It’s especially nice when our work overlaps with our personal life. John knows the male half of this couple from his bicycle racing days. We were extra pleased when June and Todd chose us to photograph their lovely wedding at Aquariva in Portland. It was a sleek, stylish affair–with a bicycle theme running throughout.
A tandem bicycle motif graced various aspects of the day. From adorable invitations to the custom cake topper, the bicycle-built-for-two is an apt metaphor for marriage. As a tandem stoker myself, I know from experience that successful tandem riding takes the very same skills as a happy marriage: communication, compromise, patience, and the desire to stay in sync with one another. After watching this couple together for the day, it is obvious that they will do both beautifully. I’ll bet that for these two, picking the color of that tandem will be the hardest part of all. After looking at your yummy wedding photos, may we suggest white?
We hope you enjoy this little slide show of our favorites from your wedding day. Check back here Mid-September to see all the wedding day photos. Leave a comment if you’d like a notice when their gallery goes online.
Congratulations Todd and June. And June, thank you for being such a sport while we dragged you through the sticks in your gorgeous dress. From our perspective it was absolutely worth it. The photos by the willow tree are our very favorites of the entire day.
Here’s to miles and miles of smooth pavement–literal and metaphorical.
Oh, the agony! How to pick just a few for this sneak peek? Terra and Tim’s wedding had so many beautiful and meaningful moments, how can I possibly decide what to post here? Perhaps my criteria should simply be to choose what evokes the feeling of the day–which is easy now that I think about it. It’s simple: Terra adores Tim and Tim adores Terra. When she’s looking at him, you can see it in her eyes. When she’s waiting to see him, she shines. When she’s in his arms, she appears to be exactly where she belongs. And Tim? He’s the kind of man a woman wants to spend a life with. Strong. Sweet. Caring. Tender. He’s a man who could keep you safe on a dark New York street and cry over your love letter.
The part of the day that I felt it the most was when Tim and Terra enjoyed their first dance. They took the dance floor as the sun faded in the west. As the light became golden, Terra and Tim didn’t take their eyes off one another. The nerves and giddiness of the day were passed and now together they seemed at once lighter than air and also bonded permanently. Watching Terra’s eyes shine while she danced with Tim was pretty much the highlight of my day.
Thank you, Terra and Tim! And thank you, the Chaney’s and Williams’ for entrusting this day to our eyes and our cameras. I hope you enjoy these favorites in a slide show. I know we are looking forward to sharing all 494 gorgeous wedding images with you.
UPDATE September 2, 2010. Terra and Tim’s wedding gallery is now online. Go here to see all the photos from their lovely wedding day.
MyPortlandPhotographer is a site where 20 of Portland’s best wedding photographers post a new image each week. It’s a great way to get wedding ideas, learn about venues and see the awesome amount of talent in this city. You can even check to see which photographers are available on your wedding date. Each week Altura Studio posts on Monday. Here’s our photo for today. You can read more about Nathan and Kelly’s sweet Quaker wedding here.
Happy. Happy. Happy. It’s really such a simple word, but it perfectly describes everything about Kelly and Nathan’s sweet wedding at Anderson Lodge near Cougar, Washington. The day was a sweet, wonderful swirl of happiness in the woods.
We were especially looking forward to this day because we’ve never photographed a Quaker wedding before. We knew a bit of what to expect; that the service would be somewhat un-programmed. That there would be silence and maybe some speaking, or maybe not. But what I didn’t expect was how connected everyone seemed to become during that hour together. The ceremony began with 15 minutes of silence. At first it seemed very quiet. But then after a bit, you could begin to hear the breeze. And then the branches moving. And then maybe a bird call. I got very clear feeling about being exactly in that moment, doing only one thing in the present time. I can only imagine how it must have felt for Kelly and Nathan to be at the very center of that loving circle.
And after, were treated to the most beautiful light in the apple orchard as the day drew long. Then there was laughter and dancing. And pie!
Congratulations Kelly and Nathan! Here’s a slide show of our favorites of your special day. And in just a couple weeks, we’ll send you your proofs and mark the box, “The Coutsoubos’, General Delivery, Alaska.” I’m sure they’ll get to you.
The very lovely Marisa, who we photographed in July recently asked me to send some photos of her in her gown to her dress shop, Charlotte’s. When I quizzed her about why, she told me that Charlotte’s was writing a little feature on their blog about her experience. Because she had such a positive experience with Charlotte’s, I thought I’d share the love and pass along her raves here. The dress she chose was from Casa Blanca 1831. And her bridesmaids dresses were 2Be Social by Nathan Taylor.
In Marisa’s words:
My experience at Charlotte’s: Fantastic – Calming – Wonderful
After our wedding, I sent Charlotte’s a little thank you note of appreciation. My whole experience at the store was nearly perfect. My mother and I had been all over Portland at different wedding dress salons and ‘shops’ and were disappointed. When we arrived at Charlotte’s, it was pretty magical. We walked through the front door and there were chocolate covered strawberry’s (weekends only I think). Then, there was Oneida who immediately greeted us at the door with a smile (this was not something the other salons did). She then introduced us to the lovely Lauren who took such great care of us. After describing to Lauren what type of dress I had in mind, she came back with two dresses and the second dress was the one that I ended up purchasing that same day! Additionally, Lauren actually sketched (yes, a really nice drawing) of the alterations that I wanted. Her find was particularly miraculous because most of the wedding dresses this past season were all strapless. I was worried that I would not be able to find a dress with straps. Lauren is a genius because her measurements were nearly perfect. This transitions into my wonderful experience with seamstress extraordinaire Lorraine. She took such good care of me, not only for my wedding dress alterations (which were minor thanks to Lauren’s precise measurements) but also with my bridesmaids dresses.
What I liked most about working with Charlotte’s: The staff are courteous and thoughtful
Everyone at Charlotte’s made me feel like my time was valuable. Even when they were going through a re-model, they made sure that my appointments with Lorraine would not be impacted. The staff always called and emailed me to tell me the status of my wedding and bridesmaids dresses. They made me feel like I was a valuable customer. Honestly, Charlotte’s is like the Nordstrom’s of Wedding Dress Salons. Plus, the owner Krysta McLaughlin is the sweetest person and the way she interacts with her staff is awesome. I felt really good about supporting a local, small, female-owned, Northwest business.
I love when we can pass along the details of a wonderful experience. If any one else out there has a positive experience with a wedding vendor they would like to share, let’s collaborate on a love letter to them.
Oh, and here’s the 411 on Charlotte’s:
8925 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy
Portland OR 97225
Phone: (503) 297-9622 Contact
Of all the tasks I do at the studio, posting sneak peeks is my total favorite. The day I’m working on a sneak peek is the day I’m up to my elbows in gorgeous wedding photos. Proofs, album design, editing–there’s truly nothing I’d rather do. When I’m working with a sneak peek is when I’m completely in love with the photos, the couple, the location. It’s such a happy feeling.
And thus, I am practically bursting to post these wonderful images of Laurel and Kevin’s lovely wedding at Zenith Vineyards. It was a perfectly sunny summer day. Blue skies, not a cloud in sight. One of the cutest things was that Laurel and Kevin’s two dogs served as ring bearers. The retriever wore pearls and the little beagle, a bow tie. Tres adorable!
Here’s a few of our favorites in a slideshow of Kevin and Laurel’s wedding. Check back around the end of August to see all the images from the wedding day. If you’d like to receive a notification when their gallery is live, just leave a comment and I’ll drop you a note when it’s live. Congratulations Laurel and Kevin!
Shawn and Wendy seemed to have more fun than anyone on their wedding day! Check out every photo of Wendy: that beautiful smile never left her face. And Shawn is blessed with the most lovely kids. Shawn’s childrens’ toast to their father was a highlight of the wedding for me. Both halves of this couple seem to make and keep strong friendships from all arenas of their lives. There were family friends, work friends, childhood friends and lots and lots of relatives celebrating along with Shawn and Wendy.
The setting was a lovely private property in the Amity Hills. The day was bright, sunny and warm. After a sweet ceremony on the lawn, the group celebrated with dinner under two white tents, and as the sun set, the dancing began. The evening turned golden as Wendy had her first dance with Shawn, and moments after, everyone was groovin’ on the parquet dance floor.
Congratulations to you both. Here’s a little slideshow of our favorites from your lovely wedding.
UPDATE: 8/23/10 Click here to see all of Wendy and Shawn’s gorgeous sunny wedding photos.
I can’t think of a sneak peek that I’ve been more excited to post this year than Marisa and John’s. We had such a good time photographing their fun wedding at Pendarvis Farm. The whole day seemed to come in happy waves: the low key getting-ready wave, the hot and sweaty portraits wave (John and I hot and sweaty as we fruitlessly cast about for open, even shade), then the tender and sweet wedding wave (with a tradition I’ve not witnessed before, more on that in a minute), and then as dusk fell, truly the best after-wedding-party. Ever.
Ok, here was something really neat about their wedding ceremony. Instead of the officiant conducting the entire ceremony, John and Marisa’s friends one by one shared stories or observations about the couple. About their relationship. Or about the funny or kind or wonderful things they’ve done with and for each other. Or the sweet ways that John loves Marisa or that Marisa loves John. While an officiant can conduct a meaningful wonderful ceremony, wouldn’t it be fantastic to be married by the kind words and blessings of those who know you best and love you most? Makes me wish I could have a wedding re-do just so that I could have a ceremony just like theirs.
Here are a few of our favorite photos from the day. It was hard to edit down to this hundred or so. I didn’t get to put in all of the horses. Or the adorable kitten by the barn. But, hey, it’s a wedding, right? My favorite of the day: your perfect dance posture struck amidst a sunset vineyard. Only you two could pull that off. Congrats to you both. You two are the bomb.
See the slide show here.
And check back in about two weeks for John and Marisa’s wedding gallery. If you want an email when it’s posted, leave a comment below.
When I asked John just now what he found most memorable about photographing Jessica and Scott’s wedding in San Francisco, he surprised me by saying that it was the combination of beauty and grace. (The surprise being that John doesn’t usually describe things in that manner, or use words quite that, well…beautiful.) He explained to me that he enjoyed more than just the gorgeous setting and our wonderful bride and groom, but also that he could feel the quality of kindness and love that that surrounded Jessica and Scott all weekend long.
What a stylish bride! Jessica mentioned to me that she’d found her gorgeous vintage gown only a few weeks before. (now, that takes faith.) The one-of-kind stunner was absolutely perfect on her, as were her silver stilettos and the fantastic fur shrug she donned at the party.
And we’ve never met a more unflappable groom. From hello handshake to the goodbye hug (we’re always happy to get the “hug upgrade”) Scott was gentle, kind, and fully present every moment. It was wonderful to observe how happy Jessica makes him.
The weekend was one big whirlwind of love, happiness, tradition, family and celebration. Scott, Jessica; I wouldn’t be able to tell you my favorite part–I’d simply have to say, the whole thing.
Congratulations to you both. Here’s a slide show of our favorites.
UPDATE JULY 26, 2010. Jessica and Scott’s gallery is live. Follow this link to see all the images from the day.
Sometimes we feel a teeny bit disheartened when a prospective couple arrives at a get-to-know-you meeting with a photo checklist that they found in a wedding planning guide. Not because we mind a checklist, but rather because no list will do you or your wedding justice.
All our clients are completely unique. Crazily, warmly, lovingly unique. It’s the individuality of our wedding couples that we strive to find in our images–not the sameness that might be driven by a set of instructions of how your wedding day should go. (more…)
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