My non-love affair with Kate began at the Hotel Boulderado in the presidential suite. Things started out normal enough, with some classic getting ready shots with her bridesmaids. But then something shifted. What’s that you say Kate? You have a pair of wedding heels, but you’ve decided to wear your old pink Converse All Stars instead?

That decision was no big deal. You get bonus points with this guy for decisions like that. I was wearing black Chucks after all! We forged ahead with documentation of the day and capturing great moments with friends and family.

The historic Hotel Boulderado is a classic location to begin a wedding day in Boulder. The vintage red velvet curtains and furniture make for an elegant background for wedding details and bridal portraits. The flowers by Boulder Blooms were stunning as usual.

I will say that Kate was a little nervous with the bridal portraits at first. This is despite growing up with a lens constantly pointed in her direction thanks to her photographer father. I like to think that this next moment was the one that officially broke the ice. Bad Ass.

After the getting ready portion was done, we prepared for Kate and Craig’s First Look. Remember Craig? This is a story about Kate and Craig.

Real moments, real memories, right here on Steve Z TV.

The wedding ceremony was to be held at the Sunrise Amphitheater, which overlooks Boulder from high up on Flagstaff mountain. We made a quick photo pit stop at an overlook point for some incredible scenic mountain wedding portraits overlooking the Continental Divide and the Indian Peaks Wilderness. As usual, the clouds were amazing and I used powerful off camera lighting to increase the drama. Kate increased the drama tenfold by looking absolutely fabulous in her gown from Boulder Bridal.

Sunrise Amphitheater is one of the most stunning ceremony sites in Boulder,  featuring sweeping views of Boulder, Denver, and Green Mountain. As a photographer, I love this venue for the ability to roam 360 degrees around the couple to capture the best moments and expressions from the couple.

Despite my goofing around about being funky cool favorites and all, these guys are the real deal. They seem like the perfect match, and their touching ceremony showed how truly in love they really are.

Before the ceremony, I noticed that there were no clouds when facing east. I really wanted some clouds in The Kiss shot which would point in that direction. I told my assistant that some clouds needed to fly over that spot. Well, here they are. I am the Cloud Whisperer.

After the ceremony, we headed down the hill and back to the Hotel Boulderado for the reception. I was excited to drive right past Chautauqua in favor of capturing portraits in the infinitely unique locations available in downtown Boulder.

Hard sun is a way of life in the high desert of Colorado. Most people think that overcast skies are desirable for wedding photography, but I couldn’t disagree more. It is true that overcast skies provide even light, and tame harsh shadows. But the light is so flat and boring! Strong direct sun is not something to be feared, but something to be understood and tamed. I will choose the increased contrast and drama of bright sun over washed out cloudy skies any day.

There was even an awesome tandem bicycle bride and groom on top of the wedding case. Infinite Steve Z bonus points achieved.

“Hey Kate, I need a detail shot of the penny-farthing bicycle on Craig’s tie.”

We took a break from the hot dance party action at the reception to cool off in the night air. This couple even indulged me in some gratuitous night portraits on the street in front of the hotel.

Kate and Craig’s wedding had all of the elements which make my job a pleasure. Stunning locations, lots of laughs, wedding cake, and most importantly, a truly inspiring love relationship that can inspire us to believe that dreams really do come true.

Wedding Vendors

Venue .:. Hotel Boulderado .:. 303-440-2894

Gown Boutique .:. Boulder Bridal .:. 303-443-5500

Florist .:. Boulder Blooms .:. 303-494-5678

Cake Artist .:. Nancy’s Best .:. 303-946-9816

Musician/DJ .:. Tip Top Entertainment .:. 303-579-0255

Allie looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress from d’Anelli Bridal in Denver. Here she enjoys a touching moment with her grandmother while getting ready.

This little ring-bearer was quite the character. We have a dozen outtake photos of all of his funny expressions, including a meltdown during the groomsmen portraits that makes me chuckle. I particularly like this “what are you lookin’ at” look.

One of the challenging parts of wedding photography as a photographer, is to come up with locations for portraits while under extreme time pressure. You’ve got to present yourself as being cool as a cucumber, even if wind gusts are spoiling your planned locations. I found this stone wall at Stonebrook Manor, imagine that! Functionally, it provided shelter from the wind. Allie still looks super hot despite being cooled as a cucumber.

I always capture moments where the bride and groom are looking lovingly at each other. I find these moments truly natural and beautiful. In this moment, the wind lends an element of motion and drama to the image.

Here’s a funny moment, where the wind blew Allie’s long veil into the Best Man’s face. This random act of nature injected a light-hearted moment to the ceremony and brought a wave of laughter over the audience.

After the excitement of errant veils, thing were back to serious ceremony business. These adult words can prove to be a bit boring for the younger generation. This yawn is almost bigger than her whole face!

I always find it interesting that I attract several engineer brides per year. I have an engineering degree myself, so I know how much of a minority females are in the engineering field. While artistic, there must still be some engineering precision in my photography!

I leave you with a tender moment from the First Dance. My artistic side loves the look of the shallow depth and the rim light.  My engineer side loves the fact that the shallow depth of field was created with shiny new Nikon 35mm f/1.4G lens, as well as the PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 radio triggers that allow me to adjust the off camera two light system from the camera. Both sides are clearly winning, but not as much as Allie and Nick, who have found each other and are off on the most amazing adventure of sharing their life together.

Wedding Vendors

Venue .:. Stonebrook Manor .:. 303-255-0063

Gown Boutique .:. d’Anelli Bridal .:. 303-980-1400

Florist .:. The Fresh Flower Market .:. 303-617-9596

Hair Stylist .:. Evergreen Cottage Spa and Hair Salon .:. 303-926-0426

Musician/DJ .:. Professional DJ Services .:. 719-649-8367

We started off the day with the prerequisite getting ready detail shots.

Cara = Loveliness.

Big Blue Mountain Skies.

After the ceremony, we headed out to a nearby meadow to take some scenic portraits of the wedding couple. After discussing shoot concepts, Jared came up with a vintage truck to use as a prop. The really funny part, is that I picked Ward as a location to do their engagement shoot.  We wound up shooting a bunch of shots with an old fire truck up there. So these guys are officially my vintage truck couple!

My favorite shot from the engagement shoot was this shot, which used a tilt shift lens and the mirror of the truck. This time, I went with a double reflection image to achieve a similar effect.

Once back at the reception, it was time to eat, drink, stuff cake into our faces, and dance into the night. Thanks for reading!

Wedding Vendors

Venue .:. Wild Horse Inn .:. 970-726-0456

Gown Boutique .:. Bliss Bridal .:. 817-332-4696

Florist .:. Pick Me .:. 720-270-4647

Caterer .:. Wild Horse Catering Co. .:. 970-726-1368

Hair Stylist .:. Salon at Winter Park .:. 970-726-5200

Wedding Vendors

Gown Boutique .:. d’Anelli Bridal .:. 303-980-1400

Makeup Artist .:. Stephanie Klasse .:. 303-520-7857

Hair Stylist .:. LadyCharm Artistry .:. 303-525-8046

Caterer .:. Gourmet Away .:. 303-255-7660

Cake Artist .:. Das Meyer Fine Pastry .:. 303-425-5616

Our day started at the St. Julian Hotel, where Alison and her girls began getting ready. I love the swoopy lines of Alison’s awesome dress. I also love the swoopy lines in this shot of her shoes!

The ceremony was held on a gorgeous August day in Central Park in Boulder.

Aw. He’s just adorable.

I have shot many portraits in Central Park, as it is only 1 block from my old office. Surprisingly, this was my first time shooting a wedding couple here.  I love shooting in the Bandshell. In addition to the great architectural lines, there is also great light reflecting off of the walls.

The wedding reception was held right across the street from the park at The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, AKA BMOCA. Honey from Seize the Day Event Planners had the upstairs gallery looking top notch.

Elsewhere in the museum, there were plenty of opportunities to take Steve Z trademark quirky photos!

What is more fun than a good old fashioned cake smash? I don’t get to photograph one very often, despite the fact that most of the guests are secretly hoping for a train wreck. Dave kept this train on the rails and chose not to smash back. Wise move Dave!

I’m going to finish things off with a funny and unpredictable moment. I’ve never seen a guy jump in and snag the bouquet before, but now I have! He was pretty slick about it, as I don’t think anyone saw it coming! He then strutted out onto the floor and spiked it to the ground like a football! I wasn’t exactly sure what the reaction of the crowd was going to be, but most people were laughing. Then, to top it off, the same guy also got the garter. The really good news, is that I will be photographing his wedding to himself in the near future!

As always, you can view all the photos from the event in the Client Area with the proper event code.

Wedding Vendors

Venue .:. Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art .:. 303-443-2122

Event Coordinator.:. Seize The Day Event Planners .:.303-530-3953

Florist.:. Whole Foods Market .:.970-267-9200

Music .:. Full Belly .:. 203-313-9086

Makeup Artist/Hair Stylist .:. Hair Sensations .:. 303-772-0300

Wedding Vendors

Music .:. Full Belly .:. 203-313-9086

Gown Boutique.:. Anna Be .:.720-855-1111

Makeup Artist/Hair Stylist.:. Twig Salon .:.303-447-0880

Catering .:. Catering Consciously .:. 303-450-4815

Welcome to Ivete and Chris’s wedding blogariffic wedding gallery! We caught a sneak peak of their destination mountain bike wedding when we saw their Sneak Peek image of them riding their mountain bike at Devil’s Thumb Ranch near Winter Park, Colorado. Join me today for the visual highlights of their whole day! These guys are good friends of mine in Boulder and I was psyched to spend the weekend with them . . . and get some trail time in myself!

We started getting ready at a rental house that was right on the Devil’s Thumb trail network, and was only a mile from the Ranch. Well, it was a mile by trail, but 10 miles by car! That’s what you call a literal real estate listing.

Nice color coordination on the matron of honor and bridesmaids dresses.

The outdoor ceremony location at Devil’s Thumb features a world class view. I think it’s probably my favorite that I’ve shot at so far.

Great expressions during the recessional that could be the root of a great facebook caption contest!

Future pimps.

We took a break from friends and family time and headed out to create some photo magic on the stunning property at Devil’s Thumb. Earlier in the day, a group of us rode mountain bikes on the trail network at the ranch, and I had spotted this field of purple wildflowers. So we stashed the tandem mountain bike nearby so we could come back and get our ripping Sport The Dress on the tandem mountain bike photo.  The other cool thing about the bike, is that in a previous life I was a mechanical engineer, and I actually designed some of the parts used on this particular Ellsworth bicycle!

After the biking shenanigans I spent some time taking bridal portraits of Ivete, who was looking absolutely stunning! After the flowers we headed over to the horse corral, as Ivete loves horses. Well, this particular horse loved Ivete, so much so that at this exact photo moment he was leaving a giant horse booger on her wedding dress! LOL. Well, now we can’t blame ALL the stains on the dress on the mountain bike!

Back at the reception and IT’S TIME TO PARTY!

Tandem bicycle cake from Tee and Cakes! Can you see a theme here

The reception started inside the tent, but the vibrant colors of  a rainbow and then the mountain sunset eventually lured everyone outside. Hey, who is that in the background?

For the wedding entertainment, Frank Sinatra was in attendance. Well, OK, not the real Frank Sinatra, because that would have been freaky. But this Frank Sinatra was still quite the hit with the ladies!

Thanks for reading, riding, and rocking along with us!

Wedding Vendors

Venue .:. Devil’s Thumb Ranch .:. 800-933-4339

Gown Boutique.:. Anna Be .:.720-855-1111

Florist.:. Whole Foods Market .:.970-267 9200

Catering .:. Devil’s Thumb Ranch .:. 800-933-4339

Music .:. Performance Entertainment .:. 720-434-5330

Cake Artist .:. Tee and Cakes .:. 720-405-7548

Hair Stylist .:. Altitude Salon .:. 303-422-3123

Event Coordinator/Designer .:. Pick Me .:. 720-270-4647