Meet me in St. Louis!

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Congratulations to Jill Fasca and Jerry FitzGerald as they were wed at SLU's college church, St. Francis Xavier on April 5th! This wedding day was a lot of fun for many reasons - I love shooting at St. Francis, (what a gorgeous church!) and Union Station's Grand Hall, both very large, beautiful, ornate and history-rich buildings in St. Louis. Guests from out of town were delighted, I'm sure, to get an intimate look at our famous Union Station, where they were served champagne and fine hors d'oeuvres by white-gloved attendants. Jill and Jerry had a beautiful ceremony that was delivered partially in Polish, (along with a portion of her father's speech before dinner), paying homage to Jill's ancestry. The wedding party was a lot of fun to hang out with and were good sports as we trekked all over Forest Park and SLU's campus for photos - it was a chilly day, but gorgeous nonetheless! Jill's sister Lisa took the role of Maid of Honor and Jerry's brother Patrick stood next to Jerry as his Best Man. Other family acting as witnesses in the wedding party included Jerry's sisters Molly and Bridget, and Jill's brother Chad and sister-in-law, having traveled in from New York City.

Jill and Jerry - thanks again for allowing me into such a special day, I was honored to play a part... Hope you enjoy this first peek at your photos!

News!

Please watch for my most recent ad that will be appearing in the Spring issue of St. Louis Seasons Magazine - out in April!

Hi everybody! I'm sure you're just excited as I am about spring finally arriving - although getting another few inches of snow isn't entirely impossible, as any of us who have lived in St. Louis for any length of time know all too well....We'll all be praying for those in southern Missouri and Illinois who have been so terribly affected by the flooding in the past few and coming days.

So, I haven't gotten the chance to post in a while because there's been mucho excitement happening at the Joanna Kleine Photography camp - including hiring my first employee Jordan LeMay, moving into studio space in University City with my friend Frankie Peltiere (owner of Festive Atmospheres), and most recently photographing the Langerado Music Festival in the Everglades of Florida! (Be sure to check both my Music Blog and Playback:STL to see my review and photos!). I will be posting a bunch in the coming months, please stay tuned! I'm very excited about the upcoming season for many reasons, including the upcoming projects I have with Jon Koch, my many fabulous wedding clients I have on the books, launching a new website and blog, and....last but certainly not least, possibly buying a new house?? Any of you who know Kristian please help me persuade him that now's the time! He's not completely convinced, and again, any of you who know Kristian know it's difficult to completely convince him of anything! Anyhow, as always, thanks so much for stopping by, and I always love to hear from people, so feel free to leave a comment, feedback, grocery list, anything! (No to-do lists please, I have an endless supply myself, thanks.) Thanks everybody, go play outside if you can today!

Better Together...

Introducing Dr. and Mrs. Jason Fennema! Congratulations to Erin and Jason as they were wedd in Terre Haute, Indiana this past Saturday 12.29. Thanks to the both of you for including me in your wedding in such a special way, I hope you enjoy this first round of your images and that you're enjoying your honeymoon! The whole day was beautiful, a heartfelt ceremony, gorgeous details at the reception and lots of love in the (chilly) air! I have known Erin for a few years having worked with her when she lived in St. Louis and worked for St. Louis Wedding Design , a premier wedding design organization here in St. Louis. I was thrilled when she called me after moving in with Jason in Chicago, informing me that they had gotten engaged and that she wanted me to photograph the event... I have never been to Terre Haute and welcomed the new experience, although besides the Holiday Inn, St. Mary of the Woods campus and St. Joseph's, I really didn't see too much of Terre Haute! I'm glad that the weather cooperated, and that the timing was so that we ended up with some pretty amazing light. I love winter weddings yet the potentially horrendous weather is always a source of anxiety. Erin looked fantastic in her dress, and I'm still very proud of myself for properly placing the gardenia she had set aside for the reception in her hair... normally I'm not too good at things like that.... You looked beautiful Erin! Congratulations again to the both of you, what a perfect way to ring in the new year!


(from left to right) Jason's gift to Erin (a sterling "f" necklace from Tiffany's) and Erin's gift to her bridemaids (a new fragrance from Philosophy).

Jason's sister Lauren (right) (ha ha) was hired on as bridesmaid for the day, along with Erin's sister Sarah and Erin's friend Jen, whom I know, although neither of us know from where. Hmmm.

Mr. and Mrs!

Like daughter like father.... Erin's dad Gene seen here with son Matt and wife Cindy directing the processional... :)

St. Mary of the Woods college campus is beautiful!

Must.... conserve.... body heat.......

Gotta love those little inconspicuous spots that pop up... what a cool red garage.

Erin and her florist worked together to create a warm, inviting, lush, woodsy-wintery feel to the beautiful Providence Hall at St. Mary of the Woods - complete with Christmas pines that made their way all the way to Terre Haute from Wisconsin, cut from Jason's dad's Christmas tree farm!

So, I pretty much cry, at some point, during every wedding I shoot, and Erin and Jason's was no exception, thanks to a simple yet incredibly sweet speech that Sarah prepared for her sister and new brother-in-law. Erin also could not hold back tears as her little sister candidly expressed to her that she was her best friend and how much she cherished all of the memories that they share.

What a clever idea for table numbers at a winter wedding!

Remember you can click on images to view them larger, however do not exit the new window, hit your back button. Little cyber side-note.

This is one of my favorite dancing photos I've ever taken... they looked so happy and cozy as they danced to Jack Johnson's "Better Together."