WedFog Article

I'm really quite pleased to have an article published in WedFog, a directory of wedding photographers around the country +, along with some very useful information for brides and grooms.

If you would like to read the article, and take a look around WedFog in case it is new to you, follow THIS LINK.

St. Louisans............. hang in there! Day Two of ice and snow and gray and cold can only make us remember all the more that spring will come.

(definitely not soon enough, but that's beside the point)

Eclipsing Leopard

The total lunar eclipse last night was absolutely magical! Here in St. Louis, the skies were clear and the viewing was quite perfect. I kept popping outside, the sight of me in my flannel nightgown and fur coat was more than likely a sight and a half--- but it was so worth it. I can't remember an eclipse that I saw more clearly and enjoyed more. Breathtaking! Bobbi reports that she did not have to go outside but could view the entire solar spectacle by looking out her dining room window where she had an onobstructed view of splendor! She futz's that she didn't have the lens she really wanted for the shot above, but I think it is quite nice. May I assure you that it is a whole heckuva lot finer than the photo taken with my camera phone! :)

Speaking of splendor, there is just nothing more spendiferous than new shoes.

Leopard flats......... c'mon! Way too cute. Well maybe big ole' heels might be cuter but you can't chase brides in those!

I won't be wearing them today that's for sure! St. Louis is crippled with nasty ice today and quite frankly I think I'll work from home in my jammies. It seems only fair!

Be safe out there, and when all else fails, buy cute shoes.

Grooms 2 Smile

We have wonderful clients, outstanding brides but we don't say nearly often enough that we love our grooms too!

They might start out our relationship together with less than enthusiastic responses for having their photo taken, but by the time we get to the wedding day------ they are fully on board!

We tell our brides that when it comes to getting their fiance to enjoy being photographed, we do have a few tips:

• try to have more than one engagement session scheduled
• let him choose his own 'look'--- unless it is holey cut-off jeans and a nasty t-shirt!
• work around HIS schedule
• let him pick his favorite photos from the session and have a few made for his desk and/or wallet
• make sure that the sessions are FUN
• How about a destination? We always suggest coming to see us and then going to one of the great local restaurants or pubs in the area
• do not be afraid to mention that the studio is located a few doors down from Square One Brewery! Beer is a great equalizer!
  

I don't know why it is that women like having their photos taken more than guys... but it just is. Regardless, we love our grooms and always enjoy the fact that by the time we arrive at the wedding day, it is all......... well, it is a piece of cake! :)

The wedding show last Sunday at the Hilton Frontenac was great and we enjoyed meeting lots of brides and grooms very much! It was especially nice to meet Lucie, the new Editor as she is just a hoot! Thanks so much to all of you who stopped to chat, we're looking forward to meeting you in the studio very soon---- I promise it will be a lot more relaxing!

Bridal Show Weekend

We're all thinking about the weekend because it is a Big Bridal Show Weekend! Sunday will find us at the Hilton in Frontenac for the show there and we are looking forward to it!

Brides----- don't miss this one, the Hilton is always an excellent show venue and Best Bridal does an excellent job as well.

If you are coming to the show, please stop by and say hello! We'll have some new goodies to show and share!

Until then----- enjoy the rest of the Valentine's Day chocolates (assuming there are any leftovers!) and stretch that lovin' feelin' right into the weekend.

The photo above is of Katie and her bridesmaids----- she is just so sweet! She makes me think of all of our recent brides who enjoyed their first MARRIED Valentine's Day yesterday. How great is that??????? Ladies, I hope there was jewelry and chocolate!

Thanks as well to all of the calls and emails that keep coming in expressing concern and offering prayers for Bobbi's Mom. She is doing very well and quite frankly is pretty darn feisty to hear it told! I think that when a patient gets feisty (read cranky) that means that they must be feeling much better! (Not that it makes it easier for the family, that's for sure!)

Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

On the day we ring all the bells and blow all the whistles for LOVE----- we send a virtual yummy to all of our clients past, present and future! May your day (today and all) be filled with love in abundance!

For all of our wonderful clients who have emailed and called asking about Bobbi's Mom, thank you so much, they both appreciate it. Jeanetta is recovering nicely and resting comfortably. The hardest thing will be to keep her in the Queenly state to which she has become more than a little accustomed!

Little Things

It is certainly the little bits of life that make things perk along---- or big things depending on how you look at it. Living a good quality of life with the relative absence of pain is at the top of the list. Bobbi's Mom Jeanetta is in the hospital recovering from knee replacement surgery---- or a revisiting of her first double replacement to be more accurate. She had been having quite a bit of pain and trouble getting around. As many of our clients know Jeanetta is very vital and active, lives alone and loves to get out as much as possible and even looks forward to mowing her own lawn! The time had come to take care of the pain.

She has come through her surgery successfully and is now working towards recovery and will be in the hospital for a few more days.

Obviously Bobbi is with her Mother at the hospital as well as trying to get some work accomplished in between. If you need to contact BBP please be understanding if it takes us a tiny bit more time to get back to you.

Get Better Soon Jeanetta!

Colleen & Scott

The BBP Wedding Family has grown again! Colleen and Scott. we warmly welcome you into our happy band of brides, grooms and their extended families---- we are so pleased to have you and are so very much looking forward to capturing your wedding with "Images from the Heart..." The time will absolutely fly until next January! Our winter brides will tell you that they all seem to have a bit of unfair time thief because of the holidays. But then again, there isn't a bride out there that will tell you how quickly the time rushes by when you are planning your wedding.

Y'know, Valentine's Day is COMING!!!!! And soon! I have a little treat for you....


Homemade Toasted Coconut Haystacks! YUM! And the best part is that they are easy peasy. There is nothing like making a delicious little treat with your own hands for your Valentine, friends and family. I have to say, they are not QUITE as good as the ones from that shishi store in town ---- but they are pretty close!

Toasted Coconut Haystacks

• 1 bag Angel Flake Coconut
• 1 bag good quality chocolate chips--- I used semi sweet
• Gulf Wax (available near the canning section)
• parchment paper

On a large, flat baking dish lined with aluminum foil, sprinkle the coconut in a thin layer. Broil about 8 inches away from the element and WATCH CLOSELY. Toss the coconut as soon as it begins to brown. This takes a bit of time to keep moving the coconut so it does not burn, and all of it gets nice and lightly brown and crisp. You want it to crisp up but not get completely brown through, it should have crunch but still have a nice coconutty taste. Let cool.

In a double-boiler, place the chocolate chips and just slightly less than 1/4 of a sheet of the paraffin. Let it melt together over the simmering water. Remove the chocolate from the hot water and let it sit for just a few minutes until it just begins to thicken a bit. Add in the coconut and stir carefully, incorporating all of the chocolate.

Using two spoons or a tiny ice cream scoop (sprayed with cooking spray) drop the candy onto parchment paper.

Allow to set up (if you can) and it is ready to taste!

ENJOY----- and start getting ready for the day we celebrate LOVE, it is 5 days away!

Almost time----

Thursday------ can you believe it? I don't know what happened to the week, much less that the first week of February is gone!

So, in honor of Thursday, at the end of the first week of February------ when my desk is piled high and I should be doing something, I'm taking a moment to read my beloved Blog roll (which I adore, I am a blog freak and have a very eclectic list) I found the following quiz. Now, I don't usually participate in this sort of thing........... it must mean that it is cold and gray and I'm tired. Or something. But because I am in the mood to procrastinate I thought I'd take everyone at the studio today down with me! :)

What time am I? Besides wishing that it were time to be home in my jammies watching tv, hanging out and eating pepperoni pizza with extra cheese? Well see below!


You are the moment when the last bell rings and school lets out for the day. You are resistant to schedules and obligations, so you love feeling like you're in control of your life again. You are the very moment when the second hand hits the 12, and the halls fill with noise and motion. Even if your after-school time is packed with activities, lessons, or a job, somehow, you just feel freer in the late afternoon than you do earlier in the day. Maybe it's all that blue sky and afternoon sunshine? Nah -- even on rainy days, 3:15 is always a beautiful time.

I don't think that sounds much like me actually -- unless you figure that I really am at my best when it's quiet and I'm knitting! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh................

20% of the people who took this quiz got the same evaluation.

This was how Bobbi clocked in (ha) for the What Time Are You Quiz:

You are breakfasty, like a pile of pancakes on a Sunday morning that have just the right amount of syrup, so every bite is sweet perfection and not a soppy mess. You are a glass of orange juice that's cool, refreshing, and not overly pulpy. You are the time of day that's just right for turning the pages of a newspaper, flipping through channels, or clicking around online to get a sense of how the world changed during the night. You don't want to stumble sleepily through life, so you make a real effort to wake your brain up and get it thinking. You feel inspired to accomplish things (whether it's checking something off your to-do list or changing the world), but there's plenty of time for making things happen later in the day. First, pancakes.
She's pretty driven and intense-------- so the inspired to accomplish things certainly clicks. And if you have ever dined with her, you know she is pretty persnickety.

Danielle's time of day is 11:59........... lunchtime, how appropriate! :)



You are late-sleepy relaxation, the half-awake moment when you realize it's morning, but you don't have to get up, because there's no place you have to be. You are that cozy spot under the covers where everything feels temporarily perfect, even if you know you'll eventually have to wiggle out and start the day. Maybe you're the artistic type, who doesn't function well on a normal schedule. Sleep's important to you, and you like the freedom of sleeping as late as you want (especially since that is closely related to the freedom to stay up as late as you want). You like to roll out of bed, put on some comfy clothes, and get a laid back start to the day. If not everything on your list gets accomplished, no worries. Your only priority is having no priorities – you just want to take things at a slow, mellow pace.
Definitely the artsy fartsy type but slow and mellow? I don't think so!!! No one is busier and runs a tighter ship than Nell does!!


Personally, I think it is almost time for lunch! Time to call a few brides, Time to get some work done.

What time are you?????

Karyn & Darin

What a joyful kickoff to the 2008 wedding season in St. Louis! We were absolutely blessed to photograph the wedding of Karyn & Darin Saturday night. Karyn and her great kids have been in front of Bobbi's lens since the kids were very small and it gave us enormous pleasure to have been part of her marriage to Darin--- who is as it turns out, a wonderful man. We all wish them every joy and blessing!

The wedding was an intimate gathering of family with their children standing up for them, it was very touching. After the ceremony at the Whittemore House, they were joined by friends to enjoy cocktails and h'ors d'oeuvres provided by Catering St. Louis.

To view a slideshow of Karyn and Darin's beautiful event CLICK HERE.

Snowy Mardi Gras

A happy (and very snowy) Mardi Gras!

The floats are staging in the parking lot across from the studio this morning and the shuttles are running from our favorite Square One Brewery a few doors down. After all, it is a short and straight shot down to Soulard from Lafayette Square.

"Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"

Absolutely! The best part is always watching the party goers come back to pick up their cars! Unfortunately we won't be there when that happens as today we have the honor and privilege of photographing Karyn's wedding!!!!!! It will be the most glorious celebration of love and happiness!

More photos from the marathon snow sessions yesterday. Many of our wedding couples have BBP's Seasons of Love engagement sessions to enjoy. The images from these seasonal sessions end up in a beautiful guest book on their special day---- no cheesy books to sign for our couples! The snow photos are always the most fun of those we offer, due to the generosity of Mother Nature.

It is so funny to see our sometimes reserved clients using permission to act like grade schoolers! I laughed myself silly!


Happy Mardi Gras! Stay warm and have fun! Life is all about the fun y'know!

Love is a Hard Packed Snowball...

Oh yeah, absolutely nothing in the world says love like a firm, round, superhard snowball!!! Packed with love and a somewhat evil grin if the truth be told!

8 inches of snow baby---- more snow than this Florida/Hawaii girl has seen in a long time! And as the snow removal expert, okay the only living being with the power and wherewithal to shovel---- I was up bright and early digging out. And digging. Living in the city means that the streets are horrible but the main arteries are passable. Sort of.

What does a wedding photographer do on the type of day when many are taking snow days, staying in with tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, or at least going in late to work? Yup, engagement photos! We did get in a session late in 2007 but it wasn't this kind of humongo snow! Our clients have been excited since the forecast started coming------ and as the sessions materialized the plotting began.



One of our grooms to be Chris got out of his car and started packing the snowball. You know without a doubt that the gauntlet has been thrown down! I knew that Chrissie would give as good as she got!

What fun!!! A bride and groom a thon and tons of snow! It was GREAT!

Not as great and perhaps as much fun as a dirty martini and a roaring fire, perhaps some raclette and a nice sourdough............. but it was a blast.

Okay. I'm done now, where is Spring?

Winter Cometh

Good gravy---- sounds like Mother Nature is getting ready to slam St. Louis with quite a bit of measurable snow! At this point the weatherfolk say about 8 inches, as we know, they are notorious liars--- so we shall see!

The up-side of course is that we will be having a lot of fun tomorrow shooting some snow engagement photos! We always have such a great time with our engaged couples, especially when the snowball fights break out. And they do!

For those of you in the BBP family that have asked about Bobbi's sweet little boy dog Prince, and how his boo boo is, I'm happy to report that he is almost completely healed. The duclaw is growing back, the fur is returning and he is gong to make a complete recovery. Don't get me wrong, he still plays his injury for all it is worth!

He is about the sweetest, best natured dog in the world!

Hana on the other hand makes up for her teensy stature by being the feisty one. She'd rather be in the dishwasher licking the silverware if the truth be told----- you can't trust that dog for a moment!

If you are in the St. Louis area, get ready for winter! Stay warm and safe!

Seasons of Happiness

Is there a specific season of happiness? A time in the life of the average human where happiness wanes, or comes to the forefront?

The Today Show presented a report this morning that said that we are happiest when we are very young, or in our more golden years. That the late 30's and 40's are not happy times. Youth brings happiness of its' own and in our later years we have learned how to make ourselves happy. The middle years seem to be those (according to Today) when the 'stuff' of life simply gets in our way, we don't know quite what is necessary in our life and what can be jettisoned away. Life seems to be about chasing the career, the things, the associated "stuff". Youth brings quite naturally the happy flush of fresh, new, sweet happiness. The golden years allow us to focus on the people and things that we know are best for us--- i.e. make us happy.

An interesting fact was that the happiest people in the world seem to be those who live in a colder climate! Go figure!

Here at BBP we are enormously blessed to be able to work with generally happy people! Especially our wedding clients who generously share with us one of the happiest days of their lives. Being able to share in unabashed joy and near complete happiness makes us all happier by association---- thanks for that shared glow!

It is 13 degrees F. today------- and I have to say, I'm not very happy about it!

Close the Windows

Another great wedding show has ended--- the close of the St. Louis Bride show (aka Wedding Connection) at Windows On Washington, held yesterday. The bonus was that the day was absolutely gorgeous and the couples and many of their parents could get downtown in above average temperatures. We were tucked in between two of our favorite vendors, Millenium DJ's and Video and The Cakery. Add to that the great brides that we met (along with more than a few Mom's at the helm) it was a great day!

I actually started booking appointments for consultations for brides we met at the show last night and it goes without saying that we'd love to see YOU in the studio as well.

Last night after a day on my feet on the concrete floor and nearly endless talking I was pooped! It's funny, I even dreamed of brides! You know how dreams are so funny and mixed up, well one of our great brides Chrissie was in my dream along with Carey one of our past brides Mom. Don't ask me why they were together in a car driving to Florida or why in the world I had the dream to begin with, other than the fact we saw Chrissie at the show yesterday. I hope it means that Florida is in my future? And next time I'd like to add dreams of cupcakes into the mix!

Now, who has a nice honeymoon I can tag along on.......................................................???? At the very least I may absolutely have to pop into The Cupcakery in the Central West End. Since gazing at cake all day yesterday I have an inescapable craving for one of their completely yummy Tuxedo cupcakes. Oh yeah!

Happy Monday!

Love is Green?

This is shaping up to be the year of GREEN is many ways, even those who live on Planet Earth and never gave a thought to what they could do to live green are doing so in many ways.

Click HERE for a trip to see more............................. it must be Friday!

Satisfaction

It happens all the time, you know the old saying that "if I had a quarter for every time I heard that, I'd be rich"?????? Well rich might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the amount would be considerable! We do hear frequently that someone has had a less than happy relationship with their wedding photographer and that they either were not pleased with their photos after the wedding, or that the day itself was stressful or unpleasant. It's such a sad story and one we hate to hear!

At BBP we believe that wedding photography should be unobtrusive but helpful, capturing a once in a lifetime day with professionalism, kindness, and adding to the joy of the day while creating an atmosphere of peace. I'd have to say that many of our brides and grooms don't realize some of the 'drama' behind the scenes as we work with other wedding professionals to make things smooth.

Our best advice when choosing wedding professionals is not to skimp----- go with experience, personality, and quality. It's one of the reasons we keep a short list of wedding vendors that we love to work with, who will contribute to the day their own high level of service and commitment. It is not a stretch by any sense that frequently when you skimp on important elements of your wedding you end up either paying more in the end to 'fix' the problem, or you're left with deep regrets. Never a good thing!!

Here at Bobbi Brinkman Photography, we get many rave reviews and the one below arrived recently. We were at once tickled and pleased so I thought I'd pass it along:

"I just wanted to stop by and say how wonderful you and Bobbi are!!! My friend Donna, that I work with (I know you remember who I'm talking about), her daughter got married and their photographer sucked!! She is at lunch complaining and a bunch of other women are all complaining about how awful their photographers were. All I had to say was that you guys were wonderful!!!! I was the only one in the room that was completely satisfied with my wedding photographer!!! I just wanted to stop by and let you all know how great you are and that you made my wedding day stress-free and wonderful!!!" -Melissa

Thanks Melissa! And to all of our wedding family old, new and soon to be-------- thanks for the opportunity to work together, for building great relationships, and for allowing us the greatest honor in the world, to capture your special moments with "Images from the Heart..."

Angel Blankets

Our warmest THANK YOU's go to Carey T., the Mother of one of our brides!!! Carey, sent the sweetest package to the studio yesterday! Inside were sweet little blankets for our Angel Sessions. The sessions happen because Bobbi is the Regional Coordinator for "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep", an organization that offers bereavement photography for infants. Normally we think of birth as being such a time of joy "But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth. There is an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is confusion, sadness, fear, and uncertainty that cannot be explained. There is sorrow where there should have been joy. During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future. This is the place where the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation gently provides a helping hand and a healing heart. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives."

Thank you so very much Carey! Your generosity and love will be a part of healing. It has been amazing to me how often the phone has rung over the past few months for calls to photograph these Angel Sessions. I mistakenly thought that this did not happen very much in our country, and certainly not as often as it does. It is just completely heartbreaking. As a studio we are honored and blessed to be a part of an organization such as NILMDTS and to help these families in crisis in some small amount.

If you would like to join Carry in helping, we can always use small bonnets, booties and bereavement blankets to give to the families we meet during Angel Sessions. They can be sewn, knit, or crocheted. The hospitals ask that they be of soft pastel colors. You can send them to the studio at:
Bobbi Brinkman Photography
1709 A Park Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63104

Our next (scheduled) Angel Session is on Monday, please hold the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Welcome Renee & Mark

We are very happy to add Renee and Mark to the wedding family at BBP! Welcome! Renee is an elementary school teacher and Mark is a financial planner. They are quite funny---- love their pets---- fitness buffs--- and involved in their church. Did I mention funny?

We're so lucky to have a group of really wonderful wedding clients, our brides and grooms and their families are cherished friends and we love them all.

It is threatening to get extremely cold this weekend, bundle up and stay warm!!!!

A Life Well Lived- Marty Hendin

Bobbi was very privileged yesterday to attend the funeral of Marty Hendin, V.P. of the St. Louis Cardinals organization. This man who was larger than life will truly be missed in this community. The amount of work that he did for charities was incredible, and amazingly many people were not fully aware of his giving heart. One of the speakers mentioned that it is the measure of a life well lived not only by the love you have in your heart for others but by the love that others have for you. By the thousands of people who paid their respects yesterday it is evident that Marty Hendin was well loved.

As we often say here at BBP, live each day to the fullest, count your blessings and pass one on.

Unveiled Photos

St. Louis Magazine has photos online from last Sunday's "Unveiled" event if you'd like to go peek. The gowns don't seem to be listed in the order they came down the aisle but I'm sure you will enjoy viewing them in all of their glory! (Click on "Unveiled", above)

It's a wonderful treat to see gowns from Vera Wang, Reem Acra (my favorite) the always chic Carolina Herrera, Amsale, Kenneth Pool, Christo's, Monique Lhuillier, and Ulla-Maija--- even on a website!

Stay warm! Winter is back with a vengeance!

Unveiled Brides

What an extraordinary bridal show was delivered Sunday by St. Louis Magazine! "Unveiled" was spectacular from the second the doors were opened at Noon until the last gasp of the event at 3 p.m. I knew that our brides were in for a special treat as soon as we were finished with the BBP booth and I could walk around a bit. The Chase Park Plaza absolutely sparkled throughout with the show stopper being the incredible display of desserts in the "winter wonderland". Mountains of fabulous desserts, displayed beautifully among glass blocks and lovely wintery elements----- fruit tarts, some lovely green pyramidical delight that I did not eat but wish I did, chocolate mousses and cakes and little pastries and even some sort of chocolately delight in a wee glass cup with a "chili raspberry" on the top. C'mon------- it was heaven. The brides and their guests were treated to champagne upon arrival and the passed h'ors d'ouevres were incredible---- small caesar salads, mini ahi, wee canapes, shrimp, bacon wrapped scallops and many other delights---- YUM! The vendors were a small and elite group, perfect for those glorious brides!

If we met you at the Chase, thanks for stopping at the table, it was an absolute delight! Here on the blog you will find slideshows of our wonderful brides if you walk 'backwards' through the blog. I will keep Bobbi busy getting all of you on the schedule!

The highlight for me (outside of the food, what can I say) was the fashion show of spectacular wedding gowns from Saks. UNBELIEVABLE!!!! I adored the ones from Carolina Herrera, but then I love all of her creations. One went down the runway that had details of black and white ribbon-like trim that was unique and fabulous. And the strapless lace dress with the detachable skirt???? WOW!! Vera Wang dresses are always show stoppers, incredible, fashion forward yet timeless, and just very Wang. My favorites were, as usual, Reem Acra's truly beautiful gowns. Frothy, lacy, elegant, edgy, ladylike, and fun all sort of rolled up in one. For me the favorite of the show featured a back that was illusion, embroidered with the same elements elsewhere on the gown, and the most beautifully cut back I've seen in a long time. There were other breathtaking gowns on the runway but those were, for me, notable.


Now of course it is time to unpack----- and settle in to meet more wonderful brides. I love wedding show season!!!!!

Wedding Cake Friday

For those of you craving my recipe for carrot cake, I'm more than happy to pass it on. I still call it "Wedding Carrot Cake" but you can call it anything you like! I've now developed an intense desire for this yummy cake myself---- you know what I'll be blowing the diet with this weekend!

Wedding Carrot Cake

2 1/2 cups finely grated carrot (I use the fine shredding attachment of the Cuisinart)
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces (don't buy the whole ones for this recipe)
1 cup canned shredded pineapple (drained with the excess liquid blotted off)
3/4 cup shredded coconut (I use the store brand, it is dryer than the premium brand)
2 cups all purpose flour (measure carefully)
2 teaspoons good quality cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oil (I use canola)
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare two 10 inch cake pans by lining with parchment paper, butter well and use powdered sugar to coat. Tap out excess sugar.

In the preheated oven, gently toast the pecans for about 5 or 6 minutes. Don't over-toast. Let them cool and then coarsely chop. Using a large mixing bowl combine the carrots, drained pineapple, and In a large mixing bowl, toss together the carrots, pecans, pineapple, and coconut with 1/2 cup of the flour. Make sure that everything is nicely coated with the flour.

Sift together the spices, salt, soda and last 1 ½ cups of flour in a sifter or through a mesh strainer.

If you have a stand mixer, use the whip attachment. Otherwise, try not to over-beat the dry ingredients. Mix the eggs and sugar until light yellow and fluffy and slowly add the oil. Fold in the combined dry ingredients. Add to the bowl with the carrot and pineapple mixture. Very gently combine and pour the batter evenly into prepared cake pans.

Bake the cakes about 1 to 1 ¼ hours, rotating once in the oven. Cool on a rack, turn out of the pans and remove the parchment paper.

Sour Cream Frosting:

• 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Beat all ingredients on low until combined and then at high speed until light and fluffy. Let me add that I've used a cream cheese frosting and only iced the top and between the layers and it was divine as well.

We're preparing for "Unveiled" this Sunday, but of course I think I might now have to bake a carrot cake. Sheesh!

Prep Day

Unbelievably, we've just taken down the last booth at a bridal show and gotten everything set to rights again and it is time to think about doing it again. I hate it when that happens and quite frankly don't understand why the fairies can't come and just take care of it all. My project over the next couple of days is to finish up the tres cute handouts. Along with everything else of course! We are getting most excited to meet the "Unveiled" attendees this weekend at the Chase. Are you coming? If so, please stop by the booth and say hi! I hear rumors that the show is now a sellout so if you need tickets you'll have to be creative.

My beloved Martha (no, I'm not ashamed to admit that!!!) was on the Today Show this morning talking about her new book, "Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes". WOW, what a book! The photos are absolutely stunning, I think it is a must have for any bride who is setting out on the cake decision road. Of course, every baker of good repute in this town (and any other) would more than likely tell you to leave the book at home when coming in to view and taste their cakes. Martha's book does have a zillion recipes, types of cakes and fillings and frostings and embellishments---it is quite an accomplishment.

It makes me think of my wedding cake from many moons ago. I baked my own (and would have made Martha proud!) for a home wedding for 75 people. It took me two days to make that cake! It was really quite pretty, the cake itself was a carrot cake from a recipe that has remained one of my favorites over the years. It was frosted with a traditional cream cheese frosting and piped simply with a frou frou tip of some sort and decorated with lovely fresh pink roses and ferns. I had purchased a kit to make the cake three tiered and carefully set to work installing platforms and dowels, a feat of engineering. Well, there is a reason that I am not an engineer because by the end of the evening that cake was beginning to list to the right! It still makes me smile that I baked my own cake and that everyone enjoyed it so much.

Two cakes from the past years with BBP live on in my memory and you know me, I love my wedding cake! Having the opportunity to nibble on cakey goodness almost every weekend has (in my mind) made me somewhat of a cake gourmet! I know what I like! Many of the cakes are just, well cakes. They are pretty and definitely reflect the wedding dress or reception venue--- but the taste is just fairly average. There are a couple of standouts however that now every cake is measured against! Yum.

So........................ what kind of cake are YOU having?

Monday Musings

The big two day bridal show at America's Center is (as they say in Hawaii) PAU. Finished. Finito. And I can't speak for anyone else but I am pooped! We met--- and spoke--- with a lot of brides this past weekend, and if you were one of them---- we were happy to have made your acquaintance and welcome to the blog family!

I should have done this LAST week, before the show but because there are still quite a few bridal shows around the St. Louis area in the upcoming weeks. Navigating and negotiating a show requires a few skills that are nice to tuck into your survival kit:

• wear comfy shoes (it sounds simple but can't be stated enough). The concrete floors or thin carpeting over hard flooring can wear you down.
• carry a bottle of water with you, keep hydrated. You will be talking a lot too!
• Many brides bring address labels for 'giveaways' (more on that later).
• Don't be afraid to share your information! You have chosen to attend a show where professionals need to know your wedding date and other pertinents in order to best give you information in return.
• Visit the website of the particular show you are attending to familiarize yourself with the list of vendors.
  
• Visit the website of vendors that interest you and make a point to visit them at the show.
• There may possibly be vendors who are not at a particular show, they can't generally be at them ALL. Visit those websites of vendors who interest you that you are unable to meet at the show.
  
• Remember that wedding show season brings a lot of brides and a lot of bookings to most all vendors. Don't dilly dally------ your date may be snapped up by a speedier bride!
• Be nice! But that is my advice for daily living as well. Smile a lot and spread the joy that is uniquely BRIDE!

Speaking of vendors--- can I mention a vendor that we just LOVE???? Callahan's Tuxedo in South St. Louis. They're family owned and their level of service and quality is really outstanding. Because they 'do it all' in house you can be assured that it is done right. They also carry well priced bridal gowns that can be beautifully altered, and one of my favorite Callahan's offerings is their dress preservation service. I've heard from many brides that they have been unhappy with taking their dress to someone else for cleaning and preserving and have been less than thrilled. At Callahan's they do it right and generally for a lot less than other places. You can find them online at www.callahanstuxedo.com. The best reason for using them is that they are very nice people who genuinely care about your day, Ruth, Rick and their staff are the best!

We will start preparation for the next round of meeting brides, grooms and their families! Our next show is this Sunday at The Chase Park Plaza Hotel in the Central West End for "Unveiled". It is the creme de la creme of the season with the beautiful venue and the excellent vendors. Tickets are still available for this don't miss event.

For those of you getting back into the swing after a weekend of being a wedding show warrior---- wear flat shoes, organize your information, and nap if you can! :) Chocolate is a very good suggestion as well, apply chocolate!

Wedding Show Weekend

We're packing up and getting ready to greet a LOT of brides and their entourages this weekend at America's Center.

Dates

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Location

America's Center
Downtown at 9th and Washington

Hours

Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm

Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm

We always end the weekend absolutely exhausted, talked out, with very sore feet by the time Sunday at 4 comes around! We do have a great time meeting so many people, chatting with great vendors and generally enjoying our time there.

The regular price for admission is $8.00. If you need a $2.00 off coupon for the show, CLICK HERE.

See you this weekend at the show!

Getting Ready

January 2nd and BBP is off and running! The phone has rung off the wall (or desk as the case may be) and we're very quickly getting things organized for 2008.

The big two day wedding show is this weekend at America's Center. The weather promises to be really good for getting out and about, the highway closure doesn't look like it is going to be as big an impact as the pundits had feared, and it's going to be a great weekend to do some one stop shopping for all things wedding related. Non wedding related and only slightly irritating to me is the booth that cleans rings. I say only slightly irritating because I always get my rings cleaned when we do a show with them and they sparkle for a week or so quite brightly! You can count on my hopes to sneak away from the booth and visit their location.

If you are coming to the show, please stop by and say hello----- fair warning we are always layers deep in brides but we would love to have the opportunity to meet you if you're new to BBP and hug your neck if you're already family!

Happy New Year!

It's official, 2008 has arrived!

All of us at Bobbi Brinkman Photography send our warmest wishes for a healthy, happy, wonderful New Year filled to the brim with love and laughter. We SO look forward to working with our fabulous clients, all of whom we consider as family!

Thank you all for a great 2007! We look forward to the next 12 months of 2008!

And So it Goes

Everyone around BBP has enjoyed Christmas and the New Year's celebrations are to come! It's a funny mix of downtime and crazy busy at the studio and we're still enjoying holiday cards from vendors, clients and friends, thanks to you all!

Bobbi celebrated her birthday yesterday with family and friends as well as meeting with a bride and groom, and was busy preparing for the kick off of wedding show season.

The phone? It is ringing------ how many couples got engaged over the holidays anyway? Must be quite a few, wow! We're looking forward to meeting so many of you over the next few weeks.

A Very Merry Christmas

All of us at Bobbi Brinkman Photography send you our warmest greetings and hope that your Christmas is full of the very best!!!! Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas Eve

On this Christmas Eve, everyone here at Bobbi Brinkman Photography hopes that you will have a great day of last minute preparations and a wonderful night with your families enjoying what is important------ love.

Hopefully you will have some great kids like those pictured above to enjoy all dressed up in their holiday finery sometime in the next couple of days! That great looking crew belongs to one of our former wedding couples, don't they make beautiful children????

Happy Christmas Eve!

Lucky Us

Three days before Christmas, mild (for the moment) weather, deliveries made and such wonderful clients! We're a lucky studio indeed!

Justin from Best Transportation, our favorite Limo company, stopped by with a beautiful tin of Christmas cookies---- yum! Thanks to all at Best, we have enjoyed it as well as some of our great clients!

I'm happy to report that a Wii will be under the tree in Virginia for my grandboys! That seems to be quite the holiday accomplishment! We all hope that your own plans for the soon approaching big day are going as smoothly!

Announcing a Whisper

I can't tell you how many calls and emails we've received about those trendy 'boudoir sessions'. It was time to announce our latest Whisper dates----- January 19th and 20th. These always popular sessions will absolutely sell out quickly so don't wait!!

Call the studio or send an email (info@BobbiBrinkmanPhotography.com) for more information and to book your session.

Fun----- a perfect girls day out-------and a wonderful gift for your someone special in time for Valentine's Day.

Easing toward Merry

As the holiday season begins to rachet up a bit, the parking lots full, the traffic fierce, and tempers flaring all around you------

We hope you can remember to laugh! To remember the love and be happy in the small things that make life wonderful.

Make the choice to be merry!

Holiday Blessings

Thanks to Emily of Sister's Flowers for the lovely flowers---- they gave the studio another lovely holiday touch! It is great to have the opportunity to work with such talented vendors!

The holiday orders are all picked up
Deliveries are just about complete.............
The Fed Ex elves are en route...........
We've almost wrapped up another holiday season at BBP!

Once again, we have the most wonderful clients in the world, we couldn't be luckier-- or happier for that matter!

We all hope that as you enter the home stretch you take time to be a blessing and pass one on.

Poor Prince

Because we always get asked about Hana and Prince, Bobbi's Chinese Crested Powderpuffs---- I I bring you Prince's tale of woe.

Here is Hana (on the left) and Prince in his new sweater. Handsome as can be yes? Apparently when Bobbi came home after being at the Studio, he was his usual very excited self to see her walk in the door and he jumped off the couch. He'd been a little chilly apparently and all curled up somehow inside his sweater. When he jumped off the couch, his duclaw got hung in the yarn and the nail was torn. A trip to the vet----- many tears (and I'll just say not by Prince alone!)

After sedation------ awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!

Hana on guard for her brother!

Today Prince is feeling much better and seems to be on the mend!

Lots of snow on the way for St. Louis today and through tomorrow! Have fun and be safe!

Kelly & Jim

Back to back welcomes for new BBP wedding family members! Today we'd all love to mention our newest bride and groom, Kelly and Jim! Thanks guys for putting your trust in Bobbi Brinkman Photography! Each one of us looks forward to being part of your once in a lifetime day and capturing each moment with "Images from the Heart..." As I tell all of our wedding couples, it is really quite amazing to see how fast the time flies from the time we meet you until your wedding day. When I am standing with the bride at the back of the church just before she goes down the aisle, inevitably she comments that she didn't know where the time went!

Well get used to THAT I say! :) Before you know it you'll be old married people sending your kids off to college, time is such a funny thing.

Let me give all of our faithful blog readers a DANIELLE UPDATE! We know that you love Nell and are always asking what she is up to. She is still with Mike, and they are blissfully happy together! They've moved into a really cute apartment in the Lemay area and are busy decorating and getting ready to spend the holidays together in their new home. Nell is still hard at work on her Master's degree in elementary education as well as working full time, isn't she great?

Hard to believe that it is the 13th of December already, talk about where did the time go? Yesterday we were able to spend some time with the Trottier family and had a great time. How is it that everyones' kids are growing like weeds?

Lisa & Jason

We're already smiling from ear to ear during the holidays---- you have those around you in a good mood (well, generally!) the pretty lights and decorations, seeing clients and their children and the like. But to be able to welcome a bride and groom to the wedding family at BBP, well WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is good news indeed!

Welcome Lisa and Jason, we are so very pleased to have you! We discovered that Lisa is a childhood friend of another wonderful bride of ours, Ashley. As I told Janet, Lisa's Mom----- we love Ashley's family so it is not a stretch at all to know that we will love you too! We look forward to working with this great couple before their wedding in '09! That fills our May in 2009, are brides becoming more organized or what???

Jess and Viv

Another holiday highlight for us was being able to do the holiday portrait of one of our favorite and most delightful sister duos, Jessica and Vivian. They looked absolutely great, and in their darling clothes they made the holiday set sparkle this year! Seeing their parents Linda and Tom was icing on the cake!

Now............... if I could just score that very cool black tree!!!!!!