sweet dreams baby oliver

Ok, I've photographed brides . . . and I've photographed babies . . . but, until last week, I'd not yet photographed one of our SilverBox bride's babies! So when Kimberly (click here to see her BEaUtifUL wedding to Geoffrey in april 06...wow! can it really have been 2 years already?!) asked me to photograph her sweet little Oliver, I was SO VERY excited.

And look at her now . . . happy, healthy, beautiful mom with an equally happy, healthy, beautiful baby: and precious SwEEt little Oliver....loved his eyes....can you just see why?!!
and oh, the details....hands touching . . . smooth round baby head . . . little tiny ears . . .and there is perhaps nothing cuter (or more welcome to a tired parent :') than a baby YAWN!

oh....plus a few nursery details:

sweet dreams baby oliver!
oh, but wait...you gotta see the slideshow with ALL the pictures.

and thanks for being my first SilverBox bride + SilverBox baby, kimberly and oliver :')
~kim

stephanie + john | moberly, missouri . . . and a big BIG day for little people . . .

LOVED how stephanie's family members were always sneaking up + hugging each other.
so great!

john + steph wrote their own vows...can you just say, not a dry in the place!

other highlights: hanging with girls getting ready is a good time but becomes big-time extra-special when nieces, cousins, an aunt, a mom + a sister surround you in addition to your very best childhood friends:

steph's oldest neice actually LOST A TOOTH just before putting on her blue dress. does the tooth fairy pay extra big when that kind of timing is in play? (and annika, way to be there to catch that!)

below:  a moving, "quiet emotion" shot created as steph's dad came into the room:

and the next picture just makes me happy in a (generational) grant wood american gothic kind of way:

we've got great ceremony images, and such fun shots from the reception, too . . .

so take a look at john + stephanie's slideshow . . .

we can almost guarantee you'll be tapping your toes nodding your noggin to this

free + fabulous ditty created by a jethro-tull/billy joel/freddy-and-the-dials "like" UK-based singer/songwriter named paddler (quick: go hear great stuff on his myspace page by clicking HERE).

suggestion: first listen to STRANGE JANE! then find even more, lots more, via iTunes.

out of the blue people will sometimes say "where are you finding all that music?"

today's silver nugget: try macJams and/or CNET asia

[oh! there's a lots about this ol' internet to love....]

stay cool. stay happy.

amy

PS and yes, this is random; but whew the art-deco-diva in me was ga-ga for these door handles:

veils Unveiled

to veil or not to veil?
we were talking veils the other day and remembered how enamored we were with Crystal's FANTABULOUS (fishnet/flapper/french lace/russian netting?) veil...

love that diamond pattern!
oh my!!

remembering hats in our grandmothers' closets that used such netting somehow makes this style seem vintage + timeless yet such a short sassy veil is somehow fresh + modern all at the same time and look, THIS NY Mag article describes just how we feel . . . oh AND this post and this Q+A in Brides.com shed light on the right search term "birdcage veil"

nail the search term and everything else just falls in place, like finding flicker groups and ultimately finding just the right resource at the right price: 'BirdCage Veils' via birdcageveils.com

we say YES!
so if sassy, sexy + confident describes YOU, consider and CALL!
(BirdCage AND SilverBox) ~ oh we'd love it; we've got lots + lots of ideas . . .

PS so you can see above that nick lifted crystal's veil for The Kiss . . . and it's so cute that way, too. but you could even go with a wedge of a veil that falls just below the eye, add a feather fastener (you flapper, you!)
This site, AisleDash.com even lists DIY instructions, but posts an image (below) from www.unveiledbridaldesigns.com. oh the options!

we can't wait to see what YOU decide :~0

san francisco engagement shoot ~ a day in the 'hood [kristan + bryant's neighborhood that is]

Kristan + Bryant met me at the airport with a sweet handmade sign and the magic words "are you hungry?"

With a place like Terzo who wouldn't be hungry! Here' a discovey thanks to Terzo tapas: BEETS....beets are a real vegetable ~ that vinegar thing and wacky color...just some midwestern deal I suppose.

And then, aaah, what better ending to a weary travel day than a comfy and fabulous boutique hotel.

The Hotel Drisco was a most scrumptious place to stay. It's in Pacific Heights just a block or two from Kristan + Bry's new place and oh so divine. Here are three of the first images I shot as a walked out of the hotel that morning. Aren't you just LOVIN this town!

We started shooting at Lafayette Park, a great historic park down the street from their place. It's a leash-free dog park and so much more. Yet dogs really are the park's primary focus as you'll note when you catch a glimpse of park signage in the slideshow.

And look at this. What a C-H-A-R-M-I-N-G place Kristin + Bryant live:

Then to Rose's for brunch, another one of their favorite local spots. Again, yummy, yummy! I took pictures (yes, even of the food -- it's the kim wade in me!) but you'll have to peek at that slideshow for the results.

After Rose's we drove out to San Francisco's Legion of Honor.

Another discovery: Where do you think Rodin's "THINKER" is located?

OK, but would you have guessed San Francisco if that wasn't the theme here?

Aha- gotcha.

Trick Question.

The Thinker IS in Paris, and there are also casts in about 20 other places around the globe. In Paris, specifically you'll find him thinking at the Musée Rodin, which was opened in 1919 in the Hôtel Biron and surrounding grounds to display the works of yep, French sculptor Auguste Rodin. [Isn't the Silver Lining a great place to learn stuff!] Back in San Fran, The Legion of Honor has a TREMENDOUS collection of Rodin sculptures (more than 70 according to their website), including THE KISS . . . but wait, there's more:

Chihuly (BIG Chihly) is here, too. (Now could you just please take a look at this, ...it's Dale Chihuly's site....now really, shouldn't we send him a note hinting that he should bring SilverBox out to take stills for him? See how cool it CAN look via that slideshow.)

By this time it was mid-day, so staying inside for awhile seemed perfect.

Kristan (who's brilliant as well as beautiful + kind) had thought all of this out and proposed that we all see the (drum roll) Annie Leibowitz "A Photographer's Life" exhibit while there. I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity! This show (a retrospective based on Annie's book by the same name) is nearing the end of a 7-stop tour. After May 11th it leaves the country, going next to Paris and then the final stop: London's National Portrait Gallery. I have lots of thoughts to share based on seeing these 200 images...but am going to save all that for another time. We were after all, really just getting started.

This next image (which I adore) was taken just outside the Legion of Honor which seems to go by a few different names, including:

The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, which I think officially houses de Young Musuem as well as the the (officially titled) "California Palace of" the Legion of Honor.

Then, we all took naps :)

Well, except for Bryant who opted for a work conference call instead. But can I just say that not only is Hotel Drisco a lovely place to spend an evening. Whew, it's PERFECT for a mid-afternoon siesta!

And look at this beauty, this is the Palace of Fine Arts...breathtaking!

As the sun was preparing to set, we made our way to the St. Francis Yacht Club. The site of THE proposal. I kept pulling out more speedlight flashes not realizing we were putting on a bit of a show for the diners inside. Here's the thing though, everyone EVERYONE loves a couple in love. We walked back into the building to applause. Gotta love that!

We called it a day with dinner at Frascati, their first date spot ~ and yes, I have pictures of THAT meal, too....but hey, gotta say goodnight SOMEWHERE.

What an experience.

What a couple!

Bryant and Kristan, thank you so very much.

Am so looking forward to meeting your families this May!!! ~ amy

jenny + daniel wed under a big white tent ~ Country Club of Missouri

Jenny + Daniel's wedding was just too wonderful to not share a bit more....

How nice of Jenny's bridesmaids (and their moms + friends) to host a ladies-only luncheon on Friday ~ what a fun event to document! Friday was a blue-sky feels-like-spring kind of day.

And it went from spring to SUMMER as guests entered the Tiger Ballroom for Friday night's rehearsal dinner. A basket of flip-flops was awaiting with a sign that instructed all to take off their shoes "you're at the beach!" Kent's Floral Design had done a remarkable job transforming the historic ballroom into a tropical paradise...of course the steel drum band really helped set the stage.

The weather was less-than-ideal on Saturday (plus it had rained Mon - Thurs and the ground was pretty much an over-saturated sponge) but thanks to having pavement at the Country Club of Missouri for the tent's foundation, all carried forth as planned. And good call, Lerea having those heaters reserved!

There's nothing more fabulous than a lovely wedding inside a tent. (Even if the sun refuses to shine outside.)
OK, perhaps things are a bit more fabulous when you call in the Marines! (Daniel, his dad and all of his brothers have served in the Marine Corps with his youngest brother / best man, pictured below, just getting into town a few hours before the ceremony)

Not only had Kent and his staff transformed the Tiger the night before and decked out the tent that morning, when we arrived we got to see the transformation of the Country Club from its "business-formal" standard to ENCHANTED! wow!!!

almost all the floral decor was made on site.
[have we said "wow!" yet??]
note this garland-drenched mirror above the buffet PERFECTLY FRAMING this delicious Edith Hall cake.If there was a ledge inside or out, (see above and also below) why of course there were FLOWERS!
even flowers in daniel's neice's hair.
how sweet!Annika created some amazing ceremony images, like this one of Daniel with his dad over his shoulder (note a family resemblence?) seeing Jenny start down the aisle.That "being enveloped by family" is one of our favorite things about wedding. 

Some of the images we most love capturing are the "reaction" to the height of the moment....

...so Daniel was repeating vows (this image by Annika) I was able to capture (scroll down.....) their enveloping families :)at this point we've told you that daniel + jenny's wedding celebration included wonderful, supportive, happy families; charming children; a beautiful bride; a handsome groom; caring, thoughtful friends; flowers dripping from every surface; firm ground below and warm air on our skin as well as marines protecting and guiding us...

could a wedding get ANY BETTER? well, yes:

(how cute is Frank La Mantia helping Daniel's nephews fully drench their marshmellows + strawberries in the melted chocolate...) BUT WAIT, W-A-I-T there's even MORE . . . . . Aaron Rose, fabulous [FWB] DJ for one, and ok, EVEN MORE... maybe pictures will be more comprehensive than words:
if haven't seen this slideshow, you have no idea what you're missing...it may load a wee bit slow (?) but it is SO WORTH the wait.  PLUS you'll be hearing the uber-talented Hilary Scott. Buy her CDs...you won't be disappointed!)

Daniel + Jenny....it was an honor and a pleasure. 

Thanks so much for having SilverBox document your day. We loved, lOvEd, LOVED!!!! every minute of it! ~ amy enderle