Jim & Val

It was the second weekend in a row that I had an outdoor wedding and the second weekend in a row that the weather was awesome! Jim & Val tied the knot at the new Honey Creek Resort on Lake Rathbun. What a great venue and a very picturesque place for an outdoor ceremony. We started off by heading out to the golf course and jumping in some golf carts and driving to a nearby hole for some really nice group shots as well as individual shots of Jim and Val. We got back to the resort just in time for the beautiful ceremony. The reception followed in the resort. Here are a few of the pictures from the day!

Thanks again guys, you had such a wonderful wedding. I hope you are having a great time on your cruise! Talk to you soon!

Erik - Inspired Images

Abby

Senior shoots are fun, it's great to get to hang out with young adults that are full of ideas but also want you to do your own thing. I had the pleasure of spending a little bit of time with Abby, her Mom and sister on Wednesday. Abby is a senior this year at Valley and was excited about getting her senior pictures taken. We hit up some local parks and ended the shoot downtown shooting her in a really cute dress. I had a great time and from the sounds of it everyone involved did as well. Here are a few pictures from our shoot.

Thanks again guys for finding a time that would work, I'm looking forward to seeing you again for some head shots. Talk to you soon!

Erik - Inspired Images

Mike & Jill

An outdoor wedding in July with temps in the 70's? I don't think you could have drawn it up any better! Mike and Jill got married on Saturday in Cedar Rapids at A Touch of Class ,with a beautiful outdoor ceremony written by Jill. It was just perfect for the two of them filled with special messages to each other. It was a lot of fun taking their pictures as they are both great people and just perfect together. We started the day taking some formal pictures in a park nearby, I couldn't believe our luck having it be mostly cloudy and very comfortable for all involved. Following the wedding we headed inside for a very nice reception. Here are a few of the shots from the day.

Thanks again guys for letting me be a part of your day! Talk to you soon!

Erik - Inspired Images

Mike & Mary's engagement shoot

So I got a call earlier in the week and it was Mary telling me that they were going to be in town and she wanted to see if I would have any time for engagement pictures this weekend. I had Jeff & Erin's wedding on Saturday but had an opening on Sunday morning for a shoot so we were able to get it in. We decided on going downtown and hitting up a few spots. It was a good time just walking around with them and getting to know them a little bit. They both live in Chicago now but Mary grew up in Des Moines so the wedding is going to be back here this fall. It was fun talking with them about Chicago, vacations, jobs, and probably the funniest thing Mike's hobby of doing headstands. I'm sure that most of you have already visited it in the past but you should check out his website at http://headstandman.com/ He has fans ranging from the everyday guy on the street to Bob Knight! I'm sure that he's available for public appearances so you might want to check in with him for any formal functions that you may have coming up. All kidding aside I had a great time hanging out with these two and we were able to get some really nice pictures. Here are a few from the shoot.

Did you think I was joking?Thanks again guys, I was glad to hear that you made it home safely! Talk to you soon!

Erik - Inspired Images

Jeff & Erin Wedding

On Saturday I took the wedding pictures for a great couple Jeff and Erin. I had a great time getting to know them a little bit during their engagement shoot and found that we had a lot in common so it was good to see them again on their big day. It was a beautiful service performed by Erin's father, making it even more special. The wedding was held at Hope Lutheran Church in West Des Moines with the reception following at the Foxboro Conference Center in Johnston. After the wedding the whole wedding party and many additional friends all loaded up on a sweet Iowa Hawkeyes party bus, I have to admit that my thoughts turned to tailgating in a rig like that! Jeff and Erin had a beautiful reception and showed off some great dance moves and Jeff followed that up later in the evening with some old school rapping at the DJ station. It was a fun day all around, here are a few of the pictures.

Thanks again guys, I hope that we see each other soon!

Erik - Inspired Images

Syrus & Janelle

We weren't even sure if we could get Syrus and Janelle's engagement shoot in with the weather in the area. We were scheduled to meet at 6:00 and the rains were coming down hard but we noticed that there was a little bit of lighter sky on the horizon so we decided to wait it out and fortunately for us the rains slowed and eventually stopped to give way to some good conditions. We walked around downtown and got some great shots, and all had a fun time talking about stuff. Here are a few pictures from their shoot.

Thanks again guys for waiting it out, I think we made the right decision! I'll talk to you soon.

Erik - Inspired Images

Eric & Jodi Wedding

On Saturday I got to hang out with two awesome people and their friends. Eric (Murph) & Jodi's wedding was just beautiful, taking place at St. John's Lutheran Church in Des Moines. The architecture is gorgeous and it was just what Jodi wanted. Following the ceremony we headed out to Glen Oaks Country Club for the reception. I love to take pictures there it's such a wonderful venue. I think I saw some of the funniest and most original toasts yet, needless to say they lasted quite a while and most of them poked fun at Murph in some way! Following dinner we headed outside for the dance. The hot weather of the day gave way to cooler temperatures and a very comfortable breeze. Jodi and Murph had a great time partying with their friends and I had a great time capturing it! Here are a few pictures from their day.Thanks again for everything guys, you were awesome to work with and so so laid back! I hope you are having a great time in Mexico and can't wait to hear all about it. Talk to you soon!

Erik - Inspired Images

Heather & Jay's wedding

On Saturday I had the privilege to take the wedding photos for two great friends of ours Jason er...I mean Jay and Heather :) With the way that storms were popping up daily last week we were very happy that the rainy weather had taken the day off though the heat was still there big time! It put a damper on some of our outdoor picture opportunities but we got as much in as we could. The wedding was beautiful taking place in Wyoming, IA with the reception following in Cedar Rapids. They had a great band at the reception called The Swing Crew Seriously if you want to have a good time at your reception you should look into hiring these guys. They played a great variety of music and even had some hilarious crowd interaction. One of the best parts was when they asked for a 4 year old volunteer to come up and my little buddy Wyatt quickly raised his hand. While the band had wanted him to pluck a string on the violin for the "Pop" in Pop goes the weasel, he had other ideas and sang the greatest version of Red River Valley that I have ever heard! It was so cute. Here are a few pictures from their day.
Bling - I can't say how happy and proud that we are for you guys! We love you so much and wish you all the happiness in the world! Thanks again for allowing us to be a part of your wonderful day, and we hope you are having a wonderful time in Nashville!

Erik - Inspired Images

Shane & Marcy

With Shane and Marcy coming into town from Ohio for a wedding and me leaving town for a wedding in Eastern Iowa we had very limited time to take their engagement pictures. We made it work and were able to do them at 8:00 in the morning. I was worried that we may not be able to get them in with the very thick fog that had settled in the night before but throughout the shoot the fog continued to burn off giving us some great light. Shane and Marcy were great and didn't even mind that I took them down some muddy paths to get to the lake, of course I was the only one that lost my sandals and had to go barefoot the rest of the time! Here are a few shots from our shoot.

Thanks again guys for making arrangements to make it here before we had to head out! I'm really looking forward to your wedding and hope that you had a safe drive home. Talk to you soon!

Erik - Inspired Images

Nick & Michelle's wedding

I had a great time at this wedding last Saturday, Nick and Michelle are such fun people and have friends that are just as fun. The wedding was held in Halbur with the reception following in Carroll. I had remembered from their engagement pictures that Nick wasn't big on being on the receiving end of my camera and during some of the pictures at the church it was apparent again. The pictures that we took after the wedding were a different story though, now I'm not saying that the goings on in limo ride to the park had anything to do with it, but it probably didn't hurt! :) Here are a few of the post wedding shots!

Thanks again guys, it was awesome hanging out with you. You are a great couple, good luck with all of your ventures! I'll look you up this fall and we'll have to tailgate at some IA games. Talk to you soon!

Erik - Inspired Images

Kevin & Jennifer's wedding

Kevin & Jennifer got married today in a great little church located in the Living History Farms in Urbandale. It was a great location and we were able to take advantage with the weather giving us a break as well. Outside of it being extremely humid we lucked out and the rain that fell in the morning held off the rest of the day. Their wedding was beautiful and made even better by a fun group of friends and wonderful family. Here are a few of the shots from their day.

For any of you future brides out there, be sure to check out Cynthia Betts at Weddings in Iowa, she did a great job with the planning at Jennifer and Kevin's wedding!

Thanks again guys for everything, we'll talk to you soon!

Erik - Inspired Images