I had a booth at the Rocky Mountain Bridal Show event at the Double Tree in Thornton this past weekend. It was great to talk to a bunch of prospective brides and learn about their weddings. I’m glad to see people back in the marrying spirit! COVID was such a shock to the system. It was a little tough fighting the wind outdoors but the weather for the most part was great. I hope to attend more shows in the near future.
I thought it might be a fun way to finish off 2020 by posting a best of my wedding and engagement photography for the year. Admittedly 2020 was a tough year with the spread of COVID-19 and cancellation of scores of weddings and events, but I put the extra time to good use and learned several new techniques. I am particularly intrigued by the high key lighting used for the bouquet and bridal flowers. I hope 2021 is a great year for weddings and events.
Remember although I am located in Broomfield, I will travel across the state of Colorado for your wedding! If you questions about my packages and availability, please call Derek Regensburger at 303 478 7586 to inquire more about my services.
I had the pleasure of photographing an engagement session for Caitlin and Zach at Eldorado Canyon State Park this week. They are a fun couple to work with and I always enjoy meeting another social studies teacher. Go Caitlin!
Caitlin and Zach are getting married next summer at the Elizabeth Hotel in Old Town Fort Collins. They have a great story to tell. Like many couples, they met in 2013 through mutual friends. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that they officially started dating after Zach asked her to be his date to his brother’s wedding. Since then, they have been inseparable, traveling to Europe to see Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Croatia, Greece and Germany.
After four years of dating, Zach proposed on their 4th anniversary. After a night out for dinner and drinks, Caitlin walked in the house to discover rose petals and candles everywhere. That’s when Zach got down on one knee and asked her to marry him! According to Caitlin, it was the easiest question she’s ever been asked!
When not working or traveling, Caitlin and Zach are both fitness nuts. They’ve done 2 half ironmans together, as well as many other triathlons, tough mudders, 10ks and 5ks.
Their wedding will take place on June 26, 2021 in Fort Collins, CO. Since they are both CSU grads, it seemed the perfect choice. Family will play a big role in their wedding as Caitlin’s brother will officiate and Zach’s brother will be his best man. Best wishes to a fun couple that was a lot of fun to work with. Â
The wedding bouquet is a beautiful yet utilitarian part of the wedding entourage. It is a useful prop that gets abused more than it probably should. The bouquet gets handed off innumerable times during a wedding and finally gets thrown into a crowd for one of the bridesmaids to try and snag.
Despite all that abuse, I think the wedding bouquet is one of the most beautiful aspects of the wedding day. To properly capture its glory, I came up with the idea of taking a high key portrait of it to preserve its beauty before it gets tossed around too much. A high key portrait means that the light is set to overexpose the scene. The idea is to get the background to blow out or clip. For best results, a white background should be chosen for this type of portraiture. In human portraiture, a white scrim or backdrop cloth can be used but on location at a wedding, a white linen tablecloth or other translucent white fabric will work perfectly. The sun or other bright light light source like a flash or strobe should be set behind the bouquet to back light the flowers. Take a series of exposures starting at an even exposure and then progressively increase the exposure until the detail in the flowers start to white out or blow out. The last step is assembling the final product in Photoshop. Some layer blending is required to balance background and the detail in the flowers. The final product should look something like this:
Since we are under a stay-at-home order due to COVID-19, I had to improvise my set up a little for this shot. I made my own wedding bouquet from flowers I purchased at the grocery store and a ribbon we had lying around the house (don’t make fun of my lack of floral arranging skills too much). I used a white sheet as my backdrop, and I posed the bouquet on a table in from of my glass screen door. The sun is a great diffuse light source as it comes in through the sheet.
I recently photographed a wedding styled shoot at The Chateaux at Fox Meadows in Broomfield, CO. A styled shoot is a photography session using models rather than real couples. It’s a great opportunity for a photographer to try new techniques and get to work with professional models. A big thank you goes to the Chateaux at Fox Meadows for hosting the event and Dani West Bridal in Erie for lending the wedding gown. Another big thank you goes to Caitlin Quisenberry of Nxt Model and Clay Lucas at Barbizon Modeling College in Denver. They did a fantastic job and made my job a lot easier. Finally, Williams Jewelers in Cherry Creek provided sample rings, and Lafayette Florist was able to provide a beautiful bouquet.
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
Wedding Styled Shoot, The Chateaux at Fox Meadows, Broomfield, CO
I chose to photograph the session at the Chateaux because of the interesting architecture of the venue and the number of cool spaces to photograph in. What wedding photographer can resist a giant spiral staircase and large colonnades? I like to add elements of fashion photography to my portraits and this is the perfect venue to complement my style of photography. I love showing off the architecture to help tell the story of the wedding.
The Chateaux features a number of cool locations to photograph, including the bridal suite complete with mirror and clocks, three balconies, an outdoor courtyard, and the aforementioned grand staircase.
For the shoot, I used a Sony a7r mkiv camera coupled with an 85mm f 1.4 Sony lens. I also used two Bowens XMT 500 strobes with shoot through umbrella and a strip box.
If you are in need of a wedding photographer in Colorado, contact me at 3030 478 7586.
I shot Tasha and Kyel’s wedding last weekend at the Tapestry House near Fort Collins, CO. This was my first time shooting here and I really liked the venue. The grounds include a beautifully restored Victorian home, a barn (converted into the office), an outdoor gazebo for wedding ceremonies, and a reception hall. I can only imagine how pretty this place is in the spring and summer months with blooming flowers. Tasha and Kyel made a great couple and the guests were having a lot of fun which always makes for great candid photography. I can’t wait to go back here for another wedding.
Choosing the right florist for a wedding can be a challenge, especially if you have a limited budget. Â Spending thousands of dollars on something that undeniably adds beauty and elegance to the wedding but will die soon after can make many brides pause. Â One local artist is adding a unique touch to the concept of wedding floral design. Â Felicity Day at Lissy Allyse Designs makes paper wedding flowers out of recyclable materials. Â Her bouquets look realistic but are archival and can be preserved for a lifetime.
Felicity got the idea for her business when she was a bride on a budget herself. Â Having previously dabbled with dyeing coffee filters, she decided to put her creativity to good use and make her own paper wedding flowers. Currently, she is the only person doing realistic paper wedding flowers in Colorado.
There are many benefits to paper flowers. Â The arrangements are typically cheaper than artificial flowers but look more realistic than traditional paper flowers. Â They also add a unique touch to a wedding and can be kept as a keepsake afterwards.
Other than the greenery in the arrangements (preserved plants are used for this), everything is made by hand. Â Flowers are made out of many different materials including coffee filters, fabric, and even metal. Â Arrangements are easy to customize, especially since it is easy to produce almost any color you can imagine. Â Felicity notes that the process for making paper flowers is time intensive. Â Each flower takes about five minutes to make and an entire bouquet takes about 2.5 hours to complete.
An average bouquet costs around $140 and flowers for most weddings average between $1700 and $2000, including centerpieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, and pew flowers. Â Felicity prepares flowers for other occasions as well, including anniversaries and parties.
Felicity also designs invitations and other paper products for weddings. Â They are also handmade and custom printed. Â She refers to them as “little mini scrapbooks on a piece of paper.”
Lissy Allyse Designs is located in Littleton, CO. Â Felicity has done floral arrangements for weddings nationwide, including two in Texas last year.
Derek Regensburger is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Thornton, CO. Â He specializes in fun and fashionable wedding photography. Â Call (303) 478-7586 to schedule a consultation today.
Flowers are a key component of any wedding.  They play many important roles–they set the ambiance for the wedding and help add a romantic feel to the event.  They are also a critical element of wedding photography, serving as a ubiquitous prop in almost any good wedding photograph.  Done right, they pull together the theme of the wedding by complementing the color scheme  and conveying the appropriate tone.   If done poorly, however, they can detract from the bride’s vision.  Some colors don’t work well together.  Rustic flower arrangements and earth tone colors don’t usually work in a formal setting and vice versa.  As brides are picking bolder and bolder colors for weddings, it creates challenges for florists to select flowers that work well with those visions.
As a result, looking for a good wedding florist can be a challenge. Â Pairing the bride’s vision of the style and colors of the floral arrangements with the florist’s choice of flowers and artistic vision isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Â Simply running to your local florist with a printout from Pinterest of how you want your flowers to look isn’t always the right approach. Â While that can be a great starting point, it’s a bit like going to a painter with a printout of the Mona Lisa and telling him or her to paint you just like that. Â Florists are artists, too, and are going to want to add their own artistic vision and experience into the equation. Â So matching the two visions of the bride and the florist is a critical piece of the puzzle. Â Budgetary constraints often play a role as well. Â A bride may want hundreds of flowers for the wedding but only be willing to budget so much. Â Compromises will have to be made. Â Some brides have even gone the do-it-yourself route. Â But realize that it takes lots of time to prepare bouquets and centerpieces and it can still cost several hundreds of dollars just for cut flowers and supplies. Not to mention the additional stress the day before the wedding.
So for those brides looking for professionals to do a great job at a reasonable cost, I’m profiling two of the best Denver wedding florists in the metro area–Cherry Blossoms florists in Westminster and Flowers Elite based in Firestone.
Cherrie Silverman owns Cherry Blossoms florist in Westminster, CO. Â She has been in business for 33 years. Â Â In addition to the main store front in Westminster, Cherry Blossoms also opened up a new gift shop inside the St. Anthony’s North health campus at 144th and I-25. Â Cherry Blossoms was tabbed the Best of Westminster for 2015. Â Cherrie has been certified by the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) since 2000. Â She has even worked on many of the floats for the Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA.
Cherrie loves doing weddings and has done the flowers for 50-70 weddings the last two years.  She embraces the challenge of combining her artistic license with matching flower bouquets to the wedding colors.  Cherrie feels that the quality and uniqueness of her floral arrangements set her apart from other florists.  She visits her suppliers in central and South America to ensure that the best quality and freshest flowers are delivered to the bride.  Cherrie believes her secret to success is the fact that she is transparent about her pricing and that she is very up front with people.  She provides a tool on her website that allows brides to easily determine what package will fit within their budget.  Her website also features countless photos of her work so that prospective clients can get a sense of her work before sitting down to meet with her.
Kathy Shepherd owns Flowers Elite in Firestone, CO, which has been in business for 13 years, but between her designer and herself, they have over 50 years of experience in the florist business. Â Flowers Elite has developed an outstanding reputation in the north Denver metro area for exceeding expectations of brides and keeping prices affordable.
Flowers Elite specializes in wedding floral arrangements and does only weddings, sympathy flowers, or other special occasions. Kathy believes that her focus on quality, including the time and attention she puts into each wedding, has helped establish her reputation. Â Flowers Elite provides a full-service experience on the wedding day from pinning corsages and boutonnieres to set up of the wedding venue.
Kathy orders flowers for each individual bride so the bouquets look unique and are at their freshest. She also creates many combo arrangements which can double as ceremony flowers and be reused as centerpieces.
Kathy has seen many trends over her time as a florist. Â Purples, lime green, and other vibrant colors are hot right now so finding the right flowers in those colors can be tricky. Â Another trend that Kathy has seen in recent years is brides incorporating special objects or momentos like lockets or brooches in their bouquets. Â But it’s all part of the fun for Kathy. Â She loves the challenge of finding the right flowers and creating the perfect arrangements for each bride.
Derek Regensburger is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Thornton, CO. Â If you are looking for fun and fashionable wedding photography in the Denver area, call Regensburger Photography today at 303-478-7586 to set up a consultation.
Boulder County offers a number of wedding venues ranging from historic hotels to outdoor wedding and reception sites. Â This article explores some of Boulder’s premier wedding venues and gives you insights into what makes each unique.
The Hotel Boulderado is a historic hotel built in 1909.  Located at 2115 13th Street, it borders the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder.  The interior of the Boulderado is dominated by an ornate, wooden staircase. Countless period antiques dating from the early 1900s adorn the interior as well.  Even the room decor is reminiscent of the early twentieth century.  It contains 160 guest rooms and suites and three bars and two restaurants. The hotel emphasizes its top notch food and high-quality service to engaged couples.  But perhaps its biggest selling point is its sense of history. The hotel notes it is a place where couples can keep coming back to and become part of its history.
Couples getting married in the hotel have two choices–the main mezzanine level of the hotel or the attached Event Center. Â The mezzanine seats guests all around the central staircase. Â Couples can choose to be married on the landing of the staircase with guests gazing down from above. Â The mezzanine level is situated above the lobby and below the stained glass ceiling. Â While the mezzanine holds 120-150 guests depending on the configuration, couples looking for a larger space can opt for the Event Center which encompasses the grand ballroom and patio. Â This space can accommodate up to 240 seated guests. Couple can hire vendors of their choice except must utilize the hotel catering.
If you’re looking to do an outdoor wedding in Boulder County, complete with an elegant ballroom, then Lionscrest Manor is a great choice. Â It is one of the premier destination sites in Colorado. Â Dramatic views of Longs and Meeker Peaks and the red rocks of Lyons can be had from the grounds of the Victorian manor house. The manor house itself is elegant and airy inside. The grand ballroom provides panoramic views of the mountains to the north and west.
One of the highlights of getting married at Lionscrest is the expansive grounds. Â Fifty acres of land surround the manor. Â Photographs can be taken in a seemingly limitless number of places, many providing panoramic views of the mountains. Â For those looking for a more rustic feeling, an old barn and a classic truck adorn the grounds.
Ceremonies are usually held outdoors on the lawn or balcony, but there is enough space inside to hold an indoor ceremony in the event of inclement weather. Â The lawn site is a favorite with Steamboat Mountain providing a dramatic backdrop. Â Both the ballroom and lawn can accommodate up to 250 guests. Â The interior of the ballroom can be configured with multiple different lighting and decor options to customize your wedding.
Lionscrest offers a wide variety of packages and options to prospective couples, including an all-inclusive vendor package.  Lionscrest has been family owned and operated since opening its doors in 1994.  The staff prides itself on providing personalized service. It holds only one event at a time and has a 2-event maximum for the day (one during the day, one at night). It is located at 603 Indian Lookout Road just outside the town of Lyons.
Getting married inside of an art gallery is many couples’ dream wedding. Â The Rembrandt Yard tries to make that dream become reality, combining a cutting edge art gallery with a window-filled gallery overlooking downtown Boulder. Open Arts curates the gallery with exhibits changing every 3-6 months.
The gallery has two separate floors–one or both may be rented out for a wedding ceremony and/or reception. Â Artwork is tastefully hung on both floors. Â The third floor has a large main space plus a smaller, more intimate room complete with piano. Â The third floor gallery has space for 220 seated guests and the main level can accommodate up to 120. Â Â Along with the artwork, the gallery has a flower wall which can be rented as a backdrop for photographs or as decoration. Â The manager encourages you to also bring in your own masterpiece to customize the space for your wedding or event.
Outside vendors are welcome and Rembrandt Yard has full catering equipment for them to utilize. Â An in-house stereo system and projection system is included in any event rental.
Rembrandt Yard has been open as a gallery for 12 years and is in the 10th year of hosting events. Located across the street from the Hotel Boulderado, Rembrandt Yard is conveniently located on the corner of 13th and Spruce, a block from the Pearl Street Mall.
For those couples looking to be married in a posh, luxury hotel, the St Julien is one of Boulder’s most elegant choices. Â It bills itself as Boulder’s only high-end hotel. Â In addition to its spacious ballroom which can accommodate up to 220 guests, the St. Julien has an outdoor courtyard where both the ceremony and reception can be held. Â Its centerpiece gazebo has a commanding view of the Flatirons from downtown Boulder.
The St. Julien contains 201 rooms, including 12 suites. Â It also boasts a 10,000 sq. foot spa complete with 12 treatment rooms. Â The hotel has won multiple Best of Boulder awards, including best hotel and day spa.
The hotel staff emphasizes customer service. Â To that end, couples getting married here must have a wedding coordinator. Â Couples may choose any vendor they like, but must use the hotel’s catering service. Â All wedding packages come with complimentary cake cutting and dance floor set-up.
The Wedgewood is one of Boulder’s newest wedding venues. Â Located on the site of the old Red Lion Inn, the Wedgewood has become one of the hottest venues in Boulder, offering a stunning scenic backdrop for a wedding or special occasion. Â The venue is situated on the banks of Boulder Creek about 3 miles from downtown Boulder. Â From the large, spacious deck, one can get a panoramic view of Boulder Canyon and the surrounding mountain landscape. Â A path leads along the creek, providing for any number of photo opportunities.
The Wedgewood staff emphasizes value, service, and convenience to prospective wedding couples. Â It prides itself on stress-free planning and site attracts a number of out-of-state brides for this reason. Â Indoor or outdoor ceremony and reception packages are available. Â The facility uses a large tent to house outdoor gatherings that can accommodate up to 250 guests during peak months or the indoor ballroom can hold up to 110 guests. Â A ceremony of up to 60 guests can even be conducted along the creek. Â The facility also features both a spacious bridal and groom’s suite.
All inclusive packages are available or couples can select their own vendors (Wedgewood catering and liquor are still required).
Photographing engagement sessions can become monotonous if you don’t get creative. Â I decided to do a 1940s themed, engagement portrait session with models. Â I love the era of the 1940s from the clothes to the movies to the music. Â I wanted to produce 1940s style engagement photos that would bring out the mood and flair of the era. Â I purchased zoot suits (yes, they are still made) and some vintage dresses for the session. Â I also borrowed some period jewelry. Â This project gave me the opportunity to explore some different lighting and posing techniques as well as using the bold colors of the clothing to make a statement with the portraits.
I collaborated with two local wedding venues for the project–Bella Sera and Dove House. Â Each has some decor that provided the perfect complement for my 1940s style photographs. Â Bella Sera is styled after a Tuscan villa and has a large wrought-iron staircase and benches. Â Dove House is an old manor house that contains many period antiques. Dove House also has a yellow truck and a bright red phone booth on the grounds. Â What more could I ask for?
For the shoot, I used two models from Barbizon modeling college in Denver. Â Ian and Katie were great to work with. Â Ian even knew how to swing dance! Â I wanted to add a high fashion feel to the shoot so having modeling students gave me some added flexibility.
We started the session at Bella Sera in Brighton.  One of the cool pieces of furniture at this venue is a wrought-iron bench with back-to-back seats.  I used this for an old-style Italian portrait.  I then went up on the balcony and shot down on the couple swing-dancing.  The top-down view from the balcony  definitely provides a different vantage point. What a cool perspective.
We then went to Dove House in Lafayette. Â I had scouted this venue a couple of weeks before and knew the places ahead of time I wanted to shoot. Â The living room has ornate furniture that made a great backdrop fro a proposal shot. Â Dove House also has a number of pianos so we couldn’t resist recreating the Michelle Pfeiffer shot lying on the piano from the Fabulous Baker Boys. Â The bridal room has a great settee which is perfect for portraits. Unfortunately, the bridal room is narrow, so it was interesting to work around light fixtures and the like.
After the shoot, I had fun editing the photos. Â The colors were indeed vibrant as I had hoped. I also converted a few of the photos to black and white to make the session have a more authentic feel.
