Ali & Chris - Wet Your Whistle

Just a quick preview of what's to come from this incredible wedding. Look for a more detailed post in the following days.

Shove Memorial Chapel

Spent some time down at Shove Chapel this evening. What started out as a quick scope of the area in preparation for this weekend's wedding ended in a peaceful release of stress through some abstract photography and personal reflection. If you ever need a great place to think and just be, it's Shove Chapel down on the Colorado College campus. It's always open and always empty and always more magnificent than the last time you visited...

I spent my time shooting quietly humming my new favorite song by eastmountainsouth. Thanks Julie. :) Take a listen:

Ericka & Matthew - She Said Yes!

I had this whole story prepared about yesterday's shoot with Matthew and Ericka, but I think it's better told from their perspectives:

we just wanted to write you quickly and thank you ever so much for the wonderful photo session and the great time to hang out yesterday and share in laughter and joy and love with you.

we just again want to express our heartfelt thanks and sense of elatedness that we feel from yesterday. monday and getting engaged was the best day of our lives. yesterday was the second best.

the rene tate experience is second to none. our time with you was one of the most enjoyable times of both mine and ericka's lives. the two of us were unbelievably comfortable and your creativity soared. you took time to get to know the two of us, our story, and couldn't have been more enthused to shoot the best photos possible. we didn't know quite what we wanted going into our photo shoot with you, but what came as a result is more than we could have ever asked for.

from ericka:
"From the moment we began you made the two us feel so comfortable and at ease. Your creative, professional style paired with your most genuine, demonstrable passion for the art of photography made it an experience neither of us will ever forget, and not just because of the amazing photos– the whole photo shoot process was a memorable even in and of itself. Matthew and I couldn't feel more blessed to have had you shoot our engagement photos."

rene, you truly are gifted, and i've said this before, but i know you strive to be the best wedding photographer in the business, and just know that we feel blessed to have the best wedding photographer in the business as our photographer. :-)

yesterday was truly a special day and the two of us can't wait to see the photos, or a sampling of, when you post them to your blog.

thank you again ever so much rené for the coffee, the time to catch up, the great photo shoot, and for being such a wonderful friend. we're so blessed to share in our happiness with you and can't wait to see how you've captured that in pixel form :-)

Matthew and Ericka are an absolutely adorable couple. I cannot even begin to describe how much fun I had shooting with them. Our shoot lasted three hours if that gives you any idea of the fun we were having! Ericka was visiting from Deluth, Minnesota, for what she thought was just a relaxing spring break week with her honey; what she wasn't prepared for was Matthew getting down on one knee on Monday night. When Ericka and Matthew aren't running together, going to church, writing lengthy love notes, playing Sudoku, drinking chai, or flying back and forth from Colorado or Minnesota, they are likely found at a local coffee shop playing Scrabble. When Matthew took Ericka to Caribou Coffee on Monday night, she went about her normal routine to set up the travel Scrabble board, but when she opened it, she was perplexed when she discovered all the pieces were in place, words were formed, and glued down! It took her a minute to realize all of the words were special words to her and Matthew. And then, highlighted in orange, were the high scoring words: "WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

My personal favorite.... on the Pearl Street Mall. I love Matthew's expression!

Scrabble necklaces. Nice!

Okay, wait. Maybe this is my favorite. Look at those colors!

Matthew is a very talented graphic artist; check out this website: InvertedUmbrella.com

Mandy & Ross - She Said Yes!

*sigh* Could this day have been any better? The weather was PERFECT. You gotta love living along the Front Range. It's always an adventure; yesterday it was breezy, finger-numbingly cold, and snowy! I had to cancel an engagement shoot. :( Today, on the other hand, was absolutely beautiful. Lucky for Mandy and Ross, we did not cancel their shoot on account of the weather. In fact, we shot for an extra long time. We had so much fun today! These guys are incredible. A statistician and a poet. Talk about a unique combination. Our time together was so refreshing. Between the weather, Ross and Mandy's easygoing personalities, the vibrant colors of their wardrobes and the shops of Old Colorado City, and the added humor of my fill-in assistant...I couldn't be happier. As always, click the images to enlarge them and get the full effect.

Ahem... those colors I was talking about:

I adore these shots. So romantic, yet innocent.

I. Love. The. Sunshine.

And a good pair of boots. :)Mandy and Ross, your wedding is going to be a blast. You two make a beautiful couple and I can't wait to see you dolled up in your wedding attire in July! Thanks for a wonderful Sunday afternoon.

The Voices of Cat Country - Jim West

As a part of my new partnership with Colorado Springs' favorite radio station, Cat Country 95.1, I get to work with some of the funniest disc jockeys on the radio waves. The people at the Cat are just a hoot to be around. Jim West, of the Cat Country Morning Show, was so much fun to photograph yesterday. He was so easy going. He's got this hidden desire to be a stand up comic. Couldn't you see him cracking jokes? As always, click to enlarge...

Love this one! I wish I could remember which stupid thing I didn't mean to say that made him laugh.