When you think of Las Vegas weddings, glitz, glamour and mega hotels may come to mind. While weddings on the Las Vegas Strip are iconic to this city and a lot of fun to shoot from a photographer’s standpoint, there is more to Sin City than the famous chapels and celebrity weddings in billion-dollar hotels.

Las Vegas is also home to a rich and diverse religious community. Just north of the glitter and glam that are the hallmarks of downtown and the Strip, you’ll find the jewel of Las Vegas’ Mormon community — a Mormon Temple where many faithful couples tie the knot each year.

The Las Vegas LDS Temple is a towering building that sits on the slopes of the mountains bordering the east side of the city overlooking the valley. As a photographer, I love to shoot weddings at the Mormon Temple here in Las Vegas simply for the fact that they are different than what most people are used to. It’s a beautiful location with unique architecture, flourishing flowers and trees that adorn the temple grounds.

Mormon ceremonies are very private and spiritual affairs with only a few close family members in attendance of the actual ceremony. They are focused on family, community, and commitment to a higher faith.

Photography within the temple is forbidden in order to protect the sanctity of the union. However, there is a lot of excitement as guests waits outside in anticipation of the bride and groom’s grand entrance. This is also a great opportunity to capture some fun candids and family photos. As the ceremony draws to a close, we will wait outside the temple doors along with other guests to capture the bride and groom as they exit the temple as newlyweds. From there, we typically spend a few moments alone with the bride and groom creating some beautiful, well-lit photos around the temple grounds. If you are planning a Las Vegas Temple wedding, keep in mind that timing is one important factor to making great photographs. You’ll want to make sure there is enough daylight after the ceremony for bridals and couple photos.

Although Mormon weddings are considered sacred and marriages are taken very seriously, the couples we have worked with and their families are nothing short of fun. It is always a pleasure to be a part of such an important event in someone’s life. We feel honored when couples choose us to be a part of their wedding day and even more so when they tell us how much they love their photos. We hope to continue serving couples in this community and creating more amazing memories for our future clients.

If you follow our blog, you might remember our engagement shoot with Venice and Marc last year. We had a blast shooting their engagement session, so photographing their wedding felt perfectly natural. One of the greatest things about engagement sessions is the opportunity to work together and become acquainted before the wedding. Venice and Marc loved their engagement photos so much, they felt completely at ease and confident in our ability to capture their wedding.

It was an absolute joy working with them both again. After months of planning, their big day played out beautifully. We arrived at the bride’s room early to capture some getting ready shots. Besides a few nerves from all the excitement and anticipation, Venice was quite calm and relaxed.

Every bride’s reaction on her big day is different, and oftentimes brides are surprised by their own reactions. Some brides who aren’t usually emotional have claimed that they never cry, only to find themselves tearing up at the altar, much to their surprise. These are the moments we try to capture as unobtrusively as possible – the real and unexpected moments that occur at every event.

After a beautiful Catholic ceremony at Our Lady of Las Vegas Church, we took a limo downtown for some fun photos with the bridal party. The bridesmaids and groomsman seemed to be having far too much fun!

After about an hour of shooting, we all got back in the limo and headed to the reception for a fantastic party. Lots of great food and dancing – a perfect way to end the night. To Venice, Marc, and your families, thank you for sharing your day with us. We’re so glad you love the photos!

We are excited to be a part of the first issue of Best Wedding Sites Magazine! Check out our featured wedding on pages 22-23. In honor of the month of February, the issue is all about sharing love with your special someone as well as with your guests. You’ll also find inspiration from red and pink color palettes.

Our featured article showcases our photos of Kate and Ge’s Las Vegas wedding. They are a wonderful couple from Boston who got married at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa. Kate looked absolutely stunning as she walked down the aisle. Her hair and makeup, provided by Makeup in the 702, looked just the way she envisioned.

The wedding was beautifully decorated in rich hues of red and chocolate brown. Kate chose red not only because it’s one of her favorite colors, but also because she wanted to honor her groom’s Chinese heritage. Several of his family members flew in all the way from China to share in their celebration! In Chinese culture, red is considered a lucky color and a symbol of joy and good fortune, so it is traditionally used in wedding celebrations.

While the choice of color was traditional, the wedding was anything but. Everything from the chic ceremony on the Veranda Terrace to the cocktail style reception was elegant and modern. The linens, provided by CCS Designer Events, combined with the beautiful floral by Enchanted Florist transformed the space into an intimate, romantic setting. Thanks to careful planning and coordination by Green Orchid Events, everything went off perfectly and it was an unforgettable event for the happy couple.

Last month we had the pleasure of photographing Ed and Jonie’s engagement session here in Las Vegas. What a sweet couple! They were full of energy and laughter – and check out those red shoes! It was so much fun to work with both of them and I truly enjoyed capturing their small moments of intimacy. It was sweet to see the way Ed’s face lit up every time he saw Jonie smile.

We first talked to this awesome California couple back in April of last year – almost a full year before their Las Vegas destination wedding on April 2, 2011. Time has flown by at an incredible pace and now their big day is quickly approaching in just over a month.

Our clients constantly tell us how astonished they are when 12+ months of wedding planning draws near an end.  Most of the time, it’s a relief once all the major decisions have been made and the excitement of the wedding day begins to set in. We try to offer any guidance we can to help make your planning process as stress-free as possible.

We were glad that Ed and Jonie decided to book early, especially since April is such a busy month for weddings. As it turns out, their date was a popular one and we recently had several requests to photograph weddings on that day. We never like to turn a prospective client down, so our bit of advice is to shop early. That way you’ll have your pick of the best wedding venue, photographer, videographer, DJ, florist, and other vendors.

We look forward to working with Jonie and Ed again at the JW Marriott in Summerlin. We’ll be in great company alongside Memory Lane Video, Sound Fusion Entertainment, and Naakiti Floral Design. It’s going to be a grand event!

As is the case with many blogs, we are a bit behind. Now we’re catching up on posting some of the photos that we haven’t gotten around to blogging yet. Here are a few from Holly and Jeff’s rehearsal dinner at the Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay. What an amazing view!

For those who don’t know, the House of Blues Foundation Room is one of the most exclusive clubs in Las Vegas located 43 floors up on top of the Mandalay Bay. There is an outdoor balcony with a fantastic view of the Las Vegas Strip and the eastern valley. A wedding photographer can have a lot of fun shooting here! The setting is elegant and the menu consists of rich and exotic cuisines. The Foundation Room offers a variety of private rooms and are available for wedding rehearsal dinners and private parties.

We posted Kate and Matt’s wedding photos at the JW Marriott in Summerlin not too long ago. We are just now getting around to blogging their incredible engagement photos at the Las Vegas Neon Boneyard.

The Boneyard is one the the most popular places in Las Vegas for wedding and engagement photography. We have had so many brides request to do their photos at the Boneyard, so we thought we would share a few things you should know about shooting at the museum:

- The museum requires a fee to use their space for photography
- Reservations must be made in advance
- The kind folks at the Boneyard will warn you not to sit or climb on any of the signs
- Although the ground is perfectly level and safe, there may glass on the ground from broken signs, so take extra precaution when walking around

Many couples have already booked us to shoot their wedding photography at this iconic Las Vegas location – if you are interested in scheduling a shoot at this unique location, give us a call.

Anthem Country Club sits on a hill surrounded by mountains in the upscale community of Anthem. The main dining room has beautiful glass windows and a private balcony with a panoramic view of the Las Vegas strip. With its incredible views, impeccable service, and multiple ceremony locations to choose from, the country club is a perfect place to exchange vows and an even better place for photography.

Sonia and Gregg had a beautiful wedding at Anthem Country Club in Las Vegas. We were thrilled when they asked us to be their wedding photographer because we love shooting there. You would never know it, but Las Vegas has so many elegant venues that are completely different from what most people picture when they think of a Vegas wedding.

The groom also works at Marisha Floral & Event Design, so it’s no surprise that every detail of the wedding looked absolutely stunning. The amazing cake, centerpieces and table setting combined with an incredible view of the Strip set the scene for a romantic and unforgettable evening. The bride and groom had a wonderful time celebrating with their family, friends, and loved ones. When they saw their photos they couldn’t have been happier. Sonia told us how the entire day was such a whirlwind and that they were so glad to have such amazing photos to remember their wedding day. Sonia and Gregg, thanks for your patience, kindness, and a fantastic time.

If you are looking for a unique venue for your Las Vegas wedding, check out Anthem Country Club’s complimentary open house next week on Saturday, January 29, 2011. John Morris Photography will be there to answer your questions regarding photography for your wedding. Click here for details. We hope to see you there!

Here is a sneak peek of our latest shoot last week with Daniela and John, two wonderful people and a stunning couple. They came to Las Vegas all the way from Switzerland for a private wedding ceremony and wanted a photographer to capture some unique photos while they were in town. We  decided to do a “Trash the Dress” session the day after their wedding. The photos came out amazing and we had so much fun with it.

Check back soon for more of our latest work, and more photos from this awesome shoot!

Photos from Kate and Matt’s wedding at the beautiful lodge at JW Marriott in Summerlin. It was a beautiful day and they are a gorgeous couple! I had such a nice time working them both of them as well as their families. The stunning floral design by Julie Reed truly transformed the area to fit the bride and groom’s style. I loved the way everything was meticulously put together by Julie and her team.

The couple had a fantastic band performing at their outdoor reception as they danced the night away. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and having a grand old time!

I have yet to post photos from Kate and Matt’s engagement session at the Neon Boneyard so keep an eye out for those to be posted soon!

Had a great time shooting Angie and Rob’s engagement session despite the cold weather and rain. I have to say, they were troopers about it and the photos look phenomenal! This time of year the light changes fast with the sun setting around 4:30 p.m. It was a challenge because we had to move quickly and there was little time to capture each shot before the light changed. I ended up using a multiple light setup towards the end of the shoot to create the desired look. The up side of gloomy weather is that we were able to create very unique, dramatic images.

Angie and Rob were laid back and so easy to work with. Rob is a poker player so we thought it would be fun to incorporate his love of poker into the shoot. It turned out to be one of my personal favorites. I always enjoy incorporating something personal about the couple during these sessions as it makes for creative and interesting engagement photos. In this case, the poker theme was perfect and helped set their shoot apart from others.

They have been putting a lot of effort into planning their April wedding at Aliante Station and I am excited about capturing the events of their wedding day next spring.