Trystan Photography: An Intimate Portrait.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Joy and Lukes wedding at Arrowhead Golf Course.

Mmmmmmm… Arrowhead Golf Course… what a fantastic little piece of heaven!

It really is something to contemplate the natural splendor of this place. Even though it is a golf course, the simple majesty of it all indues a sense of the spiritual. Even I could enjoy a round of golf there I think, and I am horrible.

We’ve always had fantastic weddings at Arrowhead. I think the backdrop alone plays a big part in that success: we are all very inspired.

Add that natural beauty to the authenitc love of Luke and Joy, then you’ve got something spectacular. I was especially touched by how openly emotional Luke was. He was overwhelmed with joy… for Joy. I always appreciate a man who can show hi emotions: I was a wreck on my wedding day!

This wedding also has a fantastic example of a pre-ceremony “reveal”, which is when the couple elects to see each other before the ceremony. We don’t just have them get ready, walk out, and we’re shooting. We like to “make a moment” of the reveal, and it never dissapoints. This wedding was the epitome of a great reveal.

Thank you Joy and Luke for trusting Charlotte and I to capture your perfect day. It was an honor and a privilege to document such love.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photographs from Erin and Tom’s wedding at The Ridge at Castle Pines North.

Ummm… The Ridge at Castle Pines North is amazing. I had no idea these magnificent vistas were just a few miles off of I-25. Obviously,  other people do, because there were veritable castles built up around this golf course!

This is a jaw-dropping spot for a wedding.

It also helps when your daddy happens to run the place…

… that’s right, Erin’s father is the head honcho of The Ridge, so maybe Char and I got a little more leeway to play and take advantage than usual… but I don’t think so. ; )

This wedding was also special because it was the 3rd wedding we’ve worked at with CueMotion, the world’s best wedding cinematographers, (IMHO) who travel all the way to Colorado from Omaha, NE, to work these weddings. As soon as they put up the video to this shoot, I will post it here and on our Facebook page, just like I did with Jocelyn and Chase’s wedding (who happened to recommend Erin and Tom to us).

Finally, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Betsy, Erin’s mom, who has been one of our most ardent and vocal supporters (even before I finished the photos from the wedding!). Thank you so much for all of your support, Betsy. I am YOUR biggest fan.

And thank you Erin and Tom, for choosing Trystan Photography. It was a privilege and a pleasure to capture your wedding!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Emma and Caleb’s joyous wedding at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church and The Inverness hotel.

HOT!

I just love when two normally mild-mannered people exude a passion when around each other. This is the case with Emma and Caleb. By themselves, they are cute and attractive people. But together, they attained this new quality… how should I describe it… well, there are no other words to adequately describe the photo above except: HOT!

The rest of the guests and staff at the Inverness Hotel in Denver were blushing, I’m sure…. and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Show off! Shout your love from the rooftops! Emma and Caleb were unabashed about their love for each other, and it makes photography so easy.

But they still had this sweet innocence to them, too. How is that even possible?

We should all be so lucky, right?

Congratulations, Emma and Caleb. Thank you for giving us the honor of capturing your perfect day!

One of my favorite fun photos of the year came at yesterday’s wedding at Arrowhead when little Matthew wanted absolutely nothing to do with photos with Luke, the groom. When Luke finally realized there was no calming the little guy, he made me bust a gut by simply joining him in the fuss!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photographs from Maya and Jason’s wedding at the Blackstone Country Club.

Elegance.

All I can think of when I look at Maya is “elegance”. It’s just something about her.

And then there was the way Jason looked at her. There was such deep, soulful passion there.

Photographing these two was pure magic.

But then there was the wind. Ahh, the wind. Are my blog posts getting repetive, yet? “Wind blowing” this, “gusts of wind” that…

Trust me, it was getting a little repetitive for Char and I, too. Wind makes people squint. Wind make hair whip about like its alive. Wind makes you tired (does anyone know why wind makes you tired, or is it just me?).

But Maya and Jason made the most of the wind. They knew how to “work it”. She let the wind toss her hair and made it sultry. He let the wind give him an adventurous look. No complaints, just smiles, love, and laughter…

… and elegance.

Thank you Maya and Jason for entrusting us with your perfect day!

Please click the photos or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Rachel and Jordan’s wedding at The Phipps Mansion.

Rachel and Jordan did it right. They had perfect blue-bird day, golden sunshine and a picturesque venue. Everything was perfect.

Oh, and did I mention that these photos will probably be collector’s items?

“Why”, you ask? Because Rachel and Jordan’s wedding was one of the last weddings there will ever be at The Phipps Mansion. It is now under private ownership. Tim and Scott bought it. Just the two of them. 70+ rooms, 6.5 acres… juuuuuuuust the two of them. They said they wanted enough room for, “… a proper garden.” Really? Two people? If Tim Gill wasn’t such a nice guy with the rest of his money (The Gill Foundation has given over $162 million to non-profits and charities), I would be saying “really” a lot more times.

I mean, you could seriously have a fight with your significant other and never see them again, because you’d each have a wing bigger than most luxury homes. But I digress.

Rachel and Jordan’s wedding was the perfect ending to this mansion’s storied career as a wedding venue. I hope our photos drive other brides-to-be mad with jealousy because photos like these, at this venue, will never… happen… again. Missed that ship, sister. Better pick a different, one-of-a-kind mansion/wedding venue. Can’t have this one: it’s Tim and Scott’s now.

This is so cool! Jocelyn loved her wedding photos sooooo much, that she did all the leg-work and submitted them to wedding magazines and online wedding sites and…

… their wedding was featured on “The Best of Colorado Weddings” website today!

Thank you so much for all your hard-work and support, Jocelyn! Congrats on your wedding being featured. You deserve it, and all your hard work clearly paid off: it was stunning !

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Pearl and Matt’s wedding at Hudson Gardens in Denver.

We have had some rowdy weddings this year, but Pearl and Matt’s might take the cake. Most weddings “turn-it-up” a little more when the parent’s get tired and go to bed. What set this wedding apart is that the parents didn’t go anywhere, and they got just as rowdy as everybody else. When that happens, it equals unbridled, pure joy. Everyone is dancing and laughing and the energy is phenomenal.

It’s really hard when I’m trying to narrow down these massive weddings to a nice  and manageable sample gallery of 48 images. There are so many photos that I adore, but they have a little too much “fun” or “high energy” to them and they don’t make the final cut. But that’s what blogs are for: to show the photos that may have more entertainment value!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photographs from Nikole and Patrick’s wedding at Arrowhead!

Whoooooweee, was this a fun wedding to photograph! My wife, Charlotte, was out of town (that is NOT why this wedding was fun), so the amazing and wonderful Kim Harms (my former Padawan learner is now a master) came along a shot this one with me. The reasons this wedding was funare because Arrowhead Golf Course is always stunning and fun to capture photos there, and secondly, Nikole was also stunning and Patrick was a true stud.

These two really dig each other, a lot, and it shows. Nikole would lock him with these looks that made the photos. I love them! Thank you Nikole and Pat for giving us so very much to work with!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view Kasey and Lisa’s wedding at The Blackstone Country Club.

Obviously, by hot, I don’t just mean in a sexy or beautiful kind-of-way (which this wedding was), I literally mean it was HOT. Like well over 100 degrees at times, I bet. I was absolutely baking, but I didn’t utter a word of complaint because I was just in black pants and a short sleeve shirt. The guys were in full black suits. And they were tough sons-a-bitches, let me tell you. They were hardcore, with just a few cocktails and cups of water, we ran all over that golf course without a single protest.

This was a wedding full of hot, hot, heat and hot, hot, love. Lisa and Kasey are completely into each other, and their wedding was a breeze. Now, normally I would go on and on about how great they were and fun, and they were, but I have something much more important to discuss now: the art of the rowdy reception.

Many receptions are more tame, even formal. Lisa and Kasey’s was formal and structured in the beginning, but… holy crap. When all the official events of the reception were over and the older guests started to leave and the drinks began to flow, their crew got rowdy. And there is nothing more entertaining for a wedding photographer to shoot than a rowdy, fun reception.

This generation of brides and grooms has already set a new standard for wedding fun. We hang out ’til the end (no early leaving to the hotel room), and we almost always dance our butts off. But as a professional photographer, I’m sincerely asking all of our future brides and grooms: find your inner rowdy. Trust me. It makes it better.

Kasey did push the envelope a bit: after one successful break-dance/gymnastics/walk-on hands dance-thingy, he then decided he could do it even BETTER and tried again. And as his newly minted wife looked on in horror, Kasey proceeded to practically break his back from a “slight” over-balancing whilst upside down. But he sprang to his feet and kissed his wife, who still looked furious and scared. But, good old Kasey, he had her right out dancing within moments. I’m pretty sure he was sore the next day though… from the fall, I mean. Sheeeeesh, people.