Arbor Crest Summer Wedding

It is below zero here in good old Spokane Washington and I wanted to day dream about something warm, so I have decided to share a warm Arbor Crest summer wedding with you.

Courtney and Tyler brought me on for all-day wedding coverage which means I was there bright and early for wedding preparations and I stayed until the grand exit. I was honored to have had the opportunity to capture so many memorable moments. This wedding touched me deeply and moved my heart. At the end of the day I felt a deep and intimate connection with the wedding party, as we shared so many emotions wrapped up in the day’s events!

I started out the day bright and early in Coeur d’alene to capture the work of Ms Viktoria Erickson at the J Miller Salon. Courtney is a naturally beautiful and alluring woman with lovely red locks and fair skin, the work of Ms Erickson turned her into an absolute princess. Nice catch Tyler!

Once Courtney had hair and makeup complete we were on to the beautiful venue. I absolutely love shooting at Arbor Crest! The Cliff house makes for a perfect location for final details and getting the bride in her dress. I captured the sweet moments with Mom and sister, then roamed around the property to shoot the intricate details.Their cake was not only beautiful but tantalizing. I have to admit that I ate two pieces. Believe it or not, shooting weddings can quickly go to a photographer’s waist line!! Thank you once again Happy Cake.

Once everyone was all jazzed up and details were captured we began formal photos with Courtney and Tyler’s first look…one of my absolute favorite times of the wedding day. Once all tears were dried we took the bride and groom around Arbor Crest to capture their love. Once we completed our crazy bridal party photos and family portraits, it was the moment they had been waiting for. Their beautiful Arbor Crest summer wedding ceremony.

I laughed, I cried, the day had it all. The biggest tear jerker was when Tyler’s three boys welcomed Courtney officially into their world with the new title of “mom”. You could literally see and feel how emotional these boys were to finally have her in their family.

This reception. Wow. First of all, I cannot express how important it is to have a kick-ass wedding DJ. Not only do they control the flow of your reception, but they retain the attention of your guests and add to its energy. Thomas with Traks DJ is my go-to man. He kicks off every reception the right way, and never have I witnessed an empty dance floor when Thomas is hired.

I have attended many weddings as a photographer and witnessed a plethora of toasts. I can honestly say there was never a more hilarious speech given then the one provided by the father of the bride. He obviously rehearsed many times with rumors he met up with the DJ to do so. Everyone was rolling. I am so pleased that they hired Aaron Mayo from Grace Media Films as a videographer so that these still images can be matched with the actual speech. I hope to be invited back to a one year celebration to see this video and relive these laughs! arbor-crest-summer-wedding_40