Meet Mindy and Paul!  We had to pull this one out of the archives because the Phipps Mansion is now a private residence and not available for weddings anymore!  The mansion was beautiful, furnished with antiques and tapestries, marble and a wonderful staircase.  Everything inside took you back to another place in time.  The gardens were magnificent and you most certainly did not feel like Cherry Creek mall was 5 minutes away!

Enjoy!

Meet Sarah and Trevor and Bella, too!  We met at the lovely Elk Meadow Open Space park up in Evergreen – one of my favorite places to shoot!  The weather was perfect, the lighting sublime and we had a great evening laughing and taking photos!

Enjoy!

Just to be fair, I had to create a separate blog post on just the camels of Crooked Willow Farms.  They were so interested in Tamra and Matt and were almost like puppies!  It does look like Matt is having his hand munched on, but really I think it tickled!  No bride or groom was harmed in this sequence of photos!

Enjoy!

Meet Tamra and Matt!  What a wedding!  The energy and love that surrounded Tamra and Matt was incredible!

Enjoy!

Venue:  Crooked Willow Farms   Coordinator:  Nicole with Table 6 Productions   Florist:  Newberry Brothers    Stylist:  Kori Schell

Meet Tamra and Matt!  Sometimes one look just sums it all up into one word.

Enjoy!

I hope you like magnificent colors!  Meet Caroline and Karng!  We decided to pull this wedding out of the wedding archives because not only is it one of our favorites, but the colors and traditional accents are amazing!  For a complete description of the events taking place, here is a link to view:  Traditional Tea Ceremony.

We first started at Caroline’s house where she was getting ready.  Karng and his were family were lined up outside, with Karng in front with his parents – waiting to receive the bride, presenting gifts and seeking permission to greet the bride (when the actual ceremony begins).  Caroline came down the stairs and accepted Karng’s gift (a bouquet) and they were presented to the altar of ancestors, asking permission to bless them. After the ceremony at Caroline’s house, we then went to Karng’s house for another tea ceremony.  Traditionally fruit, cakes, roasted pig and other items are presented.  After this second ceremony, we then proceeded to go downtown for a few fun portraits and then to the reception where Caroline and Karng shared a toast with each table.

Enjoy!

This says it all!  Enjoy!

When we weren’t doing yoga, we would go into town – Puerto Viejo was just a short 15 minute drive away.  Puerto Viejo was an adorable surf town – right on the beach and a visual feast for me!  We had dinner one night in a restaurant and apparently every evening at the same time, a sloth would appear and cross a beam in the restaurant.  It was quite a sight!

Enjoy!

The wildlife in Costa Rica was unreal!  Snakes, howling monkeys, humming birds, toucans, parrots, scorpions, lizards, sloths – you name it!  If you just stood still, the jungle would just move!  It was both amazing and a bit unnerving at the same time!  On my third night there, a scorpion fell from the ceiling on to my bed – after that, I had a mosquito net!  Most favorite: waking up at 5:30am to howling monkeys.  Least favorite:  the cockroaches as big as a taco tortilla.  Enjoy!

Where does one begin on trying to write about such a transformational experience?

First, I can’t say enough about Peak Beings and Troy McPeak.  Troy is an amazing teacher!  His knowledge, experience, calm nature and patience in teaching was really just a perfect fit for me.

Also, the setting was beautiful and very nuturing:  Samasati Nature Retreat was located in the jungle, far away from any distractions (FAR, FAR away – haha).  We were fed vegetarian meals and surrounded by all the jungle your imagination could offer – toucans, howling monkeys, sloths, everything!  It was a very unique experience!  More photos to come on just the animal life there!  And, still yet, more photos to come on the visits to Puerto Viejo – a surf town located just a 15 minute drive from the reserve.

Being immersed in this beautiful setting with a great group of people was just a heart opening experience!  I learned so much about myself and yoga and made some really great friends!  Enjoy the photos!