Nikki and Joe - Engagement Session

Nikki and Joe will be getting married later this year at St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic church. They are so much fun...we had a blast shooting their engagement pictures. Check 'em out.

You can see a slideshow featuring some more of Nikki and Joe's engagement images by clicking here...right here. ;)

Congratulations Kathleen and Vince - 6/21/08

Kathleen and Vince were married on June 21st at Christ Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Manchester, MO. Maria and I had never photographed a wedding at Prince of Peace before and it was a beautiful ceremony. There were LOTS of little kids at this wedding -- which photographers just love for the many photo ops -- but Maria and I especially love it when there are plenty of children involved (since we have three of our own!). Congratulations Vince and Kathleen -- thank you for choosing us to document your wedding day.

After the formal pictures in the church, the wedding party chose a really neat out-of-the-way little park for their pictures. We had a lot of fun shooting pictures at this park.

These two cute little kids are brother and sister -- and they were a LOT of fun. The little flower girl -- Mary -- was my buddy all day long. We figured out that we have the SAME BIRTHDAY -- how fun is that??? :)

Following pictures in the park, Kathleen and Vince treated the entire wedding party to ice cream at Fritz's. Mmm-mmmm good!

Vince had a little surprise for Kathleen at the reception -- he stood up before the roomful of guests and announced he had a little Haiku for Kathleen...only this was a ruse. He actually sang her a song. It was cool...very cool. In 20 years of shooting weddings...this was a first for me to see a groom sing to the bride at the reception.

Here are my little friends again -- they sang "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Yes, they really did sing the entire song.

You can watch a short slideshow of images from Kathleen and Vince's wedding by clicking here and you can view and order prints from the entire gallery of images just by clicking here.

Congratulations Megan and Tyson - June 13th, 2008

Megan and Tyson live in Georgia but got married in St. Louis at "The Old Cathedral" (Basilica of Saint Louis, King) on June 13th. The Old Cathedral is one of my favorite churches (and it's the oldest cathedral west of the Mississippi) -- Maria and I were married there ten and a half years ago! Congratulations to both of you and thank you for choosing me to photograph all the special moments and the fun on your wedding day.

It's always entertaining to see brides getting in and out of limousines in their wedding dresses!

These two were just so much fun! I have no idea what they are doing here...but they were enjoying themselves just a few minutes before walking down the aisle.

Megan and Tyson were blessed to be able to have the Old Cathedral Choir sing at their wedding -- the songs were just beautiful!

Tyson caught most people by surprise (maybe even Megan) when he kissed her at the altar...and DIPPED her! :)

You can watch a short slideshow of images from Megan and Tyson's wedding by clicking here and you can view and order prints from the entire gallery of images just by clicking here.

Kansas City trip for Father's Day...

Maria drove (on the way to KC) while I worked on my laptop in the middle seat -- couldn't resist the opportunity to take a break and take some pictures. We've been trying to get this shot (most trucks don't have this kind of reflective wheel cap) -- it's a reflection of our van in the wheels of a truck moving down the highway. Maria was driving so we were probably doing at least 80 when this shot was taken...

While in KC, Dominic got to ride his Uncle Larry's old bike -- a true classic with banana seat and upright handlebars...

Katia -- with pneumonia!

Dominic is a chip off the old block -- he loves taking pictures. This is a shot he took of his own reflection (shooting a picture) on his bike helmet. I can't wait for "Watkins and Son Photography"...

Cool detail shot of the head tube on the old retro bike.

Dominic shot this one of the handle bars and single-clamp gooseneck. No...I didn't set-up the shot for him! (And yes...my years as a bike mechanic / BMX geek will never fade from memory...)

Another Dominic shot...

Check out those ominous looking clouds -- we were in Kansas, afterall...

And with the right white balance...they don't look as wicked.

Congratulations Morna and Jay - 6/7/08!

Maria and I had the privilege of serving as visual historians for Morna and Jay's wedding at St. Joseph's Catholic Church on 6/7/08. Morna and Jay had what most people would say was a non-traditional wedding. It was a Catholic ceremony -- but they elected not to have a wedding party (having Morna's mom and Jay's dad serve as witnesses on the marriage certificate). They also elected not to have any of the traditional festivities at their reception -- no official announcement, no toasts, no official ceremonial dances, no cake cutting -- just food, friends and dancing. They had a Beatles cover band play all night (which was appropriate since Morna and Jay met when they were students in London). The reception was held at Moulin near downtown St. Louis -- it was the first time I'd ever photographed an event there. Let me just say this...Moulin is AWESOME! The reception was held in four different rooms...with bars and food stations spread out among the various rooms. I highly recommend Moulin if you are considering a reception site in St. Louis!

The wedding had special significance as the bride's brother John is married to my sister Carrie -- so Morna and I have the same niece, Molly! Below is Molly have a bit of a fit during the ceremony.

No wonder Molly had a bit of a fit...she was tired, needed a nap! (below)

The band rocked all night playing Beatles tunes -- they were awesome! For a special treat, during their last song they launched into "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin...I told you it was a non-traditional wedding reception!

Morna and Jay elected to have rehearsal dinner coverage as well -- which was very cool since they had 80 guests at their rehearsal dinner. The dinner was held in the Spink Pavillion at Missouri Botanical Garden -- one of the most beautiful places in the world. It rained pretty hard at the beginning of the night but eventually the rain passed thru and the guests were able to enjoy a stroll around the garden grounds.

Here's my niece Molly again -- with her grandpa (my brother-in-law's dad).

Morna and Jay are BOTH Art History professors (and at different colleges!). At the rehearsal dinner...one of Jay's buddies had a little fun with some props / gag gifts including this "Art History for Dummies" book. :)

Below is the Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Garden -- the Climatron is a geodesic dome greenhouse and has been a fixture at the Garden for over 40 years. I rarely get the opportunity to photograph this building at night...so as the rehearsal dinner was winding down, I couldn't pass up the chance to take some pictures on the garden grounds.

In recent years the Garden has featured a number of exhibits by famous artists -- these little colored glass pieces called "onions" are the work of glass blower Dale Chihuly. Such a treat to be able to see them lit up at night.

You can watch a short slideshow of Morna and Jay's wedding day by clicking here and the rehearsal dinner by clicking here.