Lady on Scooter Meets Tough Guy on Chopper

Although this isn't really photography or design related, it's something I thought was cool. We were leaving the grocery store the other day and a lady, probably late 50's-early 60's, was tooling around the parking lot on a little moped. (This will be about the age when I will be running about on one, although Joel wants one now.) It had a cool basket on the back and we followed her out onto the street; not in a stalker like way, but in a normal flow of traffic way.

At the stoplight she pulled up next to the tough looking biker on a chopper she'd been following. We were turning left, so were right next to them. She said, "Want to trade?" to the the seasoned biker. He laughed heartily and asked, "Where's your helmet!?" I thought it was hilarious as the tough leathery biker guy was asking the little white haired lady on her scooter where her helmet was. She then proceeded to tell him it was under her seat and she normally wears it; but they were both laughing and having one of the best stoplight conversations I've ever witnessed.

Blue Window Invitations

One of our recent projects, and a personally exciting one, is making our invitation design more accessible to all, no matter the geographic location. Up to this point we have dealt with custom designs for couples that see what we've done and want us to design something unique for them. I love designing invitations for a few reasons.

Firstly, is the format. With the exception of a few, we have designed self-mailing invitations. Meaning: no envelope needed. Just fold, seal, address and mail. I think this is such a great way to present an event's first impression. It'll look great on the fridge, stand out from the normal black on white with white border invite, and less environmental waste is a bonus. (No envelopes to throw away.) We also build in the RSVP card so that they just tear it off, and mail it back as a postcard. I enjoy the challenge of making something functional, beautiful as well.

Second: Although I enjoy a nicely arranged clean layout, I adore the curves, ornate images, and patterns that I get to play with. Equally indulgent, is when I get to incorporate weathered textures and incredible typefaces. Once I did a couple for friends, I started designing invitations just for fun when I found something inspiring. Then decided it would be a long time, if ever, before I got burnt out on these. Hence, Blue Window Invitations was created.

So this is kind of a sneak peak as to what our new division, soon functional at http://www.invitebluewindow.com/ , will be showcasing. With any luck, we'll be able to get the e-commerce all set up and available this fall. Check back for additional energetic updates! (If you are interested in invitations before then, just drop us a line: bluewindowcreative@gmail.com )

Melissa + Nathan

It seems we don't cover many morning weddings, but this one made me want to seek out more of them! (Although I woke us up way early thinking we needed 2 hours to get dressed and 1 to drive 5 minutes to the Simpson House http://www.simpsonhouse.net/ ) It was quite a different atmosphere. Guests were just hanging out and talking, having brunch, a little ceremony in the garden concluded by a procession led by the violinist. Gerber daisies and a simple dress; Melissa was determined to have a wedding dress she would be able to wear to the market if she wanted. And, no offense to other delicious cakes I've enjoyed, probably the most inventively, tasty cake. It was Pistachio cake with Blackberry filling, coated with Chocolate Gnoch (I think that's spelled correctly.) that had just a little bit of Cayenne pepper in it. I was envious of the leftovers they had to take home. Here are a few images from their preview for your viewing pleasure:

This was where I 'hid out' for most of the wedding while Joel shot from the front. It was such an cool find, I had to take advantage. I was also quite proud of myself for not squealing and flailing my arms when I walked through several spiderwebs to get there.

I love this shot from Joel! It looks like it could be in a magazine from the 40's. It's actually a reflection in a mirror that he caught as they were exchanging gifts.

Also, she gave us one of the best compliments I think we've ever received. It was towards the end of the day and she said, "You guys are doing such a great job. Several of my family members have asked me why I didn't hire a wedding photographer."

WPJA Contest

Last Friday I entered some of our pics from this year into WPJA's second quarter contest. The winning images from these contests are always so inspiring for us! http://www.wpja.com/ It stands for Wedding Photojournalist Association and is such a valuable resource with great articles. Check us out under the Missouri list. Here are some of the images I selected to enter:

Image from Cayce and Timmy's reception back in June. Their wedding was actually in Jamaica a month earlier; a welcomed treat for us!

This was a friend's wedding near Iowa City. Joel was actually one of the groomsmen in this shot from the receiving line. I love the sun rings and the long shadows that came through in this.

Another image from Cayce and Timmy's party. This was pretty much the only light available on the patio, so we made it work! This was at the Berg Event Space down in the Crossroads District. It's an amazing space and we dream of having one similar someday.

A moment of sing-along passion. This was from Leann and Bryan's reception in Leavenworth, Kansas. I was lucky enough to be standing on a chair for an aerial view. They are actually fellow wedding photographers from Chicago and were so great to work with. Here is another image from their day that was a close second in the dancing submission. Those were giant red under garments that he jokingly pulled out from Leann's dress when he was going for the garter. He also pulled out a beer!

Whoohoo for the Weekend!

This has been one sleep-deprived week! We gave our portfolio a long needed overhaul as well as jazzed up some of our invitations we're getting ready to release. I'm so excited about these! I wish I had my design sense four years ago when I was doing our wedding invitations. I am almost thinking about posting them sometime just for laughs. They were actually stick people renditions of a bride and groom; pretty amusing.

I've also completed the designs for our Blue Window Design as well as the Blue Window Photography site. I think I might be digging myself hole for taking on three sites at once. Or possibly, it's our developer that I'm dragging in the hole with me. Matt with Fuzzy Logic Systems ( www.fuzzylogicsystems.com) is actually the most amazing web guy I've ever dealt with. He doesn't use too many nerd-speak words that are over my head, and when they do come up-he takes the time to explain things. Consider this my shameless plug for him, but he's superb to work with! I also designed his site and logo. I based the 'fuzzy' off what my world looks like without glasses.

However, on to the weekend!