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Whenever a new couple books us for their wedding we send them a little survey to help us get to know them better.  One of the first questions is “how did you meet?”  Here’s a little excerpt from what Leigh wrote: “Tug and I met about 5 years ago at a Star Trek convention. He was dressed as Capt. Kirk and I was Spock. Just kidding.”  That’s pretty much the best response ever!  We literally “laughed out loud.” These two have such a great sense of humor! They spent a good portion of their engagement session making each other laugh.  They actually met while they were both working for the airlines. Tug is a pilot and Leigh was a flight attendant.  They are a fun, laid back pair and we totally enjoyed hanging out with them at the Desert Botanical Garden for their engagement session.

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For the first half of their session, their adorable little boy Conrad joined us for some family photos. What a cutie!

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How adorable is this little smile? Love that he’s showing off his teeth :-)

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Conrad got to walk around the garden with Grandma & Grandpa while we spent a little time with the happy couple.

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Couldn’t decide which one of these I liked better :-)

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These two kept each other laughing the whole session!

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Super sweet :-)

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Just before leaving Ryan grabbed one last shot of Conrad all cozy in his hoodie. Love :-)

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Leigh & Tug: It was so great to get to know you guys and watch you with your little man.  We’re really looking forward to capturing your big day!

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Melissa & Ryan were expecting their little bundle of joy to arrive right around the end of January. Well, Hayden decided that he wanted to bring them a surprise Christmas present and be a 2011 baby instead!  He was born on December 26 weighing in at 5 lbs, 9 oz.  What a cutie pie!  We spent the afternoon with this adorable new family a few weeks ago to take their first official photos.  It’s always such a sweet thing to witness new parents adjusting to life with a little one.  Such a wonderful time of creating their first memories as a family of three.

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How precious is this little face?

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Hello world!

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Sweet baby faces :-)

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Watching new mommies love on their little ones just melts my heart :-) Absolutely adore this one!

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Wide awake and ready to explore the world!

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But those eyes eventually started to get very sleepy.

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What a stud! He’s already working on his “thinking man” pose.

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I like to call this the “little baller” outfit. It suits him too – perhaps there’s a future basketball star in this sweet family?

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LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

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They make one beautiful family don’t they?

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Ryan is one proud Daddy.

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First official family portrait!

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How precious is this little bear outfit? We thought it would be fitting to snuggle this cute little bear in with some other friends from the animal kingdom.

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Congratulations Melissa & Ryan on such a beautiful little boy! He’s absolutely perfect and we were so honored to be able to document all your new family magic. Can’t wait to watch this little guy grow up!

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One of our favorite things is finding ways to incorporate our couple’s stories into their engagement session.  It makes the photos so much more unique and shows off who they are as a couple.  Not to mention the fact that we feel the most creatively inspired in cool and unusual backdrops.  When Melissa & Donald first came to our studio, we started chatting about an engagement session. Pretty much the first statement out of their mouths was, “So would an ambulance make for some cool photos?”  Umm . . . YEAH!  On top of being stoked about an awesome backdrop, these two just ooze sweetness!  They’re incredibly wonderful to be around and so openly in love.  Pretty much the perfect combination!  Oddly enough, we actually had to reschedule their session TWICE due to pouring rain, which almost never happens in Arizona so we were super excited when the day finally came to hang out with them and capture some awesome images.

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These two lovebirds met when they were both working for Rural/Metro.  We thought a little logo placement was entirely appropriate.

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These two were crazy adorable all day long! Made our job incredibly easy :-)

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These two have only got eyes for each other.

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Who knew a parking lot full of ambulances could add so much color and fun to a photo shoot? LOVE!

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We were fighting with a few sprinkles outside so we headed into the bay to look for another place to shoot.  Antique fire truck? YES PLEASE!

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Wanna get in?  WHY NOT!  These two are awesome!

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Workin’ it ;-)

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Tee-hee! This one just makes me smile!

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Time for a quick change of clothes and scenery for a little bit more traditional feel.

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Cuteness, cuteness and more cuteness!

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We suggested a piggy back ride . . . and these two had a slightly different vision than we did.  Love it even more!  LOL!

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LOVE!

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Melissa & Donald – we had SO MUCH FUN with you two!  We could shoot couple’s like you guys all day long :-) Your love is so evident in all you do and we just adore the way you guys make each other laugh and love on each other. Can’t wait to be a part of your day!

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This little cutie pie, Isaac, was born to our awesome friends Jess & Justin on December 6 … about four weeks before his due date.  We typically shoot newborn sessions within the first seven days after a little one is born, but in his case, he only weighed 4 lbs, 9 ounces and because he was so tiny the doctors recommended that visitors wait a few weeks to make sure his immune system was nice and strong.  The funniest thing of all is that even though he weighed so little, he was still 19 inches long (which makes total sense if you’ve ever met his daddy LOL!)  At one month he’s doing great, eating well and he’s an active and wiggly little guy!  We’re so happy for this new little family and it’s so fun for us to see Jess & Justin as parents!

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Love this one – I think it looks like he’s waiving hello :-)

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Love those big eyes!

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Mommy-hood seems to suit Jess! She looks so happy and adorable.

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Love the perspective of this little guy in Daddy’s strong hands.

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Such a sweet little man!

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Jess & Justin’s dog Penny is very protective of Isaac.  She stood outside the window the whole time we were shooting and watched us, occasionally letting out a little growl to warn us that she was keeping a close eye on “her” baby. Too cute :-)

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Such a sweet little family!

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Justin loves to read Winnie the Pooh on his iPad to his little guy.

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Jess is an avid reader so we thought it would be fun to include some shots of Isaac with one of his very first books.  The tough part was that he only wanted to lay on his belly while resting on his daddy’s chest, so we came up with a tricky little plan to carry out our vision …

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We all laughed pretty hard over this set up so Ryan decided to grab a little “behind the scenes” shot.  Justin was such a trooper!  Sorry friend :-) (By the way, yes, I do realize that my hat was backwards.  I love wearing this hat to shoot, but I have to turn it around to shoot vertically or the brim gets in the way.  I call it “Gangsta’ Rap” style.)

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I think it’s super sweet that we took some of their engagement photos in this very same chair :-)

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One of my favorites!  The cross Jess is wearing is Isaac’s birthstone and was a gift from Justin. So much sentimental meaning there.

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Since right after the New Year we’ve been busy little bees here in the Gotcher house!  Lots and lots of awesome sessions to share on the blog in the next few weeks starting with this adorable pair, Deanna & Ryan.  We first met Ryan when he was a groomsman at Jessi & Alex’s wedding last year. He proposed to his honey a short time later and we were just thrilled when they contacted us to do their engagement photos.  Deanna will tell you that her favorite thing about Ryan is his sense of humor.  And Ryan says that everything Deanna does makes him smile.  After spending the afternoon with these guys, it was pretty clear that they are a perfect match.  There was a whole lot of snuggling, laugher and smiles going on!

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We met up at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.  It’s really a lovely place and we were all struck by how much it felt like we were no longer in the middle of the city even though there was a major road just outside the park.

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Deanna’s hair and makeup looked amazing! She’s going to be such a beautiful bride :-)

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LOVE! Seriously? How cute are these two?

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Just love the texture of the cracked mud along the water’s edge.  Don’t worry. It wasn’t wet and these guys were totally down for a little cat nap :-)

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We loved all the great natural colors in this environment.

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Thanks to Deanna & Ryan for hanging out with us.  We just loved getting to know you!  You’re such a great pair and we wish you the absolute best for your big day!

Yesterday, one of our awesome couples was featured on Modernly Wed!  A huge congratulations to Joana & Joe!  Their gorgeous outdoor ceremony and brunch reception at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa was filled to the brim with awesome details and impeccable style.  Thanks to Modernly Wed for the mention and to our fabulous couple for inviting us to capture such a beautiful day.  Click here to check out the feature and here to check out more images from their big day!

Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us!  May you all enjoy a wonderful holiday full of God’s blessings.  See you in 2012!

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We had so much fun getting to know Kristina & Jim during their engagement session!  In their first email to us they described themselves as “a laid back fun couple from the midwest.”  That’s pretty accurate all right!  Get these two talking about college football, specifically Iowa (his team) and Nebraska (her team), and you’ll get along great!

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We were very excited when Kristina & Jim asked to bring their sweet pup Cosmo along for the first part of their session!  Meeting our clients dogs is always such a fun insight into who they are as a couple!  Our very first shot turned out to be a great little family photo.

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Cosmo was such a gentleman :-)  We just loved having him along!

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“Ok guys. I’m ready for my close up.” :-)

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Cosmo had a very important lunch date so he had to head out early, but his mom & dad were kind enough to hang out with us for some more photos!

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LOVE!

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It’s pretty clear from this shot that Jim only has eyes for Kristina. Too sweet!

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Our next stop was the beautiful Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch. Totally fell in love with this gorgeous willow tree next to the water.

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How cute are these two?

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We loved all the blooming flowers there too!

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Thanks for a fun afternoon you guys!  We can’t wait to be a part of your big day in a few months :-) Hope you guys enjoy the images and have a wonderful Christmas together!

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It seems to me that all of our past Simply Knot brides & grooms have a way of bringing incredibly cute children into the world :-) I like to think it has a little something to do with the fact that they’re all born knowing we will be photographing their cute little mugs sometime in the future.  LOL!  Thanks kids!  ”Uncle” Ryan and “Aunt” Denise appreciate it!  We met up with Amy & Bryant and their sweet little girl Liliana at Desert Breeze Park in Chandler to capture some one year photos. It was actually Miss Lily’s first birthday party the day of the session. We were very blessed to share in her special day.

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Check out these baby blues!

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Loved that Miss Lily’s was sporting such cute, bright colors!

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Piggy back rides from Daddy are fun!

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Bryant’s expression just cracks me up in this next one.

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She’s on the move!

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Such a sweet little family :-)

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Tee-hee! Love the tongue sticking out.

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After some time at the park we took a short walk over to Amy & Bryant’s house. Lily’s party preparation were well underway! We we able to borrow some fun b-day decor for a few shots. Doesn’t she look proud of her fun party setup!

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Isn’t she just too cute!

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I think she might just be having a good time :-)

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Loved both Ryan’s shot (above) and mine so I just had to post them both.

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Lily wanted to show us her room and all her fun toys.

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LOVE!

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And LOVE!

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Thanks for a fun session guys! We had so much fun and can’t wait to watch your little cutie pie grow up!

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She’s a dancer. He’s a football player.  Her favorite movie is Dirty Dancing. His is anything with lots of explosions or zombies.  His nickname is “Bear.”  Her’s is “Penguin.” (How cute is that by the way?) From the outside, they seem to be so different, but put these two together and they couldn’t be a better fit!  We had an amazingly fun time shooting Nicole & Jadon’s engagement session in downtown Phoenix. They are so cool and personable and we just loved that they were totally not afraid to be goofy together.

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Their session started out with a good laugh – just how we like it! Images of our couples laughing and having fun together are our absolute favorites and this one is no exception!

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Totally in love with Nicole’s boots by the way.

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Love the sweet romantic feel of these next two :-)

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We challenged them to a little contest and asked them to whisper into the other person’s ear and see who could get the biggest reaction . . .

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I think Jadon may have edged our his lovely bride-to-be ;-)

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Eskimo kisses are the cutest :-)

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Do these two know how to work the camera or what!?!

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They decided to go a little more casual for their second look and show off their love for sports. Fun!

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There’s always a reason for a little bit of snugglin’ in your sports wear :-)

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There’s just something about the setting in this next one that I totally adore.

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Is it just me, or can you totally hear what Nicole is thinking in this one?  “Isn’t my tall, strong, football player fiance so dreamy?” LOL!

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Gotta love downtown. So many fun nooks and crannies to shoot in :-)

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When the sun was almost gone, we made another quick stop on the railroad tracks for a little off-camera flash magic. LOVE!

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Nicole & Jadon: we can’t WAIT to be a part of your big day! We had so much fun with you guys and are stoked to celebrate with you and capture the memories of a day you’ll never forget! YAY!