Xander and Soleil | Pregnancy Announcement | Topeka, KS
Now that the cat is out of the bag....I can blog!
A few weeks ago, I got a text that said "Is this still Carrie's phone number?" Ummmm yes, yes it is. It was my old buddy Xander. With a secret.
Xander and I went to high school together for one year. We never talked. We didn't know each other. We had mutual friends, but not many.
In college, our friend group became larger, and we became friends through those mutual friends. We spent a lot of time at Sharkey's, and we spent our college biology class trying to stay awake or not laugh. I will be forever thankful because Xander is one of the best guys I know. Really, he is.
Over the years I saw Xander date girls who probably didn't deserve him or understand him or get his weird sense of humor, then he met Soleil. And that was it.
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They have been married for a little over two years now, so I immediately guessed that there would be a little one soon. I love nothing more than seeing someone's face who just found out they're pregnant. Happy, scared, tired, hopeful, excited. I was honored that they would have thought of me to help them with how they would announce their big news.
We spent an afternoon last weekend at Gage Park, looking for trees that Soleil could safely get in and looking for great light. Not hard. Plus Xander and Soleil are so photogenic that it was a breeze.
Can't wait to see their baby in just 7 months!
Lexi | Senior Days | Washbrun Rural High School | Ward Meade Park | Topeka, Kansas
I was contacted by Lexie's grandma, Irene, and I actually didn't get to meet Lexie until the day of the shoot. But this girl is so personable. She was easy to pose because look at her--she's gorgeous! She brought her best friend for a few shots and her dog for a few others!
It was a great afternoon at Ward Meade Park again. The sunlight was spot on, and it wasn't as hot as we expected it to be thankfully!!
Angela & Randy Bratcher | Wedding | October 22, 2016 | The Garden House | Lake Shawnee | Topeka, KS
In my life, I have met couples who make a better team than they do separately, and I can say FOR SURE that this describes Angela and Randy to the fullest. I knew Angela for years before I became their family photographer. We grew up in the same neighborhood, and our younger brothers were close friends at a young age too. I remember her being a little older than me, and she was one of those girls that I wanted to be like. She is beautiful and always had the best hair.
Angela and Randy have been planning their wedding for a while, and during that time, their family grew solid and strong changing the way their big day was mapped. Randy's daughter, Destiny, walked with him down the aisle, and Shyanne walked Angela down the aisle. Each girl stayed there during the ceremony. It made the short ceremony emotional and touching, knowing that this was a family who had already committed.
At the reception, I was talking to Randy's mom and Angela's dad on the deck just above where the ceremony was held, and her dad said "I have never seen her as happy as he is with him. It's hard for a dad to accept another guy after your daughter has been hurt before. But Randy was different right away." I almost cried.
I can only wish the happiest of futures for these 2 and their daughters. They so deserve it.
Olivia | Sweetheart Sessions | Leglar Barn | Lenexa, Kansas
Olivia is the daughter of my husband's first cousin, Karen, and we have talked multiple times about getting photos of her but never quite found the time. This year, we made a point to get it done. I am so glad that we did!
She was so good at posing, and she did every little turn and twist I asked of her. And it shows in her photos!
Reagan, my daughter, and Olivia are about 4 years apart, but they played so well that day, and I can't wait to get these two together more often. Playground dates in the spring!
Catie and Ryan | Topeka, KS | Ward Meade Park | Wedding | October 15, 2016
I have known Catie for a while. We actually "met" randomly on Twitter through mutual friends, and we conversed from afar for quite a while. When Ryan proposed, I was so excited for her! I had put a promotion out on my business page right around the time of their proposal, letting everyone know that I would in fact be venturing into wedding photography this year. I didn't have anyone particular in mind when I wrote that little blurb. Catie was the first bride-to-be to contact me.
And I am so thankful that she did.
You see couples who are just good together, ones that just click, and they don't need to flaunt it for everyone to know or see it. That is Catie and Ryan. They are just good together.
Their wedding was sweet and simple and very well put together. The colors--navy and orange--were perfect for a fall day, and even though there is still a lot of green left here in Kansas, they all complimented each other perfect. And Catie's dress. And flowers. And ring. Gahhhhhh, beautiful!
We shot at Ward Meade Park in Topeka, Kansas prior to their ceremony with family and their bridal party. I am always so in love with the raised flower beds, and they were perfect as our backdrop for group shots. The overgrowth of greenery felt very "homey" to me, and that fits Catie and Ryan very well.
The ceremony was held in the small chapel right in the park. It held about 50ish people, and it felt like the perfect amount. Not too long and not too short. I kept watching Ryan and the way he kept looking at Catie. It cemented it for me that these two are so good together.
We drove to NOTO after the ceremony, and if you know me, you know I love NOTO for shoots. The grunge, the dirtiness, the DUMPSTERS. This was an inside joke and totally worth the awkward looks and comments we got from the neighbors. Like, who the heck takes their wedding photo in an alleyway? Um, we do. And I love it.
The reception was at Sacred Heart Church. Such great fun. So much dancing. So much LOVE for this couple. I hope that Catie and Ryan have a long, happy, not-full-of-drama life and that they can let things rolls off their backs as well as they did on their big day.
