Erin's Bridal Portrait Session

Yesterday was an overcast day in Wichita-perfect weather for photographing Erin in her beautiful wedding gown.

Erin has lived in Wichita all of her life, so it was important to photograph her with the Wichita skyline in the background. She chose the Keeper of the Plains as the area for her bridal portraits, to honor her future husband, Kyle, and his family and their Native American heritage.

Erin is getting married July 24th at St. Vincent de Paul in Andover, with the reception folllowing at The Ville. Her gown was purchased at David's Bridal and Kyle's tux will be from Men's Wearhouse. Other vendors for her wedding include: Complete Music, Cheri's Bakery and A Flower Market.

Erin's mom, Pam, was there throughout the bridal portrait session to share the experience with Erin and to help with her gown. The most humorous part of the session was when Pam threatened to go chase some tourists away, as they were in the background of Erin's photo...I enjoyed sharing the morning with Erin and her mom, and can't wait until July 24th!

May 23 portrait sessions

In the "olden days", I used to anxiously watch for the FedEx truck to deliver my processed film and proofs...it was like Christmas! I couldn't wait to see the pictures that I had envisioned when I took them.

These days, I look forward to seeing the images full screen, on my laptop. Although I could "sneak a peak" when they are taken, I find doing that takes away from my focus on what is happening in that moment-especially during a wedding or reception. For me, I prefer to keep my attention on what it happening in front of the camera lens...not on the instant image on the back of my camera.

Saturday I photographed a grandmother with her son and his family. Multi-generational portraits are awesome, and I always appreciate the opportunity to photograph them. I imagine the baby's grandchildren looking at them one day, in a treasured family album.

After the family portraits were taken at Oak Park in Riverside (where we dodged the many disc golfers!), I headed to Church of the Resurrection in Northeast Wichita. There I photographed a boy scout troup at their last official get-together. Seven of the troup members had attained Eagle Scout status. What an impressive group of young men! We did photos at the park behind the school, at the grotto and the playground. Their scout leader wanted it to be a memorable, fun event, so that when they looked back at their photos from the afternoon, they would fondly remember their Boy Scout experience, and especially their Scout friends. It is always an honor to know that even "in the making", every person there knew that we were creating images that would be treasured for the rest of their lives.

December 4th wedding

Yesterday I met with Madison, who is planning an unbelievably memorable December 4th wedding. She and Jason are getting married at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita, with their reception following at Rolling Hills Country Club. Because of her December wedding date, she is planning a "Christmas theme" wedding.

Madison is exceptionally organized-her gown was purchased in Kansas City, she has booked Stems as her florist, and Cameo Cakes for her wedding cake.

She and Jason will have a stringed quartet and a trumpet at the Cathedral, and a DJ, chocolate fountain and candy bar at the reception. If that weren't enough for the perfect wedding, she has also arranged for a fireworks show during the reception!

Madison has known Jason for about 10 years- he used to play football with her brother. They met up again in recent times, and as they say, "the rest is history!" Congratulations to you both--can't wait to photograph your engagement portrait session!

May 16th Wedding-Ginnie & Michael

Saturday I photographed Ginnie and Michael's wedding at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. There are many beautiful churches and ceremony locations in the region, but my favorite is the Cathedral-it is a special privilege to photograph there.

Despite missing one tux for a groomsman (which they were able to get by 10am), the wedding day went smoothly. Ginnie's son, Skyler was the darling ring bearer, the weather was perfect, and Fr. Sherlock delivered a warm and personal homily.

The photo taken on the church steps was a special request by the bride. It is a blast when the bride and groom don't mind going out in the Kansas wind and having some fun with their photos. (Not too many will request a photo with the bridesmaids throwing their bouquets into the air!) Thank you, Ginnie and Michael, and congratulations!

Mother' Day Wedding

This past Sunday was the wedding day of Sarah and William. Because William's grandmother is 96 years old, they decided to have their wedding ceremony in Newton at the retirement community where she lives. They chose a beautiful gazebo on the grounds for the wedding site.

The couple wanted everything personal and simple, with an emphasis on their love and appreciation of their families. The bride, Sarah, designed and made, or embellished many of the wedding items. She had unique programs, cake cutting knife and server, unity candle, and many other items that she had personalized. (I have no idea how she found time for anything extra, as she graduated from college in Kearney, Nebraska less than 48 hours before her wedding in Kansas!)

The groom's father is the owner and DJ of Totally Legal Sound and Lighting, so it was a special honor to photograph his son's wedding. I have worked with Jon and his business partner, David, at many wedding receptions--they do an exceptionally professional job, with much attention to every detail to make the reception go smoothly for the bride and groom.

I met with Sarah and William in March to go over their wedding plans and ideas. Following that meeting, Sarah posted the following "Vendor Review" on her wedding website:

Edye Wright - Wright Focus Photography - Initial Review
William and I had decided to hire a NMSU graduate to shoot our wedding, but William's family was nice enough to step in and hire a professional photographer for us. William's father, Jon, is a professional in the wedding business and is personal friends and colleagues with Edye.I can't say enough nice things about Edye. She always replies when I e-mail her, even if it is just a quick update. She was nice enough to meet us at a location convenient for us, even though it was a good bit away from her home town. The quality of her work is far more than I had ever hoped for our wedding and having her there on our special day will definitely be a big help. If there is one thing that drives me crazy, it is vendors that don't pay attention to me when I bring friends and family along for a meeting. Edye was such a professional and even though we brought along William's father, she directed all questions to William and me, and was sincerely interested in what WE wanted for our wedding. I could tell that she was actively listening to my concerns and she had a lot of great ideas to make the most of our awkward ceremony site. I can't wait to work with Edye - I can tell she understood my vision for our day and I know she'll do a great job capturing all our special memories.

Thank you, Sarah, for your kind words. I enjoyed working with you and William and your families. Congratulations and best wishes to you both!