Catrina & Chase have been living in Milwaukee since Hurricane Katrina, but knew they wanted to come back to New Orleans for their wedding. And with Mardi Gras being a favorite holiday, they chose to hold their wedding on Ash Wednesday, the day after carnival ends on Fat Tuesday. I first met Catrina & Chase carnival time last year when I did their engagement pictures in the French Quarter, which can be seen here on my old blog.

Catrina & Chase started the day getting ready at the Marriott Hotel, then headed off to Austerlitz Baptist Church for the wedding ceremony.  Following the wedding everyone took off for the reception at The Fine Arts Center in New Orleans, which has a unique art deco style and was used a few years ago in the Ray Charles movie.

Their wedding was full of small children, including their own newborn baby girl, Mailee. The day was also filled with lots of love, laughter, and dancing, including a traditional New Orleans second line.  I think they broke the record for the most toast, as everyone seemed to have something to say to these longtime “friends.”  It was a fun joyous celebration and thank you Catrina & Chase for allowing me to be a part of it!

1) Your Uncle Jack has offered to do it and it doesn’t matter to you if his camera is still film and if his style is way outdated, because you’re just hoping he stays so busy documenting your day that he has no time to make a fool of himself on the dance floor or tell his annoying stories to your friends.

2) Everyone will be bringing their cameras plus you have disposable cameras! It’s OK if you only get half of those photos back or everyone’s photos are blurry from drinking too much, at least you can tell your guests that their photos are all you have to remember your day by.

3) Your friend Amy is an art student and has the coolest newest camera! It’s OK that she doesn’t have a backup camera because computers never fail, especially on wedding days, and who needs all those fancy lens and lights anyway? She may have only photographed trees and clouds up to now, but how hard can it be to organize 20 family members for a photo and to catch a good shot of the kiss  from 50ft. back? Plus she always complains about having her picture taken, so she’ll be glad that she won’t actually be in any of the photos.

4) He triple-dog-dared you to marry him, and you really just wanted a huge party and a new white dress. You know you’re going to dump him after the honeymoon, so there’s no need for a wedding album to show to your grand kids one day.

If these sound like reasons why you DO want a professional wedding photographer, then be sure to consider Nicole Nichols Photography!

Tori & Kenny married on Jan.16 at the beautiful Southern Oaks Plantation in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The day started a little tense as a gloomy weather forecast and a big playoff game for the New Orleans Saints could affect the mood of the wedding.  But thankfully, the Saints stomped the Cardinals and the rain stopped just in time for the start of the wedding!  I was so relieved that the Saints’ easy win enabled the guys to make it to the wedding in time and the guests to arrive with cheery smiles.   And Tori was still able to have her outdoor ceremony, which started with a horse drawn carriage ride and ended with a banging fireworks display.   The reception also went off perfectly, with lots of dancing, laughing, and good times!  I have worked at a ton of wedding venues, and I must say The Southern Oaks Plantation wowed me with their smiles & service!  I was surprised to see them sweeping up rainwater to cater to the bride’s outdoor ceremony request with only 20 minutes to spare…trust me most venues would not even consider setting up outdoors with any amount of rain!   Tori & Kenny’s wedding turned out great, and I was glad to be a part of it! To see the story of their day unfold click ‘play’ below to check out their album proof.

I just finished the final revision for Kate & Alex’s wedding album. This beautiful tall volleyball loving couple got married at the Green Gables Country Club in October 2009. It was a gorgeous fall wedding filled with unexpected snow, a surprising and (very good) choreographed dance, yummy details, and lots of tears and laughs!  Play the slide show below if you would like to watch the story of their day.

If you are getting married in Colorado you need to come check out the Quality Hill Bridal Show at Grant Humphrey’s Mansion in Denver!  I will have a booth upstairs in the bridesmaid room and will be giving away fun prizes and show only specials.  There will be lots of amazing wedding vendors there, from DJ’s to make up artists, spread out in a relaxing fun atmosphere amongst the beautiful historic mansion.  There will also be informative planning workshops at the show to help you with the overwhelming task of wedding planning. Admission is free so make sure to stop by, get some help with your wedding planning, and cross off some of your wedding to do list.  The Quality Hill Bridal Show is definitely one of the best bridal shows in Denver!
Below is a slideshow I put together of a wedding I photographed at the Grant Humphrey’s Mansion.

One of the best things about a new year is looking back to the previous year and realizing how much has changed in 12 months. My husband and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary in Moab, took a business trip together to Argentina, I became an aunt, and we  finally scored the house we patiently waited for all year! We are just hitting the decorating stage and I can’t wait to throw my first studio house party!

By far the biggest change I’ve had in 2009 is how much my business has grown. Behind the scenes it’s certainly more production & sales then glitz & glamour, and more 12 hour days then I could ever count. But it’s also fulfilling my dream of being an artist. It’s more work then I could have ever imagined, but having the ability to set my own rules, be creative with assignments, and educate myself with new techniques & equipment, is an amazing feeling! I am so truly thankful to have discovered my passion in photography, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. The biggest reward for my work is having the opportunity to spend one of the best days of my client’s lives with them! Wedding days are full of love, smiles, tears, the kindest words and most embarrassing dancing. And to document this day and tell the tale of my client’s love for each other through their wedding pictures is truly a blessing. Knowing that my art, their wedding photographs, will be shared with generations to come, is an honor that I will always cherish.
To see some of my favorite wedding photos from the year, including some album pages, check out the slideshow below. I know I left out a few weddings and have way more shots from some weddings then others, which certainly wasn’t intentional…but its already the end of January & its time to move forward with 2010!

If you are planning to attend the Rocky Mountain Bridal Show tomorrow at the Denver Convention Center look out for me, I will be assisting my favorite officiate at his booth for the Foothills Chapel. I tried about 6 months ago to get a booth myself, but quickly learned with soo many wedding photographers in Colorado it’s near impossible to get into this show!  So when Chris called and asked me to assist him with his booth, I couldn’t pass at the chance to help a friend and pick up some insider tips before the Quality Hill Bridal Show that I will be participating in soon at Grant Humphreys Mansion.  I also offered to print up a few of my images from a wedding I photographed a few years ago at the Foothills Chapel, which I also placed into the slideshow below. The Foothills Chapel is located in Denver and is a great choice for couples looking for a cute, quaint, non-denominational church for their wedding. Chris Mohr is also an amazing guy and someone I recommend to a lot of brides, no matter where their wedding is being held.
So if you are going to the Rocky Mountain Bridal Show in Denver tomorrow make sure to stop by the Foothills Chapel booth and say “Hi.”  If you can’t make it, then make sure to put on your calendar to attend the best show of the year – The Quality Hill Bridal Show which will be held Jan.31st at the Grant Humphrey’s Mansion in Denver.

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Brianne & Brennan’s beautiful winter wedding, which took place at Cielo at Castle Pines Event Center in Castle Rock, Colorado. The Cielo is a new wedding venue and this was my first time shooting a wedding there, so I was super excited for this opportunity!  It is always a risk having a winter wedding in snowy unpredictable Colorado, but luckily the skies stayed clear for the wedding day! Everything was gorgeous from the hand painted aisle runner to the elaborate cakes.  And you could certainly tell how much of an impact this couple made on their friends and family, because they had more toasts and tears then I’ve seen in a long time.  Considering how dark a winter night wedding is,  I was also really glad to have my brand new camera and flash.   It was incredible how high I could set my ISO and still get sharp and beautiful pictures.  Night photography is not easy, but having the right equipment definitely helps.  Just check out the detail and lighting in these photos, you can even see the expressions of the people in the backgrounds.  I looove my new gear and can’t wait to use it for my next wedding!

Wedding season may be over, but it is certainly wedding album season for me! Here’s one I just finished that I had a lot of fun working on. After all, how often do you get a wedding that takes place on Halloween Day in New Orleans and includes costumes and a walk through the famous St.Louis Cemetery? Andrea & Eric really had more of an elopement then a wedding, but they still had a ceremony, toast, cake, and most importantly – a great wedding photographer!
Enjoy viewing the 1st draft of their wedding day story below, keeping in mind that each image is actually a 2 page spread. Comments are always welcome.

The Embassy Suites in Denver, Colorado is a great find.  As soon as you walk in the door the serene peacefulness of the lobby relaxes you instantly.  It’s very hard to find tropical warmth in the winter time in Colorado, but it can be found at the Embassy! The sky lights which make up the ceiling let in an abundance of light which allows for the Embassy to grow huge beautiful tropical plants filling the bottom floor with palm trees, irises, and luscious growth.   Not only is the natural sunlight great for plants, but its great for photographers!  Many hotels can be nightmares for photographers with their windowless dark hallways.   But the abundant natural light filling the Embassy makes it a great place for pictures.    The Embassy also has superior staff and incredible food!   At their request, I created a sample wedding album consisting of all the events I have photographed for them in the past such as special event set-ups, engagement sessions, and a wedding.   If you want to see samples of what the Embassy can do for your special event, check out the preview book below.  Please keep in mind that you are viewing full page spreads, or 2 pages open flat.