Region 8 Experience

Two weeks ago I had the honor of photographing the AQHA (American Quarter Horse Assn. for my non-horsey readers), Region 8 Championship Show. This Region is comprised of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico and their were competitors from every state. We even had a few of our other neighbors represented, including Missouri and Nebraska. It was a three day event, held at the Pavilions at the Coliseum in Wichita.

I enjoyed the entire show (despite the heat!), but my favorite day was the first day, June 24th...it offered the most exciting photo opportunities. Events range from heading and heeling to reining, working cowhorse, western riding, poles and barrels-lots of action is packed into day one!

It was a great event and I invite those who might be interested to take the time to show, or at least go watch when Region 8 2012 rolls around. Beautiful awards, relaxed atmosphere, fantastic horses and wonderful horse people to hang out with for three days...what's not to love?!?

Molly & Pippin

Church of the Holy Cross in Hutchinson, Kansas was the place to be for the wedding of Molly and Pippin. This wonderful couple met when they were young kids in dance classes, and have known one another about 15 years! They complement each other perfectly.

After the wedding, while their guests were walking to the church hall for the reception, we took a few minutes to drive to a nearby park for some outdoor portraits. A light breeze and the beaming smiles of the newlyweds made for some great shots!

Molly's mom is an amazing seamstress, as she made both the wedding gown and veil. The gown was as practical as it was beautiful, with a detachable train for the reception.

Pippin and Molly are students at the University of Kansas-I wish them much success and happiness!

Shana

Pretty girl + beautiful horse=a fantastic morning of great portraits!

Recently I got to photograph Shana and her Paint gelding at Wichita Riding Academy. Shana recently graduated from high school, and she and her horse are headed to Kansas State University, where Shana will be studying to become a veterinarian.

Savanna & Chris

The end of May I loaded my camera equipement and drove west to Colorado for the wedding of Savanna and Chris. We began photos at Garden of the Gods, on the edge of Colorado Springs. That was the first time I've ever had a wedding party have to get off the trail so that a string of horses could go by!

After some unique photos with Pike's Peak in the background, and with the "kissing camels" rock formation in a few others, we headed over to Briarhurst Manor in Manitou Springs for the wedding ceremony. It was a beautiful location for the ceremony! The reception was in the Conservatory there. The bride had selected a butterfly theme and the wedding cake and decorations were extremely unique and creative.

Chris and Savanna were a lot of fun to photograph, and quite willing to hike around for unique photos...I wish them many, many years of fun together!

Kennetta & Jeremy

April Fool's Day seems an unlikely day to select for a wedding, but that was the date chosen by Kennetta and Jeremy...and with their lively sense of humor, it was perfect! Their wedding was held in the "theater" of the 20th Century Club in downtown Wichita. Afterward, everyone headed to the lower level for their reception.

Jeremy made jaws drop when he grabbed the microphone during the reception to say, "Thought this would be a great time to share some happy news-we are expecting a baby!" After gasps and then applause, Jeremy smiled and said, "April Fool's! We couldn't get married on April 1st without at least one big joke!" The expressions were priceless.

Congratulations to Jeremy and Kennetta and best wishes for many years of laughter.

It's YOUR Wedding

Just read an article on the latest designs of Disney inspired wedding gowns. The dresses are even named after your favorite characters, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, and others. Recently Costco began offering wedding gowns at wonderfully reduced prices. Happily, there are still bridal shops owned by individuals with a passion for helping you to find, and then to fit, the perfect wedding dress. The choices are limitless!

I was thinking back to a visit to a bridal salon last summer. I watched as a plus-size bride tried on dress after dress that her mom and sister chose for her. Finally, she gained permission from them to try on her favorite. As she emerged from the dressing room, she was already saying, "I feel like a princess! This is exactly what I dreamed of!" You could see it in her face, she knew that she had found "The Dress", and she was beaming.

The mom gave her daughter a quick look, and pronounced the dress "...absolutely dreadful for your figure...". Her sister didn't acknowledge her comments at all, but instead pushed the bride-to-be back toward the dressing room to "try on that first one we picked out" again.

Sadly, our heroine took a last resigned look at herself in the "Dress of her Dreams", and obediently went back to the dressing room to remove it.

OMG! Please remember that YOU are the one getting married! Not your mom, your sister, your future mother-in-law, or your BFF! You don't need to go all "Bridezilla", but gently remind everyone that it is YOUR day, your once-in-a-timetime, been dreaming about it since I was a little girl day. If you want to wear a "Cinderella" or "Ariel" or "Famous Designer", or even your grandmother's wedding dress, remember that famous ad slogan: JUST DO IT! It's YOUR wedding!

Misc. Stuff

This is a unique time of year...a little early for senior portraits and not exactly a picturesque time to have a wedding. There are a lot of other things happening though: winter dances, charity events, basketball teams, promotional shots and catalogue photos. In recent weeks these are a few of the things/events I have photographed: 10 pairs of cowboy boots for a website and print ad, the Flinthills High School SnowBall dance, the El Dorado Charities Auxiliary Hollywood evening, a boys basketball team, classes at a church, and my personal favorite...a pet rabbit for Valentine's Day cards!