Sometimes you just get lucky. I felt lucky to have shot Angel and AJ's wedding this October. Their wedding inquiry popped up in my inbox by way of referral from another photographer friend (thanks, Jo) because she was already shooting on that date. Angel almost immediately booked me as their photographer and after a couple months of waiting, their day was upon us.

I had never met either Angel or AJ before the wedding, so I was excited to meet them and capture their day. Turns out, Angel is pretty much the sweetest person ever. When I walked into the Brown Palace Hotel room for her getting ready, I was met with a big hug and a huge smile. Originally from Alabama, her accent made me like her even more. My mom is from the south and it must be embedded in me somehow because whenever I hear someone with a southern accent, it warms my heart. Angel's mom and sister were both there as well and they couldn't have been nicer. After a few minutes with them shooting candids and detail shots, I headed over to meet AJ at the Grant Humphreys Mansion. If Angel was that nice and awesome, I couldn't wait to meet the person she was marrying!

When I got to the mansion, AJ was running around taking care of what seemed like everything. Putting things where they needed to be, setting up table settings and making sure everyone else had what they needed. If I was to describe AJ in one word after my first impression, it would be selfless. It seemed as if he was the type of person that is more concerned about other people than himself. We got to talking and he was an extremely nice, genuine and overall good person. He seemed like the guy that you want to be friends with... or in Angel's case, spend the rest of your life with.

They decided to not do a first look, and it truly suited them. The emotion built so much that when those doors open, you could almost feel the energy from everyone in attendance, especially AJ. I thought their "alter" was a really cool idea. Instead of having a wooden frame, they laid roses and intertwined them together to make a circle where they stood holding hands. The emotionally charged ceremony came to an end after their first kiss and we shot around the property for their couple portraits before they entered their reception.

They were so easy to direct because they were clearly on cloud nine. The way they looked at each other was perfect in every way and their energy was so awesome during that hour after they said: "I do". After a few shots around the property, they headed up to one of the balconies that gave a really cool perspective. They had had enough of me and wanted to join their party so I followed and the rest of the night was a blur. The food was awesome, Angel's sister brought the house down with a killer toast, awesome music, people got down on the dance floor and we even snuck outside for a couple more portraits. Overall it was one of my favorite weddings all year and I'm so glad to have been Angel and AJ's photographer. Cheers to the newlyweds!

-Tommy

VENDORS

HAIR- HANI KUIPER

MAKEUP- MEREDITH MCGEE

DRESS- ROMONA KEVEZA @ FELICE BRIDAL

CATERING- JULI Y JUAN'S KITCHEN

DAY OF COORDINATOR- TAYLOR STROPE (MOUNTAINSIDE EVENTS)

DJ- PAUL IJAMES

TUX- THE BLACK TUX

RINGS- KRISTIN COFFIN