Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Heather and Matt’s wedding in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Well, aren’t we all a fine motley crew?

You see, Heather is Yvonne’s best friend from Iowa. You remember Yvonne and TL, right? From the last wedding I posted a couple weeks back?

Well, here’s how it all works out: we met Heather years ago through Yvonne. Many a Colorado night has been spent with this motley crew of Yvonne, TL, me, Charlotte (my wife), Heather, and any number of various combinations of other Iowans when Heather has come to town.

Enter Matt. We first met Matt in July of last year at Yvonne and TL’s wedding.

I think the most fascinating thing about Matt is his dichotomy. “What?”, you say? Let me explain: Matt has carefully crafted a very professional and mature outer appearance, the better to serve his myriad business interests and roles. Little did I realize, when I first met Matt at Yvonne and TL’s wedding in Iowa this year, that lurking beneath Matt’s carefully polished exterior was the soul of a rowdy party-animal.

Let’s just say this: Matt can party. Not a self-destructive, bury-your -sorrows-kind-of-party, but more of a joy-for-life, time-is-short-kind-of-party!

I will leave it at that. ; )

Heather and Matt are very surprising and inspiring as a couple. Let’s face it: it takes a pretty special kind ofperson who would rather battle it out in a hockey rink on the night before their wedding. Amazing. To see Heather out there, literally body-checking dudes twice her size, with out a single care the night before her wedding, was incredible. And then Matt’s out there, taking sizzling-shots on goal left and right, skating his butt off. Neither of them holding back.

In fact, that’s the best way I can describe the essence of Heather and Matt: neither of them ever hold back. In love, in life, in joy, in celebration, in risks, in loss, in pain and in growing together… never holding back.

That’s a pretty good recipe for a successful marriage, I think.

Hell, that’s a pretty good recipe for life.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Yvonne and TL’s wedding in Iowa.

TL, Yvonne, and Char are all Iowans, and even I lived there as a youngster (I consider myself Coloradan, of course).

TL is one of my best friends.

Yvonne is one of my wife Char’s best friends. (Careful viewers will notice Char is a bridesmaid and is sooooooooo beautiful).

The best thing about being our best friends is you get a fantastic price on your wedding photography!

The worst thing about being our best friends is I put your wedding on the back-burner… and you have to wait a really long time to get your images back.

I need to serve our loyal full-price clients first, right?

Right??

Well, that stretched on a little too far, as Yvonne got pregnant on her honeymoon night (that-a-boy, TL!), and she looks very pregnant now and we still didn’t have a full wedding processed for them… did I mention we’re now like two months away from a baby being born??

So, like I said, there are clear advantages to being really close friends with Char and I… and clear disadvantages.; )

Was this wedding one for the ages? Legendary. First, there is the fact that I was so much more than just “the photographer” for this one:

• I was the table and chair setter-upper.
• Light hanger and decorations hanger.
• All around beast-of-burden on the morning of the wedding.

Secondly, this one was the most “solo” weddings I’ve ever shot… no Char (she was in the wedding party for the most part) except for the bride & groom photos… and no assistants (as we were in Iowa)…

Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me.

Oh, did I mention it was 106°F with 100% humidity so the heat index was something absurd, like 116°F??? It was hot. Hellishly hot.

So here I am photographing the ceremony, and the church had no AC, and was even hotter inside than it was outside. I am running all over the place from altar to balcony to get full-coverage of the ceremony, and in the middle of it all: I have to give a reading! By the time we were at my moment-to-shine, I was dripping wet with sweat. I am sure the appearance of my sweaty, overweight form as I huffed my way through Yvonne and TL’s chosen reading was nothing but… inspiring?

Feel sorry for me, yet? I hope so: pity is the only thing I’ve got left to ward off the legendary ire of one Anthony (TL) Liddle. He’d been getting a little grumpy with me lately and pity was all I had to go on!

“Where’s our wedding photos, bro.”

“Really busy right now with other weddings, TL. You’re going to need to wait just a bit longer… remember the sweating and the light-hanging?”

But now the photos are finally done, they are gorgeous, and just in time for a new baby boy to arrive! I’m sure we’ll be taking those photos, too. Maybe they’ll be lucky and get those back by the time the little rug-rat’s in college! ; )

Own All of Your Digital Files!

The best way to ensure the safe-keeping of your precious photographs is to own all of the digital files, which are included in our “All-Digital Session”.

It’s Never Too Late*!

You can still take advantage of the “All-Digital Package”. Simply pay the difference between your Trraditional session fee and the $700 session fee of the “All-Digital Session”. For example: if you paid $150 for your session, then you would need to pay only $550** towards all of your digital files from that session! ($700-$150=$550).

*Provided that we still have your files. We probably do, though… just have to look…
**Subsequent print orders cannot not apply towards the upgrade price, only the original session fee.

50% OFF prints on all print orders*** after upgrade!

That’s right: your cost for prints is cut in half as an added benefit of upgrading to the “All-Digital Session”. We’ll relaunch your portrait gallery (if expired) with the discount applied to all products!

***New print orders only. Discount cannot apply to print orders placed before upgrade to “All-Digital Session”.

… to complete your perfect wedding with a stunning album!

Our top-selling albums are more affordable than ever!

Check out our new album pricing here.

1 WEEK ONLY!

Purchase a 10″ album (or larger) with Kodak Metallic paper and we’ll throw in 2 6″ Parent’s Copies for FREE.

*Offer valid from 1/13/2012-1/20/2012.

Quality that lasts.

Any size album (8″-12″) includes your choice of any premium cover from Graphistudio’s vast cover catalog.

*Already ordered an album? Buy another as a gift got a loved one!

Ready to Order?

Simply call us at 719.359.5520 to place your order. We accept all major credit cards. You can also pay by check.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Kristine and Robert’s wedding at Shove Chapel in Colorado Springs.

We first met Robert forever-long ago (5 years??) when he was a groomsman at Bryan and Becky’s wedding (long enough ago that I don’t have a gallery of the wedding up anymore!).

Robert made quite an impression on me with his “Ray Charles impersonation” I caught while the boys were getting ready and he sat down at the piano in the parlor room at First United Methodist. It is still one of my favorite fun-photos of all-time. Therefore, it was deja-vu for both of us, 5 years later, when he and Kristine showed up for the initial consultation, and I knew… I had seen him before.

This is the best part: he had never put 2-and-2 together before the meeting, either. You see, we were meeting at our Denver studio, and as far as he remembered, Trystan Photography was a Colorado Springs photography studio (as Bryan and Becky’s wedding was in the Springs).

It only took a few questions for us to figure out why we were sure we’d met before.  I was very excited because I knew their wedding would rock.

And it did not disappoint: great wedding party (Bryan was a groomsman this time), great fun family, and great venue.

Ahh, Shove Chapel… how I love thee! Let me count the ways:

• Awe inspiring Gothic architecture
• deep moody shadows
• dramatic soaring altar and stage lighting
• huge classical pipe-organ

I love photographing weddings there. They always have such drama and grandeur.

The weather could have been a little better, though…

Just a little cold.

Really, bitterly, cutting cold.

But Kristine and Robert toughed it out (I did too in my Spyder ski jacket…). I really appreciate tough brides and grooms. Weather is always… ummm, “interesting” in Colorado, and if you can only handle a perfect blue-bird day on your wedding day, then you might be in for a rough haul in Colorado! Kristine knew better. She just laughed and smiled her way through. Awesome.

And when we needed to warm up, we would duck inside the chapel again, and it was during this time that I captured them “Tebow-ing” (if you’re not a Broncos fan… well, I’m sorry for you).

It was a perfect (cold) day, and Char and I are so honored to have been chosen to capture it for you two.

Thank you (and thank you Bryan and Becky for recommending us to Kristine!).

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.

Nathan is a funny guy, which is fantastic because i normally try to make things light and fun by telling awful jokes. He’s actually quite humorous.

All this made Jillian simply beam, which I think awesome because her smile is brilliant.

The day of our 1st scheduled session, we got snowed out by 6 inches of snow. This was attempt #2. And what luck! not only was it a very pleasant November day, but we actually found some Autumn leaves left on the trees that the snowstorm hadn’t swept away!

I am still in an Autumn frame-0f-mind, and I was delighted to find one last hint of Fall in this hidden little valley below the main park. I am, in no way shape or form, ready for winter yet…

You two are adorable together. Thank you for making my job so easy!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Lee and Jason’s wedding at Glen Eyrie Castle.

This was a fairytale dream wedding, and not only due to the fact it was at Glen Eyrie Castle, one of Colorado’s most inspiring locales. No, in fact, it was due to the fact that Lee and Jason are very chill people with very chill and cool families, and they held their reception before the wedding.

You read it right: they held their “reception” before Charlotte and I even arrived. Then everyone who was at the reception simply arrived at Glen Eyrie for the “getting-ready” and the ceremony. The bonus of this unique timeline is that it left more time for Charlotte and I to “play”.

I might be biased, but more time for your photographers to play and explore the gorgeous grounds with the couple can’t be a bad thing, right? I loved it.

Instead of rushing the couple off to a reception, we patiently played with the evening light and got some really great stuff.

Thank you Lee and Jason for trusting Char and I to capture your amazing wedding. It was a privilege and a pleasure.

We have a few new cards this year, and some of the same ones from last year, because I love so many of them still.

We offer 5×7 postcards, 5×5 postcards, and 5×5 tri-folds.  All cards come with white envelopes and take around 2 weeks to print and ship. Please get in touch with Charlotte at Trystan Photography 719-359-5520 to place your orders.
There are 3 different pages of cards on this blog post, just FYI. Here are the samples…

These are the 5×7 post card with front and back designs- $85 for 25 cards

More cards continued on next page…

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 Logan and David’s wedding at The Cliff House at Pikes Peak.

First of all, let me please point out the obvious: THAT DRESS! Holy cow, what a classy number Logan’s dress was! Amazing.

And to make her vintage dress even more amazing is the fact that it was her grandmother’s dress, and two other women in her family have been married in that dress! So counting Logan, that makes 4 women who were married in that stunningly elegant dress.

Which bring to mind two questions:

1. Could we make a dress that durable and resilient today? I tend to doubt whether we could or not. Just seems like they made things better back then…
2. Could we make a dress that is a conservative style, but still elegant and sexy? Again, I think not: we’ve lost touch with the art of classy beauty like they had back then…

But I digress…

There are two other points I must mention about this amazing wedding.

1. Rowdy, rowdy, ROWDY! I love rowdy weddings, and this wedding was filled with so much joy that when the dancing started, the ballroom exploded. All generations, out there shaking their booties and living it up. I was awesome to behold.
2. Tough as nails. I know it may seem hard to believe, but Logan was really, really sick. It was either food poisoning from the couple days before, or a flu bug from Hell. In either case, she should have been in bed, if not at Urgent Care getting fluids. But like many heroic women before her, somehow, when the day got rolling and she said, “I do”, she found this inner reserve of stregth that floors me to this day. I cannot believe, looking at these photos, that Logan was sick as a dog. She really rose to the occasion, and I think she is simply stunning in these photos!

Thank you, Logan and David, for choosing us to capture your amazing day. You two are blessed to have such joyful and fun family and friends as we met on your wedding day. It was a privilege to be a part of it.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photographs from Kristen and Garrett’s wedding at The Clubhouse at Flying Horse.

I loved this wedding. There is nothing better than taking photos of beautiful people.

That’s a lie. There is something better: taking photos of two beautiful people who are madly in love with each other.

No wait… that’s still not it at all…

Let’s try again. There’s nothing better that taking photos of two beautiful people who are madly in love with each other and who have a fantastic love of life and humor?

That’s it!

Kristen and Garrett embodied this notion perfectly. He’s handsome, cool and laid back, and she’s elegantly beautiful… no, effortlessly stunning… you get the point. But together… whoa, baby. Watch out world!

But the best part? The laughter and the joy that these two exuded all day long. They were clearly so happy to be in love, to have finally found each other, and for this day to have come at last. What a blessing it was to photography this wedding.

However, I think the finest example of their humor is the video below, which they played at their reception. Yup. Right in the middle of the reception. In the middle of dinner, right after a lovely montage of childhood photos and the awkward teenaged-years, this surprising gem came on.

Then laughter, and more laughter.

I love this video. It is so unassuming, so zany, and so funny that the entire room was roaring. And the reason all the family and friends loved it so much? Because this video is Kristen and Garrett in a nutshell: confident, fun and not a bit self-conscious.

Sure, they can dress up real nice-like, but when it all comes down to it, they’re just as likely to chill on the couch together playing with their Apple iPad as gettin’ all “dolled up” and lookin’ fabulous!

So here’s to the warping video effect used so charmingly in the following video, and kudos to Kristen and Garret for being brave and funny enough to use it this well:

I LOVE photographing in Autumn. However, this day almost didn’t happen.

The storm clouds were threatening, and we weren’t getting any play from the late-afternoon sunshine… but… like I always say, “There’s always a silver lining to all photo scenarios”, and ours was the brilliant sky mother nature decided to share with us as the last beams of light were fading in the sky.

Amazing. What a privilege to photograph Rebekkah and Gabe, to capture such honest adoration and love in such a majestic setting.

Have I ever mentioned… I love my job?

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!

I have a rather rude set of questions for the engaged couples of the internet:

Do you have fun with your fiance?

You should.

If not, why are you getting married?

A tough question, I know, but I have so much fun with our clients, and I love the photographs so much, I can’t help but wonder… why would you waste your time with someone you don’t adore being around?

I mean look at how cute Katie and Bryce are together! Why? Because they have FUN with each other. They like to laugh. Nothing more complicated than that.

No pretending. No “trying” to be “cool”. Just love, and smiles, and laughter.

Frankly, that’s what all of our couples are like, because that’s the kind of photographers we are: fun.

So if you really like being around your fiance, kudos to you! … and we’d really like to chat about your wedding plans (if we’re available)…

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 photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Michalle and Ben’s elegant wedding at The Cliff House at Pikes Peak.

Heartbreaking elegance. Honest love. Authentic beauty.

These are the thoughts I have as I look through the photos of this amazing day.

It was a banquet for a photographer visually: they are beautiful together. It was a feast for the heart: the day was wrought with joy and emotion.

There were laughs of joy, and bittersweet tears. There were moments of quiet love and exuberant celebration.

It was a perfect wedding.

And we were honored to photograph it.

Thank you Machelle and Ben!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Jaime and Ryan’s wedding at The Air Force Academy (USAFA) Cadet Chapel and Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

Wow!

A gorgeous couple, a rowdy and fun loving-family, a perfect Colorado day, and all the time in the world to play and capture incredible photographs.

“All the time in the world?” you ask?

Yup. Jaime and Ryan booked us for our “Unlimted Day-of-Wedding Coverage” Package, which allowed them to have coverage as early and and late as they wanted. Char and I love “Unlimited Weddings”, because it gives us time to play and really get to know people.

“Play?” you ask?

Yes, “play”.

For example: I offer for your consideration a photo taken while the boys were hanging out and playing golf in the morning. Eating lunch and drinking a little… (just a little).

Oh, and did I mention that two of ‘em suddenly stripped down to their shorts and jumped into the rather cold lake at Cheyenne Mountain Resort?

And we were just 2 hours in… : )

That little bit of rowdiness set the tone for the whole day, which was a perfect example of abundant joy, exuberance, laughter and fun.

This wedding was so epic that Jaime was at the point of collapsing, nearly exhausted at the end of the party, which means it was a “job well done” by all!

Thank you Jaime and Ryan for choosing Charlotte and I to shoulder the incredible honor of capturing your epic wedding. We had a wonderful time!

Plus, you two look so great together it makes our jobs… almost easy.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Jaclyn and Sam’s wedding at the USAFA Chapel and The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

June 2011 will be forever remembered as the month that the wind never stopped blowing, and blowing hard… or at least it did when we had a wedding.

Wind is such a pain. Hard wind is uncomfortable to stand in, and it can wreak havoc on hair and wedding dresses. We would really prefer to not have any wind, but as we have been photographers in Colorado for 8 years now,  we’ve grown quite used to wind.

There are two things that make it easy to cope with high winds in wedding photos, 1) the patience to wait for a break in the wind to capture the least wind-buffeted shot, and 2) a bride with the world’s best attitude.

And we got that in Jaclyn and more! Her smile never stopped beaming and her energy never waned, which was simply contagious amongst the wedding party.

And as you can see, a well-timed shot with the wind playfully adds a little drama!

Thank you Jaclyn and Sam for trusting us to capture your perfect day. It was so much fun!