Our first Bridal show

Yesterday, Sun April 1 2012 we participated in our first ever bridal show! We were so excited to have this opportunity to meet new people and make new friends while getting our name out there. The Perfect Wedding Guide hosted the show at the Overland Park Convention center.

Saturday we went in to get our booth set up, since we have never done a show before we weren't sure what to expect other then a 10x10 space with 1 8ft long table and 2 chairs. We planned a little modestly for the display due to not knowing for sure how everything would lay out. We paid a little extra to get a "corner" booth which I think was a good thing. As we were setting up and starting to look at what we had to work with I realized that we could make our booth look even better if we added something. So after we finished setting up what we had we ran over to Hobby Lobby and got one of those privacy type half walls that had places to place photos. The "photo frames" were an unusual size, not something we could get a picture to fill. The frames had mat boards in them and the biggest opening they had was a 5x7. So I thought it out and decided the best thing to do would be to cut some of my black backdrop paper off the roll and cut it to size to place pictures on and create like a large "floating" frame type look to it. Of course being such short notice I wasn't able to use my professional print lab to make the 8x10prints for me and had to settle for less then perfect quality prints. But they still looked pretty good and I got a lot of compliments on the display.

Sunday we woke up bright and early and after leaving instructions for Grandma headed to the convention center to finish with the final touches on the set up. Finally the moment came when they opened the doors and brides and grooms started filtering past our booth. Being in the very back it took a little longer but we finally saw some of the happy couples and began talking with them as we could. The turn out was a bit smaller then expected but we still connected with several people and we are hopeful to get a few clients.

At our booth we also offered a prize drawing, the drawing consisted of 1 free engagement session and 100 free wedding invitations. Our drawing box that we got was super cute, it was a big "book" that opened up into a box. It had magnetic closers so we decided to cut a slit in the top of it and have it standing like on a bookshelf for the couples to drop their entry forms into. Several of the brides and mothers LOVED the box, in fact we got more compliments on that then anything else! Of course every time someone complimented the box my husband would beam with pride because HE was the one that found it and got it. Job well done hubby!

So while the day was long and a lot of standing in one place it was overall a good day. We love getting to know our brides and grooms and really hope to be able to be a part of a few couples special day.

Our beautiful daughter chillin while we set up the booth. I think its funny how she was chewing on her diamond "engagement" ring at the bridal show.

A shot of our postcards and business cards.

Lots of cards ready to go!

Our booth all set up and ready to welcome couples for a visit.

Our last minute late night project... Turned out really great!

Our giant poster sized sign we made. Featuring my good friend and her husband.

Our drawing box... So cute!

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We are really looking forward to this upcoming weekend. Why? Well because for the first time of hopefully many more to come we will be a vendor at Perfect Wedding Guide's spring bridal show at the Overland Park Convention Center. We are excited to meet great new couples and showcase our work! Want to attend? Get your BOGO tickets at http://kc.pwg.com. The bridal show is Sunday April 1 from 10am-5pm and is looking to be one of the biggest to date. Not only will there be lots of vendors for you to meet and share about your exciting upcoming day. But there will be lots of give aways as well as some great deals to get in on. They will also be having a bridal gown sample sale at this show so it could be a good time to get the dress of your dreams for a good deal.

Looking for some helpful tips for attending the show? Well I can give you a couple of pointers being as how I was once in your shoes. Here are some things that we did while attending the bridal show back in 2008.


1. I created large address labels with my name, my now husband's name, address, phone number e-mail account and wedding date. I printed off several sheets of these and took them with me, then when I stopped to chat with a vendor and they asked for my info (or I wanted to enter a drawing) I simply peeled off the sticker and slapped it onto their info cards. It may not seem like much but trust me after filling out 4 or 5 of those same things you'll thank me!

2. For the e-mail address since I didn't want to get a ton of spam I created a free account on gmail.com and used that for registering on PWG's website and used that on my address labels to hand out to vendors. I still checked that account daily but I wanted to keep all that stuff separate from my main e-mail account. Over the years THAT e-mail has turned into my main e-mail account. Haha Oh well.

3. Wear comfortable walking shoes, I can't stress this enough! You will be walking around and standing for long periods of time. Some vendors (such as myself) will be kind enough to provide a couple extra chairs for the happy couple to sit in while discussing their special day with us. However there is still a lot of walking so be prepared.

4. If your like me and just loving every minute of planning your wedding you might want to spend a lot of time there. So wear comfortable clothes too, pack a sweater in case you get chilly but also wear a short sleeved shirt under it in case you get warm from all that walking.

5. Bring some money! I believe they will be having a concession stand and I'm sure you'll get hungry and or thirsty. If they will allow it bring a bottle of water in with you, you want to stay well hydrated!

6. Bring your check book, if you think you might want to book with a vendor to make sure you get YOUR day booked with one you really connect with. Most vendors require some sort of deposit for reserving your date. I'm sure there will also be some that accept credit cards but better safe then sorry.

7. Have a list of things you still need, have whats most important to you at the top of the list and look for those vendors. Make sure you talk to ones you are interested in as much as possible, make sure you find one that fits your personalities. Especially when booking a photographer as they will be working with you ALL day long! Make sure you ask lots of questions. It might be helpful to have a list of questions you need answers to with you. If not schedule a consultation with vendors of choice, most offer this for free... I know I do!


8. If you want to be REALLY organized (like I did) carry along a small file folder. I had one that had a nice handle on it and it had several slots that I pre-labeled so I was able to file each vendor according to what they offered. (I.E Photographers, Dresses, Venues, Caterers, Music, etc) Then as you visit each table take any business cards/pamphlets and file them in the correct category. That way when you get home you can eliminate the ones you don't need! Was so simple!

9. Take time to rest, if your like me and not really into the whole "fashion show" then sit and watch even just a part of it to give yourself a little break. Or use that time to visit with vendors as they might not be as busy during the fashion shows because so many people will be watching that.

10. Most of all HAVE FUN! This is a magical time in your life! Don't stress about the small stuff, don't worry if you don't have much time left to plan your wedding everything comes together in the end and it will be much better to look back and say "Wow that was so fun!" instead of "Wow that was so stressful".


Highlights Studios will be at booth number 168 so stop by and enter to win our free drawing which will include a free engagement session plus a DVD high resolution copy of ALL of your engagement pictures. We will have some of our work on display and just getting to know as many people as we can. I am a very big people person so I am really looking forward to that part. So make sure you drop by and say hi! Take a look at our work and if you want to book your special day with us! We WILL be accepting bookings that day and we will be giving a 10% discount off to couples who take advantage of the day and book with us! So come over and say Hi! Even if you don't book with us we'd love to meet you!

6mo Photo Shoot

Its hard to believe that our little angel is already 6mo old! So what does that mean? Why a super cute photo shoot of course! Yes I've done other photo shoots as well but had to make this one super cute!

My inspiration came when Grandma was showing Willa and big brother Eli all her pretty Marti gr as beads she's collected over the years. They were in a bucket and falling out as Eli was playing with them, I thought to myself how cute it would be to do a photo shoot with the beads and an old suitcase. So of course I HAD to try it and brought home all the beads. Less then a week later we had this fun shoot, it was a bit challenging because she still is not 100% sitting up on her own. However she maintained her balance very well in the suit case for over 20 minutes! What a little trooper! Here are some of my favorites! Enjoy!

Can she get any cuter? The last box is a "toy box" we have that I thought would look good too in the pictures. I think they turned out well. But by the time we got to the toy box she was getting tired of having her picture taken.

4mo Photo shoot

We Recently did a photo shoot for the most adorable baby girl ever. Can't get enough of this little Princess. Here are some of her pictures.

As is with most babies, it didn't take long for her to get board with all the pictures being taken. But she was a sport even though the tutu and wings were made of scratchy stuff that irritated her skin a little. Thankfully they went away pretty quick. She was a doll!

Andrea & Sundance - Married!

Andrea and Sundance have been together since Nov 13 1998, so it would only make sense that they would get married on Nov 13 2011 on their 13th anniversary. Their wedding started at 1300 hours (1:00pm) and it couldn't have been a more beautiful day for it! Here in Kansas City it was in the 70s which made for perfect outdoor shots. They were married at the Sylvester Powell Jr Community center in Mission KS.

I have had the pleasure of photographing another wedding there in 2009 and as it turns out it was where my husband and I had our wedding reception in 2008! It was a small personal wedding with only about 10 people attending. Even though they have been together 13yrs you could still see the love for each other. It was very sweet.

Before the wedding started while waiting for the groom to arrive I took a few shots of just the bride Andrea. I think this was a first that the bride was ready before the groom!

 After the wedding we took some time to do some personal bridal shots of just the bride and groom. It was nice doing such a small wedding. It was a perfect way to get me back into the wedding mode after having the baby.

Both the bride and the groom were really great about doing whatever anyone asked. You could see the love for each other and their families. They also had a great sense of humor!

I couldn't have had more fun at a wedding and it was nice that it wasn't a full 8hr wedding for the first one back from having a baby.  We wish them all the best and happiness in their new life together!

Congratulations Andrea & Sundance!

Free Personalized Holiday cards offer!

Free Personalized Holiday Card Promo offer:

Book a Family session for only $125 and get a 25ct pack of personalized holiday cards free.
25ct pack of cards includes 1 design only.
All appointments must be booked by Nov 30, 2011
All card orders must be submitted no later than 5pm on Nov 30, 2011
All card orders will be placed on Dec 1, 2011
Any appointments booked after Nov 30, 2011 we cannot guarantee on time delivery for Christmas.
Any card orders not summited by 5pm Nov 30, 2011 will be subject to a $15 shipping fee on all orders under $50.
Shipping fee is waived if order over $50 is placed.
There is no guarantee on orders placed after the 5pm deadline on Nov 30, 2011.
Offer good for single family households only. Additional households may be included in the shoot for an additional charge of $50 per household.
Additional cards may be purchased for $50 per 25ct packs. (Contact us if needing to purchase multiple packs)


Photo sessions are available either in our small indoor studio (Limit 4 people), outdoors or in clients home (unlimited number people).

Offer ends Dec  15, 2011
There are limited slots available.
This offer is valid for a limited time only.
Highlights Studios reserves the right to cancel or make changes to offer without further notice.

Happy Anniversary Wendy & Aric!

Two years ago today I had the pleasure of being the photographer for Wendy and Aric. Right from our first consultation meeting I knew we were going to get along great. They were fun and it was almost like we became friends right then. I got a good sense of what type of photography they wanted and the wedding was a blast. At the time I was 4mo pregnant and that was going to be my last wedding before the baby came. Wendy and Aric kept making sure I wasn't over doing it and making sure I ate something so I wouldn't get sick. The wedding went smoothly and was so beautiful.

It was a beautiful fall day, they got married in an old barn that had been turned into a small event center. They had fall decorations. There was One tree left on the property that still had the bright red and orange leafs left as if waiting for their wedding. It provided a great back drop for bridal party poses.

One of the things I LOVED about this couple is they really wanted to get lots of great creative pictures with their bridal party. They allowed plenty of time BEFORE the wedding to do so. The guys were ready quick and we got to have fun doing poses. All the guys had ideas of poses they wanted to try, I love it when the clients suggest posses because it puts a bit of a personal spin on it. One of the things they really wanted was pictures with them wearing sun glasses. FUN!

Of course there were some nice formal shots in there too.

The girls were fun too! The two younger bridesmaids were the brides daughters. All the ladies were so pretty and we had fun working with them too. Although it was more conventional shots for these ladies.

Pictures of just the bride and groom were fun and sweet. The grounds at this location provided lots of natural back drops.

Then we got to combine the two wonderful groups and do some really nice fun group shots. Remember that tree I talked about earlier? Lots of fun!

After that it was time to head in for the ceremony. It was preformed by the brides sister who gave an AWESOME sermon about marriage.

Finally they were husband and wife! The reception was great as well! What a great couple!
Today is their 2nd anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Wendy and Aric! We wish you all the best in your life! Thank you for inviting us to be a part of your special day!