Jennifer Bowen Photography » Engagement, Wedding, Portrait & Family Photographer // Scottsdale, Phoenix Arizona

Suzanne and Mike were married a little over a week ago at the exclusive Estancia Club in Scottsdale. I actually did not know quite how exclusive it was until 1) I mentioned that morning that I was shooting there and my golf-loving-husband raised his eyebrows and specifically commented on how beautiful the course and clubhouse were and 2) once I arrived I learned they have only hosted 3 weddings in the past 2 years because they only have a limited number of members and only members or their family members can get married there. As a photographer, I really like rarely-photographed places of course.

But far more importantly than the beauty or exclusiveness of a venue, I will say that Suzanne and Mike were a dream to photograph. Suzanne is the type of girl that I would definitely love to hang with if she lived here (they live in Texas). Aside from being photogenic (okay, bonus to me) she is smart, confident and oh-so-FUNNY. And girls who can laugh at themselves… well, they are typically fun to be around. Mike is also all those things too – maybe a tad more serious in front of me, but in the good way. Thoughtful, kind… loves his family and adores Suzanne. Salt of the earth, those two.

I wish I could write more of an amazing story to accompany every blog post that exemplified the uniqueness of each couple and their wedding. Because truly, each couple and therefore each wedding is unique. But I don’t know that I am that writer, than I can sum it all up in a moving portrait that paints the picture. Instead, I’m going to try and let the pictures sum it up…

Special thanks to Imoni Events, specifically Gretchen and Kate, who did a fantastic job executing the event and keeping everything running smoothly.

Her gorgeous wedding gown by Paloma Blanca and bridal bouquets by Flora Europa. Might be hard to tell from this image, but her gown is actually a very light blush pink, purchased at Destiny’s Bride in Scottsdale.

Makeup by Linda Wagner

Beautiful.

Suzanne on the way down the wine cellar for their first look.

Working her humor with her almost-brothers-in-law.

I was going to show her purple shoes alone, but figured they looked cuter here.

A few more bridals

This might be one of my favs of the day. I think it was a happy accident too, since I was supposed to be adjusting my camera (and I was) and not really photographing them.

Mike sneaking a peak during the prayer :)

During the ceremony, a roadrunner and two deer came to watch. The deer actually hung around for awhile which was cool, allowing me to capture them closer.

Another favorite

Wait, this one below might be my favorite. I just like me a tree, even if they have leaves or not!

I loved this moment of Suzanne’s mom and her friend watching Suzanne dance with her step-father

More details

Mike is one of four boys in the family (my hat is off to Mike’s mom!), so here is Suzanne dancing with her youngest brother-in-law

Suzanne and Mike – thank you, thank you for sharing your incredible day with me. It was such a honor to photograph your wedding. And a big thank you to my good friend Andy Andrews for shooting with me. I’ll get some of his images up shortly!

We have just a couple spots left – see below for available dates and times::

This year I’m doing something a little different. Since my October and November are pretty jam packed, and I have very limited spaces open, I’m offering two date options for mini sessions for all of you who just want some updated family (or personal) photographs for your holiday cards, newsletters or even Facebook profile shots.

Date and Location #1: **Sunday, November 1, 2009 (this is a change of date from newsletter announcement)
Location – Heritage Square in downtown Phoenix AZ (next to Phoenix Art Museum)
Fun, colorful, urban images for those that like things on the more modern side.** (Click here to see a session shot there.)

Date and Location #2: **Saturday, November 28, 2009 (Thanksgiving weekend)
Location – Scottsdale Civic Plaza Park, Old Town
Park mixed with some fun architecture providing a good mix of “backgrounds”. (Click here or here to see examples.)

These mini sessions are 25-30 minutes each, cost $250 and include all of the following:

• A mix of classic posed shots & interactive, natural family or kiddo shots – as much as we can muster in 30 minutes!
• One (1) high resolution JPEG file of choice (This will be emailed to you for your personal use/holiday card)
• 10 images uploaded to Facebook, if requested
• $25 credit that can be used towards one of the following: JBP holiday cards (start at $100), final prints/enlargements, or the CD of high res image files ($325 for these sessions) (Please note there is no obligation to purchase any of these, you can simply apply the credit towards one of these if you wish.)

Here is the skinny for booking:: There will only be 6 sessions available per day, so please reserve your spot early. All sessions are available on a first come, first serve basis, so please contact me as soon as possible to reserve your spot!

Times slots available for each day (Nov 1 and Nov 28):
2:00-2:30 PM (Nov 1 and 28th – booked)
2:30-3:00 PM
3:10-3:40 PM (Nov 28th – booked)
3:45-4:15 PM (Nov 1 and 28th – booked)
4:20-4:50 PM (Nov 1 and Nov 28- booked)
4:50-5:20 PM (Nov 1 – booked)

Once they are booked, I will mark them as such here on the blog. Please email me to book your session slot.

FINE PRINT DETAILS: Please read before booking.

*All sessions will require a $150 non-refundable deposit to hold your spot. Sessions will be considered booked upon receipt of this deposit. Unfortunately we cannot issue any refunds for missed appointments or cancellations made within 3 days of your scheduled shoot. We accept all major credit cards for convenience.

*It is imperative that you arrive at least 10 minutes prior to your session start time so that we can process your final payment and have you ready to go when your session starts. Unfortunately, we will not be able to add time to the end of the session if you are late. Kelly, my studio assistant, will be on hand to help get families situated. Details on exactly where to park and meet will be provided after your booking.

*Sessions will move quickly, so please ensure kids are ‘prepped’ and fed prior to shoot as much as possible. Don’t forget the goldfish/gummy bears/your happy treat that can often make a grumpy face happy again. I don’t advocate bribing kids, unless it’s for a photo shoot!

*Final images will be processed and available to view within 4 business days following your session. All proofs will be accessible online in a password protected gallery. You can opt to purchase the disc, prints or holiday cards via the online ordering system.

2009 holiday card styles and pricing will be available to view next week and will be posted here on the blog. If you order holiday cards, they will be finalized within 48 hours and sent to you for approval. Final printed orders will arrive to you within 3-4 days.

We will send out an information sheet regarding your shoot, options for cards or the disc, and prepping for it to those who book sessions.

Need help figuring out what to wear? Maybe you will get inspired here.

You can tell it’s been busy; I’ve been a bad blogger. I’ve had 3 fantastic weddings in the past 10 days and lots to share, so please bear with me as we process it all and get it up to view :-)

Last weekend (the 10th), my husband and I travelled out to Napa Valley to 1) photograph Traci and Ryan’s AMAZING wedding and 2) to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. It was the perfect place to enjoy some time together, especially considering we both love good food & wine (almost impossible to get otherwise there), great weather, and sleeping in on occasion. We enjoyed all of these things immensely.

Regarding their wedding, I don’t know how to adequately express how much I loved it. First, they are a spectacular couple, so that alone made it great, but then their families and friends had to be so great as well, the decor incredible, and the location… well, romantic, beautiful, perfect. Dee Merz, who coordinated the whole affair did a terrific job. I know I’m gushing. But for those who know me well, I don’t gush for pretense. I would love to share and post photos from their wedding, but I cannot quite yet. We are going to submit their wedding to some national bridal magazines and I don’t want to take any chances with them not being published for already been seen online. However, friends & family have access to a private slideshow and all the wedding images via Traci and Ryan. And any couples who are having a wedding in Napa Valley, California and wish to see examples from a Beaulieu Garden wedding, just send me an email and I’d be happy to share images.

In the meantime, here are some images from their engagement guest signature album that we put together. I travelled to Napa Valley back in July for their engagement session and we got some great images!

Speaking of guest signature albums and wedding albums in general, I’m happy to announce that several of my templates are available for purchase at the Photojunction Store. If you need help designing albums, Photojunction is such a great resource and tool. I was honored to be asked to be included in their new store launch and think it’s such a great resource for all those out there who want to design wedding albums quickly and beautifully.

Some of you will recognize these faces. Taryn and Jeff Bills own the fantastic Serendipty Videography here in Phoenix. A few months ago they were so generous to create a promo video for Kim and my Create Better Images workshop, that we wanted to do something in return. Taryn had really wanted some with her parents and sister’s family, so we all met out in Queen Creek (on what might have been one of the hottest days of the year!) for some different family pics. Kim and I drove around for an hour or two out in farm land before the shoot and tried to find something unique. We found a couple good locations, but I don’t know if we would even be able to find them again if we wanted to! And I will say, by the time the sun hit the horizon, the mosquitos came out to feast on all us. I’ve never seen so many mosquitos in my life. And as much as I had wanted to shoot in a cornfield, the second Jeff said he saw a black widow, I wanted out of that field! (I really don’t like spiders. Especially black widows.) All in all, I think we managed to get some cute ones

Jeff and Taryn and their ADORABLE children, Brinkley and Briar

And Brinkley with Grandma and Grandpa

All the boys

The girls (Taryn’s sister Sandee also works for Serendipty and is so great!)

Love these!

Wedding season is here! Im officially on my way now to Napa Valley for another wedding this weekend, but I was so thrilled to kick off the fall season with Cheryl and Mike’s wedding. I first met Cheryl about a year and a half ago when she came to me wanting to learn more about photography. She said when she returned from Africa, she would sign up for one of my personal intensive training sessions, and she did just that. I took an immediate liking to her and was excited to learn about her time in Africa visiting orphanages. One of her dreams, aside from being a photographer (which she is doing now), is to adopt children from Africa and give them a loving home. I admire her desire to change the world one child at a time. Or at least change the life (or lives) of children who deserve clean water to drink, a loving environment and the opportunity to grow into whatever they dream for themselves. Mike shares this dream too, so I have no doubt they will make wonderful parents one day.

Cheryl and Mike have been together 10 years and officially tied the knot this past Saturday at The Farm at South Mountain. I absolutely love shooting there because when you are inside the groves, it feels like you are in another part of the US – reminds me of the midwest a bit — and the light can be so stunning in there, filtering through the trees. Here are some of my favorites from the day:

A moment after their first look

Cheryl looking beautiful

I dont know why, but I love this image below. Something about how it feels to me. I even like that she is partially hidden by the leaves.

Love this one below!

Cheryl had five flower girls, all in butterfly wings. They were all so adorabale!

Cheryl’s girls plus guy (her close friend Chad, who was hilarious)

Taking advantage of the full moon and 6400 ISO

Love the feel of this one too

Cheryl, it was a honor to witness your marriage to Mike and I’m so thrilled that I could be there to capture it. Congratulations to you and Mike and I can’t wait to see all you accomplish together in the years to come!

Also special thanks to my good friend Andy Andrews for shooting the wedding with me. I’ll post some of his images when I get back in town next week.

Cheryl and Mike were married this past Saturday at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona. More images coming soon!