Nauvoo Wedding Photography {Jessica and Matthew}

Smiles. Big, broad, smiles.

That was the first view of Jessica and Matthew as they emerged from the Nauvoo Temple after their sealing for eternity…..and the smiles continued throughout their session. Nothing could wipe the euphoria from their faces, not even cloudy skies or the threat of rain on the horizon.

The elegance of Jessica’s full lace gown along with the beautiful blues of the Matthew’s suit and bridal party’s attire was the ideal palette for a late summer wedding, enhancing faces amid varied backdrops of greenery and overcast skies.

If you ever need uplifted, the images of this bride and groom on their wedding day will do the trick. The smiles on their faces and excitement in their countenances are inspiring. See what we mean below…..

bride groom emerge from nauvoo temple doors

bride groom nauvoo temple steps

black white image bride groom navuoo

groom family portrait nauvoo temple

bride family portrait nauvoo temple wedding bride siblings nauvoo temple wedding

groomsmen nauvoo temple grounds

bridal party nauvoo temple grounds

bridal party in blue nauvoo temple grounds

bride groom nauvoo temple grounds rbride groom nauvoo temple corner stone

bride groom nauvoo temple arches

bride groom nauvoo temple

bridal shot nauvoo temple arch groom nauvoo temple arch

bride groom nauvoo temple

nauvoo temple bride groom umbrella

historic nauvoo bride groom gunsmith shop

groom holding bride mansion house historic nauvoo

bride groom historic nauvoo mansion house

bride mississippi river groom historic nauvoo mississippi river

bride groom mississippi river historic nauvoo

To Jessica and Matthew,

Your joy and love for each other was evident and inspiring. Thank you for asking us to photograph your wedding day. It was a privilege to get to know you. May God bless you as you begin your journey together.

All the best in the future!

Tom and Jeanette

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Top 5 Portrait Grooming Tips Series: GUYS

Getting prepped for your portrait session requires some advance planning. While most emphasis is routinely placed on setting up the session, getting everyone together, and deciding what to wear, there’s one item that commonly gets overlooked—grooming.

Actually, grooming is often left to the last minute, sometimes to just before heading to the session (especially for guys!). To help make sure you are prepared and confident during your session, we have compiled a list of our top 5 grooming tips.

(Even though grooming tips are similar for men, women, and children, there are vast differences…. so to keep this post from being too long, we are dividing it into a three part series: Guys, Gals, and Kids.)

Guys Hair

A good haircut and style does wonders for your confidence. Get your hair cut two weeks before your session, giving time for your forehead and neck to tan (avoid the white hairline) and your hair time to grow to perfect length.

Bring grooming supplies to your session as they may be needed for touch ups in case of windy conditions.

man woman log cabinGuys Facial Hair

Shave with a new razor shortly before the session. A five o’clock shadow is difficult to retouch.

Trim eyebrows, beards, sideburns, and moustaches making sure to remove stray and scraggly hair.

Check your nose and ears for hair and trim if needed – they can show up in portrait close-ups.

Guys Skin

Your skin is the main focal point in portraits, so use moisturizer to remove dry, flakey skin. If your skin is naturally oily, dust it lightly with cosmetic powder.

It’s best to begin moisturizing a few days in advance of your session, focusing on areas you will expose to the camera.

If you perspire heavily, watch for underarm sweat rings and prepare accordingly. These are hard to remove in Photoshop.

Guys Makeup

For the perfect smile, bring and wear Chap Stick to keep your lips moisturized during the session.

Blemishes are easier smoothed during image processing so avoid over doing cover-up to hide pimples.

Guys Hands and Feet

Trim and clean your nails, especially around the cuticles and under the nails.

If your feet will be exposed during the shoot, make sure they receive the same careful attention of cleaning, moisturizing, and trimming, especially for beach portraits.

bride groom rings hands on bouquet

Small details are important and you want your portrait to say all the right things about you. Follow these tips and your confidence will soar making for the most relaxing portrait session ever.

See part-2 of our Top 5 Portrait Grooming Tips Series: GALS and part-3 for KIDS.

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Nauvoo Family Reunion in Red, White, and Blue

Historic destination + national holiday + family gathering = a Nauvoo family reunion in red, white, and blue. That’s where, when, and part of the why Linda and Wallace’s ten children converged at their family home in Nauvoo. The most important why was to celebrate mom and dad’s 50th wedding anniversary.

We spent part of a fun-filled morning with their family in front of the Nauvoo Temple capturing images of each individual family and the entire group. What a great posterity! There was plenty of joking around and laughter during the session.

Here are a few of the images we caught…..

parents adult children red white blue

family portrait blue outdoor

mom dad baby outdoor portrait mom dad newborn baby

outdoor family portrait red white blue

father sons portrait

red shirts flowers outdoor portrait mom sons

om sons red white blue portrait family in blue

red white blue family portrait outdoors

family in blue

mom dad daughter

teen girls red white blue outdoor portrait

red white blue portrait

To Linda and Wallace,

We certainly enjoyed getting to know your children and grandchildren during their Nauvoo visit. Thank you for asking us to capture these images for you. Wishing you more joy and happiness as your journey together continues.

All the Best!

Tom and Jeanette

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Getting to Know our Nauvoo Temple Missionaries

Working in and attending the Nauvoo Temple has been a blessing in a myriad of ways. One of which is getting to know the missionaries who serve there, anywhere from six to twenty-three months. They leave home and family behind to come here, work tirelessly through summer season’s busyness, winter’s cold, and the beauty of spring and fall.

Often just before they head home, we get to do a short portrait session with a few. The images below are of missionaries who have touched our lives in some way and have remained our friends after their service here has ended.

We love our Temple missionaries.

missionary couple brick home

fall missionary couple portrait

missionary couple nauvoo temple

flower bed nauvoo temple missionary couple

mississippi river missionary couple

missionary couple nauvoo temple

missionary couple

missionary couple fall temple

fall trees missionary couple

sister missionary lecturn missionary in cowboy hat and suit

missionary couple fall temple

 

 

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Jackie and John’s Nauvoo Wedding

Memories of Jackie and John’s wedding day are filled with thoughts of beautiful flowers on the temple grounds and ideal weather conditions, but what we remember most is this family’s love for the happy couple.

Children were delighted for their parents while grandchildren showed their adoration many times over. The bride and groom? They resembled two giddy adolescents excited for a wonderful life ahead. Their love for one another was obvious.

From our first encounter with Jackie and John to our latest, every conversation and visit has been both pleasant and uplifting. We are excited to add them to our list of friends.

Take a look at the images captured on their wedding day and you will see a family filled with love…..

bride and groom nauvoo temple doors

groom family nauvoo temple wedding

groom family nauvoo temple flowers bride groom daughter in red

grandson and grandpa

groom grandpa and grandsons nauvoo temple steps

bride groom nauvoo temple grounds

bride groom nauvoo temple

vintage style bride groom photo

bride groom holding hands

groom nauvoo temple grounds bride in blue nauvoo temple grounds

bride nauvoo temple grounds

bride groom nauvoo temple

To Jackie and John,

It was a joy to get to know both of you and see your family with hearts full of kindness and excitement for your future life together. It was indeed a pleasure to photograph your special day at the Nauvoo Temple. Wishing you all the best.

God Bless!

Tom and Jeanette

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Tallahassee, Florida

217.453.2797

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