Ryan’s cousin Steven has always talked about how much he admires our marriage.  Being a part of our wedding day at a fairly young age made a big impression on him I think.  He saw the kind of love that we share and knew that he wanted the same for himself someday.  After spending some time on Saturday with he and Chantel, his bride-to-be, I’m very certain that he’s found the one.  Chantel & Steven are one of those couples that you spend a little time with and you can’t help but say to yourself, “Yep.  These two were made for each other.”  Chantel is definitely the jelly to Steven’s peanut butter :-)  They compliment each other so well.  We had so much fun finding out what an amazing woman Chantel is and seeing the romantic side of Steven.  He’s no longer just our smart and silly cousin, he’s a man in love.

(Please sign the guestbook if you’d like to be notifed when the rest of their photos are online.)

Their engagement session was actually a gift from Steven’s mom Linda (also known as our fabulous aunt), so we actually knew that we’d be hanging out with them even before THEY did!  These two met at the dorms at Arizona State University so that’s where we headed to start the session.  This first one was taken right outside Steven’s old dorm room where they had their first kiss.  So cute!

We were a little worried that Steven would feel weird being all cute in front of us, but we found out pretty quickly that wouldn’t be the case.  They were affectionate the whole day!

Our second stop was a beautiful and serene garden in another part of the campus.  There’s just something about Chantel’s playful feet that makes me love this one.  I know . . . I’m weird.

Steven: you scored yourself one gorgeous gal!  Well done!

You’re not lookin’ too bad yourself there cuz!

This is one of my favorites from the whole session :-)

There were so many fun backdrops to shoot on campus!  We had a blast wandering around together and hearing all their fun memories from each place.

Next we headed to downtown Phoenix to relive a few engagement night memories with the lovebirds.  And as you probably already guessed, I was super excited when Chantel whipped out these AWESOME yellow heels!

The night Steven proposed, they went to see a show at the Orpheum Theater and then took a walk down to the Arizona Center.  In this very spot just a week earlier, they stood underneath the thousands of sparkling lights, and he asked her to marry him.  And of course, she said yes!  Our little Steven is such a romantic!

Just love the emotion in this shot.

I couldn’t decide between these two – I just love them both!  And for the record, we didn’t ask Chantel to run around downtown without her shoes on.  It was actually her idea after walking a few blocks and they just happened to make awesome props for the photos!

Brilliant colors to compliment a equally, if not more brilliant couple :-)  If you’ve never had a chance to check out the Orpheum Theater before, you should.  It’s an amazing 1920′s building with incredible details and architecture.

A-dor-a-ble!

This one is probably my absolute favorite.  There’s just something about the whole scene that is just perfect.

Couldn’t pass up the chance for a little silliness too!  Now THAT’S more like the Steven we know!

On our way back towards the car, we arrived at this intersection just in time to do a couple quick shots as the Light Rail sped past.  Love the motion of the train.

Click the slideshow button below for more images of this GREAT couple!

Steven & Chantel: we had a blast hanging out with you guys!  Thanks for letting us capture your sweet love for each other :-)  Can’t wait to watch you two become man & wife and enter into the most exciting journey of your lives.  We love you guys!

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We met Jennie & Scott at Market Street in DC Ranch. They choose this location because it has a lot of special meaning to them. The image at the top of the post is actually taken on the patio of the Armitage Bistro where they had dinner on their very first date AND, ironically enough,  the place where they went the night Scott proposed. So cute! We spent some time walking around the area which was full of great photo spots.

For some reason, a lot of my favorites this session were vertical images so there’s lots of side by side ones! Love the sweet interactions in these next two.

Jennie is a fellow “shoe girl” :-) I just adored these cute heels she wore! (Can’t wait to see what shoes she’ll be wearing for the big day!)

And her adorable curls? To die for!

Love this one! I think I’ll call it, “A look of far off wonderment” ;-)

And thanks to the Te’ Boutique for providing a fabulous pop of color for this next image. LOVE it!

One thing we learned about Jennie & Scott: these two can DANCE! They’ve got some serious moves and we got to experience them first hand. How fun is this next sequence? I love their expressions! Scott is all business and Jennie’s just got this calm blissful look like, “yes, I’m spinning around in circles. Is that unusual?” Ha ha!

As we were shooting it started to rain so we headed for a nearby covered bridge. At one point we suggested that Scott “dip” his lovely bride-to-be and they totally rocked it with the AMAZING move on the right! They tried to show Ryan and I how to do it too, but I think we’re going to need a few more lessons :-) It was seriously tough! Especially with cameras in both of our hands!

All kinds of sweetness :-)

After a quick change into some casual clothes, we headed to downtown Phoenix to soak up a little “urban grunge”. This scene was awesome!

We almost passed this awesome brick wall, but Ryan spotted it and it turned out to be one of my favorite backdrops! Both these shots make my heart smile :-)

Serious . . .

And some serious snuggling!

Jennie’s engagement ring is so unique and unusual. She was a music major in college so Scott picked out a setting that looks like a music note. The man knows his audience!

One last shot: the light was almost gone, but we just had to take advantage of the awesome city lights.

To Jennie & Scott: we’re so glad that you two found each other. You guys are a great match, like the perfect lyrics for a beautiful melody. We really enjoyed our time together and we’re so excited to be apart of your wedding day!

Make sure you click the slideshow button below for more photos from their session!

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On Friday we finished up our crazy packed October with the wedding of Amy & Bryant.  We had the great pleasure of really getting to know these two back in March for their engagement session.  Since then we’ve been keeping up with them on Facebook so it was really special to finally be able to capture their beautiful day!  They’re both such wonderful people and they share a love that is so sweet and sincere.  We have the great joy of witnessing the weddings of so many amazing couples, but these two just really stand out as being “made for each other”.  They both have such a fun, offbeat side to them that really shines through when they laugh together – and most of all they just love each other for who they each are as individuals and that is what makes their relationship so strong.  We have no doubt that God will bless these two for many years to come!

(Please sign the guestbook if you’d like to be notified when the rest of their photos are available online.)

The day began at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Phoenix, Arizona.  This was one of the views from the 6th floor where Amy was getting ready.  Really love how this shot of Amy’s dress turned out.  A little different and untraditional, but I like that about it.

When we arrived, Amy was anxious to show us her cute shoes – apparently we’re getting a bit of a reputation for being shoe lovers.  I just can’t imagine why . . .

The flowers by Amy’s Floral Design were just fabulous and I loved the fun bright color palette.

Super sweet moment: Bryant sent Amy the sweetest letter to read as she was getting ready.  She read a little bit of it out loud to her girls.  Of course, there were tears all around!

Amy and her bridesmaids were all smiles and laughs as they help her get into her dress.

In another room a few flights below, Bryant was also getting ready to go see his bride.

He asked us to take some shots of his watch and his ring together.  Love how it turned out!  My favorite part is that you can read their wedding date on the face of the watch :-)

They chose a First Look so that they could get all of the formal shots out of the way before the ceremony – so wise!  As you may remember from their engagement session, these two have kind of a love affair with the airport :-)  Amy travels a lot for work so it holds a lot of sentimental value for them.  Lots of beautiful memories full of “goodbye I’ll miss you” hugs and “welcome home” kissses!  They found a great view of it from the hotel so we headed there for a few shots just after they saw each other for the first time.

Adorable!

After all the group shots were done, we set out for the Church of the Holy Spirit in Tempe.  Time to get these two kids married!  The chapel where the cermony was held was really lovely with lots of great windows and beautiful wood detailing throughout the whole place.

Exchanging rings :-)

My favorite!  Taken just after their first kiss as man and wife!

After the cereony was over, we jumped back in the cars and made our way back to the Doubletree in Phoenix.  Amy & Bryant really wanted something unique for their portaits.  The weekend before, when we were out scouting at the Doubletree, we noticed a new hotel right across the street and decided to stop by and check it out.  What we found was the Aloft Hotel by W (Phoenix Airport): a very chic and contemporary spot full of awesome decor and bright colored furniture . . . just perfect for some unique portraits.  We quickly discovered that the hotel had JUST opened it’s doors a few days before and hadn’t even held it’s grand opening yet!  What an great find!  The staff was SO gracious and invited us to come back with our happy couple the following weekend.  We couldn’t have been more pleased with the results!

We decided to start out near the pool with possibly one of the coolest pieces of furniture ever!

The only draw back was that it was kinda deep and a little hard to crawl into wearing a wedding gown.  No problem though – Bryant had it covered!

And the cute cuddling that resulted was well worth the extra effort!  This is one of my favorites :-)

Don’t you just love the cute way these two are looking at each other in this one?

We just had to have a splash of green :-)

Inside the lobby was equally fun. It was pretty hard to narrow it down for the blog, but don’t worry – there are plenty more in the slideshow at the end of the post!

One last sweet shot from their first dance :-)  Adorable!

Make sure to click the slideshow button below for lots more great images from Amy & Bryant’s wedding day!

To Amy & Bryant: We are so thankful that you chose us to capture your special day!  Thank you for trusting us completely and having the utmost faith in our judgement and abilities.  You are both such rare and special indivividuals and it’s such a pleasure to know you!  We heart you guys and wish you all of God’s blessings for a beautiful future together!  Congratulations you guys!

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