TAISIA GORDON photography

Sarah & Devin. Vintage chic wedding. Owensville MO.

Sarah & Devin were married this past fall in Owensville.  Such a sweet couple!  And their wedding was styled so amazingly.  Tammy Alfultis, of Seven O Three Papery, designed their wedding and reception with a combination of family keepsakes, antiques, and vintage charm. 

Sarah attached some of her grandmother's old brooches and pins to her wedding bouquet as well as the bridesmaids bouquets.   Loved the look of this as well as the sentiments attached.

 
 Sarah & Devin wanted to see each other before their ceremony.  Their first moment of seeing each other was so wonderful and special.  I feel so lucky that we were able to capture such a tender moment.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sarah & Devin's house was right down the street from their church so we stopped by to take some pictures of them with their first home.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Hannah & Ty. Belle wedding photography.

If I were to do it all over again, it would look a lot like this ceremony....

When Hannah contacted me last year she hadn't set a date yet.  She wanted to be sure that her first picks for location and photographer were available.  To know that she would set a date around my availability was a HUGE honor and I have been anticipating her wedding for the whole year since.

Once I saw her location, I realized why she had such firm ideas.  I was instantly charmed by their outdoor wedding venue.  Praire Star Farms, located near Belle, is gorgeous!  Hannah and her team created a wedding filled with simple elegance and rustic charm, enveloped in a serene and natural landscape.  Love, love, loved it.

Hannah & Ty themselves were a dream to work with - calm, cool, happy, and fun-loving.  They are so well-matched and completely dedicated to each other and their families.  In fact, during the reception they showed their friends and family a slideshow and at the end their personal message to their loved ones was enough to bring me to tears.  The love they share is truly inspiring and is the kind of love that just makes you feel happy to see.  Hannah & Ty, thank you from the bottom of my heart for inviting me into your wedding day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Jenna + Chris. St. Elizabeth wedding photography.

I loved this couple.  It took me so long to post this wedding from a few months ago because I can hardly bear to narrow down the number of images to share.  

They decided to see each other before their wedding.  I always love these quiet moments between the couple.  I was crying while shooting this one - they were so totally in to each other and caught up in that moment.  Chris waited by the bank of the pond until Jenna came out of the house.  All of the posed and planned shots do not hold a candle to these unrehearsed, intimate moments.

I also love that Jenna and Chris planned for plenty of time before the ceremony for shots of them, their wedding party and family.  We had a lot of fun at a great location and it made for a very relaxed, happy time!!

 

Jenna has a charming and playful personality.  When she told me there was a lake... and a boat... and she was willing to get in it, IN HER WEDDING DRESS, I was overcome and wanted to marry her myself.  There were so many fun shots of them actually getting into the boat, the friend who's driving the boat hiding below deck, and the wedding party watching from the shoreline.  But here's one of the final boat shots.

Some reception details. 

 
 

As we were leaving, Katie (fabulous assistant that she is) noticed the sunset so we grabbed the couple for one last shot.

 

Dallas + Adrienne. Holts Summit wedding photography.

I'm not sure I would have enough words to describe this wedding and this couple so I think I'll just share some of my favorite images from their wedding day a couple of months ago.  I will say that days before their wedding Adrienne voiced her concern that she and Dallas might be stiff in front of the camera.  So I went armed with a bunch of strategies for getting them to loosen up and have fun with picture-time.  Only, I didn't have to use a single one - they were naturals and worked it for me baby!

Adrienne and Dallas took dance lessons and had their first dance choreographed.  It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. 

Some of the people that helped make their day so beautiful:

Make-up:
Lindsey Eveler
Serenity Medical Spa

Flowers:
River City Florist

Cake:
Renee Miller
 

Jessica and Matt. St. Elizabeth wedding photography.

This is Jessica and Matt.  Genuine, classy, and down to earth.  Jessica's gown was to die for and the reception was a lovely outdoor event.  They saw each other before the ceremony and Jessica's expressions are so sweet!  And I could not get over the grooms cake.  Made to look like a cooler with beer bottles, it was so realistic - I was in awe of it.  Check 'em out...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ellie + Justin. Vienna wedding photography.

Sierra and Blake. Rolla wedding photography.

*sigh*

I'm in love with this set of wedding images.  I was excited about Sierra and Blake's wedding for several reasons.  First, it was in Rolla.  A mere 10 miles from my house.  I'm used to traveling all over the state for weddings and after shooting for 9+ hours, a two hour commute back home is the last thing I usually want to do.  So, this was a treat to be close enough to race home and fly into bed afterwards.  Weddings are fun but tiring!  Another reason I was so excited was because Sierra and her mom were very enthusiastic about the photography.  I love it when people enjoy the photography part of the day rather than viewing it as a necessary evil.  But, really, the MAIN reason I was excited about this wedding....

 

I've been itching for a bride to wear colorful shoes.  Sierra was just the stylish woman to pull it off.  But I'm jumping ahead of myself. 

Meet Blake.  He's easy on the eyes and such a nice, fun guy.

 

He's in love with this beautiful girl, Sierra...

 

I noticed all day long Sierra complimented other people around her.  Even though everyone was focused on her, as they should be, Sierra was still as polite and charming as ever - noticing things like someone's suit or their perfume.  She's a sweetheart.  They decided to see each other and take pictures before the ceremony which was also a lovely change of pace for me.  I have to admit that I love being the only one around when couples see each other for the first time.  It's such a special, quiet moment.

 

 

I tried to include the shoes in as many pictures as I could :-) I love how Sierra and Blake pulled off this next pose.  H-O-T!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The groomsmen.  "Groomsmen" as a whole entity are always entertaining.  These guys were no different.  They came into the ceremony snapping their fingers.  It was funny but also kind of cool.  It was like West Side Story.  I'm not sure if they were the Jets or the Sharks.

My awesome assistant, Katie Lortz, who I really can't do without anymore captured this image of the bridesmaids.  And also the one below it of Sierra walking in to the ceremony with her dad.  Katie needs to start her own portfolio I think.

 

 

 

 

The lighting was really beautiful during the ceremony and reception.  Notice in the image above everyone is listening to the preacher while Sierra is staring at Blake.  That image makes me melt every time.  I have all of those amazing posed shots but I think this one might be my favorite from the whole day.  The look in her eyes is full of love and is totally unrehearsed.

Besides the beautiful ceremony I was entertained by the youngest flower girl who, during the ceremony, managed to get the flower basket stuck on her head and then later held her dress up during a portion of the vows.  I'm sure her mother felt otherwise but I thought it was cute.

 

At the reception Sierra and Blake gave their guests cream soda.  Yum!  (I think it was cream soda..I can't believe I forgot to try one!!!!)  Either way, the colors were pretty which is really what I cared about.

More awesome lighting for the reception.  Usually DJ lights are high and aimed down to the middle of the floor which colors the ground or people's faces but I think I prefer this effect.  The lights pointed along the back wall and the colors changed every few minutes creating a nice but subtle ambiance. 

 

Just as I was about to leave, a gang of friends, including Sierra and Blake, start busting out a dance routine to a mix of songs.  It was AWESOME!!  I just hope someone posts that dance on youtube because they rocked it.

 

 

*whew*  Thanks for reliving that day with me.  And Sierra and Blake, thanks for being so cool. 

JJ + Julie. Jefferson City wedding.

 

As much as I love off-the-wall images I also love simple, traditional portraits.  And this is one of Julie and JJ that I love.  Julie and JJ were married a few weeks ago during a slightly blustery and overcast spring day.  It didn't dampen the mood at all.  Julie is exuberant...

 

JJ is more subdued and during their marriage ceremony the priest spoke of how they were a perfect compliment to each other. 

 

The thing that impressed me most about their wedding day was how much thought they put into the happiness and comfort of their friends and family.  Yes, it was a day for Julie and JJ but it was also a day for them to show the people they love how much they care about them.  That is what made their wedding so unique, elegant and heartfelt.

 

JJ works for Jefferson City Parks so it was very fitting for them to head to the Capital and Governer's garden for some portraits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The OTHER cool thing about Julie and JJ is their story that began way before they were even born.  I hope I get this right... 

 

 Julie's dad (pictured above) worked at MoDOT for over 40 years.  One day about 40 years ago a guy came in to work and Julie's dad knew just the right girl who was a little quiet and shy to set him up with.  This new guy and this cute, shy girl hit it off (pictured below), got married, and ended up having JJ.  Years later, Julie and JJ meet only to discover that her dad introduced his parents to each other.  Isn't that crazy and wonderful and romantic??!! 

The videographer for their wedding put together a slideshow of images and footage and showed this at the reception.  In the slideshow Julie and JJ talked about how they met, what they meant to each other, how they became engaged.  It showed images from their engagement photo session that we did a few months ago along with other pictures of them growing up and the time they spent together. The reactions to the slideshow were priceless...

 

If anyone is in the market for a videographer I highly recommend Jordan Berry.  I've worked with LOTS of videographers.  Most are fine.  Some I'll admit I groan inwardly when I see I have to work with them again.  But Jordan was a complete breeze to work with.  I could tell he genuinely cared about the couple and wanted to make the best video he could for them.  You can see Julie and JJ's slideshow and their same day video that he created here http://www.berrygoodvideo.com/julie_jj/.  You can even see me bossing everyone around.  Just ignore the part at the very end where I'm flipping my hair to gather into a ponytail.  I'm not doing this for anything other than to note that Jordan's the first videographer I've actually enjoyed working with although between him, his assistant, me, and Katie (my assistant) all dressed in black I kind of felt like we were going for the Men In Black tryouts or something.  mental note: I've got to start wearing some other colors to weddings.

Ok, finally...  At the reception they had this great idea to hand out glo-sticks to everyone and play techno music.  The guests loved it and it really got everyone moving!!

 

Julie and JJ, thanks for the smokin' hot time! 

Megan's sneak peak

 Megan, here's your sneak peak!

Megan and Travis were married one and a half weeks ago in Columbia.  It was a cold but beautiful day.  The red flowers and dresses were amazing in the crisp air. 

After taking a series of shots of Travis smiling and laughing I asked him to give me a serious look.  He said that Megan likes his serious looks and it turns out this is one of my favorite shots of him too.  I had spent the week before looking at pictures of Gerard Butler (he's a hottie) and was channeling all my poses into making Travis as debonair as Gerard, my imaginary boyfriend. 

This church had a beautiful alcove with stonework I fell in love with and the perfect red door!  Megan looked stunning.  I didn't want to stop taking pictures of her in this amazing dress she had made in California. 

  

They had candles with greenery along the windows with very little other lighting.  It made the whole ceremony intimate and peaceful.  I loved this touch.  It fit the season and the day perfectly.  

  

The weather after the ceremony took a nosedive.  The wind was brutal and whipping.  But I still made them go outside for pictures.  Luckily, Megan will do anything for a shot and she really wanted some pictures of them outside with snow all around.  It wasn't snowing but thanks to a bag of the fake stuff and my assistant, Katie, acting as a force of nature....  

The reception hall at Memorial Union followed the theme of the season.  Decorated with ornaments and beautiful trees.  I just love the reception shots - almost all of which have twinkle lights somewhere in the picture.

The dancing is always so much fun.  After a long day everyone lets loose.  This was the first time I had a package with "unlimited" time coverage.  I knew I would not want to leave once the dancing started because it's always so entertaining watching people get their groove on.  Megan's and Travis' friends and family did not disappoint!  

  

  

Merry Christmas everyone!  

big tree + big love = happy me

I can't keep the smile off my face as I work on these wedding pictures.  Just one of so many I am in love with...