elcome to the journal for April O’Hare Photography! Here you’ll find all of my latest photographic outings with the couples, families, seniors and small businesses that I get to work with and make beautiful photographs for. You may also see a personal post here and there discussing my life or my travels with my teeny family of one husband and three cats! Sometimes I even write advice articles with tips to help make your photo experience better which you can check out under the “Educational” category.  

Take your time and look around! Type in the place where you’ll be getting married in the search box to see if I’ve photographed there before. At the bottom of the page I’ve highlighted some of my favorite sessions and weddings from the past. Grab a drink and have fun going down the photo rabbit hole!


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Outdoor Winter Wedding at Cielo in Castle Rock, CO

January 18, 2010

Yesterday’s wedding at Cielo in Castle Pines CO has got to be one of the luckiest wedding days for weather I’ve ever had.  I know it’s Colorado and the weather changes at the drop of a dime and it’s not totally unheard of to have a gorgeous day right in the middle of winter (or a horribly bad weather day when it should be gorgeous outside) but I still couldn’t help feeling a little suprised that the nice weather forecast was spot on.  Allison and Brenden were able to have an outdoor wedding in January which is great because Cielo has such beautiful pine trees and a pretty waterfall to boot. You gotta love when there’s snow on the ground but you don’t need a coat!

And speaking of the couple, what a completely head over heels in love pair they were!  Their enthusiasm for each other was just so sweet and I had so much fun photographing them. 

And not only are they really sweet people, but so photogenic too!  Here is one of my favorites from the day:

In front of the altar
In front of the altar

Since I’m doing such a big sneak peek I’ll post the rest within the blog post.  To see the rest of the photographs from this sneak peek, please click on the title of this post!

Allison’s mom, Kristen, planned her wedding and she did such an awesome job that I thought they might have had a professional wedding planner. She used to work at Twigs (http://twigsinteriorsanddesign.com) so I’m sure her years there were very helpful in all of the wedding planning! There were these really pretty sparkly snowflake designs on the tables that I just loved.

Table Snowflake with the wedding rings
Table Snowflake with the wedding rings

Allison was just stunning. I loved her headpiece! I’ve been on a huge headband kick lately. Wonder if I could pull off wearing something like this just because;)

Allison before the ceremony
Allison before the ceremony

We really wanted to try and get as many photos done before the ceremony as possible so Brenden and Allison decided to do a “first look.” I really am starting to like the photos I get from these almost as much as the first dance. It’s just a really cute part of the whole wedding day.

First Glance
First Glance

Here are some of the formal photographs we took:

Allison & her cute son Shad
Allison & her cute son Shad

Love all of the expressions in this one:)

Allison with her bridesmaids
Allison with her bridesmaids

There were a ton of really cute kiddos at this wedding too. These sister’s matching dresses were adorable!

Cutie Pies!
Cutie Pies!

Here’s Kristen and Allison’s dad Tom posing in front of the beautiful flower display. Kristen used to work with Walter F. Welty at Twigs (where I hear he still does some work during the Christmas season!) and she told me he specializes in large intricate flower displays. These were really pretty. He did a wonderful job.

Mother and Father of the Bride
Mother and Father of the Bride

 And a close up

Glass snowflakes
Glass snowflakes

I can’t tell you how much I love this shot of Brenden & his Grandma just before he escorts her to her seat at the start of the ceremony. I just love the way she is looking up at him and how happy he looks!

Brenden and his grandparents
Brenden and his grandparents

And only a few minutes later the bride herself walks down the very same aisle:)

FOB walks his daughter down the aisle
FOB walks his daughter down the aisle

Love how the floral arrangement frames the bridesmaids

During the ceremony
During the ceremony

Yes!!!!!!
Yes!!!!!!

Spent some more time on pictures after the ceremony. I love when I have enough time on the wedding day to get a lot with the bride and groom alone:)

How romantic!
How romantic!

What a gorgeous wedding ring!

Sparkle:)
Sparkle:)

Allison changed into some more comfortable shoes for the reception part of the day. How sexy are these?

White Cowgirl Boots
White Cowgirl Boots

It was a kid friendly wedding and I just loved the attention paid to the kid’s table with their own milk bottle and donuts:)

Milk & Donuts!
Milk & Donuts!

Another spectabular floral arrangement:)

Smelled so good!
Smelled so good!

Allison’s brother suprised them with a little song he made up himself during the toasts. He said that he has no experience with singing and making music, but I thought he sounded nice! It was a really sweet gesture:)

A wedding version of a singing telegram?
A wedding version of a singing telegram?

Dinner sure looked yummy! It was provided by Cravings Catering

Dinner time
Dinner time

Awwww…first dance:)

More romance:)
More romance:)

The cake was so tasty. I had a raspberry slice. Mmmmm. Kristen told me that she showed a picture of what she wanted to Desiree at the Makery (http://www.themakery.com) and she came up with this beauty. I thought it went with their icy theme perfectly!

Delectable icicles
Delectable icicles

Sometimes the best shots are taken at the end of a wedding:) Love this one of Allison and her Dad in front of the bar at Cielo.

Awwww
Awwww

And one last one of Allison & Brenden:)

Allison and Brenden in front of the waterfall
Allison and Brenden in front of the waterfall

Allison & Brenden,
Congratulations you two! What a wonderful wedding you had:) You two are so lucky to have each other. I hope you have a great time on your honeymoon in Cancun. Have a big ol’ yummy margarita for me;)
-April

If you’d like to find more information about getting your own Winter Wedding Photos created be sure to check out the WEDDINGS area of my site!

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  1. You did a wonderful job! These are beautiful.

  2. Olivia Liu says:

    Congratulations! It is such a floral and romatic wedding!

  3. Kristen Sorensen says:

    Too Cool, I can’t stop scrolling through the sneak peek. So many surprises already!
    These pictures need to be featured in a Colorado magazine!

  4. Jon says:

    Wow! Photos and people are beautiful! Well done Sorensens and Carlsons!

  5. Anna Edwards says:

    These are all stunning! What a beautiful job done by all, can’t wait to see the whole album!

  6. Penny Weaver says:

    Amazing photography-with such vivid color! I love the attention to the details that were in this wedding–from the snowflakes hanging in the background-to the children’s table, -closeups on the cake and flowers–wow! – Also, with each moment you captured, -it was easy to see how much the bride and groom cherish each other. Especially the stairway kiss and the grandmothers look at her grandson-and the boots and shoes. You have a great eye capturing pictures that are natural and unstaged! These pictures express “happily ever after” to me!

  7. Stephen Lee says:

    Congradulation!! Tom, you r really handsome. The photos are pretty, and everything looked wonderful. I love this wedding!

    Best wishes for you and your daughter.

  8. Tony Chan says:

    It’s very very romantic,all of these show us a realistic fairy tale,congratulations!

  9. Mingming says:

    Congratulations!

  10. Mark Sorensen says:

    Great job! These pictures look great, can’t wait to see the rest! My favorite so far is the one with the boots, it is a classic!

  11. April says:

    I am so pleased that you all love the pictures:) It was a great wedding for sure!

  12. (Aunt) Elizabeth Smith says:

    Allison and Brenden, What beauitful pictures!! Ally you are the prettiest bride I have ever seen!! Congratulations my dear!! Best wishes to the both of you and your journey through life together! God Bless!

  13. These are absolutely gorgeous and I love your write-up of the event! What a beautiful bride and I agree her headpiece is simply awesome! Wonderful work April!

  14. Tara says:

    April you are soooooo good. If I were having my wedding here in CO I would totally have wanted you to do it 🙂

  15. April says:

    Awww thanks Tara! Where are you tying the knot? You know I can travel for weddings (if it’s not a weekend that I already have booked;)

  16. Crystal Ni says:

    it’s really fantastic!

  17. Jim Sorensen says:

    Congrats to you both, beautifull pics!

  18. […] Row 1: Deeâ??s Mini Organic Doughnuts by Divine Order Photography via Green Wedding Shoes, Row 2: Milk & Pretty Donuts on Dessert Table by April O’Hare Photography, Row 3: “Snow” Coated Donuts On Custom Cake Stands by […]

  19. […] {Photo Credits: 1- Carpe Donut via April Foster Events; 2- Martha Stewart; 3- The Village Voice via Intimate Weddings; 4- April O’Hare Photography} […]

  20. amy says:

    Absolutely stunning! I would love to feature you on my blog “the Wedding of the Season” launching in 2011. Please email me if you would share your beautiful photography with us!

  21. […] of a couple that had an outdoor wedding in 55 degree weather? After seeing weddings like this and this and this, I donâ??t feel so bad. Maybe Iâ??ll try to buy one or two more patio heaters just in […]