St. Louis Wedding and Portrait Photography - Stevie Photography

Stacy and Scott - Getting married!

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 08:09:02 -0600

I met up with Stacy and Scott downtown for their engagement photos and we had a great time! They're getting married this fall, alas, not in St. Louis, but a wedding in Vegas will just as much, if not more, fantastic! AND they'll be married by Elvis! SWEET! I so wish I was going to see that but I'm sure they'll have some awesome pictures when they come back.

We started down by the Arch and the park around it. There was awesome light that day and, thankfully, it wasn't terribly hot. Stacy and Scott are huge Cardinals fans so, of course, we hit up Busch Stadium for some of the photos, too. A lot of really neat places around there to shoot!

Have an amazing time in Vegas! I want to hear all about it when you get back. :)

Kylie and Alan - Married!

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:57:33 -0600

The summer is almost half over, you guys! I know I'm probably terribly premature in saying that but my birthday is in July and I always feel like that's when summer is officially half over. Even though its not. And its half way to July right now so I'm calling it. Summer = half over. So I'm going to take every opportunity I can to enjoy what's left of this, my favorite season.

But before you go getting out your fall wardrobe, I'd love for you to see Kylie and Alan again, but this time at their gorgeous wedding at Larimore Plantation. I had never been there before this but I've heard tales of its splendor (over the top? yes. worth it? oh yes.)! We got enough rain to move their outside ceremony indoors but thankfully the rain let up right after and we were able to do all their pictures outside. Score!

Thanks to Jen for shooting with me!

And Thank you to the rest of the talent that put this day together!
Ceremony and Reception - Larimore Plantation
Photography - Stevie Photography
Flowers - Stems Florist
Ceremony Music - Noteworthy
Officiant - Rev. Terry Barber
Bar - Champagne Wishes
Band - Pleasure Groove
Cake - Wedding Wonderland

Don't forget about the slideshow!

Speaking of Workshops...

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:01:18 -0600

This one is for all you photographers... kids, prepare to have your minds blown! The ever-excellent and photographer version of fabulous, Kelly Manno, (wow, how's THAT for an intro?!) is putting on another St. Louis Photographers Shot Party on Sunday, August 21st! WOO!!

What's a shot party?? Well its just the best one-day gig you can get in the St. Louis area. Its basically a workshop with awesome speakers, breakout classes and a Wedding Q&A Panel. Kelly even worked her amazing magic to get not one, not two, but THREE AMAZING speakers - to the tune of BECKER and BOBBI + MIKE!!

AND! Guess who gets to be on the Wedding Q&A Panel at this year's St. Louis Photographers Shot Party... ME!! I get to hang out and answer allll the questions you guys have along side Sara McDermott and Susan Jackson! WOW!

Ok, I think that's enough CAPS and !!!!'s in one blog post, don't you? But, needless to say, I'm so so so excited about being a part of this year's shot party and I would just love to see a packed house for the day. Kelly works so hard putting this together and she's really outdone herself this year. Its going to be amazing and you DO NOT want to miss it!!! (Just had to CAPS and !! one more time ;) k?)

So go sign up now! Why are you still here? www.stlouisshotparty.com

La Fleur Workshop

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:24:15 -0600

Friends, you are not going to believe where I was at the beginning of May. Ok, you'll totally believe it because I have pictures. :) I got to spend an incredible day of learning, laughing and shooting with some of the most amazing talent in the wedding industry today in the beautiful little town of Ojai, California. Jill from La Fleur Weddings and Events assembled this all-star cast to put on an awesome workshop for about 10 photographers. And one of those lucky ones was me! WOO!

Here's the speakers our small class got to learn from:
Jill La Fleur, La Fleur Weddings & Events
Jose Villa Photography
Joel Serrato Films
Abby Larson, Style Me Pretty
Ceci Johnson, Ceci New York
Robyn Iaea, Editor - Pacific Weddings Magazine
Brian Greenberg, Owner - Richard Photo Lab
Tiffany Emch, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

Jealous yet? To cap off the day, we ended with a simply amazing shoot-along with the endlessly talented Jose Villa. Jill and the team set up a darling little mock-wedding setup (complete with stunning models) at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa and Jose took us around and showed us how he captures details, works with couples and just general insight on capturing a wedding that is unique and personal.

I have to say thank you and give my link-love to everyone involved in this workshop. All the talent assembled to create an unforgettable experience for us and I couldn't be happier with all of it. THANK YOU!!!!

Jill La Fleur, La Fleur Weddings & Events www.lafleurweddings.com (Speaker & Stylist)
Jose Villa Photography www.josevillaphoto.com
Joel Serrato Films www.joelserratofilms.com
Abby Larson, Style Me Pretty www.stylemepretty.com
Ceci Johnson, www.cecinewyork.com (speaker, logo design & invite suite)
Robyn Iaea, www.pacificweddings.com
Brian Greenberg, www.richardphotolab.com
Tiffany Emch, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa www.ojairesort.com (speaker, location & cake)
Amy Squires, Wedding Chicks www.weddingchicks.com (logo printing)
Camilla Svensson Burns www.camillaflowers.com
La Tavola Linens www.latavolalinens.com (luncheon linens and lace drapes)
Claire La Faye www.clairelafaye.com (dress)
Mar Romero, Team Hair & Makeup www.teamhairandmakeup.com
Jason Maurakawa, Small Masterpiece www.smallmasterpiece.com (tabletop items)
Allison Howell, Found Vintage Rentals www.foundrentals.com (furniture/décor)
Lauren Christensen, Lo Boheme www.loboheme.com (head piece)
http://www.avecmoidecor.blogspot.com/ (ring pillow, spoon favors)
Waxing Poetic www.waxingpoetic.com (necklace, ring)

And now, without further ado, my photos from our shoot with Jose Villa.

Our gorgeous couple.

Stunning stationary from Ceci New York. Dear Brides - please bring me copies of allll your paper goods so I can style them and take awesome photos like this. :)

Cute 'reception' dinner setup. So many little details!

Our beautiful 'bride'. I love love her necklace and birdcage veil.

Aren't they so cute together!? They took direction so well considering there was a small herd of us there. I'm pretty sure each of us had a few minutes with them to direct and pose wherever. The light was AH-MAH-ZING

love the outside pews. Those are little sprigs of lavender in the book holders.

Even a cake! Hmm.. i never did find out if it was real cake in there... Oh and laser ("laser") cut name cards. Swank!

And a feature of our 'groom'.

Kylie and Alan

Thu, 12 May 2011 12:21:56 -0600

Well I've successfully waited entirely too long to post these. Strike! On the upside Kylie and Alan are such a fantastic couple that I don't think they'll mind much. They're getting married THIS WEEKEND! That means you'll get to see them again on the blog very shortly! Woohoo!

In the meantime, enjoy Kylie and Alan's engagements from Soulard and Forest Park in St. Louis. See you guys Sunday! :)

Courtney and Joe

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:35:52 -0600

I always get that little tinge of nervous right before an engagement shoot. I'm not sure why, really. I LOVE love to shoot engagements. We always have so much fun and I get to know so much about a couple - how they met, what they do together... yet I still feel that moment of panic right before we meet up. Luckily I had Courtney and Joe on this gorgeous spring day. Any fear or anxiety I MIGHT have had completely melted as soon as I saw them in the park. Warm smiles, relaxed exteriors and pure excitement for the shoot ahead.

Guys, your wedding is going to be awesome! I can't wait to hang out with you both again in September!

Style: What to wear?!

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:20:47 -0600

'Tis the season for engagement photo shoots! More often than not, I get asked about what to wear for photo sessions. While I certainly can't go so far as to determine your own style, I can provide you some of my favorite inspirational blogs and sites for just such an occasion.

1. Jill G's Good Life for Less - This chick knows whats up. I really connect with her personal style because I have yet to see an outfit on her that I wouldn't wear. She takes pictures (daily!) of her outfit and gives the deets on where to get everything. Plus she puts together some great virtual outfits and is always posting sales and cute new stuff! Definitely check it out!

Image from Good Life for Less - love this outfit!

2. Style Your Life - Another super fashion blog that is really usable for everyday attire as well as special occasion and work outfits. While she doesn't post pics of herself all that much, she definitely has PLENTY of outfit combos on there to peruse as well as store and coupon info (a lot of things from old navy and target, too!). And there's even some outfits for the guys, too.

Image from Style Your Life - Side note: LOVING this navy and white collection she just posted.

3. Rose a la Mode - Lots of vintage-y pics and a very hip style. Think really young and trendy but timeless and cool. Is that a contradiction? Whatever. I like it.

4. Strong Sense of Style - a little bit of everything here but definitely some great wardrobe and trend inspiration.

As for my take on outfits? Wear what you love!

For engagement sessions, pick a couple outfits (one casual/everyday, one more dressy/date-night) that you feel fabulous in and the rest is easy. You and the man definitely don't need to be all 'matchy matchy' but try not to clash your colors, especially tops. Oh, and shoes matter! We'll do a lot of full length photos, so remember to have great footwear for both of you.

I hope this helps and gives you some awesome ideas for your ~~shopping~~ session. And if you haven't scheduled your engagement session with me yet, lets get on that! :)

Sprout and Mister

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:45:13 -0600

At least that's what I call them. She's 3 now and he's a whopping 6 months. Getting bigger and more like little humans before my very eyes. And yours, as it were. Love you guys. :)

And yep, I totally had them haul this chair out on the front lawn.

He says "word'.

Chocolate Cake in a Mug

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:15:25 -0600

Friends... I'm about to ruin your life. At least that's what this cake did to me. RUINED my LIFE. Why in the world would someone make homemade chocolate cake SO accessible?? And single serve!? ARGH!

If you've met me more than once, you probably know that baking is my thing. I love it and sometimes I just NEED to make a cake or some cookies to get it out of my system. But some days, you just want something warm and chocolate and you don't want to wait or go through the process of whipping up a whole cake or batch of brownies. Heat up the oven, lots if ingredients to mix together and then the waiting while it bakes, then waiting while it cools. Takes forever! Well, here's where the life-ruining comes in: you can do it in one dish. And in the MICROWAVE.

The latest issue of Food Network magazine has a little section on 10-minute desserts which includes this recipe for a chocolate cake you make in a coffee mug.... a COFFEE MUG! Can you tell I'm excited about this?? You have to use a big coffee mug and, really, this is enough for two people to share but the whole thing is done in under 5 minutes! Shoot me.

I mean... c'mon. Really?

Dangerously Accessible Microwave Chocolate Cake
from Food Network Magazine - April 2011

1/4 cup flour
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
dash vanilla
dash salt
Whatever add-ins you want (I like walnuts/pecans)

Whisk all together in a large mug (not kidding. Make sure it's big.) Microwave 2 mins. or until puffed up. Top with more cocoa powder or powdered sugar (or if you're me, top with caramel sauce... what? Don't judge me).

You're welcome.

p.s. for the photo nerds, these shots were alllll taken with my Canon S95 point and shoot (Full RAW at f2.0, even). No kidding. That little guy is awesomesauce.

Dreaming of spring and a freebie!

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:04:14 -0600

Its so close. A tree bud here and there. More rain than snow. Opting for the jacket rather than the wool coat. Spring is inching its way back in and I, for one, welcome it with open arms. Who's ready for summer!? :)

In the spirit of WILLING the warmer temps and sunnier days out into the open, I'm offering up a little freebie desktop background image to you all. Just cuz I like you so much! I took pictures at the MO Botanical Garden Orchid Show this year and this is one of my favs. I like that it looks not quite open all the way with just a hint of its bold color. Appropriate for March, wouldn't you say?

Click on your screen resolution to download. Enjoy! Yay for spring!

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Happy New Year...?

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:35:26 -0600

I'm ashamed to say that I've let the ENTIRE first week of this glorious new year go by without so much as a peep (ok, maybe a few tweets) to you guys! Sad face. You know what I think it is? Pressure. I wanted to present something GREAT for my first post of the year and the pressure of that delivery was just overwhelming! Well, I dilly-dally no more! Ok, maybe I still don't have anything super great but I DO want to wish you all a Happy New Year! Not just happy - but fulfilling, successful, joyful, prosperous, rewarding and (hopefully a little) relaxing. Lets make 2011 the best one yet, eh? So far, so good? Good! Lets keep going like this. :)

Really, though. I can't wait to see what's in store for this year. I've got some amazing weddings coming up and some big changes for the Stevie brand and website that I'm really excited about.

Since posts without photos are boring, here's one from my iPhone that I thought was pretty. Its supposed snow somethin' fierce tonight so maybe my backyard will look like this again in the morning.

Happy, super, awesome, amazing 2011 to you all. love.

Jessica + Cale

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:42:29 -0600

Its official! Another year of Stevie Photography weddings are on the books! A huge CONGRATULATIONS to all my fantastic couples this year. I wish you all the happiness and love in the world!

Rounding out 2010 this year, Jessica and Cale had a beautiful ceremony and reception surrounded by lots of family and friends. Jessica had amazing attention to detail and the day went so smoothly. We had a great time hanging out with you guys! :) Thank you to Kelly for shooting with me on a cold December day!

Check out the Slideshow to see more!

Christine + Kyle Day After

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 10:47:56 -0600

Happy Monday! I just had the best weekend. I shot the last Stevie wedding of the year on Saturday (Congrats Jessie and Cale!) and Sunday was spent with my sweetie running errands and hanging out with friends. Now the prep for the holidays is in full swing and my list is loooooong, friends. If there's one thing I love as much as photography, its baking. I don't know what it is about constructing a dough and making cookies or breads or pastries that just makes me happy and calm and rewarded. It could be all the sugar involved. It could be a warm oven on a winter day. It could very well be all the happy people that GET to eat to the goodies. Either way, baking in the winter is my thing and I'm stoked to get started! Email me to place your order. :)

On to today's lovliness! Kyle is such a great guy. He emailed me before their wedding in October to see if he could set up a day-after session for his bride as a surprise for her. He knew she REALLY wanted pictures downtown but there just wouldn't be time on the wedding day. So we scheduled a day-after session when they came back from their honeymoon, all tan and relaxed. What resulted is some of my favorite images of the year. Thanks to an unseasonably warm fall and the uncommon love of newlyweds. :) Loves it! Enjoy.

Kristin and Zac's Wedding Day!

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:39:28 -0600

Ok if you're not smiling after looking at these photos, there's something wrong. I can not TELL you how great it is to go through a group of wedding photos and see the biggest smiles and happiest people. Especially our stunning bride, Kristin. I think I was grinning the whole time I was editing. Her smile is seriously contagious and it was her best accessory all day. Well, that and the charming and handsome husband on her arm.

Congratulations you guys! Thank you for letting me be a part of your day. Enjoy your fabulous honeymoon cruise!

And of course, I can't forget the slideshow! And thanks again to Von for her second shooter skills. :)

Christine + Kyle

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:27:38 -0600

All wedding days should go like this. I remember Christine emailing me months before the wedding to get advice on what time to have an outdoor ceremony and what time to be ready to start pictures before among other details. She wanted her day to go off without a hitch, and being the ever-so-clever planner she is, it did. Because they planned for a sunset ceremony, Christine and Kyle opted to do a first look at the start of their day. I cannot TELL you how this makes the day go so much more smoothly! We had oodles of time for pictures and no rush! Photographer heaven! We were even able to sneak in another short session during cocktail hour to take advantage of the sunset light after the ceremony. So beautiful!

If you have a 2pm ceremony with a 6pm reception, this is probably not the ideal scenario but when your ceremony happens at the end of the day, you'll be thanking yourself that you opted for the first look and got all your portraits done before the ceremony (and the light of day) is over. Ok I'm off my soapbox. :)

Back to the wedding goodness! I had such an awesome time working with Christine and Kyle. They were up for anything and even climbed all through the weeds for an awesome series. We were all covered in little burrs when we came out (wah wahhhh). BUT, my fav of the day came out of those weeds! All worth it! And no dress harm either. :)

Christine and Kyle THANK YOU for being so fun and fearless! I hope you think it was all worth it, too.

And the slideshow! And thanks to Von for shooting with me (and being such a great burr-scraper. ha.)!