{weddings}

{gina + mike | newlyweds}

February 5, 2011 By Eunice Leave a Comment

There’s Gina. She’s Friends fanatic, horse lover, and social worker with a heart of gold.

There’s Mike. He’s a chemistry teacher, avid golfer and I’m pretty sure if a neurosurgeon took a cross section of his brain, the OU logo would be emblazoned on it.

Together, they are a couple that walks with the Lord in a way that I admire so deeply, it practically brings me to tears. They complement each other so perfectly, it’s almost unbelievable, and they love each other so profoundly, it’s infectious.

When Gina called me back in May to discuss shooting her wedding, I was ecstatic. I was flattered and humbled that she wanted me to capture the moments of this day. Then she mentioned the wedding would be in Michigan, not Colorado, where they reside. Ooh fun! I’ve never been to Michigan! Then she said it would be In. The middle. Of December. Michigan. In December?! I would definitely have to invest in some warmer clothes. I don’t even own a pair of snow boots.

I digress. I was super excited to shoot this wedding, in the middle of December, in Michigan, and figured that I could handle losing a toe to frostbite if it should happen, so long as I got to experience the marriage of Gina and Mike.

As I mentioned, Mike is a ginormous OU fan and alumnus. Actually, I don’t think that there is a word that aptly communicates his true level of Sooner obsession fandom. Most, if not all, of his groomsmen were fellow alums, the wedding colors were crimson and cream, Gina surprised Mike with a new OU watch for his wedding gift, along with an OU groom’s cake, and someone hooked up the OU fight song to the stereo at the reception, which most of the bridal party gathered around and sang along to. One would think, given this OU immersion, I would know what the heck a Sooner is after three days of hanging out with this crew (Mike, please educate me?).

You know it’s cold when the florist tells you that the outdoor shots you’re trying to do are going to kill the flowers. I managed to get this one anyway, and it’s one of my faves.

The shot with the golf balls was inspired by a shot I’d seen Keri Doolittle do. I showed it to Mike and he pretty much loved it.

Given that their wedding was also the week before Christmas, I had fun incorporating all of the little elements of Christmas decor into the images. The reception was in Frankenmuth, MI, which is also the home to Bronners, the world’s largest CHRISTmas store (those of you that know Bronners know why I typed it out as such). Unfortunately, they were closed when we did these shots, so we couldn’t go inside, but we got a few out front of the Silent Night Chapel.

I pretty much fell in love with this window. Anyone that knows photography understands that we are chasers of beautiful light. And this window didn’t let me down.

Having been working in the wedding industry for the past six years, I’ve seen my share of weddings. I’ve also seen enough to know that the sentence, “we hired a live band to play at our reception” is slightly unsettling to me. Not to be a downer on live music, because I’m a huge fan. I’m sure it’s because all of the weddings I’ve been to that have hired live bands did not hire The Sinclairs Band. Mike’s uncle, Ed Kerns, was one of the founding members of the band, and he made an appearance as well. I seriously cannot say enough about how amazing this group was. Aside from being HI-LAR-IOUS, they played a nice classic rock mix and kept the crowd dancing and the air guitars jammin’ all night long. I really look forward to an opportunity to work with them again (translation, I will totally shoot a wedding in Michigan, even in the middle of December, again).

Rather than having a traditional guest book, they placed individual advice books on each table and invited the guests to sign one or many. Each book had a different topic, from “date night” to “conflict” to “in the bedroom.” I thought that was a fun way to have their guests leave a personal note for the newlyweds. They also had photos of each of their parents and grandparents on their respective wedding days on the front table as you walked in to the reception hall.

I have to give a special shout-out here to Kelly Beth Designs, who custom made the earrings that all of the bridesmaids are wearing. Unfortunately, the time line of the day didn’t allow me to get any close-up shots of the earrings, but you can see how totally cute they are! In addition, Gina gave each lady her very own handbag from Kelly’s I Heart the DR line. So. Awesome.

I was so incredibly blessed to be a part of this wedding, which I will go as far as to say it’s the best wedding I have ever been to. It was such an amazing day, from beginning to end.

Gina and Mike, I look forward to watching your marriage bloom and your family grow. I love you both, so much.

Filed Under: {weddings} Tagged With: Bronner's, Flint MI wedding photographers, Frankenmuth wedding photographers, Michigan wedding photographers

{pink champagne | professionals}

December 1, 2010 By Eunice Leave a Comment

The day is finally here!! I could not be more excited to announce Denver’s newest wedding and event planning service ~ Pink Champagne. I had the privilege of shooting Jessica’s headshots in November and I could not be more excited for her new business venture.

Jessica and I met in 2005 while working out at what was then Canterberry Golf Course, now Black Bear. Jessica and I were co-banquet managers, overseeing all of the golf tournaments, weddings and events that took place at the facility. I remember when I first met her, she had such an extensive knowledge on banquets that I was shocked to find out that she was younger than I am. She was attending Johnson and Wales University, pursuing a degree in event management, and graduated a couple of years later.

© eunice brownlee 2010

One afternoon, while we were taking a break between events, we were chatting and I learned that her stepbrother was one of my good friends in college! What a small world it really is. A couple years later, we both went our seperate ways, but we remained close friends. Jessica was present when my daughter was born, and I was a bridesmaid in her wedding.

Among several of our thousands of conversations about the future, Jessica shared with me her dream of owning her own event planning business someday and I shared with her my dream of being a full-time photographer. We have continued to encourage each other through the years and I am so excited that we are both at the point of watching our dreams come true.

Jessica has personally planned hundreds of events and gives each one her unique spin. At Pink Champagne it is understood that each event is as unique as its host. By working with several vendors in the Denver area for corporate and private events, Pink Champagne assists in bringing your unique vision to life.

Pink Champagne offers services from consulting on events to full planning and organization of weddings and events. Whether it’s an elegant baby shower, a corporate holiday party, or the wedding of your dreams, Pink Champagne will be there to ensure your event is as unique and special as you are. Contact Jessica today!

As a special bonus, I am offering an album upgrade to the first five brides who book both Pink Champagne and Eunice Brownlee Photography for your wedding.

Filed Under: {info}, {news}, {professionals}, {weddings} Tagged With: Denver event planners, Denver professional photographers, Denver wedding planners, headshots, Pink Champagne

Will $2,000 buy you a decent wedding?

July 4, 2010 By Eunice Leave a Comment

I recently read an article on 5280 Magazine’s web site about a Colorado couple who pulled together a wedding for two grand. Shocking, I know, but not impossible. For the sake of full disclosure, I’ll admit that I spent less than that on my own wedding. Our venue was only $100, which ended up being free because the guy felt badly it was raining so much that the view was obscured (we married in the top of a lighthouse). Our cake was from the local grocery store, flowers from the local market, and our reception was dinner for 12 at a fancy restaurant. Throw in a 10-day honeymoon drive up the pacific coast and our total wedding bill was around $1400. It can be done.

While I completely and totally understand the gist of this article is creative ways to save money on your wedding while still keeping it special, you should know that you get what you pay for. And if that’s what you want your wedding to be, great. You can stop reading now. Otherwise, if you think it’s realistic to have the wedding of every girl’s fantasy on that kind of budget, read on.

What I do love about this article, is their approach – the most important thing to nail down at the beginning of your wedding planning is what you expect out of your day and go from there.

So if you want exotic tropical flowers for your November wedding, and you want a photographer that comes with her own entourage and you want a cake with multiple tiers and custom flavors and you expect to have your wedding at a high-end country club on a Saturday night in the middle of summer, do not expect to fit that into a $2000 budget. While there are certainly ways to minimize the costs, you still need to be realistic on where you’re willing to give in. Is it more important to you that your guests rave about the delicious menu, or that the DJ gets them all out on the dance floor? Decide on your priorities and then you can find ways to fit the details into your budget, not the other way around.

Keeping this in mind will help you to have a special wedding day, no matter what your budget is.

Filed Under: {info}, {weddings} Tagged With: wedding budget, wedding planning

{ann + bo | married}

January 30, 2010 By Eunice Leave a Comment

I first met Ann & Bo shortly after they began dating. They were the cutest pair of little love birds I had ever seen. Bo was still in school up in Greeley and Ann was living and working down in Parker. They would send each other love notes by mail, and I remember Ann telling us of “quick” trips up to see him where she’d make the two hour drive one afternoon to turn around and come back later that night. I knew, even then, just weeks into their relationship, that they would get married.

I told Ann a few months later that I would be more than happy to photograph their wedding when the time came. I was half-joking of course, so I was beyond flattered when she called to take me up on the offer.

I was deliriously excited to shoot the world’s most photogenic couple in their wedding day. Ann and her sisters were hilarious helping her to get ready.

The men and I wandered around the property and Bo’s brother, Jeff, was giving me a hard time about being too much of a perfectionist in trying to shoot each photo. They were equally as hilarious as we took a few formal shots.

I have to fight back tears looking at the photos of Ann and her parents – the look of pride and joy on their faces says it all. Ann is the youngest of the family and the last to get married, and her parents were so happy that day.

I loved that they didn’t have a wedding cake, but rather, chocolate covered strawberries that they fed to one another.

Another neat event of the night – Ann & Bo serenaded their guests with a Jack Johnson tune. Who knew this pair could sing?

In all, it was a great day full of laughs, tears, and love. Thank you Ann & Bo, for letting me be a part of this day with you!

Ceremony: Mother Cabrini Chapel

Flowers: Parker Blooms

Dessert Table: sweet 2 savory

Reception: Rolling Hills Country Club

DJ: Spinin’ Tunes

Filed Under: {weddings}

{bailey + adam | married}

October 19, 2009 By Eunice Leave a Comment

One of the things that I love about being a photographer is the way that we become part of the special moments in people’s lives. Weddings are one of the most intimate celebrations to share with a family, and it was such an honor to celebrate the marriage of Bailey and Adam with their families.

Their reception was set poolside at Seville in Gilbert. On my visit to the country club a few weeks ago, even my creative mind could not have imagined how the staff transformed the space into such an elegant setting for a sunset dinner.

I particularly liked the contrast of the rust colored linens with the aqua color of the pool.

As I headed down from Flagstaff, I noticed some funky clouds in the sky, and hoped they lasted until the sun went down. Adam had told me he really wanted a photo of him and his bride with a signature Arizona sunset. While I cannot tell Mother Nature what to do, I was so glad she cooperated. The sky was amazing that evening.

One thing I simply could not get over was Bailey’s stunning beauty. As we laughed and joked about how much the camera loved her, her bright red lips and giant eyes reminded me of a 50′s pin up girl. Simply gorgeous.

And did I mention these two were hilarious? It seemed like we were constantly cracking jokes and laughing, in between the serious pauses to take a formal shot. But we got some dramatic ones too.

I really love this one, where the look on Adam’s face says it all: “I am the happiest man in the world, to have this amazing woman as my wife.”

After all the formal photos were done, we joined the family down by the pool for lots of dancing, laughing and celebrating. I have truly never seen a group of people so filled with love for one another, and having so much fun together, in celebration of two amazing people united in marriage.

To check out the rest of the photos from the evening, please click here.

Filed Under: {weddings} Tagged With: Arizona wedding

{gina + mike | newlyweds}

{pink champagne | professionals}

Will $2,000 buy you a decent wedding?

{ann + bo | married}

{bailey + adam | married}

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