Deer Valley Stein Eriksen Lodge Wedding: Natasha + Simon

If you were looking for a stunning wedding to start your weekend off, you’ve come to the right place!! Today I’m bringing you the wonderful wedding of Natasha and Simon. They got married on a gorgeous September day last fall, and everything about this wedding was simply perfect. From their sweet first look, to the incredibly moving ceremony, to their personal touches like The Nightmare Before Christmas cake topper, to the epic dance party that went long into the night, this wedding is one for the books! This is also one of those times when I REALLY wish I could play some audio along with the photos, because their laughter was contagious!! The pure joy felt on this wedding day is something I will never forget… Natasha and Simon, it was truly a privilege to be a part of your amazing day!! Thank you for being so kind and genuine, and for trusting me completely to capture your wedding. May you guys always be as joyful as you were together on this beautiful day!! XO

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Vendor credits coming soon.

The Best 5 Years of My Life

Jake,

Five years ago today, we vowed forever. It’s crazy how it feels like yesterday, but at the same time, it seems like so long ago. And it’s amazing how much can change in five years… My business and your career. The four different houses we’ve lived in, and two different states. The number of dogs we’ve had. Even the TV shows we watch. We’ve mourned loss and we’ve been thankful for health. We’ve made some really big decisions, and a whole lot of small decisions. We welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world.

Through it all, though, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed. You are my home.

I’ve known you, and loved you, for almost half of my life now. And you still make my heart race, still give me butterflies. I’m not sure I’ll ever fully understand why you picked me. Why I’m the one you’ve chosen to spend your life with. But I thank God every day for blessing me with a man like you. Time and time again I fall in love all over with your steadfast loyalty, your strong work ethic, your unwavering support of my dreams. I fall in love with your laugh, the way you carry yourself, how you kiss me. I love the way you take care of me, how much you cherish Natalie, the respect with which you treat others around you.

When I say you are my home, I mean that it doesn’t matter what changes happen in the next year, or five years, five hundred years. It doesn’t matter what state we’re in, or what car we drive, or what house we live in… Because it’s you that makes my life complete. And it will always be you.

I can absolutely and without a doubt say that these have been the best 5 years of my life. Thanks for picking me, Roo, and for continuing to pick me. I love you with all of my heart, and then some.

Happy Anniversary Handsome.

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Photo by Heather Nan

Ashantai Yungai - June 15, 2015 - 1:55 pm

Happy Anniversary Carissa and Jake.

Carissa - June 15, 2015 - 3:34 pm

Thank you Ashantai!

David Terry - June 16, 2015 - 4:54 pm

Happy anniversary! :)

Carissa - June 24, 2015 - 5:06 pm

Thanks David!

Game Changer

I’m going to preface this by saying that I’ve slept a total of 1.5 hours in the last 30ish hours. Some people might say that when you’re a walking zombie sleep deprived, it’s probably not the best time to write a blog post. But when you have an incredible experience that you’re excited to share about, it doesn’t really matter that you’re running on coffee fumes! I just got back from Justin and Mary’s Walk Through a Wedding workshop, and let me say, it’s going to be a game changer.

You might remember that I’ve blogged about them before, but in case I didn’t drive it home enough in that last post, Justin and Mary are some of the kindest, most generous, hard working, hospitable, and selfless people I’ve ever met. They are completely dedicated in every aspect of their lives, and one of those is teaching other photographers. “We bring the light” is a term Mary jokingly refers to when teaching about off-camera flash. I’d beg to differ. Justin and Mary are a light. They have such a passion within them that it bursts through and catches fire in everyone they speak to.  It’s impossible not to be inspired to do big things and motivated to work harder after being coached by them. (And by the way, if you are a photographer and you’re debating investing in something like this, I have three words for you. In true Nike fashion: JUST DO IT.)

I got to be a recipient of their dedication again the last couple days at their home in Connecticut. Not only were the two days of the workshop jam-packed with content (literally 12 hours worth both days), but they also made sure to pour into every single attendee and answer any question we threw at them. They truly want everyone to thrive and be successful following their dreams. They spoke to us about running our business, how to better serve our clients, and how to improve as photographers, just to scratch the surface. I literally have pages of notes filling my journal, front and back, to go through and process and implement into my business. Oh, we also had the opportunity to photograph an AMAZING styled nautical shoot. Be excited for those photos ;)

I’ll share the styled shoot images soon, but for now, here’s a shot of the wonderful people who made the last two days the amazing experience that it was!! (Thanks to Laura for whipping out the selfie stick and taking this photo!) This group cried together, laughed together, grew together, and I’m unbelievably excited to see how everyone’s business flourishes after this experience!

WTAW

And now I’m going to go take a nap. Haha. Happy Friday everyone!! XO

Solitude Mountain Resort Wedding: Allie + Alex

Happy Tuesday everyone! I meant for that to be a “Happy Monday” greeting, but I had SUCH a hard time narrowing down the photos from this wedding that I didn’t finish it in time to post yesterday! Trust me though, it’s going to be worth the wait ;) Today I bring you the wedding of Allie and Alex! Oh what a lovely wedding it was. Allie’s sparkling and outgoing personality is complimented perfectly by Alex’s quiet confidence and kind spirit… Together, their love is nothing short of extraordinary. And they planned an amazing wedding to match! Allie had a gorgeous vision for their special day, and they worked extremely hard on every last little details to make it come to life. It all came together beautifully, as you’ll see below ;) Allie and Alex, thank you again for the immense honor of being your photographer! I wish we could do it all over again!! And I hope you guys love your photos as much as I loved creating them. XO

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Venue and Catering: Solitude Mountain Resort | Florals: Petal Pixie | Cake: Salt Cake City | MUA: Barbra Jayne | Remaining credits coming soon. 

Amy Coles - June 9, 2015 - 10:25 pm

Carissa….

What fabulous photos!! You are so very talented, sweet, innovative, patient, thoughtful and considerate. Allie really did her homework when she was looking for the perfect photographer for her and Alex’s special day…and then she found YOU! Both of my daughters chose you to capture their wedding memories and I am so thankful they did. You were meant to do this (your passion just glows) and you have a very bright future ahead. Keep up the wonderful work!

Very Sincerely,

Amy and Perry COles

Carissa - June 9, 2015 - 11:46 pm

Oh Amy, thank you!!! I can’t tell you how much your kind words mean to me! I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to get to know you guys and be a part of such incredible celebrations. It was truly my pleasure <3 Thank you so much for taking a moment to comment! You've made my day :)

Debbie DeSeelhorst - June 11, 2015 - 3:23 pm

I totally agree with Amy! Beautiful photos, Fabulous night!

Thank you for your lovely work.

Fur Babies

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a dog post. (In fact, I’m pretty sure the last time I did one was Frisky’s tribute. For a while I avoided it, because it felt wrong to do a post about two dogs instead of three…) But these two knuckleheads are pretty awesome, and they told me they were ready for another mugshot on the blog! Really, how could I say no to these faces? (Ok, they actually hate posing. Jake might have been holding a treat above the camera to make them look.)

When you have dogs as great as Zuka and Akiva, though, it’s hard not to brag on them a little bit. They play the role of protectors, feet warmers, Natalie’s dropped food vacuums, and wet kissers. Zuka thinks he’s a lap dog, and he lets Natalie crawl all over him. Akiva is excellent editing company, and she’s a perfect jogging buddy too. They may be ridiculously hairy, they may go through WAY too much dog food in a month, and they may not always listen very well, but they are totally worth it. Wouldn’t trade these fur babies for anything!

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Raise your hand if you love your fur babies! Happy weekend everyone :)