Brooke and Eddie lost in the moment of their first dance as husband and wife.

We are so excited about our new direction for families and as before continue on this path as we document weddings through still photography and  films.

Enjoy the new and improved Wirken Photography Website,  and come back to visit over and over!

Time to get back in the swing of wedding season!  I am very excited for the coming year and the wonderful stories to tell in pictures.  To kick it all off I felt this blog was long overdue for a wedding post!

I shot Kathryn and Mike’s wedding last November but never got around to blogging it so I decided to play a little catch up and tell their story.

I inherited this family from Becca.  She had photographed Kathryn’s brothers wedding and when the time came for Kathryn’s big day she was unavailable so I got the unique pleasure of getting to know Kathryn and Mike and their families.  Let me just say I was so happy for the chance.  Kathryn and her family are amazing to watch.  They are so welcoming, so loving and real.  Plus they are a very large family and everyone from the young kids to the grandparents know how to party.  That dance floor was packed the entire night.  So much fun to be a part of.

I loved how Kathryn made sure to be herself 100% that day.  It is all I ever ask for from my subjects and she pulled through.  It was awesome.

Thanks to all of you for the chance to be let into your lives for a day.  I liked it there!

The info-

Ceremony- Redemptorist Church

Reception- Kansas City Country Club

Coordinator- Kelley Ruf

100% Kathryn.

Mother and father of the bride share a moment in the hall.

Love this shot of Kathryn’s dad waiting to see his daughter and escort her to the ceremony.

On the way to the ceremony.

The church.

Awesome shot by my assistant Kate.  Love all of the different layers of action happening while waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Kathryn and her dad making it down the aisle while her mother and grandmother look on.

We had so many images like this of Mike.  He could not keep his eyes off Kathryn during the ceremony.  Awesome shot by Kate.

Like I said they have a huge family.  The little ones were having a hard time making it through the ceremony.

Communion.

Married!

Party on the bus on the way to the reception.

Probably my favorite moment of the day.  Kathryn and Mike practicing their dance in a back room.

The real dance. 

Apparently this guy was trying to show me how it feels on the other side of the camera!d

Family dance off.

Final dance.

The send off.

When they were in the studio for our planning session they said all the right things. They wanted something different, something memorable, something to help them always remember they way they felt the day that their sweet girl was born.  Them walking into our studio was a match made in heaven.

It was perfect timing as we are in the process of shifting our focus with regards to how we do portraits.  Our new focus is to not do typical “portraits” for people and families instead we want to document lives in the purest way possible.  To us a “normal day” in your lives is what we want to show.  You being you on any given day.  Or in this case, you on one of your most memorable days.  The day a family started.   We want to be the visual historians for your family so 30 years from now you will look at that “normal day” and remember  what that day was like, how you felt and what your family was at that time.  So stay tuned for our new website celebrating families and what makes them each shine whether they are brand new or seasoned.  Contact the studio for more info on our new Normal Day sessions.

I am so  pleased to show you what it was like for Seth and Ellen to welcome Nora to the world.  This is one lucky little girl and I cannot wait to document them again in a few years at home, enjoying themselves on just a “normal day”.

Seth and Ellen, thanks for letting me into your family. Cannot wait to see how the rest of your days unfold.

Tyler

Below is their slideshow followed by a few of my favorite images from the day they welcomed Nora.

We decided to really tell their story it would be cool for me to go with them to one of their ultrasound appointments.  Here is when they could actually make out what their baby girl’s face looked like.  Awesome moment.

The day of the birth at the hospital.  Here Seth’s sister is silhouetted against the monitors.

Seth shows his mom the heartbeat.

Ellen had a rough few hours with contractions and pushing.  Seth was there through all of it.

Finally baby Nora arrives.

Introducing baby Nora to grandma.

This was one of my favorite moments all day.  Seth’s family was in the room meeting baby Nora and when everyone was getting ready to leave his dad was first out of the room.  He kind of slipped out without anyone noticing.  Seth did and ran out in the hallway and called for his dad to stop.  He wanted to say thanks and goodbye.  They shared a warm embrace.  It only lasted a second but it was wonderful.

Friends and followers of the blog,

In February of 2008 Tyler and I began the exciting conversation of teaming up as one studio, and what unfolded as we put our minds together and moved into one space to work together was this wonderful creative collaboration that made every day much more fun than being on our own.  We pushed each other creatively and technically, with regular impromptu discussions and critiques.  We wasted *some* time together and shared lots of good laughs.  As our  two families grew, we also became extended family to each other.

The reason I have always been most drawn to partnering in business with Tyler, is his unrelenting commitment and passion for storytelling through photography.  Tyler draws a stricter line to “true” photojournalism in weddings that any other photographer I know of in Kansas City.  I love Pam and Tyler’s ease of friendship, their commitment to relationships, and their love for family.  We have built our friendship and business on these things over the past 4 years.  The Wirken family grew as David came on board, one of the kindest hearted, wittiest photographers that I know, and The Parigos also joined the team, bringing to life Wirken Films.  Brandon’s artistry and intuitive storytelling combines to make a moving documentary of life in every project he creates.

Because our whole team is so committed to family life, they were completely understanding when I told them that I wanted to cut back on the amount of work I am doing for the next few years, and focus on being home with my quickly growing 3 year old, Charlotte.  As I spent a year considering what that decision required of me, I decided that it would be best to operate my business out of my home, and return to doing business on my own.

So, with that news, I want to do two things.  First, take a fond warm and fuzzy walk down memory lane, the start of it all.

And also, to let you know where to find me from now on.  Here is a link to my new Website.  I will be working less than before, but photography is still my life’s passion, and I will still be taking on a limited number of clients.

I am thankful for all of you lovely people who I got to know and photograph after you walked through the doors of Wirken Photography.  I hope to continue to know you, please be in touch.  It has been a beautiful season, and we are all excited to see what is in store for the next one.

love,

becca

www.beccaspears.com

becca@beccaspears.com

Here is my follow up post to Brandon’s wonderful short film of this wedding.  To say this wedding was over the top is an understatement.  The design, the couple, the family, the history, and the party were all working together to make this event chart topping.  Kit’s family is in the newspaper business running the St. Joseph  News Press.  Kit works there and everyone was adamant that the wedding take place in their hometown of St. Joseph Missouri.  To get this done they enlisted the help of the very talented Ellyn Bold of Ellyn Bold Event Designer to pull off an event of epic proportions.  She did just that.  Once the design and party were in place all that this event needed was great people and great moments.  Kit and David and their people did not disappoint.  Everyone in attendance including all of their 44 person bridal party brought their A game to make this evening one of the best parties I have ever witnessed.  It was an awesome sight to watch 400 plus people witnessing Kit and David’s love and commitment.

Event design, coordination and production by: Ellyn Bold Event Designer

Ceremony- First Presbyterian Church

Reception- St. Joseph Country Club

The photos:

The lovely Kit enjoying her time getting ready with her friends.

It then got a little emotional.

This is one of my favorite images from the day.  Kit’s dad waiting for the day to begin in his tux, in his chair with his newspaper.  I love finding quiet normal moments like this.  These are the photos that when shot seem so simple but hopefully years later will have more meaning than ever expected.

Kit wore her mothers earrings.  Her is her mother putting them on.

These next three images represent what was my favorite moment of the day.  Kit’s dad is escorted by her mother to see his daughter in her dress for the first time.

It was an emotional embrace followed by Kit’s dad saying, “I can’t let you go”.

Time for a fast portrait of Kit in her parents home.

Love this moment as Kit waits for David to walk into the church.

Kit and her grandfather share a moment before the ceremony.

A last minute tweak before walking down the aisle.

Love this shot of the blowing veil as Kit and David make their way out of the ceremony to their car.

Private moment on the way to the reception.

The entrance to the tent that was erected two weeks earlier on the back of the St. Joseph Country Club.

Kit shares a moment with Ellyn Bold upon first seeing the finished product after hundreds of hours of work and planning.

The finished product.  Simply awesome.

The grand entrance.

First dance.

The napkins and menus were wrapped with a great detail that was certainly meaningful to the family.

They cut the cake using David’s dad’s sword from his time in the military.

It was a killer party that lasted till the early hours of the morning and then some.

David riding the wave.

One of the most impressive bands I have seen.

The tent where it all happened complete with clear sides and roof so the guests could enjoy the scenery.

Thanks to Kit and David and their families as well as to Ellyn Bold for all the hard work putting this event together as well as allowing us to be able to be there to not only witness it but to document it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In honor of Valentine’s day, I can’t resist sharing Kit and David’s short film from their amazing wedding last November. In a few days Tyler will share some awesome images from their day, but today I want to share a bit of motion from one of the most vibrant weddings I have had the pleasure to witness. There are many elements of this wedding that blew my socks off, but what I found most interesting was how much of themselves Kit and David let show. It takes strong personalities to shine through grandeur as amazing as this wedding. Kit’s infectious love of life and David’s ‘no holds barred’ attitude is truly inspirational.

The wedding took place in St. Joseph, Missouri, a place dear to their hearts as both of their families are deeply rooted in St. Joseph. The ceremony took place at St. Joseph’s historic First Presbyterian, and the reception was held at the St. Joseph Country Club in what some call a ‘tent’ but I call a building, assembled just for this occasion. The entire day was designed and produced by Event Designer Ellyn Bold, and she definitely went above and beyond with the design of this wedding. This film is just a glimpse of the magic that Ellyn, Kit, David and their families imagined for their day. Enjoy.

Seeing the 3 of them hang out this afternoon and play around town showed me the fun people that they are and the love that they give and that will help me so much more for their upcoming April wedding. Enjoy a few images from our afternoon together. Just a few short months until I get to hang with them again. Looking forward to it even more now!

On the wedding day, Cat and Brett lived the whole spectrum- they laughed so hard it hurt, and they shared personal love letters during their ceremony that brought the whole house to tears.  It was such a good party that there will be stories that will last a lifetime.  Love you guys.  Here’s a peek at my last full wedding of 2011.

Cat poses for a “senior picture” for her friend’s camera

Jewel’s photo below.  Cat’s brother showing Brett a video he made touring their honeymoon suite.

Jewel’s photo below

Jewel’s photo below

I loved the way Cat’s brother Chris looked at her that day with such affection.  What a sweet brother

It was very important to Cat to remain unseen until the ceremony.  Here Chris guards grandma and grandpa’s eyes

The next two photos are Jewel’s

Jewel’s photo below

Jewel’s photo below

the two dads- yeah!