Breckenridge Sunrise Engagement

Mallory and Sean came to me through a client referral but from our first phone call and Zoom chats, I instantly felt like I’d known them for years. They live in St. Louis, MI, but are holding their wedding in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in September 2024. Mallory’s grandmother has a home there, and it’s a special place for her family.

Sean and Mallory were warriors and braved an early morning wakeup on Labor Day weekend to meet me at 6:15am at Officer’s Gulch, between Frisco and Breckenridge. Nothing beats magic hour photos (the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset), especially in the mountains!

Little did I know that the morning before Mallory and Sean’s engagement shoot, my boyfriend, now fiancé, would propose the day prior. With that, when I introduced Mallory and Sean to my fiancé, they were over the moon to hear about how he proposed and our love story. That is the type of people Mallory and Sean are—they only recently met me and hardly knew Mitch, yet they couldn’t wait to hear about our love and love story. They are such loving, generous, sweet people! I can’t wait to photograph their wedding next year and celebrate their love!

Lakefront Wedding Reception for Denver Couple

Jessica and Dan’s intimate wedding reception was elegant yet casual and full of love and laughter. Jessica and Dan met once they moved to Denver from Chicago and New York. I was thrilled to travel to gorgeous Saugatuck, Michigan, where Dan’s family has a family summer home. Saugatuck looks like it’s straight out of New England. Beautiful lakefront homes and lush gardens everywhere. The morning started overcast and rainy, but amazingly, the weather cleared up and greeted us with a gorgeous golden hour and beautiful sunset. The waterfront was stunning, as was capturing these beautiful souls’ love. They had their intimate ceremony in Denver, with just the two of them and I was thrilled to document their family reception to celebrate their love.

I’ve always been drawn to flowers and love incorporating nature and flowers into my wedding and event photography. I started dabbling in floral arranging while quarantining in 2020, and I was beyond thrilled and honored that the couple entrusted me to create the tablescapes and floral arrangements for their wedding. It was an absolute blast making the arrangements the morning of the wedding, setting up the venue, and then photographing it. For micro weddings and elopements, it’s wonderful to work so closely with couples and to simplify the planning by essentially being the only vendor besides venue, catering, and bakery.

NYC’s Most Romantic

Wedding Venue:

One if by Land, Two if by Sea

One if by Land, Two if by Sea is often cited as the most romantic restaurant in New York City and in 2020 was rated as the “5th Most Romantic Restaurant in the World" by Architectural Digest. After photographing an intimate daytime September wedding at this gorgeous historical gem, I can attest that this beautiful land-marked, 18th century carriage house in NYC's West Village deserves these accolades and more!

The original carriage house once belonged to Aaron Burr (built in 1767) and now hosts engagements, proposals, weddings, and other intimate celebrations accompanied by chef Gary Volvo’s classic menu including oysters, beef Wellington and Pastry Chef Vera Elezovic’s chocolate soufflé and other delicacies. You can also reserve a table for a special dinner but for a romantic wedding venue in NYC, there is no need to look further.

The decor includes candlelit tables, brick fireplaces, natural wood, a baby grand piano and a private garden all lending to a warm, intimate, and old-world feel. Located on charming Barrow Street in the West Village, the brick exterior accompanied by large curved windows provides ample space for beautiful family photos right outside One if by Land, Two if by Sea for large groupings that won’t fit inside the private garden. It’s also a great way to have a mix of portraits in a beautiful garden and in the West Village to have a wider range of locations for bridal portraits. This is a big time-saver and makes accommodating family members who can’t easily stand for more than a few minutes or have difficulty moving around much easier.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea is available for private events and can be closed to the public to accommodate larger events. Up to 130 guests can be hosted for a seated dinner or 200 guests for a cocktail style reception.

Read more about the fascinating history of the carriage house and check out Christine and Phil’s wedding at One if by Land, Two if by Sea and in the nearby beautiful gardens of Saint Luke in the Fields.

Vendors featured include the following:

Dress: BHLDN

Groom’s Tie & Handkerchief: Ted Baker

Florals: Angelica Flowers & Events

View more of Christine and Phil’s wedding at One if by Land, Two if by Sea here.

Top Tips for Sustainable and Zero-Waste Weddings

Weddings can transport us to beautiful places—whether a micro wedding in a backyard, on the beach, in a local garden, at a modern magnificent ballroom, a farm, or at a gorgeous chateau. Yet, regardless of your wedding style, location, and number of guests, the unfortunate reality is events and weddings can produce a lot of waste. The good news is there are many ways to reduce waste!

I was thrilled to have one of my favorite wedding images published in Top Tips for Throwing Zero-Waste Weddings in St. Louis in St. Louis Best Bridal. They shared fabulous tips including:

• Choose a mindful caterer that values local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients and creates farm-to-table menus.

• Pick locally grown flowers and request that your florist doesn’t use flower foam. This lovely couple cared deeply about using local vendors for their St. Louis, MO wedding. They hired the fabulous Urban Buds: City Grown Flowers who grows their beautiful blooms locally in greenhouses.

• Find an earth-friendly event space. “Sustainability-focused venues and caterers will have built best practices into the core of their mission statements and train their staff accordingly”.

  • For NYC couples, check out Ecocult’s list of 15 Coolest Sustainable Wedding Venues for Brooklyn Couples.

• Hold your wedding in one place—this cuts down on travel and fuel emissions.

For more guidance, journalist and sustainable fashion expert, Alden Wicker, shares fabulous tips on throwing a sustainable event in NYC (I photographed this event for Alden—it was SO much fun!) and how she made her Brooklyn wedding eco-friendly.

Alden points out that while electronic invitations are often a popular option, digital invites and RSVPs can get lost in cyberspace. She used Bella Figura who” uses vegetable-oil based and low-Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) inks, and low-VOC and citrus-based solvents. They recycle and compost their waste, and use recycled packaging materials. The papers themselves are made of reclaimed cotton fibers from the garment industry, and colored papers are FSC-certified. They are entirely powered by wind through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs).”

Alden also highlights sustainable fashion, non-toxic makeup, reusable or biodegradable favors, non-disposable decor, and hiring a compost company. Read her full article here.

Featured here are photos of Urban Buds’ stunning creations at the elegant wedding of Boston-based couple, Natalie & Brice. Locations include Missouri Botanical Garden and The Caramel Room in St. Louis, Missouri (Brice’s hometown).

Do you have sustainable or eco-friendly practices in your daily life that you’re passionate about? Share in comments below!