I shot Nikki's bridal pictures last year at Red Butte Gardens.  Her wedding dress was stunning with a lace overlay and a sash.

I shot these pictures last summer. I know it's awful that I didn't post them right away. I took these engagement photos at Liberty Park. Nikki told me she wanted to do a photo shoot with a tandem bike. Mike and Nikki are pros on this bike doing circles around me while I shot the pictures. I think Nikki's cornflower blue summer dress is awesome. We should have brought some bread to feed the ducks.

Check out Katie's beautiful wedding dress. Doesn't she look stunning? I just love the lace pattern and the fact that it's ivory instead of white. The cut is more of a mermaid style with a long train that flares out the back. Her dress is really romantic and sweet. Katie and Cameron are going for a more classic style wedding with soft pink, cream, and black. Cameron looks dapper in a classic black tuxedo with a black tie and vest. I shot these bridal pictures on Saturday at the Provo Castle Theater right at the peak of spring. My favorite photo is the very last one of Katie putting her hand on Cameron's cheek next to the white tree blossoms. What photo is your favorite?

<3 Opie

Check out Katie and Cameron's engagement pictures shot in Park City, Utah. I just love Katie's pink sweater and boots for the snow pictures. I'll be shooting their wedding on April 14th.

<3 Opie

It's that time of year again. Engagement season! I shot Raleigh and Will's engagement photos 2 weeks ago in Salt Lake City, Utah with David Perry. I'll be shooting the wedding at the end of April in Saint George. :)

<3 Opie

Super fun spring engagement session shot in April 2011. Kailani and Mitch brought along a whole bunch of cute props and outfits for their shoot. What's your favorite look?

Krisina + Merek
June 11, 2011
The Johnson Mill
Heber, Utah

BEFORE THE WEDDING

Occupations:

Merek - Part-time Teller at America First Credit Union/Student studying Finance at University of Utah.

Krisina - Private Banking Operations Analyst for Goldman Sachs.

How the couple met: We met while both working for JP Morgan Chase Bank. Merek was transferred to the same branch Krisina worked at to obtain more hours. Merek always thought Krisina was very cute but didn't feel their relationship would go anywhere and didn't want to try at first. After a few months of working together and Krisina pursuing Merek, he gave in. They started dating and it didn't take long to realize Krisina was the one.

How he proposed: Merek had gotten the ring in the middle of Dec. 2009 and was trying to decide how to propose. He thought of doing it on New Years Eve but was still unsure how to ask. New Years Day came around and just before he was going to ask, they got a call from some close friends with the new they just got engaged themselves that day. He decided not to ask on the same night so the idea was ruined for him. He reasoned New Years Day would be just as nice. Throughout the day, he tried to wait for the perfect moment. However, as he was getting close to propose, a friend came over and ruined his chance. Finally, he decided the next morning would be a nice time to propose as they would be together. Merek woke up early and made a nice breakfast. He brought it to bed and surprised Krisina by breakfast in bed. They talked as they ate breakfast. Merek mentioned how much they had changed for the better and how much he loved Krisina. He than said there is one last thing they need to change, pulled out the ring, and proposed. Finally!

Bridal shower/Bachelorette party:

Bridal Shower - There were two bridal showers. The first one was held at a close friend's house near Krisina's parent's home. It was very lovely and the theme was Kitchen Needs. They played numerous games and Krisina got to talk all to some long lost family friends.

The next bridal shower was held at Krisina's parent's home. This one was themed Honeymoon/Travel to go along with their planned honeymoon trip to Los Cabos. This was held for close friends and family. It ended up being a fairly small party but they played a fun game where Krisina had to answer questions about Merek; if she answered incorrectly, she had to put bubble gum in her mouth. Luckily she didn't answer too many incorrectly!

Bachelorette Party - A small gaggle of girls all dressed up in cowboy boots and jeans enjoyed a lovely dinner at The Melting Pot. Afterwards, they enjoyed relaxing after dinner drinks at a martini bar in downtown SLC. They ended the night at a honky-tonk bar on the way home.

Bachelor party:

The bachelor party was with a group of Merek's groomsmen along with another close friend and was held in Wendover. We drove there from Salt Lake early Friday and started off the day with some Blackjack. There was plenty of drinking, gambling, and cigars to make anyone happy. They than hit up the Craps table to roll the dice. Although no one really came back with any money, they had a blast gambling.

WEDDING

Ceremony Place:

The ceremony was held at the Johnson Mill in Midway, Utah. It was an outdoor ceremony held down in an area called the Grove in which there was an arch made of tree branches and the area was nicely shaded by overhanging trees.

Date: June 11, 2011

The bride wore: A beautiful ivory dress made simply of taffeta and an ivory veil trimmed with curly edges.

The groom wore: A tux rental from the Men's Warehouse. It was a 2 button black tux with an regular ivory shirt along with an ivory vest.

RECEPTION

Reception Place:

The reception was also held outside at the Johnson Mill but was held up in a different area near a lake above where the Grove is. There was also the beautiful building which is a bed and breakfast, a watermill, a gazebo on the lake, and lovely natural surroundings.

Wedding music:

The bride and groom choose to use their own music by hooking up an Ipod. They had created numerous playlists for the reception which included a mellow song list while people were eating along with a more upbeat list for dancing later in the evening.

Wedding song:

Right Next To You by Elizabeth & the Catapults.

Menu:

The food was based on a BBQ setting. During cocktail hour just after the ceremony there were hors d'oeuvre which were grilled chicken quesadillas along with a salsa bar. Once the reception started, there was a BBQ buffet of hotdogs and hamburgers along with all the toppings. We also had flavored water which had cucumber and lemon in. The drinks included two signature drinks for the bride and groom. His was a Cuba Libre and hers was a Cape Cod which both had limes to throw in a bit of green for our colors. There was also a selection of beer inlcuding Merek's favorite, Blue Moon, along with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon as wine selections.

Cake:

The cake was a raspberry cake with buttercream and duvont as the cream as to make it delicious but not melt out in the sun. It was a very simple 3 tiered square cake which a blue and green ribbon around each cake for our colors. The cake topper was title 'Infinite Love' which showed the groom holding the bride with a ring in the middle signifying infinite love.

Colors:

Kelly Green for the Bride.

Cornflower Blue for the Groom.

Theme:

The theme was 'Perfect Pair.' We used this with numerous parts of the decorations including 'perfect pair' napkins, 'perfect pair' pear shaped soap wedding favors, and had green pears along with Grannysmith apples (which are green and also had the name Smith in it) as part of the centerpieces. The other part of the theme was to use natural things. The centerpieces were created by Krisina's father and were made of wood.

Flowers:

The centerpieces were made up of 3 delphinium with a fern each.

The bridal bouquet was made up of blue hydrangea, blue delphinium, ivory roses dotted with white stephanotis, and white Veronica, greened with mint, rosemary, and surrounded with ferns and a hint of yellow goldenrod, wrapped with an ivory satin ribbon.

The groom's floral was made up of a single stephanotis with 2 delphinium florets, and fern.

Décor elements:

We used along of wood and natural elements to make up the Décor such as the vases, the fruit around the vases, and the announcement board along with all of the outdoor surroundings.

Unique details:

The wooden vases were extremely unique as Krisina's father made them himself. They are very simple but have an square hourglass look to them. They looked extremely good with the flowers along with the fruit baskets surrounding them.

The announcement board was also unique with it's wood frame Krisina's father made. It had a sheet with the announcement details which the Bride created and had printed on special paper. This also included a tribute and pictures of Grandparents who had pasted away.

The bride created little posters which they framed that went on the bar and showed the drink options along with some cute sayings.

There was also a sign with details and instructions for our sign in quilt. People had a piece of ivory fabric and could put advice, draw a picture, write or quote, or simply sign their name for the bride to use later in making a wedding quilt made of the sign ivory squares along with blue and green squares from the wedding colors.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

Bride's answer: When Merek and I finally got a moment with each other for our first dance. It was so romantic with him holding me in his arms to a song we both treasure. Singing the words to each other and trying to talk about all the new we had staying the night apart. I will always remember the joy I felt as I realized he missed only me as I am his best friend as he is mine.

Groom's answer: Seeing Krisina for the first time in her dress was the best moment. We decided to see each other before the ceremony so that we could get pictures done early. I had to stand looking out waiting for her to come up behind me. I remember being so excited to see her and my heart was pounding since I hadn't spent the last night with her (It is VERY rare that we spend a night apart). She came up behind me and tapped my shoulder. I couldn't believe how beautiful she looked when I got to finally see her. Her dress was amazing and she was just glowing. I couldn't believe how happy she looked. It was truly one of the best moments of the wedding, if not my life. I'm very happy the way we did it since it all got captured by our photographer.

HONEYMOON

Place:

Los Cabos

A memorable moment of the honeymoon: One day they planned to visit a place called Lover's Beach. They were told it was very romantic and beautiful on the beach there as it was a great place to snorkel. They purchased their own snorkeling sets and traveled the 20 minutes to the beach. They were so excited to finally get in the ocean and see some wildlife. As it turns out, Merek's snorkeling gear did not keep the water out of his eyes. While Krisina swam around with her successful snorkeling gear, Merek steadily grew more and more annoyed that his gear wasn't working. Krisina realized Merek was getting upset; she decided that since Merek couldn't enjoy the swim, she didn't want to either. They gave up trying to snorkel and just enjoyed the beach together.

WEDDING ADVICE

Here are two pieces of advice to save yourself from a terrible amount of stress and confusion:

1. Do your best to have everything planned and paid for at least a week before the ceremony. It was extremely hard trying to still deal with planning and picking up stuff while also figuring out the tiny details that come up randomly. If you have everything planned, it makes it much easier to think about the little details that will come up in the last minutes of preparation.

2. The biggest advice we have is that it is a very good idea to select certain people (such as parents or bridal party) and sit down with them so that you can discuss the little details and where things need to be going. We were trying to get ready and enjoy our own wedding but constantly had our family/friends asking us where things needed to be or other questions you simply shouldn't have to deal with. During the reception we started to realize things that we made had not been put out along with many things went unnoticed because of where they were placed. Most of our guests didn't receive a wedding favor because they were hidden. Our sign in quilt was also missed by many due to the same problem and we had nobody planned to try and direct people towards it. By having more than just yourselves prepared with that knowledge will not only help you but help them to get things set up for the big day while you can relax and enjoy everything going on.

Rings:

Bride's - Fred Meyer Jewelers.

Groom's - Maceys

Invitations:

Beautiful Wedding Announcements in Salt Lake City

Rehearsal dinner:

Merek's mother rented a home in Midway to have the rehearsal dinner.

Guest book

Bought fabric and fabric pens at local store for people to write on; will be made into a quilt.

Photography:

Opie Foto

Videography:

N/A

Bridal gown:

Fantasy Bridal

Alterations

Fantasy Bridal

Hair and Makeup:

Salon NV in Salt Lake City

Bridesmaids' dresses:

David's Bridal

Groom's Tux/Suit:

The Men's Warehouse

Flowers:

Basket of Gold

Decorations and rentals:

Tables and Chairs LLC for the tent, Basket of Gold supplied lights for the tent. Used a local person that rents out speakers.

Catering:

JK's Indulgence Catering

Cake:

Midway Country Corner

Venue:

The Johnson Mill

Entertainment/Music:

Used own Ipod

Wedding favors:

'The Perfect Pair' Scented Pear Soap from www.weddingfavorsmarket.com.

Wedding planner:

N/A, The Johnson Mill manager acted as a coordinator.

Officiant:

Jeff Clark, LDS Bishop. He is also a friend and neighbor of the Gould's.

Transportation:

N/A. Guests were provided with complimentary valet service at the Johnson Mill.

Guest lodging:

Guests had the option of staying at the Johnson Mill during the wedding.

30% OFF ALL PRINTS

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I'm having a 30% off sale for the coming holiday season! Sale starts Wednesday, November 23, 2011 and ends December 2, 2011 at midnight. Get the word out to your family and friends! This is the only sale I will be having for the holiday season, so it is very important you communicate this information to anyone wanting to place print orders.

Sale is for PRINTS ONLY. Luster, Glossy, Metallic, and Canvas Prints.

Sale Starts: The Day Before Thanksgiving, Nov. 23rd
Sale Ends: Friday, December 2nd at Midnight

- They are flat 5x7 cards printed on pearl paper.

- They come with envelopes.

- The card is your selected design with your selected photos and then the back is a similar design with a message or plain.

- The cards come in packages of 25 cards. The cards are $2 a card.
25 cards - $50
50 cards - $100
75 cards - $150
100 cards - $200

- The last day to order Christmas Cards is December 10th, 2011.

- The cards ARE NOT listed in the shopping cart system. Please contact me by email at: opie@opiefoto.com to order your custom cards.

Kailani + Mitch
June 4, 2011
Holladay, Utah

BEFORE THE WEDDING

Occupations: Kailani is a nanny and is starting her own craft business. Mitch works in warehousing while attending Engineering Graduate School at the U.

How the couple met: They first met at a local music concert where his and her mutual friend, Chaz Prymek, was playing a show. There was very little interaction this time other than Mitch made a comment that they "had the same bikes", granted he meant they had the man and woman version of the bike, but he didn't make that very clear at first and Kailani pretty much thought he was a nerd. After that Mitch tracked Kailani down on MySpace (you know that thing that was around before Facebook was cool) and attempted to start up some communication. She wasn't very prompt with her response but eventually got back to him right before they ran into each other again at a Band of Annuals concert at Urban Lounge. This time the sparks started to fly a little more, with a little help from the beer probably, and dancing commenced. Afterwards, they rode bikes home together and he finally got her phone number. After some casual texting Kailani invited Mitch over to a BBQ where they shared our first kiss. Even though their first attempt at a "real date" after that by spending the day together and going to the Farmer's Market and Jamba Juice was a mild disaster, they gave it a shot at a second date where things went much better. Ever since they've pretty much been attached at the hip (seriously, ask their friends).

How he proposed: Before Mitch officially proposed, the couple had bought a house together in Sugarhouse. He decided he wanted to do something personal and romantic at the house with just the two of them (and a future maid of honor hiding to take pictures). The only problem was having enough time to prepare without her being home. To accomplish this he asked the parents she nannies for to make her work (on a Friday night, which she wasn't too excited about). So with the help of his parents he had the house decorated in flowers, and the entire back yard decorated in paper lanterns. He also had a custom cake made from Granite Bakery set up on a table with champagne. So when she came home and followed the flowers through the house he was waiting there in the back yard to ask her.

Bridal shower/Bachelorette party: The bridal shower was a small little gathering at the Bowman home with close friends and family. It just happened that this day was the one day out of a couple weeks with great weather. There were salads, snacks, drinks, and of course, eclaires. The decorations were very similar to the wedding using the floral cloth napkins and the vintage plates.

The bachelorette party was camping down in Green River, UT where the Bride's sister works as a river guide. Because there was such amazing weather the girls were able to go hiking in Arches and river rafting. It just so happened that one night there was also an annual desert dance party in the middle of nowhere, which really topped off the weekend.

Bachelor party: Camping up Spanish Fork Canyon where the weather wasn't nearly as pleasant as down in Green River. Each time the guys were about to go hiking it began to rain. One time there was a mad dash to get the rain fly on the tent, another was to catch the tent as it was blown down the hill. All of this made for a fun weekend of sitting around, but not many activities.

WEDDING

Ceremony Place: Kailani's Parents Home in Holladay

Date: June 4th 2011

The bride wore: A Pronovias all-lace gown as well as a second dress for additional fabric to put underneath the lace. This changed the color to a more yellow ivory color which enhanced the pattern of the lace and also created a sweetheart line.

The groom wore: A suit, shirt, and tie from Jos A. Bank with a custom vest made by his Grandmother.

RECEPTION

Reception Place: Kailani's Parents Home in Holladay

Wedding music: Tony Lake Trio who performs instrumental (guitar, bass, drums) of every type of music

Menu: Because the couple is vegetarian, they wanted to serve a vegetarian menu while also pleasing all of their guests. For appetizers they had fruits and veggies, cheese ball from Harmon's with bread and crackers, and a spinach dip. For the main course they had vegetarian "meat"balls with vegetarian brown gravy and garlic mashed potatoes, served with grilled asparagus, a salad, and a roll from Stoneground Bakery. This was all accomplished through Mitch's family and family friend's, thankfully saving the couple money on catering. Water, lemonade, and a full bar were also provided. A late night snack of milk cartons and chocolate chip cookies was served later.

Cake: Granite Bakery provided the cake which had two tiers of red velvet with cream cheese filling, one tier of raspberry swirl with bavarian cream filling, and a top tier of key lime cake with cream cheese filling. The cake was a creamy yellow color with white accents and a vintage theme.

Colors: Yellows, Greens, Browns, and Ivory

Theme: The couple wanted a vintage theme while also trying to use as many second-hand and recycled items as possible.

Flowers: The flowers were put together by the Bride's mother and her friend Deborah Hall who used to own a flower shop, along with the help of many of their friends. The flowers were primarily daisies, billy balls, yellow buttons, baby's breath, cream-colored small roses, and assorted wildflowers.

Décor elements: Most elements of decoration were either bought second hand or hand made. These included wine bottles and jars and vases, vintage furniture and piano, floral pattern napkins from vintage linens, old frames and umbrellas, and vintage plates and mason jars.

Unique details: The bride found some of her other items on the online shop Etsy. Her favorites being the custom-made cake toppers by MilkTea and the vintage tea dresses for the bridesmaids made from second-hand fabrics by SohoMode. Another thing they were excited about was the ring-pillow made by the Bride, using a stitched handkerchief which belonged to the Groom's grandmother who passed away a few weeks before the wedding. There was also a custom-lamp (using the same idea as ones made by Kailani's business), it was set on the guest sign-in table to show off the engagement photos using the photos on 35mm slides as the lamp shade.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

Bride's answer: All night Mitch and I hadn't really had a chance to be alone and take it all in, and all I wanted was to dance with him under the lights and candles in the orchard. So I went and grabbed him to do just that. This may not have been a moment captured by any photographers, but it was definitely one I will always remember.

Groom's answer: My favorite moment also has to be the dance in the orchard with my new wife. When the night was winding down a little bit Kailani came and insisted we go dance out in the orchard. After a night of greeting and thanking so many people, this gave us the time to slow down just the two of us and enjoy what the night was really about.

HONEYMOON

Place: Rome and Greece (Athens, and the islands of Naxos and Santorini)

A memorable moment of the honeymoon: The most memorable moments were probably the moments sitting on our balcony enjoying the sunset in the Greek islands. However the most story-worthy is probably getting lost walking around Rome. We had walked who-knows how many miles that day already going around to all of the sites. Both of us were pretty exhausted and getting a little grumpy, so we decided to head back a different direction to catch the metro line we needed. Words of advice: don't trust too much in the free map provided by the hotel. There is a huge central park in Rome which wasn't exactly drawn to scale on our free map. The streets adjacent to the park also weren't exactly accurate on the map either. By the time we got out of the park we were a couple miles away from where we had thought/hoped and couldn't help but laugh at the whole ordeal. By then we decided to take our chances with the bus system and luckily it worked out.

WEDDING ADVICE: If you had asked us the day before the wedding we would have told anyone to never plan your own backyard wedding. After it was all said and done though, we couldn't be happier with how it turned out. We originally decided on a backyard wedding to give us the freedom to choose every aspect of the wedding ourselves, without having to select from a list of approved vendors. We wanted to be able to go with as many independent artists, local and on Esty.com, as well as local vendors. We just didn't anticipate how much stress this would cause to manage everything ourselves. It did give us the chance to create the wedding of our (mainly Kailani's) dreams, but this couldn't have been done without the help from so many friends and family member, to whom we are very grateful. As well as Kailani's father for putting so much work into the yard.

When you're planning a wedding just remember to always pursue what YOU want and not what other people think is best for you. But also remember everyone is just trying to help because they care. In the end always remember that this is a celebration for the two of you and to enjoy one another throughout the process.

VENDORS

Rings: Custom-made by "Joe the Jeweler" at 9th and 9th Jewelers. (He was fantastic to work with. He took our ideas and made them better to create rings we are thrilled with.)

Invitations: Handmade by the couple and families using custom-stamped fabric using the same vintage linens as throughout the wedding.

Rehearsal dinner: We kept it informal with pizza and salad, and beer and soda at the Bowman's residence.

Guest book: Hand-made by Kelly, a friend of the Bride's mother, hand-bound using artisan Japanese paper

Photography: Opiefoto

Videography: Dave Brewer Photo

Bridal gown: The Perfect Dress

Alterations: Done by a woman, Pat, who was referred by the Perfect Dress.

Hair and Makeup: Landis Aveda Lifestyle Salon

Bridesmaids' dresses: Sohomode on Etsy.com

Groom's Tux/Suit: Jos A. Bank

Flowers: Arranged by Deborah Hall, a friend of the Bride's mother, and friends and family. Purchased from Ensign Floral.

Decorations and rentals: RSVP Rentals, Hale Center Theatre, Bella Umbrellas, and Affordable Portables

Catering: Family, Family Friends, and Harmon's

Cake: Granite Bakery

Venue: The Bowman Residence

Entertainment/Music: Tony Lake Trio

Wedding favors: Photobooth by Dave Brewer & His Crew

Wedding planner: Kailani Bowman, she wouldn't trust anybody else...

Officiant: Donald Dunn

Transportation: Golf Carts from Intermountain Golf Cart

Guest lodging: The Bowman Residence

Photobooth: Dave Brewer & His Crew

Flower Girl Dress: AnastaciaGus on Etsy.com

Jen + Jon
May 28, 2011
Sandy, Utah

BEFORE THE WEDDING

Occupations: Chemist/software developer

How the couple met: Swing dancing

How he proposed: Um... in the bathroom after I got out of the shower.
I sat on the toilet in shock when he knelt.

Bridal shower/Bachelorette party: Too shy

Bachelor party: "Strippers lack musicality. It's just depressing"

WEDDING
Ceremony Place: Our home

Date: May 28th, 2011

The bride wore: Maggie Sottero

The groom wore: Jones New York

RECEPTION

Reception Place: our home

Wedding music: iPod

Wedding song: Cara Mia

Menu: Avocado roast beef salad, sou vide short ribs with carrot puree,

asparagus with prosciutto, and seafood pasta

Cake: German chocolate with marshmallow fondant, although the top tier

was rice crispy treats, due to allergies in the family.

Theme: homemade

Flowers: NONE! My bouquet was made by my mother-in-law with antique

jewelry from my grandmothers.

Décor elements: well, just our house.

Unique details: Crocheted table runners, string sphere lamps, banners

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

Bride's answer: Me almost crying and him making faces at me during the

ceremony

Groom's answer: Cake in her face!

WEDDING ADVICE

Oh, it's over so fast. You hear everyone say "It's just one day," but truly, it is merely that: a day. It is a first day of many happy ones, but it is only one day. Be kind to people and don't obsess about the

details, because you won't care on the day, and your relationships mean so much more and any silly detail. Also, people don't go to these things to be be mean. Everyone is there to love you and support you, so don't be scared. And think, what do YOU remember about other weddings you've gone to? It's not the pew bows, it's how happy the couple was. make sure the wedding is merely a means to an end. It's the marriage you want anyway.

VENDORS

Rings: Philip & Co

Invitations: Handwritten, paper from Xpedex

Rehearsal dinner: Biaggi's. They have a great menu for people with

allergies, and have private rooms.

Guest book: We had note cards and envelopes, so our guests could

privately share marriage advice with us. The advice we got was so good,

I would recommend this to everyone!

Photography: Opiefoto

Bridal gown: Gallery by Lynette (Blech, don't recommend)

Alterations: same as above

Hair and Makeup: Nikki DeRoest

Groom's Tux/Suit: Men's Wearhouse

Decorations and rentals: Diamond rental

Catering: Groom cooked

Cake: Bride baked

Venue: Our home

Entertainment/Music: iPod

Officiant: Rev. Anita Gordon

Whitney + Steven
May 27, 2011
Salt Lake Temple
The Point

BEFORE THE WEDDING

Occupations: Research Assistants at the U of U

How the couple met: Church 

How he proposed: We just knew. . . 

Bridal shower/Bachelorette party: family and neighbors threw me a bridal shower, for the bachelorette party I went out to sushi with my favorite girls

Bachelor party: none

WEDDING

Ceremony Place: Salt Lake Temple

Date: May 27th

The bride wore: A champagne colored dress with a square neck and full skirt. 

The groom wore: black tux with blue tie and vest.

RECEPTION

Reception Place: The point restaurant

Wedding music: live piano 

Menu: buffet

Cake: three layers, top and bottom was chocolate, the middle layer was carrot cake, grooms cake was also carrot cake.

Colors: black, white and blue.

Theme: we really didn't have a unified theme, we just chose things we like and it all came together in the end. 

Flowers: White and blue hydrangea 

Décor elements: the flowers, the point is so beautiful by itself (especially when the sun is setting) that you really don't need to do much else.

Unique details: there's a special story behind my ring. . . 

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

Bride's answer: Saying yes!

Groom's answer: The wedding ceremony

HONEYMOON

Place: Moab utah

A memorable moment of the honeymoon: Steve says really funny things when we're rock climbing. He was climbing and I was belaying him, and he said something that had me almost in tears I was laughing so hard, at that moment I thought to myself, "holy cow! I'm married to this man!" that was the first time that it had really sunk in. 

WEDDING ADVICE

Don't sweat the small stuff. Actually, don't sweat anything at all! Things are going to go wrong, if you keep a cool head about you it'll all work out. Right before the reception the zipper on my dress broke, and then I spilled marinated chicken all down the front of it! Steve and I fixed the zipper, and some hot water and sprite took the chicken right off of it. It all turned out just fine, and we were the only people who ever knew about it. Remember that that day is about the two of you, and nothing else. Once you realize that this day is about your commitment to each other nothing can ruin it for you!

VENDORS

Rings: his came from the shane company, mine's a secret.

Invitations: Bethany Sell 801.897.1554

Guest book: Opie Foto

Photography: Opie Foto

Bridal gown: Gateway Bridal

Hair and Makeup: Ulysses Salon (Ashlyn is amazing!)

Bridesmaids' dresses: Forever 21

Groom's Tux/Suit: Clarks Tuxedoes

Flowers: Catherine Wolfgram (owner) Peony Lemon 801.244.9237

Decorations and rentals: The Point took care of all of it.

Catering: The Point Restaurant

Cake: April Baird, Amy Richardson

Venue: the Point Restaurant

Entertainment/Music: A very very talented friend of ours, also a few musical numbers done by Steve's sister.

Wedding favors: REI

Wedding planner: We did all ourselves

Officiant: Sheldon Child

April + Larry
May 7, 2011
Copperton Park


BEFORE THE WEDDING
Occupations: Bride- Service Admin at H&E Equipment. Groom- Electrician at Cache Valley Electric.

How the couple met: We use to work with each other at Cache Valley Electric. I worked in his division as an admin. One day he called for some supplies and I told him I had to order them and they take a while to get in. He didn’t believe me so once they actually got in I told him he owed me. I was thinking he would just bring me a candy bar or something else. But nope he asked me out on a date and we have been together ever since.
How he proposed: We went on a cruise last Sept, we had decided to stay the night before our cruise at the Queen Mary. So that night we were lying in bed and he held up the ring and asked me if I would marry him. I asked him if he was serious five times before saying yes. He is a joker and I didn’t believe he was really asking me.

Bridal shower/Bachelorette party: My maid of honor and his best man planned a group party to a local bar called Lumpy’s.

Bachelor party: Stated above

WEDDING

Ceremony Place: Copperton Park, UT

Date: May 7, 2011

The bride wore: An off white bridal gown that was simple, it was short in the front but long in the back. It’s designer is Oleg Cassini.

The groom wore: A black tux with blue tie and silver vest.

RECEPTION
Reception Place: Webster Center in Magna, UT

Wedding music: We made playlists with our Ipods.

Wedding song: Love you til the end.

Menu: We put our families in charge of the food, so there was a bunch of different things there. Anything from turkey to Mexican rice, beans and chili Verde.

Cake: All six cakes were marble cake with vanilla frosting and fondant.

Colors: Royal Blue and Silver.

Theme: There was no actually theme, we just wanted a nice relaxing party with our close friends and family.

Flowers: Were Daises from Tia Pan and Michael’s.

Décor elements: I printed some of our engagements and my bridals and put them on the tables with memo holders I had found that the bases were heart shaped and silver.

Unique details: The cake, it was a different cake.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
Bride's answer: Walking down the aisle and seeing the smile on Larry’s face and knowing how happy I was that this day had finally came. He looked so good in his tux!

Groom's answer: Seeing her walk down the aisle in her dress. It was the first time I got to see her in it and it was worth the wait. She looked amazing.

HONEYMOON

Place: NFL game in San Frisco the 49ers and Giants game in November. Our teams are actually playing against each other so we will be attending the game if they have a season this year.

A memorable moment of the honeymoon: Well since we haven’t gone yet we can’t really say, but I the bride already know it’s going to be the Giants kicking the 49ers butts.

WEDDING ADVICE
I would say to relax and let it be your wedding and not everyone else’s. Everyone wants to put their 2 cents in which is fine but you don’t have to do everything everyone says. It’s your guys day and it should be always about the two of you and the love you share for one another. The money that you spend on it isn’t going to matter ten years down the road so do it cheap and nice and have FUN!
























VENDORS

Rings: Kelly Jewelers for both
Invitations: I the bride designed them myself and had them printed on overnightprinting.com

Rehearsal dinner: Went to sizzler, Larry had to have his sizzler.

Guest book: Michael’s, I got the pictures frames where everyone can sign and say advise or whatever they wanted. That way we can put a picture in the frames and hang them instead of putting a book in a closet and never looking at it.

Photography: The one and only Opie

Videography: Reel Moments- Benje Moore.

Bridal gown: David’s Bridal

Alterations David’s Bridal

Hair and Makeup: My maid of honor did my hair and makeup.

Bridesmaids' dresses: David’s Bridal

Groom’s Tux/Suit: Tuxedos by Lee

Flowers: I the bride made them.

Decorations and rentals: I made the decorations.

Catering: We had a pot luck, so family brought in the food.

Cake: Brides uncle made the cake.

Venue: Webster Center in Magna

Entertainment/Music: We made playlist for the Ipod

Wedding favors: I made magnets that had a picture of us with the wedding date and it said Thank you.

Wedding planner: I the bride was the planner. I love planning weddings, this will be my last one so hopefully friends and family let me help them plan some one day.

Officiant: Bishop Clayson

Transportation: Larry’s Ford Truck

Nicole and Jamie
April 16, 2011
St. Johns Chapel
Plymouth, MI BEFORE THE WEDDING

Occupations: Nicole Abate/ Health Care Human Resources/Workers Comp Director! Jamie Tilden/US Navy-Naval Flight Officer

How the couple met: Mutual Friends at a Halloween party October 18th 2008!

How he proposed: He proposed on Valentines Day 2010/He lives in Jacksonville- Florida on the St. Johns River. He took me out on his boat in 45-degree weather on the water, which was freezing cold. I was very upset we were on the water that day and he told me he had to get his boat over to the Yacht Club to park it there. I was actually upset and wearing my coat on the water because it was so cold, and I was annoyed because no one else was on the water but us. I told him this idea was crazy and not the way I wanted to spend Valentines Day. We had dinner reservations at a super nice place in San Marco called Matthews and they were for 8pm! Shortly after our decent the boat started to stall out and I freaked! I was cold and told Jamie this better not be happening in the middle of the St. Johns River, and I kept asking how we would be rescued because my cell phone was dead. Jamie had also told me to make matters worse that his family would be at the Yacht Club waiting for us because we were to have a late lunch once we got the boat there. Now I am cold, starving, and we are stuck so I thought..............all of a sudden Jamie asked me to lift up the back bench and see if his tool set was there and I did, next I turned around and he had the front bench seat up and said 'Oh look I found the problem' and there he was with my ring!!!!!! I was more then delighted and super surprised. I hate surprises and normally do not get surprised that often. I was so extremely surprised I was shaking and no longer was cold, or hungry! By the time we got to the club, everyone was there to greet us and there was a small party of people and cocktails waiting. I could not stop staring at my ring so while I was talking on the phone to my family up in Michigan, I actually ran into a wall because I was looking at my ring and not in front of me where I was going. That's how he did it!

Bachelorette Party: Maid of Honor Sarah Groves house and then bar hopping in a limo at various bars and Club Bleu down town Detroit!

Bachelor party: Hilton Head South Carolina for a weekend of Golf with the guys!!

WEDDING

Ceremony Place: St. Johns Chapel in Plymouth MI

Date: 4/16/2011

The bride wore: Ulla Maija Couture Anouk Dress in Ivory

The groom wore: US Navy Officer's Mess Dress Uniform with mini medals

RECEPTION

Reception Place: Inn at St. Johns Grand Ball Room-Plymouth MI

Wedding music: Top Gun Anthem and sound track song Danger Zone for grand entrance into a military sword arch!

Wedding song: Frank Sinatra -The Way You Look Tonight

Menu:
Selection 1: Herb-crusted chicken breast
wild rice-dried fruit timbale,
creole mustard cream sauce
roasted
Selection 2: Atlantic salmon
chive buttermilk whipped potatoes, baby spinach-
fresh tomato, aged sherry vinaigrette
Selection 3: Mushroom-foie gras crusted filet of beef wild mushroom crepe
gorgonzola whipped potato

Cake: Red Velvet with Ivory Butter Cream Cheese Frosting/Garnished with elegant gold ribbon and roses in my chosen color of deep burgundy red wine.

Colors: Ivory-Black-Deep Burgundy Red Wine

Theme: Grand Ball Room Style 1930-50s Black Tie

Flowers: All Roses Deep Red

Décor elements: Old Fashioned Traditional- Center pieces were gold candelabras with red roses in our color, mix of square and round tables of 10! Double bustled tables of Mocha and Golden Lace bustled over lay. Chivalries chairs and mini easels for the table numbers and menu cards.
We gave all of our guests some really nice wine stoppers with the traditional Italian Almonds and our names and wedding date on the candy.

Unique details: We had a old traditional but grand entrance by waling under a military sword arch as they announced us as newly married coming into the Grand Ball Room!

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

Bride's answer: The 'First Look' was pretty amazing for me!! I was anticipating that moment in my life where my love would see me and was hoping for the exact reaction I got! It also was nice to hear from many guests and just random people passing through the hotel and chapel how they had 'never seen such a beautiful dress and bride' always nice to hear!!

Groom's answer: Seeing my future wife for the first time in her dress. There aren't too many perfect moments in a guy's life, but this one topped them all!

HONEYMOON: Savannah Georgia

Place: Mansion on Forsyth Park

A memorable moment of the honeymoon: Taking a tour of all the old homes and eating at Elizabeth on 37th Street

WEDDING ADVICE: I would definitely make sure you always have a plan B when it comes to the process, place, and people who will be directly participating in your event. It really left me without any stress and if something went wrong and I knew we might have a snag in a plan then I already knew where to focus next. Do not let other people get in the way of what you would like to do, just remember and do not feel too bad about what you want because its only one day, and at the same time remember that this may be your most special day but it is not everyone else's so keep that in mind too! Make sure you pick venders that get back to you and treat you well even if your wedding is a year out, if they don't really return your calls until a month later or get snappy-lose them and move on!








































VENDORS

Rings: Blue Nile on the Web! I highly recommend them and let me tell you ladies; I have gotten tons and tons of compliments on my rings. Go to the site and read the reviews and endorsements. I had my rings both appraised by Blue Nile and a local jeweler (Tappers in Birmingham MI) and they value was the same so do not get weird because you are getting your ring online.

Invitations: Emerald City Designs

Rehearsal dinner: Mitchell's Fish Market Livonia, MI

Guest book: Wedding Shoppe in Berkley Michigan

Photography: Opiefoto

Videography: Complete Video Solutions-Tom Santilli

Bridal gown: Roma Sposa Birmingham MI

Alterations: Wedding Shoppe-ask for Michelle!

Hair and Makeup: Aqua Salon Royal Oak-Justine Debono/Deyo Studio-Russ Simon

Bridesmaids' dresses: They all got to pick their own black floor length gowns!

Groom's Tux/Suit: Military Dress and President Tuxedo of Novi

Flowers: Emerald City Designs

Decorations and rentals: Emerald City Designs

Catering: Inn at St. Johns

Cake: Pastry Palace

Venue: In at St. Johns Plymouth Michigan

Entertainment/Music: Happy Hour DJ- Eddie Hakim is awesome!!!

Wedding favors: We did two different types of really nice wine stoppers. We had a glass grape wine stopper and a cal lillie wine stopper! Wine stoppers came from: Nice Price Favors/94 Gardiners Ave, Levittown, NY 11756 (People were great to deal with and they came in very fast! They will also replace any that come broken with no problem!) We also had the traditional Italian almond candies with our names and wedding date attached.


Wedding planner: Emerald City Designs

Officiant: Our Lady of Sorrows-Father Mark Brauer

Transportation: Millennium Limousine

Guest lodging: Inn at St. Johns Hotel Any other vendors not listed: University of Michigan NROTC for providing swords for the ceremony!
Wedding Shoppe provided all jewelry and veil for my dress!
Carls Golf Land for the personalized golf balls!

Laura + Zac
February 17, 2011
Salt Lake Temple
La Caille

BEFORE THE WEDDING

Occupations: Financial Counselor (Laura), Zac (student)

How the couple met: at work... I had asked him to talk to a spanish speaking patient and it was history from there :)

How he proposed: In front of the castle in Disneyland!

Bridal shower/Bachelorette party: Slumber party... some of my friends got together and gave me money so I could get all the fun things for the wedding.

Bachelor party: Went to dinner and watched the Jazz game afterwards

WEDDING

Ceremony Place: Salt Lake Temple

Date: February 17, 2011

The bride wore: a bridal gown

The groom wore: a black tuxedo

RECEPTION

Reception Place: La Caille

Wedding music: House music

Wedding song: none

Menu: appetizers: shrimp cocktail, bruschetta, hot chocolate bar dinner: chicken picatta, steak, vegetables, rolls, lemonade dessert: chocolate covered strawberries, creme brulee, canoli, wedding cake, fruit tarts

Cake: chocolate with mint frosting, lemon-poppyseed with cream cheese frosting and marble with raspberry/cream cheese frosting

Colors: shades of pink and lime green

Flowers: gerber daisies, calla lilies

Décor elements: candles

Unique details: photo booth

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

Bride's answer: the dinner/photobooth

Groom's answer: the sealing

HONEYMOON

Place: Cruise to Mexico

A memorable moment of the honeymoon: being stuck in the terminal waiting for the cruise ship for 2 days :(

WEDDING ADVICE

Don't stretch out the engagement longer than necessary. Everything will get done as long as you delegate. Take a lot of advantage of people wanting to help. Make sure to plan and don't get stressed! Enjoy this time in your life.

VENDORS

Rings: Shane Company

Invitations: Kelsey Anne Design

Guest book--photobooth

Photography: Opie Foto

Videography: Chris McClain

Bridal gown: Gateway Bridal

Hair and Makeup: Hair: Whitney Pierce

Flowers: Sax Romney

Catering: La Caille

Cake: Schmidt's Pastry Cottage

Venue: La Caille

Wedding favors: All Occassions Photo Booth

Blair and Casey
January 27, 2011
Noah's South Jordan

WEDDING

Ceremony Place: Noah's

Date: January 27, 2011

RECEPTION

Reception Place: Noah's

Colors: Red and Black

Flowers: Red roses

Décor elements: Black and White Damask

Laura and Matt
November 6, 2010
Salt Lake Temple
Hilton

WEDDING

Ceremony Place: Salt Lake Temple

Date: November 6, 2010

The bride wore:Ivory ruffed dress

The groom wore: Brown suit

RECEPTION

Reception Place:Hilton Trofi Resturant

Menu: Salad, chicken with pasta and creamy pesto sauce

Cake: 3 tiers with buttercream

Colors: Lime green, brown, orange, ivory

Brittany + Frazier
October 22, 2010
San Diego Temple

WEDDING

Ceremony Place: San Diego California Temple

Date: October 22, 2010

The bride wore: Maggie Sottero "The Graacie"

The groom wore: Black Tux with cream vest and tie

RECEPTION

Reception Place: Parent's backyard

Wedding music: DJ

Menu: Sushi, Japanese stir fry, assorted deserts

Cake: 3 tiered with light blue flowers

Colors: Tiffany Blue, Lime Green, and Cream

Theme: California Chic

Flowers: Queen Ann's Lace, Lime Green Spider Mums, White Freesia, Light Blue Delphiniums, White Roses, Wheat Grass

Décor elements: Tiffany blue pottery, Silver containers, hanging Chinese lanterns

Unique details: Nintendo groom's cake

VENDORS

Rings:

Invitations:

Rehearsal dinner:

Guest book: OpieFoto

Photography: OpieFoto

Bridal gown: Fantasy Bridal in Sandy

Alterations: Fantasy Bridal in Sandy

Hair and Makeup: by Brittany Gray (the bride)

Bridesmaids' dresses:

Groom's Tux/Suit:

Flowers:

Decorations and rentals:

Catering:

Cake:

Venue: Parent's Backyard

Entertainment/Music: RPM Mobile DJ Entertainment

Wedding favors: Chopsticks

I shot Whitney and Steven's bridal session on a really rainy day in May. We found some great walls with ivy and brick. These two had their wedding on May 27th at the Salt Lake Temple with a reception at The Point. Wedding photos coming soon.

Chelsey + James
October 10, 2010
The Point

BEFORE THE WEDDING

Occupations:

Oldouz + Ben
October 1, 2010
Millcreek Inn

BEFORE THE WEDDING

Occupations:

It's so hard to blog a photo shoot when it's your friends or family. Anyway, Jon Jon and my husband have been friends for 10 years. I was beyond thrilled when I met Jen and even more happy when I found out they were getting married. They are perfect for each other. I'll be shooting their wedding this coming Saturday, May 28th at their house. For the engagement session they wanted to add a little humor to the photos with unusual clothing. Jon's attire is for sure not something he would ever wear but Jen's spring dress is super cute. We did the photo shoot at the Salt Lake Library and then drove around for some other spots. I was able to talk them into wearing something more casual for a different look. What do you guys think? Do you love or hate the clothing?

<3 Opie

The stunning Blair! I shot these lovely bridal portraits back in November when it was still warm and sunny outside. Blair decided to do her bridals as early as possible to relieve the stress and enjoy the photos longer. Blair married Casey at the end of January at Noah's. Wedding photos will be posted soon.

<3 Opie

I shot these engagement pictures all the way back in December. We did the shoot on main street in Park City, Utah and a nearby wooded area. It was cold but the snow was perfect that day.

<3 Opie