A Run of Jennifer's

I have to say it again................ I'm confused! :) We have been Katie heavy and Jen heavy this year, and lately it has been a run of Jennifer's. Tomorrow we will be photographing the wedding of Jennifer and Dustin and it is going to be gorgeous on all counts! First, the weather on this Labor Day Weekend seems to have broken and with any luck the forecasters are right and the weekend will be glorious, not too hot as it has been lately. Secondly the bride and groom are rather fabulous themselves! We can't wait!

Now........... just so you know, we are currently accepting applications for Nancy's, Betty's, Adelaide's and Rhonda's!

Have an absolutely wonderful weekend, hope you get a chance to relax, hang out, be with friends and family. And as always.......... be a blessing and pass one on!

Sarah & Tim

We have met with quite a few brides in the past several weeks and have had the opportunity to enlarge the BBP family as well. That does not make our welcome of Sarah & Tim any less exciting for us! Sarah is absolutely adorable, we enjoyed getting to know her a bit better when she came into the studio for her consultation with Bobbi. When she asked to retain BBP she was darling when she asked "Bobbi, please be our photographer for our big day"! Nothing would make us happier Sarah, we are really excited too! Your wedding day will be very beautiful as well as lots of fun and we're so pleased to be part of it!

Things around the studio have not slowed down one teensy bit, as a matter of fact things continue to get busier and busier. I say it all the time but it is never any less true--- we are the luckiest photography studio in the world to be blessed with such great clients, and that includes our super brides and grooms and their families!

Bride Karen tells me that hiking is in her future, Utah in October should be so magnificently gorgeous! If I were a hiker, I think I'd be jealous! As I was saying yesterday, while I am fascinated by geology and archeology, I changed my major when I discovered that I'd have to stay in less than 5 star hotels, go without makeup and look grungy. ACK! Regardless, a lovely getaway to the gorgeous scenery that is Utah sounds so good!

I would---- but I can't

Images today? Sorry. Not like we don't have a gazillion, all outstanding, to show you! Bobbi has been doing commercial shoots and the photos are absolutely wonderful! I'd show you because I know you want to see them, but I can't. For those of you who know me, I am about the one and only person on staff here at BBP that is a "rules girl". Everyone else is a rule breaker, much to my chagrin they are naughty! Maybe I should get someone else to post the photos? The shoot for St. Louis Best Bridal was really exceptional, the photos are absolutely fantastic, they'll be in the next issue so keep a lookout!

Another afternoon on location so Bobbi will rack up yet more miles on her car!

Summer Flies

We can't believe that the summer has flown by. If you stick to the traditional calendar where Labor Day is the official end of the summer, well dear readers, summer's end is upon us. This would be the last week to celebrate. I'm very sad about that mostly because it means that winter is coming. Don't get me wrong, August has been unspeakably hot and Fall is around the corner bringing beautiful colors, crisp air and apple picking. Right behind it comes the winter and I just can't bear to think about it.

Summer is still here in St. Louis however! Yesterday we were blessed to meet some wonderful brides, grooms and their families at the Hilton in Frontenac and it was cold. COLD in there, absolutely downright freezing. Most shows (as you undoubtedly know) are hot to sweltering so we were unprepared to have icicles hanging from our noses. When we were loading the SUV the 92 degree heat felt actually quite good!

Bobbi is on location today with St. Louis Best Bridal doing a shoot for their upcoming magazine, I'll be sure to share what details I can later. You can be sure that the photographs will be spectacularly beautiful!

Happy Monday!

Under the Arch

Yesterday morning Bobbi had the opportunity to meet for breakfast with St. Louis Metro wedding photographers. Some who have been around a long time, some newbies and some in between. All said it was a great time of sharing and schmoozing. I hear crepes were on the menu----- rats, how awful to have missed it!

We are still in the thick of wedding consultations from brides we have met in the past few weeks at the various shows we've done. It has been a blast to meet so many fun people! If you are postponing your visit to the studio to sit down with Bobbi and have a consultation about your day----- hesitate no more! The schedule is jammed and getting busier by the day!

The final show of the wedding show marathon is this Sunday at the Frontenac Hilton and it promises to be an absolutely wonderful show, we're excited to be there.

Our 2008 wedding calendar is almost full, 8 great dates left! Thanks to all of our incredible brides for giving us the opportunity to photograph your once in a lifetime event with "Images from the Heart..."

Vacation Yet???

I've decided that the time for a vacation is long overdue. I've lost my everlovin' mind, slipped a cog and am just dog tired. Dog. Tired. Very much after the fact I discovered late last night (when I had already been drooling on myself in front of the television) that I had given the wrong name for a bride the week after her wedding when we posted photos of her gorgeous wedding. What can I say, I am a true idiot of the highest magnitude and Michelle if you are reading this I apologize. I chalk it up to one of the busiest wedding seasons on record and of course the fact that I am feeling old and feeble apparently! :) My ace web watcher, bride Carin apparently slipped up on her job as the dear soul who makes sure that I have not well and truly lost it--- so Carin I must say you clearly need to pay closer attention here!

Vacation is actually not in the future, at least for awhile. But that is okay! Despite never seeing the bottom of my desk, we continue to be blessed by the best brides in the good old US of A. Thanks to you all for making me laugh, surprising me with your kind words, being sweet and sharing your incredibly fabulous wedding with us all.

I will close on this extremely hot Thursday in St. Louis with a recipe for one of those things that we all have in abundance--TOMATOES. I am afraid to answer the door when I get home from the studio for fear that yet more neighbors will share their tomatoey goodness.

Really Good Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

INGREDIENTS

• 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped. You can use regular tomatoes, just remove most of the seeds and pulp and use the flesh of the tomato. If you use regular tomatoes you will need 3-4 depending on size
  
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (I buy a big jar at Costco and use it all the time), chopped roughly
  
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup good quality olive oil
• 2 tablespoons good quality red balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed (My garden has a basil plant that is taking over!)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 French baguette, sliced diagonally for nice big oval slices of bread
  
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or slices of fresh Buffalo Mozzarella if you like the taste
  

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the broiler
  
• In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
• Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
• Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
• Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Stay cool!

Angel Session

We are blessed--- always---- with clients and friends at BBP. Sometimes blessings come in different guises. Bobbi was called to the hospital at 3:00 a.m. this morning to photograph another Angel Session. Baby Hayden was born with a genetic disorder and will very sadly pass on in the next few hours. We know that thoughts for the family would be very much appreciated.


Count your blessings, pass one on.

Ashley & Darrell

Everyone on staff here at BBP extends a warm welcome to Ashley & Darrell, our newest wedding family members! We're so pleased to have you and are--- as always--- so honored to have been chosen to capture your wedding memories with "Images from the Heart..."

The wedding show with St. Louis' Best Bridal yesterday at the Sheraton Clayton was a smashing success. As at all of our bridal shows, the booth was teeming with brides, grooms and their families and we had such a great time meeting everyone and seeing a couple of return visitors from a previous show! The next couple of weeks will be jammed with consultations and the privilege of hearing the special wedding visions of all those great brides and grooms. We are BLESSED!

Wedding Day Makeup

We've had a lot of questions about makeup for the wedding day---- and although we have discussed this before I think it bears repeating.

• The first rule is that you want to look like YOU, just more polished.

You also want to remember to keep on trend for the season with a nod to how you will look in your photographs when viewed by subsequent generations. You don't want to be SO dated if you know what I mean! (For example, my first wedding--- which is another story entirely-- I wore white lipstick and thick false eyelashes. While it was tres chic at the time, it was definitely the stuff that dates a photo!)

• Always, always practice makeup before the Big Day, give it a trial run whether or not you are doing your own makeup or having it done.
• We have several names of excellent hair and makeup professionals, please ask if you need a recommendation. Having this service provided for you and your wedding party does take a lot of stress and strain off of your day.
• You want to be "matte" for your day, without looking cakey. Rice paper blotting papers are a must for your travel bag.
  
• Our makeup choice is from Bare Escentuals and there is a great store in the Galleria. Their makeup professionals are well versed in what you need when it comes to colors. Their foundation is powder and works extremely well for all skin types. The finishing powder is Mineral Veil and not only looks great and helps keep the matte look, but is comfortable to wear. Their eyeshadows are also powder, come in a zillion colors and don't crease or work their way off as easily as many other brands.
  
• If you don't wear a lot of makeup, don't wear a lot of makeup on your wedding day. Make sure you look as wonderful as you can, and are comfortable with how you look after your trial run. Many of our brides either choose to do a formal bridal portrait with their makeup done so they can see it, feel it, and see how it photographs or they have it done for their engagement session. Both are great options.
• Start early to find your perfect look and ask questions.
• Have I mentioned practice your wedding day look?
  

Tomorrow is round 2 of the wedding show marathon. We will be at the Sheraton in Clayton for the Best Bridal Show. If you are planning to attend what will be an excellent show, please stop by and say hi--- although we promise to be extremely busy (as always) we'd love the chance to say hi and hear a little bit about your once in a lifetime day!

B and the Gang

I couldn't help it, it was seeing Kool and the Gang on the Today Show last week, must have made me nostalgic! :) That is Bobbi with photographers from STL, Illinois, Arkansas and New York with Bambi Cantrell and Jerry Ghionis. Bambi is all in black next to Bobbi and Jerry is on Bambi's left. If you are not 'in the business' you may not know that Bambi and Jerry are two of the world's top photographers, think of them as rock stars!

Speaking of the Today Show, are you watching as the Today Show annual wedding offering kicks off as the Martha Stewart Wedding? It looks like it will be absolutely spectacular, with those incredible little details that make it Oh So Martha. (I happen to LOVE Martha--- tell me you do too!) Vote for your favorite couple at www.thetodayshow.com, you can choose from Beth and Will, Tom and Nicole, Alisa and Jason, and Jessica and Cody. If you have been seeing them sing, dance and otherwise be silly you might already have a favorite. I confess that Jessica and Cody are my favorites so I'll be pulling for them to win!

It is another record breaker in St. Louis today, yikes it is HOT HOT HOT. Stay cool and be a blessing to someone! Even a little smile or a small kindness can make the difference in someone's day when it is so oppressive outside.

If it is August it must be...

Wedding Show Season! Yes, if it is August--- wedding show season is upon St. Louis! Despite the unbelievable heat and humidity that every August brings we join a bevy of brides, grooms and their friends and families and find ourselves at different venues around the city meeting and greeting and sharing our passion for wedding photography.

Tomorrow we will be at America's Center for The Wedding Show sponsored by St. Louis Bride Magazine. What can you say about this show, one of the largest of the year? Lots of vendors, lots of excitement, lots of great ideas and always a lot of fun!

If you are going to the show, we will see you there! 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. downtown! The Dodgers are in town so the area promises to be a sea of red as well.

On another note for our current (did I say nosy?) brides, we had the opportunity to meet Nell's new fella Mike. We met for dinner at Bar Louie in the CWE and had a great time. He did laugh and comment that he has a hard time believing that we have such dull lives that Mike and Nell are on the blog! Nell will be along at the show tomorrow so make sure you ask her the same question everyone seems to be....................... "so, is he the one?"

Hair Raising

I have my hair thank you, we all do. Lots of it even----- although I hate to tempt fate by saying that so far none of the staff have hair that is thinning or balding. Thank heavens! So one night my phone rings and it is Bobbi------- how DARE a certain company in town use our website music for their commercial, I mean really! And to make it about a zillion times worse, it is a rather well known (and heavily played commercial) company for thinning and balding hair. HA! I had a good old fashioned laugh about it all and didn't think much more about it.......after all our brides have lovely, lovely hair!!!!

Until one of our brides, Carin, (who we love because she has a rather wicked sense of humor)-- calls and mentions that she has NOTICED that this company uses our music in their commercial. Well crap------ now they notice! And have I mentioned that they play this commercial a LOT, in every time slot across the spectrum even! Sheesh. I can just see us at the big wedding show at America's Center this weekend having brides ask us if we can make their Dad's bald spot fill in!

So what do you think, change the music or not? In all seriousness I don't really think I will--- the music is for the most part really nice and WE USED IT FIRST!!!!! Unless of course I could find something soothing and romantic, very non-David Allen Coe with no trucks, beer, cowboy hats, mama, or prison.

I'll have to think about it.

Jennifer & Garrett

On a VERY hot Saturday in steamy St. Louis we're going to spend the day with Jennifer and Garrett, their wedding day of course! Their once in a lifetime day will be absolutely gorgeous, as will the bride I have no doubt----- and the groom is very handsome as well so when wearing his tux he will look dashing.

We'll be thinking cool thoughts and using every trick up our sleeves to make sure that everyone is as comfy as possible.

Stay cool out there!

New Do

No, we are not the ones with the New Do----- other than Danielle having her hair trimmed recently, the only new do's are those of Prince and Hana. They love their groomer Chris and despite the fact that Prince is a huge baby, their grooming always goes smoothly. As many MANY of you know Prince and Hana and always ask about them it was time for a new photo! In the pic above, they are apparently dancing (which they are quite good at!) Do not for one moment think that they dance for the sheer love of it, or for the sport. No, they dance for treats pure and simple, and for peanut butter they not only dance but really cut a rug.

In the photo above Prince (in the blue) is just being darned cute (which he is very good at) and Hana has her famous smile that cracks everybody up. No kidding, when Bobbi says "cheeeeeese" and holds her hands in an invisible camera grip that dog just grins to beat the band. For those of you who thought that her lopsided smile is an Elvis impersonation, well I guess you are close. The dogs have such sweet and wonderful personalities, everyone loves it when they come to the studio! This however, does not happen very often as (in that wonderful tv commercial) they are both really big 'Barky Von Schnauzer's'.

Have a fabulous Thursday and stay cool, it promises to be a hot one. Bobbi is back in the studio from her day breathing all things photography and we have a very full day as we wind up to a wedding (of course) this Saturday.

Mice Playing

Today Bobbi is thrilled to be spending the day with two of the world's top ten photographers! She will be immersed in photography and all of it's facets and couldn't be happier!

So, ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don't tell The Boss but the Mice are Playing!!! Okay, playing after getting a few things off the desk---- but still playing! It's our secret though!