Last night I took a trip down the rabbit hole & photographed the Denver, Colorado group of ABC (Association of Bridal Consultants).    The Makery in Centennial, CO hosted this month’s event with a cake decorating contest.  I have been a member of this great group of professional wedding vendors for about 2 years now and am a huge fan of The Makery, so was happy to help them out by documenting the event.  ABC members  Butler Rents provided the rentals & T’DA Design did the elaborate decor.   The Food Guy, one of my favorite caterers, provided an amazing dinner for us, including rabbit stew & brightly colored chicken & potatoes to match the Alice in Wonderland Theme.   We also had a surprise “poison,” a brightly colored variety of martinis that was served in black tea cups so you wouldn’t know until it was poured what flavor you were getting, I loved that idea!  Rabbit was a first for many of us, along with cake decorating.  The Makery provided us each with our own mini 3 tier cake, a quick lesson on decorating, and an abundance of icing colors to play with.  Twiddle Dee & Twiddle Dum, the Mad Hatter, and all of the other Alice in Wonderland characters voted on their favorite cakes.  Charity, of  Wedding & Event Sitters, won the contest and one of her lucky brides will be receiving half off their wedding cake at The Makery.   Check out the slideshow below or go here to see more photos from this event.

Denver Pridefest at
Civic Center Park
June 19-20, 2010

My first time at Pridefest last year I was amazed at the size of the crowd, the wide mix of people, and by all the festivities going on. This year I think it got even bigger!  The event & wedding planning company, Memory Lane Events, asked me to document the weekend for them & JustQMe , an online & printed guide for the LGBT community in Colorado, which I knew would be an exciting and challenging task.  On Saturday I went by for a couple of hours to survey the scene as sort of a warm-up for the next day. It was family day so the crowd was a lot more timid, but I managed to catch a fun fashion show put on by the students of Emily Griffith, with designers such as Bailey Rose & Erica Nicole.

Sunday was by far the biggest day of Pridefest. I started the morning bright and early in Cheeseman Park where I documented JustQMe’s first time riding in the parade.  It was so much fun to get to walk the whole parade route taking pictures.  While it certainly was quite tame compared to the gay festivals and parades I’ve seen in New Orleans, it was still a pretty wild & sexy event.   The parade ended at Civic Center Park where people of all colors, ages, styles, and sexualities crowded to enjoy the entertainment and show their support for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-gender) community.  You saw the lesbian moms with their cute kids adorned with rainbow attire, the teenagers dancing freely at the techno stage, and the beautiful transvestites that would make any man or woman stop for a look.   Dogs were also dressed up in bright colors, and I even saw a Lady Gaga impersonator (or who knows maybe it was her)!  And it was great to see En Vogue take the stage and belt out their classics that left the crowd singing and reminiscing of the early 90’s.   It makes me so happy to see how many people come out to support Pridefest.   I’m proud of Denver’s supportive residents that respect love over hate, and peace over fear.  There is still a long way to come till its not even an issue anymore, but seeing how much has changed in just the past decade is truly amazing, and relieving.

Check out the slideshow below or go to my Pridefest Picture Gallery to see lots more and order prints.

After a quick rehearsal at The Immaculate Conception Church downtown the wedding party, family, & friends headed to the heart of the Quarter for dinner.  Casey & Chad made a perfect choice to hold their rehearsal dinner at Muriel’s in the French Quarter.  They had a lot of out of town guests that had never experienced New Orleans or the French Quarter before & Muriel’s definitely creates an experience to remember!  When you first enter through the dark lamp lit alley you’re greeted by the restaurant’s resident ghost – Antoine Lepardi Jourdan, or at least by his official table always reserved especially for him and his guest ghost.   The restaurant is a historic architectural masterpiece full of ancient oil paintings, gothic decor, and apparently ancient spirits as well.  The location is right in the heart of the French Quarter on the edge of Jackson Square and directly next to the St.Louis Cathedral.  It has the perfect balcony for watching the random street parade go by, top-notch service, and a to die for cuisine!  OK, now I’m starting to feel like a restaurant critic, but really this place is soo amazing that if you are in New Orleans you have to stop by here… if not for a bite to eat, at least for a few ghost stories from the staff.   Everyone truly enjoyed themselves at Muriel’s & the bride & groom’s childhood slide show & the toasts by their wedding party also created a night full of laughs & tears.  It was a perfect place for an entertaining rehearsal dinner..only to be followed the next night by the perfect wedding at The Immaculate Conception Church & Sheraton Hotel.  Play the short slide show below for a few of my fave shots from the night or view all of the pictures in this online gallery.  Congratulations Casey & Chad!!

OK, so football is not usually my fortay…call me a fair weather fan or whatever you want but I guess when you grow up in a city where your team never seems to win it’s hard to get into the football spirit.  Well who would’ve known… hell froze over, the Saints won the Superbowl, and I became a football fan!  After we barely won the last playoff game in overtime it hit me that I needed to be in New Orleans for the Superbowl!  Yes, the actual game was in Miami but the real celebration was in the Big Easy!   From the time I got on my flight from Denver black and gold and “Who Dat’s!” were everywhere I looked.  We sang “When the Saints Go Marching In” on the plane and the streets of NOLA was bursting with fans!  The win felt more like a dream as the city erupted with tears of joy and shouts of relief & disbelief.  From this point on the cheers have changed to “When the Saints Went marching in” “Who Dat? We Dat!” and Mardi Gras has become “Dat Tuesday” & “Lombardi Gras!”

The day before Diane’s Texas themed birthday party it was snowing and freezing cold, but the decorations still went up and more heaters were on demand to prepare for the following day’s event. Luckily, by the next day the snow had melted and the tent had warmed up comfortably. The big screen started working just in time to catch the second half of the Bronco’s killer game, the bull was saddled and ready to be ridden, the armadillo was ready to be eaten (cake that is), and Diane was remarkably dressed in her stylish black and red western gear with matching tall boots and hot pepper necklace. It turned out to be a remarkable party with dance lessons, balloon artists, and lots of games and activities to keep everyone entertained. The large tent was decked out in decorations, including a framed collection of Diane’s personal photos throughout the years and original Life magazines on display from 50 years ago! It always amazes me to see how much photography changes and repeats itself. Diane’s elegant high school senior portrait wouldn’t impress most of today’s students that prefer the grungy graffiti backgrounds. However, the Life photos reminded me of the antique filters I use on some of my images which seems to be a returning trend. Happy Birthday Diane, and hope to see you at your 100th and many more!

I just got back from Kate & Alex’s rehearsal at the beautiful Green Gables Country Club in Denver.   I decided to go so that I could learn my way around before tomorrow’s wedding and find some fun interesting spots for photos.  I don’t think they were expecting me to take any pictures, but if I have my camera on me – it’s impulse for me to start shooting and to document the action!  We’re hoping the weather will hold up and we can have the ceremony outside, but the inside location is so nice with the antique chandeliers , mirrors, and fireplace that either spot will come out looking great…especially when you add in the gorgeous bride and handsome groom =)

Congratulations to all the graduating 5th graders! What better way to celebrate than with musicians, games, food, friends, and fun! Fun Productions transformed a backyard into a carnival full of all kind of activities including a climbing wall, dunk tanks, craft booths, and so much more.  The kids were so much fun to photograph and it could not have been a more beautiful day!