Kimberly Reed Photography

Dook and Justin- wedding

August 29, 2008

Dook and Justin got married last weekend at the Mayernik Center. They had a beautiful outdoor ceremony with the reception following at the Mayernik.

Here are a few of my faves from their day:

Isn't she stunning?

How sweet is the way Justin is looking at his bride? Images like this bring tears to my eyes. Not kidding.

Jameel caught this rockstar image of Dook after they were introduced as the new 'Mr. and Mrs.' I love her excitement. (As a sidenote, Jameel drove all the way from New Jersey to third shoot this wedding. He deserves a round of applause. Thanks Jameel!)

Ok, so i don't normally do 'jump shots', but check out the air everyone got here. I love Dook's expression; this just makes me smile.

They had a choreographed first dance, that started like this...

...and ended like this. LOVED it!

Jaci caught his awesome action shot of the garter toss.

These two were super fun as the garter/ bouquet recipients.

Ceremony and Reception location:
Caterer: Remos
Florist: Pittsburgh Petals
Bakery: Bethel Bakery
DJ: Ed Lorenc
Videographer: Pittsburgh Wedding DVD

Dook and Justin; Congratulations. I hope you're having a great time at Disney!

Kate and Greg- wedding

August 23, 2008

Kate and Greg's wedding day went off without a hitch. Kate looked AH-mazing (Greg, you were hot too), the weather was beautiful, and they tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by friends and family, at the home that Kate grew up in. This wedding was truly a labor of love; there were months of preparations involved to ensure the farm and grounds were ready to host a wedding.

I've been waiting a long time for their wedding day. When I first met Kate and Greg last year, I loved them immediately. I love how comfortable they are together, and how they look at one another, and how they are often the brunt of one another's jokes. I love how they believe in and support one another. I love the passion and intensity they share; in life, in love, in each other. Plus, I love that within hours of meeting them, they had christened me with a nickname that they've called me ever since: Kim-ographer. That just makes me smile. :)

I said their day was fabulous. Here's the proof:

Told you she was stunning. You know I love birdcagecage veils, and her Paloma Blanca gown was perfect for her.

Beautiful site for the ceremony. Greg built the little pavilion they are standing on. I have to say also, I love, love, love guys wearing a khaki colored suit for an outdoor summer ceremony.

Greg's parents checking out his ring

Portraits of the two of them were important to Kate and Greg, so they made sure to build plenty of time for them into the timeline of their day. These were right after the ceremony, and Kate was totally fearless and up for anything. I LOVE the results!

Kate and Greg are gloriously comfortable in front of the camera

Love these next two

Kate in her wellies

A little emotional during the toasts

First dance. Image by Jaci, my lovely and talented second shooter for the day.

This has to be one of my favorite images from the day. This is immediately after Kate did a shot of Southern Comfort. :)

After the sun went down, there was a gorgeous full moon, so we took Kate and Greg out for a few portraits.

Kate and Greg. You rock. Congratulations. I'm so excited for you as you begin your new lives together. I hope you're having the time of your lives on your honeymoon, and that it only gets better from here.

xo,
~k

Nicole and Mike- wedding

August 18, 2008

Nicole and Mike had a beautiful wedding with so many personal touches; Nicole had placed a photo of each of her grandparents on the bottom of her shoes (they each had 50 year marriages). Instead of table numbers at the reception, each table was assigned a year, from 1984 on up, and each table had a photo of Nicole and Mike that was taken that year (so 1984 had a baby picture, 1989 had a photo from when they were 5, etc.). I LOVED this idea! Also, they had a scrapbook out during the cocktail hour that gave a complete overview of their relationship; photos with captions, ticket stubs, parking passes- it really gave great insight into who they are as a couple, and what interests they share. They had a martini bar set up during the reception with signature martinis (the Mr. and Mrs., the Newlyweds...etc.). Finally, in lieu of a guest book, they had guests sign 5 bottles of wine (with corresponding wooden boxes), that they will drink together on an anniversary.

We started the day off at Artisan Spa in Murrysville for some shots of the girls getting their hair done. Coincidentally, Artisan is the salon I use, (ask for Kelton; he is amazing), so it was fun to start the day on familiar turf. From there, it was back to Nicole's parents house where all of the girls got ready together. I have to say, Nicole's bridal party was awesome. Everyone was super fun, and it was great to see how happy everyone was for Nicole; there was no shortage of tears throughout the day! The decor at the Rivers Club was amazing, and Andy Booth did a fabulous job keeping the dance floor packed all night.

On to some of my faves from the day:

Loved the colors Nicole used; so bright and cheerful- perfect for a summer wedding.

Nicole and her mom before the ceremony

There were lots of tears (the happy kind) throughout the day

love this shot of Mike watching Nicole walk down the aisle

Nicole and Mike's grand entrance into the reception

I think this is my all time favorite garter-toss shot.

The lovely and talented Dana was my second shooter for the day, and caught this spectacular image of the folks who caught the garter and bouquet. (btw- Nicole's bridal party was awesome- so much fun!)

Bridal salon- Exquisite Bride
Reception location- Rivers Club
Transportation- Elite Limousine (ask for Gary- he was great)
Hair Stylist- Artisan Colour Spa
DJ- Andy Booth
Bakery- Jennuine Bakery

Nicole and Mike- best wishes as you begin your new lives together!

xo,
~k

Lauren and Craig- wedding

July 23, 2008

Lauren and Craig got married on Saturday at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. I have to say, when I first met Lauren last year, we hit it off immediately and I knew she was going to have an awesome wedding. I wasn't disappointed- it was a beautiful and fun day right from the start.

This wedding was especially awesome because I got to work with some of my favorite vendors: Lauren wore a gorgeous gown from Anne Gregory for the Bride, paired with her mother's mantilla veil. Hair by Damian did hair and makeup, and Jeremy Ganss was their DJ extraordinaire. I love it when couples think of the comfort of their guests when they are planning their wedding: it was a hot July day, and their guests arriving for the ceremony were greeted with glasses of white sangria. How thoughtful! The evening was catered by Big Burrito Company, and April from Vanilla Pastry Studio provided some seriously delicious cupcakes in lieu of a wedding cake. Jaci Clark was along once again as my second shooter du jour.

Here are some of my faves from their day:

Love, love, love this image of Lauren. I think she looks elegant and sophisticated, with just a wee bit of attitude. Gorgeous.

Can I just say I was smitten with these earrings? Smitten.

Jaci got this great shot of Craig during their vows.

This shot during Lauren and Craig's first dance by Jaci

Great atmosphere in the tent after the sun went down.

Jaci got these next two rockstar shots of Lauren and her mom tearing up the dance floor, and Craig's little brother showing off his dance skills with the ladies.

ok, so there's just something I love about the light and shadows in this next image of Lauren on the dance floor.

Lauren and Craig- may you be richly blessed as you begin your new lives together. I hope you're having a kick ass time in St. Lucia!

xo,
~k

{July 24, 2008 10:38 AM} Jeremy Ganss said: Kim the pictures are wonderful! It was great working with you and i can't wait to work with you once again.

{July 24, 2008 11:15 PM} Tiffany said: Stunning images Kim~

{July 28, 2008 12:31 AM} JoAnn said: Kim, I love how you captured Lauren's eyes and I love the play on shadow and light, so romantic.

{July 30, 2008 11:50 PM} Jaci Clark said: Oh, Kim, these images are gorgeous! I love the close up showing off Lauren's gorgeous green eyes! I had great fun shooting with you again. This wedding was such an inspiration and ranks in the top two of my all time favorite weddings. Cheers, Jaci

{August 5, 2008 11:35 PM} Janice said: Kim...Thank you for your wonderful work! You must know that you have a special gift! From the moment you and Jaci walked into the hotel room, I knew we were going to have a fun, enjoyable experience. You captured so many precious moments on such a special night for us. Hey, do you think I could be a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars"? You'll not see another Mother/Bride dance like that for a long time! Kim and Jaci...you're the BEST!!

{August 7, 2008 11:58 AM} beth said: these images are gorgeous kim! I love them all, especially the shadows ;).

Rebecca and Steve

July 14, 2008

Rebecca and Steve tied the knot on Saturday at Armstrong Farms. Their wedding was especially awesome for a number of reasons: one- they are my neighbors and friends, two- they had a very personal self-uniting ceremony, during which a random goose made several cameo appearances, three- Rebecca's dress was hand made for her by one of her very talented friends, four- other very talented friends of theirs: did Rebecca's hair and makeup, cut Steve's hair the morning of the wedding, spoke about love and community during their ceremony, wrote and played a song for them, acted as dj and lighting specialist at the reception, and baked numerous pies and cakes for their dessert table. (Steve and Rebecca have many talented and gracious friends. Steve is the drummer in the band Lotus, so many of his friends are talented musicians). All in all, it was a beautiful day filled with warmth and love and laughter and friends and family, and I felt lucky to be a part of it.

Here are some of the things that caught my eye throughout their day:

a few details

Here they are watching as their guests are being seated before the ceremony begins. Rebecca got a little choked up seeing so many of her friends and family there to celebrate their wedding day, many of whom had traveled across the country to be there.

I wasn't kidding about the goose.

freshly married

watching a slideshow

dancing together for the first time as husband and wife

The owner of Armstrong Farms has this cute little Corgi dog who laid down in the middle of the dance floor during the reception, looking for a belly rub. (I don't think anyone obliged either of these two).

Rebecca and Steve- wishing you a marriage full of love, laughter, rainbows and kittens.

xo,
~k

Mary and David- wedding

June 23, 2008

Mary and David tied the knot this Saturday at their private family estate in New Hope, PA (outside of Philadelphia). Mary and David are both in advertising, so I suspected there would be lots of fabulous details at their wedding. I wasn't disappointed - creative minds like that pay meticulous attention to detail. Here are some of the things that caught my eye:

Mary's Vera Wang gown. The dress in the background on the right is one of the bridesmaids dresses, which Mary's sister designed and made. (!)

I am smitten with the look of a cage veil. Mary looked simply stunning in hers (which her sister also made).

It was an emotional day. Lyndsay was my rockstar second shooter for the day- she took the photo on the right.

The ceremony was simple, personal, witty, and intimate. Mary and Dave's officiant was a close friend of theirs, who got ordained online for the occasion. Since they weren't sure of the legalities of that in PA, the mayor of New Hope was on standby to make sure everything was official.

I loved the way Mary's gown flowed behind her as she walked.

Remember those fabulous details I was telling you about? Check these out (one of their signature drinks during cocktail hour was a watermelon basil margarita- perfect for an outdoor summer wedding):

The paper goods for the wedding were designed and made by Mary and her business partner Jen. Everything was so well thought out and executed. I've said it before- for a really beautiful and personal event, it's all in the details. If you are looking for creative and custom designed stationary, save the dates, invitations, placecards, etc. check out Ice Cream Social, their Etsy shop.

Jamie Hollander Gourmet Foods out of New Hope catered the event- the menu was Mexican food, which included a taco station and mini ice cream cones with margarita and chili chocolate gelato.

A few portraits

These two images were by Lyndsay:

First dance

There were a total of 5 toasts to the new couple. Dave's best man gave a hilarious speech entitled "How Mary saved my kidneys", during which this sequence of photos was taken:

Mary dancing with her father.

The Urban Guerilla Orchestra kept people on the dance floor all night. They were phenomenal!!

Mary and Dave, thank you for a memorable day. I hope you're enjoying Cabo!

Cheers,
~k

Jessica and Jimmy

June 20, 2008

Jessica and Jimmy tied the knot last weekend at St. Paul's Cathedral in Oakland, with the reception following at the Hilton Garden Inn. Jessica, in addition to being beautiful, also has the most warm, optimistic, and sunny personality. I don't think she stopped smiling all day long. The weather has been crazy lately, and last weekend was no exception. It alternated between typhoon-type rain and dry skies but high humidity throughout the day. No matter what happened throughout the day though, Jessica remained the picture of poise and grace. It's raining cats and dogs- no problem, let's grab an umbrella. Construction almost makes us late for the ceremony- no worries, we made it with 5 minutes to spare. And so it went, throughout the day, any minor problems that arose, Jessica approached with a smile. She wouldn't let anything spoil the joy of her wedding day.

Here are some of the things that caught my eye throughout the day:

These were on the counter when we arrived at Jessica's home.

All of seven of Jessica's bridesmaids were there getting ready together. That many girls together would normally mean chaos-but everyone was super relaxed; just hanging out and laughing. It was a great start to the day.

the ring exchange

It had rained all day up until and through the ceremony. Right after the ceremony ended, there was about a 20 minute break in the rain, so we made a mad dash for photos at those huge columns across the street from the cathedral.

Quite possibly my favorite image of the day. (Photographers- these images were processed using Totally Rad Actions - the revenge. They are delicious. Go get them right now.)

...and then it started to rain again

to smash or not to smash? (he didn't smash)

Great lighting really makes a difference in the atmosphere of your reception. Their wedding colors were pink and silver, and they brought in a lighting team to add pink lighting around the perimeter of the room. It pulled everything together and really added to the 'wow' factor when you entered the room.

Jessica and Jimmy planned for a very cool flambe presentation during the reception, which preceded a dessert of bananas foster. Yum! (These two images were shot by Dana Scheller, who was my second shooter for this wedding.)

The dance floor was packed all night long. Gotta love that.

Jessica and Jimmy- Thank you for being such a joy. Best wishes as you begin your new life together!

xo,
~k

serena and bob wedding- by abie

June 12, 2008

Serena and Bob got married last Saturday at Immaculate Conception Church in Washington, PA with the reception following at the Hilton Garden Inn in Canonsburg. Abie photographed their wedding with Beth as her second shooter. All in all, it was a beautiful day.

Here are a few of my faves:

Serena had the most beautiful gown. Very unique and it looked stunning on her.

Cat and Craig- wedding

June 11, 2008

Cat and Craig tied the knot this weekend here in Pittsburgh. It ended up being a wicked hot day, but they both stayed cool, calm and collected. Cat is super sweet and totally thoughtful; she kept asking us throughout the day if we were ok or needed anything. Jaci was with me again this week as my able-bodied second shooter. Cat and Craig have warned me from day 1 that there would be much drinking and debauchery at their wedding, and let's just say they didn't disappoint on either end. ;)

Here are a few of my faves from their day:

Cat and Craig exchanged gifts before the ceremony. Here she's reading a note from Craig.

Cat was a beautiful bride

after the ceremony, a stop at Mt. Washington for some photos

...and then we were off to the reception on the Gateway Clipper. Most of Cat and Craig's guests were from out of town, so this was a great way for them to see more of the city as the boat cruised around the three rivers for a few hours. I love this shot that Jaci got of Cat right after Craig accidently got a little icing on her while they fed each other cake...it was an accident, right? ;)

love this image Jaci caught of Craig and his mom during the mother/ son dance.

Let's get this party started! It was a lively group of dancers. :)

Cat and Craig: So much fun! Thank you for treating us like friends and guests. Your wedding was ultra fun and it has totally been a pleasure to work with you guys. Hope you're having a relaxing honeymoon!

xo,
~k

Aishah and Adnan- Walima

June 6, 2008

Last Saturday the final installment of Aishah and Adnan's three day, two state wedding extravaganza took place at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. Once again, Jaci Clark, photographer extraordinaire, joined me as my second shooter. I must say, I was a little sad that the walima marked the end of the events for Aishah and Adnan's wedding. It's been a whirlwind of beautiful people, rich colors, intricate details, and lots and lots of dancing. :)

Some more fabulous accessories- love Aishah's Pedro Garcia shoes. That color is divine!

Not to be outdone- Adnan's accessories! Shoes by Ferragamo, cufflinks by Cartier, and watch by Rolex. (photo by Jaci)