And while we're on the subject. . .

Theknot.com Love this website. Of course, we advertise with The Knot but every so often, we also go on the website and check out some of the articles. One of the best articles that I believe every engaged couple needs to read is this one. Every last point on this list is extremely true (except for possibly the last two. Photo booths are fabulous, yes, but not neccessary. And setting up a wedding shoot the day after? Sounds like a bigger hassle, but hey, we're just the photographers. . .) However, everything from choosing a wedding photography style to getting engagement pictures taken is a MUST.

Let's face it, there are LOTS of wedding photographers out there, and to be quite honest, most out there are very good and very similar. Really, it all comes down to meeting up with the photographer and finding the one you "click" with. We've been known to say that we don't accept every client that comes our way because we can tell at the consultation whether we'd be a good match or not. If you want lots and lots of posed, very traditional style pictures. . . then we might not be the best photographers for you. If you want lots of candid, photo-journalistic, off-the-beaten path photographs-- if you dig black & white, cool angles, and casual, soft, romantic moments, then we're for you. And that's our philosophy here at Artistic Imagery.

The Off Beat Bride

So after a fabulous consultation with a couple the other day, we checked out a website they gave us a heads-up on called The Off-Beat Bride. Pretty cool stuff, a little different than the traditional stuff we see a lot. It seems lots of couples in the past hand-full of years have switched to wanting less traditional weddings. In some aspects, we wish we would've had a less traditional wedding ourselves. Something about cool, artsy decorations and purple "wedding" dresses really sparks the artists in us (not that white dresses and flowers don't. . .). But either way, we got online and checked out some other photographer's websites from the West Coast (something we do fairly often) and saw some cool new ways of capturing weddings. We love getting inspired by seeing what other filmers and photographers around the country are doing. That way, our style is always changing, always adapting, always fresh. We never want to get stuck in a rut, covering every wedding the same way. Each couple is unique and we want to show their uniqueness in every detail of their wedding day.

So check out the website if you're looking for some different ways of planning your wedding day. That's all for now!

Todd & Holly

Todd & Holly were wed at a small Baptist chapel in Peculiar, MO. This marks our fourth wedding in a row down Hwy 71 and we are becoming quite familiar with the area. The wedding was mostly put together by family and friends from the Groom's stepmother baking the wedding cake to the Bride's homemade bouquet. The reception was held at the Lion's Club and the chocolate fountain was a hit with the kids! It was a hot day, that was for sure, but we found some nice, cool, shady places for some fabulous outdoor photos. The exterior of this church reminded us of something from the colonial south and we tried our best to utilize the brick and columns that graced the facad.

I love this next picture, taken from inside the church through the window in the door. Here's Holly, exhausted, plopped down in her dress and waiting for Todd to bring around the truck.

I think we should do an entire series one of these days on "groom's looks". There's so much love on a groom's face while he's gazing at his new bride. Here's a priceless one now:

And that's all for now!

Brenda & Ryan

August 8th will go down in memory as being one of the hottest weddings we have ever done here at Artistic Imagery. 105 degree index heat and an outdoor wedding at 5p. Brenda & Ryan planned ahead with gigantic fans, plenty of tents and lots and lots of water. It was a small wedding of mostly family and a handfull of good friends. The ceremony & reception were at Ryan's aunt & uncles' house which was situated on a beautiful plot of land in Peculiar, Missouri. With detours causing the wedding to run late and the bridesmaid's dress being forgotten, Brenda was a little beside herself. But the mother of the groom just reminded her that this was her and Ryan's day. People would wait for them. And everyone did wait and then they celebrated with a garden ceremony, lots of great food, and some rockin' music. For the reception, Brenda & Ryan changed into their "cool-down party clothes" and we got some great sunset shots.

Heather & Phil

We'd never even heard of A Frog Prince and GPS got us there in a VERY round-about way, but as we finally drove down the gravel driveway into the charming hideaway spot, we were awed by what we found. It was tranquil, rustic, eclectic. A great spot for a wedding, reception, getaway, you name it. Heather & Phil had their reception here after their ceremony was held at their place of worship. We here at Artistic Imagery are constantly working with some of the most wonderful couples. We always get asked "Do you deal with a lot of Bridezillas?" and maybe it's just pure luck or maybe we're just the type of people to attract great couples, but we rarely work with a couple we don't flat out enjoy. Heather & Phil were no exception. Although this was the first time we'd even met with them (everything having been set up through email and phone calls) it was a marvelous afternoon. They were genuine and fun-loving and we commented that we'd never seen such great dancing at a reception before (especially a dry one!). Everyone truely loved each other and Heather was nearly overwhelmed at the amount of people who attended the ceremony (more than what they'd been expecting). We could barely get through all the photographs on time because so many people stayed after the wedding to chat and congratulate the new bride and groom. What a great experience!

Tuscan Ballroom Bridal Fair

Yes, we got our photo taken in the KC photobooth yesterday at the Tuscan Ballroom Bridal Fair. We had a booth and we bonded with some other vendors. Among our favorites were Party Sounds DJ & Lighting, Unique & Yours Wedding planning (with beautiful table settings!), and the gals over at the Hampton Inn in Liberty. Everyone was so great and the food was so good and the brides were pretty down-to-earth. We got to talk to quite a few and we were glad to get some contact info for the coming 2011 season. We're looking forward to it already!