Kacie & Monte ~ Love in Kansas City, MO

In a nutshell, Kacie and Monte's wedding might have been the funnest wedding ever! Everyone was super friendly, easygoing and ready to enjoy themselves and when you are working under those conditions...it's difficult NOT to have a blast! Sarah of Sarah Jeanne Photography again joined me for this EPIC Friday night event at the Loretto in Kansas City!

You may remember Kacie and Monte and their canine kids from their engagement shoot that you can revisit here. After meeting them for their engagement shoot, I was super excited about their wedding because they are two incredibly joyful and upbeat people and contagiously so!

Sarah and I started off with some suh-weet detail shots of the little things...







And I wanted to try something new and different with Kacie and Monte's wedding favors. I was terrified when I tried it and Sarah thought I was absolutely crazy, but I think it turned out awesome and unique! Sorry guys, but I didn't have the heart to tell you until now...hope you aren't mad! :)



How can you complain when you work with this gorgeousness...seriously!





Love these portraits after their "first look"!!!







And then as only originals such as Kacie and Monte can do, they had the shortest ceremony in La Brisa Photography history......7 minutes!!!







Then it was time to PARTY! And party we did! From an open bar to cigars to delicious cupcakes, to the Ah-MAH-ZING DJ, seriously definitely the best DJ I've ever worked with at a wedding! Jeff Holmes of Holmes Music World...do yourself a favor and check him out if you need some sweet tunes!









and then let the REAL fun begin!









Thanks again Kacie and Monte for selecting me as your wedding photographer!!! Sarah and I had an absolute blast and both of your families and friends were incredible! To view all of your photos, please go to www.labrisaphotography.com and click on "Clients"! Congratulations!!!

March Madness BABY!!!

Hey all!

Well, several things have occurred in the past month that make me super excited about the future of La Brisa Photography!

1. Brisa had her tonsils removed and she said she’s feeling better than she has in the past few YEARS! YAY! Does not directly effect the company, but it makes me much happier! :)
   
2. We’re leaving awesome Manhattan, KS for the amazing Brooklyn, NY! Brisa will be leaving in June, but I will be staying in Manhattan through August to shoot fabulous weddings here in the Midwest!
   
3. I am currently putting together a magnificent album of the favorite engagement and wedding photos from all of my former couples and I can’t wait to show it off!!!
   
4. March Madness is coming!!!  And I want to share my excitement with you by offering a 15% discount on all of my photography packages! You must reserve your date in March, but the session can be anytime between now through August! SOOOOOOOOOO…email me and let me know you are interested in the MARCH MADNESS discount and I’ll hook you up with these prices (all prices subject to tax and travel fees if applicable):
   

a.     Weddings w/ 2 photographers = $2125

b.     Weddings w/ me! = $1700

c.      All Portrait sessions = $125

Here are a few photos to show you what I’ve been doing lately! Sorry for the lack of blog stalking material!!!

Kacie & Monte’s Wedding…

 

Parker Powers…

 

Visit to the Brookville Hotel with great friends!

UPDATE: Brooklyn!!!

We're headed to Brooklyn baby! Crazy, I never thought I would ever live in New York, but in a few short months Brisa and I will be headed to Brooklyn so that Brisa can start her internship at the Veterinary Emergency & Referral Group (VERG)! I cannot be more excited about our future! Neither of us are really big city types, so this will be an amazing experience for us to get out of our comfort zone and explore! God works in mysterious ways, doesn't he? 

And things like the Konza Prairie are what I am totally going to miss about Kansas...

Exciting Times!

So I know it's been a while since I've posted anything (which I will remedy soon!), BUT...tomorrow, Brisa and I will find out where we will be moving! It is bittersweet because we have so many fond memories of Kansas and it will be super hard to leave, but we are excited for what God has in store for our future!

For those of you who are unaware, Brisa will be graduating veterinary school in May and she applied for internships. They will release the results tomorrow and we will find out if she was matched with an internship or if she will need to start looking for a full time veterinarian position!

Bryant & Ashley - Love in Manhattan, KS

This post means a TON to me. Ashley & Bryant have helped me with my photography from the very beginning! Anywhere from letting me borrow Bryant's camera for my very first wedding to modeling for me multiple times so that I could practice and experiment with new techniques! You may remember them from their engagement posts here and here...wow, how things have changed for me!!!. Through it all...they have been so incredibly generous with their time and their feedback on how I could improve! So when they asked if I could shoot their wedding, I was incredibly honored and grateful for an opportunity to give something back to them :)

Ashley, a teacher, had the entire day perfectly scheduled from start to finish! Once again, I had the privilege of having Sarah Jeanne Photography assist me and it was absolutely awesome!!! We started out at the Gaia Hair Salon here in Manhattan where all the ladies had their hair done. The staff at Gaia was extremely helpful and welcoming and they did a fantastic job! My favorite picture is of Ashley holding a picture from a magazine of how she wanted her hair done and then the bite marks from where Bryant's dog Remy tried to chew it up!



Then we headed over to Merle Norman for some makeup action and we took some killer shots over there! Such as this:



I love the opportunity to shoot at a new location and so I was excited to go to St. Thomas More Catholic Church for the wedding ceremony! Ashley looked absolutely stunning. Seriously. She could definitely model especially for bridal showcases and the like. A-MAZING!

The ceremony went off without a hitch and I just loved seeing the joy on the faces of Ashley, Bryant and all of their family and friends! It truly was a joyful occasion filled with happiness! Following the ceremony, just the wedding party went out to take some fun group shots! Ashley and Bryant's wedding party could not have been more fun. Honestly, all of them were absolutely hilarious and ready and willing to do whatever we wanted! And that means that the reception was going to rock and they definitely did not disappoint! The Houston Street Ballroom was exquisitely decorated and everyone was ready to cut loose! From the flower girl to Bryant's adorable mom, everyone was getting down on the dance floor! Reception dancing pictures are possibly my favorite part of the wedding all of the stress of the day is over and everyone just wants to have fun :)

Thank you again Ashley and Bryant for everything you've done for me! Both of your families were so welcoming and generous to both Sarah and me and I have no doubt that the apple didn't fall far from the tree :) Congratulations again and I hope for your marriage to be overwhelmed with blessings and happiness!

Enjoy the pictures and the slideshow!





Bryant was about to lose it in anticipation of seeing Ashley for the first time. It was super sweet and cute...



and then the first look...



Literally, the entire day was full of joy and laughter...



Bryant & his mom...love, Love, LOVE this picture!







Too many favorites!!!









Hello Moneymaker!





Ok, so this has got to be one of the funniest pictures ever. and I mean ever! Right before the wedding party made their grand entrance into the reception, the bridesmaids took Ashley to the bathroom and Bryant grabbed my camera to take a few mementos of the occasion...



The night was full of dance competitions, incredible speeches, two-steppin, drinking and smiles, but the topper was the surprise appearance of everyone's favorite Jack Russell Terrier...REMY!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

In elementary, middle and high school, I was a totally romantic sap. Seriously. All of my friends thought so and I didn't mind it so much because I enjoyed being that way. When I first started dating Brisa, I did all of these little things for her (like buy an In-an-Out Burger and McDonald's fries to get the best of both worlds and taking her homemade chocolate covered strawberries to her office).

As many of you know, Brisa recently had her tonsils removed and she's been absolutely miserable :( and it kills me to see her this way! Through her, I've grown so much and I learned that just being there for her and taking care of her at her weakest points is more poignant and everlasting than any gift I could ever give her (although they do help as well).

So for Valentine's Day 2009, I encourage all of you to hold those you close... tighter than ever and just cherish the love you share for each other.

I leave you with one of our rare, but recent photographs together. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Cloverton - Live @ the Wareham

So my friends from Two Seconds Away (which I blogged about here) as well as Shawn & Megan recently opened for a new band called Cloverton at an awesome Friday night concert in the Wareham Hotel! From what I've heard, that night they broke the attendance record of every previous concert held at the Wareham! How suh-weet is that??? Deservedly so too because the bands totally rocked!!!

More so, it was a ridiculously amazing deal for the fans of any of the performing groups because a) it was free, b) it was 3 hours of amazing music, c) it was Cloverton's CD release party, d) it was Cloverton's first official live concert and e) IT WAS FREE!!! Seriously, what more could you want?

Here's a little excerpt from Cloverton's website about their lead singer Lance:

"Lance Stafford possessed unusual qualities for a musical front man. He dealt with stage fright, was informally trained in music and had no desire to follow in his father’s musical footsteps. Still, Lance transformed himself from a small town student to the lead singer of the exciting new Christian band, Cloverton."

Here was their rockin intro...



The crowd getting fired up...



Lance...



Layne...



Kirby...



Tim...



and Matt (one of my favorite pictures!)...



Huge huge fan of Cloverton. I used to attend Real Life Church here in Manhattan just to hear Lance sing way back when and I'm super happy that I found him and now Cloverton! To me, this is what their music is all about...



Thanks again Cloverton for having me take some pictures! You guys rock and I can't wait to see you LIVE again!!! Definitely definitely check them out!!!

HOPE

I don't know the McClenahans, but I know people who do and after reading about their struggles and their tragic loss, I dare anyone to not be moved...to tears.  What amazes me about the McClenahans is their absolute strength in their faith under all circumstances and their unwavering acceptance of all things. During a time of sadness and weakness, I am overwhelmed by their godliness. Moreover, the support and compassion by their friends and complete strangers truly reinforces the importance and necessity of relationships and community. 

For instance, my friends at Two Seconds Away have shifted their original programming in order to honor the McLenahans with this tribute song.

My thoughts and prayers are with the McClenahans and I hope that everyone can learn from their strength and amazing faith!

Two Seconds Away - Live at the Wareham

So I've been stalking...I mean, following, these guys from the very beginning and they are absolutely awesome! Patrick and Tim from Two Seconds Away are truly pursuing their dreams and I love everything about it! You can check out their music on their site www.newmusicmonday.com and they also include creative and entertaining videos to share the story of their music!

Recently, I had the opportunity to take some pictures of them performing as the opening act for Cloverton (a new band...blog about that later) and they rocked the house! Such a unique and vibrant sound coming from two uber talented guys! I thoroughly enjoyed having all access to the Wareham and so I was able to get some really sweet shots! 

Definitely check out their website (you can download a free song each Monday) and you'll be amazed at what these guys have been able to accomplish in such a short time. Thanks for allowing me to be apart of something special guys!!!

Here's an excerpt from their website and their story...

"We took the leap in June of '08 to do music full time after realizing that we needed to really "go for it" or choose a different career path.  So we sold our homes in good ol Manhattan, KS and moved to Kansas City. It didn't take us very long to realize that we needed more structure in our lofty pursuit. You see, we tend to get sidetrac... (is that a shiny object?)  So, New Music Monday emerged as a fun solution. Basically it keeps us moving forward and gives you free music! Sounds like a good deal to us! We hope you'll make NMM a regular pit-stop. Enjoy and let us know what you think!"

Two Seconds Away

Fearless guitarist and video wizard - Tim

Lead vocalist and amazing musician - Patrick

love how Patrick always gets comfortable when he rocks out. notice his shoes are off and he's just getting after it! :)

Enjoy the Slideshow...