I couldn’t pick a favorite from this series, so you get to see them all…

Gina, you make sitting on the ground look really good:

Another gorgeous outfit? Please do:

Nothing says romance like a bicycle basket with flowers and a blanket. Save the date :)

Some fun games…

…and a beautiful ring. Side note: love her bracelet too.

And just because she looked absolutely stunning in this light and this wind:Gina and Brandon, I absolutely loved seeing you guys again! I hope you enjoy these images. To say I’m sad I won’t be able to photograph your wedding is an understatement, but I know it will be absolutely beautiful and I wish you two all the best!

• I’m hungry ALL the time. You’d think it would be great to get to eat a lot more, but it’s actually really exhausting. Just when I finish cleaning up the kitchen I’m hungry again and have to start all over. Not to mention the slight embarrassment of having to get back in line (i.e. at Rubio’s) to order just one more taco.
• I’ve had approximately 12 zits my whole life, 8 of them were in the last few months.
• Feeling the baby move is the coolest and strangest feeling ever.
• Watching my husband’s face feeling the baby move is the sweetest feeling ever.
• We are super excited to find out the gender of our baby! So much so that we thought we’d spread the joy by letting you in all the fun…

So here are all the giveaway details:

First things first…

THE PRIZE:

• A FREE session. Yes, completely free
• Your favorite 20 high-resolution images on a CD!

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Go to my facebook page: www.facebook.com/cristiowenphoto

2. Click the Like button

3. Leave a comment on the wall with your guess if we are having a girl or a boy

One entry per person. Yes, you and your fiancee can each have a separate entry. And if your mom, neighbor, cousin and co-worker want to help you out, they can each have an entry and if they win, they can give you the prize. Or keep it for themselves ;)

Entries must be received by midnight on Valentine’s Day (Feb 14, 2012) AZ time.

WINNERS:

All of those with the correct answer will be entered into a drawing.

Winner will be announced Feb 15 on my blog and on Facebook.

A FEW OTHER RULES:

The session must be booked at least 10 days prior to the session date

Sessions cannot be rescheduled

Session must take place by April 1 2012 (based on my availability at the time session is booked)

Sessions will last one hour

Session must take place within 30 miles of Chandler, AZ

Anyone can enter. Past clients, new clients, current clients, family, friends, other photographers. There are no rules here :).

So tell us! What do you think? Boy or Girl? Click here: www.facebook.com/cristiowenphoto

I got to photograph Gina and her fiancée Brandon and the best part is that this is the third time I got to do so.  No, they didn’t have three engagement sessions, but Gina was a bridesmaid at two of the weddings I photographed before.

So here’s a little history for you:

Gina as a bridesmaid for Kristina and Brian back in 2009

Gina as a bridesmaid for Nicole and Adam in 2010:

And now Gina as a bride to be with her fiancée yesterday:

The full post is coming soon, but I just wanted to say how much I love seeing familiar faces and the relationships I’m lucky enough to build through my business.

P.S. If you haven’t clicked the Facebook like button above for my business before, you might want to go do that right now. Need a good reason? Because tomorrow I’ll be announcing a fun GIVEAWAY for a FREE SESSION + HIGH RES IMAGES. Stay tuned!

One of my amazing and first clients is this gorgeous family that I photographed for the first time back in 2008:

Three years later and the boys are even more handsome and the girls even more gorgeous. But most importantly they are ALL so kind to each other and so much fun to spend time with. So here they are in 2011:It is so special to me to have the experience of watching my clients families grow and change throughout the years and also observe their love and bond deepen.

Thank you all so much, have a very happy 2012 and I’ll see you again some time this year :).

Everyone knows I love my business, but after almost 4 years of working from home all by myself all day long I started to feel pretty lonely. And then I felt guilty. I had the job of my dreams and I wasn’t happy. Major guilt. I still loved my clients and the job I get to do, but I was overwhelmed with the amount of work I had and was desperately longing for some personal connections. The opportunity to work as an associate photographer for a friend came along and it seemed like the perfect solution to all my problems. I could still photograph as many weddings overall as I have in previous years, but have half the amount of the work on weekdays. I decided to take on half as many of my own weddings as I usually do to allow time for a social life (and in preparation for maybe a baby some day soon), as well as pursue some other interests. Even though we got all set up, I never actually got to work for her. Which I think it turned out to be a very good thing. First, it taught me that it’s ok to not have every idea or plan work out. Even if it sounds like a really great thing, maybe it’s just not meant to be. And most importantly, as I now reflect on what would have been, I’ve learned that what I love is not to just create images, but my passion is to form relationships with my clients and then create images for them.  And this little ‘discovery’ makes me so excited for 2012! It’s the core of my business goals for next year and I can’t wait to meet and get to know the couples and love stories I will get the honor of documenting over the next 12 months. I’m also happy to focus back into my own business 100% and give my clients the best wedding photography experience! I’ve been working hard on some changes and improvements and I’m so happy with how it’s all coming along!

Now on the home front, after a failed attempt at growing our little family, we are very excited to be expecting a little bundle of joy to arrive at the end of June. I’m still going to keep my maximum amount of weddings the same as 2011 which proved to be the perfect balance between giving each of my clients a lot of attention and also having time for my friends and family.

Speaking of balance, 2011 was the year I went back to yoga and it felt SO good! I’m not by any means a yogi, but I love the journey of trying to get there. And although it’s not very yoga-like to hold on to things or feelings from the past, I’m really excited to brag about the fact that I finally conquered scorpion pose. Sure, it may only have been two times, but it felt so good! It’s hard to explain how a physical accomplishment can do so much for your mind, but it totally does. If you’ve never tried yoga before, I highly recommend it! Find a good studio and it will change your body and your mind.

So besides a few struggles and some failures, 2011 was a pretty awesome year! I learned more balance, had a great time with friends and family, made some pretty incredible new friends (Hi, Megan!), photographed fantastic weddings of truly remarkable couples, worked with the greatest wedding vendors and traveled to some really extraordinary places.

Here are a few of 2011 Kodak moments:

A BYOP (Bring Your Own Pool) Party at my house:

Camping in Pinetop with my husband’s cousins:A perfect trip to Costa Rica with Tom and Trisha:

An amazing time in New York with my hubby:

And some other fun trips to Sedona, Florida, Vegas, San Diego and Montana! But I just realized those photos are on my laptop which is currently waiting for Apple to send its new battery. Oops!

Here’s to 2012 and all that it brings, including the best news ever that my family is moving back to Arizona! I’m so happy!!

Adriana Fontes working her make-up magic. She never ceases to amaze me.

Some beautiful details against the desert landscape:

Bridesmaids gifts:

Love it when brides choose details unique to them. Ashton wore cowboy boots and her bouquet had a beautiful peacock feather for her something blue. Her gorgeous flowers are from Amy’s Floral Designs.Her bridesmaids were truly awesome and so supportive:Beautiful, beautiful Ashton:Right after their first look:Truly awesome groom’s details:

Yes, these girls watch America’s Next Top Model:Such a fun group!Watching his beautiful bride walk down the aisle…

Their ceremony was very touching.

Their reception had so many incredible details. Here are just a few:

Everyone should have a sushi bar at their wedding!

First dances:

By far the coolest cake cutting ever:Absolutely LOVE her fur stole:Cheers to a perfect wedding day and a long and happy marriage:Ashton and Patrick, it was so great to meet you both! Merry Christmas :)!

She has the most gorgeous eyes!

I started the day at Caitlin’s mom’s house where she started getting ready:

Brooke did an amazing job with her make-up and I’m completely obsessed with the bow on the back of Caitlin’s wedding dress:

Her gorgeous flowers were by the always amazing Petal Pusher.

Love it when guys have fun details and Adam’s guitar cuff links were super fun!

After their first look we took some time to walk around the Botanical Gardens and take some portraits of the gorgeous couple:

Caitlin belongs on a runway:

The girls dresses and the guys ties are from J.Crew

Love the fact that Caitlin’s bridal party included just her two sisters: Adam’s sister, Hannah and Caitlin’s brother fiancee, Sofia.

The guys looking super handsome:

I’ve shot four weddings at the Botanical Gardens and the ceremony took place in a different location each time. This gorgeous space is the Ullman Terrace:

Succulents are my favorites, so needless to stay I was in love with all their details.

Their super sweet desert table. The cake and cupcakes were by Butter & MeMike Mancini always knows how to get the party going:

And I will leave you with this image wondering what happened right after this moment::).

You may have read about Meg on my blog before here and here. Although I ran out of time to actually post Meg’s food diaries, our grocery store tour, and follow up meetings, I documented it all with photos and may someday backtrack it and blog it all. In the meantime, I just wanted to say how proud I am of her and all of her hard work.

As usual I started the day with the girls getting ready:

Annie was radiant:

And Josh didn’t dissapoint either:

After their first look, we got a chance to walk around The Arizona Biltmore for some portraits

And then it was off to the ceremony:

I think the horah should become a tradition for all weddings. SO.MUCH.FUN!

And what better way to end the night than with a sweet creation from Classic Cakes and Confections:And a big thank you to all the vendor who made their day so special:

Venue: Arizona Biltmore

Coordinator: A Day to Cherish

Make-Up: Sarah San Marco

Hair: Taryn Senseman

Flowers: Designs by Design

Videography: Legacy

DJ: Citron Entertainment

Cake: Classic Cakes and Confections