Wedding Traditions – Why Does The Bride Carry A Bouquet?
Why does the bride carry a bouquet? The origin of this tradition is a little blurred…. One of the reasons that brides carried bouquets was born out of the ‘necessity’ of covering odor, trying to smell pretty on that special day. Ever take a tour in one of the older cities in Europe, let’s say Edinburgh for example? It was a very odiferous lifestyle way back then! In the 1600′s and for a very long time afterwards, people bathed extremely infrequently. According to the Huffington Post, during the 15th century, people took their yearly baths in May and would generally get married in June. Just to be safe, brides carried bouquets to mask the smell of body odor. You will find this reason repeatedly if you research the tradition behind the bride carrying a bouquet. Another old and popular custom for carrying a bouquet, was to ward of evil spirits. Usually these bouquets were made from very pungent herbs, spices and yes, garlic could be involved. I am thinking that you could kill two birds with one stone with a garlic bouquet; evil spirits and evil odor could be knocked out with one bouquet! Oh the old days! Sometimes the spices/flowers that were included in the bouquet, for example; dill and marigolds (edible) were added and subsequently served up at the wedding feast to promote lust. So think about the fun that you can have with your bouquet! I will paraphrase what I recently read in “Herlife” Magazine with regard to the tradition. ”In ancient times, a bride was considered especially lucky on her wedding day. So, guest were compelled to tear off parts of her dress to obtain a good luck talisman for themselves! Not all brides cared for this activity, as it seamed unpleasant to have their clothing ripped from her bit by bit, compliments of the guests. So it evolved, that the bride outsmart her guest by giving an offering of herself; enabling a guest to obtain a lucky talisman and allowing herself to keep her clothing intact: she starting throwing her garter and bouquet in lieu of pieces of her dress.”
I was glad to find this article, because it now explains to me some of the crazy bouquet grabbing, or should I say tackling behaviour that I have witnessed at some of my family and friends weddings! Somewhere around the 1700′s brides started carrying pretty bouquets, because: bouquets are pretty! and, this tradition is still in style today. bouquets bring beauty, elegance, a touch of the color scheme, and a bit of the old custom to your day. There are many florist to shop for your flowers, if you are looking for a good florist here in the Evergreen, CO area, check out Stems, I simply must mention them here, because I have seen some really creative, elegant, and impressive flowers at some of the weddings that we have photographed, all compliments of this designer. But, I digress. So, bouquets: they also may be used to express yourself through the flowers themselves. Roses represent everlasting love, lilac is for first love, Stephanotis is good luck, ivy says fidelity and on and on. You can really add some beauty and say a lot about yourself with a bouquet. 
This custom seems to have evolved quite a bit from its origin, but todays tradition for the bouquet: added beauty and personal expression.
Colorado Wedding Photographer – Vail Engagement Session
As with most of our wedding clients, they are referred to us by their friends that have already worked with us. In Dana and Drew’s case we met at a wedding we shot this past summer at Mary’s Lake Lodge in Estes Park, CO. It also seems like our wedding clients are like minded to Peggy and I. It is awesome to consistently work with such awesome people! Our original plan for their engagement shoot was to have a backcountry ski day. As most of you who live in Colorado know, our winter is not cooperating, and we ended up hiking on a half snow, and a half dirt trial on Vail Pass for some of our shoot! After Vail Pass, we went to Vail Village to shoot the rest. We hit the Tap Room for a beer or two, then got a few more shots in town. Check out their pics, and please feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the post!
Colorado Wedding Photographers shoot second Denver Engagement session in two days!
Our Engagement session with Lyndsay and Shawn, and their dog Luna, was the second session of the weekend, and I have to say, it was an awesome one. We had a ton of fun in a short amount of time. They live in (or near???) the Highlands neighborhood of Denver, in a cool old house. Anyone that knows the area can attest that is full of artistic areas to shoot. The area really fits our style of photography. Utilizing textures and colors of bricks, stone, trees, metal and wood buildings, is what we love shooting to contrast the fun, and sometimes dressy look of our shoots.
Lyndsay and Shawn have a great sense of fashion, and knew what they were looking for! For the last half of the shoot they got dressed up, with Shawn wearing dress clothes with a pair of classic wing tip shoes, and Lyndsay, in an over the top, formal gown, with combat boots (again… adding an awesome contrast to the look!). We did the shoot in less than a one block radius of their house! Hopefully you can see how much fun we had:
Alicia and Tyler’s Engagement session in Boulder
To start our Engagement session, I met Tyler and Alicia for a drink at The Sink, in Boulder. Add a beautiful couple, and the setting of the CU – Boulder campus, and you have the recipe for a really fun Engagement session. Check out some of the pics from the day:
Colorado Photographers shoot an Engagement shoot at the Denver Clock Tower (maybe the first?)
When we booked Tia and Justin’s wedding, and after seeing some of the Clock Tower wedding images on our website, they wanted to know if we could shoot their engagement session in the Clock Tower. Once I got permission, I started planning the shoot. Since Justin is the Midwest Director for GQ Magazine, they wanted a “GQ look” to some of their pics. Hopefully we achieved it! With the great fashion sense of Tia and Justin, and the ‘WOW’ factor of the Clock Tower, it was easy to make their images look great!
To date we have shot two weddings at the Denver Clock Tower, and we just booked two more weddings, for 2012. If you are interested in having your wedding at the Clocktower (and us shooting it, of course!), please don’t hesitate to contact us!
As always, comments (leave comments at the bottom of the blog post) are not only welcome, but encouraged.
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Evergreen, CO Engagement Shoot
With a slight lull in our Wedding season, and wrapping up our X Games work, we shot Max and Nicole’s Engagement session here in Evergreen. We met at the Little Bear Saloon for a beer, and then headed over to Elk Meadow, then off to a secret location. We had a ton fun, and had the rare perfect light for Colorado.
Check out the pics. We would love to hear your comments! Please leave them at the bottom of the post.
Colorado Wedding Photographer Shoots an Engagement shoot at 14,240′ on Mt Evans, CO
I spoke with Ben days before the shoot, and he and Kelly wanted a quintessential Colorado look to their Engagement photos. After a couple f minutes of thinking about where to do the shoot, I came up with Mt Evans. It boasts the highest paved rd in the North America at 14,240′, and it’s right in our backyard near Evergreen, CO. We had such a great time, on such a beautiful day! Check out their pics, and feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the blog post:
Colorado Wedding Photographer – Jen & Scott’s Keystone Wedding
This past winter we did an engagement shoot in Breckenridge with Jen and Scott. We got to know them, and realized quickly that they have a great sense of humor. At their wedding in Keystone, it was obvious that their sense of humor is shared by their family and friends!
Their wedding was so awesome! From the very meaningful ceremony officiated by Leon Littlebird, with his amazing Native American flute playing, and a Sage Ceremony, to their highly entertaining friends and family.
DJ – DJ Guy, Zack Demare. (Some DJ’s can be pretty cheesy… NOT Zack!)
Catering – A Chef’s Touch. Outstanding! We’re still talking about the Prime Rib!
Flowers – Bloom Flower Shop. Their work was very creative, and held up great all day! See for yourself in the pics.
Venue – Warren Station in Keystone. If your looking for a great venue, right next to the Quaking Leaf Amphitheater (Ceremony site), in Keystone…
Officiant – Leon Littlebird. We met Leon at an event at Arapahoe Basin this past winter, and really took to him. He is a VERY talented, nice guy!
Hair and Makeup – Serenity Spa & Salon. This is the second wedding that we have worked on with Serenity. They do a great job, in a very cool & convenient location, right at Keystone!
Check out some of Jen and Scott’s images! Comments are not only welcome, but Encouraged!!!
Thank you,
Dave & Peggy
If you like our work, our biggest compliment is a referral of a friend! Ask us about our referral incentives.
Denver Wedding Photographer Shoots another Wedding at the Denver Clocktower
Ted and Lynlee’s wedding was our second wedding at the Denver Clocktower. The Clocktower is by far one of the most unique venues that we have worked in! To top it off (no pun intended. ha ha) we were allowed up into the belfry to get some shots at sunset.
Their wedding was so heartfelt, that we couldn’t help but tear up a few times, especially when Lynlee’s son and daughter read their speeches. I must say… unbelievable! Not a dry eye in the house (including Peggy and I, and the caterers). It was so nice spending the day with such amazing people!
This has turned out to be the season of details at our weddings. Ted and Lynlee hired Lux Dezign to do all of their coordinating. Lux killed it! The attention to detail, and the overall flow of the night was second to none!
Check out some of the images from the day, and I’m sure you will agree that it was a pretty unique wedding. As always, please feel free to leave comments….
Thank you!
Dave & Peggy
If you like our work, our biggest compliment is a referral of a friend! Ask us about our referral incentives.
Lynnlee’s day started out at the swanky Scarlet Salon.
Dad before the ceremony.
Evergreen Wedding Photographer Photographs a Father’s Day session
Friends of ours asked us to do a shoot for Father’s Day. We shot these at Three Sisters in Evergreen, CO. We had about as many shots a 3 year old’s attention span, in the woods, would allow. It was such a great time, on a beautiful day, with great friends. We had a hazy day, so unfortunately the snow capped peaks don’t show up in the pics. Please feel free to leave comments!
Evergreen Wedding Photographer breaking the rules?
I made this image tonight near our house in Evergreen…. It has made me think about doing a “trash the dress” session, or wedding formals like this… I would love to know your thoughts.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Evergreen Wedding Photographer – Breckenridge Engagement shoot
Our shoot with Jen and Scott was so much fun. They live in Keystone, and when we were trying to pick out locations, I suggested Breckenridge because of all of the old buildings, and general vibe of the town. I love using architectural features and textures to add a certain quality and depth to our images.
We started the day out at the oldest bar in Breckenridge. The Gold Pan Saloon, built in 1879, made for a really cool spot to hang out and get to know Jen and Scott, and obviously get some really cool shots.
From the Gold Pan, we headed out and walked around town. We then headed up to Hoosier Pass to get some outdoorsy shots. We hope you enjoy their pics as much as we had shooting and editing them! As always, comments or questions are encouraged and appreciated (at the bottom of the post). Here’s a small sample of the day:
Canon 580EX II vs Alien Bees 400 comparison test
I just purchased a couple AB 400′s, and I wanted to see a real life, light output, comparison between the Canon 580EX II, and the AB’s. I shot the below shots mid day, sunny, in the shade. I metered without strobes, and set the exposure at -2 stops (ISO 200, F13, 1/200, 16mm lens), and then set the 580EX II at 1/1 (on manual), and full power on the AB 400′s. I stood approximately 12′ – 15′ away from the strobes. All strobes were lined up side by side.
Here we go…
Here’s the Metering shot, set at -2:
Here’s The AB400 with the stock 7″ reflector. Again, set on full power:
Here’s the 580 EX, set 1/1, zoomed at 70mm (I know this isn’t really an apples to apples comparison to the 7″ AB reflector, but… it still gives you a good example of output:
Here’s the AB 400 with the Long Throw 11″ reflector:
Here’s two AB 400′s. One with the 11″ long throw reflector, and one with the stock 7″ reflector:
Colorado Wedding Photographer shoots a wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
OK, so the wedding was actually in Punta de Mita, at the Palladium Vallarta Resort, about an hour North of Puerto Vallarta, and just South of Sayulita. Peggy and I flew down a few days before the day of their wedding, just to hang out and relax, and meet Sue and Luis (and their great friends).
Luis (the groom) and his friends and his sons are avid surfers. Days before we arrived, they made friends with with guys who ran a surf shop in town, and hooked us up with two boats to take everyone out to these islands a couple miles off shore. Needless to say, the entire trip was a blast. Congratulations Sue and Luis!!!
Colorado Wedding Photographer at the Stock Show?
Yup, I spent the day documenting the day at the National Western Stock Show. I always look forward to going to the show! For whatever reason, I find the farming lifestyle facinating. Here are some pics.
