12:42:00.002-06:00

So even though this gorgeous couple have already seen all of their pictures forever ago, I am finally getting back into business with posting my fabulous weddings of 2010! This wedding was back in January . . . yes I’m a slacker. And we were f.r.e.e.z.i.n.g. But they were totally and completely AWESOME! And I got to take my first pictures at the Draper, UT temple! Lately, I have had such a craving to do pictures of couples at new spots, and so I was excited to do it here:

You know what I absolutely ADORE about Melanie and Aaron? They allow their complete and utter happiness shine off their radiant faces, which makes me thrilled! Their smiles and laughs are totally contagious and it just makes me happy to be around them! Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this wedding! Ok, on to pictures . . .

Ah. . .I totally love Grandpa pictures.

How AWESOME is this? Melanie is an identical twin!!! Actually I knew her sister like forever ago at my work when I first started dating my hubby. I haven’t seen her forever, but I was totally thrilled that she referred me to her sister. Well we just HAD to get some cute sister picts!

Aren’t they both just totally gorgeous??

As I was taking this ring picture, I looked over to see them cuddling and standing on the vent trying to get the warm air coming out. I wasn’t quick enough to get that picture, but I did get the picture of him trying to help her get off of it and back on the sidewalk. Too cute :)

I actually REALLY loved their cake topper

Thank you so much Aaron and Melanie for having me be a part of your awesome day! You were definitely troopers in the freezing cold, so thanks!

I love LOVE and SPRING

2010-04-30T18:21:00.001-06:00

I seriously can’t get enough of these blossoms. I also can’t get enough of the amazing chemistry between these couples. I love that they let me in enough to capture that on my camera and freeze those moments forever. It brings me incredible joy. Here are two different couples whom I had the pleasure to work with over the past week. Hope they enjoy their sneak peeks.

Jessica and Corey’s Engagements

2010-04-15T11:38:00.001-06:00

Even though they were in the same ward for church, Corey and Jessica were basic acquaintances for a while at the beginning. The dynamics of a bunch of single college kids is sometimes interesting, and Jessica thought Corey was immature, so she didn’t think much about him after her first impression.

But one day he’d prove her wrong. . . . or she’d bring out the better side of him. . . either way you want to look at it :)

Jessica was lucky enough to have a friend who was dating Corey’s friend, and who was able to convince Jessica to give a second glance over at Corey despite her first thoughts towards him.

After that Jessica decided to turn the flirting on towards Corey because he needed some convincing that Jessica liked him. After fun crepe parties, movie nights, and lots of tennis watching, Corey finally asked this beautiful girl in his ward to go on a date, and that girl just so happened to be Jessica! Even though she was first sold immediately once she saw his manly truck, later she came to appreciate and love much more about Corey.

Corey noticed a depth of character to Jessica, something deeper than her cute irresistible freckles and smiles, and Jessica found a very cool, quirky but fun Corey, aside from his sea-blue eyes that she also fell in love with.

“The rest is history!” Jessica said after describing their first days in their courtship. Love happened the sweet normal way that it always does . . . the way it molds and changes you, yet brings out the best in you in a way you never thought possible due to that special person next to you, holding your hand the entire way through life.

Another really fun part of this story for their engagements, is that I got a call from a “very special person,” who wanted to surprise these two with paying for their engagement session with me. Yes, I love being in on surprises and secrets. And yes Jessica and Corey were just as thrilled as I was. And yes this special person is totally and completely awesome for doing this, and I seriously couldn’t think of a better gift to give to a very much in love couple. Especially if you’re anything like me who thinks photography for a wedding is one of the most important things ever . . . and like Jessica who also has high ambitions to go into photography too!

So a huge thank-you to that person . . . you totally rock!!!

Thank you also to Jessica and Corey! You know what my favorite thing is about awesome people like them? Is that we may be complete and total strangers before the session, but afterwards I feel like we’re long lost friends! and that may have something to do with the fact that I’ve totally showed my true quirky personality, and am hoping they find that endearing somehow so I don’t feel completely stupid at the fool I made myself while running circles around them during the whole session :)

But I seriously get to work with some of the most awesome couples and I honestly think they are the best! And Jessica and Corey totally fall in that group! So thanks!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and leave this couple some comment love. Have a fabulous day!

Married . . . just a peek

2010-04-08T16:26:00.002-06:00

These two are now married! In some ways, the weather was less predictable on their wedding day vs. their groomal session, but like I predicted, they were tremendously happy and we were able to get some really beautiful moments around the temple which they were married in. It was still bitter cold, and somehow I ended up catching some head cold, and since then I'm just starting to get over it (which is why I've been slacking at blogging), but not even that deterred me from fully enjoying their beautiful (yet cold) day! This happens to be my favorite temple. The angles and lighting always seems to be perfect, but it also maybe has something to do with the fact that I got married here as well . . . . both of those reasons put together makes for my favorite :)

Any ways, I have LOTS of fun sessions to share with you coming up (including a fun engagement session from last night). Have a fabulous day and enjoy the nice weather this weekend!

Amber & Kelly’s Groomals

2010-03-31T23:42:00.001-06:00

Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph this beautiful couple. After a couple months of back and forth emailing with Amber, I finally got to meet with them face to face on the day of their groomals. We originally were only doing this session, and so we started at the temple where they’ll be married. Well my first words to them as they pulled up were, “Hi! Ok, jump out and run over here real quick. The storm is coming in!” Yeah. . . um the storm beat us. After being blown literally around completely crazy for only a minute or two, we called it quits and ran back to the cars for cover. I’ve fought wind before. I’ve fought snow and even light rain, and definitely fought cold before. But the combination of all of those elements was a different story. Just those not even five minutes froze us to the core, and I promise I’m not a wimp, especially when I have my camera and my excitement for taking pictures in hand! But this wasn’t good.

However because of a tux rental, many hours of Amber getting ready, and busy schedules all the way up until her wedding in only 2 weeks, we decided to see what we could get. We traveled south to a plan B location which had a little covered space if the weather got even worse. Surprisingly, the location had trees which blocked the harsh winds, and the snow didn’t seem to be coming this direction in any hurry.

Phew. . . . it wasn’t totally ideal, but these two were awesome and allowed me to boss them around a little since everyone was a little too cold to think :) And a huge thanks to Amber’s mom who was a super-star of a helper during the session. I had an immediate liking to her and she seriously was the best when it came to helping out even though it was freezing cold, and a lot of running around. Thanks Terri!

And oh my goodness!!! I was so happy with what we did get. There’s something mysterious and cool about winter’s dead trees, there’s a texture and beauty all on it’s own which I actually really love.

After the awesome fun time that we had (despite the frigid freezing weather), I was beyond thrilled when Amber said she’d actually like me to photograph their entire wedding, which happens to be tomorrow! I just get so attached to the couples that I work with, that nothing makes me more happy than to see and capture this beautiful event till the end of the wedding, but also till the true beginning of their marriage and love. Amber and Kelly are genuine sweet people, and we all clicked right away which I also really love! I am so happy for them to be sealing their love tomorrow, and the chance I have to capture that.

Well enough chit-chat! Let’s get to the pictures of this beautiful couple!

That’a woman! You tell your man what cha want! :) (John caught this cute moment) Just have to share with you my “few” favorites from this lovely bride by herself. She is seriously stunning. And I was ‘slightly’ hair jealous ;) Hey it happens! Haha!

The details on her dress were amazing and oh so flattering.

A little Off-Camera action here. Yes in the middle of the day :)

I love the brides who take my advice to wear a little more make-up for pictures than they usually do . . . it really helps highlight the bride’s beautiful features.

The next set of pictures are a part of the fairytale stories I have floating all over in my head, just waiting to find words to describe what I can capture in pictures instead. Seriously. These are my favorite kinds of pictures to capture . . . the princess with her prince.

These pictures seriously make my heart pitter-patter. I LOVE the love and mystery it shows, but especially the story.

L.O.V.E. this one too:

And we will be returning to this fabulous location tomorrow for the “real deal” :) Please pray that the weather will treat us kindly, and that the weatherman was only playing an April Fools joke by saying that it’ll rain and snow. Please only be a joke . . . :)

At least they are a beautiful couple and will be incredibly happy tomorrow no matter the outcome of the weather.

And we’ll end with my favorite temple shot that we did get at the very end of the day before the sun went down.

Thank you so much Amber and Kelly for braving the freezing cold, trying your best to not show how completely cold of a day it was, and for being so fabulous to work with! I am so incredibly excited for tomorrow, but will be bringing umbrellas, leggings, a big fat coat, and my usual excitement to capture your radiant happiness for being married to your best friend.

Thanks for letting me share everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow. Wish me luck! :)

Till he comes home to you . . .

2010-03-27T01:18:00.002-06:00

Words can’t quite describe how I feel for this family right now. . . It was my pleasure back in 2008 to meet them both for the first time at the Manti temple to take some pictures of them on a special day when they were to be sealed together forever . . . It was a beautiful and special thing for me to be a part of their day then. The next time I saw them, Calli had the glow . . . the pregnancy glow, but still wasn’t showing :) and we took some extended family pictures.

When she called me close to her due date to tell me that she would like a newborn session with her beautiful baby girl, I was thrilled, but it was only tainted by the fact that he wouldn’t be there. He wouldn’t be there physically to witness his new baby girl’s birth, but he would be there in spirit. My heart was truly touched then.

And now my heart is touched more than ever tonight. As I remember our latest afternoon to photograph this beautiful family, finally all together for pictures. It was a fun, wonderful experience, only tainted by the fact that he was going again (now is gone) . . . to serve our country across the seas. . . for an entire year.

When I was an army wife, I lived through this exact scenario . . . realistically in my head. It was awful even there. Even imagining what it’d be like. But now as I captured this family right before his departure, I looked at Calli and realized that some how she is strong enough to go through this. She is strong enough. She may not know it or see it . . . but she is, at least I saw the strength.

I have been more than honored to have seen this beautiful family grow, and to in some way capture the story that they’ve gone through over the past couple years. Thank-you Casey for being so brave to serve our country, and thank you to all of the men (including my husband who went before I met him) and women who serve this country. And as a wife, I want to thank all of the other wives and family members who sacrifice their husbands, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters, and they go through the trial of waiting through a deployment for their loved one to come back home. You are my heroes. Because I really couldn’t imagine doing that myself, and I know you are stronger because of it. God bless you.

These brought tears to my own eyes going through a few of these pictures that I will share with you. I hope you will be touched a little by them too.

You are beautiful, Calli. Please send your husband this gorgeous picture of you, so he can do lots of bragging, and remember EXACTLY how beautiful his wife, who is waiting at home for him, is.

I hope these pictures bring a smile to your face, joy in your heart, and peace to your soul. Even though the time apart will be hard, it will go by faster than you think, you’ll be back together as a family, with more happiness and love for each other than you ever expected.

And the Winner is . . .

2010-03-22T22:29:00.001-06:00

Mercedes and Trefton (TJ)!

A Huge Thank-You to everyone who participated in voting for the engaged contestants! It was a lot of fun and I was glad that each of the couples got to share their story with more of their friends and family. Hopefully you all enjoyed that too :)

Just thought I’d share a sneak peek of what I did over the weekend. . . it was a VERY chilly and snowy day on Friday, but this couple seriously rocked! Even though we were freezing from head to foot, I loved what we got and was glad they were willing to roll with the punches that the weather gave us.

Take a peek . . . :)

My awesome, second shooter (and husband), John caught this next one:

Thanks for stopping by everyone! I’ve been kind of out of the blogging world for the past couple weeks due to helping my parents move to my (oh my parents) dream home! :) I’ll have to share pictures of their beautiful new horse that they just got. But till then, just know I’m busy at work! :)

Thanks again to those who voted and the wonderful fun couples who entered! Have a great day everyone!

Time to Vote!

2010-03-17T00:11:00.014-06:00

It's time to vote for a special couple to win a free engagement session with me!
Each of these couples wrote down their own cute, sappy, funny stories of how they met and how they came to have fallen in love. I completely enjoyed reading them, and felt like I got to know a small piece of who they are and where they've come to be at this very exciting time in their lives. Thank you so much to those couples who shared that with me!

****Their stories are on the post below this one****

Let's get started off on the actual voting now! This Poll ends at midnight on FRIDAY, and allows one vote per IP address.
Tell me who YOU think should be the lucky couple! Make sure to double check the name that you're voting for. Several of our couples have similar names to each other.

Who should win the Free Engagement Session?online surveys

Follow Angela Marie Photography on Facebook here

Once Upon a Time :)

2010-03-11T10:11:00.006-07:00

6 awesome couples have decided to share with me (and you) their love story. Each of the stories are unique and personal to them. I love their telling of it, because it contains the excitement and fondness for those memories that no one else can accurately describe. And that's why I am taking what they wrote to me and sharing it with all of you. This way if by chance you have no idea who those names on the voting poll are, this way you can (like me) get to know them a little bit better and enjoy a piece of where they've come.

Click on the names of the couple to be redirected to their post to tell their story, and I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I did :)

Katrina Q. and Jared B.

Katie M. and Braedon G.

Sara Ha. and JT W.

Mercedes B. and Trefton D.

Sarah Hu. and Adam A.

Jessica R. and Corey H.

Baby Caleb and one of my favorite couples!

2010-03-09T13:13:00.003-07:00

Do you remember these two? Here, Here, or Here?

This Gorgeous bride?

They now have a new addition to the family:

I seriously love these two (now three)! They were one of my very first couples as I started off in 2008. I loved their energy, willingness to try all of my new fun ideas, and just how extremely fun they are! I had quite the time today going through all of their pictures and just remembering everything I was going through as I attempted to get started in the wedding photography industry. It’s amazing how far I’ve come since then, but even though my editing stinks on a lot of my older picture, I still actually really like my composition, creativity, etc. It actually has inspired me to maybe take one of my 2010 couples back to that spot to give it a second go!

Well I have many wonderful happy memories of their wedding. And you know what the hardest part of a wedding for me is? When it’s over. Yep, after they pick up their pictures, it’s sort of rare that I see my brides again. It makes me sad. So of course I was glad that Lindsey and I (ok and Jason and Caleb ;) had an excuse to get back together again! I was so thrilled to meet sweet Caleb! Not sure he was thrilled to see me, but I managed to get some cute pictures of him :) And of his cute parents:

Since we had a fun creative picture with their rings for their wedding:

We just had to use them again on some cute little baby toes!

Daddy is a HUGE Dallas Cowboys fan! So Baby Caleb better be too :)

I can’t thank you two enough for coming in and seeing me again! I loved being introduced to sweet Caleb! He is adorable! May you cherish every possible moment with him, because believe me . . . they grow up WAY too fast!

Have a great day everyone!

2010’s Contest for a Complimentary Session

2010-03-02T15:40:00.008-07:00

I’m a girl who likes contests. . . . do I ever win them? Well no, but if I’m the one sponsoring it than I can make sure that SOMEONE wins it. And that almost feels as good as winning a contest myself. Last year I hosted a contest to kick off the beginning of the new year to give a complimentary portrait session. That was so fun to do, and part of me really wished I could have given everyone it. But of course it’s never quite possible.

This year I wanted to gear the contest more toward weddings this time . . . but don’t stop reading if you are a mom like me with kids, or you’re no where near getting married yet. There is still something in here for you if you want to join this contest.

So there is one Engagement session (valued at $350) for one lucky engaged couple up for grabs, and here’s how it works:

This bride needs to contact me through my email address: angelaliddle (at) gmail (dot) com or through the contact page on my wedding website.

With this information:

1. Name (first and last) of you and your fiancé

2. Date you are getting married (must be getting married in 2010)

3. Your story. How did you meet? I want to know details here from either the bride or groom. Funny moments. Sweet moments. The “ah-ha” moments, etc. (Not all of those moments necessarily, that’s just to give you an idea of what I’m looking for)

If this part of the "requirements" takes too long, just give me a basic synopsis of how you met. It can be simple, but if you have the time I would like to know a little more.

4. The person who referred you. That part is important too.

5. Why you would love a session with Angela Marie Photography. Hopefully you’ve actually looked through my stuff and love it, and don’t want the session just because it’s free, even though that’s definitely a perk :)

Ok, so what happens from here? Until the 15th of this March (possibly longer if I feel the need), I will accept entries for these. If you yourself are not engaged, contact your friends that are engaged and let them know about this. Encourage them to enter it if they’re interested. There is no commitment necessary for them to use me for the rest of their wedding photography.

On March 15th, the entries will close. And then I’ll be putting up a voting poll . . . . I may be including just names or names with your story (question 1 and 3, but not your last name)

Then Voting begins! Yes, the people who go to my blog have a say in who gets it. This is where the person who referred you and you get to tell everyone you know either through Facebook, email, blogging, twitter, etc. to go and vote for you, or the person you want to win. I’ll make it easy and simple for them to do this.

The person with the most votes by the end of the voting period will have the complimentary session.

And this is where the person who referred you comes in place . . . .The person who referred the winning couple will also get a complimentary session with me which includes 1 hour session and up to 30 edits of a portrait session (family, child, senior, newborn, or just a portrait of you). (need to redeem this in 2010)

This is a win-win situation. There are in effect 2 complimentary sessions that are up for grabs. But the two need to work together.

Here is another part of it: For the winning couple, if they so choose, they will receive 20% off of any wedding package they’d like if they want to use me for the rest of their wedding photography.

And the other awesome couples who entered but didn’t win? They can get $100 discount of an engagement session with me if they so choose (need to redeem this before July 2010).

I think it’s a good all-around thing for everyone. I really want to hear some fun real love stories, have some visits here from some new people, and be able to go out and have a fun photo session with a deserving engaged couple.

And this is incentive for my fans who already love my work and would like a complimentary portrait session, to not just casually mention me in passing, but to email their friends who are engaged and let them know about a fun contest that will help them both out.

So go at it!!! Spread the word around! Who knows? There’s always someone who has to win something for the first time. For me it happened when I first met John (my husband). I’ve been pretty lucky ever since :)

Have a great day everyone!!!

(there must be at least 5 couples for this contest to be valid. It's only fair. But hey come on! It's a free session! Why not try?)

It’s been far too long . . .

2010-02-27T23:39:00.002-07:00

Since I’ve shared some of my awesome child sessions (that would include the newborn sessions too.) I am determined to catch up and share all these cuties with you, but only one for tonight.

Isn’t he the sweetest thing ever? And guess what? His eyes really are that blue! Jealous, huh? Ok, well I already have my set of blue eyes, but still :)

This is my adorable nephew. I couldn’t get enough of him. So sweet. Here’s a sneak peek for his mommy that will hopefully brighten her day :)

This little guy is now 1 years old. A big mile marker and we had lots of fun!

Have a wonderful Sunday, and I’ll hopefully see you all in the blogging world next week!

First Look in the Winter Wonderland – Melanie and Aaron

2010-02-19T00:59:00.004-07:00

You know what I love about Groomal sessions? I love being able to see and capture those first moments of the couple together in the formal attire. But not until this moment was I able to actually truly capture the literal first look at the bride all dressed up. When Melanie first contacted me, she was pretty sure it was going to be just a bridal session. Since her wedding was in January and we knew it would be freezing, and conditions are always a little more sketchy then, we discussed the pros and cons to doing a “groomal” session. Yes, he would see the dress before the wedding this way, but at least I could fully and completely capture that moment, which I couldn’t do with a temple wedding since that moment occurs inside of the temple. This way we could capture the moment in conditions we set, and then get some beautifully artistic pictures of the two of them together during the session.

And did the first look disappoint? Oh no sir-eee!! It was quite emotional, so exquisitely happy, and I could not have been more happy with the way it turned out! Just take a look for yourselves:

Aaron waiting oh so patiently. And he even drove his own car up separately, waited for me to arrive on the opposite lobby than Melanie. What a patient guy!

And now he sees her. . .

And she was seriously beaming with joy!

and couldn’t contain the emotion.

After wiping the tears, she said, “Wow and we’re not even married yet!” and Aaron said, “Nope.” But I said, “Let’s go have some picture fun though!”

or something to that effect :)

Melanie and Aaron were so fun to hang out with that day. It was freezing and cold, but they both were troopers, were so enthusiastic, and very much in love :) I loved the soft snow falling.

They both have contagious laughs and smiles! That talent will go far in building their marriage!

I believe this is my most “requested” picture. It’s sometimes the biggest reason we end up coming to this location. And every time it still turns out breathtaking. Each bride and her stunning dress add something new to this picture:

New favorite. Well ok, I have many from this session that are new favs :)

Seriously stunning details in her dress. Melanie’s whole ensemble was perfect. I’m a vintage girl myself, and was thrilled to be photographing her!

We braved the cold again, and guess what?! It was dumping!!! Literally! I had to photoshop quite a bit of snowflakes off of their face so you can see them. It was crazy! But they of course were adventurous and daring!

Love the personality in this next one. And yes. They gave me permission to publically post it. Come on, when you’re that good looking, it’s ok to look silly in a couple of pictures, right? Haha! Thanks for making my day with this pict!

This is what the bouquet looked like after the blizzard. I loved the look of it.

I wanted to share two of the funny blooper (not edited) pictures so you can see all of the fun we had. Yes this dog was just passing by when he saw two new friends just sitting around waiting to play with him :)

They were serious troopers!!! And oh so stunning!

Well was that enough picture love for one day? Yep I posted there 39 pictures in one post!! You should be proud! So leave some comment love back for me!

Oh and I forgot that I need to thank my amazing friend who's a photographer too, Michaelene Duree, for coming to help me with this session to take pictures of the first look with me (and whom I believe took the very first picture in this post!). I forgot how fun it is to shoot with someone else who's not my husband once in a while ;) It was a blast and I totally appreciated her especially as she was a trooper to hold that umbrella for me in that ridiculous snow at the end. Thanks Michaelene!

I know the season of snow is sort of gone (it is lightly snowing today), but these pictures still should be remembered. I have two more amazing groomal sessions to share with you all from last year.

Hope you all have a fabulous, and a little warmer than this, day!

Heart Day & Updated Website

2010-02-14T00:08:00.002-07:00

Happy Valentine’s Day!! Yes, it’s midnight on Valentine’s Day, so I’ll be the first to wish it to you . . .maybe.

Because today is “Heart” day, I thought I’d share some ‘heart’-warming pictures! This fun couple took 5 minutes out of their fun, very cold, wedding day to humor me with this cheesy idea of mine. But even if it’s cheesy, I still love the way it turned out! So enjoy some of my favorites as they played with each-other’s “heart"."

My husband is always telling me that the day we met, I stole his heart without knowing it and placed it in my pocket. He was helpless since then. Well it looks like Aaron did this to Melanie’s heart too!

And even though she didn’t have a pocket on that day, she had definitely stolen his heart too :)

I wish you all a very wonderful Valentine’s Day full of love and with your special loved ones. May it also inspire you to share your love for them every other day of the year as well!

Oh yeah! Also I’m finally announcing, even though it’s been up for quite some time now, I’ve updated the wedding website!!! It took me like a month to finally get it done, so please check it out and let me know what you think! There are some amazing pictures from over a year and a half ago which finally made it up there and then some very recent ones as well! Hope you all enjoy it!

http://www.angelamariephoto.com/newweddings/

Travis & Brianne’s Magical Day

2010-02-06T01:36:00.002-07:00

It was a brisk, very cold, but sunny December morning, and love . . . was . . . in . . . the . . .air!!! At least for Brianne and Travis . . . :)

It was such a beautiful day and I really enjoyed the experience of photographing their wedding. I always seem to be more endeared to the couples where I’ve gone from start to finish with the pictures (engagements, bridals, wedding, reception) because I’m truly able to feel of the excitement and I feel so much more apart of the day, and I feel like they are truly my friends! I couldn’t be more happy for Travis and Bri! They were so relaxed and were able to really have some fun to create some beautiful picture moments.

Their excitement was intoxicatingly wonderful for everyone!

This next picture was a funny moment. I always LOVE to do weddings of my previous brides’ friends because that means I can run into them! Melissa and Tyler are really close to Bri and Travis, and wanted a picture with them because Tyler had to run off to work. Well We’re just missing two important people to make this picture work . . . . Oops! Wrong couple! Haha!!! They ceased the moment for a funny picture!

There we go . . . the right brides with the right grooms! :)

And knowing me with my soft spot for brother/sister pictures, I loved these next two:

Sometimes I wish I could blog all of the pictures. There really were some fun moments. Like when no one was standing on the stairs, and Bri was by herself, so she posed. Then the picture of Travis’ pouty face with her laughing after she said she didn’t need him in the picture :) Haha! Then this next picture of them just being their awesome selves!

Rock it out Brianne! You’re hot!

And the guys just being themselves:

I actually really like this next one

OOh and THIS one:

“Hallelujah!”

Not exactly sure what is going on in this next one . . . . but it was funny :)

Ok, another fun moment. And only those super busy brides will have total sympathy for this (like me). This was their only “food” that whole day (besides maybe a piece of toast for breakfast). Two Big Macs were the only way to go! They were literally eating as fast as possible in between the greeting line and the rest of the program.

And of course I had a little bit of creative fun with it ;)

Bri literally gave Travis no warning for this. At one moment they were trying to figure out how to get the cake on the plate to all of the sudden cake in Travis’ face.

He was a pretty good sport :)

Haha!

The “Girls” (insert whatever they call their fun little gang of ladies ;) (what was it again Bri?) Any ways, these ladies were the bomb at Melissa’s wedding, and did not disappoint at Brianne’s! Lots and lots of fun!

The Daddy-Daughter Dance and Mother-Son Dance were so special. Brianne and her dad had some very tender moments. Here were just a few:

The grand exit!! Yeah! I remember being totally exhausted that day (the cold weather for some reason makes me all that more extra tired), but I had a huge smile on my face! The reception wrapped up nicely the whole day as well as my fun experience with these two! I am so happy for them and their marriage! I wish them all the happiness! Thank you so much Brianne and Travis for letting me be a part of this very special day in your lives!

My Fabulous 2009 Couples!

2010-01-23T00:32:00.002-07:00

First off . . . Do you all just love the new look to my blog??? I sure do, and I have my amazing husband, John, to thank for it. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing, but eventually he figured it out, and I just love it! So thanks John!!!

Ok, on to the post . . .Yes, the title says it all! I wanted to just reminisce a little about some of the couples I worked with back in 2009. It was seriously an amazing year! And a lot of change for me too! I just really appreciate those who came along on the ride with me as I fell in love again with wedding photography! So here we go . . . I just posted one picture of each couple and tried to find a picture that I loved that I didn’t post on the blog or website (the new one is coming in less than a week!). There may be a few ones at the beginning which I may have repeated, so sorry if that’s the case. But I believe most of these are new ones that I love.

Elise and Scott asked me to do their engagements even though they were getting married in Texas. I had a total blast with them! Reagan and Sam: I totally loved hanging out with them and creating some of my most unique pictures for their engagement and then bridal session, which I totally loved!

Charaty & Mike: I was honored to photograph their ceremony and their groomal session. I adore this picture of them!

One of my best friends got married in April! Jenny and Brandon! I just love these two, and we had quite the rainy day in April!

Greg & Shandi: What a BEAUTIFUL Manti temple wedding day in May! I miss spring already. This was also the day that changed my life when I got my Canon 5D Mark II. I seriously don’t know how I lived without it before then :) haha!

Blythe & Rob also got married in May. I had one of the shortest after-wedding session with the two of them, but got some of my very favorite pictures too at the beautiful Mt. Timpanogos Temple.

Tyler & Melissa: I loved this wedding! Seriously, such a fun one in June! They get the very best dancing-at-the-reception award! It was a blast!

Adam & Stephanie: For being a July wedding, when it was supposed to be really hot, it was an amazingly beautiful day! It was my first time meeting them on their wedding day, but they were so easy to like, get along with, and I had a fabulous time!

Emily & Robert: This was one of my first “family” weddings. Robert is John’s nephew and it was fun to have family around for the whole experience. Haha this is also the wedding where I had a huge eye infection (thought it was allergies), so I was blind for the whole wedding experience, until picture time where I disobeyed the doctor’s orders, and stuck in my contacts any ways so I could actually see! Fun day though!

Nicole & Cody: They got married up in the Big Cottonwood Canyon in September. We were so happy that it didn’t rain (since it did for a little bit), and they were awesome to do their pictures before the ceremony when the light was just right. I loved the location we went to for their together picts.

Jessica & Kevin: I just blogged their wedding! So we all know what a fun day that was! Cold a chilly, but if you look at this picture, there’s actually green in November! It’s amazing!

Travis & Brianne: They got married in December! But you would never know it by their pictures since there was barely any snow! It was cold though and they braved it! We had such a fun time, were exhausted by the end, but I left the reception that night with a smile on my face because I was so happy for them! (I will blog their wedding soon!)

Aaron & Melanie: So technically they got married a week ago in January, but I couldn’t help posting them a sneak peek of their wedding. It was my first time at the Draper Temple, and I loved it! It was totally freezing, but again, I always get the best couples who are brave and do whatever it takes for the pictures.

2009 was so great! I debated whether to do something like this for my portrait clients, but had no idea how I would do something like that since that’s a whole different story, but the portrait year was so great too! I want to thank all of my 2009 clients for being so amazing, patient, fun, energetic, and open with me to allow me to capture who you are and tell your story of wherever you were in your life at that moment. I gained so many wonderful friends this past year whom I’ll always remember, and hope that I can keep in contact with. Thanks for helping me become the photographer as well as person that I want to be. You all are amazing!!! Thanks again!

May you all have a wonderful 2010 year! :)

Jessica & Kevin’s Beautiful Day – Part 1

2010-01-18T16:17:00.002-07:00

It was a very beautiful November day when the Princess Jessica and Prince Kevin sealed their love forever in their castle. They both totally radiated and I was so happy to be apart of their very special day. I was doing my own smiling a lot that day too at seeing how happy everyone was, it would have been hard to not feel the excitement!

Because I am a big sister to brothers, I couldn’t help but feel extra love for the next picture.

My newest fun thing I like to do at the SLC temple. I love how it turns out every time! (and by the way, I have some really great silent cheerers. . . so we don’t make too much noise. Great job everyone!)

For some reason I really like this next one.

Ok, on to Jessica and Kevin by themselves.

This has been one of my top weddings of 2009, and Kevin & Jessica are just so awesome to work with! (I still need to post their amazing groomal session!) They are just those kinds of people who make everyone around them feel important and special. You can’t help but smile when you are around the two of them. They both truly radiate on the inside and out. I feel like a better person after being around them and am so glad to call them my new friends!

It was amazing seeing the love in their eyes for one another. I wish them all the happiness!

Haha! Love this next one!

The fountains were on for like 20 seconds after we saw them, and I caught this shot real fast.

Um, one of my favs!

John caught these next two. Loved his perspective.

And I adore this next one of John’s too:

We’ll end with my favorite. I cut down this post a lot, but not enough, so their reception is coming in another post. Hope you enjoyed this preview! Happy Monday!

Wedding sneak peek . . .

2010-01-16T11:01:00.002-07:00

As I was deep in slumber last night, and knew I was preparing myself to go to another wedding today, I was awoken with the fact that I am a total slacker and hadn’t yet posted a picture of my last wedding! Even though I attempted to sleep longer, it was a fitful sleep knowing that I am not where I want to be when it comes to being on top of things, so I bring you these two pictures as penance for my being a slacker ;)

Any ways, this wedding was a total blast as well! They are such a fun couple and totally fun to hang out with! I have lot of funny pictures from their wedding, but this morning was feeling a little more serene, so I picked some pretty artsy ones :)

Amelia's Senior pictures

2010-01-11T12:58:00.002-07:00

She really does brighten my day when I see her! This is my awesome niece, Amelia. I was so excited to take her senior pictures back in October. I had so much fun hanging out with her. She'll definitely go far in life with her motivation and detemination. She is a very talented pianist, and has been doing it since she was a little girl, and now is pretty amazing at it! She found a very generous neighbor who let us use their beautiful piano in their home for part of the session.
Here are just a few of my favorites from Amelia's session:

Thanks so much for hanging out with me, Amelia! I had a total blast! Good luck with after you graduate in 2010!

Shout out to other seniors out there . . . Now is the time to book your senior session, so that I can fit you in before you graduate! It's definitely a fun session and focuses on you and what you're good at. Email me if you're interested!

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm currently working on today . . .

2010-01-08T11:01:00.003-07:00

Yep, I missed a day, but I’ll make it up to you all next week! I’ll post some more of this beautiful winter groomal session, and I’ll give you a few tips I’ve learned to making it easier to take pictures in the winter. This beautiful couple is getting married in about a week and I’m thrilled! More about this beautiful couple soon :)

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend!! Go have some fun!

Cody & Nicole’s Wedding

2010-01-06T22:47:00.002-07:00

Yep I’m really back!!! There’s another fun wedding that I haven’t shared with you. You can tell it definitely was before all this cold winter. Cody & Nicole tied the knot in September! They were so awesome and woke up early before their ceremony to do pictures of just the two of them. Nicole brought us to this awesome spot up the canyon, and I think it worked out perfect!!! The landscape around was breathtaking, not to mention the awesome couple! Here are a couple of my favs:

Here was our little duck friend from the very first picture:

Keeping it real :)

I think this is my favorite one of Nicole:

Nicole’s beautiful daughter, and Cody’s cute son:

The groom is patiently waiting for his bride :) Haha!

This was seriously such a tender moment:

(Thanks John for this next perfect capture)

Enjoy some more favorite moments from their ceremony. I have John to thank for a lot of these pictures too. I seriously have realized that I can’t do without him for weddings. So he’s on this wedding photography boat whether he likes it or not ;) hehe!! Any ways, enjoy!

Congrats Nicole and Cody! Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your very fun day!!