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Valentine’s Day = 6 weddings in 5 hours!

Chris — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:10:27 +0000

I volunteered at the last minute to photograph the Third Annual Marry Me, Hotel Congress this past Valentine’s Day – six couples getting married or renewing their vows in five hours. It sounded like a great time, and I knew there were going to be some special guests renewing their vows. There must have been a hundred-plus years of cumulative pairings on hand, but for me it was more like a day of speed dating!

Congratulations to Amy Graham and Scott Dreibach, Andrea Valencia and Scott Crumbo, Dee Rowe and Robert W. Jackson, Ron and Nancy Barber, Peggy and Bob Sterner, and Diana Wilson and Arni Vikinger Sreinsson. It was a fun adventure for everyone. There was just time for a walk down the aisle, vows, a few photos, cake cutting, first dance, mingling…and then on to the next! Couples then moved to the conveniently located Tap Room, and celebrated until it was time for a big group dinner.

The first three weddings were fresh faces, but then Ron and Nancy, Peggy and Bob, and Diana and Arni are all old friends, or family of friends, or friends of friends (this being Tucson, I’m more surprised when I haven’t met someone somehow) and it was a great way to end the day. Thank you to Nora and all the other good people over at Hotel Congress, for keeping the day and the espresso flowing smoothly for me.

More photos will be up on Pictage shortly at http://www.pictage.com/1213349.

Chip and Carol’s Rock and Roll Wedding at Reflections at the Buttes

Chris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:04:49 +0000

Chip and Carol drew on their deep musical backgrounds and deeper pool of friends and family (musical and otherwise) to combine a relaxed but heartfelt wedding at St. Odilia’s with a rip roaring rock-and-roll reception at Reflections at the Buttes last month. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a bride take the stage and belt out a Led Zeppelin tune before, and as a secret high-school head banger myself, it gave me goosebumps. She was amazing. Chip’s a sponsored pro drummer (www.chipritter.com), and he just crushed it (and looked like he was having the time of his life doing it!) Bravo you two! Here are some shots from our nifty reception slideshow – you can find the full take at www.pictage/1022289

Doug and Kaiti’s winter wonderland wedding at Reflections

chris — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:31:38 +0000

Doug and Kaiti’s winter-themed wedding was a gorgeous homage to the season we just get a taste of here in Tucson, with a dash of post-kiss mock-snow to make it feel official. Kaiti’s mom went the extra mile to make sure no detail was overlooked, and Reflections at the Buttes came through with top-notch hosting, as always.

Nighttime weddings, while intimate and beautiful, present a special challenge to photographers (deer in the headlights-style flash, anyone?). To mix it up, we set up snazzy radio-triggered flashes to throw a little off-camera light on things, and the results were awesome. A heartfelt thanks to second-photographer J.P. Connelly for his tireless work getting them just right.

Here’s a few favorites from our slideshow that night. You can find the full take at www.pictage.com/1199040.

Santa Spirit Night at the Tucson Mall

chris — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:31:43 +0000

On my way to shoot some photos of Santa Spirit Night at the Tucson Mall – here’s the promo shot we did for them. Go Wildcats!

Ashley and Bo tie the knot at St. Philip’s and celebrate at Anthony’s

chris — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:39:00 +0000

Ashley and Bo tied the knot at the ever-gorgeous St. Philip’s In The Hills Episcopal Church this past weekend, and then celebrated with their family and friends in style at Anthony’s In The Catalinas, home of the best cooked salmon I’ve ever had in my life. They had a seriously great evening, and so did I, shooting with Greg Bryan and chatting with dj extraordinaire Corbin Dooley. Here’s some faves from our slideshow at the reception – find the full take, up shortly, right here – http://pictage.com/1179819

Holly and Blake’s charming Starr Pass night wedding

chris — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:22:35 +0000

Holly and Blake threw a charmingly small, perfectly relaxed night-time wedding at JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa yesterday. Good friends, good food, good times – it’s a pretty solid formula. They were kind enough to agree to a first meeting ahead of time, so we could catch a few sunset photos, and we had fun roaming the lovely grounds. Here are few favorites from the evening’s slide show – stay tuned for the remainder, up soon at http://www.pictage.com/1173123

Lydia and Craig’s gorgeous Egyptian Orthodox wedding and Skyline Country Club reception

chris — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:02:45 +0000

Instead of suffering through El Tour de Tucson this year, I spent an amazing day with Lydia and Craig, and got to experience the incredible tradition and celebration of an Egyptian Orthodox wedding. Check out the shots from inside the newly built Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church. What a great space, with it’s circle motifs and soft lighting! The reception took place at Skyline Country Club, where the views and food are spectacular. Here are a few from our reception slideshow – the rest will be up at http://pictage.com/1172066 soon!

We’re a Best of the Knot pick three years running!

chris — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:53:56 +0000

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to vote with their reviews! I’m currently sitting in the office dumping champagne over myself.

Ryan and Kimberly’s heartfelt backyard wedding

chris — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:19:44 +0000

Ryan and Kimberly celebrated a small, heartfelt backyard wedding up in Oro Valley this past Friday, followed by a elegant but casual reception in the same spot (it was quite a backyard!) We dashed down the street to nearby Naranja Park for the a great sunset view of the Catalinas. Hats off to the friends and family for helping with so much with just about everything! We made some great photos, a few of which I’ll share here. You can find the rest up at http://pictage.com/1145667 early next week!

Craig and Lydia’s downtown Tucson engagement portrait session

chris — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 03:22:48 +0000

We had a fun little engagement session with Craig and Lydia in downtown Tucson yesterday – a little warm up for their wedding this Saturday. These e-sessions give me a great chance to see how couples fit together, what their best side is, (and if they can pull off “Blue Steel” or “Magnum” without cracking up). It also gives my clients a chance to see that photography doesn’t have to be painful – in fact, we always have a blast. Craig was a bit camera-suspicious at first, but I think he’s a convert, and Lydia is a natural. Stay tuned for some great pics from their wedding!