Shannon and Mike sittin' in a tree......

K.I.S.S.I.N.G.....first comes LOVE, than comes MARRIAGE, then comes sharing time with your best friend and kids are not on the menu.....just yet! Ha! I can only do that because Shannon and I went to highschool together! She tied the knot two weeks ago at the Denver Botanic Gardens. I couldn't be more happy for her! And I was so excited that I got to be there as her photographer!

I love this image of Shannon!


um.......well, I don't have too much to say about the boys and their flair.....they do it well enough :) (lol)


my other photographer Nicole took this image! She is great!



Shannon and Mike are headed to Costa Rica in January! woo hoo! such an awesome place for a honeymoon!
Congrats guys!
Melissa

Philadelphia

Philadelphia!! WOW! can I just say.....how lost I got (lol--and I'm usually great with new places, but I got soooo lost!) Ok, so I went to Philly a couple weeks ago to photograph Cromwell and Edith....who are getting married in Las Vegas this Saturday, September 29th! Once I found where I was going...the Philadelphia Museum of Art...and met up with them, everything was great! What a cool couple! I am so excited that I got a chance to spend some time with them in their new home town of Philadelphia! Their nuptuals are going to rock the house!! Congrats guys! and see you in a week!!

I've Been TAGGED!!

Lotus Photo has been tagged! Ok, so my friend David Burke tagged me almost THREE weeks ago...and I am just getting time to do this...
I am supposed to list 8 completely random things about ME......uh..........ok.....so here I go-

1. I was convinced as a little girl that me and my best friend would be on Star Search (wow...I'm a dork)...we wanted to enter under the dancing catagory...and we made up this dance to Paula Abdul...I think it was to the song "Straight Up"...needless to say, we never managed to make a VHS tape to send in...even though we practiced for MONTHS!!

2. I met my husband on the Las Vegas freeway, stuck in traffic....and no, it wasn't to change a tire or something like that...I was in a really good mood and just sorta saw him..stuck in traffic, like me... (wow, again, I'm such a dork) waved and he rolled his window down and so did I and we started a conversation on the 215 in Vegas...he asked for my digits (how bold)...I guess I felt safe enough to give them out. (am I crazy!!)..so I gave the photo studio's number (not my personal number)...we went out a couple nights later and have been together ever since!! Highway love......"once in a while you get shown the light...in the strangest of places if you look at it right."

3. I went to collage as a Bio/Psyc. major.....ha ha...who was I kidding...Chemistry almost killed me. I took my first official photography class and fell in love!! Bye Bye chemistry!!!

4. I never wanted to be a wedding photographer. Wow, I know that sounds so awful....I was convinced that I would have the glamorious lifestyle of rock-and-roll stars and go on tour photographing live shows. I love music, and I thought this was my ticket so see all the music I could ever want and make a living...reality check...........................I shot my first wedding as a 'favor' for a friend....and completely FELL IN LOVE!!!!! it just felt soooooo right. I was like..." what was I thinking" I never gave it a chance. And now I feel like I have the most exciting, fun, fulfilling, interesing, fly by the seat of my pants career EVER!!! I am forever grateful for the life career in front of me!! I couldn't imagine it any other way! and to top that, my clients are some of the most amazing people I have EVER met!!! I love it!

5. I've been to Burning Man twice! And I plan on going many more times!! Talk about an experience! I can't even put it into words!

6. I'm a gear head.....and what I mean by that (here I go with some serious dorky-ness), I love computers MAC all the way! I love cameras, new lenses and all that comes with that! I frequently browse Samys Camera (almost daily) for new things to make my passion even more fun! lenses, flashes, computers.......like I said the nerd is coming out!

7. I bought my first 'real' camera in highschool...I think it was like $100 bucks or so...it was a Pentex K1000--it even came with a lens! ( I still have it, for sentimental reasons). I bought it from a lady working at a bagel shop...little did she know the impact it actually had on me! THANK YOU!!

8. I am a handbag junkie......yes! it's true. It's my little addiction...I have a friend who makes custom hand bags..Jill from Tutela Handbags was my landlord, neighbor, friend back in the day when we lived in Captial Hill in Downtown Denver. She comes up with all sorts of things and I even order custom things, show up at her studio to pick out fabric and all things handbags and poof!!! sometime in the near future, Jill has created another beauty for me!! I love her!!

OK..that's it.......8 very random things about me that maybe you did not know before...
Enjoy your day, and thanks David for the TAG :)

Old friends, new smokin' photos!

just a quick post, I know I have so much to catch up on!! My friend from highschool, Shannon is marrying her amazing fiance, Michael next Friday and I wanted to post this totally fun image I shot of them a few weeks ago (yea, a few weeks...that' s how far behind I am!) I just love her to pieces! and I am sooooo happy for her! Mike is awesome and they make a great pair together!

I love you guys, you know I'm gonna lose it at the ceremony....I always do!--and when it's friends to boot....I'm just emotional :)

oh, by the way....they are both amazing artists!-- so I thought this photo was so fitting!!

HAUT!!!! BRIDE

So to continue my previous post about the wedding in Vail...I can't decide which image I like better...I saw this cool iron gate and had to take advantage of it!! Isn't it cool & isn't she drop dead gorgous!! Talk about jaw dropping!!

Catching Kids being Kids!

I love watching kids at a wedding. They bring so much to events, even if they are not the center of attention! This weekend I shot along side my best friend Brittany Hanson of BLR LIFE up in Vail for a beautiful wedding...here's the first set of images dedicated to the KIDS who play such a huge part in any wedding!





gotta love it!!

I think he wanted to be 'king for a day' instead of the groom :)

Happy Monday!

Engagement Sessions!

what can I say.... I love them!! Lori and Sander met up with me last week and we had a ball together...after a shot of tequila, they were rockin' and rollin'. They are celebrating their nuptials this September! Heather Allen of Table 6 Productions is their event planner and she is soooooo good!!! I highly recommend her!!
so back to the E-session....the reason I love them so much is that it really breaks down the walls and creates these awesome moments with my clients! I just hang to the side and click (well, it's more technical than that...but you know what I mean) ....some of the most magical moments between two people happen during engagement sessions...it's just soo cool! Then when the wedding day arrives....my couples are totally excited for their photos! I am so grateful for what I do. To truly be in service to couples all over the country-who I call my friends, to be able to provide my friends the most amazing gift I am forever humble and grateful!!


Have a great day!
Melissa

Denver's A-List!!--Vote for ME :)

ohhh...how exciting!! I was recently nominated for Denver's A-List for Best Photography!!
Go Vote for me here! **click on the photography catagory under WEDDINGS!

And I would LOVE to know who voted for me...so let me know, so I can THANK YOU!! --seriously :)

If you ever feel like NOT dancing...DANCE anyway!

If you are married, do you ever think about what it will be like in 30, 40 or 60 years from now? How will your love grow and change? Will you have photographs of your young life, your wedding day, your first dance? How about your last dance-with eachother? Photographs and memories go hand in hand and they both trigger such touchstones in lives. This video below is about just that....creating an Everlasting Marriage...it is very sweet, and I have to say that I shed a few tears watching it, as it tugged at my heartstrings a bit. Happy Friday!

Melissa :)