Graham and Alison

Welcoming Graham and Alison is a sure fire way to warm up a really cold day! We're glad to have the two of you aboard. Graham is a pediatric physician and an absolute sweetheart of a man, his fiancee Alison is a pediatric nurse practitioner so you know there was something else besides medicine going on at the hospital last year! :) Their wedding in 2009 will be full of laughter, tears and happiness. Why so far away you ask? Well, this great couple is going on a trip overseas to work with kids that don't have access (or funds) for medical treatments.

For the rest of us, what a great reminder to use our talents to bless others.

Stay warm! The weather this week is supposed to be absolutely freezing----- how horrible. It could without a doubt be worse, in Minneapolis this week the temperature isn't going to break out of the twenties with the lows in the single digits. Brrrrrrrrr!

Past Chilly

Good thing this weekend was an indoor shoot! As anyone who lives in St. Louis or surrounding areas can tell you, it is way past chilly and downright COLD. The temperature this morning at Lambert Airport was 8 degrees, we won't even discuss the wind chill--- holy moly! While the staff gathers at the studio for a day of getting paperwork in order, pizza will be ordered and we might even have a glass of vino to celebrate at the end of the day----- stay warm!

We are just about finished with an album for one of our favorite bride and grooms, Robyn and Mark. The album is really gorgeous, it is so "them" and really captures the special day that was shared by the couple, their family and friends.

Designing albums are one of our favorite things, it is an opportunity to revisit the newlyweds to discuss what type of album they want. Sometimes they have changed their minds about album style from the first time they sat down in the studio to discuss their wedding photography. Then with the album type in mind, our couples have given us their favorite images and we go to work on their book. I can honestly say that our albums are unique, every one of them truly captures the spirit of the individuals and their day. It is no wonder we get RAVES for our beautiful albums.

So----------------- stay warm! Enjoy the last day of the weekend, and get juiced up for Monday, the (cold) first day of the work week for many!

Katie & Justin

It can be said that we ARE the luckiest Studio in the world---- we're so fortunate to be able to add another couple to the wedding family at Bobbi Brinkman Photography. Katie and Justin came to us recently and we knew right away that they were just a perfect fit. We're looking forward to their wedding next year and working together for a long time as we capture a lifetime of "Images from the Heart..." Thanks Katie, thanks Justin for the honor and privilege!

***

On this Thursday it seems that we are all collectively racing towards the weekend---- get us there please! Perhaps it is that the cold weather is making us want to run for the comfort of our home and the warmth of our jeans and big ole' sweaters! Tomorrow promises to be a veritable heatwave with temperatures approaching 50 degrees. When it has been as cold as it has been, 50 sounds like the tropics. Okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration but you get my point!

***

Have a wonderful day! I've promised no more baking today, after all I'm still reeling with those holiday pounds and the chocolate chip cookies and fresh bread really aren't much help.

Back From the Front Lines

So, I'm back from Jury Duty. While I don't mind doing my civic duty and found the whole thing very interesting, I must say that it was disconcerting at the least. The entire selection process tried so hard to make sure that no jurors were 'tainted' before hearing and deciding the trial. Let's face it, that is what makes America--- well, America! But the eerie thing about it was that while the defense and prosecution attorneys tried to make sure that the jury would not carry preconceived notions or immediately judge the defendant based on things that would come out in a trial. They had to say enough to let you know what the case was about, what you would likely hear during the criminal trial, and who you would hear it from. At the end of the two days of interrogation (I don't remember the silly French word they use, but it all boils down to interrogation at the root) it astounded me (and others) that not one single person said that they didn't have a gut feeling about the defendant and the trial. It seemed pretty clear to me that the guy was as guilty as can be, and I was sort of corked that once again my tax dollars were going to uphold such a ridiculous event. Do I sound bitter? Heck, I don't mean to--- really. But my question is----- are there REALLY any people who sit on a jury that are completely open? Especially in the city of St. Louis, the odds against such a thing seem remote at best.

***
But I digress! I quite obviously (and to my delight) was not chosen for jury duty, I only lost two days to the American system of jurisprudence, and am now back at work, catching up on correspondence, working on an absolutely gorgeous wedding album for a lucky bride and groom, and getting out contracts, etc. The delight is that I'm working from home today, hallelujah and amen, what a wonderful thing. For you my constant and faithful blog readers, if I am working at home, what ELSE am I doing????

***

Hum the Jeopardy theme here...................

***

For those of you who know me, and those of you who merely know my blogged words the answer is quite simple, yes? Yes!

***

I'm baking of course! Nothing, absolutely nothing in this world puts me to rights and settles my soul quite like baking. What, you might ask, is coming out of the oven? The house smells like chocolate chip cookies, my favorite (and coveted) recipe that features a couple unusual ingredients yet turns out the best cookies I've ever eaten. When a batch gets made, the whole house smells great and many people become quite happy and satisfied. I'm munching right now hoping not to get crumbs in the keyboard! Next to go in the oven when it has finished its rise are two twin loaves of homemade French bread. Thin, but not too thin, light and gently floured, they will rise in a spritzed for steam oven to create amazingly crunchy, crispy bread with that soft, bread-y center that really gets your motor running. So while I'm rolling out risen loaves I think to myself, what's for dinner? And I think that Fettucine Alfredo and a nice green salad will be wonderful. Now, I'll just sit back and wait for the e-mails to begin and the doorbell to ring! :)

***

The sun is out again----- even if it is a dang cold day, take care and stay warm. Be a blessing to someone today!

Cyber Snow

If you live in the city of St. Louis, this morning you woke up to a little less than two inches of very wet snow. You know, the kind of snow that is pretty for an extremely short window of time! It hadn't been very long for what snow there was to compact into slush and turn gray and ugly. It sounds like on the outskirts of town there was up to five inches of the white stuff.

**

Perhaps we need some Cyber Snow instead of a promise of a winter wonderland? Check out a very easy and fun website that allows you to create your own snowflakes! http://www.am-soft.ru/snowflake2.html is the URL for the free download for Windows. You may also like version I, http://www.am-soft.ru/snowflake.html.

***

Have fun, and enjoy your Sunday no matter where you live on the White Scale!

Kate & Matt

Welcoming Kate and Matt is more than welcoming the two of them---- it becomes a Triple Treat because we get to work with our favorite wedding coordinator, Christy from All Dressed in White! You can find Christy at www.alldressedinwhite.net, and you will have to wait until next year when I'm sure we will feature some wedding images from Kate and Matt. We're delighted to have you as part of the family!

****

The wedding above is an image from Elizabeth and Mike's wedding, we were so pleased to have been able to share their love story with St. Louis and the world in the current pages of St. Louis Best Bridal magazine. If you haven't seen this issue, pick it up, their story is sure to inspire you, warm your heart, and make you believe that love stories and happy endings do indeed happen!

***

Another weekend, and oh crud---- another storm on the horizon. Yes indeedy, the weathermen all over St. Louis are buzzing with the s word, and among others, I do mean SNOW. Sounds like overnight tonight we will be blessed with 4-6" inches of the white stuff. Let's all get out our rulers tomorrow and see how their accuracy fares, shall we? Keep warm, stay dry and be safe out there!

***

One of our wonderful brides e-mailed to comment that they were surprised I baked a cake from a Hershey's recipe! Really I say, one eyebrow raised, pondering quietly. Does my reputation as baker extraordinaire preceed me? Am I more easily recognized by my recipes from more exotice sources? Did my last recipe from Ina Garten confuse you? Perhaps. The short answer is just this---chocolate cake/Hershey's. Need I say more? And quiet frankly, the recipe is absolutely killer, really super moist, ultra chocolately, not that hard to make and guaranteed to be a huge hit with chocolate fans. Trust me, if I print a recipe here, it is not to be missed! Now, that kind of makes me want to take a little trip into the kitchen to have a little bonding time with the Viking!

okay............ I admit it

I admit it............... albeit with a bit of a grin................. I'm a blog freak. That isn't the word I was going to use because my Mom reads the blog, you know the word I'm thinking of. It's much more fitting, but we will stick with freak just on general principles. I LOVE BLOGS and could read them for hours on end. Fortunately, my schedule does not allow for such fanaticism to take place! I really love some humor blogs, some author blogs, some spiritual blogs, some friends blogs, and the news blogs never cease to make me THINK. My favorites are Katie Couric's at http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/couricandco/main500803.shtml and Brian Williams at http://dailynightly.msnbc.com/. Williams' blog is "The Daily Nightly" whereas Couric doesn't have a 'title' per se. I don't know if that means that Williams is paid more than dear Katie, or CBS just tries harder. I do know that as a fellow blogger, one that also hopes to inspire, educate and generally have fun I am sorely lacking in several categories. It has become painfully obvious to me that

• my teeth are not nearly white enough


• I am not thin enough


• or young enough, if you must know


• I am not witty enough


• or erudite in that special way

However, I blog on.

Maybe I will call my dentist tomorrow and throw away that last piece of chocolate cake. Well maybe not the cake, it is one of my favorite new recipes from those sainted folks at Hershey's! www.Hersheys.com, the recipe section is amazing and will keep you hungry, and bound to the kitchen for days! I will print it here in case you are, on this holiday for many people, too darn lazy to click and go!

Hershey's "Especially Dark" Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"ESPECIALLY DARK" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)
Directions:1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "ESPECIALLY DARK" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings."ESPECIALLY DARK" CHOCOLATE FROSTING1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine2/3 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa3 cups powdered sugar1/3 cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla extractMelt butter, Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

*****

Make the cake, go on............... life is short. Then you can do that blessing thing and take a nice slice to someone to perk them right up.

Sharing the Abundant Blessings

You know it can be said that there is divinity all around us and in each of us. In Daily Word today were words that are worth passing on. These words really sum up the philosophy and m.o. behind BBP, be grateful for your blessings, and pass a blessing on. We can absolutely make the world a better place but it starts with each of us, one minute at a time.

The image above was the holiday card from Bobbi Brinkman Photography this year (2006), for those of you who have not seen it before, we share it with you and do wish you Abundant Blessings.

Divine Appointment
I give and receive blessings in my divine appointments today.
We have divine appointments to meet every day.
Learning to recognize them is an ability that we acquire as part of our spiritual growth.
Everywhere around us there are people who need to be blessed. We may respond to a harried salesclerk with compassion that brightens his or her day. We may offer words of encouragement that inspire someone to leap over one of life’s hurdles.
Each of us has a part in a divine plan and has been called to fulfill it. We bring blessings to those around us as we go through life accepting divine appointments in which a divine plan is being fulfilled.

For those impacted by the ice storm and power outages we hope that life gets back to normal in record time. We're certainly blessed that THIS TIME the storm didn't get us!

Mona & Drew & Janice too!

We thoroughly enjoy the Mom's of our brides and grooms, you will no doubt remember our fondness for Elizabeth's Mom Mary who is an absolute gem. It happens frequently that we have initial contact with a bride's Mom who, poor thing, has to deal with planning a wedding when her daughter is out of town! They are special, these Mom's of ours! Janice came to us in just such a way. We met her at the Wedding Show last weekend and really hit it off, she is down to earth, warm and wonderful. After having a consultation with her, and when she had a conference with her daughter and the Father of the Bride, we are so very excited to welcome Mona and Drew to the wedding family at Bobbi Brinkman Photography! Welcome to you both. We will get to meet Mona and Drew next month when they fly into town for their engagement session. If they are as wonderful as Mom Janice (and how could they not be?) we are in for a treat!

**

To our Mom's out there planning................. don't fret! We hear all the time, and probably much more than you do, how very much appreciated you are for your hard work in meeting vendors, taking meetings and the copious notes that go along with them, and for generally putting a wedding together!

**

Dad's you know you are wonderful too, you just generally stay in the shadows a bit more until it is time for the walk down the aisle and that very special first dance with your daughter.

**

For everyone in St. Louis today---- the blog is late going up because I started the day very early with contracts and paperwork so that I could finish with the blog and get OUT of the studio before the nasty weather hit. We sure do hope that you can do the same. We're a little skittish here in STL when the weatherman says "ICE"........... and understandably so. Hope you were in line with me at the grocery store laying in ice melt, milk, eggs, and the makings for chocolate chip cookies. Okay, so there was a bottle of shiraz in there too but who noticed??? Stay safe, stay warm and be a blessing to a neighbor.

Jill & Stephen

The newest bride and groom to join the wedding family at BBP is Jill and Stephen! We are so happy to welcome you both and look forward to many, many years together! Jill is a St. Louis girl now living in Baltimore Maryland and came to us to capture her wedding with "Images from the Heart..."

So, Jill----- I was watching Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels on tv late last night and she was eating her way through Baltimore. It looked delicious and I was jealous! I haven't been to Baltimore since 1998 and I'm sure that much has changed but not those crabcakes that still live on in my dreams! YUM!

Speaking of food (a subject never far from my mind), we're waiting for one of our brides and grooms to host their rehearsal dinner at Modesto on the Hill. Modesto has such a delicious menu, tapas that are truly outstanding in this town and any other I've eaten in. Their cocktails are truly yummy as well (ooooooooooh those caiprinhas~)! The chef Grace does such a fabulous job with her fixed menu and the daily specials. So how about it brides? Get that rehearsal dinner set and we will be there with bells on!

Have a great Wednesday-----

Think you Can

Of course it is hard planning a wedding but then again, isn't anything that is important in life difficult? Of course! We've been hearing a LOT from overwhelmed brides, grooms and their families (mostly Mom's)---- and we give the same advice.

• YES YOU CAN---- you can do anything if you THINK YOU CAN!
• Be organized! There are many bridal organizers on the market, or simply make your own with a notebook, tabbed dividers, a zippered insert for things you pick up along the way that will need to be secured to a page in the future, and a small spiral notebook in the binder. Use your notebook to jot down things you have to do, thoughts you are afraid will run away if you don't record them, etc.
• Focus on the goal and don't be distracted
• Remember that the high gloss magazines are usually high budget ideals
• Ask questions of your wedding vendors, use their expertise
• Don't be afraid to ask for help!
• Use wine and spirits for medicinal use sparingly! :)

If we can be of any help, don't hesitate to ask, we frequently answer questions and offer help to those who are part of the wedding family at BBP---- and those that aren't! Every single couple that comes in for a consultation finds that their time was extremely useful because of our caring and sharing attitude.

So.............................. relax. Be calm, and know that your wedding will be absolutely gorgeous!

The Day After

The Wedding Show is, gratefully, OVER. I think we met about a zillion brides, all of them great. We've already made a lot of appointments to meet them in a calmer zone--- the studio, to discuss their vision for their weddings.

Everyone always asks for the stories of some of the funniest brides or best stories we had. Our favorites? Absolutely hands down---- went like this:

"When is your wedding date?" (us) "I don't have one yet, I think he might propose and I think I saw him looking at engagement rings and I think he is going to do it really soon. I think!" Wow................ well. While we do book out really quickly my dear---- and we are accepting 2009 and 2010 weddings already, it might be a bit hasty to plan your wedding, since you don't have a groom yet and all. No offense, please! :) Oh my.

Our second favorite was the adorable little girl wearing a tiara and carrying her little black patent leather handbag, a darling little fur trimmed sweater proudly sporting an oval pink and white "BRIDE" nametag. When asked if she wasn't too young to BE the bride she simply giggled and said "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

October 6th is one of the most requested dates we heard, followed quickly with 7.7.7 and numerous others. We've decided though that if you are getting married October 6th, be prepared to wait behind a long queue of brides no matter where you go in St. Louis!

We so enjoyed many of the other vendors at the show, our friends and wonderful cruise providers at Simply Cruises were there with their everpresent smiles. We met the gals at D&D who do the most wonderful invitations, wow! Pasta House was nearby our booth and kept our energy up with chicken speidini (yum). But, how FUN was the gang at Oliver'Studio???? They are the self proclaimed Wedding Divas..... and we howled watching them work their magic and their charm on the brides in their booth.

As always, thanks to Kevin and Linda Hennessey who not only publish the best in bridal magazines but who are top shelf, wonderful, kind folks who do it all with integrity and style.

Wedding Show, Day Two

So here we are........................... Day Two at America's Center. The concrete floors are a bummer to be sure, long days of non-stop talking aren't easy either! However, we are blessed to meet SO MANY really great brides, grooms and parents as well. We are next to the ladies from The Christy banquet center and they are great people that add to the fun of the event.


It's raining this morning as we head downtown, never any fun to trudge through the rain, oh well!


See you at the show, bring an umbrella----

We'll be waiting for you!

Never cake

It's really kind of sad, sometimes brides and grooms get a 'let them eat cake' attitude from vendors who are booked for their event when they approach them. Here at BBP, we get frequent requests from brides and grooms who would like us to photograph their wedding when we have already been retained. Sadly, when we have to pass for that reason we ALWAYS offer to make suggestions or recommendations if they would like. We also are always quick to help with our recommendations for limos, tuxes, cake, flowers, dj's and all of the myriad other details that comprise planning a wedding. Alex wrote just today, "Thank you for your quick reply. We're disappointed because we really, really liked Bobbi's style. Her pics stand out right away, and if you look at a bunch of websites at the same time, the difference is even clearer. Is there anybody in the area that you would recommend? Not that there would be any responsibility on your company's part, but just someone whose style and professionalism you respect? "

Note to blog reading brides out there, most reputable vendors of all types will offer suggestions for other like vendors when asked. If they will not, well---- maybe they aren't the kind of people you want to do business with anyway!

Sadly, we almost have to demand that people treat us fairly and with respect as we navigate the world. Here at BBP we do our best to offer love and light and know that YOU do the same!

Thanks for the nice words Alex! I hope Bobbi's phone call helped you find another photographer. I hope that you---- and everyone--- will stop by this weekend at the Bridal Show and say hello.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! May 2007 be a year for abundant blessings, dreams come true, health and happiness, and being a light in the world.

The entire staff sends you love and peace.