Elopement Wedding Tips by Photographers in Durango CO

This is Part 1 of 2

My husband, Ken, and I are photographers in Durango CO and we love to photograph elopements. It’s usually just the couple and us at the location of the ceremony. Sometimes there’s an officiant, but it’s not required in Colorado. You can marry yourself and just sign the Marriage License and you’re all set. We’ve acted as the witnesses many many times.

Elopements are great for both the couple and the photographers. There’s less stress and more time to capture all those great couples portraits that we sometimes don’t have time for during a full day wedding. We photograph a lot of elopements in Durango CO because it’s a beautiful destination wedding location.

Here are some tips that you can apply (or not):

1. Should you keep it a secret? Well, this is up to you, but make sure you have a good reason ready to tell your loved ones and friends who might feel hurt that they didn’t get to attend your special day. There are also some elopements where the parents and siblings are at the ceremony, and that works out well for some couples. You can always have a reception back home once you’re married. Most of your family and friends will be happy with this. If you’re doing this, let us know because we will definitely have the photos ready for your reception date so you can show everyone a slideshow.
   

   We Eloped!

2.  I know I’m a bit biased, but the photographer should be the first vendor you contact. I always help my clients who are coming to Durango from somewhere else. They usually need a florist, a hair and makeup artist, and maybe an officiant. I know all the best ones, and will email their contact information so they can get a bouquet, special pampering with hair and makeup, and someone to marry them. If the couple decides to have us at their elopement, we have an on-line Wedding Photography Agreement and a Wedding Information form that we send to them so everything is super easy and stress free. We also know some beautiful spots to have your elopement and can send you photos so you can choose the one you love. This one was during the winter, but it’s also lovely in the summer and fall.
   

   Bride and Groom having a snowball fight

1. You can go on the tourism site for the city where you are going to elope. The Durango Tourism website (Durango.org) has a wealth of information, including things you can do while you’re visiting here, because obviously you will want to make a vacation out of the elopement. It’s a great place for a destination wedding because there are so many fun things to do while you’re here.
   

   Married on the Colorado Trail and then hiked the entire 500 miles

2. Your budget is totally up to you, of course, but contact different vendors to get an idea of how much everything will cost and then you can make better plans. If you want to get fancy, we know of a company who provides small tables with elegant dishware, glasses, pillows to sit on, candles, and other gorgeous decorations that you can use to serve up some champagne and a couple of cupcakes. These will make for some excellent photographs.

Bride and Groom sitting at beautifully set table

I’ll continue Part 2 soon, so stay tuned, and thank you for reading this post.

Long Live Love

Karen Skelly Photography

Photographers in Durango CO

www.karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

 

 

 

Newborn Session by Durango CO Photographers

I’m a photographer in Durango CO who shoots weddings, families, and boudoir sessions. Of course, all Durango CO Photographers do most of these types of sessions, so what makes me different? I like to make things perfect for your images; I’ll help you out with other vendors; If it’s a wedding, I’ll be your “day of” coordinator; if you’re a friend, I’ll even photograph your newborn baby – even though I don’t typically do those types of sessions any more.

Lizzy and Richard were married in June of 2016 and my husband (who is also a Durango Photographer) photographed their wedding at Antlers on the Creek Bed and Breakfast. My hubby and I actually live about 20 miles east of Durango in the county. Lizzy and Richard lived in Durango at the time of their wedding, but then moved into the same mountainous subdivision where we live, so now we’re neighbors! Richard is a huge fan of the Patriots football team, so of course he wanted a photo with him and his new son in their jerseys. They also have a very large dog, which makes little Landon appear even smaller.

Richard works for Four Corners Stove and Spas, and Lizzy works is an advertising media buyer who works from home. Well, as sometimes happens after a couple is married, she got pregnant. Yay! Lizzy gave me a call to see if I would photograph her new baby once he was delivered. Of course, I couldn’t say no because I love these people. I quit photographing newborns some time ago because I always had a hard time getting the parents to be ready within 5 days of the birth. I understand that it’s hard just 5-10 days afterwards, but that’s the absolute best time to photograph a newborn. They’re mostly sleeping instead of crying and fussing.

Landon Reid Moore was born a little early, so he was a tiny little thing, and so very cute. Five days after he was born, I packed up my car with lighting equipment, my camera, a backdrop, and some props and headed to their house. Even though he was a tiny thing and was only 5 days old, he was alert and fussing some of the time. It takes a long time to get shots of a newborn – haha.

I’m going to include one of their wedding photos, and then the rest are of Landon, Lizzy, and Richard.

Wedding Party at Lizzy and Richard’s wedding

Newborn Landon on an old fashioned scale

Dad with newborn son with Patriots jerseys

Mom kissing newborn son

Landon in a hammock

Landon with blue hat and blanket

Mom and Dad loving their newborn baby

Giant Fur Baby with Newborn Landon

Thank you for taking a look and I hope you enjoyed these images.

Luv, Karen

Karen Skelly Photographer

Durango CO Photographers

www.karenskellyphoto.com

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

Southwest Wedding Bazaar: Photographed by Durango Photographers, Part 2

This is Part 2 of the blog post covering the South West Wedding Bazaar that I, the talented Durango Photographer (haha) photographed. You can view Part One here.

This was the first Wedding Bazaar put on by Meg Roberts, who is a wedding planner and owner of Bride + Tribe here in Durango CO.  There were three weddings that were all staged – one of the couples has been married for 9 years, the second couple has been together for 6 yrs but have no plans to get married, and the third couple has been together for a few years, and might get married at some point. That’s the couple I will be showing you here.

Their names are Kytt and Casey. Kytt works for Durango Nursery and Supply, and Casey works for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. They were full of fun and energy and were very photogenic!

Their wedding ceremony was held right next to the lake at River Bend Ranch.  Unfortunately, water had not yet been released to fill the lake, but it will be soon. It’s a beautiful location to get married! When the officiant, Scott Perez, asked the crowd if anybody objected to this marriage, he pulled his coat aside to make sure they saw his gun and he was ready to pull it out – that was hysterical. Luckily, nobody objected.

Kytt and Casey during Wedding Ceremony

Officiant asks if anybody objects to the marriage

Kytt and Casey’s first kiss after wedding ceremony

The flowers, which were blowing in the wind, were supplied by April’s Garden Weddings and they were just gorgeous. I just love the flower arrangement (sort of like a lei) that Casey wore around his neck.

After the ceremony we took them to the dock, which I think looks kinda cool with the red from the mountains in the background reflecting in the water. I asked Kytt to pick up Casey and their pose was so awesome. I love it when unexpected things like that happen.

Kytt and Casey sitting on the dock

Kytt and Casey standing on the dock holding hands

Kytt picking up Casey on the dock

One of the cozy set ups at the ceremony site involved some blue velvet couches and chairs along with an old fashioned trunk, so we absolutely had to utilize those for photos. Kytt and Casey were game for anything, so I had them put on their sunglasses and give me the “I am so cool” look. Of course, they had drinks provided by Toast Mobile Lounge, which is a necessity for any outdoor wedding or event, so I had them toast each other.

Kytt and Casey tilt their sunglasses to show how cool they are

Kytt and Casey toasting their wedding ceremony

Kytt and Casey snuggling on the couch

River Bend Ranch has some gorgeous bushes and trees (not all of them had leafed out yet). They make lovely backgrounds when the sun is setting over the mountain. Kytt and Casey are so comfortable together and show their love in genuine ways.

Kytt and Casey holding hands and sharing a moment together

Kytt and Casey holding hands and walking back to the reception area

Here are some miscellaneous images that I took while at the wedding bazaar. These are the vendors that I haven’t linked to previously:

1. Wild Rose Cakes in Grand Junction CO (find them on facebook)
2. Thirsty Rooster mobile bar
3. Compact Coffee (find them on facebook)
4. Liver Down the River – a great band
5. SolaVita Kombucha – in Durango
6. Buckhorn Limousine provided transportation to and from the event
7. Southwest Ceremony – Jaime was terrific
8. Scott Perez – the cowboy officiant – find him on facebook

 

Wedding Cake by Wild Rose Cakes in Grand Junction CO

Thirsty Rooster mobile bar at wedding bazaar

Compact Coffee at wedding bazaar

Liver Down the River at the wedding expo

SolaVita Kombucha bar at wedding bazaar

Jaime from Southwest Ceremony performing the wedding ceremony

Jaime from Southwest Ceremony performing outdoor ceremony at River bend Ranch

Hope you enjoyed the photos and stories about the wedding expo. Get in touch if you are getting married.

Thank you, Karen

Karen Skelly Photography

Durango CO Photographers

www.karenskellyphoto.com

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

 

 

 

 

Southwest Wedding Bazaar: Photographs by Durango Photographers

On a cold day in January, I met with Meg Roberts of Southwest Wedding Bazaar. She told me she was holding this event at River Bend Ranch in Durango CO on April 27, 2019. She was recruiting vendors and couples who would participate and after listening to all the details, I wholeheartedly agreed to be a part of this wedding event. This was the first time anything like this had been attempted here in our little town.

The plan was to have 3 “fake weddings” and she needed lots of vendors to help out. She already had 2 other Durango Photographers and needed one more. It actually ended up that there were 5 Durango Photographers and a couple of videographers there so we all had to be strategic.

Meg did such an awesome job decorating all of the wedding sites and the entire ranch. Durango Party Rental provided some of the items, such as the long wooden tables and chairs. The first wedding took place at the farthest end of the property. The flower arrangements and wedding bouquet were provided by Linnaea Farms, and Marje did a fabulous job with everything including the flowers climbing up the tree. She even made the earrings that the bride wore out of real flowers. The Bohemian style dress was provided by Bri’s Bridal and was just beautiful.

Here are some photos from Wedding #1:

Ceremony site for first wedding

Bride putting on her earring in new getting ready room at River Bend Ranch

Real flower earrings

Bride and Groom after the ceremony

Bride showing off wedding dress and bouquet

Bride and Groom sitting at a decorated table Bohemian style

Bride and Groom relaxing on vintage couch

Bride and Groom kissing in Bear Hug

The second wedding was supposed to take place on a site a little ways a way from the first one. Everything was set up – the metal arch decorated with flowers, vases of flowers, a couple of beautiful couches and chairs. Right before it was supposed to start, a sand/wind storm started up. A few of us were at the site when it happened and we just held onto the vases until it slowed down a bit. It was decided to move the wedding into the reception barn so we all carried the decorations into the barn.

It all turned out wonderful – the bride and groom were super happy and we were able to take them out for a few photos after the ceremony even though it was still really windy (the sand wasn’t blowing quite so hard though). The three little girls with them were just adorable and were having a great time. Right after the ceremony, the bride and groom broke out in a spontaneous dance. The bride told me later that they had choreographed it just the night before. I love it when the unexpected happens.

The dress was provided by Occasions Bridal and the Flowers were provided by Adele Floral and Natalie did a great job with these.

Here are some photos from Wedding #2:

Bride in the new getting ready room at River Bend Ranch

Bride entering ceremony site at River Bend Ranch

Groom bowing to Bride

Couple holding hands during ceremony

Bride and Groom doing spontaneous dance after ceremony

Bridal Portrait

Bride, Groom, and 3 flower girls

Phew, this is getting long, so I’m going to cover the 3rd wedding and some other decoration photos in the next blog post. Stay Tuned!

Thank you, Karen

Durango Photographers

www.karenskellyphoto.com

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

Tips from Couples who have Planned a Wedding by Durango Photographers

My husband and I are Durango CO Photographers and we love to photograph weddings. Every couple is different and special. They are ALL fun!

I decided to ask some of them for tips that they could share with other couples who are currently planning their own wedding. I got a few great responses and I’ll throw in a few of my own.

This tip comes from Autumn and Tim. They were married at Ridgwood Event Center and had around 80 guests. We spent 6 hrs with them at the wedding and reception doing everything from the getting ready photos to the dancing.

They have since had a baby and I get to follow their lives on facebook:) Autumn is a kindergarten teacher and Tim is the manager at a Golf Course. They live in Grand Junction, but love the Durango area so came here to get married:

“My advice to couples going through the wedding planning process it to book everything as early as they can, that way they get exactly what they want. I would also say that they should just go for the things they really want, you only get married once and if you want a horse and carriage make it happen. Also, enjoy the day. They should give themselves plenty of time to get ready, plenty of time to take pictures and plenty of time to party.”

Autumn and Tim kissing by a lake at Ridgwood Event Center

This tip comes from Ryan and Kristen. They live in Gallup NM, but have relatives who live right on the river near Durango, so they had their wedding ceremony there. We then moved on to El Morro Tavern for their reception. The tavern closed to everybody except the guests.

Kristen is an elementary school principal, and Ryan is a school consultant. Kristen has an adult son from a previous marriage and he was their wedding ceremony officiant. It was an intimate wedding with around 50 guests and we spent 3 hrs with them. They found us by googling Durango Photographers and other vendors the same way. They researched the websites and then did phone interviews. We were honored and delighted to be chosen.

“Just have fun and let other people take care of as much of the planning that they are able to do” (less stress on the couple – haha).

Groom carrying the Bride

My own tips:

• I know how hard it is to select all the vendors for your wedding. If you work with us, I am very happy to supply you with recommendations. We’ve been photographing weddings for 11 yrs now (7 in Durango), and we know all the best vendors who do great work. I have many of them listed (with links to their websites) on my website here.
• If you’re having an outdoor wedding and reception, make sure the venue has a big tent. If they don’t, rent one – we all know the weather in Durango is volatile.
• If you don’t hire a wedding planner, I will work with the DJ and any other vendors and put together a time line for your day so everything runs as smoothly as possible.
• Most weddings are held outdoors here in Durango, so even though many ladies love those high heeled shoes, just know that you are probably going to sink into the grass and wobble on the gravel paths. You could bring along a pair of flats to wear while you’re walking and then change back into the high heels.
• Brides – wear a button down or zipped shirt when getting your hair and makeup done, and go to the bathroom before you put on your dress. Also, have the hair and makeup person come an hour earlier than you think you will need them – it always takes longer than you think.

Wedding Ceremony at Golf Course

Okay, that’s it for now. I hope these tips help you out and let me know if you have any questions.

Long Live Love

Thanks, Karen

Karen Skelly Photography

Durango Photographers

www.karenskellyphoto.com

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

 

 

 

 

How Photographers in Durango CO work with couples planning a wedding – 4

This is Part 4 of us explaining how we work with couples planning a wedding and during their wedding day. If you missed the other parts, here they are:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

This will cover how we photograph the reception and the normal order of events. If the couple has hired a DJ or a band, we like to coordinate the timeline with them so we are all on the same page. We consider the reception to start as soon as we are done with the couples photos and they are announced into the reception area.

Bride and Groom entering reception hall

Usually after the bride and groom enter the reception hall, they will be surrounded by well wishers and given hugs and kisses by everyone. We’ll take a few photos of that happening, but not too many. If we have been hired to only attend a small portion of the reception, we will get the DJ to work with us to get photos of the cake cutting (even if it’s fake), the first dance, and the bouquet/garter toss.  We prefer to be there for most of the reception so we can photograph them as they happen logistically, but some couples budgets don’t allow for that.

If we are there for most of the reception, dinner will usually take place shortly after the couple arrive. They usually have arranged to feed us poor starving photographers, so that’s very much appreciated. After dinner, there are generally toasts by parents, maid of honor, and best man. We ask the couple to stand near the toaster so we can get all of their reactions, toasts, hugs, etc.

Bride’s dad toasting (and roasting) the couple at the reception

During the dinner, we will take photos of the guests at their tables so the couple has the memories and a record of who attended their wedding. If there are 100 or more guests, we have prepared business cards with instructions on how the guests can view the photos once they’re ready and on our website. We pass these out while we’re taking their photos. We also take photos of the food, signs, the DJ, the flowers, and any other items the couple would want to remember. We also take the bride and groom’s wedding rings and photograph them in various places. As we always say, the food and the flowers will be gone after the wedding, but the photographs last forever!

Wedding rings in bouquet

After dinner and the toasts, the cake cutting is usually next so people can enjoy their dessert during the first dances. Since the couple has usually never been married before, I generally give them some basic instructions on how to hold the knife and how to cut a small piece to feed each other. Every once in a while, they will smash it into each other’s faces, and yes, it is fun!

Bride smashing cake into groom’s face

Bride and groom cutting cake with no smashing into faces

Next we move on to the First Dances. The bride and groom are first up, then the Bride and her dad, then the Groom and his mom. After these three dances are completed, everybody gets on the dance floor for some fun (and to wear off the calories from the dinner and cake – haha). We also get many photos of everybody dancing later in the evening.

The First Dance

The last things that usually take place are the bouquet toss and the garter toss. The bride usually has a spare smaller bouquet that she uses for the toss. After that the groom needs to remove the garter from the bride’s lovely leg. Many times we’ll tell the groom he has to crawl to the bride and without using his hands, remove that garter.

These are so much fun with lots of single ladies and men trying to catch the prize, although I have seen some people in the groups actively trying to AVOID catching the prize. For these shots, since it’s somewhat dark by then, I have a flash on my camera either with a bulb softener or bouncing off the ceiling to light the bride and Ken holds another flash with an umbrella to light the ladies. Same thing for the groom and his guys. After the bouquet and garter have been tossed, I get a photo of the winners with the bride and groom.

Bride throwing the wedding bouquet

Broom searching for the garter

When the sun is getting ready to set, or if it’s already dusk, we’ll take the couple out for a few more photos.

Wedding Reflections

Bride and Groom with moon

These 4 posts are based on a typical 6-8 hr wedding. There are many variations and differences in everybody’s wedding day. I hope these were informational and would love to hear your opinions.

Long Live Love!

Karen Skelly Photography

Photographers in Durango CO

www.karenskellyphoto.com

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

 

 

How Photographers in Durango CO work with couples on their Wedding Day – 3

I’ve been writing about how my husband and I, who are photographers in Durango CO, work with and photograph couples who are planning their wedding. This is Part 3. If you missed Part 1, you can see it here. If you missed Part 2, you can see that here.

Part 3 is going to cover how we photograph the families, wedding party, and the couple. These portrait sessions are probably some of the most important photos for the bride and groom because they will have all of their loved ones and friends, who they sometimes don’t see very often. I love to capture everybody, especially grand parents who will pass away one day and then the couple has these memories of them.

65 People and a Dog

Normally, the portraits are taken right after the ceremony and before the reception. I ask the bride to name a person who can corral everybody to make sure we don’t miss someone. Since we don’t know all of the family and friends, the person who gets everyone together needs to be a close family member or friend who knows everyone. As soon as we get to the wedding venue, Ken and I look around and find a spot that will be beautiful for these portraits, so we already have that set up so we don’t waste time having to look around after the ceremony.

Bride with mom and dad

Bride with her grandpa

Once we have everyone together, we get everybody situated into a spot so we can see everyone’s face. Tall people in the back, medium height people in front of them, and younger people and kids on the ground. I show the people on the ground how to pose their legs, then I show the people standing how to pose their legs as well. There really is a way to pose legs so that people look their best (read, thinner). Starting with the feet and legs automatically adjusts people’s posture.

Wedding Family and Friends

Once we have the big group picture, we start removing people so that the couple starts getting their closest relatives for a closer up shot. We move people in and out so that we get all of the bride’s family, all of the groom’s family, and special family members. Then we move onto the wedding party portraits. We’ll do the entire group with a few different poses, including fun things like wearing sun glasses, walking towards me with fist pumps or flowers in the air, or drinking beer/wine/whiskey. I’ll do anything the group wants to do. Then we take separate photos of the bride with each of her girls and the groom with each of his guys.

Groom and Groomsmen having a beer

We then send everybody, except the bride and groom, off to the reception. We’ll take the couple to a few different spots around the venue to capture their love and happiness – they are newly married after all. After we’re done, Ken and I get ahead of the bride and groom so we can capture them coming into the reception area (the DJ and I have coordinated this). We’ll also take the couple out later on for some sunset photos if that’s possible. If there’s no sunset, we still get some photos later when the light is softer right before sunset.

Bride and Groom at sunset

Next post will cover the reception. Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts.

Long Live Love,

Karen Skelly Photography

Photographers in Durango CO

www.karenskellyphoto.com

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

 

 

How Photographers in Durango CO Work With Couples Planning a Wedding – 2

This is Part 2 of my post about how my husband and I work with couples to photograph their weddings in Durango CO. You can view Part 1 here .

One of the things I missed in Part 1 concerns engagement sessions. As Photographers in Durango CO we love to do engagement sessions because then we are able to get to know our clients so much better and they get to know us as well. We have lots of fun and they have another special day to remember. Many of our clients have us put together a guest signing album using their engagement images. We have hard paged albums where we put the engagement photo on one side of the page and leave the other side blank for guests to sign at their wedding reception. Of course, if you live out of state or are eloping, an engagement session probably won’t work for you.

What is on my nose?

Now to continue where I left off in the last post. If the girls are getting their hair and makeup done, I try to keep everything on schedule by letting them know how much time they have left because it’s so easy to lose track of time and get behind. Sometimes we do a First Look with the bride and groom, which I find to be super special because we’ll have the bride walk up behind the groom and maybe put her hands over his eyes or tap him on the shoulder. He then turns around and gets to see his soon to be wife in all her beauty. After we take some photographs, which adds more to the couple’s collection, we let them be alone for a few minutes. This definitely does not take away from the way the groom reacts when he sees his bride coming down the aisle. If the bride and groom don’t want to do a First Look, sometimes we’ll do it with the bride and her dad.

Bride and Groom First Look

Sometimes we also do some of the family or wedding party portraits before the ceremony, depending on how much time we have and the time of the day. If the sun is high in the sky, we need to find a shady spot to put everybody in so they don’t have raccoon eyes and they’re not squinting. Both of those are not acceptable. During the family/wedding party/couple’s photos, my husband holds our umbrella with a flash so we can light everybody’s faces so they all look great. Ken, my husband, calls himself my lighting technician:)

Ken holding the umbrella with flash during a family portrait session

During the ceremony, both Ken and I take photographs of everything going on. We love to capture all of the smiles, the tears, the emotions, and any other moments that happen. Some couples have a special thing such as a sand ceremony, an exchange of roses, or something else special to them. This is one of the things we ask about in our Wedding Information form so that we’re prepared when it happens. We make sure to capture the vows, the ring exchanges, and the first kiss. Sometimes we have to yell out “slow down the kiss” so we can capture the moment – haha. Then as the couple is walking back down the aisle, I have them stop at the end of the chairs and do another kiss. This usually gets an applause from their guests.

Wedding Ceremony at Dalton Ranch

Stay tuned for Part 3 where I’ll talk about the portraits of the family, wedding party, and the couple.

Long Live Love

Karen Skelly Photography

Photographers in Durango CO

https://www.karenskellyphoto.com

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

Get in touch for more information about having us photograph your wedding or family portraits

 

 

How Photographers in Durango CO work with couples planning a wedding -1

You’ve just become engaged? So Happy For You – Congratulations!

This is part one of how we work with and photograph couples who are planning a wedding.

We are photographers in Durango CO and have photographed lots of weddings and spoken to lots of couples, and we realize that planning a wedding is a daunting task. Of course, if you’re planning a small wedding or an elopement, it’s much easier, but a large wedding with all your family and friends can cause some couples to throw their hands up in the air and say “Help Me”. We also realize that most couples have never done this before, so we love to help out any way we can.

You can hire a wedding planner or even a “day of” wedding planner and a lot of that WILL be taken care of for you. If you’re not hiring one of those, we will help out as much as you need by sending you a list of our recommended vendors and also helping steer the day of the wedding in the right direction so that nothing is missed. Many times we work with the DJ, who also has a vested interest in keeping the day on track.

When we first meet up with a couple or chat on the phone, we find out where they’re getting married and the time of the ceremony. I realize many couples want to get married early in the day so they can have their reception and everybody can enjoy themselves. I totally get that, but having your ceremony outdoors (most weddings in Durango CO are outdoors) at high noon makes the lighting extremely difficult. If you’re having an outdoor wedding and you can move the ceremony time, it will make the photographs much better – the time depends on the month you’re getting married. We do use an off camera flash with an umbrella during the family and couple’s photos to offset the sun, so it’s not impossible.

This was a wedding photographed outdoors in bright sun.

If you decide you would like to work with us, we have a Wedding Photography Agreement and a Wedding Information Form to be filled out. I have these on line so it makes it easy for couples to fill these forms out. Usually one half of the investment amount is paid at the time of signing and the other half is paid two weeks before the wedding. I do have payment plans if you’re unable to make just two payments. We are really easy to work with.

Groom carries bride off over his shoulder – Fun couples are the best!

If the wedding is at a venue where we haven’t been before, we will arrive a little early to scope out good locations for the family/wedding party/couples portraits. If we’re doing “getting ready” photos, we’ll also find a nice spot to photograph the dress, shoes, bouquet, jewelry, and other items that the bride will want to remember. Then we will photograph her and her girls getting their hair and makeup done. If the groom is getting ready at the same location, I’ll go back and forth between them so I capture all those moments that they won’t have seen of each other. If the client is getting a Wedding Album, we like to tell the story of their day from beginning to end.

Wedding at Purgatory Resort

Be on the lookout for Part 2 coming soon.

Long Live Love

Karen Skelly Photography

Durango CO Photographers

www.karenskelyphoto.com

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

We are always here to help. Let us know if you are getting married and would like more information.

 

 

Snowy Elopement by Photographers in Durango Co

Stephanie and Rick chose Ken and I, as photographers in Durango CO, to capture some wonderful memories during their elopement. They came from Texas and wanted to get married in the snow. At the time of their elopement, there wasn’t as much snow in Durango as there is now, so we traveled up the mountain because I knew an area that would definitely have snow and they weren’t disappointed. They were very happy indeed.

They actually met on Match.com and met at a restaurant for their first date in January of 2015. They were engaged in March of 2017, and are now a happily married couple and Stephanie tells me they are also best friends. They both have two adult children each who are all in the same age range. Stephanie’s daughter attended the ceremony.

Stephanie is a real estate broker, and Rick is an engineer. He loves photography and videography. Stephanie’s daughter, Alex, ran the video during the ceremony, and Rick used our photographs along with the video and made an awesome slideshow.

There were only the couple, her daughter, Ken, and me present so it was a beautiful, stress-free time and we laughed a lot. After the ceremony and photos, they took off to go skiing in Telluride.

I hope you enjoy their images. Thanks for taking the time to read their story.

Bride reading bows to Groom

Groom reading vows to his Bride

Bride and Groom’s first kiss

Bride and Groom’s first dance in the snow

Groom dips the bride

Bride with her wedding bouquet

Groom carrying the bride in the snow

Bride and Groom walking down a snowy road

Blooper – Groom slips in the snow

After wedding ceremony kiss

Hands and wedding rings in the snow

Bride and Groom having a snowball fight

Long Live Love

Cheers, Karen

Karen Skelly Photography

Photographers in Durango CO

www.karenskellyphoto.com

karen@karenskellyphoto.com

970.884.5292

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