for those of you “silver lining” readers who don’t know pei and weijun, i think you’ll fall in love with them just like i did!

both are from china, earning doctorates in the united states.

in their short time here, they have amassed a mountain of friends.

and you can see why from their pictures . . . pei and weijun radiate joy that envelopes everyone around them.

their wedding day SCHEDULE was a dream come true (future brides and grooms take note)!!!

~theirs was an AFTERNOON reception (from 2:30 – 4:30 pm) enabling us to make pictures of just the two of them in downtown columbia in the evening during the best (i.e. golden hour) light of the day;

~pei tossed her bouquet OUTSIDE the church as part of their grand exit from the reception;

~pei and weijun delegated beautifully! friends were involved in every aspect . . . ushering, reading, coordinating the reception, overseeing the catering. it was a team effort that allowed the couple to enjoy the day.

take a look at the results of these scheduling day decisions by scrolling down at some favorites AND by watching their wedding day slideshow by clicking here.

I love the picture above by annika of pei laughing with her parents (who traveled here from china for the wedding)!
it’s one of my favorite family photos ever.

the left picture below, of pei and weijun exiting the church, was made by cait brady who has begun assisting us; it’s FANTASTIC!














the photo below, by annika, may just end up on a wall in columbia’s Mississippi Fish Shack restaurant! stay tuned for that.


wow, our international couples have been delightful! there is a special spot in our hearts for our couples from afar. in addition to our u.s. couples, we’ve now had brides & grooms from poland, canada, china, scotland, turkey, england (have I missed anyone?) AND we look forward to more international adventures!
~kim

my brother.

winner of what?

well:  1. his wedding day was ABSOLUTELY the hottest of the year

and  2. he married his perfect match!

This is my BRAND NEW SISTER-IN-LAW lynae:

she’s not only beautiful; she’s very kind. lovely inside and out, AND an art teacher!!
**which makes my sister carla and i oh-so-excited!**
(guess that means she’s not just the perfect girl for our little brother; she’s the perfect 3rd sister for carla and me, too!)

.

.

above, lynae and her mom, just before the wedding.

the unflappable annika miller was no less than rock star of this event INCLUDING finding and convincing the boys to walk to this utterly cool locale:

(and to me, these guys will always seem 12, so yes “boys” it is )

AND then that very on-her-toes annika miller spied this perfect (and shady…phew!) place for wedding party shots:

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE… here are 2 pictures annika created of the 2 moms at the reception.

it just doesn’t get any better than this!!

[BIG SMILE! isn't my mom A-D-0-R-A-B-L-E!!  oh annika I could just hug you for capturing this!!!]

what a great day, great party (and if I do say so myself) GREAT family!

welcome lynae (**your life will never be the same **)

hugs to all!

~amy

(we are ever so excited to shoot there; it’s owned and managed by former SilverBox couple Adam and Caroline Guy!)

as for emily + richard: oh the delight of working with couples in love, being-out-of-doors, having camera-in-hand.

take a look:

~kim and annika

to earn doctorate degrees. we spent a lovely evening on the university of missouri campus:













congratulations to both of you and to your families! it will be an honor to work with you; thank you for choosing SilverBox!

see you next saturday :’)
~ kim and annika

we played by the field:

in the field:

with the cows:

right up until sunset!

and now we’re in Quincy, Illinois for the wedding because TODAY!!! they get married…so check back soon!

traditions with some new twists. that is just what tansel and chris did. and the result: a day that was like no other.

tansel and chris’s wedding was both simple AND elegant. it was as relaxed as it was beautiful.

the day felt like an easygoing, love-filled retreat for both tansel and chris as well as for their loved ones.

Come see what I mean by clicking on tansel + chris’s wedding day slideshow and/or scrolling down for a few highlights!

and just so ya know, the vendors who helped make tansel + chris’s day so very lovely included:
flowers ~ by Kent’s Floral Gallery
music ~ by harpist Maria Duhova Trevor
cake ~ by Cakes with the Personal Touch by Edith Hall
ceremony & reception venue ~ The Lodge of Four Seasons

and you’ll notice a few Turkish touches too:

~ in the photo just below, tansel and chris have stopped on their way back down the aisle
so that their mothers can shower the couple with a few tokens of affection

~ the ringbearer, tansel’s nephew, carried the rings in a handcarved wooden blue bowl

~ and Tansel’s mother and sister-in-law prepared traditional (and delicious!) turkish food for guests Friday night.

And now, tansel + chris are back from Turkey, where they have been celebrating with Tansel’s kin.

Welcome home, you two.

~kim (and annika too :’)

Are you familiar with the concept of a “perfect storm” — well what do you call that same phenomena

BUT when random events converge to spark something really really GOOD?

we’re needing this term for 2 REASONS:

1. because it’s the confluence of sometimes seemingly unrelated factors that create perfect pictures, too. [it’s being in exactly the right place at exactly the right moment with exactly the right lens, and not only SEEING it, but having the technical expertise to create the picture in that split second before the moment has passed. luck is involved. skill is involved. patience and determination are involved. there are lots of uncontrollables but all of the above is part of the sheer exhilaration!
2. the perfect combination of circumstances have converged over the past few years that lead us to this announcement, too: SILVERBOX SENIORS has arrived!! annika miller has been second shooting weddings and e-sessions for us her entire college career and her pictures wow us every week! while in college annika won award after photography award and was even asked by Zenfolio (an international “online photo gallery” company based in san francisco) to join AND REPRESENT THEM at WPPI 2010 in Las Vegas.  in sum: annika knocks our socks off! AND NOW it’s official:  annika is a college graduate who lives just down the street and we are so proud to announce that there are no longer 2 but 3 SilverBox Photographers to document life’s unfolding moments.

annika specializes in portraits with bold color, warm natural light, and strong emotion.

See what we mean:

annika applies artistic documentation to portraits of couples, families, and children in their own environment to create a visual story:

annika truly delights in capturing both authentic and composed moments during weddings….

and annika miller loves creating contemporary images for high school seniors with an urban flair.

pretty AMAZING, eh?

but WAIT . . . here’s a little more about her:

When HS Seniors schedule with SilverBox, they’re asked a few questions for Annika to get a sense of who they are. It’s from these responses that Annika creates a “just like you” shooting session to celebrate each senior’s individuality. So what better way to let YOU get to know (even more about!) ANNIKA then to turn the tables and share HER RESPONSES with you:

favorite websites/blogs?

Etsy

Design is Mine

Once Wed

Decorology

Small Space Style

Snippet and Ink

Jasmine Star Kisses and Disses

magazine you always stop and look at in the grocery store?

Real Simple

Martha Stewart

Dream job?

Being a professional photographer! Lookie there, check that one off the list!

(In my next life I’ll be a massage therapist.)

Inspired by?

The world and people around me! I love looking at other artists work to feel inspiration. I also pull a great deal of inspiration from nature and my travels.

OK, this next one added just for her….”Annika, tell us your thoughts on SilverBox” — no pressure, right

I love SilverBox Photographers because Amy and Kim are sooo amazing! It is great to have wonderful women to inspire, advise, and encourage me both personally and in my career.  SilverBox photos are full of fun and emotion! They are an experience for me just as much as they are for our clients and I love feeling as if I have made new friends at the end of every shoot.

Favorite things to do with free time?

Lay in a hammock and read a book.  Work on decorating my house. And, travel!

The place you’d most like to visit?

Iceland. South Africa. Ireland. Hmm, everywhere?   I’d love to visit every continent in my lifetime. 3 down, 4 to go!

that annika miller ~ she’s our kind of girl and we’ve been standing next to them as other professional photographers have looked at her work and exclaimed “this is some of THE BEST senior work I’ve ever seen”  what we love the most is how annika explains her ultimate goal

It’s my hope and my goal to form lasting professional relationships and to create photographs that visually inspire and tell my clients’ unique stories over the years.

~ Annika Miller, SilverBox

NOW, Run on over to our FACEBOOK page to be our friend!  Pass it on to your family and friends and add a little cheer to their day!  Want to know EVEN MORE!?

CLICK HERE FOR THE SCOOP ON SENIORS!!! -> one click and you’ll be downloading the SilverBox Senior .pdf document to learn about scheduling a just-like-you HS senior session.

And, shoot us an email anytime at silverboxseniors@gmail.com

Here’s to a new adventure!
-amy + kim

by mr. erin slate :’)! heather and erin were married on a truly picture perfect day.

the vendors who helped made their day special?
Flowers ~ Just Fabulous!
Cake ~ Melissa Robinson
Officiant ~ Bryce Atkins
Reception Venue ~ Kimball Ballroom, Stephens College
Special Guest Appearance ~ Miss Oestreich’s Grant Elementary School kindergarten students :’)

take a look at our favorite pictures from heather and erin’s wedding by scrolling down AND

be sure to watch their slideshow by clicking here.


























CONGRATULATIONS, Heather & Erin! THANK YOU thank you THANK YOU for choosing SilverBox!

~kim & annika

ashley and tyler’s engagement session was one of those times.

for starters, we were able to shoot during that golden-hour light. recognize the memorial union?

it’s where ashley and tyler first met. appropriately, we started there! . . . then sat a spell on the porch of

ashley’s childhood playhouse (built by her dad!) . . . hung out in a sun-drenched field . . .

and finished up (as we should on every july evening in missouri !) with toes in a pond, splashing on the dock.

and . . . hey . . . can anyone guess when they’re getting married? :’)

and a few words about the fantastic annika miller. half these pictures were made by annika.

she’s joined the SilverBox team, and we’re so grateful and lucky to be shooting with her!

stay tuned for more about annika AND our new venture: SilverBox Seniors.

~kim

we hung out at Stephens Lake Park, a favorite stomping grounds of theirs,

and at Mizzou’s Aquatic Center where they work.

Can’t wait to photograph their wedding in August!










~kim