Meg O'Neill Photography

        Certainly, family is very important to Sarah and Vernon.  Not only did they want her father’s spirit to be present by getting married at the place he spent so many years, they also united their family names upon their wedding cake.  They even had a wooden puzzle of a tree that guests signed. This, too, can be taken apart and reunited again.

        The weather was so bizarrely Colorado and wonderful!  The morning was sunny and hot while clouds and rain showers rolled through and passed by overhead.  When the sun finally came out after dinner after the weather had shifted so many times, it brought about an enormous rainbow that stretched end over and above the Gardens.  In addition, the cool stylings of the keyboard player were a mellow way to soak in the Sunday afternoon beauty.

        Sarah and Vernon, it was such a joy to capture your beautiful day in the Botanic Gardens!  You both are such genuinely sweet and thoughtful individuals, who united create a perfect balance. It truly could not have been a more lovely day spent at the Botanic Gardens telling your love story!  

  The Creative Team

Event Design & Planning: Sarah & Vernon Wentworth

Ceremony Venue: Denver Botanic Gardens

Dress:  David’s Bridal 

Floral design: Sarah & Bridesmaids  •  Catering: Rocky Mountain Catering  • Photography: Meg O’Neill Photography  •

Holding hands, Beth and Jeff wandered the grounds lined with the tents of their guests. A gentle breeze chased the couple along the path.  The only sound to be heard was the distant sound of music coming from their reception. As they neared the tent roses lined the path. Beth’s eyes began to water. This tent was larger than her expectation of their traditional backpacking two person dome. As the fiery crimson sun had drifted off behind the mountains,  Jeff unzipped the doors of their tent. A plush mattress awaited the couple, adorned in rose petals, chocolate, and candles. It was their wedding night after all, and this prince was not about to let his princess sleep on a cold hard ground.

Upon the sandy shores, sailboats whirred and pirouetted in the cove.  The aspen trees rustled in the breeze and the scent of pine was fresh in the air.  Beneath a wooden frame wrapped in white silk, Beth and Jeff declared their love for one another.  The lakefront ceremony was heartfelt.  They are stronger adventuring together – they challenge each other to be better and find patience in the process.  As the stars came out, everyone danced and played an array of campground games like glow in the dark cornhole and frisbee.  No one forgot to find refreshments in the Unsinkable Suda canoe Jeff made two weeks before the wedding.

Beth and Jeff, we feel so lucky to have been chosen to capture this incredible day!  We couldn’t have enjoyed working with your adventurous spirits more! You both were so kind, trusting, and up for playing around in the woods as many times as we asked. Seriously, we could not have asked for a more playful and wildly in love couple to cherish the day with! Beth and Jeff, you two are truly a team whose respect and love for one another is constantly creating better versions of yourselves. Together you are unsinkable!!!

  The Creative Team

Event Design & Planning: Beth & Jeff Suda

Ceremony Venue: Windy Point Campground

Dress:  MTA SOLANO

Floral design: Beth & Bridesmaids DJ: Emiliano Martinez • Hair & Makeup : Courtney Collazo & Alexandra Nicole   • Photography: Meg O’Neill Photography  •

Their longtime friend, adventure buddy, and “official third wheel” Jason began the ceremony with a heartfelt story of how Laura’s love for Alexe is constantly exciting and pushing him to live a life of adventure.  Surrounded by a close group of friends and family in their favorite place on earth, Laura and Alexe made their promises to one another: promises to continue a life filled with excitement.  Promises of commitment and love.  And most importantly, promises to always help the other seek out wonder.

Amongst the powerful peaks, one was reminded of the test of time.  These giants, many of which Laura and Alexe have climbed together, were a reflection of the worthwhile challenge of growth and commitment these two were embarking upon.

Laura and Alexe, what spoke more loudly than the beauty of the landscape on your wedding day was your wildly romantic, ride-or-die love for one another.  You two are the type of people whose smiles can be seen in your eyes.  Every time you glanced at one another, everyone’s hearts melted.  I feel so incredibly lucky to have met you and to have photographed your epic love story.  Your kind souls and adventurous spirits will carry you to the top of every mountain.  I’m excited for all of the amazing adventures that await your marriage, starting with your Mount Kilimanjaro honeymoon climb. You two are seriously are some of the most badass adventurers I know.  I hope you keep each other wild.

The Creative Team

Event Design & Planning: Laura & Alexe Mericle

Ceremony Venue: Peanut Lake at Crested Butte Land Trust

Reception Venue: Sunflower Cafe

Dress: Catherine Dean from Anthropologie Beverly Hills

This story was told at the altar, the vows were spoken, and the breeze flickered here and there as Katherine, Art, and Delaney united their sands inside of a picture frame and danced into the mountains and the beautiful evening ahead.

This wedding at Deer Creek Valley Ranch was stunning – the landscape and grazing horses were gorgeous, the bright blue sky flirted with the clouds all day, and the sunset was divine!  The angles of the vast valleys in contrast with the mountain peaks led your gaze into a beautiful forever.

Following dinner, Katherine and Art absolutely lit up the room!  Their first dance was wildly well choreographed, integrating many different dance styles in a way unique to them.  Shortly thereafter, Katherine sang to Art.  On a day full of highlights, this was arguably the best one.  She sang with a sexy confidence that captivated the guests, sending chills down spines.

After the cake was cut, the sky exploded with pastels.  Art and Katherine were beckoned to adventure to the wooden gazebo overlooking a quaint pond.  Carefully, Art tucked Katherine into the canoe and he guided them to their very own private island.  The two embraced as the sun nestled behind the mountains and light beads of rain fell into their moat, casting infinitely sweet ripples.

Inside, the dance party was fully alive.  Everyone was up for this one until the very last song.  As the glow sticks appeared, the guests took their places outside to send Art and Katherine out for the first time as bride and groom.  As they exited to smiles and cheers, they paused to glance back at the best night of their lives.

Art and Katherine, you two were such a dream to work with. Not only were you both so kind to us, but you showed so much love and gratitude for the guests and family who came to celebrate with you on the big day. Throughout the whole day, I felt that you two were constantly making each other laugh or cry between inside jokes, funny dance moves, or intimate exchanges of love.  It was hard to miss just how much you two enjoy being with one another and how you light up each others worlds.  Most importantly, Art and Katherine, your relationship is a true testament to the adventure of becoming a family.

  The Creative Team

event design & planning: Brittany Tolibas with Privé Events 

floral design: Privé Events

venue: Deer Creek Valley Ranch 

DJ: Top Hat Entertainment • Cake: French Sugar • Hair: Meredith Boles at Matthew Morris Salon   • Makeup: Amani Therapy  • Caterer & Rentals: Biscuits and Berries  • Photography: Meg O’Neill Photography  • Videography: Whitney Milton Films

Stepping into The Onyx Room at The Brown Palace transported us in time.  We had left 2018 and landed ourselves into the roaring twenties. Pearls, gold sequins, and feathers adorned the tables.  The decor of The Brown Palace was the perfect setting; after all, the hotel is over a century old. Every detail from the bridesmaids’ perfect flapper girl attire to the groomsmen’s flat caps and every guest and family member being dressed in clothing of the 1920s was so perfect!  It felt as though The Brown Palace had become the Gatsby house, and Zoe, in her non-traditional black lace wedding dress, was Daisy.

Just as the story of The Great Gatsby is timeless and its characters captivating, so is the real life love story of Zoe & Josh. These two have a charisma all of their own that makes you feel cool just by being around them. Their chemistry is explosive and indulgent, paralleling the exuberance of the Roaring Twenties and rejecting traditional standards.

Zoe & Josh, your wedding takes the cake for the best themed wedding we have shot to date.  Not only were the decorations, guests, and setting so amazingly put together, but your timeless love and unique flare is unmatched. We feel so incredibly lucky and honored you trusted us with documenting your love story.

“He Loved her and that was the beginning and the end of everything”

    “He looked at her the way all women want to be looked at by a man.”

“Among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars”

The Creative Team

event design & planning: Zoe Moon + Josh Bingaman + The Brown Palace

venue: The Brown Palace

Cake: The Brown Palace Bakery 

Christine and Marshall were the first and last ones on the dance floor. They swing-danced, did the electric slide, the chicken dance, and the two step.  The bride, groom, and guests were having so much fun that we wanted to join in! Seriously, this wedding crew really knew how to get down, even getting grandma to kick off her shoes and dance like no one was watching.  Love had been swept in the air, creating a euphoria of dance fever.

Christine and Marshall are seriously two of the sweetest people we have ever had the pleasure of shooting. We were more than excited to be kicking off the start of the 2018 wedding season with such an amazing couple on a perfect day in the mountains!

The majesty of Mount Princeton was the perfect backdrop for celebration of Christine and Marshall’s greatest adventure yet! The spring sun glistened bright along the grounds of the Mount Princeton Hot Springs, welcoming the fresh start of warm spring in the air. The ceremony was nestled in a comfy meadow on the foothills.  A stream encompassed the venue with footbridges scattered around the pathways. Rusty, antiquated car parts lined the walls at various points of the stream adding a unique character to the waterway. The fresh winter snow melt pouring into the creek rippled around the meadow creating a wonderful serenity to the ceremony space. Chairs were aligned facing a wooden arch awaiting the arrival of the guests.

As the chairs filled and the bridal procession began to play, Christine and her father walked from their cabin to the venue and paused for a few moments at the start of one of the footbridges.  Christine was glowing as you could see the light reflected in her father’s eyes. A few moments later, he was giving her away to the love her life, Marshall.

I first fell in love with Christine and Marshall at our engagement session at Kenosha Pass. It was below freezing and down pouring rain, but Christine and Marshall were all smiles and weren’t going to let a little rain deter them from creating gorgeous photos they would cherish for years. Seriously, y’all their sense of adventure and love for one another made some magical images! GO CHECK THEM OUT.

There was hardly a moment either of them took their eyes off one another since they had said ‘I do.’  By the twinkling light of the late evening, Christine and Marshall slow danced barefoot into the night. This was their wedding day, and they wanted to spend it enjoying every ounce of happiness in celebration with one another.

Dancing Through The Great Sand Dunes with Brad & Shannon

  As the sand fell through Shannon’s fingers and into Brad’s palm, so too did each other’s affection.  And thus the tone was set for an absolutely stunning adventure shoot at The Great Sand Dunes Colorado!

Arriving at the sand dunes together and trekking via Jeep across the primitive land had us ready to melt into the sand dunes.  A cool stream at the forefront was heavenly for our bare feet…

Nicky was determined to remain warmly composed despite the cold weather.  She was willing to take off her jacket again and again when I asked and prepared to take more photographs.  In her mind, it was simply a photography  session of her and Josh, boyfriend and girlfriend.  She had no idea what was coming next as I told her which direction to face.

Josh spoke our secret phrase through the wind, “I could sure use some hot chocolate,” which indicated for me to get into place, gear ready, frostbitten finger on the trigger.

“Speaking of hot chocolate, I know a great place in Estes.” – my cue that everything was ready.

Josh kissed Nicky playfully for a few more moments, as if cherishing every last peck with her as his girlfriend, knowing that once he asked his next question it would change everything forever.

Nicky’s face shifted from a look of confusion to an overjoyed avalanche of love and excitement!  This moment was even more perfect than anything she had dreamed all her life.  With a tear filled nod of her head, she pulled Josh off of the frozen ground for a kiss – a kiss that said, “Yes!  A million times Yes!”

  Both of them were trembling, from adrenaline this time, as Josh slipped the ring on Nicky’s finger.  They danced around holding and kissing one another, shielded from the snowstorm around them, as their love for one another burned warmer than any fire.

When he looks at you, you can’t help but smile. Whenever y’all are together your hearts skip an extra beat. Each moment with one another is a new adventure.  Here are you two, planning the best day of your lives as you embark on forever with your best friend. Your love for one another is a story to be cherished and told many times over as a reminder of the adventure of love.

I feel so incredibly lucky to be someone who gets to capture and tell these stories of lasting love in an instant world. I hope to do so in a way that shows your love as authentic, genuine, and unique as you both are. I hope not to create these stories, but to capture and highlight the already existing real-life connection you have with one another. In doing so, I photograph YOUR love story as a representation of the wildly romantic adventure that is LOVE.

  Every story, sets the scene; and thus is the same with photography.  Picking the perfect scene for your love story can be hard, so I have created some tips below to help you pick the picture perfect location to tell your love story.

  Find a Space that is Special to Your Relationship

Where is the place you had your first kiss? What about where the forever and always question was purposed? Is there somewhere you go every week, month, or year that means a lot to both of you?  Try to think of a place where you felt an overwhelming sense of joy, excitement, love, and adventure; a place where all dreams come true and you want every moment to last a lifetime. These places where our hearts often keep returning bring the brightest smiles and most authentic joy into stories, thus make the perfect location for your engagement session.

Technical Photo Stuff

One of the things I love most about photography is the adventure of constant change within a moment.  However, I would love to provide a key photographic element that is important to keep in mind for the best photographs possible.

Lighting! It’s all about lighting! Lighting sets the mood for your images, and the mood sets the tone in which your images are perceived.  You should be aware of how you want your story to feel. Do you want bright and airy, or dark and elegant romance?  Perhaps you want a mix of the two.

Colorado Engagement Mountains

Lighting has a lot to do with time of day.  The ideal time for skin tone and overall vibrance is during what we photographers call magic hour.  Magic hour is usually two hours after sunrise or before sunset.  In order to avoid harsh tones, heavy contrast, and odd shadows, I highly recommend shooting at these times.  Location is an integral part to lighting; natural sunlight and artificial lighting are two completely different options.  Intimacy can be conveyed through a candlelit setting, but can also be portrayed through rays of sun beaming through an enchanted forest.  Your photographic images could feel more vibrant with brightly sunlit backgrounds or with neon lit cosmic bowling settings.

  Colorado Engagement Mountains

Colorado Engagement & Wedding

What Do You Want Your Images to Say

Lastly, think about how the location will shape the way your story is received. So what do you want your love story to say about your relationship with one another? Do you want something that is wild-spirited and adventurous as you both are? Maybe try somewhere in the mountains or wilderness.  Do you want to show the fun you two have together? Think fair grounds, amusement park, bowling alley, food trucks, ice cream shop, record store etc… Do you want to show the more intimate and real life side of your time together?  The perfect location for this might be your home: casual, cozy, intimate and authentic.   You could also do something like a laundry mat for a fun and unique twist.

As you can see there are a variety of ways to tell your story! I can’t wait to help tell yours!

We knew that there would be rain, but Christine said “We love the rain. It will be an adventure.” So we hit the road and white knuckled our way up to Kenosha Pass to catch the turning of the Aspens in fall.

We arrived at an empty, muddy trail. Christine got out of the car wearing maroon skinny jeans, a fabulous trench coat, and kitten pumps.

“I forgot my hiking boots at the door.” She said with a giggle. I admire a girl who isn’t afraid of ruining a good pair of heels for a photo.  But I knew she’d be cold, it was only about 39 degrees outside, so we got straight to photographing while the rain was holding.

The leaves were bright yellow against the gray sky and the fog was rolling in over the mountains. We strolled through an abundance of Aspens, as Christine and Marshail held one another close to keep warm. There was just enough time to capture what I needed to tell the story of their love, until the rain became heavy. As soon as it did, Marshail let out a laugh taking Christine by the hand and beginning to dance the few steps he could remember from the dance class they took, knowing that if she’s in his arms that will be enough for their first dance.

Just like Colorado, it began to hail and we took cover in a near by patch of trees. Christine and Marshail huddled under their umbrella, while I checked my gear. They say it’s waterproof so I wasn’t too worried, as I wrapped the cameras in plastic casing, just in case.

Once the hail had stopped, we made our way back to the cars, agreeing to reschedule another hour on a sunnier day. But on the way back, I couldn’t help but stop the two a couple more times to capture a few more images. There were so many little hidden moments in our adventure, like stolen kisses and raindrops on aspen leaves. The lens of my camera began to fog up, mimicking the fog around us. And despite the rain, despite the cold, there was something so magical about being here with these two and their love.

In making these images I was reminded of my passion for telling love stories.

That Love is adventure and adventure is love.

They asked the question:

” Wedding photos last forever, every bride and groom wants them to be extra special. What are some tips that every couple should know about how to best capture the special events during the engagement through the wedding process? “

Head Over to Denver Party Ride Blog to see my advice, among many other of Denver’s talented wedding photographers!