stalzerphotographyblog

Our Saturday started out at 745am with a monsoon as we made our way to Des Moines for our wedding this past weekend.  Both John and I were on edge, because we knew just how badly Val wanted to have outdoor photos in her parents back yard in Waukee.  As we keep driving, the rain starts to let up, and by the time I dropped John off at the downtown Mariott to join the boys, it had stopped completely.  WHEW!!!   From there, I met up with the girls in Waukee, and had an awesome time seeing them laugh, tell stories,  and get ready for the big day. 

 Val had previously told us about this perfect little spot out on a dock behind her parents house. This was where she wanted the big moment of seeing Kosta for the first time on their wedding day to happen.  And as i drove up to her parents house, I saw the very place she had mentioned.  It was every girls dream spot.  Overlooking a beautiful pond, gorgeous land scaping, flowers, trees, etc. It WAS the perfect spot!   As we open the door to head down to the dock… it starts to sprinkle! And truth be told, i was worried about her hair and her shoes, but all she had in her head was the perfect fairytale start to her wedding day, and wasnt about to let a little sprinkle stop it.  Val, I am SO glad we went to do dock, because out of every image we captured on your wedding day, THAT one moment in time, where you guys stood there in the rain, is the image that takes my breath away. 

 A big thanks to Frank, Debbie, Perry and Janet for a day full of new experiences for John and I, AND for hosting one HECK of a Greek reception that we will never forget!

 Where we started and ended our day… The downtown Mariott… a GORGEOUS place to photograph.

 We had Val’s brothers and one of the bridesmaids help keep Val dry as we made our way down to the dock.

 Val turns Kosta around out on the end of this dock, and you can see the incredible love he has for her in his smile. The rain sprinkles just add so much to this moment… It truly was that fairytale moment.

 Check out Val’s attitude in this one! LOVE IT!

 A gorgeous image out infront of the house.

Val had a great idea for a photo on this couch, but as John was shooting it from one angle, I found another angle I loved… her SHOES!   I ran and grabbed a marker and started writing… later in the day, Val told me that she had taken her shoes off to see what I had written and it had already scratched off, so wanted to know what I had written!

 A cool shot John took from the top of Va’s parents deck looking back down… one great thing about the rain was it made the grass the most gorgeous color of green!

 The whole wedding party shot.  Little do you know that they were actually standing in a mini-swamp from all the rain that had fallen that morning!  But the image turned out awesome!

 After the wedding ceremony, we took the stretch hummer downtown and found some awesome bridges to shoot on… the color in this image is SCREAMIN!

 Inside the Mariott in the lobby.  We love funky angles and neat backgrounds and this one is killer… maybe im bias, but this could totally be in a bridal mag!

And right before we head up to the reception, Val and Kosta do a celebratory WOOOOO HOOOOO jump after a great day of photos!