Wish granted - Poof. It's fall.

Lori and Michael were married on a beautiful fall day a couple weeks ago. The weather was perfect, it wasn't windy. It wasn't cold. It wasn't raining. Perfect.

Only one problem.... there weren't many fall leaves yet. In fact, we could only find one fall tree.

Today I happened across this tutorial, and decided that I'd make those fall leave dreams come true for Lori and Michael.

Hannah + Sam = Engaged! Maryville, Missouri Wedding Photographer

She spoke in hushed tones, even though Sam stood only 12 inches away. "I can't wait for everyone to see my dress it's [redacted**] with a long [redacted]." Slowly, you could see the color flood her face as she realized what she'd just done. "Uh oh" she said, as she looked at Sam.

Sam just smiled, like Sam did the entire time. "I already know it's [redacted]."

"Well," she says

This is when I learned three things about this couple.

1. Sam smiles all the time.
2. They have this sweet quirky way they interact with each other.
3. Hannah, who looks like the girl next door, has a little wild streak. (You'd have to know the redacted parts - sorry).

I'm looking forward to this wedding day. Something tells me, this pair is going to be fun.



**Redacted by me - in case it's supposed to be a surprise for everyone else ;)

Kandy and Ryan Get Married! Iowa Wedding Photographer

Kandy and I met at a local deli to talk about her wedding. One of the first things she told me was she was getting married at her parents house.

On a deck.

In the middle of a pond.

Say what? I'm in!

And she did. Her parents own a small fish hatchery in Iowa (my home town) and in the front yard they build their own pond. Right in the middle of this pond is an adorable little deck/dock. Built by none other than the groom himself. I couldn't think of a more special place that these two SHOULD get married.






















































































It was a beautiful ceremony and sweet reception with everything at Kandy's parents home. I don't think we could have asked for a more beautiful day.

Upcoming Maryville, MO Bridal Fair

Future Brides:

You are invited to the 7th Annual Maryville Community Center Bridal Fair to be held on Sunday Oct. 17th from 2pm-4pm. The event will be featuring local vendors and a runway fashion show. Advanced tickets may be purchased for $3 at MCC Tickets at the door will be sold for $5.00.

Please stop by and say hello, Cease Fire Studios will be having a give away!

Lesley and Colby - Engaged! Sneak Peek - Nebraska City, Ne

Lesley and Colby are so sweet and kind. It's obvious that they love each other. They wanted to do something different, and so we ended up in Nebraska City, Nebraska at Arbor Day Farms. This place is golden! No really. I could shoot every day for a year and never hit all the good spots!

A million and 12 more to come.
OK, maybe just 12.

In the meantime, lots more shoots coming up, another wedding, some senior pics, some albums to make, blah blah blah. Calgon take me awayyyyy!

Two Weddings - Two Sneak Peeks! Missouri Wedding Photographer

Amy and Dustun from last weekend....

And Lori and Michael from just yesterday.....

I have officially declared that all wedding shall occur from now on in October. So be it.

Izaak and Abby - Kid portraits Missouri

Tonight I had a shoot with these two cute kids. They were funny, lively and packed full of energy. I'm going to dedicate my life to bottling that energy.

When I'm not so tired.

An interview with Cactus Creek's Fancy Smith

I've talked about Cactus Creek a couple times now on the blog. It's a cute shop in Weston Missouri that I could literally spend hours and buckets of cash in. A few weeks ago, Fancy called me up and asked if I would be willing to shoot some photos for herself at the shop and the Junk Mafia crew.

I said, "duh!"

Then I got to thinking what fun it would be for you to learn more about Cactus Creek and Junk Mafia, so I did a little interview with Fancy.

What is Cactus Creek?

Cactus Creek is first and foremost a retail store. Cactus Creek first opened ten years ago in Lenexa, Kansas and has had several locations, but our current location on Main Street in Weston, Missouri is the best yet!! We offer customers in our store a unique assortment of Rustic, Western & Vintage furniture, home accessories, art, antiques, jewelry & gifts.

Cactus Creek is also a website & blog where we offer readers pictures and stories about the people we meet, and things we see, owning our shop. http://www.cactuscreekdaily.com/ is where people can keep up with us & our other friends in the Rustic * Western * Vintage market.


Where did the name “Cactus Creek” come from?

When my husband and I decided to open the store we knew that it needed a good name, so we started talking and brainstorming one night… it was a conversation that lasted many hours till the wee hours of the morning. Cactus Creek was not the first name we chose. Our first name was rejected by everyone we knew and Cactus Creek was number two on the list. We were too tired of talking about it to start over again so we went with it. Turns out Cactus Creek was the perfect name.

What kind of things will you find at your shop?

We have a line of rustic furniture that is made in Mexico. We’ve worked with the same craftsmen for over seven years and love to do special orders on everything from dining tables to barstools to new bedroom suites

We also have a ton of antiques ~ old Western memorabilia, folk art and classic vintage Americana objects. We believe that the one of a kind vintage accessories & furniture are the perfect items to make a home interesting and personal. The goal of a home is for it to be full of the things you love, old or new.

Cactus Creek also offers cowhides, jewelry, chips & salsa, t-shirts, original art and southwest rugs.


How did you get into this business?

I’ve worked in one retail business or another since I was 16. In college I was a part of the Center for Retail Studies at Texas A&M University. The only thing I know how to do is own and run a retail store… and, even though it can be a roller coaster ride, I love every day of it.

What is your favorite thing in your shop right now?

We just received a large shipment of Western & Americana antiques so my favorites list is rather long… I really love our big signs… we also have a lot of primitive painted furniture which is great to mix with rustic pine & iron furniture… My absolute favorite right now is an original painting of a cactus landscape ~ I’m pretty sure it’s coming home with me.



What is your favorite thing you’ve ever sold in Cactus Creek?

I can’t think of one thing that is my favorite I’ve ever sold, but I can tell you that the one thing I do LOVE to sell is cowhides. I’ve probably sold almost 300 hides but every one is absolutely different from all the others. They are such a great investment, look terrific in every house, feel luxurious to step onto, and make a big statement no matter what your décor looks like.

Is there anything else you’d like to let everyone know?

My newest adventure outside of Cactus Creek is partnering with John Todd and Darren Smith from the Junk in my Trunk Radio Show to form a new movement & website called JunkMafiaFamily.com. Our goal is to encourage people to commit to taking everyday ACTIONS to Re-Cycle, Re-LOVE™, Re-Deem, and Re-Spend. By becoming a part of the movement & taking these ACTIONS we believe that individuals’ lives will benefit, families will benefit, in turn communities will benefit, and then our global community becomes a better place to live. Stay tuned for more about http://www.junkmafiafamily.com/ coming soon!!

Thank you Fancy for playing along with Mz-Cellaneous. I thought it was a kind of a fun way to share some photography with my readers!

I'm doing commercial type work as well as weddings so if you need headshots that are a little different than just head and shoulders, or if you'd like to feature your business in some way, let me know! We'll also do product shots for your web presence or catalog if you need them!