Jess and Robert were married on a lovely May day at The Meadows at Marshdale in Evergreen, Colorado. We were blessed with the best weather!  It was a little rainy at times, but the timing was so ideal.  We were still able to take all the photos outside and the sun came out right before Jess walked down the aisle!  I absolutely loved the green color scheme Jess picked out.  All the different shades looked so great against the natural landscape, don’t ya think?

It’s always a huge privilege to shoot weddings, but it really hit me hard when Robert was about to see his bride for the first time.  The setting could not have been more perfect- we were nestled under some aspens, it had just stopped raining, Robert was ecstatic/nervous, and I had goosebumps.  What a joy it was to witness this ‘First Look’ moment!

Thanks you two!  I hope you are having a blast on your honeymoon.  Enjoy these images!

We had so much fun celebrating Béla and Breanna’s engagement downtown Denver.  Beautiful evening, beautiful location, beautiful couple… so yes, it was a successful night!  Congratulations you two- I hope you have a blessing-filled wedding day this September!   Enjoy your images!

What a trip!  Roy and I returned from Costa Rica about two weeks ago and we had the best time.  It was an experience that you just want to do over and over again- and we hope to!  We had the opportunity to help build a home for a family down in the Sarapiqui region of Costa Rica.  Roy works for a travel company that does this sort of project about one to two times a year.  We knew we wanted to jump in and do one, especially after hearing from my parents (who went last year and again this year)saying what an unforgettable time they had.

I took a majority of the photos at the home building site which is where we spent most of our time.  The Costa Rican family who was getting the house worked right alongside of us all week- it was so special!  We did a lot of cement-mixing, hammering 2×4’s, laying bricks, putting up stucco and painting.  We stopped frequently for coconut water breaks, accompanied by fresh pineapple and oranges.  Everyday for lunch we went to a local farm and enjoyed the freshest Costa Rican food prepared in an outdoor kitchen.  It was a refreshing week- in every way!

The view from our hotel the first night- overlooking San Jose, Costa Rica.

Andreas (left) received a brand new house by the end of the week.  The two boys on the right are in the family that received a new house last year.  They came over and helped out at the job site- and also chopped some coconuts for us!

 

 

Our wonderful chef who prepared delicious meals for us all week.  My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.

We went on a tour of the farm and our first stop was at the cocoa trees.  Those little slimy beans eventually turn into cocoa!  Crazy, right?!

Martin, the machete extraordinaire, slicing up some sugar cane.

Aaron was a joy!  He was so pumped for his new home and was a great helper around the worksite.

Meet Louis.  This contractor would jump around on the 2×4’s like he was playing hopscotch.  He was an amazing worker.

Town of Rio Frio.

Isai, one of the boys who received a new home last year.  He dominated me at a little juggling face-off. :)

A home building site provides the perfect environment for a mud fight!

My mom and Aaron on the “Move that bus!” day.

Aaron and I.  We could not get enough of this kid. :)

When we were about 95% completed with the house, we helped the family move their furniture in.

Saray, a 17-year-old, telling everyone where to put the furniture in her new home.

A group of high schoolers from Texas helped us on the last couple of days.

When we were all finished, the family expressed their thanks.

It was such a special couple of hours.  I really struggled with taking my camera down from my face and taking it all in as a ‘normal person’ instead of a photographer.

On Saturday Roy and I are headed to Costa Rica for some fun in the sun, as well as doing some mission work.  Roy works for a travel company that takes groups of kids on trips around the world and lucky me I get to join him from time to time!  This week we are going down to help build a Costa Rican family a new home, which is one of the Global Doing Good projects.  It’s going to be a lot of hard work, but I have been in the gym lately getting my arms in shape for some major shoveling action! :) I already have my camera packed and I will definitely be sharing some images when I get back!  About 2 years ago we we were down in Costa Rica- so I thought I would share a few images from that trip. Enjoy. 

Apparently Roy thinks he stands a chance against these kids… in sandals!

Roy and I spent last weekend up in Whitefish, Montana, a place that is oh-so-majestic.  My good friend Michael puts it this way, “You know the town that lives inside of those snow globes? That town is Whitefish.” It’s true, too. The snow doesn’t stop falling and it has one of the cutest downtowns I have ever seen.  We saw a lot of great friends along the way, celebrated the 80’s (Courtney, of 114-west.com, throws the best parties), shredded some deep powder for 3 days, and ate the tastiest buffalo chicken wrap at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake (great wedding venue, by the way).

Thanks to all our friends up in Northwest Montana for such a great weekend!  ‘Till next time….

For more fun photos and to find out the latest happenings around Brooke Peterson Photography, follow me on instagram – @brookepphoto