A Change of Seasons.

As the end of February comes to an end so does the season. Sorry everyone, but we still have almost a month of winter left. The season that I'm referring to is the bridal fair season. There are bridal fairs scattered throughout the year, but January and February are without a doubt when the majority of them are held. It's not unusual, this time of year, for two, three or even four bridal shows to be happening simultaneously around town on any given Sunday. 

Why so many bridal fairs? There are a few good reasons. First of all, many girls receive rings at Christmas and during the holiday season. Naturally those newly engaged couples are anxious to begin the process of planning that most important day. There are also fewer weddings this time of year due to the lenten season and the weather, affording the vendors the opportunity to participate in the fairs. And finally, winter is simply a time when most peoples' weekend schedules have some flexibility. Once spring and summertime arrive there are many more activities vying for everyones' time. 

Bridal fairs are obviously a great resource for anyone planning a wedding. They're also an excellent opportunity for those involved in the industry to learn of new trends, products and expectations. Having the opportunity to speak with hundreds, possibly even thousands, of new brides is incredibly educational. Filling virtually every Sunday with bridal fairs can admittedly be exhausting but it's important and fun to listen to them talk about their plans and choices of vendors. The wedding industry is constantly evolving and for good reason. Each year brings an entirely new collection of potential customers. While not totally unique, but certainly rare in the business world, wedding vendors rarely serve the same customer twice. With each year's batch of brides come new ideas as well as vendors hoping to meet fill those needs or market their own new creations. 

There isn't an official wedding season but, due to Lent, the weekend after Easter is commonly accepted as the beginning of the season. Having some "down" time before the beginning of the season can be very inspirational. It's a great time to not only recharge but also to explore new ideas and opportunities. I'm certainly not too proud to look at the work of other photographers and "steal" good ideas from them when I see something especially unique or creative. Continued usage of the same locations, lighting styles or compositional elements is a formula for photographic stagnation. In an ever changing industry, the inability to evolve can't be part of the equation. 

I've always felt that the experience I provide a bride is equally important to the imagery I create. Helping guide them to other vendors with similar attitudes is important to me and I'm constantly building relationships with others in the industry. Sunday was one of the last fairs of the season and we found ourselves next to Jive and Wail. Jive and Wail is a dueling piano lounge with locations in Maplewood and St. Charles. Unfortunately the actual pianos were upstairs in the Bridal lounge, but it was still nice being next to the Jive and Wail crew. I've had the pleasure of working with the proprietor Spanky in the past doing rehearsal dinners and highly recommend this great form of entertainment. If we hadn't been located next to them, I would have never given much thought to locations for bachelor and bachelorette parties. We're rarely asked to photograph them. Hmmm... I wonder why?     www.jivenadwail.com

On the opposite side of us was another vendor new to the bridal fair scene, Build a Basket. Until speaking with Ellen I hadn't given much thought to the variety of wedding applications of the personalized gift baskets she creates. One of my favorites is definitely the St. Louis basket, filled with home town goodies such as Fitz's soda, Switzer licorice and Dad's cookies but her unique toilet paper cake was definitely an eye catcher and will be hard to forget! Her creations are artistic, beautiful and unique. Definitely worth checking out!    www.buildabasketstl.com

SURPRISE!

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of participating in an unforgettable surprise. A good friend of mine Melissa and her husband Matt celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary by having what Melissa thought was a simple dinner at Lombardo's restaurant. 

Little did Melissa know, but her incredible husband Matt had a little more in mind. When Matt and Melissa were originally married, as with many weddings, a few things weren't "perfect." The choice of whom to married however, certainly wasn't one of them!

In a single day, Matt managed to pull off the surprise of a lifetime by arranging to renew their vows at dinner. Not only did Matt manage to pull this off but incorporated a lot of fun into the surprise thanks to the incredibly accommodating folks at Lombardo's.

Matt began dinner by mentioning "introducing" that he'd love to renew their vows if only there were a ring. As luck would have it... there was the original best man with a new ring. The incredible Mike George of MSG jewelers not only managed to provide Matt with the new ring but also built it to compliment her present one.

Then if only they'd had a photographer because Melissa, now a photographer herself (shhh... she works for another studio and NO.. other photographers aren't my only customers) wasn't happy with her original pictures. I was more than happy to make my good friend Melissa cry by stepping into the room only to be followed by the... " now, if only we had a" ... minister Bob Barker.  A real minister... not the game show host. 

We followed a wonderful dinner by a rather chilly trip to the nearby City Garden for some fun late night pictures. Apparently Melissa and Matt's original photographer wouldn't go outside for pictures because it was cold and icy. It was cold last night too... but we warmed up after the session and from the look on Melissa's face... I'm guessing that later things got downright steamy!

The experience was wonderful and I'm thrilled to have been a part of it. Matt gets the kudos but I know that Matt is appreciative of all the vendors involved which is why I've named them. Matt honestly did this not only in a day but actually within a few hours. If it hadn't been for everyone involved it couldn't have happened. 

Good job Matt, both for making Melissa one happy girl and for setting the bar a ridiculously high for the rest of us guys! 

CONGRATULATIONS to both of you! 

Destination: HAWAII!

Destination weddings are incredibly popular. Often couples want something a little more unique than a traditional hometown wedding.

As a photographer it's wonderful to shoot in new and exciting locations. Places like Hawaii offer so many opportunities for great photos.

I appreciate being chosen as the photographer for every wedding I shoot. I do my best to make every bride and groom's experience a dream come true. When a couple has enough faith in me to take me along to their destination wedding, it is truly an honor.

Take a look at Laura and Matt's wedding on the beach in Oahu.

Engagement Session with J and Z

Saturday I had the pleasure of shooting J and Z's engagement session. While I truly enjoy working with all my couples, this shoot was especially pleasurable. J is a long time family friend. He grew up with my oldest son and has become quite a man. He is now engaged to a wonderful Russian woman, Z. They are a very urbanized couple and therefore elected to do an urban style shoot for their engagement session. I truly enjoy shooting urban scenes because the possibilities are truly endless yielding unique and exciting imagery every time.

We started at the new City Garden which I encourage everyone to visit and appreciate. I find the revitalization of downtown St. Louis wonderful, albeit long coming. From there, we headed north a couple blocks to find some great street and alley locations. We finished the shoot at St. Louis Union Station finishing it by toasting in the Grand Hall of the St. Louis Union Station Marriott,  formerly the Hyatt Union Station.  

I learned a lot about how J and Z interact, caught up with J a bit and learned more about Z during the time we spent together. Z looks and moves like an experienced model despite her lack of experience. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and surprised me with the admission that she'd never been in front of a professional photographer's camera before. J... well J was also a real pleasure to work with. Both Z and I agree that J is no model unfortunately. They were a lot of fun and had no reservations when it came to getting great engagement images.  I'm really looking forward to shooting the April wedding when we'll have even more time to create great stuff! 

I also now possess the knowledge that Russian custom requires a drink after glasses have touched as a toast. Don't toast with a Russian without taking a drink. You WILL be called on it. I'm looking forward to learning more Russian traditions! Under normal circumstances I limit my alcohol consumption to an occasional social drink with the Bride and Groom at the end of the night. I don't know if J and Z are going to allow me such a luxury at their wedding.  I may be taking a taxi home from Kemolls!