Sara and Tim's Wedding

I feel like I just got back from hanging out with two new friends!  Sara and Tim are AWESOME and their small wedding was too.                                                                                                                    Sara called me a couple months back and told me about her and Tim's plans to have a secret wedding in Montana on the banks of the the Gallatin River where they come to fly fish every year.  They have been together for nine years and just wanted a wedding in a beautiful spot that focused on their love for each other without all the traditional wedding trappings.  But they did want great pictures =) .                                                                                                                                      So they were married by Tim's brother and the wedding was witness by their parents.  This group was up for anything as far as the portraits went, I had them all running and jumping in the sunshine of this beautiful May day.  Then we went back to the cabin they had rented in Big Sky to continue the celebration.  Justin and I felt so welcomed by this crew, and we already have plans to get together with Sara and Tim when they come back to Montana in July!

Thanks for letting us share your special day.

Katie and Brian's Wedding

What a wonderful day! Katie and Brian's wedding this past weekend was absolutely beautiful and after a long, cold, SNOWY winter they had a breathtaking blue-sky and warm temperatures for their wedding day. Katie and Brian were high school sweethearts who have stayed in love all these years and there were more than a few tears when they exchanged vows. Katie's father gave such a touching toast at the reception that there was not a dry eye in the room!

Justin and I had a fantastic time getting to know these families and the members of the wedding party and I wish Katie and Brian all the best in the many happy years to come.

Acceptance to Wedding Photojournalist Association!!

I just learned that I have been accepted into the Wedding Photojourmalist Association (WPJA). According to their website,
"The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) is a professional organization composed of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world. What sets our members apart in the industry is their candid, documentary approach – a distinctly artistic vision toward wedding photography."

Their mission statment is as follows: " The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA), an International, membership-based organization, represents professional photographers skilled in the documentation of weddings and events in a candid, unobtrusive style. The WPJA was founded to uphold excellence in the area of wedding photojournalism."

The organization accepts only a small number (approximately 10%) of photographers who apply and meet their strict standards of artistic ability and documentary style.

I am thrilled that they accepted my application and I look forward to working with them and the other members.
Check out their website at: http://www.wpja.com (my listing should be up in a few days).

Lindsey and Mike's Wedding at Chico

Lindsey and Mike had the most beautiful March day for their wedding. The sun was shining and it was about 50 degrees, which is nearly tropical for early March in Montana! They had a small, intimate family wedding at Chico Hot Springs in the Paradise Valley that I am so glad I was able to document! The ceremony was held before the fireplace and then after dancing and cocktails they moved to the beautiful wine cellar for toasting and a wedding day feast. It was a wonderful family affair, with even the little kids chiming in with their toasts of good wished for Lindsey and Mike. We felt like part of the family when we left! I wish you both the best of luck and thank you for having me there on your special day!

Fresh Wedding Contest- Enter Today

Planning to get married while riding camels across the Sahara or in a 1,000 year old church in Tuscany? Exchanging vows on a tropical beach barefoot?Did you meet at summer camp and fall in love while making s'mores? Did your proposal involve international travel or a barbershop quartet?
If you have a great story, a fresh and unique wedding plan or a wild wedding location. We want to hear your story!

The freshest, most unique wedding plans or wedding couple will win a complete wedding photography package. This includes everything from engagement photos to the day after wedding photos all presented in a artistically designed album and publication of your wedding in a national magazine.

How to enter: Send your story in an email to meghan@gatheringlightphoto.com. In 500 words or less tell us your wedding plans (Date, Location, Number of Guests) and what about your plans or you as a couple makes you unique and fresh. You may also send up to three attached pictures of yourselves and/ or the wedding location.

Deadline: All entries must be received by April 15, 2008. Winners and runners-up will be announced by April 20, 2008.

Prizes: One GRAND PRIZE winner will receive a complete wedding photography package including an engagement session, full wedding coverage (up to three days for destination weddings), all digital proofs of the wedding photos, DVD slideshow of wedding photos set to music, and an artistically designed album containing approximately 40 pages of wedding pictures. Your wedding will be published in a national magazine.

One RUNNER-UP will receive a complimentary engagement session and day after "Trash the Dress" photo session and two complimentary parent albums with purchase of wedding album

Contest Rules: To be eligible for the contest your wedding your wedding must take place between May 1, 2008- August 15, 2009 and will be subject to photographer availability. Entries must be received by April 15, 2008 by 11:00 pm MST. By entering the contest participants agree to having their images and wedding stories published on Gathering Light Photography's website and in a national wedding magazine, if they are the selected winner.

Wedding in Marin County, California

I was thrilled when Megan contacted me about doing her wedding in Marin County, California. This is because, as I told her, that part of California is one of my favorite places in the world. Therefore, what could be better than shooting a wedding there? I was even happier to hear that Megan had decided to contact me because she loved the work I had done on her friend Annie's wedding in May. I love referrals! So much love- this wedding was sure to be one of my favorites!

Well, Megan and Philip's wedding met all my expectations. They themselves were beautiful and their friends and family were wonderful to meet and photograph. The ceremony reflected this couple's deep faith and the reception highlighted their fun loving spirit. And the setting- just as beautiful as I remember. Can you say palm trees and sun shine in January? (Oh and it was -30 in Bozeman while it was 65 degrees in Marin!).

I was having so much fun with Megan and Philip that I even tried to get an invite along to the honeymoon in Hawaii, but, alas, that did not happen!

Hope you two had a great time and thank you for having me capture your special day.

A Wedding in Vienna, Austria

What could be more romantic than a wedding in a palace in Vienna? Perhaps if you add light snow, horse drawn carriages and one of the most romantic paintings in the world. . . then you would have Heather and Gary's fairytale wedding in at the Belvedre Palace in Vienna, Austria.

This fun loving and SUPER sweet British couple decided to have their intimate wedding in Vienna after getting engaged there the year before. When they contacted me to photograph it I was thrilled and it was all even more photogenic than I imagined (as were the beautiful bride and groom!).

In their words the whole evening was just "lovely."