Grant Oakes

I have 5 foxy neighbors living next door that come over occasionally to play.  Am I lucky or what?

About a month ago, I was at the breakfast table, sipping my coffee and out of the blue I got this idea of putting together a different kind of wedding resource publication.  Sure, there are lots of wedding related magazines for event professionals to advertise in but I thought there was a need for a small reference guide, without all the clutter and confusion of display ads.  By only listing the bullet information (sort of like a spreadsheet) I’m able to keep the cost way down and even create a website to compliment the printed booklet.  So far the response has been positive and quite a number of mainstream event companies are lining up to get in.  Check out My Wed Source

In February I’ll be conducting a Master Class in Las Vegas for WPPI and the staff is having a contest, just for the speakers.  It’s a video submission, up to 2 minutes, ending in “This Is My WPPI”.  It’s a tongue-in-cheek bit.  I wanted to also extend a “thank you” to Dave Delano of the Camera Trader and the Ritz Carlton for their assistance with it. Check it out on my Vimeo account at http://vimeo.com/33196092

Linda has been battling Cancer and kidney disease for 3-1/2 years and this afternoon she finally lost the fight and passed away peacefully at home.  The image above was taken by Karen Rubin, an incredible photographer we’ve known for many years, about 2 weeks after Linda was first diagnosed with Cancer and before she suffered the ravages of the disease and the treatments she endured.

I’ve known Kip for about 30 years and when he asked me to shoot his wedding I said “why not”.  I got to see a lot of old friends and it was a great distraction for me. More about that in a future blog post.  They attend a Sign Language congregation so there where a lot of deaf attendees there and that made for a very interesting wedding and reception.  One cute moment was when the ushers were unrolling a 60′ runner on a 100′ aisle. Everything took place at the Miramonte Lodge in Broomfield.  Anyway, to see a highlights slide show of their wedding Click Here.

Saturday night I had the privilege of photographing the annual Zarlengo Foundation fund raising event. This year Jay Leno was the headliner and did he put on a performance! His comic routine lasted for over an hour and I don’t think there was more than 30 seconds in a row that I didn’t laugh.  The wonderful Hazel Miller sang a few songs as the opening act.  At the VIP reception there were a few notable people present, such as Terry Vitale, the owner/publisher of the magazines Colorado Expressions and Confetti.  Les Shapiro, a long time Denver sports guru for local TV and radio stations, was the Emcee.  Rob MacKenzie was there, representing Fastlane Productions who provided the projection system and Mares Video Productions did the video at the beginning of the program which highlighted the benefits of this great organization.

Derith and Dr Cass exchanged vows yesterday at the beautiful Westin Riverfront in Avon, Colorado on what turned out to be a picture perfect day.  Derith is a personal trainer and she met her Prince Charming at a local gym, oddly enough, after being noticed by Dr Cass and so he hired her to assist him in his workouts.  Love followed and you can just feel that they have something special.  Derith has that natural beauty but Whitney DeVoogd and Lulu Sutphin came up from Denver to make her look fabulous with the hair and makeup. Dana with Bouquets created the gorgeous floral arrangements and Fred, one of the owners of Great Time DJ’s had everyone dancing the night away. Want to see more?  Just CLICK HERE to see the highlights of their wedding.

Had a visitor in my back yard today.  Actually we had 3 but by the time I got my camera ready 2 had already taken off.

NetJets had a client appreciate party at Invesco Field this evening and the Irish Rock band U2 performed for the guests.  It was billed as a rehearsal event for the concert that will be put on tomorrow.  If this was only a rehearsal, the real one will be off the charts!  Although I wasn’t permitted to photograph the band when they went live my grandson and I did enjoy the show for a while.

Yesterday I had the privilege of documenting the nuptials of Sarina and Daryl at the Warwick Hotel.  All I can say is “WOW”!  Sarina had designed her wedding theme around the 1930’s jazz scene with all kinds of paraphernalia.  The dinner tables each had a framed picture on them depicting things like the Cotton Club, Savoy Ball Room, Lenox Lounge, a newspaper article about Billie Holiday, etc.  Her invitations and meal menu’s were printed on a light fabric with a vintage look and feel to them.  And of course, no wedding from this era would be complete without the bride wearing a bird catcher veil.  Sarah Viera Events coordinated the evening, Buffy with Pink Posy Design created the beautiful floral arrangements and bouquets and the fantastic looking cakes were done by Rachael with Intricate Icings, although I never did get a chance to sample them.  I hope you enjoy a few of the images from this wonderful wedding.