Jen and Jody's Blog

Our first weekend in 4 months where we did not have a wedding we were personally shooting or a wedding show, and where do we go? Chicago! Sure, some people may prefer the sunny beaches of Mexico or Hawaii, but we were excited to go back and visit the Windy City. We wanted to go back ever since we had a short layover at O'Hare a few years ago and only spent a few hours exploring the city. This time we went for a few days, stayed downtown and did all of the touristy stuff...Wrigley Field, the Sears Tower, Navy Pier, etc. We even drove to Indy for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. Ok, so it wasn't all relaxing, we brought laptops to edit wedding photos, used wireless internet at our hotel and Starbucks to upload, and met up with a few fellow photographers to shoot some bridal pics downtown....alas, our work is never far away. Still a wonderful change from the Pacific Northwest.

What an amazingly optimistic couple. Thank you, Stephanie and Michael, for your priceless smiles and warm hearts, even through all of the little obstacles overcome in the details of your day!

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. The bagpiper played on cue, for their first kiss as the sun set over the hills. Stephanie was radiant in her classic gown with a splash of color, inspired by Gwen Stefani, she said. The tables were adorned with gorgeous antique candelabras, owned by close friends, and Reverend Pat Callahan had us all in stitches during the ceremony.--Jen & Jody

It was so sweet how Travis surprised Jenny with a pair of diamond and pearl earrings while she was getting ready. Jenny did have to reapply her makeup, but the moment was so tender. They both cried during their first sight, too!

DeLille Cellars has such beautiful gardens, a pond and a Tuscan-villa sort of feel. It is one of our favorite venues! Jenny and Travis also chose our personal favorite caterer, A Grand Affaire, and beautiful flowers by Anna's Flowers. Every element was beautiful! There were so many awesome images, we decided to post 16 from Jenny and Travis' big day. Congratulations, you two!--Jen & Jody

This year’s show was fantastic! We unveiled our new trade show booth (Thank you Fred Calma) with our 90-inch panoramic print from New Castle Golf Course. The photograph was overwhelmingly popular with brides and it was so much fun to see their reaction. Of course the only thing the grooms cared about was that Seattle Seahawk Shawn Alexander was in the photo.

Jen did a super fabulous job interacting with brides to help them figure out their schedules and telling them about her experiences with venues and other vendors. I feel so fortunate to work with the amazing Jen, but more importantly to know she is the love of my life and I could not imagine life without her. She makes me a better person and I love her more than anything. Oh, not to mention she is the best photographer I know!

Thanks to my sister for covering for us Saturday afternoon because we had a wedding, even though it was her weekend of from being the hectic owner of Windermere.

To all of the brides who keep emailing and calling, please be patient, we are averaging so many calls and emails everyday, so many in fact that our website contact form shut down and we had to have our web development team fix it. Dates are filling up faster than last year so it looks like 2008 will be jam-packed. Good luck to all of the other vendors who worked so hard to have a great show. Cheers! Jen and Jody

Katie and Brady's wedding was fun-filled and packed with excitement. The church was beautiful, and her cousin officiated the ceremony. Such a wonderful, personal touch! Following the church, we photographed the couple at Carillon Point in Kirkland, then headed off to Trilogy. The reception was elegantly decorated by Anna's Flowers in lush oranges and light greens. We had a fabulous time! --Jen and Jody

These are my images from Meagan and Tyler's wedding. I thought it would be fun to post eight of my images and eight of Jody's. Megan and Tyler were naturals in front of the camera. Very smiley! All of the photography was done at Inglewood, except for the short excursion in a classic car to the waterfront. I love the photo I took of them sitting in the back seat and the image of Tyler and his mom dancing. His mom cried through the whole dance, and it was the sweetest thing.

I must say, my photos would not look nearly as polished if it weren't for Jody. I like to call him my personal lighting hero. He's always there with a reflector or diffuser, and without me even asking. These little touches have totally changed me as a photographer. My favorite thing he does for me while we're shooting is when he steps up and takes the formal shots, allowing me to slap on my telephoto lens and go for those awesome candids. My background is in photojournalism, so I love this!

When I say these are my eight images from the wedding, I should really correct myself and say these are OUR eight images because they wouldn't be nearly as good without Jody. Thank you, sweetie, for all of your hard work.--Jen

Ok, so the first image of the "women" sign, I just thought was very funny...so I threw it in. I wouldn't be surprised if he printed this photo and hung it above our computers. Ha!

Jody is such an amazing photographer! Each time I look through his images from a wedding, he captures a unique perspective. I sometimes think to myself, "were we actually at the same wedding?" He's not afraid climb trees or roll around in the grass or dirt for just that right angle. Yes, he is also very techy--with those super lenses. A typical guy in that sense, but in photographer that is a GREAT thing! This nightime photo of Megan and Tyler was shot at Inglewood. The "fire" is actually a lit fountain. No Photoshopping whatsoever! I remember being inside the reception, taking candids of the crazy dancing, and he came to me with a huge smile on his face. "Grab Meg and Tyler, and bring them outside!" He had his tripod all set up and the exposure perfectly set. I couldn't help but smile back. It was so cute, so him, and I am not nearly as good at the nighttime photography so I am thrilled when he has these ideas. Our skills and perspectives compliment one another so well. I just love sharing my passion for photography with someone who loves it as much as I do. -Jen

Here are a few images from one of our associate photographers, Robyn. She photographed Sherlyn and Chee and had a great time with the couple! Love the gum wall at Post Alley, Robyn! --J&J

A beautiful overcast sky gave us ideal lighting on Debbie and Oscar's wedding day. So many people believe the bluer the sky and brigher the sun, the better the photos. Not true in portraits! We love flat lighting, and Willows Lodge is a beautiful backdrop with all of the lush green colors. The couple put a lot of detail into the day, from the traditional Filipino fans placed on each seat to the pretty shades of brown and ivory found throughout. As Debbie would explain, there were a few stressful moments here and there, but everything turned out beautiful in the end! --Jen & Jody

Shannon and Fady had a beautiful, intimate wedding at the Alderbrook Resort near Hood Canal. Associate photographer, Michael, did a fabulous job capturing their carefree attitudes. --J&J