Groomsmen Gift + Party Bag Ideas

Gifting dudes is hard. Finding a gift or party presentation that doesn’t scream “my lady friend helped me with this” is a tough task. So when grooveyGuyGifts.com got in touch with me, it was a vendor collab I couldn’t resist. They sent me a bag to sample and said, “only if you like it, vouch for us and say something cool and you can keep it.” So i got it, the COMBAT COOLER SPECIFICALLY and gifted it to my husband with the question… do you think men would like this?

The monogram, the color, the fit and the style of the bag is masculine, well built, well lined and waterproof. Considering that my husband has used it as a cooler MULTIPLE times for a couple evenings camping and fireside with some whiskey and good conversation—this is not manipulated opinion. My man loved the color and said, “yea, that would be a sweet gift to get as a dude.” Success! And legit fist bump to this crazy intentional company who actually says great product for an audience of men hoping they might get a gift as cool as the girls’ . Come on guys, we can do better. Wow and woo with groovyguysgifts.com. AND check out the rest of their recent updated inventory!

JIANA | Senior | Tucson, AZ

This senior session was a treat. Jiana is a the daughter of a precious friend of mine at the school I work at. The bond between mother and daughter is so sweet; so strong. Note the image at the bottom as mom is fixing’ a few fly aways and fitting the robe on—SO MANY FEELS. :) Shout out to Cartel on Broadway (Downtown, Tucson) for letting us use their yummy light and coffee lobby and drink their deliciousness. You rock :) // Here are highlights from Jiana’s senior portrait session!

Oh Jiana…may your senior radiate as bright and brilliant as your smile and your joy. I LOVED laughing with you the whole way through this special portrait session! Enjoy senior year baby! // Laura

ALLLLSO — if you’d like to see the little highlight real from our session, check this out! Props to DesotoMedia



Llamas & Cocktails | San Antonio Wedding

San Antonio’s Dominion Country Club was a classy dream of a wedding venue. Between cobblestone , adobe tile and sweeping spanish architecture with domed skylights, the historical location was the backdrop to a lively evening. Below are highlights of this lovely “May the 4th” spring wedding in San Antonio, Texas… oh, and be warned, the force was alive and well with this dance party.

VENDORS

Venue: The Dominion Country Club // Photographer: Laura K Moore Photography // Wedding Gown: David’s Bridal //

MUAH: Jax Studio // Florist: Botanika // Cake: Cakes by Cathy //DJ: Future Sounds DJ

The day began with leasure pampering by the ladies of San Antonio’s well-known makeup and hair team: Jax Studio. We grabbed lunch at Kneaders and then made our way for our traditional mass ceremony at Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Immediately following were family portraits before everybody dispersed to the reception venue.

Once at Dominion Country Club, L + V surprised guests with a llama and cocktails while the wedding party did some fancy portraits in the sunbeams around the beautiful wedding venue’s property.

Dinner started promptly and a rockin’ dance party followed quickly therafter.

Luis & Veronica, you and your friends were a hoot and we are honored to have been a part of your love story this past year and capture such fun and energetic pictures that capture the thrill of your day! // Laura & Nikita (p.s. shout out to second shooter Niki who rocked it with her macro and dance floor storytelling skills. It is always both humbling and totally excited to get two artists together and share a whole portfolio of perspective! You are a joy to shoot with friend!)

VENDORS

Venue: The Dominion Country Club // Photographer: Laura K Moore Photography // Wedding Gown: David’s Bridal // MUAH: Jax Studio // Florist: Botanika // Cake: Cakes by Cathy //DJ: Future Sounds DJ 

Parin + Shiragi | Arizona Indian Wedding | Day 2

The groom arrived mid-morning on Day 2 of Parin & Shiragi’s wedding. (See DAY 1 here) and the atmosphere was ripe and welcoming. Shiragi, by tradition, was hid by the brothers and men closest to her pretended to keep her and make it rough to get to her. I legitimately teared up when they finally hugged. 24 hours of pre-celebrating without him had made everybody so eager for his arrival and for them to finally be together.

Now that both families were together, the time melded together into the flurry of family laughter, reunions, everybody wanted a picture with a loved one ALL the time. it was awesome. Pulling away to get a few quick portraits with the bride and groom became less about what time it was and more about how sneaky we could be. It became a game…lots of intuitive eye contact with Shiragi and Parin and keeping a pulse on family. We also had to be fast both because relatives would start hunting us down AND because it was the first triple digit day in the desert and we were SWEATING bullets.

GROOM’S PITHI

As Parin and his family collected onto the terrace of Westward Look, the music and dancing began and ushered everybody into an energetic and playful Pithi ceremony while they blessed and prayed and laughed over Parin. Best moment was when aunts got fiesty and demanded he strip down and the haldi got crazy. Mom and dad got flanked too. It was fantastic.

RAAS GARBA

There was an interlude in the afternoon for reprieve, showers and primping for the Raas Garba (i.e. the coolest, loudest, most vibrant dance party you’ll ever go to). Once refreshed and ready, we grabbed some moments alone with the couple for a few sunshine desert portraits…and of course a cohort of friends insisted on coming to cat call and join in :)

There is a an indian art form called rangoli where a relative or loved one created an intricate pattern drawn by hand an then filled with powdered rice, flower petals, chalk powder and coloured sand. It’s a form of blessing and expression of celebration. A close relative of the bride and groom was interior designer, Nisha Tailor Interior Designer, who lovingly shared her heart and her art in these designs all over Westward Look’s property. Her particularly eye-catching peacock piece was center stage in the massive ballroom for the Raas Garba.

During cocktail hour and through the evening, our photography team took turns running an open air personalized photo booth. It was a fantastic way to be part of the welcoming experience for guests. We got to meet each couple, take more portraits, connect personally and were welcomed warmly.

MM Celebrations LLC was ON FIRE all weekend long. The event design and planning company from New Jersey had driven in a massive UHAUL cross-country packed with all the treasures to transform each ceremony into an explosion of festivity. Raas Garba was said to be a crowning jewel of color and dancing for the weekend so we came with energy drinks, extra manpower and eye wide open. Santosh flew a band of famous musicians from India for the weekend and they treated guests with lively music until midnight. Sticks were passed out as part of the traditional dance, Dandiya Raas, and EVERYBODY got in on it — old and young — men and women. The energy (and sweat) and fun in that room took “how to celebrate” to a whole new level. Here is a little youtube clip of the BEGINNING of their 45 minute Raas where two circles are formed and start with a first dance of bride and groom. If you can imagine all 400+ guests ending up in that room, dancing in circles faster and faster for 45 minutes.

Midnight came quickly and the party did not peter.

Day 3 coming soon :)

// VENDORS //

Venue: Westward Look Wydnham Resort Tucson // Photography: Laura K Moore Photography // Videography: Fine Art Productions // Event Design & Decor: MM Celebrations LLC // Grah Shanti, Mehendi, and Garba Hair and Makeup: Blushed by Ish // Wedding Hair and Makeup: Makiaj Beauty // Wedding and Grah Shanti Outfit: Ekaya  // Reception Outfit: Shyamal and Bhumika // Garba Outfit: Swati Manish // Parfum: Valentino // Shoes: “a random stall in india” // Reception Flats: Keds // Rangoli & Other Design Details: Nisha Tailor Interior Designer // Tesla: Turo // Famous Singer & Band: Bhavin Shastri & Group // Famous Flutist- Anis Chandani // Famous Female Vocalist: Dhara Shah // Famous male singer- Dharmesh Chauhan

Vista West Ranch | Wedding Videography Highlight Reel

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Here is a highlight wedding video from Eric + Katie's Wedding at Vista West Ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas. *Push Play*

To see highlights and photos from their entire wedding weekend, go HERE.

WPPI 2018 | Highlights & Behind the Scenes

Every February/March the world of photography converges in Vegas at a conference called WPPI (Weddings and Portrait Photographers International). Photographers, vendors, industry leaders, trend setters and market voices stand on podiums, walk the halls, hug familiar faces, wave to familiar fans (and even those not familiar), vouch for their favorite products, attest to their current equipment and speak boldly about failures and successes over the years. It is a place where proficiency is honored and a few prodigies are identified. 

WHY WE CAME

This year I, Laura - LKM owner and exec. photographer,  am returning with three ladies who are the current #LKM&CO team. Megan Lange, Makayla McGarvey and Miranda Rico are walkin' the halls as a team--representing LKM with vigor, class and an affirming sense of trust in myself as their boss/leader/trainer/mentor. Attending this conference is something we've been preparing for for months. The girls have gotten used to my invasive questions. They've even started to anticipate them and when they catch me approaching another gut-kicking/self-awareness-challenging question they often say, "uh oh, it's a laura question." #suchasatisfyingthingtobeknownfor

I came this year for these ladies. I wanted them to get dunked into the industry and hear voices other than my own. I wanted to hear different value systems, different strategies, different histories and "how i made it work" stories. I wanted them to observe the variety of personalities and dynamics; assess what organically attracts them to other photographers/other work and what might confuse them. I wanted them to get training in areas that are not my fortes while hearing an echo of things that are the lifeblood of the LKM brand--i.e. LOVE PEOPLE, CAPTURE REAL STORIES, YOUR WORTH IS NOT DEFINED BY YOUR PRICE TAG BUT YOUR PRICE TAG SHOULD REFLECT THE WORTH OF WHAT YOU DO, etc etc etc. (I have several soap boxes that I get very feisty about so i'll have self-control for the moment.)

DAY 1 - SATURDAY - PRINT HANGING / CONFERENCE PREP

First stage of the whole experience was working alongside Jerry Ghionis & his Print Competition Crew and fearless "hangers" leader Garret Winslow. We worked in shifts all day. Below are highlights from our time watching a bit of the print judging and hanging the winners on the floor in the expo hall! I very much consider the experience a VIP pass and "sneak peak" to the competition's results.  It was a sweet dunk into the deep end of competitive quality for the girls too. Immersing ourselves into international standards of excellence across a variety of genres in photography was healthy and challenging and inspiring. I especially caught a lump in my throat when 5 internationally renowned judges bantered back and forth fighting the score and integrity of a particularly journalistic image. It was 1 single image and they were peering at it intensely--discussing every gnitty gritty detail that went into a perfect picture--the convergence of old school, new school and just standard rules of storytelling and composition and color grading. I felt myself sobered to think of how FAST i approach pictures and don't always slow down for the perfect elements or patiently comprise something that is one step more refined or thoughtful or patiently precise. I was challenged to be more patient--respectful and engaged with my role a storyteller as well as an artist as well as people person.

once done we hung out and fleshed out the classes and instructor and vendors we wanted to connect with

to be continued... 

Saguaro Buttes Peach & Peonies | Alex + Kirstie's Spring Garden Wedding | Tucson, Arizona

We have wrapped up our Spring Weddings for 2017! Spring in the desert has us breathless each and every season. It's just so stinkin' perfect. Kirstie had wonderful aesthetic taste and Alex's vision for their wedding day was a treat to develop.

We were going for was a great outdoor party. Neither one of us wanted the proceedings to be too formal, and we wanted to focus on making it a fun night to remember! Of course, the original, half-joke half-serious theme we tossed around was “beer garden,” which I think captures the atmosphere we wanted to create – laid back and lighthearted. - Alex

 Their fresh garden wedding was complete with bright pops of peach, subtle sage, modern understated design at one of Tucson's hidden gems of a wedding venue. The staging provided a modest, classy garden pallet that was free and lively -- matched only by the bride and groom's effervescent enthusiasm and sincere joy in each other, family and freinds! Mollee Fitzgerald with POM Events nailed the look with the help of flower director Katie Mclain and her florist team at Posh Petals. Saguaro Buttes was a perfect backdrop for the fresh, relaxed but classy vibe -- a venue tucked away on the east side of Tucson; a hidden oasis set in the middle of a mesquite grove and up against the Rincon Mountains. 

Our personal favorite part of the whole day was how each little section of the day was filled with authentic joy. Alex and Kirstie just make each other laugh and love and their friends were so excited for them! And their unabashed joy in each other--Alex's face and embrace during the first look nearly made me lose it, ceremony vows were both witty and sincere and moving, portraits with family were hilarious, sunset sweetheart time was jaw-dropping gorgeous and the party down in the twinkle-light gilded garden was sheer fun! Here are a few highlights and Kirstie & Alex's review at the end :)

VENDOR TEAM

Venue: Saguaro Buttes // Wedding Planner & Day of Coordinator: P.O.M Events // Photography: Laura K Moore Photography // Videography: Black Sheep Filmworks // Make-Up & Hair: I Do Hair & Makeup // Dress: Lulus Bridal Boutique // Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew // Shoes:  // Bridal Party Gifts: Anthropologie // Food: Edge Catering // Cake: Sugar Song // String Musicians: Aracelli Strings LLC 

Alex's reaction during their first look was, hands down, my favorite part of the day...he just melted into her with awe and joy and held her so hard. We were able to capture nearly ALL the fun and classy portraits with wedding party and family before the wedding. The couple were eager to just have natural and authentic time enjoying their family and capturing images that were casual but classy and beautiful and REAL. 

The couple wrote vows for each other that had people laughing and crying equally hard.

After the ceremony we were able to slip away for some golden hour sunset portraits and breathing space. This time is our most favorite time of the day... the light was lovely, the weather was perfect, vows had been made and the party awaited...

and then the party.... SO much laughter and fun!  

Our experience with Laura was absolutely fantastic. From start to finish, I felt like we were in the best hands possible. It was great to know we didn’t have to worry about pictures, or our photographer understanding us – LKM just got what we were trying to accomplish, and helped us make the most out of our vision! I felt like there were many times LKM knew what we wanted more than we did, and it really helped to have LKM share her experience from other weddings to help us make the most of our photos. I am SO SO SO SO SO happy with how the photos turn out – I must look at them at least once a month, and they capture all the moments that are so important to me.If you want a photographer you can trust to capture your image, vision, and hopes for your wedding day… look no further than Laura K Moore Photography! - Official Review from Alex & Kirstie

Oh! Here is the highlight cinematography reel by Black Sheep Filmworks! Enjoy! 

More from the couple:

A. why did you choose LKM as your photographer? Were you pleased? What were your highlights?

After reviewing many, many photographers, we knew we had to have LKM as our wedding photographer. Her pictures are magical and we didn't want anything less than the best for our wedding. OF COURSE we were pleased - our pictures are amazing and we will cherish them forever. The highlights? The first look and the pictures of everyone dancing!

B. What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning?

​Alex and I wanted our wedding to feel like a funky backyard party. We are really into visiting different breweries and hanging out outside and we didn't want it to feel like a formal, ballroom type of event. We mostly just wanted everyone to be able to kick back and have some fun with us. 

C. What was your color palette and your style vision? ​

Alex and I are both from Tucson, AZ and since we moved to Texas, we have both developed an even deeper love for our hometown. Tucson is such a special place, for many reasons, and we both miss the desert so much. We wanted a rustic feel for our wedding with lots of neutral colors that you pick up in the Tucson landscape – succulents and all.

D. What unique elements or DIY details did you include?

​My cousin's husband created a logo for our wedding that we had printed on pint glasses and gave those to guests as our wedding favors. We also purchased a really nice piece of wood to use as our cake stand and eventually want our logo etched into the cake stand to hang in our home. 

E. What was your favorite moment? 

Every moment of that day was so special so this is a tough question to answer. I think my favorite was walking down the aisle to Alex. After not seeing him all day (except for the first look - another favorite moment!), walking down the aisle to him felt like walking home. Finally getting to say our vows, exchange rings and kiss as husband and wife was a moment I'll never forget. (This is supposed to be sappy, right?)

F. Your favorite crafted detail? ​

My lumberjack of a husband built the bar for the reception, so I’d say that was my favorite crafted detail. He’s rad. 

G. Tell us about your flowers, your gown, your favors, your cake, etc. 

Everything came together so beautifully. Posh Petals did an amazing job with the flowers – everything was just as I imagined, and I barely gave Katie any direction. I’m pretty useless when it comes to flowers, but she knew exactly what I had been describing and all of the colors and textures looked perfect. The floral arrangement that was placed on the ceremony arch was just as romantic as I had hoped. I purchased my gown from LuLu’s Bridal Boutique in Dallas and it was stunning. I keep trying to think of places I can wear it again. I felt amazing in my dress, and my flower crown from Posh Petals topped it all off. We wanted to play up the beer garden theme, so the pint glasses we handed out as our favors were perfect and I love that we were able to include a logo on them. I still dream about our wedding cake – it was that good. Lorie with Sugar Song Cakes did a delicious job. It was an orange blossom cake with lots of citrus fillings, honey basil citrus icing and buttercream frosting. Mollee with Peace of Mind Event Design and Waitstaff was a godsend. I didn’t have to worry about anything the day of the wedding and she pulled it all off without a hitch. 

H. What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be?

The planning process is a necessary evil, but you’ll get through it. I was smiling like an idiot the entire day and couldn’t tell you a thing that went wrong. It was perfect, and yours will be too.  Oh yeah, and don’t skimp on the photographer and the videographer – they’re incredibly worth it.