.:unconditionally:.

New Blog! (and Website!)

2011-06-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Everyone!

We have a brand new website and blog courtesy of Three Remain Productions!

This will be the last post on this blog, so check us out on the new one at:

www.aviaphotography.com/wordpress

And don't forget to check out the new website too!

www.aviaphotography.com

See you there!

.:Boom! Secret Ingredient to an Amazing Reception:.

2011-06-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

Many of you may not know, but I (Brian) consider myself a musician first and photographer second. I've been playing and composing music for as long as I can remember. Recently I've been able to set up a rockin' home studio, and hope to get that business going just as soon as our crazy busy wedding season concludes this year. Mallory has been pleasantly insisting I write a blog post about my new venture. This is NOT that blog post.

I mention all of this just to say: the single part of a wedding that I am most critical of is the music. A bad DJ will have me complaining for days about how he couldn't blend one song into the next, or how his EQ was off, or how his speaker's treble sounded to tinny. And then of course the DJ has to be a good emcee. A good DJ can keep the party rockin'. A bad DJ can ruin the entire day. We've encountered a handful of really good DJs, and a ton of really bad ones.

Before I started shooting weddings with Mallory, I had only attended two weddings. My entire perception of weddings came from the movies. Have you ever noticed in the movies, weddings almost always have live bands and not DJs? (see Adam Sandler's "The Wedding Singer") When we started shooting weddings, I remember thinking to myself, where are the wedding bands? What's with the DJ? While I've grown accustomed to DJs, I still find myself longing for a real wedding band. Saturday, I got my wish.

From the first few notes the bass player played warming up, I knew I was in love. The band is called Boom (you can find them at boomstl.com), and they, without a doubt, had the party jumpin'. There was many a time Mallory would look over at me and catch me grinning ear to ear, nodding my head in auditory enjoyment. I couldn't help myself. The drums were tight and driving, the guitar solos were soaring, the vocals were full of energy and emotion, the keys were rounding it out, and the bass..... oh that bass. I have a soft spot for the bass guitar (it is my instrument of choice), and let me tell you, if you like to groove, you'll love Boom. That's really the only way to describe them:

Pure Groove, Pure Fun.

They were playing covers of popular songs like "Soul Man" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", and of course doing a fantastic job. But what was even better, they were injecting their unique personalities into the songs and making them their own. On "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", which is a straight rock song, the bass player was filling it in with these deliciously funky Detroit Mo-Town licks that had me laughing out loud they were so good. These guys went way beyond just learning the songs. They took the time to make them their own, while still maintaining the original work. The end result: an amazing performance that I think they enjoyed playing just as much as I enjoyed listening to.

That's all fine and good, but what does it have to do with you?, I'm imagining you're asking. Well, I have never been to a reception with this much of a party atmosphere. I've never been to a reception where this large of a percentage of the guests were dancing. I've never been to a reception where people had more fun than they did tonight.

I know I'm at risk of gushing endlessly and becoming long winded, so I'll sum it up:

If you want to have the most fun possible at your reception, hire a real, live wedding band. If you want to know the best one I know, it's Boom. And that's saying a lot.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,

Brian

.:sarah + travis:.

2011-06-03T09:10:00.001-07:00

We met Sarah and Travis many months ago. We met and talked about all the people we knew in common. (I don't know what other photographers normally talk about when they meet with clients but we somehow end up on a lot of tangents on ours!) We talked a bit about the Forasteros (who are a rocking cool couple that I adore--think multi colored converse sneakers for their entire bridal party in addition to who knows how many tattoos on both of them and then add it to itinerant preachers/youth leaders and you've got the Forasteros pegged!). I went to the same campus ministry as both Amanda and JR Forasteros for awhile in addition to struggling my way through Spanish side by side with Amanda in school. But I digress! (This must be a pattern.) Not surprisingly, the Forasteros, J.R. especially, have been pivotal in Sarah & Travis' lives (seriously, if you knew them you'd instantly know why). Like many others here in Columbia, the Forasteros opened up Sarah & Travis to new life, new passion, and new love for people and Jesus in a whole new way. The Forasteros moved away from Columbia right after they got hitched a few summers ago but they've left a wave of good feeling and are (awesomely!) returning to CoMo to marry Sarah and Travis in August. We had many mutual friends and before we knew it Sarah, Travis, Brian and I had been talking for over an hour and we'd hardly gotten any photography stuff talked about! As our time progressed I suddenly had to remind myself that Sarah had told me they were looking at several area photographers and that is was possible that we wouldn't be theirs. "Bummer,' I thought, 'I really like these folks and these are the types of couples we love to shoot for." Wasn't I surprised when our meeting was drawing to a close (and we'd finally touched the photography business side that we meant to talk about in the first place!) that Sarah said we'd confirmed their suspicions that we were the right choice for them! Fireworks and Reese's Pieces! Yay!

Sarah and Travis both went to MU and grew up in the same youth group. They are that couple who figures out early on that they are a perfect match but has the patience to wait to marry until their schooling is done and careers secured. Smart cats. (Note: Brian and I were *not* that patient. We got engaged in April, booked our photographer in June, and got married in August! Though I am absolutely positively not sad or disappointed that we got married so quickly, I do wish we had at least hired a wedding planner to figure out all of our details!) Sarah got a job in KC (where we will be moving in a few months--but no worries, we'll still be shooting St. Louis/Columbia/KC weddings all of 2012) and so, since we're headed that way eventually, anyway, we all decided to do their shoot in KC.

One of the things I enjoy about Sarah is her mind. She is a thinker, and a great one at that! Along with Sarah comes her exceptional organizational qualities and her ability to get things done ahead of time. WAY ahead of time. (I'm hoping that she will rub off on me!) Regardless, Sarah polled friends on her facebook for perfect spots to shoot in KC (since she and Travis are originally from Columbia, too!) and sent me a list several weeks in advance. We ended up amidst the fantastic West Bottoms and ended across from Crown Center.

[[Having never visited the West Bottoms before, Brian and I fell madly in love and, needless to say, on our way home Brian was brainstorming finding enough capitol to purchase one of the old buildings. My questions of "And where would we get the money and then what the heck would we do with it?" hardly seemed to slow his mind down.]]

I think we may be in love with KC And, of course, Sarah & Travis. Happy Friday! We're off for a date afternoon/evening followed by a two wedding weekend!

So cute!

Optical illusion. The world turned upside down. = )

Isn't Sarah breathtaking?

They are so sweet!

It started to lightly drizzle, which was an excellent time to pull out Sarah's fun and funky umbrella.

Seriously, I felt like we were on the set for Jumanji. Anyone else remember that movie with Robin Williams?

I *love* this one!

I wish I had the vision and imagination for this kind of graffiti.

Nice message but what's wrong with this picture?

I need this in my living room.

Who turns their parking garage into a wall of books? Why Kansas City's library, of course!

Sarah picked out such great tops with pizazz and color.

When it started to drizzle a little harder our options were: 1. Quit. 2. Get creative. We chose the latter. LOVE it!

Imagined subtext: "I'll save you, Sarah!" (We were not in danger of being run over, despite being in the center of a 5 lane street in KC).

Gah! Beautiful!

This one makes me smile. If you were only there...

I LOVE that this is Travis' "serious face". We are SO using that come August.

Awwwwww...

After all that light drizzle, may I ask how Sarah's hair still stayed so perfect. Jealous. Yup, I said it.

I don't know what makes me like this shot so much!

If you want to know a little more about Sarah & Travis, you have to look at their shoes. Some of you may recognize these Tom's. Every pair you purchase Tom's will give a pair to a child in need. No joke. Check out their website here. It's totally legit and totally awesome and I am totally getting a pair.

Go out and save the world, people!

Mallory (& Brian)

.:kathleen + michael:.

2011-06-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Kat & Michael's engagement shoot in Salisbury was a new adventure. If the shoot was a book and I was titling the book, it would probably be entitled "The Salisbury Adventures of Mallory, Brian, Kat, & Michael and The Mystical (and Not So Mystical) Creatures and Mysteries They Encountered"

We should have known this engagement shoot would be different. First off, we were in Salisbury (which has a mural on the side of an old storefront which tells the history of the town that, oddly, none of us were able to cipher). Second off, it was Michael's birthday. (I know, right? What a totally awesome dude to give up the morning of his 26th birthday to hang out with two yahoos taking his photos for several hours. Brian would have demanded Taco Bell immediately prior and post as a treat!) Thirdly, we were starting off on a farm. And, fourthly, we were in Salisbury.

We met Kat last summer at Megan & Ben's wedding. Kat was the quiet one off to the side. She wore a pink dress from David's Bridal and, as Megan's wedding was one of the first of our season, I hadn't yet seen that awesome cotton dress with a little shimmer and pockets to boot and so I was quite enamored the entire day. Fast forward. Kat isn't wearing a bridesmaid dress from David's Bridal this year because she is now the one getting married! Michael and Kat are longtime sweethearts from Salisbury and so we headed on up to Salisbury for our second (yup, second! we did a fun family last fall out there) shoot out there. We started out at her family's old barn (where we encountered the most snuggly kitten ever in addition to spotting a bird nesting a few feet from us) and then worked our way downtown where we not only did a makeshift celebration with cupcakes for Michael's birthday but encountered mysterious green sludge (I'll give a packet of Nerds to whomever can identify what it is-see photo at end of the post) in addition to another sweet cat (this one tail-less!) and finished up downtown amongst Salisbury's cool old storefronts. You'll see these two cats (no pun intended) again in October where I can't wait to make use of Salisbury's downtown again!

Awwww.... she loves him!

Meet Kat. = )

Happy Birthday, Michael!

Reminiscent of Michelangelo's famous painting, although our subject matter wasn't quite as serious!

Kat looks pretty hot. Now if you only saw her yellow heels...

In front of the Salisbury mural. Kat looks a-MAZING!

Old gas station. SO cool!

This would make for a great caption contest...

I *love* her faces.

Love and kitties, (Notice the adorable kitten that Brian is *surprise* holding? And you can see the bird in nest and tail-less cat? Told you there were a lot!)

Mallory (& Brian)

P.S. I will seriously give a box of Nerds to the first person who can identify this mysterious green sludge that we encountered. It smelled like seaweed. Blech.

The Upper Crust

2011-06-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

What does “The Upper Crust” really mean anyway? Webster defines it as “the highest social class” and lists its synonyms as “best, choice and elite”. If you would have asked me back before I moved to Columbia, I would have directed you to America’s premier aristocratic fop-rock band by that name www.theuppercrust.org (I particularly enjoy their AC/DC style tribute to Marie Antoinette entitled “Let Them Eat Rock”). Of course if you are from Columbia, you know The Upper Crust means The Upper Crust Bakery, Columbia’s best destination for all things soup, sandwich and beyond (sorry Panera) http://www.theuppercrust.biz/. So when we got the call to do a shoot with The Upper Crust Bakery, we were equal parts honored and excited.

Many of you know The Upper Crust has fantastic breakfast and lunch menus, as well as an amazing array of baked items and catering options. What you might not know is that they are extending their menu and hours to cover dinner as well. We had the opportunity to shoot and sample some of the new dinner entrees, and I can assure you that “best, choice and elite” certainly are fitting adjectives. But please don’t take my word for it. Hurry in and try out the new dinner menu! You’ll be glad you did. Being in the wedding industry, we can more than enthusiastically recommend The Upper Crust to cater any event you may have as well.

Here are a few highlights from the shoot. Do be careful, it WILL make you hungry!

Wishing you smooth sailing on the seas of cheese,

Brian

.:jenny & nate:.

2011-05-30T19:13:00.001-07:00

Jenny was that beautiful girl in school who always did well. You know the one that all of the teachers loved? And Nate was... well... not quite as occupied with achievement as Jenny was growing up in school. The two grew up in Kirksville together but were never really part of the same crowd ("Clearly," Jenny would say). As fate would have it, though, the pair ended up at Mizzou together and were re-introduced through mutual friends. Nate told his best friend that Jenny was most definitely the girl he was going to marry. Well, Jenny wasn't so sure about this. Despite his persistence, Jenny kept Nate as a good "guy friend" (which many men think spells doom) but finally after three years, she gave in and went on a date with the guy. It turned out to be a great decision as, well, you can see they ended up here! Now inseparable, Nate keeps Jenny grounded and helps her to not worry so much about the little details while Jenny keeps Nate striving for everything he can be.

As the story often goes as of late, Jenny contacted me on Monday of their wedding week to warn me about the impending forecast--60% chance of rain--and did we have a backup plan for the outdoor photos? So Jenny and I did a little pre-game brainstorming but, as always, I assumed the chance of rain would disappear. And, sure enough, Friday the chance was 70%-80% for all day on Saturday but by Saturday morning the chance had completely disappeared. Yay for no rain!

It was an absolutely beautiful day! We started out at Aesthetic Studio (http://aestheticstudio.net/) for Jenny to get her makeup airbrushed. (The awesome thing with airbrushed makeup is that it doesn't. come. off. Seriously. Sweat. Tears. Nothing can faze that stuff! A-mazing!) and went back to The Gathering Place B&B (http://www.gatheringplacebedandbreakfast.com/) to finish her hair and get dressed. There I encountered the amazing Tessa Glenn from JCPenney's salon who did a fantastic job on Jenny and her mom and sister's hair! We did a few shots at the B&B with Jenny's entourage of beautiful bridesmaids and then made our way to the Winston Churchill Memorial (http://www.churchillmemorial.org/Pages/default.aspx). When Nate laid his eyes on Jenny in her perfect gown and amazing veil his jaw almost dropped. Jenny is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. She has a jawline and cheekbones that most of us would kill to have and, well, it's pretty hard to take a bad picture of her (despite her insistence that she only has a few good angles). We got to take a few of the two of them before we started the day.

Jenny picked out so many magical details. There were peacock feathers galore (did I mention that I *LOVE* peacock feathers?) pewter birdcages, gorgeous frames with their pictures, a guestbook we put together that had all of their favorite engagement photos, rose petals to line the aisles, and tons of amazing details Jenny plucked from Etsy! (http://www.etsy.com)

The bridal party took a Trolley back to Columbia and we snagged a few photos in between. When we finally made it to the Tiger Hotel for their reception, everyone was ready to get out of their high heels and enjoy the evening! Edith Hall did an a-MAZING job on Jenny & Nate's cake, which echoed the design of Jenny's dress and the fantastic Tessa did a quick change up with Jenny's hair, turning it into a fishbone side ponytail with a great hairpiece Jenny had just for the occasion. With photos on the rooftop, the dances, and the the Cupie Shuffle under our belt we ended our night with a bang.

Jenny picked up some GORGEOUS white peacock feathers to accent her own bouquet.

Tessa came to the B&B that morning to fix Jenny's hair and did such a great job!

Jenny found beautiful matching earrings for all of her bridesmaids but her sister, Gentry, couldn't resist finding a pair for their mom.

So while the girls were getting gussied up, Nate was with his groomsmen and the men of the day eating at a Columbia favorite, Shakespeare's Pizza! (www.shakespeares.com)

Jenny and Nate did a "First Look" which allowed us to get some fantastic images of the two of them beforehand and get everyone to the reception faster afterwards. These are always some of my favorite times of the day!

Gah! Jenny is so beautiful!

Jenny *loves* planning and poured herself into the details of it all. She settled on a warm purple with gold and hunter green accents that just looked breathtaking. Not to mention the peacock feathers that were scattered throughout so much of the day!

I *loved* this ringbearer pillow she got from Etsy. See the peacock feathers made in sequins?

The adorable flower girl's grandparents were in from Japan and so it was so fun to watch them oogling at their ridiculously precious granddaughter!

A wedding isn't a wedding without a ringbearer or a flower girl doing something out of the ordinary. This little guy sprinted. Seriously. Sprinted. Up the aisle.

Going up the aisle escorted by her father and leaving at the arm of her new husband. = ) I love the symbolism!

See what I mean by most gorgeous church ever?

Bubble exit!

On our way back to Columbia we stopped to take a few shots of the bridal party and Jenny and Nate. I *love* this old house. It made for some great dramatic shots.

And, of course, the bridal party was quite entertained by good company and good beverages on the trolley on our way back.

Jenny found all sorts of bird cages to put on the tables. This one was my favorite!

Edith Hall did a fan-TASTIC job on the cake. I've sampled a lot of cakes in my day and I have to honestly say that Edith's *always* not only look amazing but taste overwhelmingly good. And that says a lot because... well... I generally think that wedding cakes taste a little like cardboard.

Assuming Jenny likely warned him prior, Nate did not smear the cake in Jenny's face.

\
One of the cool things about the Tiger Hotel is that Tina will let you go out onto the roof for some shots! Gorgeous! And check out Jenny's reception hair!

Man love. = )

"Party like it's 1999!"

And for those of you who are curious, here's the rundown of Jenny & Nate's vendors:
Flowers: Allen's http://www.allensflowersinc.com/
Cake: Edith Hall http://cakeswiththepersonaltouchbyedithhall.blogspot.com/
Hair: Tessa Glenn from JCPenney Salon
Make-Up: Aesthetic Studio http://aestheticstudio.net/
Trolley: White Knight Limousines http://www.gowhiteknight.com/fleet/limousines?gclid=CJj2k9iOkakCFZQbKgodhHcjpA
Dress Designer: Casa Blanca http://www.casablancabridal.com/

Happy planning!

Mallory (& Brian)

.:p.s.:.

2011-05-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

P.S. Carolyn came by with that bag of yellow Reese's Pieces. Win. We. Are. Blessed.

.:elaine's baby bump:.

2011-05-24T13:50:00.001-07:00

Page 1: Meet the Arfts. We love them. You will, too.

So I know we are supposed to be objective and all and love all of our clients equally. But, seriously, we *love* Justin and Elaine. Maybe it was the pie fight engagement shoot that Brian and Justin cooked up together. Maybe it was Elaine's artistic flair? Maybe it was Justin's love of music and Elaine's love of art. Maybe it was just their awesome laidback personalities. Who knows? Regardless, we liked them instantly. (You can see their wedding here)

Elaine finally joined the facebook age last Fall and we found out shortly thereafter that the pair was with child. What! How exciting! Justin contacted us recently for some gorgeous pictures of his breathtaking wife (because seriously, Elaine is beautiful) to document the momentous occasion. Elaine and Justin have an assortment of photos up in their house, including a beautiful one of Elaine's mother from years ago. When we arrived at the couple's new home (I know, new home owners *and* new parents not to mention the fact that Justin just started school again this last fall!) we were reminded again why we love them so much. Elaine said she was sad to find that there were almost no photos of her mother documenting that gorgeous baby bump and so Justin decided to surprise Elaine with photographs. Well.. with us taking the photographs!

So that morning, as I often do, I prayed and listened and waited for inspiration. I saw coffee (perhaps reminiscent of their engagement shoot at Lakota which you can find here from way back when) and I saw markers. Crayola washable markers. On Elaine's belly. Maybe it was the Chinese purple yam & black sesame seed cereal I ate that morning or maybe it was remembering the cool diagram Justin & Elaine made for their wedding years ago. But regardless, I liked the idea. I came totally willing to be rejected but I was pretty positive we'd find Justin & Elaine agreeable subjects. When we posed the idea as Brian and Justin were gently playing Justin & Elaine's new baby-proof side tables (that happen to be magically tuned an entire step apart) they were totally on board. Let the fun begin!

So we spent a great morning catching up with the two of them, talking about baby bumps, the root of white smalltown anger (where Brian and I are both from), and taking some great photographs. I *love love love love love love love love love* lifestyle portraiture. *Sigh* and when I get to make lifestyle portraits with awesome folks like Justin and Elaine I leave super happy.

So instead of the regular old photo pasting, today we'll tell a story (albeit not a well-told nor proper one, but a story nonetheless).

Page 2: Justin is pretty much awesome. Seriously.

Page 3: Elaine is an absolutely beautiful artist turned nurse who is equally awesome (though much prettier, sorry, Justin).

Page 4: And they are expecting an addition. Can you tell?

Page 5: The addition is named Henry. It has a great ring to it, doesn't it? Henry. You could even pronounce it Henri, sometime. I don't think Henry will be the type of chap to mind.

Page 6: The Arfts are casual folks. They "go with the flow" and love people. They are the type to put folding tables in their back lawn with vintage table cloths (that somehow match without matching), hang white christmas lights, grab some pumpkin beers, and invite a lot of friends to come join them in a night of revelry, laughter, and spontaneously forming bands comprising of banjos, recorders, and makeshift drums.

Page 7: When they found out they were with child they purchased a home. They are now officially adults (and, as such, ready to be parents).

Page 8: They are simultaneously nervous and ridiculously stoked. But all of those who know them know that they will be absolutely overwhelmingly amazingly rocking parents who will not only set great boundaries but encourage their kids to love deeply and give to others.

Page 9: They have the coolest baby mobile (at least that I've ever seen) hanging above Henry's crib, just daring for him to come and join them.

Page 10: The mobile is hanging next to a giraffe painting that Elaine's grandmother did and a new painting that Elaine's best friend Mary Jane did. Henry will be loved and creatified.

Page 11: Elaine and Justin have already picked out some great classics to read to Henry. Stories that comforted them from their childhood.

Page 12: Henry is so blessed, he is going to be born to parents who know how to laugh with one another and not take themselves too seriously.

Page 13: Not only do his parents know how to laugh, but Justin and Elaine dearly love one another. Not that ooey gooey mushy kind of infatuation love. But the love that is patient and kind and not envious nor boastful nor rude but rejoices in the right and keeps no record of wrong. You know, that enduring, agape kind of love.

Page 14: They cannot wait for Henry to come join them next month! It's like he's the guest they've been waiting for all along!

Page 15: Henry will be surrounded by turquoise and lime and salmon and chocolate and red and emerald and amethyst and amber and periwinkle and sage and all sorts of amazing colors that will make his little eyes want to explore.

Page 16: Some day, when Henry is grown, he can look back at the photos of his mom and dad when they were young and skinny and didn't have as many wrinkle lines from laughing and see that he was a welcomed addition. He'll be surprised to realize that they were just as cool young and skinny as they were old and gray-headed and wrinkly.

Page 17: Elaine was so beautiful we needed to showcase the colors, the light, and that big bump.

Page 18: She talked about her struggle at times of just feeling like a fat woman who suddenly had varicose veins. But she realized, being a nurse in the burn unit, that we often don't see ourselves correctly. She sees her patients all covered in burns as still beautiful, even when they don't see it. And so if they can be beautiful with burns, then she needed to realize that her growing belly and increasing smile lines and darker veins were still somehow, beautiful, too.

Page 19: Elaine realized that we have a lot to be thankful for. Health. Homes. Family. Jobs. Spots on our legs without varicose veins. An amazing husband. And, really, if we spend all of our time thinking about the things we hate about ourselves or our lives, we'll miss the things that we love and fail to appreciate them. So this photo is an appreciation of all that Elaine is. And will be. And was for others.

Page 20: Finally, though, before it started raining, it was time to draw out baby Henry's own story. But what to draw? Things that Henry would love or become, maybe? Cool words in Greek and Latin that only Justin could read?

Page 21: Unfortunately, drawing is Elaine's forte, not Justin's. So, while Justin can most definitely read and write obscure classical languages and pick up and play almost any instrument, it appears that Elaine may have to do the drawing.

Page 22: Have no fear! Elaine is so good at drawing that she can even draw a dinosaur upside down.

Page 23: So here's baby Henry's life at a glance. Got it all?

Page 24: Whoops, looks like we forgot to grab Jack for his photo op. Jack loves babies, especially Henry.

Page 23: We are patiently looking forward to your arrival, baby Henry, and can't wait for you to come and join the awesome Arfts. We bet you'll like them even more than we do. = )

---

Thank you all, again, Justin & Elaine, for your hospitality, your graciousness, and, well, being awesome.

Babies and puppies,

Mallory (& Brian)

.:abbey & spencer:.

2011-05-23T16:37:00.001-07:00

Abbey and I and her mom Carolyn (who is AWESOME!) met years ago. I think the three of us instantly fell in love. Our hearts were the same and we just saw life in such a similar manner. Their joy was contagious and, well, I like joy! Across the years, even as Abbey went off to school, Carolyn and my paths crossed several times. Then I heard via facebook (isn't that how so much information gets transmitted nowadays?) that Abbey was engaged. I *knew* that Spencer had to be spectacular just because Abbey is so amazing. But when Abbey contacted us in early winter with kind words about our photography and the question if perhaps we were available on her date, we were SO excited! A few months later and we were officially Abbey & Spencer's photographers. Needless to say, even though we hadn't even met Spencer at that point, we were psyched!

Since we weren't doing an engagement shoot for Abbey & Spencer, we all chose instead to sit down one afternoon and go through the schedule. (Brian and I learned long ago that for both our sanity and for the couple's sanity, we always put together a timeline of photos, a list of who gets photographed, and a pretty specific schedule for the wedding day with the couple, it makes for much smoother transitions and a whole lot less stress when both the photographers and the couple knows what is happening next!) Though our meeting was intended for just a short meet and greet to get to know Spencer and do a rundown of the day, our introductory meeting turned into a hangout session as we all talked about life, about God, about marriage, about thanksgiving, about personality differences and how they play into a marriage, about wedding planning. Brian and I ended up teaching a class on marriage this semester. Every Friday we gathered for a potluck and anywhere from 6-15 eager mostly-Chinese students who were curious about what the Bible and this young couple could tell them about marriage gathered. As we worked through Tommy Nelson's study on the Song of Solomon (you can find free copies of his, seriously, life-changing podcast here ) we began to be able to put into words, for the first time, just why exactly marriage has been so, well... not too hard, for us. We realized a lot of it was just making one another a priority and the like but we also came across one of the most amazing concepts put into words. It's called the Policy of Joint Enthusiastic Agreement.

Here's the gist. Many times when we start in relationship or a marriage both parties are in a state of Intimacy and generally act as what we would call Givers. What a Giver does is sacrifice his/her own needs for his/her spouse's needs. Any time your spouse asks for something, even if if means you have to make a sacrifice, you willingly oblige. Why? Because you LUUUV each other. So the you two continually make sacrifices. "Husband, you want to go out with the guys this weekend instead of spend time with me? Well... okay, I guess so." "Wife, you want to buy an expensive purse we can't really afford? Well... okay, I guess." Suddenly, at some point, the slumbering Taker comes into play. The Taker sacrifices his/her spouse's needs for his/her own needs. You're tired of continually spending your Friday nights alone cleaning while your husband is out playing around. He is tired of having to work overtime just so he can pay the bills and you can go shopping. Suddenly it doesn't matter what your spouse wants, you will do anything you can to make sure that your needs are met, often regardless or in spite of your spouse's needs. This is when you enter into a state of Conflict. This state is not fun, so it often acquiesces quickly into a state of Withdraw where the couple stops fighting and begins to live separate lives. You stop fighting for your marriage because it doesn't seem worth it anymore. In this state couples are emotionally divorced so they often turn to actual divorce. But no worries, there is still hope, especially if you aren't even married yet! (And even if you are, if you want to read more about these states or how one spouse can take the other back into a state of intimacy from Emotional Withdraw, check out this URL).

Anyway, the way to prevent this spiral downwards we use what we call the Policy of Joint (Enthusiastic!) Agreement. All the time. It may seem like an overwhelming task at first, but I promise you from experience that it gets easier as you practice it! So we've talked about Givers and Takers, right? Neither is actually healthy because being a Giver leads to bitterness and resentment whereas being a Taker leads to inflicting incredible wounds on your spouse and building distrust and barriers between the two of you. We don't want either, right? So the Policy of Joint (Enthusiastic!) Agreement is that you make a decision as a couple not to do anything unless you BOTH enthusiastically agree. Not reluctantly agree. Not give in to avoid conflict. Not sacrifice this time and your spouse sacrifice the next time. Enthusiastically agree every time, even on annoying habits!

Here's an example of what normally happens in marriage:
"Hey, honey, I just got out of the office and I'm going to go down to the bar to have a few drinks with the guys."
"Well that's not fair. I have to watch the kids while you go out and have fun? I want to go out sometimes, too."
"Well how about this, you watch them tonight and next week I will watch them while you go out with your girl friends. Will that work?"
"Fine. I guess. Go have your fun, guess I'll eat dinner by myself taking care of the kids."

What happened? The husband was being a Taker and the wife a Giver. It seemed they put together an acceptable solution, right? The wife sacrifices this week so that next week the husband will sacrifice. Seems fair, right? Well... kind of. But the problem is that the couple created a win-lose scenario. This time the husband wins and the wife loses. Next week the wife wins and the husband loses. Over time, this becomes exhausting and bitterness and separation happens. The Policy of Joint Enthusiastic Agreement strives for win win solutions. Well, what would be a win win solution, you ask?

Let's see it again:
"Hey, honey, I just got out of the office and I'm going to go down to the bar to have a few drinks with the guys."
"Well that's not fair. I have to watch the kids while you go out and have fun? I want to go out sometimes, too."
"Well I just feel really exhausted and need a break from the kids."
"So do I."
"Well... why don't we call your parents? They've been begging to have the kids for awhile. Why don't you drop the kids off at your parents and come join the guys and I and then we can both have a night off together."
"Hey, that's a great idea! I like that one! I'll call my parents and see if they are available."

They just created a win-win scenario where both husband and wife won! If two married persons aren't agreeing on something then they need to sit down, figure out what they both want at the core (both husband and wife wanted a night off) and then figure out a way to do something that makes them both happy. If there are arguments or raised voices or one of you needs time to think about possible solutions (most introverts need time to brainstorm) then stop the discussion and set a time later that day or the next morning to discuss it again. Brainstorm recklessly until you find an idea you both like!

Some dear friends of ours were in a situation that was causing us to worry as they had entered into that state of Conflict I mentioned above. The wife of the couple kept demanding the husband lose his last 10 lbs. that was keeping him overweight and preventing him from being accepted into the military. (In accordance with her wishes, he had tried to join the military the previous summer but had been told he had to lose the 10 lbs. first). The problem was that the husband didn't really want to join the military. His friends know him as a warm, empathetic, sensitive guy who will bend over backwards to help anyone or anything. Realistically, not quite your typical military personnel type, which is the program he was looking into. However, every time he tried to broach the subject with his wife that he wasn't so sure the military was for him, she would get upset and tell him it was the only option and that he needed to step up and be a man. They would both cut the argument short for the sake of peace. He had decided that his only (unhappy) option was to go into the military and take drastic measures to lose the weight, regardless of how it made him feel. Well, having learned about the Policy of Joint Agreement, when we found out, we sent them the URLs with the information and suggested that the couple sit down and try again, this time keeping the Policy of Joint Agreement in mind as they went through the steps for conflict resolution since, clearly, both were not enthusiastic about the decision. (You can find those URLs here and here). The two sat down and figured out the root of both of their desires and what they really wanted. As they used the guidelines to discuss their conflict, they discovered something. When he asked if the most important thing to her was that he join the military he discovered that the most important issue to her was not that he join but that they just get out of their current city and state. This was news to him, but exciting news, nonetheless! After doing some research, they discovered that his current job had offices in quite a few other states and that his location would be open to him transferring to a position in another branch, in another state. They found an opening in a state they both agreed upon and decided that they would just transfer jobs. Problem solved! The power of resolving conflict with the Policy of Joint Agreement. Both of their Givers were satisfied because the other spouse was satisfied and their Takers were satisfied because they also got to do what they wanted to do. If we could all learn to follow this!

So I guess that was a huge digression! Can you see how excited we are about healthy marriages? In our Friday studies this semester we discussed the fact that we all spend so much time and money and effort studying to become experts in our career field. We go to seminars. We take college courses. We research proper techniques and resume formats. But on our marriages often we do so little planning which is so sad because marriages can be the bane of our existence if we let them devolve!

So, needless to say, Abbey, Spencer, Brian and I had a great time talking about many of these fantastic concepts to keeping marriage healthy. I'm sure a few more will creep into to blogs before summer ends, but this one will suffice for now.

The day prior to Abbey and Spencer's wedding it rained. And rained. And rained. And, as usual, people were slightly worried that outdoor photos that Saturday would be out of the question with the rain. But have no fear, Avia's no-rain streak was here! No rain. At all. Though their wedding day had no rain, it was a little chilly. But thankfully Abbey and Spencer decided to do their first look prior to the wedding. The family and guests were all enormously relieved as it meant almost no waiting time for them. We got all of the photos done prior to the ceremony so by the time that Abbey and Spencer walked down the aisle at Faith Family Church in Fayette, they were as relaxed as they could be because all of the hard work had been done! It was time to enjoy their day!

Abbey walked down the aisle to a song the pair had picked out. As she began to come down the aisle we heard a voice that wasn't as familiar but it was absolutely beautiful. It was Abbey's! Abbey recorded the track with her vocals to surprise Spencer. And surprise she did. Spencer, who is not normally as emotive as Abbey, was stunned and overwhelmed by his beautiful bride. From my side I saw Abbey have to hand over her handkerchief to her new husband. Tears are good when they are tears of joy and awe at the life you are about to take part in. Abbey and Spencer decided that they wanted their ceremony to have an eclectic mixture of old and new. Of history and contemporary. They were married beneath a Jewish chuppah to symbolize their faith, their roots, and the new life and home they would build together (Abbey left for Iowa the next day with Spencer!). Instead of a wine glass or unity candle, they did layers of sand in different colors to symbolize their lives intertwining. They began first with white sand which their pastor laid to show their foundation which they both built upon. Finally the pastor finished off the top with the white sand to show that their marriage is under the covering of the Church.

After the ceremony we headed into Columbia to Reynold's Alumni Center. It was decorated beautifully with their theme colors of light blue and brown. And, to top it off, we had some of the most amazing reception food to date: fajitas! We all got to make our own and, if I hadn't still been keeping track of calories as I work on slimming down, I definitely would have been back for a second plate. (Brian, who is not counting calories due to his extraordinarily high metabolism, did go back for seconds. And maybe thirds). A friend from Faith Family made Abbey & Spencer's cake and did a beautiful job. They had Reese's Pieces in brown and orange to match with the Birds of Paradise and the chocolate-covered decor. And to top it off, there was a sweet monkey who guarded the goody bags for guests to use. Abbey had purchased it months ago in the midst of wedding shopping as it matched their colors. It became a running amusement to photograph the monkey with decor for the wedding throughout the process. Needless to say, of course the official wedding monkey had to be photographed with their rings.

Since Abbey & Spencer had an early reception that was sans alcohol and dancing, we got to leave a little early and head out to Rocheport, where we took some great photographs of the two of them (it had finally warmed up!) and Spencer surprised his bride with a beautiful B&B room for their first night together.

Isn't love grand? Enjoy Iowa, you two lovebirds!

Abbey is SO gorgeous! After I showed her this photo in camera I think her words were something to the effect of, "Wow, I look hot." Her mom and I giggled. Yes, Abbey, you do look hot!

One of Abbey's bridesmaids taking a quick lunch break. Because you MUST plan to eat lunch on your wedding day. I don't care how many coffees you've had that morning that have emptied you of all desire to eat. You must put something nourishing in that belly. Abbey and her mom were on top of it, though. Carolyn's friend Karla put together a great tray for everyone.

First looks are fantastical!

Carolyn's friend Karla embroidered all of the ladies antique handkerchiefs. Aren't they darling!?!

Every time I think of the word "chuppah" I want to start singing songs from Fiddler on the Roof!

Proud mama.

Take note of the shape of this awesome napkin.

Notice a similar shape in a certain orange flower? Coincidence?

The matron of honor and best man are married! Isn't that adorable!?!

*sigh*

Columbia's finest locally brewed root beer straight from Flat Branch.

I was a privileged witness to this spontaneous above-water synchronized swimming duo. Pretty awesome, huh?

So pretty! Abbey was wearing the setting to her Grandmother's ring as a necklace.

And here is the infamous monkey who guarded the Reese's Pieces on the cake table. When we met with Abbey & Spencer a few weeks prior to their wedding and Brian asked and then subsequently discovered that Abbey had a freezer full of the yellow Reese's Pieces he offered to take them off of her hands. (Abbey, if you're reading this and still have the yellow Reese's Pieces, Brian told me to remind you that he will still welcome them with open arms. He finished off our goody bag of the little sweets yesterday when I was planting in our garden.)

Love and Reeses Pieces!

Mallory (looked a little worn and crae-crae after a day of shooting) and Brian (being distracted by a little kitty who crossed our path, as usual)

.:amy & chris:.

2011-05-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Amy contacted us a few months ago out of the blue. She said she was getting married to the love of her life in mid May. The two were having a destination wedding. In Rocheport, you say? My heart sank, well... all of our May dates are full. But, wait, you're getting married on a Friday? Friday the 13th? Why yes we are indeed available! Apparently Friday the 13th has been a lucky day for Amy and Chris in their relationship. They met on Friday the 13th. Chris had a successful kidney transplant on a Friday the 13th. So why not continue the positive trend and get married on a Friday the 13th? Amy brought a bouquet of wheat for luck and prosperity and they brought along Amy's best friend and her husband. Amy's best friend officiated and the husband acted as witness and videographer to the joyous event.

As soon as our shoots ended earlier that morning it began to rain. Hard. It was forecast to continue raining all that night. But, again, I told Brian that it would stop. And stop the rain did, right before we rolled up at the Yates House Bed & Breakfast at 6:00 p.m. We moved the ceremony up and had it in the beautifully landscaped backyard, just in case the rain started again (which it never did!). Amy, Chris, Brian and I wandered around beautiful Rocheport afterwards, snapping shots in front of interesting places and talking shop. (Chris studied photojournalism in school and had a deep lover for Art History). It was such a wonderful, relaxed evening and I even got to sign the marriage license as a witness! It was an honor and a pleasure to meet them, even if for such a short time. It's people like Amy and Chris that remind us what amazing folks we get to meet along our journey. = )

Notice a purple-clad fairy behind Chris's shoulder. Whoops... sometimes this happens!

They did it! Woooo hooo!!!

All present.

Well, and this guy, too.

There were such beautiful flowers everywhere! We had a heyday!

And just to document that it almost rained their wedding out...

Happy Thursday!

Mallory (& Brian)

.:melisabeth and skyler are having a baby!!!:.

2011-05-17T11:07:00.001-07:00

Melisabeth and Skyler are SO perfect together. Seriously.

We met Melisabeth and Skyler the week of their wedding last summer and instantly bemoaned the fact that our paths hadn't crossed sooner in life (especially because by the time their wedding took place, they had already skipped the state). But, lucky for us (and, well, I guess for them), the two are expecting!!! So we e-mailed back and forth and found a time that we could all meet up to get photos of Melisabeth and Skyler and that adorable baby belly. = ) No one knows the first name yet (including us, though we were hoping to coax it out of them and swear secrecy, alas, to no avail!) of their little baby boy. So we headed out east of Columbia for some early morning shots (Melisabeth and Skyler were such troopers to drive in from K.C. for our 7 a.m. shoot!). We had just found the contact info for a farm we've been eying for awhile--an abandoned house along with its falling down outbuildings. Sound perfect? It was. (Other than the electric fence separating half the property which neither Skyler nor Brian were brave enough to test to see if it was actually live.) The owner gave us permission to shoot there under the stipulation that we just needed to not fall in the well out back of the property cause he wouldn't come get us if it happened. So with his instructions in mind, we enjoyed the beauty of the early morning and the joy of the company of such an amazing couple as Melisabeth and Skyler. (If you haven't been following the blog long enough, you can check out their story here.)

I was so excited to see Melisabeth and Skyler. Melisabeth was positively glowing and even more beautiful than when we saw her last year on her wedding day!

Melisabeth brought balloons!

I *adore* that dress she wore. I think colors and patterns are just marvelous.

Skyler was pretty darn happy. = D

Reading to baby. (And Brian difusing the harsh morning light with our makeshift reflector a la gigantic plastic bag that originally housed the balloons).

Interesting side note that I learned in my social work classes in school. Did you know Sesame Street was created to catch up minority kids with the predominantly white kids who were attending preschool and learning all kinds of stuff? Interestingly, though, the show didn't just attract minority children, it attracted kids like Melisabeth and I who were white. Maybe that's part of why I so desperately want to have skin color and culture that isn't so... well... white.

I see this photo and hear Melisabeth saying "Awww... baby!" It sound better in my head than it looks written. Trust me.

Skyler was very proud of the fact that he drew this very heart.

We all sang "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... beautiful, COLE" when Melisabeth wrote this on the chalkboard. Well.. maybe it was just me. Yup. Wait, now that I think about it, it was just me. Whoops. Mr. Holland's Opus shout out!

I just smile when I look at this one. They are going to be amazing parents.

So often I give couples direction. "Look at him." "Kiss her cheek." "Both look at me." Apparently I hadn't been directing Melisabeth to kiss Skyler's cheek so she decided it was time. This is why I love them!

So this photo is kind of my fault. Maybe. I told Melisabeth about the only commercial I'd seen in like... maybe... 3 years. And it was about bubbles. Colored bubbles to be exact. So she got some. And... well... they definitely were colored. And popped. With color. Needless to say when you are wearing nice clothes, they don't seem to be very welcome guests.

Brian blowing said *very orange* bubbles which claimed to be washable.

And 10 frames or so later...

Brian appeared as if he was bleeding toxicly orange blood from his fingers.

Goodbye little last bubble! You were not as welcome as we would have liked, but it was an adventure while it lasted...

Brian improvised with his new neon orange toxicity otherwise known as Crayola Washable bubble solution.

There were a few other fantastic photos in this set that shall remain a secret unti the little one and his super top secret name is revealed. = ) Guess you'll just have to wait like us!

I can hear the baby voice that parents use in my head. "Where's the baby?" "HERE's the baby!" So cute!

This was inside the abandoned house. Simultaneously so cool but so sad! We had to get a little creative to find sturdy enough ground to trust to get Melisabeth to this awesome room with the old wall paper still intact.

Skyler shows off his own belly.

Because you know you gotta...

Making a baby boy. (Get it? Hehehe...) Kids, this is how babies are made. Don't try this at home.

It's done!

We absolutely cannot wait to meet this little guy! We are so stoked!

Babies and fuzzy blankets,

Mallory and Brian

And now for something completely different from the minds of Brian and Skyler. (Click on it to play.)

.:james t scott:.

2011-05-16T13:36:00.001-07:00

I have never seen so many DSLRs and videocameras in one place in my life.

James T. Scott is a name that few recognized until recent. As the story goes, the Columbia Missourian ran an article with the headline "Columbia was Once the Scene of Lynching: How many people in Columbia today would believe that a law-abiding town, such as Columbia is now, was ever the scene of a lynching?" Only, that headline ran in the evening paper of the Missourian in 1920. James T. Scott was lynched in Columbia in 1923, only three years later.

The daughter of a white Mizzou professor, Regina Almstedt was assaulted by a black man while walking home one day on April 21st, 1923. The man told her that a white man had stolen his wife and that he was determined to ruin the next white woman he saw. Regina tried to defend herself by using her umbrella to deal out quite a few blows to her attacker, so much so that she ended up breaking her umbrella in the process. Though the attack, thankfully, did not end in her defilement, Regina was still badly bruised and cut and was slipping into shock by the time she reached home. James T. Scott was picked up April 25th when a witness came forward to claim the large sum offered as a reward for any informants. The witness stated that he had seen James T. Scott in the area of the attack at about the right time. Regina picked him out from the line-up of men (James had a Charlie Chaplain mustache like the one she said her assailant had). She identified him for a second time at the jail, declaring that he was the one who had attacked her despite the fact that James had no bruising or cuts on his face like the ones Regina, by her own admission, said that she had given her attacker in the struggle. Also, James was still happily married, unlike her assailant who had declared his revenge for his wife leaving him. Despite these major inconsistencies, James was charged with attempted rape--a sentence that could bring anywhere from five years to death. He was placed in the county jail to await his trial.

The night of April 28th an angry mob began to form. The mob demanded the sheriff hand over Scott for justice. The sheriff refused. Calls were made to the National Guard and to the Governor of Missouri to come and protect Scott. No one ever responded. By the time it busted into the county jail, it was almost 500 men strong. The men had chisels and hammers but when the iron doors to Scott's cell proved impregnable they called for a torch. The sheriff and police watched on as the mob swarmed in after they got the door down and wrapped a noose around Scott's neck and took him from the jail. The story continues that the mob took him down the street to the Stewart bridge where more than 2,000 people were waiting, cheering and calling for justice. Scott lost his life that night, a little after midnight on April 29th. A mob lynching took place in Columbia, Missouri. A place that only three years prior had scoffed at the idea that such an event could happen. An innocent man lost his life and for that we should all be saddened.

Scott was buried in the segregated black part of Columbia cemetery with no marker. Eventually it was determined through several descriptions where he was likely laid to rest and a temporary marker was placed in the 1990s. In September of 2010, a committee was formed to try to raise funds for a permanent headstone to be placed for Scott. The committee decided that they would have a time to celebrate Scott's life and his new memorial gravestone on the anniversary of his death in April. The support they received for their efforts was so overwhelming that not only did the committee raise enough funds for a beautiful headstone, but people from all over the country wanted to come and be a part of the celebration of James T. Scott's life. It was time to undo the terrible injustice that happened so many years ago.

So on Saturday, April 29th, exactly 88 years to the day that Scott lost his life, he was greatly celebrated by the citizens of Columbia and beyond. Relatives of Regina Almstedt and several other key players in the pursuit of getting Scott real justice were present. The service began with a dedication and a joyous celebration of his life at Second Missionary Baptist Church and moved on to a New Orleans style funeral march to Columbia cemetery where a graveside memorial was held. James T. Scott has now been honored as a citizen and a wonderful man, as he should have been so many years ago.

If you would like to read more of the story, you can visit the short e-book written several years ago here.

Second Baptist was packed, with even more people in their fellowship hall. It really was standing room only. Everywhere.

These are the children of Leigh Nutter, a journalist who not only reported the event, but also later became part of the trials to convict the persons responsible for Scott's lynching.

Rev. Clyde Ruffin helped to start the initiative in the first place. He is a pastor, a department head at Mizzou, and a man of much wisdom and dedication to history.

The Columbia Police Department shut down the streets for the procession and led the way.

The procession New Orleans-style with a band from St. Louis.

Our current mayor next to one of the honored guests.

The procession was LONG.

We had a few bystanders. = )

Rev. Ruffin and his beautiful wife, Sheila.

Photo courtesy of Justin Mayfield, who stepped in after we had to head to a wedding!

Photo/ Justin Mayfield.

Photo/ Justin Mayfield

Photo/ Justin Mayfield

Photo/ Justin Mayfield

May James Thomas Scott finally rest in peace as a man no longer forgotten.

Peace and love.

Mallory & Brian (our photo courtesy of Jordan Berry of the very talented Berrygood Video)

.:jessica & rusty: spring is here!:.

2011-05-15T15:01:00.001-07:00

We have been to several wedding shows by now. It really is fun to meet hundreds of brides over a short time span and hear glimpses of each one's unique vision of their day, the husband-to-be, their hopes and dreams. That is where we met Jessica and her mom in January. Jessica and her mom were planning the wedding for early May! Luckily, it was one of the few days we still had available and after they checked out the rest of the vendors we were surprised and absolutely delighted that they came back!

Jessica and Rusty met shortly after they started school at Oklahoma State University. They found themselves talking non-stop and late into the night when they would run into one another at social gatherings (which, of course, is a good sign). Soon they found themselves dating and were stuck to one another ever since! They both ended up transferring to good ol' Mizzou (which, as all of us Columbians know, is CLEARLY the better choice anyway!) [edit: Brian says I need to insert a smiley face or something to let you know that I am not actually talking smack on OSU, really I have no preference, so consider this comment as an inserted smiley face] and continued their relationship. One of the pastimes they learned to enjoy in this new state is nature walks. Ha Ha Tonka State Park being pretty much their ultimate. So one beautiful October afternoon, the two trekked down to the Lake of the Ozarks. They spent all day taking in the beautiful scenery and the old buildings that had once been part of a magnificent estate. Right before it was time to leave, they swung back to Jessica's favorite place in the park-a spring bubbling up from the entrance to a cave. As I'm sure most of us ladies would do when we are with the man of our dreams in one of those beautiful, romantical spots, Jessica thought to herself, "Wow, wouldn't it be so romantic if Rusty proposed right now?" Only Jess said it out loud. And... well... apparently that had been Rusty's plan all along! So he pulled out the magical little box and asked Jess to be his wife. Tears of joy and laughter of glee followed immediately.

They planned their wedding at the BEAUTIFUL Cedar Creek Resort. The Ordways acquired it last year or the year prior, I believe, and shortly thereafter began to prep it for weddings. This place is a-MAZING! It has a huge lake with fish, several docks, 6 cabins that family can stay in that have porch swings, a commercial kitchen in the main lodge, a concrete patio next to the lodge for events (that Jess & Rusty were the first to use!), acres of gorgeous fields and old fences and streams and gigantic trees, a conference center perfect for receptions, a trolley that the owners can tote all of the bridal party & family around on, random wildlife, and, well... just the splendor and beauty of it all! We went out there first in September when they were just beginning. We have done several portrait and wedding shoots out there now, and for good reason! Jessica and her mom picked really well!

Jessica and Rusty's wedding was absolutely perfect. In no small part thanks to the amazing Brooke Epple who stepped in a few weeks prior to the wedding date and helped hash out all of the last minute details that none of us thought of (who puts the flowers on the cake that the florist left and how do we get the flowers from the wedding site up to the reception site when all of the relatives are in the receiving line? Answer: Brooke). She kept us on schedule, told us where to go, fixed all of the last minute crises none of us knew what to do about (improvising a toss bouquet was one of them)! Planners just make everyone's day more pleasant. And, as usual, the forecast called for rain on Saturday up until the last minute. And, as usual, it didn't rain a drop for their day. Like I said... this seems to be a pattern!

Congratulations, Jessica and Rusty! Hope your honeymoon road trip was all that you envisioned it to be!

Rusty and the guys chilled out at their cabin.

Jessica's dress was a Maggie Sottero, like so many of our brides are (I was, too!) and was just magnificent. The girls got ready at the main A-frame in the top floor where Jessica and Rusty got to spend their wedding night together.

Florassentials did the flowers for the day. Jessica just told them her budget and that she wanted orange. They delivered beautifully!

This dress had a laced corset inside and then delicate buttons all the way down the back.

We did a first look with Jessica and Rusty. Rusty waited on the deck facing the water. When Jess stepped out she immediately teared up. This is what first looks are all about!

Brian in the background. Whoops!

Linda Ordway, the owner of Cedar Creek Ranch, took us via trolley to one of the fields. As soon as we stepped into it, Rusty found a four leaf clover! Talk about a great sign! Jessica told me later that she saw a shooting star later that night. And who said seeing one another was bad luck before a wedding. Proof that they are wrong! (Not to mention the fact that the myth originally came from when a bride and groom had never seen one another until the wedding day, they were afraid if the groom saw how ugly the bride was before they tied the knot that he might bolt!)

Did I mention the gorgeous gravel road that runs down one side of the property lined with trees?

After all of our group portraits, the wedding party chilled in the main A-Frame. Where you could find platters of muffins that the flower girl happened to be raiding.

In addition to the pool table just begging to be used! Did I mention the two GIANT swings suspended indoors? SO cool!

The ceremony overlooked the lake on the brand new platform.

Yay!

Misty, a wonderful, beautiful gal I went to high school with, decorated their cake.

Brooke and her assistant put the finishing touches in the reception area while everyone relaxed and waited for the ceremony to start.

I think Jessica's dad gave one of my favorite-ever father-of-the-bride speeches.

These two girls found some friends. There are two splendidly friendly black cats that roam the property. (Can you see the trolley in the background?)

It is SO beautiful!!!!

Misty is also a pleasant fixture at the Cedar Creek Ranch.

Work it, Rusty! Love that vest! No need for suit jackets!

Notice a dark visitor at their feet?

Congratulations you two!

And for the vendor run-down, for those who are curious:

Flowers: Florassentials
Cake & Catering: Donita's
Wedding Coordinator: Brooke Epple
Hair: The Strand
Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero
Venue: Cedar Creek Resort

Oh, and we got more questions and compliments on our shoes at Jessica & Rusty's wedding than ever before.

So for those of you that asked: Mine are rainBOPS from Cavender's and Brian's are Giorgio Brutini from Zappos. (Brian had been begging for a pair of purple shoes for a long time. Samuel L. Jackson's favorite color is purple and so Brian has made it his own as well. After being on our feet for up to 12 hours at a time at weddings it was taking him almost the entire week to recover from the pain of his uncomfortable dress shoes. As a result, we found these online. The insides are built like tennis shoes but yet have some spark and pizazz. Perfect compromise!) So, now I guess if you want your own pair, you can find them. = )

Peace out, folks! Happy Sunday!

Love, Mallory & Brian (who is chasing a kitty, just like at home)

.:eckles hall is a great place to meet your soulmate:.

2011-05-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

The new structure and order that has been creeping up in my life has brought less stress, more exercise, better food, earlier bedtimes, and, well, hopefully more blogs! Guess we will have to see!

Justin and Lauren met at Eckles Hall one fateful day. What *is* Eckles Hall and where is it, you ask? Great question. It's on the southeast corner of Mizzou's campus. Some may know it better for what it houses: Buck's ice cream! Lauren and Justin met in the lobby there. She noticed he was pretty cute and... well... he noticed that she had big hands. Somehow, though, the two began to talk and figured out that they were indeed a match made in heaven.

Lauren and Justin originally planned to wed in May on a date we had already booked. The searched around for locations but were having difficulty deciding on a spot that made everyone happy that was actually available that day. Then they found out that Eckles Hall was available for an entire Saturday late in April and they decided to change their date! Thankfully, they didn't give up on us or we would have never met these two cool cats! It wasn't until dead of winter that we signed the deal but Lauren and Justin were great sports and decided that snowy pictures would be a blast. We learned that Lauren's clothing palette is pretty consistent and rarely includes red, (which somehow crept into her wardrobe for the shoot that day). We learned that Justin has a large soft spot for his babies (otherwise known to women as 'cars') and that he is a genius when it comes to baseball (Lauren told us this, not Justin, who merely blushed and looked away when she revealed his secret). We also got to see Lauren's passion for history and inspiring young minds (she's a history teacher by trade, and from what we've seen, I expect an awesome one at that!). The two of them together really are absolutely wonderfully perfect.

(We may or may not have "borrowed" the sombrero from the larger snowman for this shot. He deserved it. You could barely see the little one he was hogging the limelight from! However, for those of you that are beginning to worry, we did put it back.)

No snowy engagement shoot is completely without a spontaneous dance party.

(See the red that stealthily creeped in? Gotta keep your eyes peeled.)

As usual, the forecast for the day of Lauren & Justin's wedding called for rain. And, as usual, I told Brian that, despite the clear warnings from weather.com and weather underground (Brian's favorite site), it would absolutely not rain when they were supposed to have their ceremony (which was scheduled to be outside). You see, we've had snow and we've had rain but it has never interfered with a wedding we've photographed, to date. And, seriously, we've done a LOT of weddings (Brian just mentioned to me yesterday that he thought it was so funny that we were wedding photographers as he had only attended a whopping total of three prior to jumping in alongside me). The outside weddings have all gone on as planned, sure it rained up until 10 minutes prior or started drizzling after everyone had been dismissed and the ceremony was over, but still the show was always dry! We've even had a few move their ceremonies inside for fear though we tried to explain our history of rain-less ceremonies. Lauren and Justin's wedding was no exception. The expected forecast magically began to clear up on their beautiful Saturday, which meant they went ahead with their dream outdoor ceremony. Which, I might add, was absolutely beautiful.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love outdoor weddings? I am such a sucker for natural light in general (which is probably why I get a little sad that our office where I spend all of my time is in the most sunless room in our apartment). But I especially love natural light for our photography. Brian and I were privileged enough to get to start the day shooting for the James T Scott celebration on their big day (which Lauren, being the awesome history teacher that she is, wholeheartedly supported since it was history in the making, if you're curious about the event, you can read an article about the event here). Since we started a little later in the timeline than usual, we didn't get a whole lot of "getting ready" shots like we usually do. We have some of Lauren and her girls in and upstairs classroom putting on their finishing touches and a few of the guys outside just hanging out. Guess which photos were better? You guessed it, the ones outdoors! Really, truly, natural light is so hard to beat. It fills in our wrinkles, it makes our skin glow, and it makes photos come out crisp and clear.

Case in point, Brian totally kicked my butt in photos in the getting ready portion of the day when he was with the guys:

Lauren looks gorgeous, despite my being light-challenged.

But seriously, folks, look at the beauty of the outdoors! Even though the ladies are clearly better looking (sorry, guys), the outdoor light just does wonders!

Too bad stripping down to your skivvies outdoors in public view is a faux paux. Well, on second thought, I think I rather enjoy that social more. However, if we could just get rooms with walls of windows for getting ready portions, we would be in photographer heaven!

Lauren's dress was G-ORGEOUS. She saw it online and knew it was the one before she even tried it on. The vintage-style lace and delicate beading was just breathtaking...

Lauren, being the amazing woman she is, gave her "almost husband" (her adorable words, not mine) some pretty stupendous gifts that day. Besides gummy bears (which apparently are a weak spot of Justin's), she got him an amazing pocketwatch with a photo of his father as a child so he can keep his father with him always.

Have we mentioned how much we LOVE first looks. No, seriously. We adore them. We may even possibly be infatuated with them. It's just that we cannot tell you how how much stress a first look and the subsequent photos that come from it relieves. The bridal party is happier. The parents are happier. The little kids in the ceremony are happier. The families are happier. The bride and groom are happier. The coordinator is happier. The guests are most definitely happier. *We* are happier. Seriously absolutely everyone is happier and less stressed. Seriously. No, really, seriously. And, oftentimes, the special moment that the couple shares at their first look cannot even begin to compare to anything else we get to photograph throughout the rest of the day. Raw, unadulterated emotion. K. I'll get off my soapbox now, but, no, seriously. After nearly 50 weddings we can honestly say that, without a doubt, our biggest recommendation would be to do all of the photos before the wedding. K. For realsies, NOW I'm done.

Don't you just look at photos like these and wish that Lauren was your best friend because she's just so cool? I know I do.

Daddy-O (Whose hair apparently turned gray 6 months after Lauren was born. No joke. A kid'll do that to ya!)

I LOVE gray or khaki suits. Bah! They just look so smart! And the groomsmen get to keep them!

The little heart with their initials, J + L, was used in a few things throughout the day. What a great detail!

Ministers can and do make mistakes and it always serves to make the mood lighter. Lauren may or may not have been instructed to promise that she'd always be a good husband to her new wife. No worries, though, they caught it. They weren't pronounced husband and husband (which would have been slightly awkward seeings as how Lauren is a chick).

Because we had all of the mandatory photos done prior to the wedding, we had a few minutes to slip away while the guests were munching on appetizers to get a few more of Lauren & Justin as the sun was beginning to set. Ah, I love first looks!

"I call this my Blue Steele."

"What do I do with my hands, Mallory?" "Exactly that Lauren. Exactly that!"

Eckles Hall, where soulmates meet.

They adorned the tables with burlap fabric, mason jars, and little chalkboard place settings.

LOVE it!

See the J+L on the burlap sack favor? They put candies and kisses inside. Who could do better?

See anyone you recognize? This spicy newlywed couple was married in February and we were lucky enough to be there with them! Stay tuned (if I'm still on top of blogging) for their trash-the-dress session later this month. Let's just say if everything goes as planned we're gonna have some super stellar stuff!

Congratulations, you two!

Because Lauren is such a great sport, it's only fair, I guess, that you see a photo of me in all of my glory. Mid-sentence. Squinting. Still looking elegant and lady like and oh-so-beautiful, right?

Love and peace and burlap! -Mallory (& Brian, who is currently watching the NBA playoffs in the room next door).

.:spring:.

2011-04-19T13:40:00.001-07:00

A quote Brian has been using these past few months has really struck a chord in me lately:

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein

I'm so excited that spring is finally here--rain, laughter, joy, new friends, grand new adventures, and, of course, CHANGE!

Speaking of change, we've made some changes here in the Avia household. We've been working on getting healthier (almost 15 and counting!) and adhering to a real schedule to get our life in order. And finally, just FINALLY I squeeze in the time and creative energy to get a new logo designed. I've been dying to change it for awhile and, well, now we have! A new spring. A new season. A new day!

Happy April, everyone! May it be full of joy and life, my friends!

This particular spring day a few weeks back, Brian and I were taking a break from photography. We walked around a nearby park and ended up sitting down, as we often do, to talk about life, our hopes and our dreams. In the middle of our conversation out of the corner of my eye, I began to notice a gorgeous tree blooming with a rich golden sunlight streaming through the other trees, acting as a beautiful spotlight. We hadn't brought our cameras on this trip so I took a few shots with my iPhone (this being one of them). I was a little bummed, as the photo didn't do the tree justice, so Brian, being the wonderful, kind, amazing husband that he is, agreed to pause our conversation and run back to the house with me and grab some camera gear. Sadly, by the time we returned a few minutes later, the golden spotlight was gone, but we continued our journey around the park, enjoying creation for what it was: absolutely marvelous, miraculous artwork. = )

Brian being oh-so-sweet and waiting on me while I worked on some close-ups (he was not feeling so great that day, which made it doubly amazing that he was so patient!).

This was the photo he was waiting on. The blooms from the first tree. I'm not usually a magenta fan, but with bare branches and a vibrant blue sky, how could you go wrong?

What in this photo doesn't belong (and subsequently makes it different from the previous photo)?

I *LOVE* seeing these everywhere!

The beauty of this next set was almost overwhelming when we encountered it. I couldn't delete many!

This one encapsulates my life. Seriously.

*sigh* I love spring!

Can you see him? He's hiding. = )

Yay spring!

Mallory (& Brian--who seems to be yawning, not growling, in this photo)

.:homemade chai tea recipe:.

2011-04-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hello my dear blog-reading friends! It's been awhile, hasn't it? Well, since I've been MIA for so long, I'm going to share something with you. My dear prayer partner and sister, Keila Peña-Hernandez, is both an Indian cuisine enthusiast and tea connoisseur, like myself, so when she introduced chai tea made from scratch during our weekly times together, I was pretty excited!

So, as my peace offering this week, I've put together a how-to guide to making your very own delicious, healthy chai tea from home. The great news is that, as with pretty much all Indian recipes, chai tea is not an exact science so add and subtract as you go to make your perfect brew!

Here's what you'll need:
5-7 whole cardamom pods
1/4" ginger root
2 tsp. black loose leaf tea (ceylon works best but you can pretty much use any black tea)
5-7 whole cloves
pinch of cinnamon
1.5 cups of water
1.5 cups of milk or Silk's Very Vanilla Soy milk
sugar or honey to taste
a sieve

STEP 1 GATHER & CRUSH ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS:

Start with your ginger. It looks like this. (Weird, huh?) Fresh is always better and you can rip off a small piece from a larger root in the grocery store if you want. You'll find it in the fresh veggies/pepper section.

Slice off a 1/4" piece.

Next, peel the skin off and then smash it (the bottom of a spoon works nicely). Dump the smashed ginger into your soup pot.

Next I usually grab a small amount of cardamom pods (you can buy the pods in Middle Eastern and Indian stores or you can just purchase the little black seeds sans pods. Six or seven is usually how many I put in there. Again, it's whatever your preference is! The more cardamom seeds you throw in there, the stronger it will taste. If you're using loose cardamom seeds, 1/4 tsp. is pretty equivalent.

You get to smash these, too! Throw the smashed pods and seeds all in the pot with the ginger.

Pick out 5-7 whole cloves.

Guess what? Yup, you smash the cloves, too (I've tried smashing the rest with no success so I normally just smash the heads of the cloves by pinching them)! Throw all of the smashed goodness of the cloves into the pot.

Grab a pinch (or three!) of cinnamon and dump that into the pot.

Next grab some loose leaf black tea and measure out a spoonful or two and dump it into the pot. (If you don't have any loose leaf black tea in the house and want to know what to get, we use Ceylon tea.)

Lastly for this part, measure out 1.5 cups of water (I normally add a little extra just because some boils off) and add it to the mix.

STEP 2 BRING INITIAL INGREDIENTS TO A BOIL:
Bring your mixture to a full boil. Turn to medium heat and let it slowly boil for 3-5 minutes.

STEP 3 ADD MILK AND LET IT SIMMER:

Add 1.5 cups of milk (we use Silk's Very Vanilla Soy Milk which is better for you, tastes DELICIOUS and ensures I don't have to add extra sugar later) and let the mixture come to a simmer.

STEP 4 LET IT COOL:
Remove the tea before it begins to boil again and let it sit for at least 3-5 minutes.

STEP 5 USE THE SIEVE:

Using a small sieve, pour your chai tea mixture over your coffee cup to separate the liquid from our ingredients.

STEP 6 ADD SUGAR AND SERVE!:

If you use milk, you'll probably want to add sugar or honey to your final drink. Serve it with a few Indian cookies (or, as they call them, biscuits!) and you're on your way to some amazing chai.

Yay! Thanks for sticking around for our first (and likely, last) cooking lesson with Mallory. If you're looking for a printable version of the recipe, I've put one together that you can download here at http://bit.ly/aviachaitea. Now I think I'm going to go make some more!

Happy Chai Day!

Mallory (& Brian)

.:going to the chapel and we are stressed!:.

2011-02-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

Brian and I love all of our clients. Seriously. But, we can honestly say that the wedding days in St. Louis and Kansas City are almost always a better experience for everyone involved. Why, you ask? Are we biased against some of us smaller town folks? Nope. In our experience, the biggest difference between the St. Louis/K.C. weddings and the Columbia/Jefferson City areas comes simply in the form of wedding planners.

I know, I know, you have a small budget and you can't afford one. But seriously, if we could have a side-by-side comparison of the stress levels of the families who have a wedding planner/coordinator on the day of their wedding with the stress levels of the families that don't, I think you'd seriously consider hiring one! What we often find is that in St. Louis and Kansas City, wedding planners are a must. They are built in to every budget and our couples are all super laidback and SO relaxed on their day. Why? Because they and their families can enjoy their awesome day just as they had hoped! Couples without planners have a tendency to be much more emotionally and physically drained and overwhelmed on their big day than those that have planners. And they have every right to be exhausted! With the constant phone ringing, the set up, the multiple trips home to get things, the worrying about accomodating friends/relatives, the multiple "to do" lists, the last minute googling to figure out who should go where when, the trying to figure out what vendors get paid when--it's enough to give anyone a nervsous breakdown!

But don't take our word for it. We just take pictures. But to give you a clearer picture, we asked one of our favorite planners, Ashley Rath from Dishy Event Planning in St. Louis to write us a blog post on why hiring a wedding planner can be one of the best decisions you make for your wedding day and your sanity!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Why Hire a Wedding Planner?

Actually, I have a better question for you--why NOT hire a wedding planner? I know, I know, you're on top of the planning process and you have all of the big things worked out. All of us planners totally get it, not everyone needs the full blown deal. But what you don't know is that hiring a planner for just your wedding day coordination can make such a huge difference in not only your stress level but your overall satisfaction on your wedding day.

Given those statements, I have a few questions for you:

Do you want to set up the linens, flowers, place cards, menu cards and favors on the morning of your wedding day instead of enjoying a morning of pampering?
Do you want to have your phone ringing off the hook for every little decision that needs to be made or issue to address durin gthe day instead of savoring moments with your bridesmaids?
Do you want your mom (or sister or cousin or friend) lining you up to go down the aisle or coordinating your first dance timing instead of watching it happen?
Do you want to worry about how long you have to take pictures, where you need to be after the ceremony or when you need to be seated for toasts?
Do you want your parents to deal with lugging wedding gifts up to a hotel room or out to a car instead of boogying down on the dance floor?

My guess is that your answer to each one of these questions is NO, absolutely not, no way, no how, not even close! And these are just some of the things a wedding planner or coordinator can help you with on your wedding day, but there is so much more!

A typical offering from a planner/coordinator for day-of services might include:
1-3 meetings to discuss planning and timing details, and anything else on your mind.
Confirmation and follow up with all of your fabulous wedding vendors.
An obnoxiously detailed schedule that you can share with family and friends.
1-2 hours of availability to coordinate and run your rehearsal.
Full day of services, including set-up of decor, all logistical coordination (i.e. timing for walking down the aisle, announcements, toasts, first dances and tosses) and clean up services.
On, and on, and on...

This is just the tip of the iceberg here, people! If you're feeling a little overwhelmed with the planning process or really just want you and your family to relax on your wedding day, I highly recommend giving a planner a chance. Nine times out of ten, I can guarantee that you won't regret it! Besides, who wouldn't want to have someone at their beck and call for just a day?!? You might actually enjoy it! Cheers!

This post was written for Avia Photography by Ashley Rath. Ashley is the owner and event planner of Dishy Events Planning, specializing in wedding and event planning for the St. Louis, Missouri area.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

You can see Ashley in the background helping the mother of the bride lace up Beth's dress. Ashley showed up bright and early and was ready to do whatever she needed to make the day run smoothly. As you can see, Beth is all smiles because have no fear, Ashley is here!

While we were taking photos of Beth, Stephen, and their bridal party, Ashley and her assistant were finishing up the final touches with the vendors over at the zoo:

Again, while Ashley and her assistant were busy making sure the cake was in place, the florists had the flowers in the centerpieces, and the guests were being entertained by the walking petting zoos, Stephen, Beth, and their bridal party had plenty of time to play with photos and fun on the bus!

You'll notice there's no tension on Beth's face! Because she didn't have to worry! All of Beth and Stephen's family made it onto the bus with us, too and when they arrived at the reception they were ready to eat, drink, and enjoy the night, exactly as they should!

Needless to say, now you know why we get so excited when our couples tell us they have hired a wedding planner/coordinator! Happy couples on the day of the wedding make for happy pictures!

You'd be surprised how much sanity and peace of mind can be worth. = )

Until next time!

-Mallory (& Brian)

.:even cats have love languages:.

2011-02-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Meet Balthazaar, one of our cats. (Say Balthazaar five times fast! Guess who named her?)

Balthazaar was the first kitty we got when we first were married. Brian begged me until I relented a few weeks after our honeymoon. We made a trip out to my parent's farm and, because she was the bravest of the kittens we found, she was the one to come home with us. Her personality came out almost immediately, much to my surprise. We noticed that she was a little lazy, a little moody, and absolutely did NOT like to be touched. She hasn't changed. We've noticed that she's happiest when we do things for her that she likes. She likes to be furminated, she likes clean and cold water in her large bowl in the kitchen, she likes to drink out of the humidifier bin when Brian changes it, she likes for her hind legs to be scratched when she asks, she likes fresh kitty litter, and she likes to sleep alone. Rather than sleeping with us, she generally crawls into either Brian's sock drawer (as she is pictured above) or into the drawer with my pajamas. In short, she's pretty independent.

Brian, within her first year, decided that he wanted to get Balthazaar a companion. He thought it was sad that we were leaving her alone all day with our jobs so, after some more begging and convincing of me, we made a second trip to my parent's farm to go get Mr. Mostly Mittens. We found him at the bottom of a barrel and fell in love. Brian thought he would be the perfect companion for Balthazaar. We brought him home and had to bottle feed him for a few weeks.

Now, check out what he started to do immediately:

Can you tell what is most important to this little kitty? Snuggling!

I know, adorable, right?
Mr. Mostly Mittens was the exact companion Brian had been hoping for Balthazaar. Mr. Mostly Mittens was sweet, gentle, affectionate, and loved to snuggle. However, we soon noticed a problem with this new companionship. Look at Balthazaar's face. Think she looks annoyed? That's because she is. The new little one would move in to snuggle her and she would tolerate it for a few moments and then either whine or move away. You'd think Mr. Mostly Mittens would get the picture and move on, right?

Nope. As he got a little older, he learned a few tricks. If he came into a room and she was sleeping he would quietly get inches away from her and stay still for a few moments.

Then, he'd ever so quietly creep closer and closer and then gently pounce across her body to drape himself over her for a super close nap. Inevitably, each time Balthazaar would wake up and scream at the top of her lungs as if he was trying to kill her.

Still today every morning after breakfast he will jump back into bed with Brian and get as close and as cute as humanly possible. If I'm there, too, he'll make sure that he reaches out his paw to touch my face so that he's touching both of us:

While Balthazaar sits feet away, and could care less:

So despite Brian's best intentions, two years later, the cats still aren't best friends. Mr. Mostly Mittens continues to annoy Balthazaar on a daily basis and she continues to insist that we express our affection for her through the little things that she loves.

My point is that Valentine's Day is coming up. (You're wondering right now why I switched from cats to Valentine's Day) Valentine's Day, in theory, is a day to celebrate our love for one another and for many of us, it is a day for exactly that. However, for some it brings up more emotions of emptiness and despair than love and joy. We remember failed relationships or all of the ways we feel unloved by our boyfriend/spouse.

"He never buys me flowers anymore like he used to when we were dating."
"He never helps me out with the kids at night when he comes home."
"He doesn't ever talk to me anymore, I'm not sure if he even likes me."
"He never tells me I'm beautiful."
"He never holds my hand like we did when we first got married."

Here's the connection! Our cats speak different love languages--Balthazaar receives love through acts of service while Mr. Mostly Mittens receives love through touch--and, chances are, if you are feeling lonely and unloved, then you and your partner likely speak different love languages.

Years ago when I first learned about this concept it was a HUGE revelation. I had several close friends and family members that I felt positive did not care about me. But then I realized they were speaking a different love language than I was. They constantly did things for me (acts of service) while others brought me little trinkets/treasures they had purchased or made for me (gifts) but, because these were not my love languages, I didn't understand that my family and friends were communicating their love for me in their love languages.

So, for Valentine's Day, take our cats as your example! Learn your love language and learn your partner's love language. Then, after you've done this, make your love languages a priority every single day. If you never learn your partner's love language and make it a priority, there will be continual misunderstandings and hostility just like our cats (as I type this I can hear Balthazaar screaming in the next room because Mr. Mostly Mittens is trying to snuggle up next to her). If we could just get Balthazaar to tolerate Mr. Mostly Mitten's affection and get Mr. Mostly Mittens to scratch her hind legs when she asks, so much would be solved! So learn how your partner feels most loved and make their love language a priority!

In case you've never seen it, here's a summary we put together of the Five Love Languages (we're teaching a class on love and relationships and one fellow got so excited when he heard about this that he left the room immediately to go call the girl he liked and tell her about them!) We pray that this information is as much a revelation and a healing hope to your relationships as it has been to ours:

F I V E L O V E L A N G U A G E S

1. Words of Affirmation. If your primary love language is Words of Affirmation, you feel most loved and cared for when someone tells you how wonderful or beautiful or amazing that you are. It could be verbally through a written note or through another way that expresses all of the great qualities you possess and all the ways the world is a better place because you are in it. (Examples: "You are so beautiful. You are so smart. I think you are an amazing woman and I could not imagine a more perfect wife in all of the world.") If your love language is words of affirmation, you are most hurt when someone says negative things about you or to you about yourself. Negative comments and words about you hurt a lot.

2. Acts of service.
If your primary love language is Acts of Service, then when someone does something for you then you feel very loved. (Examples: washing the dishes, cooking a meal, cleaning the house, making repairs to the apartment, working long hours at a job to provide for the family, re-decorating the home, watching the children, etc.) If your love language is acts of service, you are most hurt when your spouse or friend forgets to or neglects to do common chores that would help you in your daily or monthly routine.

3. Affection (touch).
If your primary love language is Affection then simple touch is the way you feel most loved. (Example: holding hands, kisses, sitting very close together on the couch, hugs, intimacy within a marriage.) If your love language is affection, you are most hurt when your spouse will not touch you for days (or months!) at a time. Your spouse refusing to give affection when you are arguing is one of the most painful things you can experience.

4. Quality time (or conversation about meaningful topics). If your primary love language is Quality Time, you feel most loved when you are spending purposeful time with your friends or your spouse. (Examples: attending a play together, playing basketball together, watching a movie you have both picked out and then discussing it, having long conversations on a couch about meaningful topics.) If your love language is quality time, you are most hurt when your friend or spouse does not make the time (or have the time) to spend with you and only you. You will feel lonely and abandoned if your spouse does not make consistent time to be with you.

5. Gifts. If your love language is Gifts, you feel most loved when someone gives you something. If someone makes something for you especially you will feel very honored and cherished. (Examples: receiving a few wildflowers from your spouse, receiving candy, receiving something new that you had been wanting, receiving a handmade gift even if it is ugly!) If your love language is gifts, then if your friends or spouses never give you gifts you will assume that they no longer love nor care about you.

So Happy Valentine's Day, folks!

-Mallory (& Brian)

.:smiles:.

2011-02-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

Cutest. Moment. Ever. After taking a whole bunch of awesome/happy/dramatic photos:

"Wow, Katy, you know, you smell really good."
"Really?"
"Did you use a different shampoo?"
"Yup."
"Can I smell it?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Wow, that smells really great."
"Thanks!"

I love these moments. = )

I promise I will post more photos of Katy & Ryan's GORGEOUS wedding from Windows on Washington in the next few days. Check our our facebook page for lots more photos than what you'll find in these virtual pages!

Love and kisses!

-Mallory

.:every day the sun rises:.

2011-02-08T10:34:00.001-08:00

Some of you know that after this summer, Brian and I will be moving to K.C. Odessa, to be exact. We'll still be doing weddings in St. Louis, Columbia, & K.C. areas until late summer 2012. The plan is, Lord-willing, that we'll end up in Eastern Europe after the summer of 2012. Hopefully adventure will ensue!

As such, Brian will make his way out to Odessa once a week to help with a home remodel with the folks we'll be staying with. I dropped him off this morning. It'll be our first night without one another in a long long time.

Before we left I noticed the morning sun coming in through our curtains and shining on the wall. It filled me with joy for being alive. It also brought to mind a line from a movie Brian and I love, in it, the main character repeats the line, "All is well" throughout the film almost as a Greek chorus would narrate in old plays. By the end you find your own self saying "all is well."

It is. All is well. What a beautiful day, snow and all. A little lonely without my hubby, but the sun still rises anew every morning.

-Mallory

.:how to get free in a blizzard when your street still hasn't been plowed and you don't have a 4-wheel drive vehicle:.

2011-02-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

As you may know from the previous post, we are in the middle of a blizzard. Yes. Missouri's version of a blizzard. Yes, our doors still opened. Yes, the main roads were snowless and operational within 24 hours. Yes, Wal-Mart never closed and Formosa's neon light stayed lit "OPEN" through all of the crazy days, but still, some of us still have yet to see the city snow plows.

Those of you who are our friends on facebook know that we finally caught a glimpse of the snow angel that has been plowing our driveway these last few snows. He has a beard and drives a mini John Deere snowplow. Needless to say, we were rather disappointed when we hadn't seen him these past few days. We have a wedding to shoot on Saturday in St. Louis (woot woot, Katy & Ryan!!!) and, well, not getting out was not an option. So Brian mustered up his gumption, bundled up, and was on his way out the door when, lo and behold, the mystery bearded John Deere angel showed up! He made a little path all the way down the street to our driveway. On his way back, he shoveled some other home's driveway and they talked him into shoveling them a wide enough path on the street to get out onto freedom. Guess what? That left only 3 house lengths left until we could connect with the clearing. Brian bounded outside with shovel in hand to begin doing what no Columbia plow had done yet: clear a path!

I finished my lunch in time to get out while Brian was clearing those last few feet of snow to widen the path. Thankfully, right before he started the first vehicle (a Tahoe) braved its way down our street and left us some tire tracks to do perfect measuring of how wide we needed to shovel.

Well, we were finally free with those last few shovel fulls. We could leave. But then, sad day, we turned around. And guess what? There were not one, not two, but SIX more houses past us that were still locked in with the snow. It appeared that unless they had a 4-wheel drive vehicle (and we were guessing they didn't seeing that no one had tracks out of their cleared driveway) there was no way any of those folks were getting out. That Tahoe did it only a few minutes before, but there's no way that little cars like ours that are without 4-wheel drive would have even a chance of getting down the street.

See?

So, I put away the camera, grabbed a shovel, and started hollowing out the road between the tire tracks. Brian soon joined me after he finished packing down the snow with our car on the newly cleared portion of the street. The next thing we knew, four more neighbors had joined in the effort (and another lightheartedly peaked out her door to laugh at us "city folk" getting antsy to get back to the real world by clearing out the street when the plows hadn't yet come). The neighbors helped us clear all the way down the street to all of the driveways and a few even helped connect some of the other driveways to the cleared path!

I felt like we were part of a movie where all of the neighbors on a street feel like strangers and wish that they could be more of a community. Then, one day, a blizzard comes which traps everyone in their homes for several days and the city never comes to clear the street. After a few days of stir craziness, one neighbor picks up a shovel and takes it to the street to help others out, then another, then another, and then before you know it everyone is friends and talking and the street is clear. The moral of the story? It only takes a blizzard to create spontaneous goodwill and selflessness as everyone (well, not everyone, but more than just us!) joins hands and works together to get the job done. We even got a few new facebook friends out of the deal! Who knew? = )

See what we all did? Now every driveway on our little road can connect to our little one car width wide pathway to Garth. Columbia citizens unite!

Oddly, it only took us about an hour and a half. That's teamwork, eh?

After it was all done, I told Brian to give me a corny thumbs up.

"Hey, SMILE, silly!"

How funny is it that only a few feet away, the world had already gone back to normal days ago. The library is in full operation and Broadway is completely clear and has been for some time. Next time, we'll be parking our car in the library parking lot, thankyouverymuch, so that we can actually use it the next time the blizzard hits! Much better to just hop a snow pile than to spend hours shoveling.

All in a day's work. = ) Sorry, ladies, this fine man is taken.

Peace out, ya'll!

-Mallory (& Brian) (courtesy of Brian's iPhone)

P.S. I noticed the loveliest ice crystals forming on our window this morning so I decided that they needed to be documented. If only my camera could even begin to capture their beauty.

However, I must say after I stared at the empty photo, full of only ice crystals, it occured to me that the photo was asking to be written on. So, the only thing I could think to write on the photo in post production was perhaps a little juvenile but when Brian comes home from running his "Thank the Lord we can finally get out of the house!" errands, he's going to smile and giggle when he sees the writing.

Happy blizzard of 2011, my friends!

.:a short intro to the columbia blizzard:.

2011-02-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

If you are reading this and live in Missouri, you know that this is the first ever blizzard that the weather service has ever declared for this little Missouri county. As such, most of us are still snowed in as those who are plowing have been concentrating on the main roads. Those of you that are NOT from Missouri, we made a short little video to show you what we're dealing with. Beautiful, yes?

Brian said his favorite part of the movie is the ending. Sorry, friends!

-Mallory & Brian

.:LOTS of snow and LOTS of pasta:.

2011-02-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

If you're in Columbia, you probably know of a place called Bambino's. You may remember it as a place with great pasta, great schooners, or even as a little rundown. Well, have no fear, my friends, Bambino's has moved! Bambino's has a new website, new management, new ownership, and a whole new look.

As such, Brian and I were privileged enough to help with this new transition by taking photos of some of their dishes. Before Christmas we snapped a few shots of some of their favorite pastas. When they made the new menus they put a few of the photos in with the listed items. What they found was that they sold more of one of the items in the first day than they had sold in the past two years combined. What did that tell them? Photos, GOOD photos, sell your product!

Needless to say, we were called in again. But this time to take photos of all of the menu items (including some great looking desserts!) and their hot new location. The only problem is that the shoot was scheduled for the day the blizzard was supposed to begin! Luckily, we live less than a mile from the new Bambino's and told them that if they could still make it there and make the dishes that we would be there. Jeff Weaver, the new owner, picked up Jason Frazier (the lone cook who did an AWESOME job) and several hours early so that they could prep all of the food. Another of Jeff's friends picked us up in his 4-wheel drive vehicle and the shoot was on!

Three hours later we all piled back into the vehicle and went home with bags full of pasta from the day. Jealous? Check out their website to see their menu and a few of our photos from the last shoot: http://www.bambinositaliancafe.com

Here are a few of our favorites:

(And, yes, I did manage to eat part of this chocolate cake slice afterwards. I know, totally tough to be a photographer sometimes, yeah?)

And some of the new space:

Bambino's To Go!

Yes, those are THOUSANDS of corks up on the wall.

Gotta have the classic Bambino's Schooner.

MUCH nicer than the old place. Go check it out!

Peace and love and all that stuff. Stay warm, folks!

-Mallory (& Brian)

.:turning twenty-seven:.

2011-01-31T09:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I turned 27. That's right, TWENTY SEVEN. (Though people still think I'm in high school on a pretty consistent basis. For the first time in my life, I'm now cool with looking much younger than I am.) Twenty-seven used to seem SUPER old. Twenty-seven-year-olds were almost thirty and, as such, possessed most of the wisdom necessary for rearing children and paying bills. They knew how to manipulate the stock market, petition the government for cool stuff, and put together big word things like itineraries. They had huge homes and responsibilities and nice cars and a portfolio and professionally decorated interior spaces.

Yet, here I am, twenty-seven, living simply (with an adorable husband and two pretty sweet cats) and still forgetting sometimes that I'm supposed to be wise by now. I spent the weekend filled with family, old friends, new friends (yes, Sarah and Travis!) and a few little twists and turns.

To top it all off, I received not one, not two, but eight bagillion facebook happy birthday wishes. So, thank you Ben Luten, Cheryl Kleeschulte, Zeca Penha, Samantha Peters, Colin Kerr, Keila Pena-Hernandez, Veronica Hilyard, Katie Bailey, Christine Hoecker, Atreyee Das, Chan Tsun-Wai, Stephen O-Brien, Cheryl Metz, Elizabeth Rodman, Bellyn Witteker, Lin Huang, Chien-hsueh Huang, Shannon Hodges, LaMont Walker, Elizabeth Trovall, Austyn James, Ulrika Rudenko, Jonathan Lumpkin, Allen Rogers, Roland Branconnier, John Brown, Lance White, Tiffany Hernandez, Kemi Omotehinse, Lisa Adams-Floyd, Kerri Packard, Ed Hanson, Sarah Ordway, Sandy Gallimore, Suzanne Hickman, Kimberly Atnip, Darlene Brown, Micki Davison, Josh Kulp, Katrice Edwards, Paul Ladipo, Steve Glassner, Liz Goebel, Aja Abney, Jordan Davidson, Kristen Heidbreder, Candice Taube, Carly Webster, Cfrancis Blackchild, Mike Tsai, Chris Canote, Sasha Gooberman, Hannah Delp, Tina Edholm, Andy Rea, James Henderson, Tara Rentel, Connie Clark, Tom Hickman, Darla Klinge, Jerry Thomas, Heidi Kuttenkuler, Alison Shadrach, Stephanie Stogsdill, Jessica Green, Kerri Hogan, Emily Rollie, Demetrius davis, Kim Rollins, Darlene Backes, Bismark Gonzalez, Karen Wilson, Brenda Kliethermes, Jason Viox, Debbie Wagner, Jon Baysinger, Ricky Brandt, Sarah Ranney, Darlene Green, Barbara Hobbs, Precious Brown, Geraldine Cols, Tammy Mullins, Maiko Mitchem, Catherine Rhodes, Cole Payne, Natalie Abright, Jamie Kennison, Mark Walsh, Amber Roehrs, Sheldon Price, Manasa Vedula, Shawna Kelty, Becca Turner, Lori Collins, Jon Drtina, Carolyn Vargas, Roxanne Schellman, Fuad Feshitan, Fraisia Logan, Charlie Strong, Heather Stewart, Charlie Holmes, Anderson Santos, Drew Turner, Tina Bowen, Ashley Inman, Sekou Gaidi, Silas Allen, Mahlia Fulk, Ashley Sandbothe, Erin Castle, Emily Wildhaber, Madina Bidibekova, James Bhaskar Bandela, Shuyang Li, Betsy Healy, David Marriott, Stephanie Bryan, Karen Dothage, Tracy Kinealy, Veronica Putnam, Emily Henley, Valerie Nicole, Jason Kettinger, Cynthia Holzbierlein, Leslie Shaw, Brendan Talty, Sirius Hu, Laura Convery, Heather Vader, Brooke Shepherd, Craig Colbert, David Shapiro, Kyndal Marshall, Aubrey Winkelman, Brooke Epple, Suzanne White, Diane Gollaher, Charis Chiu, Mahaley Sullivan, Kathryn Daniel, Steven Smith, Meredith Johnson, Crista Parker, Andrea Larison, Anna Tyler, Josh Franken, Kelsi Davis, Yee Tsuey, Lisa Price, Jenna Durnell, Jessica White, Ashley Clark, Brian Scanlan, Courtney Barnes, Katy Dickherber, Rachel Briner, Candace Englind, Brenda Winkelman, Annie Arnone, Emily Green, Courtney Bandeko, Crystal Reddick, Soa Ha, Melanie Brown, Maureen Smith, Eric Hemeyer, Beath Meador, Charlie Huggard-Lee, Juanita Dorner, Mark Baker, Jack Lake, Amy Enderle, Mark Fauser, Kerry Davis, Funmi Olatunji, Shaunese Foreman, Angela Lewis, Patrick Pullins, Connie Thomas, Benoy Thomas, Ted Tarkow, & Florian Gilbert!!!

I am loved. Thank you all!

In my Mizzou days I was blessed to have a group of AMAZING gals around me (Yes, Amy, Mary, Veronica, Camry, Tamika, & Mazvita, I'm looking at you!). They loved me as we walked through life together, sometimes a little more in sync than others. On my 22nd birthday, completely unknown to me, a few of the girls gathered together and schemed a surprise plot. I was singing that Monday night at a local gathering and, needless to say, it was an emotion-filled evening as I was overwhelmed (in a good way!) with new revelation and understanding in my life. I made several trips to the bathroom during the evening to gather tissues to mop up my tears. My dear friend, fun-sized Camry, was almost always a step behind me as I exited the room, making sure I was okay. I thought her attentiveness was sweet, but slightly unnecessary having no idea that she had been employed as the lookout/don't-let-mallory-go-downstairs-while-we-get-things-ready person. When the night of singing ended, the room of persons emptied out quickly into the Memorial Union Lounge where I was surprised to find my friend Mary sitting behind a table with TONS of red velvet cupcakes that she had stayed up ALL NIGHT making in honor of my birthday. In addition, the gals had made a card for everyone to sign that night. I found the giganto card last week as I was sorting through old stuff, just in time to look back fondly on the memories of friends, cards, and red velvet cupcakes.

Mothers and grandmothers are always faithful in sending cards. = )

My dear prayer partner and Puerto Rican sister in crime (the good kind!), Keila, not only teaches me to make different Indian dishes what seems almost monthly but remembered to give me a birthday present on my birthday. She even wrapped it and gave me a sweet card with a note in Spanish!

Brian isn't the greatest at planning surprises. In fact, he generally doesn't (so far every "surprise" date we've gone on has consisted of a surprise dinner and surprise movie-not super creative, but adorable just the same!). Those of you that know the story of his proposal are probably giggling a little right now if you remember what it shows of his creative prowess in planning. (We are living proof that a lameish proposal does not mean your marriage is doomed!) This past year especially, he has been making more of an effort to surprise me (albeit the same surprise every time, but we're getting somewhere, right?) so I was kind of hoping that he would perhaps apply that knowledge to the day of my birth. Sad to say, I realized quickly that he had nothing really planned out and had accidentally scheduled time to spend with friends because he had forgotten it was my birthday. When my face fell a little when he told me about our hangout time with Debra and Michael, he realized what he'd done and offered to call them back and cancel. Since Debra and Michael are two of our favorite people, I said no, I'd rather spend time with them on my birthday hanging out than doing nothing at home.

Sunday (my actual birthday) Brian took me to Lollicup for my favorite drink after the morning's activities and we snuggled in our hammock and talked about life as I slurped my boba from the tea and he let the little kitty lick the cold frosties from the outside of his cup of pineapple slushie. We decompressed and enjoyed the afternoon. Before we left the house, Brian suggested we bring some games to Debra and Michael's which seemed like a great idea because I was ready for something a little more upbeat. When we arrived and they opened the door, we were greeted with a wall of sound, "SURPRISE! Happy Birthday!!!!" by the whole family. Debra and Michael and their boys made me signs and blew up balloons and decorated the downstairs with birthday well wishes and had an Indian meal (at the request of Brian on my behalf) waiting for us to partake in. Apparently Brian had orchestrated the whole thing (other than the decorations). That rascal. = )

Shelomi, Debra & Michael's middle son, made me a card and a "present". He worked hard drawing little figures from one of their coloring books and cutting them out for the card. He confessed to me later, "Miss Mallory, it was really hard putting together a present and card with such short notice but I hope you like it". He informed me, when I asked, that the colored things that you see above are actually rubber bands. I asked him what you do with them and was told that you wear them around your wrist. I spent the rest of the night rearranging them into different figures. To be 8 again like Shelomi!

Brian also told me when we arrived at Michael and Debra's that he had three additional surprises for me that he had worked very hard to think of. Friday he had an appointment with a good friend. He left at 10:30 and returned at noon. Usually he stay's at the friend's house for hours so I was surprised when he returned so quickly. I found out yesterday that apparently the friend had cancelled last minute and Brian had used that time to purchase my "surprises" and had then run them to Debra & Michael's place. Apparently he felt super guilty for lying every time I asked about his appointment and almost blew his surprise several times to repent and confess his lies!

His (adorably unrelated) three surprises consisted of random things he knew I liked:

1. A pretty bottle of non-alcoholic tasting wine. (We learned long ago that though neither of us are big drinkers, the more something tastes like kool-aid and less like alcohol, the more apt I am to like it!)

2. A box of mint Edy's Dibs. I used to buy a box of Dibs once every other month when we were first married and eat a few each day. Though I've been out of the habit for awhile now, he still remembered how much I liked them. How cute.

3. Red velvet cake. Just as my dear friends made me red velvet cupcakes oh-so-many-years-ago, Brian has remembered since we started dating (on more than one occasion) that I like red velvet cake. So he bought us one for everyone to share. I may or may not have possibly eaten a slice for breakfast this morning. Maybe.

And, finally, what was the biggest gift Brian gave me? The night before, Brian climbed in the hammock with me with a sheepish grin and said, "So, you haven't asked me what I got you for your birthday, yet." We aren't big gift givers (in fact, we usually don't do gifts for each other because it isn't important to either of us) so I hadn't been expecting or hoping for anything. So, I asked him, with a smile beginning to form on my face to match his, "What did you get me, Brian?" His answer? "I'm going to stop being so combative when you come up with an idea that I don't like. I started this week, did you notice?" I did notice that my dear husband has been trying harder than ever to consider and appreciate my ideas. He's always been fantastic at it but on occasion he's been slightly whiney. How adorable that his present to me was to stop being a brat when he didn't like what I suggested on occasion. I love my husband. = )

So thank you everyone who sent me well wishes on facebook or in person or who have just loved me and encouraged me through the years. You are all so dear to me!

-Mallory

.:life outside columbia:.

2011-01-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

Some of those that know us well know that Brian and I began "teaching" an English conversation class once a week at an International-friendly group on Mizzou's campus this past semester. I use the term "teaching" lightly as it generally involves us splitting the group into two wherein Brian takes the intermediateish speakers to play a mean game of Apples to Apples and discuss Chinese history and I sit at a table with the other half where we exchange stories and customs of our cultures.

Jenny is a part of that group. She has been so faithful and has attended every single class this semester. She is a visiting scholar from Beijing and has brought her husband, Bill, and absolutely *delightful* daughter, Nancy, along with her. Jenny teaches Journalism at her University in Beijing (thus her study at Mizzou!) and was inspired to begin a book about not just the American tradition of Christmas trees, but the stories behind all of the ornaments at different households.

She wrote Brian and I several weeks ago asking if we could be some of her subjects for the book she is writing and if we would share some stories and photos of our own Christmas tree. Brian and I were totally game except for the tiny problem of the fact that we don't put up Christmas trees. We tried our first year of marriage and got as far as hanging beautiful purple Christmas ornaments up that a sweet family from our church had passed on to us. We hung them on our potted tree (that looks absolutely nothing like a Christmas tree but does actually sport Christmas lights!). The next year we swore we'd cut one down from the many acres on my parent's farm but the time we scheduled to go down there they had a mini blizzard and the roads were blocked. We resorted to putting the purple ornaments up again, two days before Christmas, on the same potted tree. After that year, we gave up.

Needless to say, my family puts up a gorgeous tree every year. The ornaments are filled with delightful memories and the many Santas that my mom has painted over the years for her staff. Jenny, Bill, and the ever-cute Nancy agreed to come out to Russellville to view the farm and the tree.

I took my camera along, for fun this time, and some of the photos will go in Jenny's book alongside the stories. It warms my heart.

Bill in the background taking photos of Jenny holding Nancy. The goats were definitely curious.

My wonderful stepfather, Jim, in the midst of the feeding chores with two of the family's faithful Australian shepherds.

Santa gave Nancy a crown. Which she promptly brings with her everywhere. Seriously. Everywhere.

Total sucker for lens flares.

I was trying to get a picture of Nancy and Jenny petting the horse when the horse got a little frisky with the camera.

Nancy being introduced to one of the EIGHT purebred Australian Shepherd puppies Big Dee had on Sunday. (Belle, the other female dog, will be having her own litter sometime in the next few weeks. So if anyone wants to buy an Australian Shepherd puppy you know who to contact...)

Proud and very protective mama.

Ma's Christmas tree.

Nancy discovered mom's little red rocking chair and found she fit in it perfectly.

This ornament used to be a part of a quilt my great grandmother (correct me, cousins, if I'm wrong... it's been awhile) had made. It was in pieces so rather than trying to keep it put away where it would continue to deteriorate one of my cousins cut it into different shapes for ornaments and added vintage buttons and gave them to all of the grandkids to keep for our trees.

This ornament was one I never noticed but when my mom started talking about it she got teary eyed. My family used to volunteer with a group of teens that were in need of some more stability in their lives. There was one fellow in particular who was absolutely brilliant. He was sarcastic and cutting and witty. He didn't care about anything, really, and would constantly sabotage his success. One afternoon, however, the group was painting ornaments. Most of the teens were just globbing paint on willy nilly but, to everyone's surprise, he carefully and meticulously painted this Rudolph. In the end, he gave it to my mother, who accepted it with pride and who puts it on her tree every year and remembers him.

This was one ornament done by one of our old neighbors many many years ago. She apparently had never cross-stitched anything in her life but one Christmas season decided she wanted to make everyone ornaments with cross-stitching. Our family was one of the lucky recipients and, to my mom's knowledge, she never cross-stitched again!

Mom's stained glass ornament piles.

My littlest sister (who is not so little anymore at the budding age of FIFTEEN) and Nancy with the puppies.

Don't you feel all warm and fuzzy now? And don't you know people who want Australian Shepherds? For serious, now, ya'll. You will contact me us if you know someone who wants one, right?

Happy New Year, everyone!

Mallory & Brian

.:elizabeth & billy:.

2011-01-04T05:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it feels like a small, small world. What does one tiny PR firm in St. Louis have in common? Their employees are super cool cats and many of them seem to like hiring us for their weddings. You won't find any complaints here. Billy is employee number four from the firm to hire us to do his St. Louis wedding.

Elizabeth and Billy are really awesome together. Sure, everyone says that but I promise this time. Elizabeth and Billy really are great together. Some (by some, I mean me, Mallory) may even use the word adorable to describe their relationship. (And as a side note, if you are a dude and are reading this don't ever take offense if some other gal calls your relationship with your fiance/girlfriend "adorable". It is a total compliment!) When we did their engagement shoot awhile back in St. Louis it was so less like a photoshoot and much more like a hangout session with new friends. Elizabeth and Billy are some of the blessed few that hold the reigns of their lives loosely and have learned to laugh at themselves. The two are super laidback and ridiculously sweet (seriously, RIDICULOUSLY sweet). Hardly a moment passes before at least one of them gets a huge grin on his or her face. They are just a delight.

Elizabeth and Billy were married on a stormy, warm day full of tornadoes on New Year's Eve. (So weird, this Missouri weather.) We arrived in St. Louis to be greeted by a mechanical voice stating "Seek shelter immediately. Seek shelter immediately." I thought perhaps we should heed the advice of this robot man voice but, of course, Brian being Brian, he decided we should book it to Elizabeth's, where we were to be starting the day in about an hour, rather than seek shelter. So with a whole lot of prayer and a leery eye at the darkening southwesternly sky as we drove towards Elizabeth's apartment, we started our New Year's Eve celebration in a more adventurely fashion than usual.

Needless to say, we arrived alive at Elizabeth's and the weather even calmed enough that the gals ordered pizza a bit later. After the tornadoes cleared the area (no worries, it stayed south of us!) the sky brightened up and it became absolutely beautiful for taking photos! We started at Art Hill, where Billy originally proposed to Elizabeth a year ago, and did their "First Look." (For more on why this is AWESOME, visit our post on Megan & Ben from this summer here). I LOVE First Looks but this one had to be one of my favorites. You'll have to check them out below. Elizabeth and Billy got a few moments not only to themselves, but it was a chance to start getting excited about their day together. The beauty of togetherness!

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. They had their gorgeous ceremony at St. Ambrose on the Hill where Billy's priest came back all the way from Belize to officiate. The party then moved to The Rialto Ballroom where we set up a photobooth in the old (non-working) elevator. Their guests could then hang out on the balcony during the not one, but two sets of fireworks displays. When the time came for the New Year to begin, the staff passed out horns and hats fitting of the celebration. The best part? Elizabeth and Billy forgoed (or would it be forwent?) traditional wedding cake in favor of frozen custard and cookies and, thankfully, shared with their guests. We couldn't think of a better way to bring in 2011!

Elizabeth & Billy's official colors were silver and black but they accented everything with purple and red. Which meant the bridesmaids could get creative in their shoe choices. Love it!

Billy's brothers share something funny (and, likely, totally appropriate) with the rest of the guys.

Elizabeth's cousin, Jen, is also a photographer. She was in on Billy's secret proposal at Art Hill a year ago and was awesome enough to capture the whole thing on her DSLR. She couldn't do the photos since she was the matron of honor but we hope we did them justice!

Billy's brother, P.J., helped Billy put on his suspenders and then apparently demonstrated to the rest of the guys how suspenders were to be put on. We won't show those photos.

Elizabeth gave all of the bridesmaids matching handmade necklaces that were adorable!

Jewelry is always chosen last minute!

The Art Hill reveal!

Totally teared up like a sucker the first time I came across this photo.

Union Station. Look aloof. Or awesome. Either one is fine.

It started sprinkling outside just as guests began arriving to the wedding but no one looked grumpy!

See what I mean by breathtaking?

They still couldn't help but wear goofy grins as they stared at one another during the ceremony. Too adorable!

During toasts. One of my favorites.

Happy New Year!

Maureen helped coordinate the day. We discovered she is also good friends with the couple whose wedding we'll be doing in St. Louis in February. Such a small, small world!

Can't bring in the new year without sparklers, right?

The groomsmen all wore Irish hats at the reception in honor of Billy's Irish heritage. Pretty nifty, huh?

Thank you, Elizabeth and Billy and thank you so much for letting us share the day with you and your amazing attendants. Between the groomsmen's funny antics (Brian has told me stories that I shall not repeat online) and the bridesmaids' ridiculously huge hearts and great tales of fun, we ended the day feeling completely honored to have been a part of it all.

Isn't love grand?

Hugs and all that stuff (Our favorite photo from the photobooth we set up at the wedding),

Mallory (& Brian)

.:the tucker family:.

2010-12-30T22:55:00.000-08:00

I was privileged this summer to photograph the Taylor House. If you follow us on facebook, you may have seen the photos in one of our albums. It's a beautiful old home on Broadway that most of us in Columbia have admired as we have driven by it. What many don't know is that it is a bed & breakfast operated by some of the sweetest people ever to put down their roots in this town.

I met Rob, the innkeeper and owner, as I did the first round of interior photos of the B&B this summer. When we chatted about photos he told me that he moved things around a lot and was constantly adding and changing the decor so new pictures were always helpful because the house was always evolving. When we visited again this last week to take photos of his family I discovered that he was, indeed, correct. Rob does move things around and add new details a lot. The Taylor House is always a stunningly gorgeous work in progress!

The few times I have talked to Rob he has always spoken highly of his wife, Deb, and their two little ones. When he contacted us about doing their family photos needless to say I was stoked. To finally meet these people he has talked about so much? Deb was truly as beautiful and kind as he said that she was and his kids as full of spunk and life and joy! It was about time they finally had a family photo since it had been years since their last one.

We had reign of the beautiful Taylor House for their photos as we hung out with the family for the afternoon the day before Christmas Eve. Brian talked cars with Rob (you'll have to check out Rob's collection, all you car lovers) while their eldest entertained us with her musical prowess and Deb and the littlest cuddled. All six of us chatted and laughed as we meandered through the house finding different spots and attempted to corral the kids for different shots. We ended the afternoon photographing the kids doing what they do best: chilling on the couch.

*Sigh* New people, new friends, new lives to photograph. I love photography. What an honor to capture lives as they unfold. One of my favorite family lifestyle sessions to date.

Fist pound!

Kitties!

Thank you, Rob and Deb for trusting us with your family and your home and your beautiful kiddos! Lifestyle portraiture at its best. Isn't life beautiful?

.:two in one:.

2010-12-28T22:54:00.000-08:00

Today we did not one but TWO engagement shoots. (I know, sounds crazy since there is SNOW out!). We discovered cool parts to downtown Columbia I've never seen before and a pair of snowpersons in Rocheport with more personality than I've ever seen in snowpeople before.

Though I doubt I'll get the rest of them culled through and up before our upcoming (and super awesome) wedding we'll be doing on New Year's Eve, I would like you leave you with one of each. They make me happy. = )

Hope your Christmas was merry, my friends!

.:micki & cale christmas:.

2010-12-27T13:04:00.001-08:00

Micki was recommended to us by one of our favoritest wedding couples, Julie & Colin. Micki has style to spare and so when she gave me her ideas for the family's Christmas photos, needless to say I was stoked! We started out in a borrowed studio downtown for some high class shots and ended the day privileged enough to go with her family to pick out their Christmas tree! I promised Micki I wouldn't post the photos until after Christmas since the photos were for their cards and gifts but I am so excited to share them with you! You can tell from the very first photo that Brian fit right in with the little ones. = )

Eeeks! So adorable!

It may have been a little chilly that blustery November afternoon...

The littlest one sprinted for the woods and Micki and big sis had to go after her!

Someone looks like a natural model...

Rosy red cheeks. Cale and the littlest watched their new Christmas tree being bundled.

The red trailer that took our merry group out to the field of trees.

Isn't family grand?

.:our wise cat:.

2010-12-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

I meant to add this yesterday, on Christmas. I took this photo of our cat, Balthazaar, a few days prior to Christmas. For some reason it reminded me of little baby Jesus in a horse trough. Only, it's our cat who prefers to squeeze herself into tiny boxes rather than use regular beds.

Fittingly, Brian named her Balthazaar (when we thought she was a boy) after one of the wise men. Guess it's better I posted it post Christmas, when the wise men from the East came.

.:christmas for the birds:.

2010-12-24T09:35:00.000-08:00

Even birds need Christmas trees. I'd like to say this was our brainchild and baby, but no such luck. Brian, Sheldon and I came upon it in a nearby park when we were shooting his headshots one day.

It reminded me of this passage, which has always been a comfort in times of heavy worry:

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:25-34

.:gifts:.

2010-12-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

I was born to laugh. I learned to laugh though my tears. I was born to love. I'm gonna learn to love without fear. Pour me a glass of wine talk deep into the night who knows what we'll find. Intuition, deja-vu the Holy Ghost haunting you whatever you got I don't mind. Put your elbows on the table I'll listen long... as I am able. There's nowhere I'd rather be. Secret fears, the supernatural thank God for this new laughter. Thank God the joke's on me. We've seen the landfill rainbow. We've seen the junkyard of love--baby it's no place for you and me. I was born to laugh. I learned to laugh though my tears. I was born to love. I'm gonna learn to love without fear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-UvJ4LBzVg

.:friendship is best over tea:.

2010-12-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

A friendship is always better when tea is involved. Often the deepest things of our hearts and imaginations are pondered and cared for over a cup of aromatic leaves...

.:life, laughter, and love:.

2010-12-20T16:44:00.000-08:00

In memory of one of the greatest friends a girl could ask for. She loved colors, laughter, life, and love. To those privileged enough to know her, she was a light. And I will miss her dearly.

.:ashley & troy:.

2010-12-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Ashley loves pink. She was recently confirmed Catholic. She is a twin. Laughter is her signature. Troy is never serious. He loves to pick Ashley up and spin her around when she isn't expecting it. He just returned from Afghanistan. He loves Ashley.

The two were married on a wintery Saturday inside beautiful St. Francis Xavier church in Taos. An ornate advent wreath hung from the ceiling (and demanded we get a little creative for family photos beforehand) and gorgeous reliefs donned the rafters up above. Simple brown and pink bows lined the pews and the bridesmaids packed brown Uggs for the reception afterwards. Troy's siblings were outgoing and boisterous and kept everyone entertained while Ashley and her twin decided on the final items for the day. Troy begged for obnoxious red socks for the groomsmen which Ashley continually refused to agree to but finally caved in at the last moment. The men proudly sported their Army engineering red socks under their brown tuxedos while Ashley gently rolled her eyes and giggled. Boys will be boys, right?

We had a full mass with insightful words of marital wisdom from the priest. Blessings of peace were passed around as it began to snow outside. Bridal party was in good spirits as they all loaded the (awesome!) big yellow school bus (yes, that's right, my friends, Jeff City rents out school buses!) to travel comfortably from Taos to Centertown with stops in Jeff City alleys and the capital building along the way.

Lutz's BBQ greeted us with an amazing menu at Braykley's Hall and I would say I had my fair share of the catering that evening. The tables were covered in brown satin tablecloths and adorned with a variety of fitting centerpieces that oh-so-stylishly incorporated Ashley's soft pink. So close to Christmas time she couldn't help but include a gorgeous white Christmas tree complete with pink and brown ornaments.

A fitting evening for a wonderful couple. It's laidback, wonderful couples like Ashley and Troy that make us love our jobs all the more. = )

I have never seen such a gorgeous headpiece! So jealous! Oddly enough, Ashley didn't appreciate the syle of the brides in the 90s era hair books at the salon.

Hanging advent wreath = beautiful for ceremony pictures but not so great on family portraits!

Can you see the snow?

Ashley had to do some fancy alterations to these gorgeous centerpieces to replace the ornaments that were inside already with her gorgeous pink ones.

"Troy, absolutely no way are you going to smash cake into my face on our wedding day."

"But I'll smash it in yours!"

Uggs!!!

And of course you knew I had to use the white Christmas tree somehow with the rings...

.:sheldon:.

2010-12-10T09:46:00.000-08:00

Brian and I are involved with something called Interactive Theater with MU. There's a troupe that performs in all kinds of settings (mostly classroom) dealing with different social issues that plague our culture. We explore conflicts in race, sexuality, religion, science, and the innuendos of each. We've made a lot of great friends through the troupe, and Sheldon, to be honest, is one of our favorites.

Theater headshots are some of our favorite photos to do and Sheldon is one of our favoritest people, so photographing him was easy. Next up is more photos of him in the spring when things are a little warmer and his hair is a little shorter.

(We may or may not have taken a short break to possibly watch part of one of our favorite Adult Swim cartoons with Sheldon.)

Sheldon is not only dashing, but awesome. We couldn't just show headshots wherein he looked only serious. = )

.:chai tea:.

2010-12-10T08:52:00.001-08:00

Somewhere along the way these last few years I stopped taking pictures for me. I've been so wrapped up in helping people see their own beauty in their face and lives and joy that I've forgotten to document my own. So let's see if we can change this.

Writing is cathartic to me but I have a tendency to refuse to write until I know I can do my best(thus why it's been so long since I've posted!). Let's see if I can write little blurbs. About life. About joy. About simple things and, well, keep it simple.

I'd like to say I'll do this every day for 365 days but I will be surprised if I last a month. Let's see what happens.

I am thankful for new friends who are full of joy. That teach you about the homes they grew up from faraway lands with different cultural mores and lessons. A new friend recently taught me to make chai tea from scratch. I wish you could smell this concoction. And now when I add the fresh ginger...

.:erin:.

2010-11-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

Erin is a fantastic actress and student at Stephen's College here in Columbia. Most of her classmates have their headshots done by a Stephen's alum who does a fantastic job. However, Erin wanted something that looked a little different from the rest. We told her she'd come to the right folks, because as persons who get bored easily, we often avoid going back to the same location like we try to avoid the plague (or bees, or used kleenexes).

Armed with a great attitude and gorgeous red hair, Erin endured my manys "oohs" and "aahs" and demands for brightly colored shirts. She's heading up north (but not to the Big Apple) when her schooling is done. Fingers crossed that she gets the parts of her dreams and that these headshots do the trick in showing her lovely looks and laidback personality.

Good luck, Erin!

.:melisabeth & skyler:.

2010-09-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Those of you that have been in Columbia for awhile likely know of a little hole-in-the-wall business tucked away in a basement corner of one of the downtown buildings that used to house the Artisan. If you know the business to which I'm referring, I'm sure you've heard stories. We won't go into them here but have no fear, the workers are all engaged in good, clean, legal cold-calling for a good cause and they can make decent money if they work hard. There are people from all ages and walks of backgrounds that work there so when cute, red-headed Melisabeth came waltzing in with her bubbly sassyness one day as "the new girl," Skyler was impressed that they finally had hired some eye candy. (Cute, right?) Like the suave dude he is, Skyler made sure to find every excuse to talk to "the new girl" and, you know, show her the ropes. Melisabeth was grateful, if not a tiny bit suspicious, of his offered expertise but, nonetheless, was just thankful that this overly-energetic fellow was being helpful. One night after work, the two found themselves in a conversation that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. (If you know them, you know they are the king & queen of great conversation!) It wasn't long until these two cats made it official that they were an item and everyone could see that they were a perfect match.

Melisabeth contacted me almost a year in advance of their wedding to inquire about photography. We were going to schedule a meeting but her schedule and mine (as I was still working another fulltime job then) weren't meshing. She said she'd have to deal with the photography when she wasn't so busy and about to pull her hair out. Later turned into several months and I finally sent her an e-mail letting her know our pricing was changing. The next day I received not one, but two phone calls from a frantic Melisabeth on the east coast asking how to officially book us. We got the contract written up and deposit figured out via mail and agreed we'd meet the next time she had a free moment when she got back to Columbia. Next thing I know, I discover that Melisabeth has moved to Iowa. Still we hadn't met! It wasn't until two days before the wedding that Melisabeth, Skyler, Brian and I all finally met. I'll admit, I was a little apprehensive. Melisabeth had sent me her timeline just a few days prior which was, to say the least, super ambitious and, from our experience, was a timeline that would likely end in a nervous breakdown with everything that was packed in it! I was 100% convinced that we were going to encounter a bridezilla with a sour face and an attitude when we met them at Kaldi's that morning. (Silly Mallory, I should have had faith in the fact that all of the people--no joke--that pick us as their wedding photographers all turn out to be tremendously kind-hearted, intelligent, stupendously amazing people and definitely NOT of the bridezilla sort). When they finally walked through that door and sat at our table and we began to talk, all of my worries were eased immediately. Yes, they were a little frazzled and overwhelmed, yes the timeline was still ambitious, and yes, there was still definitely a possibility of a nervous breakdown in a few days with the schedule, but it would only be minor. Melisabeth was no bridezilla and Skyler was no sullen, personality-less groom. They were perfect for each other. We were a perfect fit for their photographers. Melisabeth, Skyler, Brian and I were a match made in heaven. Literally. They were the best friends we never had and the mirror image of our own coupledom. Sounds weird, doesn't it?

It's hard to explain, sometimes, the connection we have with some brides and grooms. It's odd, really. As strangers we should theoretically go through the normal questions, "Where did you grow up? What did you study? What are your plans in life? What's your favorite food?" We do go through some of those questions, sometimes. But other times, there are people like Melisabeth and Skyler where we jump from the basics into lifelong BFFs in the blink of an eye.

I show up at the salon with my camera in hand and Melisabeth and I exchange knowing looks without words. We don't have to speak, we know what the other is thinking. As she's getting her hair done, we roll our eyes together, we laugh together, we chit chat about the day, we go over the schedule, we talk about our love for theater, and we make sure the other one's hair is in place before we walk out the door. It sometimes confuses friends and family. When this happens, sometimes I hear whispers and see questioning looks as they look at one another, "Is this one of her friends or is that the photographer? Did she know the photographer beforehand?" When I encounter it, I laugh inwardly and want to say, "Nope, we just get each other. It's okay." We become an unstoppable tag-team for the day that operates like a well-oiled machine. Soon people stop asking questions and just hop on board. "No worries, the bride and I have it handled, today will be awesome. Just trust us."

I wish I could explain it. I love Melisabeth. I love Skyler. For reals.

Brian and I are pretty dynamic people. Well, we're really dynamic people. We're pretty loud (sometimes obnoxiously). We smooch in public. We say ridiculously cute things to one another all the time. We hold hands in Wal-Mart. In short, most people in public still assume that we are newlyweds (it isn't unusual for strangers to ask us). If 3+ years count as newlyweds, then, yes, indeed, we are. Maybe that's why we can relate and instantly bond with brides & grooms like Melisabeth and Skyler. They're giddy about one another. We are too. They're sickeningly sweet. Us, too! They encourage one another in front of the world. We do the same.

The world doesn't get it. We're in love. The kind of love that puts the other first. The kind of love that still gets butterflies. The kind of love that is still patient and kind. The kind of love that wants the best for the other and cries for joy with the other's success and weeps in pain with the other's wounds. The kind of love that forgives easily, forgets wrongs easily, hopes for the best and forges through the worst. In short, we get love because we're still in it.

Melisabeth was indeed one of "those girls" who had been planning her wedding since she was a little girl. However, she didn't just get super excited about the wedding because she'd been planning one, she got super excited because she was marrying Skyler. That did not stop her from creating (and letting me in on) her wedding blog (yup, she kept a wedding blog) where she chronicled, from time to time, her desire to have a green wedding (not the color) and give her guests favors they wouldn't throw out. She told us about wanting to make homemade cooking vanilla (did she realize how busy she was?) but discovered the price of vanilla beans had raised drastically in the past year. She told us about her love of morning suits, her fear that she'd choose winter entrees since she was visiting the Tiger Hotel in the cold to make plans, and how she hoped to personally embroider intricate tea towels for all of the guests in place of her vanilla. Thankfully, in the end, she scrapped many of her Martha Stewart do-it-yourself wedding favor ideas and went with the easier, still fantastically creative, yet, good-for-your-sanity route. A vintage soda bar with 30+ different types of soda. Yea buddy! It was so cool to try a different soda each time one went up (except for the one with a cool graphic that tasted like cough syrup) and it was so totally accessible and loved by all the diverse guest list (even me, the girl who doesn't normally like soda, indulged in a few!).

Melisabeth picked vintage tea tins (LOVED!), old books, and antique postcards from places they had traveled for centerpieces. She had gorgeous vintage-inspired dolls for their cake topper and a candy bar for the guests with all of the colors of the rainbow. All of this plus the Tiger Hotel's gorgeous mirrored ballroom made for one pretty reception. (The "Thriller" dance wasn't bad, either.)

But most of all, self-centeredly, I feel like we made some awesome friends. Too bad they're in Colorado now. Melisabeth and Skyler, sad that fate brought us together so late in life but thrilled we met you anyway. Come visit soon!

Skyler wrote a VERY long letter to Melisabeth.

It was one where Melisabeth both laughed and cried through the whole thing.

One of Melisabeth's bridesmaids did all of the bouquets and boutonnieres.

First Christian Church in downtown Columbia had BEAUTIFUL stained glass.

Yup, those are the tears. Melisabeth walked up the aisle to an organ playing "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof. Best processional song ever.

Melisabeth & Skyler had all sorts of fantastic poems read by friends and family during the ceremony.

These were their vintage cake topper dolls. I love how their hair and outfits almost mirror Melisabeth & Skyler's! (Can you spot the rings?)

Tiger Hotel. Gorgeous as always.

Vintage soda bar!

Did I mention I love vintage-inspired ANYTHING?

No heavy winter food, Melisabeth. Great job on picking the lunch menu!

JC was the best man and his fiance, Ali, was also a groomsperson. Since she was dancing with her (female) aisle partner JC took the hand of another groomsmen.

Enjoying her vintage pop.

Wedding party Thriller dance off.

The winner of the bouquet toss got engaged shortly after the wedding. Maybe it does work!

Gosh, Melisabeth, you are so beautiful my dear!

Melisabeth, like many brides do, picked out a super sassy pair of shoes for the day-tall red pumps. She regretted it almost as soon as she put them on. Thank the Lord for flip flops for the reception!

So this cute little cake topper was apparently the first thing that Melisabeth & Skyler bought for their wedding after they were engaged. They fell in love with the tiny cake topper and had to have it. In the end they found the dolls for the top of the cake but they kept the tiny cake topper for sentiment's sake. I grabbed it off of their gift table for this last shot to memorialize the two.

*Sigh* Isn't love grand?

.:amy & dave:.

2010-09-10T09:51:00.001-07:00

Dave was an instructor at Hockman's ATA. One day a cute blonde walked in with her family for their first day as white belts at the school. Amy's dimples, sweet demeanor, kind heart, and that blonde hair had him hooked immediately. Problem was, she was too young. Well... or so he thought. Might as well be friendly though, right? So he talked with her before and after class, they found they had a lot in common, and he loved that he made her laugh. It wasn't until one day when their mutual instructor mentioned that they were born the same year that Dave realized she could really be an option. He kept their friendship slow and steady and finally, after a year, he took a deep breath and asked her out. Amy and everyone else around sighed in relief, it was about time!

Now they can laugh together all they want, they can work out their stress and fights with sparring (I totally thought I was clever and original when I mentioned that but turns out that everyone and their mother says the same thing, total bummer), and Dave can keep an eye on his cute blonde. (Cute story, when Dave, Amy, Brian and I were meeting the week of their wedding I was telling one of my stories about a guy friend who once told me it was important that I turn my dark strawberry blonde hair into regular blonde hair to increase my romantic prospects because, statistically, guys like blondes better. Dave grinned, looked over at Amy with a sheepish smile and said, "It's true. Blondes are much cuter." To which Amy, in her adorable way, blushed and looked away.)

We did their engagement photos at Capen Park a couple of weeks before the wedding where only a few years before I did photos of Amy with all of her brothers and sisters as one of my first portrait sessions ever! They decided on a time bright and early (6:00 is WAY early for us now that we make our own work schedule!) and we were able to catch some of the most breathtaking photos ever thanks to the gorgeous sunRISE!

Dave started scaling the bridge supports and, like a man, Brian egged him on while Amy and I stood there with our mouths open as I gently pleaded, "Dave, please don't fall and die. This would not be cool." Nothing like being a man, right?

Last minute, Amy and Dave decided to forgo the wedding tradition of waiting to see each other until the ceremony to create a "first look" for their big day rather than wait until after to do their photos. Some say that seeing each other beforehand takes away from the specialness when a groom sees his bride before the wedding and that he won't have the emotion he would have otherwise when she comes up the aisle. Oh how they are SO wrong! Dave was stunned when Amy turned him around for their "first look" but that did not stop the tears from flowing when she finally came down that aisle only a few hours later. It takes a real man to cry--how could you not when it hits you that a beautiful, kind-hearted woman like Amy is before you and she'll be yours until death do you part?

Not only did they set up a "first look" but Amy remembered that her mom had said when she and Amy's father got married they spent the morning of their own wedding doing last minute chores and cleaning together (read: stressful morning!). Amy didn't want that to be their memory so they set up a private picnic with just the two of them the morning of the wedding before they starting getting ready. And on a beautiful day of 75 degrees, the weather couldn't have been more perfect!

Amy and Dave made fortune tellers for each of the tables for the reception (with real, awesome fortunes!) and filled them upside down with nuts and mints. What a fantastic idea! Amy picked a rich purple with a few accents of hot pink. They chose their siblings and Dave's best friend for their intimate bridal party and chose Riechmann Pavilion for their reception spot. A first for us, we had Sophia's for the reception dinner! While the guests were finishing their delicious Sophia's pasta we stole away with Amy and Dave to get a few more shots of them by themselves in the gorgeous sunset light. It paid off. What a wonderful day.

I rarely post "getting ready" photos of the groom and groomsmen because they are normally stuck in the basement or youth room with 10 mismatching 70s & 80s couches. (See our post on that talks about getting ready settings here) Instead they were in a room with fantastic natural light. Yay!

When we asked Amy & Dave what their getaway car would be, they told us it would probably be a Cadillac. Imagine my surprise when I'm taking photos of Amy at the salon and I see through the window a black limo pull up. I stuck my foot in my mouth when I said, "Ummm... Amy... there's a limo pulling up" and I see the hairdresser and Amy's mom's faces make the "Sssshhh! It's a surprise!" face. Great job, Mal. Way to ruin the surprise! Amy was absolutely delighted that both she and Dave's family went in on the limo that day. She and her sister, Ashley (who I lived with for a month before Brian and I got hitched) decided to wear matching flannel shirts in honor of Runaway Bride. (You'll have to see the movie to understand.) We all shared bottled water in champagne glasses on our way over to the church!

Amy & Dave's "first look". (I overheard several of the parents and family saying that they all did their portraits before the wedding when they were married and that they thought that the tradition of waiting was a new phenomenon. Who knew!?!?)

Allen's flowers put together elegant bouquets for Amy & her bridesmaids.

Because Amy & Dave did their "first look", we stole away for some portraits with the two of them before the wedding. I love it!

Is not Amy's mom GORGEOUS? We see where Amy gets her stunning looks!

You can still see a trace of Dave's tears as he walks Amy up to the altar. Enraptured would be the word.

See Dave & Amy's fortune teller handiwork? Cute, I know!

When I took this photo I told them that it looked a fairytale. Amy laughed and said, "Well, it feels more like we're walking down a hill and I'm struggling to keep from tripping on my dress." Ah, but the photos tell a different and much better story, Amy. You look radiant!

Whew, Amy, you are smoking hot!!

Dave thinking about how sizzling his new bride is. ; )

Perfection.

And you can see that Dave gets his handsome genetics from his strikingly beautiful mother. Mom's boy is all grown up!

Amanda, Dave's sister, did an amazing dive for that bouquet! (Ashley looks a little jealous, though!)

Too cute!

You know I had to use the fortunetellers for their rings.

Liz (one of Ashley's best friends) did so much work helping to plan the wedding with Ashley & Amy. I couldn't resist throwing Brian into the photo. This blog doesn't see enough of his sparkling face. Sassy, Brian, sassy!

On to new adventures! Amy will be moving straight to Ohio when they return from their honeymoon tomorrow. Talk about new beginnings! Congrats, you guys!

.:mazvita & ben:.

2010-09-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

Mazvita, pronounced "Mah-zhee-tah" means "thank you for the child" and, in Zimbabwe, it's as common for girls as Katie is here in the U.S.

Mazvita and I met years ago. I was quickly absorbed into a group that constantly gathered into Memorial Union almost daily. Over the years, Mazvita and I became closer as we grew together--in God, in life, in talking about our newest crushes. Though she was the same age as I was, Mazvita graduated the year before I did but stayed in town and we kept in touch. The next year my family gave me a DSLR camera for graduation from college in 2007 and I instantly fell in love. The next thing you know I was taking pictures of everything I could find:

Nature and campgrounds from a beautiful camp where we were performing located at Lake Michigan

Burned remains of a gas station on the side of the highway (like a good, aspiring photojournalist)

A friend's baby shower

Then, finally, my first wedding. (This is where Mazvita really comes in). Mazvita brought me as her date to Mahaley and Dustin's wedding (Mahaley and Dustin were a part of the same Memorial Union group). They already had a photographer booked and I checked with both they and their photographer to see if it was okay if I pretended to be a wedding photographer for the day. I promised to stay out of the paid wedding photographer's way and told them that I had no idea what I was doing but wanted to see if taking photos at a wedding was something I could do. (For serious, I had no idea what aperture or RAW or shutter speed or even Manual shooting was. Thank the Lord for Nikon's great auto settings!) So I showed up the night of the rehearsal with my little Nikon D40X and realized quickly that for their church with no natural light at all, my little camera wasn't going to cut it as is (even then I refused to use onboard flash) so I made sure to grab my tripod the next day. Twenty-four hours and lots of running around later, I found that I was hooked on wedding photography. And to think that Mazvita was there for it all! (Dustin and Mahaley were sweet enough to give me a small check later after I gave them their pictures. They said they liked the photos better than their actual--very traditional old school--photographer's. What a compliment! I'm afraid I've come a long way since then!)

(Mary, Mahaley, me, & Mazvita the night of the rehearsal. All Memorial Union ladies whose names all, apparently, begin with letter M.)

Mazvita has always been so gorgeous!

Mazvita, Brian, and several other friends encouraged me through those first months as I took photos of everything imaginable and invited myself to weddings just to get practice! Brian and I were married shortly thereafter but Mazvita was always there to cheer me on. For quite awhile we had once-a-week lunch dates when I had a normal workday schedule and it was always amazing to sit with someone else going through similar things in life. Mazvita would always talk about her crushes and we'd always talk about the man she would marry someday. After awhile, a name kept popping up a little more than the others. There was this guy named Ben who, as Mazvita put it, "can totally handle my intensity." He had recently returned from Sudan where he'd been the last few years leading some teams for Samaritan's Purse. Mazvita had had a crush on him before he'd left for the Sudan the first time, but Ben never really seemed interested. He was a man strong in his faith and full of integrity and "intense", like Mazvita. Indeed, a few months later Brian and I were out on the town on a date and we ran into Mazvita and said Ben at Flat Branch Pub & Brewing. Alone. Together. At a restaurant. This was not like my Mazvita "guard your heart" Matsiga to be on a date at a restaurant alone with a guy, especially not having heard about it prior. I was suspicious and asked a few questions of Ben who generally appeared nervous. I asked him easy, light questions like, "So I heard you worked in Sudan for several years, what was it like? What is God doing in the midst of the chaos over there? Are you going back soon? What is your life's calling?" After some small chitchat and their buzzer going off that it was time for them to go inside, Brian and I left to find a different restaurant since it was packed that night. As we left, I remarked to Brian how odd that encounter was and how I was definitely going to have to follow up with Mazvita the next day.

Sure enough, I believe late that night, I get one of Mazvita's wonderful e-mails sent out to her girls with an excited, mostly capitalized, "BEN AND I ARE DATING, GIRLS!!!!"

A whirlwind of a courtship later and I get a call from Ben telling me he is proposing to Mazvita the next night and would I consider coming to The Rock (their campus ministry meeting) that next night where he will pop the question? He told me he'd also called Mazvita's best friend, Kate, to come in from St. Louis for the festivities so we could hide and wait outside with them until it was time to pop the big question. I told him I'd find an excuse to come and call Mazvita to warn her. A few minutes later, I call Mazvita to make up an excuse of us being in the neighborhood and could "The Rock" use any promo photos since we'll be coming from a family portrait shoot and, anyway we're doing a prayer thing that Monday that it'd be great to announce there if we can. She doesn't know if it's a possibility but I tell her I'll bring my camera anyway. Mazvita then becomes really quiet in her Mazvita-cuteness and says, "Mal, I think Ben's going to propose soon since he's been acting weird and thinks he's being sly in getting information on my ring so... will you be our photographer!?!?" I try to draw from my inner theater major and give it my best, "Mazvita, silly girl, why don't you wait until he proposes first," and try not to give a single hint that I know it's happening the NEXT day. We hung up the phone and I let out a sigh of relief. I don't think she noticed my trying to keep the secret.

So Brian and I showed up the next day for their proposal and I had my camera (and, against my will had to use my onboard flash, so don't kill me!). I documented and captioned it on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2434527&id=15903279&l=4beb6b1c6d for those who either don't know Mazvita or missed it the first time.

Their day was gorgeous. They decided to delay the wedding long enough so that some of their great friends would be back in the country (Olivia, lady, I'm looking at you, Ms. Burkina Faso) and had one of the best bridal parties ever. Mazvita and Ben are both natural leaders in their community and among friends and boy do they love big! Mazvita has been helping to plan and coordinate (and pick dresses for since she worked at David's Bridal for years!) friends' weddings for years so it was great to see her finally do her own!

We talked a lot about texture and light being necessities for pictures early on in the game so I was delighted when she booked the Missouri Theater for their reception location. They brought in flavors of themselves for all aspects and Mazvita, of course, picked out a sassy color combination for the wedding (and picked totally rad centerpieces with goldfish bowls, goldfish, and rocks that all matched the colors!). One of her bridesmaids, Jessica, made all of the bridesmaids' jewelry. Mazvita's dad and his friend played some African drums to greet the guests at the reception to add a little Zimbabwe flavor to the festivities. The dance floor was always full since Mazvita is a dancer and most of her bridal party was, too!

Instead of putting together my normal montage, I will present to you a short sample album I put together of their wedding. A little flavor of the new couple. Colorful, sassy, and amazing. = )