Usually, summer weddings in Colorado are outdoors.  We have mountains and stuff, so nature provides a nice backdrop for these kinds of things. When I spoke with Heidi Muller about shooting this wedding with her, and she told me it would take place in the basement of a hotel, my reaction went something like “Uh, what? Really? Why? Really?”

When we got to the Magnolia Hotel in Downtown Denver, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I was just a little bit giddy. Yes, the lighting was rough, but the hotel is gorgeous and full of character. Old-school and modern at the same time – like the old, rotary-looking phones that have push-buttons instead of the dial. The whole place is like that. And, since this was indoors, I had a perfect opportunity to practice my foofing!

To give you a good idea of the benefits of foofing:

On the left, we have a photo with the flash bounced off the ceiling. On the right, a couple of images with the flash pointed to the left – bouncing off of who-knows-what. Nicer, right? There was no wall for like 50 feet. There might have been people standing there… I dunno. I’ve been fooling around with foofing in my house, in restaurants and clubs, and I’ve decided to stop worrying about what is going to bounce the flash. I’ve kinda left it to the geniuses at Canon who make the speedlight that does this. Here’s another fooffed shot:

Again, I don’t really know the nitty-gritty details of how this magic is happening, but I like it.

I even foofed the cake! The moment I saw this amazing cake with zillions of tiny little handmade flowers, I knew it could only have been done by someone who loves her work. And it’s true, Rachael Teufel at Intricate Icings is as in love with cake-making as I am with cake-eating. She’s sweet and talented and I can’t sing her praises loudly enough!

Ok, so the wedding… Melissa and Phil knew each other in high school, went their separate ways and met again after college. A couple of cups of coffee later, they were smitten. Melissa, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Phil’s father officated the wedding, and you can see him beaming here after annoucing that Phil may kiss his bride. Is Melissa happy, or what!

Melissa held her dress up while her bridesmaids bustled the back. It’s these seemingly small moments that are so magical to me.

While Melissa and Phil smooched for Heidi’s camera inside, I ran outside for this shot.

The Magnolia Hotel has a fabulous ballroom where the reception was held. Melissa danced with her father – fabulous, right?

And the cake cutting, gorgeously backlit by the DJ’s lights. I love backlighting.

And now, Melissa and Phil are in Napa, California for wine tasting and relaxing together. Congratulations!