I will soon be changing my wedding prices.   If you’ve been thinking of booking your wedding photography with me, here’s a heads up that things will be different soon.     The new pricing will be simpler and easier to understand.  As the saying goes, keep it simple, stupid!  I’m talking to myself here-it’s time to simplify!

What post would be complete without a photo?  So, here’s a simple photo to go along with my plans to simplify, and a bit of sneak peek at baby Max’s newborn portraits.

I’m going to Vegas with my friend/sister in-law/second shooter, Leisha for the WPPI Convention (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International).  I can’t wait to learn from lots of other amazing photographers and see all the newest and coolest photography products.  This convention will help me improve my photography and business skills.   It’s going to be a bit of a party, too.  I can’t wait!

I’ll be gone all next week, so if you need to get hold of me, feel free to email me at melissa@utah-weddingphotographer.com or call (801) 493-5487.  Return calls and emails may be delayed a little since I’ll be learning lots of cool photography and business stuff all day, every day.

PAPER LANTERS

All photos copyright Utah wedding photographer, Melissa Kelsey Photography, so please don’t steal them.  Thanks!

BIG FLOWERS MEAN BIG IMPACT

Big, hearty flowers can give you lots of impact on your wedding day and keep costs down.  Roses, star chrysanthemums, dahlias, star gazer lilies and carnations give you lots of bang for your buck.  When used in the right color combinations, they will really give you an elegant look and a dramatic result.   Add some lovely wide ribbon and you get eyecatching bouquets and centerpieces.  Use lots of the these types of flowers and sprinkle in a few more expensive, special flowers for that expensive-for-less look.   Whether you have a lot of area to cover or want to keep your floral budget down, this is a great way to go.

Talk to your florist about how they can help you implement these ideas into your wedding day floral scheme.  One of my favorite floral designers is Audrey O’Brien of Studio Stems.  Check her out at www.studiostems.com. 

Stargazer Lily

Roses and Stargazer Lilies

Hand-tied roses

Roses, hydrangea, star chrysanthemum, and pretty ribbon.

Mostly roses, a few calla lilie and lots of pretty greenery fill out this centerpiece bouquet.

Just gorgeous white roses, en masse.

Red roses with stephanotis here and there.

A mass of white carnations, dotted with white roses and a few stems of greenery make a simply elegant, impactful bridal bouquet.

One big star chrysanthemum, one hydrangea stem, beautiful ribbon, and a pretty dragonfly pin make up this bridesmaid bouquet.

Modern simplicity and big impact with just two dahlias in a clear vase-gorgeous.

All photos copyright Utah Wedding Photographer, Melissa Kelsey Photography

Chelsey and Mitch rocked their engagement session in downtown Salt Lake City.  I think they both have a little model built into them.  We went everywhere!  I didn’t really realize it until I began to edit the photos. 

It’s obvious they like each other.  I like the way he envelopes her in his arms and she looks up at him, laughs and smiles.  Happy people make happy pictures.  They’re best friends and have been for a long time.  What a great foundation for a marriage!

Trent and Eliza have great style and really fun friends.  They were married in December, but it was the most warm, beautiful winter day I’ve experienced.  I don’t even remember Eliza being cold out there in her dress (she might remember otherwise).  The reception at Cactus and Tropicals was lovely, a great venue for a winter wedding.  The centerpieces were made of ice and held candles and greenery.  The crepes and hot chocolate were delicious and the music was just my style (Trent and Eliza-who was your DJ?).  They had tons of guests come through their line, but were able to break off at the end and boogie.  That was a blast to watch and photograph.  Leisha, my trusty and talented second photographer, manned…er womanned the photo “booth”.  I say “booth” so no one gets confused.  We bring in our backdrop and lights and take fun shots of wedding guests and you get to see the photos after the wedding.  Just to be clear, no photo comes popping out of anywhere (oh, the visions I’m having after writing that).  Congratulations, Trent and Eliza and thank you for such a fun day.

We had to show off Eliza’s stylish tennies that she changed into after her ceremony.

Leisha, my second photographer, caught this one.  I just love the light.

They had a crepe and hot chocolate bar.  The delicious smell of chocolate and flavorings filled the room.

I love catching faces like these:

I was pretty excited about the hair in this one:

Trent and Nick went crazy when “Soulja’ Boy” came on

Grand Exit!

Some fun photos from the photo “booth”, my second photographer, Leisha did for the reception.

Wedding: Salt Lake Temple
Reception: Cactus and Tropicals, Draper www.cactusandtropicals.com
Flowers: Studio Stems www.studiostems.com

DJ:  Ben Williams

Eliza rocked her bridal portraits.  She has a flair for style as you’ll see by her killer heels.  So, we took this shoot in a fashion direction, which is always fun/exciting/challenging for me.  At the end, Eliza pulled out her snowboarding gear and I pulled out my lighting gear and we got some rad (gotta’ put that in there since it’s snowboarding) shots.  I have to give a shout out to Courtney, Eliza’s best bud, because she kept Eliza laughing and smiling (and me, too).  It’s great to bring that kind of friend to a bridal session because it helps you feel at ease and look happy and natural in your photos.

Camie wanted a fairytale look for her bridal portraits and I knew exactly where to go the moment she said that.  I like to call it the Provo Castle, but it’s actually the old Utah State Mental Hospital. 

Camie had a beautiful cape her mom made for her since her wedding was in December.  The cape was the perfect accessory for some awesome shots of Camie at the end of our session. 

Camie was game for trekking through narrow tunnels of trees and sitting in the grass and amongst sticks and leaves.  Thanks for being so willing, Camie!  We got some great shots because of it.

Camie was up for anything, climbing over this railing to stand on that little ledge.