when emily & derrol booked us to shoot their wedding this september…words could not express how elated we were. not only are these two incredibly sweet people, they also have impeccable style. emily has been sharing little details about her dream wedding set to take place on a warm autumn afternoon in grass valley – needless to say…the things that she has planned are right up our alley. i’m not going to give away any of her secrets…all i have to say is that i have a feeling her special day is going to set a wildfire on sites like pintrest. emily & derrol grew up in a little town outside of reno and wanted an engagement shoot that reminded them of the beautiful surroundings of their hometown…soooo…i took them to the house i grew up in…set up a couple of cozy corners on the lawn…and snapped them being ___ well___ adorable. then…we jumped in derrol’s pickup truck and drove through the back roads of reno. when we saw a spot that looked good, derrol stopped the truck, threw the hazards on…and we all jumped out and took some photos. it was so much fun! these two are prefect for each other. it was an honor to be able to photograph a couple that is so deeply in love with one another. you two make our hearts sing. we cannot wait for your big day!!!

prepare to fall in love with this sweet girl. she won me over within seconds. full blog post on its way…

xoxo.

the underwoods.

Photographing the Bonnette family is always a treat. Angie, Greg and sweet Vincent are an amazing little family: love and joy literally radiate from the trio. For this shoot, we spent the afternoon cruising around the park while enjoying the fall sunshine. We are anxious to post the rest of this fun filled session…

Kaitlyn, Brandon, and their adorable pooch, Kaya, braved the elements to have us shoot their first ever “family” photo. Not only was the couple extremely photogenic, but Kaya was incredibly well-behaved and seemed to take a liking to the camera immediately. This charming trio warmed our hearts and brought numerous smiles to our faces. We can’t wait to show you the rest, but for the time being…here is a little preview of their session.

xoxo.

the underwoods

Seriously, Jamie and Monk couldn’t stop making us smile during this shoot. This gorgeous mommy and her captivating little one joined us for a little frolicking, dancing,  leaf throwing, and creek “fishing”. The images that we captured truly show how special the bond is between these two. Keep a look out for the full blog post…you’re in for a treat.

xoxo.

the underwoods

It’s that beautiful time of the year again, leaves are changing, mornings are way too cold and Underwood Photography are doing mini family photo sessions!

What is a mini family photo session?  Well for $75….yes ONLY $75 Mel and Aaron will spend 25 minutes capturing you and your family in a few different settings at the beautiful Rancho San Rafael in Reno, you also get a 5×7 and 8×10 of any images of your choice.  It’s an incredible deal and a value of $300!  At that point you can also order any of our wonderful Holiday Cards to send to family and friends or even have your images enlarged and printed out to hang on your walls (canvas prints, pop outs and many others).

We are doing this November 12th and 13th and time slots are on a first come first serve basis and we expect them to fill up fast!  Go ahead and give us a call 775-240-2408 or email us at aaron@aaronandmelanie.com to reserve your spot or to ask any questions.

Come out and join us!

There is a limit of FOUR people per shoot, if you want more there will be a $15 per person fee added to your session.  Different locations and dates can be chosen but will be charged our normal sitting fee.

When we first met with Amber and heard about the location of their wedding we knew it was going to be beautiful.  Amber and Ray got married at the Grizzly Creek Ranch which offers camp opportunities in the summer months for children and operates as a retreat and conference center in the off-season.  Amber is the owner of Neverender here in Reno which sells art-based clothing and accessories for guys and girls by emerging artists and designers so we knew that Ambers creativity would really show in the wedding and it’s details and as you will see she did an amazing job!

One of the best things about this wedding was that they were able to rent out the whole ranch and it’s cabins so all their family and friends were able to stay for the weekend and enjoy the beautiful area.  I cannot tell you just how amazing this place was but what made it even more special was the incredible staff at the Grizzly Creek Ranch!  I’ve never seen an event staff that acted more like a large family then “staff”, the operations manager Mitchell Tufts did an incredible job with this event and was a pleasure to deal with.

Amber got her beautiful dress at Alfred Angelo in Reno, hair and makeup was done by the talented Arielle Vandenberg, flowers were done by Jeanne Giles (a close friend of Ambers, check out her blog), cake was made by Chef Mitchell at The Grizzly Creek Ranch and local DJ Joey rocked the house.

Ready for some images?  Well we kinda rocked this wedding so get ready for A LOT of images.  Congratulations Amber and Ray!

ps…..wait for their uPhotobooth images coming soon.  What is uPhotobooth you ask?  Well let’s just say it’s a photo booth on steroids!  You will not be let down.

We are excited to post Justin and Taylors beautiful wedding at The Resort at Red Hawk here in Reno!

The two decided to get ready at The Villas at Red Hawk, these were beautiful and is a nice feature that not many other event locations can offer.  The wedding was an intimate event with close family only followed by a reception in Taylors parents back yard.

Taylor is an aspiring event planner and as you are about to see is incredibly talented!  The details and work that went into the reception was beautiful, even the cookies were made by Taylor (they were AMAZING!!)

Dress was by Stephanie James Couture and purchased from Swoon Bridal in Reno.

Thank you again Justin and Taylor for letting Underwood Photography be a part of your special day.

Congratulations to the new couple!

We were elated when Jordan and Quinn asked us to photograph their wedding set to take place Galena Creek Regional Park! Quinn looked ridiculously exquisite and Jordan was very handsome. The couple and the wedding party wore Toms, which we wholeheartedly gave a “thumbs up” to…good decision, guys! The couple was a blast to work with and kept us laughing the entire day. The ceremony site was in the middle of a gigantic grassy field and the reception took place down the hill at the fish hatchery in a quaint brick room with tons of windows. Little details were interspersed around the location. We loved the little green flower bunches that adorned the chairs at the reception…you can’t tell from the photos, but they were made of wood! The reception area housed bunches of pretty flowers in mason jars, handmade napkins (that Quinn is going to use to make a quilt), watering cans, personalized wine bottles, rad chalkboards displaying the various types of beer being served, and a cute birdcage card holder. We adored the ambiance! Needless to say, it was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with these two and all their family and friends.

A stunning location, beautiful couple, great people, good food……no wonder why we LOVE our jobs.

Quinn and Jordan,
You were so much fun to work with. Thank you for sharing your day with us! Best of luck in your marriage. You two are going to make exceptionally good looking children.

Love,

aaron + mel

To put it lightly, we were thrilled when Wendy and Justin asked us to photograph their gorgeous wedding. Wendy and I met during nursing school and bonded during our clinical rotations in the second semester. Wendy is one of the most beautiful, sweet, intelligent, compassionate, and caring individuals I have the pleasure of knowing. I couldn’t wait to meet her hubby-to-be! When Aaron and I met Justin, we instantly knew that these two were a perfect match. Justin instantly charmed us with his kind demeanor and when he spoke about Wendy, you could tell how much he loved his future wife. Their wedding took place on a pleasant August afternoon at Camp WeChMe (nestled in the Galena Creek Regional Park). The two were married in the presence of their closest families and friends, under the sun, surrounded by towering pine trees.

We ended up stealing the couple away from their guests after the ceremony and snuck them up into the hills behind the camp. An archery range, gargantuan trees and the Sierra Nevada Mountains made for stellar backdrops. Photographing this stunning couple in such an enchanting setting was so much fun! We integrated film into this shoot, which gave us a nice vintage/modern combination of images. We couldn’t be happier with the way the photographs came out.

Above: Wendy – the gorgeous bride.

Below: Justin – the dapper groom.

Wendy and Justin integrated vintage national park brochures into their décor…such a great idea!

The couple decided to do a first look (which we LOVE doing). Their reaction was priceless.

Below: Justin anxiously waiting for his bride.

Below: Wendy trekking through the woods to surprise her groom.

The approach…the tap…the turnaround…the reaction…the kiss…the smiles…the radiating adoration.

The lovely couple (pst…don’t you love her dress?! It is pretty/pretty/pretty).

I had to throw this shot into the mix because Wendy and Justin’s families were so great!

Justin’s adorable parents.

Wendy’s amazing mom and dad.

The ceremony…

Images shot during the kidnapping of the bride and groom. See how they look at each other?! Unreal.

I love the vintage feel of these images…oh film…how I love thee.

The archery range. Pure awesomeness.

Oh. Hey Wendy. Maybe you should give up your nursing job and become a model. (another image shot with film)

More film goodness capturing the magnetic couple.

The reception was full of cute details. Laughter. Smiling faces. And love.

Who doesn’t love a good game of stickball?!

A sweet moment during Wendy and Justin’s first dance.

Father/daughter. Mother/son.

He had some ridiculously rad moves. High five, man. High five!

Wendy and Justin – we wish you the best of luck in your new life together and feel extremely privileged that you chose us to document such a monumental day in your lives.

Love,

aaron + mel

Side note: I would also like to publicly congratulate my dear friend on her new career. Wendy was just hired as an RN on the trauma ICU unit at the regional medical center here in Reno. She is going to be an amazing nurse and I am so proud of her.

[blog post by mel].