Becky and Brandon planned their wedding in a relatively short amount of time – 10-ish months – and it could not have come together any more beautifully than it did. Becky’s eye for detail, the enlistment and help of her friends and family, and Brandon’s dedication to everyone’s happiness made for one heckuva party!

Their wedding took place at the gorgeous Wine Country Gardens winery. The site is gorgeous and the staff all wonderful. Becky and I met there for lunch in the spring to talk about the details of the wedding and I was impressed right off the bat with the location, which they chose for the warmth and friendly, unassuming atmosphere. Becky said it was unlike other wineries, and she was absolutely right – the atmosphere is more down to earth, and more about truly enjoying oneself and present company rather than partying it up.

But don’t let that fool you – we most certainly DID party. With a family and wedding party as great as theirs, it’s a party whenever you get them all together!

What I’ve loved most about working with these two is their laid back personalities and warm sense of humor. Both Brandon and Becky smile easily, laugh easily, and are warm, fun people you just really want to be around. And that was apparent at their wedding as well – their friends and family all encircled them with smiles, hugs and a ton of love, and their magnetism (and the infectiousness of their love) permeated the entire event. It was perfect.

As a result of some really well-thought-out planning, we were able to get a ton of amazing pictures. Becky and Brandon opted for a first look (kudos to them!) so we had plenty of time to hang out with the wedding party on the (lime green) bus and trek around the winery. We also hit up Klondike park and took advantage of the golden evening light.

Becky and Brandon, you two are amazing. I was so honored to be part of your day, and I can’t wait to come up with some excuse to hang out with the two of you again (maternity photos???? Or just wine? ). Thank you so much for allowing me to capture your special day.

Love and Gratitude,
Sam
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Getting Becky into that amazing dress!

A few moments from their first look:

Off to Wine Country Gardens for photos:

Definitely one of my favorites from the day:

Are these two not absolutely GORGEOUS? They are!

The Butterfly in Becky’s flowers was for her grandfather who passed, a way for him to be there with her on her wedding day… so sweet.

My favorite from Klondike park:

And then, the ceremony! Here comes the bride!

Husband and Wife!

The beautiful ceremony site at sunset.

One of the coolest cakes ever – a wine barrel monogrammed with their last name! (plus delicious german chocolate and carrot cake cupcakes!)

Becky’s matron of honor, Jennifer, gives her speech with a few tears:

First Dance and Father/Daughter.

And… the party people!

Becky’s grandmother, who is 90 years old, still goes dancing once a week!

Stacy and AJ were married on an absolutely gorgeous and unusually warm October day at the beautiful Our Lady of Sorrows church. There were trumpets. Oh yes. A gorgeous October Catholic wedding with trumpets – it was like royalty.

I started out with the girls at Stacy’s parents’ home, then we all transferred to the church to get Stacy into her dress.

I also popped over to see AJ and the gentlemen, and got to get photos of AJ reading the letter Stacy wrote to him. Then it was ceremony time!

After the ceremony, we hit up Gus’ for pretzels and then headed over to the Arch for some portraits. Then it was party time! Their reception was at The Edge of Webster, and I loved their oreo cupcakes!

Stacy and AJ, your wedding was a blast! Thank you so much for allowing me the honor of participating in your big day!

Debbie and David’s wedding was especially exciting for me, as I was able to get out of Dodge (a.k.a. the St. Louis area) for a day. I took along the lovely Alissa Zimmerman as my second photographer, and talked her head off the entire 2 hour drive down to Columbia. She was a trooper and even stuck around all day for the shin-dig! Oh, and took some pretty pictures as well.

Debbie and David have been together for a long time (like a million years!) and it was so sweet to see their family and friends rallying around them on this BEAUTIFUL October day. Their ceremony was at the rustic outdoor venue, Alpine Park and Gardens, and Alissa and I truly had to stop ourselves from skipping off into the gorgeous landscape on the way. Everything was golden and gorgeous, a perfectly warm Autumn day.

We rode to Mizzou for some pictures at the mandatory “Mizzou” landmark, ‘the Pillars’, and ok, just look how gorgeous these two are. Then we headed back to the ceremony site to get ready for the ‘I Do’s'! Debbie’s nephews escorted her down the pathway to the picture-perfect stage to join her Groom. The ceremony was sweet and full of love, reverence and personal touches, such as David’s father doing a reading for the Bride and Groom.

You have to check out how awesome Debbie’s friends are – they made her a little table dedicated to her love of Harry Potter, complete with Fizzing Whizzbies, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Dumbledore’s Lemon Drops… see if you can pick out the rest in the picture! The Sorting Hat even made an appearance!

Debbie and David, your ceremony and reception were wonderful. It was such an honor to be there with your families and hang out with your friends for the day. Thank you so much for having me and Alissa! Your love, laughter, light-heartedness and respectful, enduring relationship is so inspirational. We hope you have an AMAZING honeymoon!

David's face lit up during the First Look

Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and her rings - Just For Debbie!

Pure Awesomeness.

David's Dad smiles at Debbie during his reading