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Cathedral Basilica | Love in The Heart of St. Louis {Chris + Kayla’s Wedding}

Bridal, Weddings

December 24, 2015

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Hi there! Welcome to the Fully Alive Photography blog, a journal about our clients, shoots, and my own personal life. Stay a while and say hello!

Hello, I'm Tracy

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Love is in the air, well it’s really everywhere if you know Kayla.  Kayla is one of the sweetest, welcoming, non-judgemental, and most genuine souls I’ve ever known. I am beyond blessed to be apart of her life and even more to be apart of her love story.

Kayla was the first person outside of my family I entrusted with caring for my son Mateo, and you moms know how hard that is! She did more than care for him, she drove him to my weddings the first two years of his life so I could nurse during breaks, she took him on walks daily, snuggled him, napped with him, fed him, nurtured and cared for him with more sweetness and love than any mother could hope for in a caregiver.  I am entirely in awe of the women she is and Chris I’m sure has only grazed the top of how she will blossom as a wife and someday hopefully a mother herself. Yes, yes, I know I’m gushing AND I’m about to cry just remember all the wonderful things Kayla has been to me and our family. {pause to gain control}

Always… Kayla does feel like family to be because she is indeed my best friend Libby & Sam’s cousin! That is how we were connected and since Sam and Libby are family, Kayla is too. I am so thrilled to welcome Chris to the family 🙂

Chris and Kayla have a fantastic love story and they are totally and completely meant for each other. I didn’t even get to meet mystery guy until they picked Vegas as the destination engagement location and flew me out to photograph them in the wilderness of the red rock national park. { You can read more about that shoot here: Red Rocks Blog Post or the vegas strip shoot here: Vegas Blog Post}

The second I met him I felt at ease and as if I had known him forever. He is genuine, kind, oh-so-tender with Kayla, funny, and seriously handsome with charm to last a lifetime!

Want to find out more about how this dynamic duo met & fell in love? As a treat Phoenix Bride & Groom did a blog post of their own on the red rocks section of the shoot! Check that out here: PHOENIX BRIDE & GROOM BLOG FEATURE

Enough gushing. Let’s relive the wedding of the year! Try not to cry 🙂 I might.

Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & Bridal Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalYou guessed it, Kayla is a dancer and wore her ballet flats! This is such an intimate way to bring a piece of your life to your wedding decor! Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & Bridal Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & Bridal

They wrote each other love letters 🙂 {Swoon}Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & Bridal Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & Bridal Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & Bridal Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalI love these hero and monogram cufflinks 🙂

Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalSo yeah there was an entire bathroom set up as a garden. Too silly not to enjoy.
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Welcome to the most amazing church you will find this side of the world! I swear I stepped inside and thought I’d stepped into florence again! This magnificent and holy site is the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Bascilicas’ Website here.  You can find it in the heart of St. Louis, and you should go see it if you are ever in the area. It was very dark in there and not being about to use my off camera lighting was a challenge but I forced my camera to  high ISO’s and made it happen!

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The church was so large and the isle so long, so Chris turned around until Kayla got closer to the front so they could see each other’s faces for the first time that day. AHH how romantic! Fully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & BridalFully Alive Photography | Weddings & Bridal

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I love to find time to capture moments that are fun and festive!
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It’s time for the reception! Chris and Kayla had their festivities at Lewis and Clark Community College where Chris actually teaches! They also had a million delicious cupcakes and plenty of gold glitter, so yeah I was in heaven.

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Bella (Kayla’s little pup) made an appearance too :0

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Pretty sure this is my 94th wedding I’ve photographed and I’ve yet to see such an amusing and well choreographed first dance! Of course they would! I loved every single minute of it. I was laughing and in awe at the same time. I can’t wait to see the video of the whole thing. It was compiled of several songs and they acted the whole thing out, never missing a beat.

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I want to take one last minute to note what a remarkable DJ this was! I could tell he spins often because he didn’t miss beat when he mixed and he played an excellent collection. I was thoroughly impressed!  Check them out here Millennium Productions DJ Website.

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Mateo & Olive boogied the whole time 🙂 Was so cute it was hard to focus on everyone else. lol.
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That’s it folks! I hope you enjoyed viewing this beautiful and fun wedding as much I loved capturing it. Thanks for tuning in and please head over to your favorite social media, find me and follow!

  1. Dale and Joyce McDonough says:

    I love those two I already knew I’d loved Kayla since the day she was born. I helped care for her also gramp. I saw her grow into a beautiful young lady. The sweetest, kindest, caring, loving That’s my grand daughter Kayla Mc Donough Campbell. I thank God for you my lovely!

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