When their original wedding plans were derailed by 2020, Kelly and John chose an intimate country club Covid wedding! We are thrilled to get to be their covid wedding photographers and capture the celebration! Both Kelly and John are avid golfers so they are also taking this chance to be the first couple to get married on the actual green of Congressional Country Club golf course in the club’s history!

The couple lives in North Carolina so this wedding is a destination wedding for them. Kelly and John are also looking forward to celebrating again next year and we will be there to capture the second celebration with their whole gang!

The informal nature of an intimate wedding is part of the charm! It’s great to be able to redo the walk down the aisle if the guests forgot to blow bubbles!

The COVID Wedding Details

Kelly and John’s wedding is the first country club Covid wedding or micro wedding we photographed in 2020 and we absolutely love it. Altogether 11 guests attended the wedding including the couple, immediate families, the bridal party and significant others. After the mother of the bride called us to tell us that that they would be doing a micro wedding we worked with the family to ensure we had the right amount of coverage at the right time of day to capture the smaller celebration.

Even though they are small, it is really fun to be involved in such an intimate event! We are honored to be the 12th and 13th persons attending the wedding. The smaller celebration let’s us have lots of great one on one time with the most important people in Kelly and John’s life.

While the micro COVID wedding is a wonderful celebration given the restrictions to large gatherings. And it’s also a unique start to this sweet couple’s married life. However, we can’t wait for the big party, including the dance floor, next year. As for the country club Covid wedding trend, not sure we need a whole lot more of these.

Vendor Team

Micro Wedding Photographer: Bonnie Sen Photography
Hair: Hair by Remona
Makeup: Leah Margosis
Wedding Dress: Essense of Australia
Floral: Petals by the Shore

Abbie and Scott both work in the architecture and design world. They are truly a creative Colorado duo. We had talked with them about doing a “simple” engagement session somewhere in Colorado. During those conversations, I knew we were missing an opportunity to highlight their amazing taste for the best Colorado engagement photos.

I suggested engagement photos that would focus around their love for the outdoors. Highlighting their effortless style with their baby: a vintage teardrop trailer. Once I planted the seed, Abbie, an interior designer, ran with the concept. Abbie made sure we had all the styling props and details we would need. With all this in hand we were set up for the best possible engagement photos in the Colorado mountains.

Ending up in the river

Since we wanted to be near a river, we drove until we found a spot that was both private and lovely. We the search end near the Poudre River in Fort Collins, Colorado. It took us a while to find the right spot that was secluded, near a river, and close enough to pull up the camper. It’s always worth it to keep looking for the best possible engagement photo location. With so many options in Colorado, I knew we could find somewhere perfect.

Wardrobe and Prop Styling

Abbie did the wardrobe and prop styling of the engagement photoshoot to include several moments and outfits. We started with camping photos by the teardrop trailer and by cracking open some Coors Banquet. I mean, it is Colorado after all. Then we switched to taking classic engagement photos in various spots throughout the woods. Abbie and Scott changed outfits to a more formal look. Finally, we had ended the photos with some super and fun playful shots in the river. Putting on their swimsuits and boots as the ultimate troopers!

The final photos are quintessentially Abbie and Scott and the perfect hipster Colorado engagement photoshoot. These are the best type of photos when we can capture the couple in their natural habitat. They will get married back home in Nebraska, so it is nice to have some photos of them in their home Colorado.

These photos were our first engagement session photos here in Colorado. So they will always have a special place in our minds. For all future photoshoots, we will try to make them as personal as this one. It only takes a few conversations to figure out ways to incorporate details.

Family photos are where I started with in photography. Family photos in Denver, specifically! So when we moved back to Denver and had the chance to open a studio in our backyard, it seemed like everything came full circle!

There’s something about classic family photos in studio that still appeal to me. It’s always charming to do photos outside, but when you have a tight window and some fast moving kiddos, having an enclosed and weather proof space is a treat. Our good friends offered to model for us as our first family session in the studio and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Denver Family Photos

I love that this sweet family of four wore coordinating outfits but were not overly matchy for their family photos. The various tones of blue played off the crisp white photo backdrop beautifully. The family’s adorable personalities shone through and I loved being able to capture their relationships on camera.

One of my favorite things when capturing family photos is to make sure we get photos of different groupings. The photos of just mom or dad and the kids are so special and I know their family will cherish those forever. I also can’t get enough of the individual portraits of the kiddos – so precious!

I also love that we are able to capture so many of our good friends and their families. Meggie here is my old roommate and one of my dearest Colorado friends. To say that they are some of my favorite humans in the world is an understatement.

We are having so much fun with the Bonnie Sen Studios from capturing families to portraits to commercial shoots. We just love our blank white canvas photography studio in Denver! Keep an eye on the Bonnie Sen Studios Instagram for all the studio related content.

Studio Portraits get such a bad rap! Indoor and black and white studio portraits are perfect for this stylish couple. Our good friends Leila and Todd are in Denver by way of London and we want to capture that “London in Denver vibe” while our time here in Colorado overlaps.

We were able to capture Leila and Todd at our Denver photography studio in front of a simple white backdrop. For wardrobe when the couple was asking what to wear I told them their usual attire of all-black. The result was just perfect.

Of course I knew they would wear something chic and elegant in black. I can only imagine how great a dressy look would be. Our next guests will be a little more formal in attire. Just to see what that looks like. Having professional hair and makeup done also adds to the look.

The best part of this whole shoot is that it was after the sun went down. The beauty of having a studio is that it’s consistent. Climate or lighting is never a problem. The space is heated and secure. It’s literally a dream for me to have this studio! Be sure to see all the other posts that show off the types of shoots that we are doing here.

Bonnie Sen Studio Portraits

All the studio portraits are photographed in our studio within 10-15 minutes. We are so excited about having this studio space so we can open up to portrait sessions, commercial shoots, family photos, and anything else that can happen on a blank white canvas. There’s something about having a controlled space for photos that opens up lots of possibilities!

Keep an eye on the Bonnie Sen Studios Instagram for all the non-wedding related content. We are, however, looking forward to the return of weddings and large celebrations when they happen!

For this outdoor elopement styled shoot with Julie from Vieira Events, we pulled inspiration from Douro Valley in Portugal. Uniquely olive green, burnt sienna, and soft browns created the color palette. And we pulled pattern inspiration from the Portuguese Azulejos tiles. Additionally, the day included a romantic micro-wedding sized ceremony and intimate outdoor dinner. Proof that stunning weddings come in all sizes.

Most importantly this shoot was day two of our workshop for wedding photographers. See day one here. And the Meridian House was the perfect host. Julie and I selected the Meridian House for the juxtaposition. Placing such a formal and classic setting alongside natural elements. Correspondingly a theme that we worked in throughout the shoot.

Of course we got the idea for a Portuguese wedding from venue. The architecture of the Meridian house was perfect. Perfect for a destination wedding. Not to mention that it’s one of our favorite locations in Washington, D.C. Julie’s husband’s family is from Portugal so she was very familiar with many details.

Outdoor Elopement Design Inspiration

Ultimately this workshop shoot lets us live out our wildest destination wedding dreams. We used this opportunity to visualize a lot of the imagery we want to create. Whether it’s here or in Portugal. Now or in the future. Together with the venue, many of the details helped transform us to Portugal for a destination wedding. Intrinsically, the use of pattern was the element that pulled the design together.

Moreover, the patterned La Tavola linen on a single dinner table mimicked the Azulejos tiles. And was layered with natural but modern pieces from White Glove Rentals. Also a hand-painted Buttercream Bakeshop cake and stationery details from Emily Baird Design rounded out the shoot.

Ultimately all the elements tied together with warm earth tones. Coupled with stunning textural elements. Overall this Portuguese shoot created the ultimate outdoor wedding and elopement inspiration. Not to mention the workshop attendees were thrilled. Firstly with the photos they got. Secondly only did we get to create beautiful imagery, but we also got to go to Portugal!

In conclusion, see more of this Portuguese inspired shoot on Style Me Pretty.

Outdoor Elopement Styled Shoot Vendors:

Designer & Planner: Vieira Events
Stylist and Workshop Coordinator: Naomi Pak
Florist: Sophie Felts Floral Design
Paper Goods: Emily Baird Design
Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental
Rentals: White Glove Rentals
Cake and Cookies: Buttercream Bakeshop
Venue: Meridian House
Models: The Artist Agency
Bridal Shop: Lovely Bride
Dress with Sleeves & Cape: Alexandra Grecco
Lace Dress: Kobi by Lovers Society
Hair and Makeup: Makeup by Ana B
Film Lab Sponsor: Goodman Film Lab