Alison White Photography blog

Alena and Billy

2011-07-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

So I am absolutely thrilled that this is my second guest blog post, and my first wedding one. There is a reason I am a photographer and not a writer. Alena says it so beautifully. Please read this if you are considering a wedding in Crested Butte, or know someone who is. And if you are one of my brides and want to guest blog, let me know. I'd love for you to do it!

Thanks to everyone who made this wedding what it was:

Rehearsal dinner: Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum

Flowers: Raincrow Farm, Paonia

Reception: Maxwells Steakhouse

DJ: High Mountain DJ's

Ceremony Music: Tyler Hansen

Photo Booth: The Traveling Photo Booth

Hair: Rare Bird Salon

Bridal Salon: Anna Be Denver

Dress: Nicole Miller

Shoes: Betsey Johnson

Alena:

"I’ve never really been that into weddings. I didn’t dream about mine as a little (or big) girl; I told my parents as a teenager that I planned to elope and wear black; and after the excitement of my now-husband’s proposal began to wear off, all I could think was, how can I possibly make this formal, traditional ritual feel like me, feel like us? It seemed impossible.

We found the answer in Crested Butte.

After months of debating our options – elope, international destination, courthouse, hometown, you name it – we decided that we wanted to include close family and friends, and we wanted them to experience our adopted home of Colorado. Denver, where we live, didn’t cut it. Summit County was too touristy. Boulder was too Boulder. We checked off all the places that we’ve been and came down to our favorite: a little mining-turned-ski town that’s pretty darn far off the beaten path.

Yes, CB presented logistical issues. It’s challenging to plan a wedding from 5 hours away. There are only so many vendor options in town. It was a haul for our guests, almost all of whom came from out of state. But it was absolutely, 100% worth it.

Alison White was the first vendor we met. Her style of photography (and her style of life, frankly) immediately appealed to us. We knew that she would do a fabulous job with the pictures. What we didn’t know, at first, was how instrumental she would be in helping us plan our perfect weekend.

It started with that first meeting when she suggested the Mountain Heritage Museum as a location for our rehearsal dinner. We took her advice, and it was a huge hit. Alison’s influence was even more key in planning for the big day itself. We originally hoped to host the wedding and reception at a private ranch outside of town. When quotes for everything from tents to dishes to bus rides started to come in, however, we realized we needed another option. Enter a frantic call to Alison, our only wedding-ish contact in town. She suggested the Woods Walk and Maxwells. Again, a huge hit with the guests, and a significantly lesser hit to our wallets.

So those are the facts: rehearsal dinner at the museum, with pizzas from Secret Stash; ceremony at the Woods Walk meadow followed by a reception at Maxwells Steakhouse. It was wonderful. But lovely as it was, that framework didn’t make it feel like us: we did.

I loved the way I looked and felt. My dress was simple, flowy, elegant, and looked awesome with my old, beat-up cowboy boots. For the reception, I switched to a pair of Betsey Johnson heels that I got for my senior prom, 10 years ago… which I happened to attend with Billy, my now-husband. Our flowers, from a farm in Paonia, were fresh and vibrant and stunning. The literal crowning jewel was the necklace that my grandmother wore at her wedding, then my older sister at hers. For me, the entire look was perfect.

(Speaking of my dress, one of my favorite moments of the day came right before my dad and I walked down the aisle. We’re standing alone down the path, and suddenly I noticed that something was poking me by the zipper of my dress. Turns out the tag was still attached, although I’d had the dress for months. We didn’t have any tools with us, so my dad proceeds to stick his head in my armpit and bite the tag off. It definitely broke some of the pre-ceremony jitters. )

I loved the way that everyone else looked. The different dresses on the bridesmaids, tiny dragonflies on the boys’ bowties, the little girls all in white, my mom’s self-described “flapper dress”, Billy’s whole outfit… all of it contributed to a look that was cohesive but comfortable, very laidback but, if I may say so myself, quite mountain-chic.

I loved our first look moment. It was my favorite part of the day. Billy and I were both in tears at the sheer emotion of it: here we are, we’re about to get married, and god, do we love each other. With so much adrenaline, so many nerves running through my body, a quiet minute with him was life-saving.

I loved our ceremony. All four of our parents served as officiants, and each shared some words that were meaningful to them. There were tears, and laughs, and small children running everywhere, and it embodied everything that we hoped it would be: an affirmation of our love, our family and friends’ support, and the life we’ve chosen to create here in Colorado. There were no “should do” moments; every minute of it was meaningful. Our dog even behaved himself.

I loved our reception. The food was fabulous. The music was spot-on – I couldn’t stop dancing all night. But what made it so special and surreal was being surrounded by everyone we love. We had about 60 guests, and for us, it was perfect; we had time to really talk to everyone, ask about their time in CB, share stories and laugh and hug and dance. My dad almost strangled me with tear-soaked hugs during our father/daughter dance. Billy and his mom tore up the floor to Footloose. My niece and nephew took about 100 photos in the photo booth. Friends and family who had never met were mingling, chatting, bonding. It was an incredibly fun party, and the perfect celebration to cap off our day.

Amazingly, Alison was able to capture each and every moment that I’ve described. I can’t thank her enough for her help with planning everything, and most importantly, documenting it. Her photos aren’t only beautiful pictures, they will forever bring us back to that place, time and feeling. It was a fabulous day, and her work is a fabulous gift that we will appreciate forever."

Wow. Thanks Alena. I am humbled.

Stacia!

2011-07-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today is the first of I hope many guest blog posts. So here's what Stacia had to say about our photo shoot:

"Working with Alison was such a fun experience! I could not have asked for anything better! During the photo shoot, she made me feel very comfortable and let me do whatever I wanted, so that my personality could shine through in the pictures. I really appreciated that! We went to many different locations, such as in front of a wall covered in license plates, an old prison, and even a broken down barn. I had a blast at each one! When I first saw the pictures, I was amazed at how awesome they turned out. I asked for creative and artistic photos, and Alison did just that! She most definitely exceeded my expectations and went out of her way to make sure I was happy with my ending results, and I know she will do the same for each one of her clients. Most people might like 10 photos out of hundreds that a photographer takes during a shoot; this was not the case shooting with Alison, because I LOVED them all! I am so excited to get my prints and share them with family and friends! I have no regrets shooting with Alison and would do it again and again. I know that anyone that works with her will feel the exact same way! Whether it be senior portraits, family portraits or weddings, Alison is the one to choose! :)
Stacia"

Thanks Stacia!

Meredith and JB

2011-06-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to shoot Meredith and JB's wedding, but they ended up switching weekends because while she was busy having a baby someone took her date! AGH! So I was lucky enough to spend a Thursday evening with them taking engagement portraits. It is so nice to see a couple so absolutely, madly in love with each other. Congratulations you two, I hope your wedding was as beautiful as you.

Laura and Will

2011-06-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

Laura and Will had a teeny, tiny intimate wedding...eight people. The day they were married there were wildfires in the state and it made for some hazy skies. Kind of made it look ethereal and romantic. And Will turned out to be quite the jokester. Check out how he makes Laura laugh.

Thank you to those who made this a beautiful day to remember:

Planner: Anthony Perez with Crested Butte Specialty Services

Florist: Keli at Misty Mountain Too

Officiant: Kat Hassebroek

Violin: Lizzy Plotkin

Venue: The Mountain Wedding Garden

Mikella and Ryan

2011-04-29T21:06:00.001-07:00

Mikella and Ryan were the lucky couple who kicked off my 2011 wedding season. Their intimate affair was held slopeslide at Crested Butte Mountain Resort at Uleys cabin, and all of the guests arrived by sleigh ride. They married at sunset. It was beautiful! Click the slideshow to see more images from their evening.

Thanks to all the great vendors who made this a beautiful wedding:

Venue and Catering: Crested Butte Mountain Resort

Flowers: Misty Mountain Too

Cake: Erika White

Darian

2011-04-27T20:58:00.001-07:00

So despite what it looks like, this shoot was harder than it seemed- we had to reschedule like five times! In the end we still did it on a cold, windy, snowy, and manky day, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. Darian, I hope this helps you get wherever you need to be. And congratulations on heading to Montana- do you get to bring Jolie?

Did I mention that I also got a new camera? I am in love.

Matt and Marissa

2011-03-16T20:56:00.001-07:00

Here has ended my brief winter vacation, and I am back at it. Matt and Marissa wasted no time since they got engaged on Saturday and we had our little photo adventure on Monday. But they are in no rush to get married, they both have to finish school first. We navigated the alleys in town which were treacherous to say the least. This is one of the worst years for snow removal that I can remember, but maybe it's because we have SO much of it. And it gave Marissa an excuse to hold on tight to Matt with those heels. Those two sure do love to kiss, thank goodness!

Published in Rocky Mountain Bride Magazine

2011-02-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

Last spring I had the opportunity to shoot a spread for Rocky Mountain Bride Magazine. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work and really cool to see it all in print. I posted some other images that I liked that didn't make the spread as well.

It was a two day shoot, with two different themes. The first day the models were made up in a ton of makeup and crazy, over the top hair-do's. We took a snowcat up to Uley's cabin, because in May, there was still too much snow to drive up there. They did all bring their rubber boots, so they were prepared.

On the second day, we shot at a couple of really cute houses in town. The theme was that the models looked like dolls, so they did their hair and makeup as such and practiced a lot of stiff arms. These are the shots they used for the spread.

It was really interesting for me because this was the first time that it was my job to only execute a vision, not create one. I thought it was really cool, and I hope to have the opportunity to do it again sometime!

Right after I took the shot below, the model on the left leaned back, holding a small metal bar, which broke off and sent her tumbling. At least she was wearing boots and not heels, and she was ok!

Sofia

2011-01-30T20:39:00.001-08:00

My first shoot of the new year! What a sweet, sweet thing with her mama's eyes. When shooting I've found that every kid responds to something different, and Sofia was completely not interested in my squeaky, green, tongue-lashing lizard (which admittedly does the trick for kids a little older). Her thing? She loved when I stuck my tongue out at her. She imitated me and giggled! Happy first birthday Sofie!

The Birnies

2010-12-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

So this was just about the most photogenic family I have ever shot. Wow. I hope the pictures speak for themselves. Happy New Year!

Brooks

2010-12-28T20:40:00.001-08:00

Little Brooks was really having a day of it. Wouldn't be put down outside. Wouldn't be picked up inside. Luckily he had a shovel. Crested Butte kids love to shovel. Pretty much every one I ever met. My kid even likes to rake the snow. Hey, whatever works :)

The Renicks

2010-12-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

I never get tired of shooting in the alleys in town. I love the barn wood...the older the better. These guys wrapped up my Christmas rush on a day that felt quite springy, really. Happy holidays, may your season be peaceful and bright :)

Lucy and Ruby

2010-12-08T20:35:00.001-08:00

This first shot is my favorite.

Floyd!

2010-12-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

Crested Butte kids love winter! At one point when Floyd toppled face first into the snow, it didn't even phase him. And all he wanted to do was shovel snow. Seriously, that kid knows what he's doing. And he never got cold. Wait till he gets skis on. Floyd is tough. Love that kid :).

Zoe and Keeley

2010-12-02T21:14:00.001-08:00

So we had to postpone this shoot because the weather was so terrible. It was a complete white out! So when we rescheduled, we were pleased that it was just snowing lightly. Two super cute sisters who are going to surprise their Dad for Christmas!

Heather and Chris

2010-11-21T20:12:00.001-08:00

So this was my third of three shoots in Denver and it was super fun. Heather and Chris are my neighbors in Crested Butte, but they were in Denver that weekend staying at the Brown Palace so we hung out around there. Please, please can we do this again?

After the shoot I collected the moms from the previous two shoots and we all met up for sushi.

And bowling. And you know I what found out?

I kick ass at bowling.

The Clarks

2010-11-18T13:34:00.001-08:00

My second of a three-fer last weekend and it was fun to see little Will and Nathan. Will is totally the big brother and Nathan, being the one who frequently gets pounded, has quite the quick recovery time. Being knocked over by Will or either of the dogs didn't really phase him. Gotta love that.

The Burrowes

2010-11-16T10:50:00.001-08:00

I did something a little differently and went to Denver for the weekend and did some shooting there. DENVER PEEPS: I will do this again since it was awesome! So if you are interested, let me know and I will find the time to come!

What to say about these guys? Beautiful, happy, smiling faces, dear old friends, ski buddies, partners in crime for me, Tim and Oliver (watch out when Ella and Oliver are older!).

It's fun to shoot people you know well. I don't have to wonder if I got the right expressions on those mugs- I know!

Janet and Rob

2010-10-27T20:19:00.001-07:00

To end my whirlwind wedding season, I left Crested Butte and headed to New York. Tim and I spent the day shooting the wedding of a friend that I met at freshman orientation in college. It's been a while since then, but Janet and I have remained close even though we haven't lived in the same time zone in a LONG time. This was the first time I got to meet her husband Rob, who is adorable by the way. This wedding was really different than many of my Crested Butte weddings, one thing that stands out was that some of the guests were awesome dancers! That Latin blood....

Janet and Rob, congratulations! I wish you the best for many, many, many years.

To check out the slideshow, click here

Kelly and Steve

2010-10-04T21:30:00.001-07:00

So Steve says to me about a week before the wedding, "We're big animal people, and we'd love to have some shots with 'road' cows." Um, ok, I thought, and spent a beautiful day on my bike scouting to find cows that were nearby and accessible, and preferably roaming freely in the road.

Luckily, so did Kelly and Steve and they found some that were out on the Slate. So they actually moved the ceremony time a little earlier just to make sure that we had time to find those cows.

We also found horses and elk, so hopefully they were in Big Animal heaven!

When we got back to the reception, Steve had a little souvenir on his shoe to show off our success!

Here's the link to their slideshow!

Thanks to all who helped make for a perfect event!

Ceremony: The Woods Walk

Reception: Timberline

Officiant: Tim Clark

Flowers: Rocky Mountain Rose

Music: Tyler Hansen

Cake: Julia Fitting

Chairs: Crested Butte Rental Center

Hannah

2010-10-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

To put things in perspective, Hannah was born the year I moved to Crested Butte. Then I got to know her a little bit when she was seven (or eight or nine?) when she would come on the Kid's Pro Fun Tour. She was an awesome climber and pretty much the only kid who liked to hike- ever. Now she's a senior. And wants to go to Dartmouth. Or Middlebury. Or DU. And ski- nordic. Hannah, I was impressed with you then, and I am now. Best of luck, you are an amazing young woman.

The Sawyers

2010-09-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

So we weren't even going to do this shoot until tomorrow, but then the weather called for rain so we jumped on it. Good thing too, because we got the best of the fall colors! September in Crested Butte...there's nothing like it.

And it's too bad the kids were having a lousy time. No smiles or anything ;)

Laura and Jordan

2010-09-15T20:46:00.001-07:00

Things are slowing down here in Crested Butte, and the leaves are beginning to change. I'm getting close to finishing up wedding season 2010 and what a whirlwind it has been. Full of fun, beauty, rain, sun, surprise and joy.

I spent September 4th with Laura and Jordan, who had pretty much a perfect wedding. Laura spent an incredible amount of time working on the details of her day. My favorite one? Their initials carved in a heart in the bark of an Aspen tree vase. Beautiful, thoughtful, and elegant. Also something worth noting was the speech that Jordan's best man gave. His start to the speech, "Fornication......Foranoccasion like this....!" Then he surprised all of the guests by hiding a photo of Jordan in drag under every chair. Hilarious! He made a pretty, though rather large lady!

Here's the slideshow!

Again, thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this event amazing:

Event planning: Rachael Gardner at Crested Butte Events

Flowers: Keli at Misty Mountain Too

Music: Angie with High Mountain DJ's

Catering and Venue: The Club at Crested Butte

Cake: Connie Guerreri at Lazy F Bar Ranch

Guitar: Tyler Hansen hansen_tyler@yahoo.com

Hair: The Cut Above

Erica and Justin

2010-09-03T20:33:00.001-07:00

This was one totally exceptional wedding! The ceremony was held at Crested Butte Mountain Resort at the top of the Red lady Express chairlift, and the reception was tented outside the newly remodeled Uleys cabin. The weather was perfect, the guests were happy, and there was such attention to detail that I was in H-E-A-V-E-N. Erica chose unusual colors that were fresh and totally worked. Her bridesmaids wore cobalt blue dresses with yellow (really yellow) shoes and the guys wore yellow shirts and blue ties. Erica and Justin added turquoise to the mix and the handmade prayer flags they made tied everything together. The flags adorned the ceremony site with wishes from the guests running up the sides, and their vows were written on the flags above their heads. The ring pillow had prayer flags as well as the table settings at the reception.

Clearly these guys know how to have a good time, since they danced so much, the floor literally came apart. A really, really fun time. Justin and Erica, you guys are awesome!

Check out the slideshow here

Thanks to Crested Butte Mountain Resort and all the vendors who helped create this amazing event:

Karen Fowler and CBMR

Tyler Hansen on guitar (hansen_tyler@yahoo.com)

LLL and High Mountain DJs

Cake: Julia Fitting

Flowers: Butte Botanica

Magda and Paul

2010-08-27T19:30:00.003-07:00

It's always fun to do a local wedding. Magda and Paul threw in a neat twist as well. It was sort of a progressive wedding, where the ceremony was in one place (the Woods Walk), the cocktail hour another (a private home), and then the reception was at a restaurant (Maxwells). During the cocktail hour, Magda joined a few women that are part of an African dance troupe that she is involved with and performed a dance for everyone. It was incredible!

Click here to see the slideshow with more fun stuff!

2010-08-27T19:30:00.001-07:00

Rachel and Jason

2010-08-20T18:32:00.001-07:00

Rachel and Jason really lucked out with the weather. This has been a really rainy August and we had tentative plans to shoot early to avoid the rain. Luckily we didn't have to and everything went off without a hitch. And we had a lot of laughs because we found out early on that Rachel is a blinker! Thank goodness for digital!

Here's the slideshow

Thanks to everyone who put on a flawless event:

Event planning: Rachael Gardner at Crested Butte Events

Flowers: Keli at Misty Mountain Too

Music: Laura with High Mountain DJ's

Catering and Venue: The Club at Crested Butte

Cake: Erica White

Guitar: Tyler Hansen hansen_tyler@yahoo.com

Officiant: Tim Clark

Hair: The Cut Above

Stacy and Jason

2010-08-10T18:57:00.001-07:00

So I just have to say that I love Lake City. It's just far enough away that I know I am not at home. This is the second time I've had the honor of shooting a wedding here, and I just can't wait to come back again. This wedding was filled with so many details, I don't know where to start. From the chandelier hanging in the tree (which was echoed in the programs) to the gorgeous blue and white fabric with a yellow accent to the vintage windows which had table places to the cookies and milk....and on and on. Stacy and Jason were an absolute pleasure, they were so happy and calm. Everyone had a great time, as you can see from the guest who went all out for YMCA. Yeah!

Check out more in the slideshow!

Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen:

Event planning: Rachael Gardner at Crested Butte Events

Flowers: Keli at Misty Mountain Too

Music: Angie Hornbrook with High Mountain DJ's

Catering: Fete Events

Cake: Erica White

Tent: Crested Butte Tent and Party Rental

Gus and Jake

2010-08-05T17:35:00.001-07:00

I got rained out again last night, monsoon season isn't kidding around this summer, so we shot this morning instead. Still mostly cloudy, and totally awesome light. These guys were awesome to shoot- oh to be a kid!

Katie and Brian

2010-08-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

The first thing I will remember about this wedding is how HOT it was. Crested Butte had a warning that we were going to hit record temps, somewhere in the high 80's. Didn't hit a high, but we were close.

The second thing I will remember is how beautiful a day it was. The sun was shining, the details of the wedding impeccable and the bride and groom were happy, content, and totally in love.

Here's the link to their slideshow

Thanks to everyone who made this such a memorable event:

Coordinator: Stephanie Prater

Flowers: Lisa Blunck

Catering: Arrangements and Events

DJ: High Mountain DJs

Guitar: Tyler Hansen (hansen_tyler@yahoo.com)

Tent: Crested Butte Rental Center

Video: Scott Brickert

Transportation: Alpine Express

Cake: Connie Guerrerri

Cash

2010-08-03T09:31:00.001-07:00

Summer here is rolling on. Here's Cash, so cute and curious.

Kendall

2010-08-02T12:51:00.001-07:00

So this was my first shoot ever to get rained out and shot again. Kendall was great and it was fun getting to know her. And luckily she had the time to meet me twice. There are so many good images, and I only posted a few, so to see more, check out the whole slideshow. You'll be glad you did.

Curious Horses

2010-07-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

A fun family who are visiting family this summer, and a couple of curious horses who wanted to get in the photos as well!

Ashlee and Shannon

2010-07-21T09:42:00.001-07:00

Ashlee and Shannon sure like to mix things up a little bit, and fun was most certainly a top priority. I thought for sure we'd be totally socked in for the ceremony, since it was raining pretty steadily. But like a curtain it cleared and left us with blue bird skies, just as if Ashlee ordered it!

Then before we went to the reception we hit downtown with the entire bridal party in tow. A few shots at the local bars, and then ice cream cones and bikes...so fun!

Here's the slideshow

Thanks to everyone who pulled off such a great event:

Officiant: Mark Ewing

Transportation: Alpine Express

Flowers, cake and venue: Lazy F Bar Ranch

Music: High Mountain DJ's

Bride's hair: The Cut Above

Groom's hair: Gillette

Tents: Crested Butte Rental Center

Sarah and John

2010-07-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

So this was a lovely little wedding with just the immediate family. The reception was held at the fantastic Crested Butte Retreat, where they have this wonderfully enormous dining table, big enough for all of the guests. And it was sunny just long enough for them to marry outdoors at the Wedding Garden.

Here's the slideshow

Thanks to the vendors:

Venue and accommodations: The Crested Butte Retreat

Event planning: Anthony Perez

Flowers: Misty Mountain Too

Catering : Marchitelli's

Hair: The Cut Above

Amy and Travis

2010-07-11T21:15:00.001-07:00

For fear of sounding like Abby on Style Me Pretty, I'm pretty gushy about this one. I've been excited all week to post this, but I had a few more weddings to shoot. For one, I couldn't get over the lupine on Snodgrass. I have never seen such a brilliant display there before! And two, Amy and Travis were up for anything, so we had a lot of fun. I love the yard games shots. But not as much as I love the shot of Eli, the dog.

Click here to see more goodness from the wedding

Thanks to all who made this wedding beautiful and memorable:

Flowers: Misty Mountain Too

Officiant: Kat Hassebroek (kat@peakcb.com)

Food: Maxwell's

The Cummings and Murchisons

2010-07-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

First of all, summer in Crested Butte rocks! This is the weather we get...pretty much every day. Though it is true that we wait ten months for two months of this. It's worth it!

Second of all, last week I had a unique opportunity to spend some time with two families, twice. Thursday we shot casual family portraits, and I got to know everyone (and could have eaten up the two little girls, they were so cute) and on Friday, I had the opportunity to shoot a wedding which merged the two families.

So it was a little rainy on the wedding day. Just wait till you see what I got! Stay tuned...

Amy and Vincent

2010-07-01T21:46:00.001-07:00

These two were married on one of the most blue bird days I have ever seen. They also did things a little bit differently than usual- they married themselves. While I was at first skeptical that it would be lacking in the energy of the moment, I was proven wrong, as there was not a dry eye in the crowd. They also honored Amy's parents at the reception. Since they never had a first dance at their own wedding, they queued in right after Amy danced with her father. A real DIY wedding that went really, really well.

Here's the slideshow

Thanks to CBMR for the venue and Keli at Misty Mountain for the flowers- gorgeous, as always

Sarah and Adam

2010-06-29T19:14:00.001-07:00

Sarah and Adam's wedding day has a special place in my heart, since we now share an anniversary-a decade apart. And we were married on the same trail, about 2 miles apart! It was a beautiful, perfect day up on the Woods Walk followed by an intimate reception at the Timberline. It was my first official wedding of the season and a great one to kick it off with. Congratulations, you two!

Here's the slideshow for more goodies.

Here's every who make this wedding perfect in every way

Coordination: Rachael Gardner at Crested Butte Events

Food/ Reception: Timberline Restaurant

Flowers: Keli at Misty Mountain Floral

The Greenes

2010-06-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

These guys were a lot of fun and we had fantastic evening light. And the bugs only came out just at the very end of the shoot. There was a little rain earlier in the evening, but it cleared off, as it often does, and left us with some really fresh greens. The rain makes the client nervous, but always excites me :)

Lisa and Bill

2010-06-16T10:43:00.001-07:00

After a few rainy days, the clouds blew out in time for Lisa and Bill to get married, and the rain left us with some lush greens and some ridiculously gorgeous lupine. Thanks to Anthony with CB Specialty Services and Keli at Misty Mountain Too for making the day perfect and beautiful.

Click here for the link to their slideshow

Bella

2010-06-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here's my last post until the 2010 wedding season officially starts, on Monday. Little Arabella- look at the look she's giving her father...Here comes trouble! What a sweet, sweet, smiling baby.

The Bogarts

2010-06-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

This was right when spring had just sprung. After two glorious weeks of unseasonably warm, summer-like weather (Definitely NOT complaining) we are expecting snow tomorrow night. Ahhh, life in the mountains.

So little Brewer, along with his parents and grandparents were really fun to shoot, and I can't stress enough how having a rug rat of my own has helped me relate to these little people. And the dogs! They were just having fun!

Taylor, Anya and Elsa

2010-06-11T11:01:00.001-07:00

How's that for a new look? Thought I'd change it up a little as I'm gearing up for a very busy summer.

These are three sisters who are beautiful and adorable. Who doesn't want to be like her big sister?

Finley and her brothers

2010-06-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Finley was just 5 days old when I got to shoot her. What a sweet treat for her parents who already have two boys!

Anika and Tobin

2010-06-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since I've posted. I'm trying to change things up a little and I've been busy AND I've been trying not to be too busy because I'm about to get REALLY busy. But there have been a bunch of exciting things happening in the world of Alison White Photography lately. In addition to a whole bunch of little loves that I got to hang with in May (which I will continue to post over the next week) I got to do a really fun shoot for Rocky Mountain Bride Magazine. I can't post any of the photos yet, but I will be able to soon!

And my blog may or may not be changing soon. I suppose you'll know if it does ;)

The McMillans

2010-04-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

I love when I have the opportunity to photograph friends. I already know them and I can just enjoy spending time with them. Just wish I got to see them more.

Vanessa and Josh

2010-03-24T20:07:00.001-07:00

Wow! I love these two! They drove all the way from Illinois (and went the long way) just to elope here in Crested Butte. I hope they think it was worth it! They were so stinking cute.

Florida!

2010-03-19T20:37:00.001-07:00

Last week we went to visit my Bubie who is 96 and still lives alone. She's unbelievably strong and still swims every day that it is warm enough. She has a wonderful outlook on life and is getting very forgetful. She tells me how happy she is at least 2 or 3 times an hour. Then again, who wouldn't be, this is her front yard!
She told me she's doing so well that really, she's just beginning to notice a few wrinkles, but really, not too many. Then she told me her secret to such fine skin...but I won't tell you (it's a secret)! Perhaps wintering in Florida for 60+ years has a magical effect?

The way my family has allowed her to manage alone is by selling her car (so she won't drive anywhere) and hiring an aid to come every day to help her with anything she needs, drive her on errands, and make sure she's still around every day.
Bubie adores her, which helps us feel better about her situation. Citane is Haitian and her father, who is blind, and her two brothers are still in Haiti. They survived the earthquake without injury, but lost everything except what they were wearing. Citane said that if I could send her some things she would forward them along to her family.
So I am collecting locally to ship a box to her, and if you want to help elsewhere, I'd be happy to pass along her address. It's nice to be able to see who you are actually helping! She says they need everything from clothes of all sizes (including warm ones as many people are still sleeping outside) to sheets, towels, diapers, shoes and food. Dry goods, but not any canned food.

So do a little spring cleaning in your closets and feel good about helping! Thank you!

And on to more stuff...
I've found that I am a terrible wildlife photographer. This seagull had a bum leg and didn't move very fast.

Oliver had fun on the beach, even though it was chilly. Sand is sand, and sand is fun!
This is a tradition of Bubie's that has happened since I was Oliver's age (or younger). Every afternoon at 4 we sit on the terrace and have happy hour. She drinks scotch and water and always offers a selection of snacks (she never drinks without eating something!). Usually she serves hummus and pita, crackers and mock liver (which is WAY tastier than real liver, trust me), and chips and salsa. These days I also get to hear how happy she is about four or five times while we are sitting there as well as the story of how happy hour started, two or three times (not that interesting of a story).
Oliver doesn't seem to mind the repetition
It wouldn't be a visit to Bubie's if we didn't sit by the pool.
We had one day warm enough to swim in the ocean. I'll take what I can get!

How photographers have fun

2010-02-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

So when you have a kid who doesn't like to play dress up, you have to catch him when he doesn't realize it. Except for lately I have been painting his face (and freshening it up every few hours) to look like a bunny, and writing "Kid Bunny" across his forehead so nobody confuses him with a cat. Today after lunch he said to me, "everyone likes my face paint, that's because it's my style."

I know this won't last forever, but I think it is hilarious for now. We took these shots on Sunday, after a really fun family ski day. He hated the beret, by the way.

See...this is a GREAT place to get married!

2010-02-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

The 7 Most Romantic Places in the Country

by Cosmopolitan.com, on Tue Feb 2, 2010 9:52am PST

Cosmo readers to voted for the most passionate places in the U.S. Check out the top lovebird locations from coast to coast!

#5 The Rockies

For outdoorsy couples, the Rocky Mountains are the place to go for skiing, snowboarding, private sleigh rides, and hiking. Plus, what's better than relaxing with your guy in front of a fire or in a hot tub with a view of snowy peaks? During the week of Valentine's Day, Crested Butte hosts the Romance in the Rockiesfestival, which features romantic hotel packages, couples massages, and sweetheart dances. Suggest one of these guy-friendly dates and he’ll remember V-Day forever.

Winner!

2010-01-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

I am proud to announce that Alison White Photography has been rated by local brides and voted THE KNOT BEST OF WEDDINGS 2010 Pick.

Yahoo!

"The Knot Best of Weddings 2010 provides a "by brides, for brides" guide to the top wedding professionals across the country and is a must-have when it comes to selecting the BEST-OF-THE-BEST wedding resources. From New York florists and Seattle bridal salons to DC makeup artists, engaged couples will find detailed feedback on local wedding businesses reviewed by thousands of newlyweds who had great things to say."