Best Time of the Year

“This Christmas season and always, I pray that we will see the marvelous gift of the birth of the Son of God through the blessed eyes of a child. I pray that in addition to giving good gifts, we will strive to become good and grateful receivers. As we do so, the spirit of this season will enlarge our hearts and expand our joy beyond measure.” -President Uchtdorf

 

I hope that if you celebrate Christmas like we do,  that you'll take a moment this next week to think of the royal Christ child and let your heart be filled with joy at how glorious his birth truly was. 

It allowed for the atoning sacrifice to take place, and was the first step toward us gaining salvation. 

Best gift ever!

Now on a much more commercialized Christmas note, 

LOOK AT HOW CUTE OUR CHRISTMAS CARD PHOTOS TURNED OUT THIS YEAR!

 

I just like to smile! Smiling's my favorite!

Eric and Emily // Engagements

This love is sweet, and it is fun and silly and real. So basically it's the best kind of love there is.
The seriously good looks involved are just icing on the cake.

I am so so excited for these two to be tying the knot next weekend!

 Aren't they so adorable together.

 Oh... so one time during our shoot, a poor white horse got SUPER stuck in the mud. Needless to say, it was a distracting dilemma. Lots of people came to the rescue and above mentioned horse was totally fine. End side note.

 Ah I love my clients!

Austin and Hilary // Lifestyle

These guys are cute
and together
and cute together.

Holiday Memories {CONTEST}

I've been wanting to do a photo shoot giveaway for a while now, but haven't come up with the perfect one until this weekend! Ya see... I want to capture a real life experience that is valuable to the people I get to photograph. Irreplaceable moments with your children at this very most exact moment of  life that won't ever happen again. Before they get any older or wiser or less messy or better behaved, I want to capture them just as they are TODAY, making beautiful memories with you.

So for this contest, I need you to submit to me your most creative, ingenious, or beloved holiday memory to photograph!  It can be a tradition, something your family does every year, or something you've never done together before.

Bottom line is, it has be something you want your children to remember forevah and evah. 
Sledding, decorating the tree, working at the soup kitchen, baking goodies to give away, blah blah blah you get the idea right?! Oh I'm so excited!

I will need this to be on a more intimate scale, so keep your ideas to just one family (non-extended), and you've got to have some children (non-borrowed). I don't care how many or how old. And because I'm in Utah valley, the shoot must either take place within 30 miles of Orem, UT, or winner will need to cover transportation cost.

Enter to win: 

- Click HERE to "like" the Etre Photography facebook page (if you haven't already)

- Share this link on your facebook page (copy the address below and paste into your "status" box on facebook)
http://etrephotography.blogspot.com/2012/11/holiday-memories-contest.html

- Email your brilliant idea of the most fabulous holiday memory you want photographed to etrephotography@gmail.com!

The winner will be selected on Thanksgiving! November 22, 2012.

Alex and Courtney // DIY Weddings

DIY weddings, along with their DIY wedding decorations and receptions, are some of my very favorites. Not because of their low cost, because I definitely don't believe that all DIY weddings are done on a small budget.
DIY weddings are beautiful because the brides behind them; with their mad glue gunning, glittering, and bow-tying skills, are ALWAYS so invested in their special day. Obviously every bride is into her wedding to some degree, but DIY weddings allow me to see the bride's heart and happiness with so much clarity. Is it fung shui centerpieces, or the most perfect seasonal blossoms of a bouquet that make her happy?
I don't mean to make DIY brides sound vain or shallow, I'm trying to tell you how much I love them!
When they're doing everything themselves, they have to pick and choose what's most important, and I love love love discovering what that is.

Alex and Courtney's DIY wedding philosophy was brilliant, and I admire them so much for it. I've never seen eloquence paired with such a clear focus on life's highest priorities.
No exaggeration, I probably heard the phrase, "We're already married, so nothing else about today matters," over a dozen times on their wedding day. That beautifully simple thought was threaded  through EVERY part of their day. Of course their ring ceremony was tear-filled, and the reception was beautiful.
I just fell in love with them that much more, knowing that in their heart of hearts they would have been 100% content with nothing aside from one another, and a newly deepened commitment to their love.

Oh I'm crying at how happy this day was!

I posted a preview of these two forevs ago about loving their wedding day perspective. It  just makes me so happy to relive their joy! Selfish? Maybe.

Aye Carumba

Here is a quick preview of some of the lovely faces I still need to blog at you!
It'll happen, I promise you that. Just maybe don't ask me for an ETA...or a BLT...or an MOB or BFF or BFG... or any other silly acronym. All I've got are my camera,  some beautiful people to photograph, a fabulous husband, and some old candy corns off my halloween wreath.

Anyway, please excuse my blangent (word sandwich for blatant blog tangent), and lookie here.

GIVEAWAY!
Also, all of you brides-to-be need to head over to my darling friend Felicia's blog and enter to win this unique wedding day giveaway!

...and in case that doesn't work, here is the address for the giveaway, http://blog.reminderband.com/2012/10/24/giveaway-customized-wedding-wristbands/