Amanda is a self-proclaimed “girly girl” through and through. She is quick to laugh, and yesterday, quick to cry also. It would have been hard to imagine her being anything but a giant ball of emotion when she is marrying an awesome guy like Will. Will has a great sense of humor and would do anything for Amanda… even dress up in a tux and get his picture taken, in spite of being a bit of a shy one when it comes to the camera.

This weekend I felt privileged to be part of this couple’s once-in-a-lifetime day. Amanda got ready at her reception venue, The Garden Room, in Loveland, Colorado. That’s her in the last black-and-white photo, taking a deep breath in preparation for her beautiful day to come.

Enter Will and his boys, chillin’ like villains at the couple’s ceremony site, the Foote Lagoon, anxiously waiting to get this show on the road. And check out his boots! Will works on power lines, and he and Amanda thought it would be fun to have him wear those adorable work boots on their day.

The Foote Lagoon turned out to be a beautiful and unique location for a wedding ceremony. The birds-eye view was breathtaking, and as for close-ups, thank gosh for telephoto lenses!

With a 6:15 p.m. ceremony start time leaving only 45 minutes for all the couple’s family formals, bridal party, AND bride and groom photos, it was a super-tight squeeze to get everything in. Adding to our list of challenges, we were losing daylight FAST, and by the time we finished up, we were literally shooting in the dark! Without such great cooperation from Amanda, Will, and Amanda’s sister and MOH, we’d have never pulled it off, but looking at the photos, I’m super happy with what we came away with!

The reception at the Garden Room started with dinner and some speeches, followed by the cake cutting and first dances. I just loved how the brick backdrop gave this venue so much character.

Apparently, Amanda and her dad’s first dance song was something extremely special to them, so when Amanda’s dad started singing the words in Amanda’s ear, she was completely taken over with emotion.

After the dances, there was nothing left to do but PART-AY! Is it just me or is the cupid shuffle totally the new electric slide?

At the end of the night Amanda surprised me with a sparkler exit. Having never shot a sparkler exit before, and having read how extremely difficult they are to get right, I was pretty nervous! Luckily, out of morbid curiosity one day, I had gone and done a bunch of reading up on how to shoot them, and I’m not gonna lie… I’d say we ROCKED it!

Congratulations Amanda & Will!

Second Shooter: Sarah Roshan
Ceremony Site: Foote Lagoon
Venue: The Garden Room
D.J.: Pat Bruno