I like to think that Christina and I have a lot in common. She’s the type of intelligent, passionate, opinionated woman that I really respect. The similarities don’t stop there. We both worked together on our college newspaper, partied together in our social sisterhood, attempted careers in journalism before moving on to something a bit more stable; and we both met our future husband while working on a newspaper… although she had to move to the tiny town of St. Joseph, Mo, to find Eddie. I’m glad the similarities end there. So it’s no surprise that I was thrilled when she asked us to shoot her wedding… in Wisconsin… in the fall. Hello beautiful landscape! But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Earlier this year we met up with Eddie and Christina in Columbia and braved the rain to get some engagement pictures on the MU campus and at Red Bridge park.

Us.

Sometimes we ask our couples where they want to go for their engagement session… and meet them there… and then drive someplace completely different. Such is the case with Arshia and Mikeaya who asked for vineyards for their engagement session and got barren farmland and a tree farm instead. You can’t help when the muse strikes, right? The trick is having the right clients with you when it does. Judging by the 3 inches of mud that were caked to Mikeaya’s heels after we trudged out of the field and the awesome images that resulted that we had the perfect people with us. And, maybe in the end, we ended up right where we were supposed to be.

We’re big fans of shooting engagement sessions at people’s homes because there’s nothing as personal as someone’s living space. This was perfect for Bill and Amy, who originally planned to host their intimate wedding at their new home, but had to change plans when the offer on that house fell through. So, they were all for shooting their engagement session in the house they did purchase. We never saw the first house, but I have to say that this is one of those times when things happen for a reason. Bill and Amy ended up with a true mid century modern gem, designed by William Bernoudy. The house, originally a two bedroom but expanded later with the same vision, has no right angles. The hallways are standard height but open into rooms with angular vaults that impart a sense of space. The architect believed in a connection to nature so there are plenty of windows, walk out patios, gorgeous landscaping and tasteful pool. It was not the biggest house I’ve ever been in (especially considering we just toured the Biltmore) but it was by far the most impressive.

We learned all this in the few hours we spent with them and I’m sure by now Bill and Amy could tell you even more. And really all of this is to say Bill and Amy – If you ever want to sell your house, please call us. Of course, that rambling does little to tell you about Bill and Amy. Don’t fret, their wedding images will be up soon. Come back and I will tell you all about them.

Just Aaron today.

We have a literal avalanche of sessions to blog! Josh and Andrea were not the first in our season, but their e-session happened in our busiest stretch to date. I think the final total was 6 sessions in 3 cities in 9 days. Whew! Thankfully, Josh and Andrea live right in our new neighborhood and their favorite thing to do is poke around the area – going to restaurants, the farmer’s market and generally soaking in our awesome piece of south city St. Louis. And that seemed liked the perfect thing to do for their session. Enjoy!

Manuel and Caitlin are two of the most caring people we know. That’s easy to say about people, but they prove it each time we interact with them. Case in point: They are the only couple to ever burn a custom CD for us and bring it to an engagement session. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they’re wildly passionate about music. Still it displays their underlying care about the people in their lives, whether they are long time friends (Caitlin is a college friend of mine) or new acquaintances (that would be Aaron). They honestly care about people. And when you put them together and toss in a camera you can capture the deep care they have for each other. We had the pleasure of doing that one evening in Kansas City and I can’t wait to go back in October to celebrate and photograph their wedding!

Us.

Watch as the illusive Heather stalks her prey

Aaron vs. dead trees in shots. No contest.

The start of wedding season found us traveling to Kansas City frequently (so frequently that we’ve basically earned a free night at the Aladdin thanks to our numerous stays.) One of the benefits of making the drive is that we were able to hit up a few of our favorite restaurants (if you’re in Kansas City have your next lunch or dinner at The Westside Local. Get the quinoa. Thank us later), hit a few antique stores where we scored an awesome formica topped table for our new condo, and most importantly shoot some engagement sessions. Among those sessions was a relaxed Sunday shoot with Patrick and Liz. We got to spend a few extra hours in downtown KC during their e-session and we’re excited to be back in a little over a week for their wedding at The Hobbs Building. Enjoy!

Us.

In the space between when I made the move to St. Louis and when Aaron joined me, we continued to get inquires from couples in Kansas City and Aaron conducted consultations on his own. It was frustrating not to be have that initial contact with potential future wedding clients, but Aaron can clearly explain our philosophy and business on his own (in truth he can sometimes get carried away, talk to a couple for hours and make me think that he’s lying dead in another city… but that’s a story for another time). Michal and Melissa were one of the couples he booked solo, so the engagement session was my first chance to meet them. Of course they fit right in with the kind of people we normally attract: fun-loving, unpretentious, and laid back. They sealed the deal when I tossed out questions we would normally ask at a consultation. Their answer to “What gets you most excited about your wedding?” was “The photos!”

One of the things we’ve been looking forward to most about our move to St. Louis is the chance to explore a new city. So we went a little untraditional with Josh and Laura’s request for “green space” for their e-session and opted for a lot down by the river that turned out to be a foundation of an old building. After a little free form climbing, it turned out to be the perfect setting to capture the early morning light in March. Enjoy!

A few Polaroids from Josh & Laura’s E-Session. Plenty more to come.

Shot on Polaroid Alpha 1 Excecutive | SX-70 Blend Film