Rich & Leena...Happily Ever After!

I had the pleasure of second shooting for Cara Crumbliss for the wedding of Rich & Leena. It was such an awesome day!

Up until that day Cara and I had not personally met...we did all of our correspondence via email...so to say I was nervous about meeting her is an understatement. But once I did meet her I was put right at ease...she is so sweet and very talented and a joy to work with.

Rich and Leena are an amazing couple! Such kind and thoughtful people....it was so awesome to be there to witness the love between them on this very amazing day.

We went to Laclede's Landing and the Arch Grounds for some shots before the ceremony.


Leena looked so beautiful...I loved her dress.

The ceremony and reception were at the Randall Gallery. It was amazing! The light..the art...the details that Rich and Leena put together. Gorgeous!!

I loved their cake...the flower and butterfly details.

As a second shooter I try to really focus on the details...and boy I love details. Now Rich and Leena had some of the most gorgeous details I have ever seen. The floral arrangements and details were out of this world. I have to give a shout out to Leena's florist.....Montano Grant Floral and Event Design. If your a bride...I highly suggest you check them out.

The super adorable flower girls...who by the way LOVED having their pictures taken.

Now you may kiss your bride....I never get tired of capturing that first kiss of husband and wife :)

Check out the AMAZING floral lays around Rich and Leena's necks. (And I know I spelled lay wrong...but it is late and I am tired and I can't remember the correct way...so there) :)

The upstairs dining area at Randall Gallery....out of this world gorgeous!

Oh how I love me some candy bars :)

Rich and Leena I hope your days are filled with the same kind of warmth and love that you showed everyone during your wedding. It was an honor to be there.

Cara, thank you so much for the opportunity! It was so awesome to work with you. I wish you the best of luck on the East Coast...I know your gonna rock it and be very successful in your new city.

Audrey is back.....

I first got to photograph the beautiful Miss Audrey when she was just a few months old...remember her??

Now look at her! She has grown so much...but she is as cute as ever.
I absolutely LOVE to see my clients again (and again) because I get to see how much they have grown and changed. My clients are very important to me...and it is such an honor to capture these sweet fleeting moments for them. So it is like seeing old friends again...and that is what it felt like with my visit with Audrey and her mommy and daddy. Such nice people! And I love it when it feels like I am hanging out with old friends...and I just happened to bring my camera along :)

Oh how I could squeeze her! Don't worry Jessica and Rich...I will control myself..but she is just so darn cute.

Oh how I love baby feet....they are perfectly square and chubby and cute as can be.

Little ones at this age make the cutest and funniest faces. It is like they are discovering something new everyday...like how to squish up their noses or stick their tongues out.

I love it.

There is just something about this one that I love so much...Audrey looks so relaxed in her mommy's arms. And I love how she is just checking out her mommy's bracelet...probably thinking "how can I get that in my mouth." :)

It was so great to spend some time with you guys! Miss Audrey is so adorable! I can't wait to see her again and see how much more she has changed. The first year is truly magically! Enjoy every second of it.

Hugs!

Lisa

It is Good to be Two!!

Because when your two...your curious, you have more energy than you know what to do with and of course everyone thinks your adorable.

Sweet little Ameera was all those things and more. I was very excited to meet Ameera and her mommy at the Botanical Gardens for some fun among the flowers :)

Ameera did a lot of this.....

But that is ok I have been chasing kids every day for 12 years...I am a pro...thankfully, because I was able to get images like this.....

and this.....

I am a BIG fan of the serious face. If my kiddos don't automatically do it, then I request it at least once during a session. I think there is something about a more serious look...it draws your attention to the eyes and the eyes are the windows to the soul :)

Ameera has a beautiful "serious look"....and I didn't even have to ask her to show me :)

Ameera and her equally beautiful mommy Kaamil. :)

Why...HELLO beautiful girl.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE (yes, I need 3 Love's) this image. I knew as soon as I looked at it on the back of my camera I was crazy about it and seeing it on the "big" screen made me love it 100x more.

This needs to be framed...BIG...ok Kaamil :)

Her expression cracks me up here...it is like she is thinking "Are you sure I am supposed to be standing here smack dab in the middle of these flowers??" Sure why not...no body was looking ;)

And I have to end with another image that is one of my favorites from our time together. This makes my heart skip a beat...LOVE...that is what is says to me loud and clear...someone loves her mommy.

Thank you ladies for spending your week day evening with me. I had soooo much fun with you gals! Ameera...thanks for the work out sweetie...Miss Lisa needed it :)

Family Reunion Fun!

Stephanie contacted me to take some pictures of her family while they were all together for a visit. Some of the family members came as far as Colorado and Florida for the visit and I was honored to get to spend a few hours with them and capture some great pics of their visit.

We met at Forest Park on a HOT HOT evening. Everyone did so great and they came prepared with coolers of water and big smiles.

Check out the kiddos...such cuties! They did so awesome....did I mention it was hot?? They never complained and they seemed to enjoy their visit with their cousins and family.

I was able to grab some quick individual family photos too.
So sweet :)

This little sweetie had the prettiest blue eyes.

This is Stephanie and her "guys"...she was the photo organizer extraordinaire. :)

They stuck to a blue and khaki theme for clothing and it looked awesome on them...see what I mean, a good lookin' group :)

I love how this lil' guy is getting his toes :) I love baby feet....

And the whole group! A good looking bunch that is for sure!

Steph, thanks for planning this...I was thrilled to do it. Thank all of you for sweating it out with me and for being so kind and amazing to work with. I hope you all enjoyed the rest of your visit and that these photos make you smile :)

Just a small peek......

....of my beautiful Bride & Groom from Friday night. More of this amazing, beautiful, classic wedding to come. Stay tuned :)

Jonathan & Ashton - Part Two

I am excited to finally share with you "Part Two" of Ashton & Jonathan's amazing wedding.
The reception was held at Villa Marie Winery in Marion IL.....Kelly, Jess and I were so excited to get some "vineyard" pics.

But we grabbed a few more inside first...I love this one of the adorable "littlest" flower girl that Kelly got.

Oh how I love black and white....so timeless.

Once we started making the drive towards Villa Marie and we saw the storm clouds rolling...our dreams of "vineyard" pics were starting to fade. It is funny because the conversation in the van during the drive consisted of..."ok, looks like the clouds are moving away from where we are heading." "So...really, do you think the clouds are moving away??" "Boy....I hope those clouds are moving out." It was kind of funny...I have never been so obsessed with storm clouds. :)

But we got there and pulled out the big guns (ha! So dramatic)...Kelly grabbed the guys...and got this jumping pic...which I LOVE. These guys were amazing jumpers.

And this...love the "tough guy look" :) Pretty hot stuff...huh, ladies!

BIG Kisses! Ashton and Jon had the most awesome fun wedding party. They were up for anything...and if we didn't have a storm heading our way...I knew we could of had a ton more fun with them and they would of done anything we asked. LOVE that!

And the beautiful ladies.

Ashton....your gorgeous! Getta out here with those eyes! I kept saying to myself while I was editing these...what awesome eyes...and the shape..they just have this beautiful exotic shape to them. Ok...I am obsessed with eyeballs...what can I say :)

I LOVE that we made it to the vineyard...my dreams were answered! Yes!!! It was as perfect as I pictured it for the weeks before that I was daydreaming about the wedding. So perfect, so green....and the most beautiful couple right smack dab in the middle of it.

One of my favorites!

Gorgeous! And I have the give my genius partner Kelly props for this one.

They liked to kiss...and I liked to make them kiss...perfect combo!

The storm finally arrived....and we headed inside.

And inside was one hellva party.

Ashton and Jon...being a part of your day was amazing! I had me smiling for days afterwards. I LOVE this job...I love couples in love and I was especially lucky with your wedding...you guys are kind, gracious and a load of fun!

I wish you many many magical years!!!

HUGS!

Lisa