Bridalize Denver had their grand opening last night. A ton of wedding peeps and brides turned out for it. Here’s a little collage of the details and festivities…Thanks to Jess and Shauna!

Lately, I keep finding myself being drawn to this photo. I think I like the dream-like quality of it. As I’ve said I don’t use actions a lot, but sometimes it’s just plain fun. I decided to make a large print of this for my office. Can’t wait to see what it looks like! This portrait was taken at Jess and Mike’s wedding at Flying Dog Ranch in Carbondale.

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I’m proud to be one of only seven photographers associated with Bridalize Denver, a free service for brides that helps them plan their wedding. They are basically the matchmaker between the bride and the vendors – finding her the perfect fit. The “grand unveiling” is March 4th – and I’d love for YOU to come! Plus there are great gift certificates for soon to be brides!

I know I have this one my wedding photography website, but I’m posting it again on here so that more brides may read through it. I’ve been getting asked a lot of questions by brides, moms, dads, and grooms – so hope this helps a little bit!

#1. Try to sleep in – don’t wake up at 6:45am like I did on my wedding day.

#2. Give yourself a little alone time. You are going to be surrounded by people all day. Just take some time for yourself and relax.

#3. Work out, even if it’s a 1-mile jog. It will help get the nervous energy out.

#4. Once you’ve had enough “me” time, hang out with your bridesmaids and family (but only the ones that won’t drive you crazy). It was so great going through trash magazines with my girls while we were leisurely getting ready.

#5. On that note, make sure you’re getting ready is leisurely. It is not fun to be rushed into looking beautiful – especially on your wedding day. Give yourself a solid 2-3 hours for everyone’s hair, make-up, and dressing. You’d rather be waiting an extra 20 minutes to go to the ceremony than making your man wait an extra 20 minutes thinking you’re leaving him at the altar.

#6. Pop a bottle of champagne. It does wonders. Then drink some water. We don’t want any fainters up there. Trust me – I know.

#7. Breathe

#8. Smile – a lot. Nothing is worse than when I have to remind brides (or grooms) to smile. It’s your wedding day – light that face up!

#9. Make sure you have enough time for pictures after the ceremony. If you want family, wedding party, and portraits of you and your husband – 20 minutes is not enough. Make it 60 minutes, giving the guests time to get their cocktail on – you’ll be happy 4 weeks down the road when you see the photos. I allotted more than enough time, and still made it back for a bit of the cocktail hour.

#10. Forget about the receiving line – you can’t have a good conversation in 30 seconds, and it takes up a lot of time. Just make a point to go around during cocktail hour or after dinner and chit chat.

#11. Talk to your fiancé beforehand about the whole cake cutting thing – nothing is worse than seeing a groom smash cake in his bride’s face after she’s begged him not to and then seeing her look of horror and anger. You don’t want to have a fight on your wedding night.

#12. Dance your pants, er gown, er veil, off!

As I was wandering around the antique shops on Broadway, I saw this bright red veil – how cool would this look on an untraditional bride?!?! Just thought I’d share…

A few people said they missed out on my three-week long sale. So this is for the procrastinators out there – a 24-hour sale on everything in the store. Click on Kara Pearson Photography to be taken to your wedding photography, pet photography, baby photography or family photography gallery

20% off prints, canvases, framing on December 10 from 12 am to midnight only!!!

Merry Christmas!! And think WARM!

This wedding was full of smiles and more smiles. Nancy and Mike just seemed so ready to be married. Mike was giddy and nervous, clenching and unclenching his fists, as Nancy walked down the aisle. But as soon as she arrived and they held hands, all seemed to be okay.  Their ceremony was at Christie’s of Genesee at sunset, which was beautiful, but can make picture taking a little difficult. Thankfully the sun hung in the sky as long as possible to allow us to get some great portraits of the two. They were naturals. Congrats to you both, Nancy and Mike!

When asked to shoot Jon and Allie’s wedding – I was totally humbled. Jon is my husband Bryan’s best friend since third grade, and Bryan was to be his best man in his wedding. It’s a lot of pressure to shoot weddings, let alone friends’ weddings. There’s just added stress to do a great job. Well, Jon and Allie made it extremely easy for me – their wedding was dripping in emotion, beauty, love, friends, family and God. Their wedding ceremony was held in a sparsely beautiful church, Stanwich Congregational Church, where Jon’s dad married them (incidentally, his dad was a part of our ceremony too!). Jon’s sisters sang the processional and there wasn’t a dry eye to be found. The reception was at Allie’s parents backyard, overlooking a sound, with a live band that got people sweating from the start.

Jon and Allie are such wonderful and beautiful people with huge hearts and I’m so excited that I got to capture the start of their long life together. Congrats you two!

Huge thanks to my second shooter, Kristy Rowe of Moodeous Photography!!! You rocked it.

I never go to client’s rehearsals or rehearsal dinners. #1 They don’t invite me. #2 There’s really no need for me to see the venue beforehand. But this one I did go to because my husband, Bryan, is Jon’s best friend and he was the best man. It’s fun to bring your camera when there’s no pressure to shoot. Slapping that 50mm f/1.4 lens on and just capturing emotion – and there was loads of emotion that night! Both the Lenci and Bryan families are so warm and loving. It was a pleasure to be around them for the weekend. Here’s a few snapshots from the rehearsal. And don’t worry – there’s a wedding blog post just around the corner!

Jess and Mike are just about the sweetest, nicest couple I know. In fact, half-way through the day, I turned to Jess and said,” You two are just so nice!” Plus, they were willing to do anything for their portraits, which makes my life fun and easy and gives them great photos. They are the life of a party, and certainly held court on their big day. There was so much love between them and their families. And, the venue – Flying Dog Ranch – was absolutely beautiful. Flowers everywhere, a big red barn, a pond. Loved it! A big thanks to Mike’s sister and fellow photographer, Andrea Moore, for making the connection. Thank you to Jess and Mike for treating me like a longtime friend. I hope to continue this friendship. Enjoy 6 months in South America!