My First Bridal Session

Beyond promotional pieces, I've never done a real bridal session. For most of us wearing the wedding dress before the wedding is unheard of. For the frugal ones like myself- isn't that what the photographer is supposed to do the day of the wedding.

Amy's session took place because she had an amazing gown, that would not fit her soon to be daughter arriving this spring. But it does lend itself to the idea of scheduling a bridal session the day of the wedding.

After the hair and make-up and before the events of the wedding and reception. Just putting aside an extra 15-30 min to slow down and take some really amazing photographs in your wedding dress. There's something to be said for documenting the second most outward symbol of your wedding besides your rings and as much as is invested in this one garment, it certainly deserves more than 10 quick shots before moving onto bridal party photos.

The Lindauers

A double congratulations to CJ and Jen, not only for their wedding, but shortly there after they found out they are expecting too!

The Lindauers were married at Sun City Grand community center in the theme of "Sweet I Do's" with an abundance of pinks, flowers and sweets- like the too tempting cookie bar. I had to avoid that side of the room the cookies were so so good.

I'd also like to take a moment to congratulate Jen on all her hard work to become a healthier individual. Her hard work and dedication paid off in spades and she was a truly stunning bride, beautiful inside and out!

James & Christa

Like usual, I'm behind on posts, so like tomatoes falling from the high dive- Ketch up

James & Christa had a lovely fall wedding at Virginia's House in Glendale, Az. The historic home provided the perfect backdrop for their sun drenched nuptials. The couple, who had been together for the better part of a decade finally decided to tie the knot and surrounded by their family, friends and many of James's co-workers, they celebrated with fancy cheeses, spiderman chocolate cake and hobbles from Germany that playfully found their way into a host of images.

Congratulations to you both and thank you for welcoming us to your event like family.

Joe, Lindsay and their Save the Date

Joe & Lindsay met in the dorms at ASU, and between books, cram sessions and a handful of dates. Love blossomed and this summer they are getting married!

The oh-so adorably cute couple returned to their alma mater for some uber-cozy and romantic photographs. Cuddling and kissing on the steps of Hayden library to walking hand in hand toward the dorms where they first met.

I was fortunate enough to have the distinct privilege to design their save the date, and I hope their guests love it as much as I do :)

Sim & Calvin's Engagement

Cal & Sim are about to be married in a few weeks at one of the most hidden treasures in the valley- the Japanese Friendship Garden. I'm terribly excited to be shooting at the gardens, it's been a few years, and I'd likely give a left foot or at least a knee cap to shoot there year round. But I digress....:)

We spent roughly an hour just walking along downtown Tempe, the park, the lake and Mill ave. The best part being the 36" latex balloon that garnered lots of attention and was a really fun prop. Both being relatively quite, Sim's ideas for props were not only tons of fun, but really added a level of comfort and created playfulness I hadn't seen between them before.

Here are just a couple from their fantastic session. I can't wait for the wedding!

We're Named on the 2011 Wedding Professional Hot List

13 Jan, 2011 - MomentVille.com, one of the worlds leading wedding websites, has just announced that Moments in Film Photography has been selected for the 2011 Wedding Professional Hot List.

The annual Wedding Professional Hot List recognizes excellence within the wedding industry, as determined by reviews from tens of thousands of brides and grooms. Moments in Film Photography was among the best reviewed vendors in their area in the past year.

"The Wedding Professional Hot List recognizes best of class wedding professionals." said Geoff Evason, MomentVille's CEO. "Highlighting the success of the top wedding professionals is an exciting way to spread the word and help newly engaged couples find the right professionals for their own weddings."

About Moments in Film Photography
Allow us to capture the moments if you wedding to be relived for a liftime. Specializing in digital photojournalism/documentary photography in the Phoenix area. Member of PPA & WPPI.

About MomentVille
MomentVille.com offers engaged couples and wedding enthusiasts a one stop place for planning and sharing a wedding. Offering personal wedding websites, wedding planning tools, a gorgeous gallery of wedding pictures, a searchable list of reviewed wedding vendors, and lots of helpful and inspiring wedding content, MomentVille helps newlyweds with all aspects of their wedding. For more information contact media@momentville.com

Photo Booth....two sides to the prospect

I have now photographed 5 different weddings with photo booths. Let me explain the pros and cons and possibly help you make a decision that can save you money and a huge headache.

Photo booths are fun, exciting and novel ways to spice up a reception- these work well for dry weddings (no alcohol), weddings with a small number of guests and to fill up reception time if you're not choosing to do a garter and bouquet toss or any special dances.

That being said...These are things I've experienced seeing how they affect a reception. The bride is no longer the center of attention- sure she's gorgeous, but you can't play with her, the booth now becomes the pretty shiny thing that is a distraction. Guests will not leave the photo booth to watch you cut your cake or dance with your dad. Guests will choose a photo booth over dancing to the music you're paying your dj to play. And most importantly there are parts of your guests you don't want to see and daring someone after a few tasty beverages can quickly turn a photo booth into a skin fest with pictures you're certainly never going to want to see again.

Personally, I have found, with a handful of fun props made available during open dancing in your reception, you can still get great quality photo booth style photos with only a tenth of the cost.