February27th
I photographed Mark and Tzena’s wedding in Virginia last May. At the time, they were living in Minnesota, and their beloved horse wasn’t able to make it to the wedding to be in photos, so we brought the wedding photos to Rio on a beautiful autumn afternoon. Mark, Tzena and Rio now all live together in Virginia and their Minnesota and Wisconsin friends miss them dearly. :)
February22nd
I was very, very busy last fall. Can you tell? I still have about 15 blog posts to share before I put 2012 to rest. :)
In spite of having an already full schedule, when Kale called me about his wedding, something in my heart said to consider it. He told me that and his fiancé Shelly (great name, right?) were going to have a simple ceremony at W. A. Frost, a beautiful, historic (delicious!) restaurant in St. Paul. The bridesmaids and groomsmen would be his kids and hers, and the guests would be family.
Oh, and at the end of the night, he would be surprising his bride with a horse and carriage ride from the restaurant to the hotel.
He had me at “horse.”
But he actually had me before that. I love the idea of an intimate family wedding, where more than just two individuals become one, but where two families blend together to make one beautiful family.
Moms inspect the couple’s rings. :)
The couple showed much love and affection for everyone.
A hug for dad before the walk down the aisle.
The restaurant was open as usual and guests just had dinner all around as the ceremony took place.
Photo by my friend Crystal, who came along and helped photograph this wedding with me for fun. Thank you Crystal!
The kids were involved in the vows.
The most touching part was when they performed a sand ceremony, where each child had their own color.
The end result was a beautiful rainbow of color representing their new family.
The kids got to ride in the carriage around the block first.
From these expressions, I’d say they enjoyed it!
Thanks for the ride sweet horse!
Then it was time to say goodbye!
I think someone’s in love! (I know this feeling!)
A perfect ending to a beautiful day!
February19th
I met Rachel and Sahra waaaaaay back in 2006 when I was commissioned to do Rachel’s senior photos. When she contacted me last summer that her horse Sahra was in her last years, and she wanted a special photo session, just the two of them enjoying each other’s friendship, my heart melted. I know how much Rachel’s horses mean to her and I knew this would be a heartfelt session.
For owners of terminally ill or very old horses, I offer a special “Remember Session,” which you can learn more about on my web site. These sessions are dear to my heart, as I am the owner of a horse who is now in her 20s. I have made plans to have someone photograph me with her this summer.
We ended up doing the session on one of the most beautiful autumn days in recent memory. The trees were fiery with color and the late afternoon light bathed everything around us in warm tones.
When Rachel saw the photos for the first time, she wrote me an email, saying “I cannot even tell you how much I love them, but the fact that I was teary eyed looking at them should say something :)”
If you, or someone you know, have an ill or aging horse, please let them know about my Remember Sessions. I would love a calendar FULL of them this summer!
