A perfect fall wedding schedule

Such a beautiful wedding day for an even more beautiful couple! We were happy to help them put together a wedding schedule perfect for their event. You never know what type of weather to expect when you plan your big day down to a T, especially here in St. Louis. You can experience every season within a week, no matter the time of year! While we can’t control the weather our job, as your professional wedding photographer, is to guarantee your entire day runs smoothly. We can help you come up with a schedule, make a backup plan, pivot on a whim, and go with the flow of the ever-changing wedding day. Erin and Jeremy discussed multiple options with us about the timeline of the day. We started at the church with a few photos of the family arriving. Due to church entry limitations, we had told the couple we may need to add a few extra photos after the wedding. Everyone was prompt and ready to go so all the photos needed were accomplished before the ceremony. This couple smiled from ear to ear as they got married. The perfect ceremony at their parish had pews packed with family and friends. We quickly got to work afterward on the family photos as we planned in the wedding schedule. We knew from the start there would be a limit on sunlight for photos outdoors with Erin and Jeremy. But with the great schedule, we provided we ended up with more than enough time to capture hundreds of timeless photos. Late November typically brings freezing cold temperatures, and sometimes snow. Not this time around! There was even some fall color still peeking through! Jeremy, Erin, and their wedding party had a wonderful time relaxing together before the sunset! We even stuck around to take a few sunset photos. The evening was complete with Erin and Jeremy spending hours on the dance floor without a care in the world as they danced the night away together. The whole crowd was right there with them celebrating, laughing, and enjoying every moment. Congratulations!   #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #weddingphotography #fallwedding
Rachel Ravetta   0     Ravetta Photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer , wedding photography

A one year construction photo session

This is the 5 session we have done for Tyson and Sarah. We started with maternity and then they joined Steel in the birthday club. Of course, his newborn session was sweet and memorable. Each session between also gave us some things to remember, Steel just not giving us any smiles. Maybe one or two but he was really holding out during each session. Sarah said he smiles all the time but when he got the office he just froze. We were determined to break that streak during his one year photo! Steel’s one year session was amazing. He started off with his usual “I’m not interested” face. However, once we found out he loved those fake sneezes we were golden. He just laughed and smiled the rest of the time he was at our office. Sarah was so excited for him to show off his dimples and bright blue eyes. This time he even had a few teeth to show off too. The theme of his birthday was construction because he loves all things trucks. We encouraged Sarah to bring anything she wanted that he would enjoy having in his photos. Some decorations from his party and a few trucks did the trick. He may have knocked them over a few times but he loved having his toys during the session. They had purchased a wall photo from Steel’s newborn session to hang on the wall. They have been enjoying that for a year! Now it was time to replace it with a new family photo and Tyson wanted something bigger on the wall. They love the photos so much that they needed to prominently display it in their home. Since Steel was already taking steps we know that his 18 month session is going to be one to remember as well. We will be chasing him all over, an outdoor session might be best! We are excited to see you again soon Steel, keep smiling for mom and dad.   #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #familyphotos #oneyearsession #birthdayclub
Rachel Ravetta   0     birthday club , Children photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer

Luella and her pumpkins

Are we allowed to have favorites? Of course we love all of our clients and enjoy spending time with them during the session. But after year and years of working with some we find the sessions are more like friends catching up. Rather than clients we work with for just a short time. It all started when we took photos of Alexis because her mom brought her to our studio. We photographed their wedding. Alexis and Dillon started a family and thought that our birthday club would be a perfect fit. We have been working with them regularly for the past few years as the children are growing. We sometimes take too much time talking that it’s more like friends catching up at a picnic together in the park than a family session. This birthday club session was for Luella’s 8 month. Alexis and Dillon decided to theme the photos with some pumpkins. They had all the right colors and sizes to put around Luella in the photos. She was doing such a great job of sitting, not great at standing just yet. Though dad let her try her best before she took a bit of a tumble, he had so much faith she could do it. Dad will always be her greatest supporter! My favorite part of the session was when we took a few photos of big brother pulling his sister in a wagon. For fun mom and dad jumped in pretending to struggle pulling the wagon. Just a fun moment and a cute family photo! Of course, we enjoy taking the regular family photos but throwing in a few fun ones is a nice change to the session. It also helps to keep the attention of the younger kids. After taking too many photos the kids didn’t want to sit still so yet again we took some time to chat. We really should schedule extra time for us to just have a picnic next time!   #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #birthdayclub #familyphotos #parkphotos
Rachel Ravetta   0     Children photography , family photography , ravettaphotography , stlouisphotographer

Alexis and Jack had a perfect day

Hopeful but unknowingly Alexis and Jack picked the perfect day in October to get married. The weather was amazing and the colors were at their peak. After working with them during the engagement session we were excited to capture more images of this couple. Alexis arrived in style with her girls and parents in a limo while Jack was having a friend go pick him up an undershirt from Target. Honestly, that was the only thing that they needed to adjust the whole day. Everything else ran perfectly smooth for them from start to finish. Alexis and Jack are so lucky to have a team of people around them to help in any way possible. They will be supported in anything they pursue together because the support was shown today at their wedding. A traditional ceremony started off the day with the right tone. It wouldn’t be a traditional St. Louis wedding without heading to the park for some amazing wedding party photos. As we mentioned before the colors were perfect so it was hard to narrow down to just a few locations. Each direction we turned there was another colorful tree to utilize in the photos. They have a great mix of the typical wedding photos sandwiched in between the laughing moments they shared all day. They had enough time between the ceremony and reception to even take time to relax in the hotel room before greeting everyone at the reception. We attended cocktail hour to capture those family members that haven’t seen each other in a while. They were not shy about taking photos which makes our job very easy! Alexis and Jack are going to have a hard time deciding what images to include in the wedding album. After working with this couple twice this year we hope to have the opportunity to continue our relationship into the future. Perhaps an anniversary session or when they decide to start a family we will be lucky enough to capture those moments too! #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #fallwedding #weddingphotography
Rachel Ravetta   0     Ravetta Photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer , wedding photography

Marie and Tim

It has been such a pleasure working with Tim and Marie the past year. We first met when Tim contacted us to photograph a surprise engagement. They made the decision to also have us as the wedding photographer. Our packages include an engagement session. We did photos in the fall which gave us more opportunity to get to know them. Now wedding day has come and gone, we had such a great time with them again! We also enjoyed meeting their friends and family. The day started at the hotel with the girls. They were on time and about ready to go when we arrived. It was perfect for us to get the final touches of getting ready before heading out to do a first look with dad. We met dad on the rooftop of the hotel to get him settle to see Marie. His reaction was just amazing! He was so happy to see is little girl on her wedding day! Everyone quickly headed off to the church since it was an early 11am ceremony. The grand Cathedral Basilica was the perfect place for this grand couple to get married. They may have not met in the most grand way possible, on bumble. But when they did it was a grand romance leading to this perfect day. The entire week prior to the wedding had temperatures in the upper 90’s and even over 100 a few days. However, it was much nicer on their wedding day. Of course, still a warm June day but they got really lucky with the low humidity and breeze. This made taking photos in the park much nicer. The family and wedding party stopped by the Boathouse for lunch and relaxed a bit before we headed out to do photos. It was nice to see a couple have time to relax with everyone instead of just running from one thing to the next all day long. The photos we captured together are exactly what we expected. We got lots of laughs, smiles, kisses and interacting with friends. They are going to cherish these photos forever! Marie and Tim were able to arrive early to the reception so they had time to greet guest during the cocktail hour. It is always a good idea to plan time to talk with the people that are there to celebrate with you. We are happy that we also had the opportunity to celebrate with this grand couple. Of course, since we have worked with them a few times we are hoping to continue our relationship into the future. Congratulations, Tim and Marie.   #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #weddingphotos #summerwedding #forestpark
Rachel Ravetta   0     Ravetta Photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer , wedding photography

Get out on the field and have some fun!

To our birthday club members, we know it can get hard to come up with new ideas for your sessions but we are truly up for anything. We love having fun with your children. Don’t you want them to have fun with us? Yes, we have lots of props in our studio and know all the great spots in the typical parks. But why not go somewhere special for your family or your kids. A favorite park with a playground to use as well, or a snow cone stand that you go to every summer. The options are really endless! This happy little 4 year old just loves football so where did we go for his session? The football field, of course! Mom was able to make sure we could access the field on a day the students were not in school. We took some time doing those “regular” 4 year photos of James using the great school landscaping. But really we were just waiting for the field to clear from practices so we could get out there and have some fun. The look on his face was priceless when he realized he was going ON THE FIELD! James was so happy to tell us all about football and his favorite player. We went to the 40 yard line so he could pose by the 4, and that’s exactly what he did for us. He did some hikes, some tackles, some running and even threw the football a few times. James knew he wasn’t on grass but wasn’t so sure why it looked like grass but wasn’t – his first, but probably not last experience with turf. He was telling us all about how you have to throw then tackle to get the ball. All the while showing us how this is done in the games. The whole time we were on the field he played. We were only there to capture the excitement! I bet he will remember this day for a long time. Let’s get out together to some unique locations with your kids.   Don’t forget to have a look at our socials for other great images from this session.   #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #birthdayclub #futurepioneer
Rachel Ravetta   0     birthday club , Children photography , Ravetta Photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer

A little snow never stops us!

Have you searched the internet recently? Of course, who hasn’t! Have you scrolled for what seems like forever and then finally click something that is exactly what you were looking to find. Alexis and Jack were doing just that when they came across our wedding photography information. Not to mention we are located very close to them making it very easy to come visit us. They are getting married in October – we are so happy to be documenting their journey to the altar. Alexis called after the big snow storm wanting to know if we would be willing to take photos in the snow. Heck yeah!!! It is always so much fun to do those unique sessions that not every client is willing to do. We decided to meet at Castlewood park since it would have the potential of paths that were not plowed and still snow covered. The scenery was beautiful, of course it was a bit slippery walking on the melting snow but totally worth it for the photos we created together. A great time of day, easily to pose couple, beautiful scenery and a heart made out of snow were all perfect additions to the photos! Alexis and Jack wanted to include their dogs in the session, these dogs just loved the snow so having them around gave the session even more unique qualities. First. the photos we took were very personal. Second, there was lots of laughter behind the scenes as their friend tried to hold both dogs who desperately wanted to be next to mom and dad. Lastly, after capturing some wonderful photos on top of the bluff Alexis and Jack basically skied back down the hill with the help of their dog team. Yes, we laughed but also had to make sure nobody fell as we descended. It was such an unusually warm day which gave us the opportunity to take our time getting the perfect images. So happy we were able to create the first memories of your journey and looking forward to next chapter – the wedding day.


#ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #engagementphotos #snowphotosession

Rachel Ravetta   0     Engagement Photography , Ravetta Photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer , wedding photography

Surprise mom with a family photo

I have known Heather since high school and along with many other people as we have gotten married and had children our lives have become very busy and it seems like Facebook is the only way that we are able to keep in touch. Heather had put online that she wanted to do a family session as a gift to her mom for her 70th birthday. Of course, I responded right away and to say let me know what you have in mind so we can make it happen. She had decided an outdoor session was a great option and really could not have gotten any luckier with the weather on the day that she selected. The plan was to move the photos inside if the weather was not cooperating but outside worked perfectly.  We met at Tower Grove Park to take photos of her husband children and parents all together to celebrate the birthday. Her oldest daughter had a headache when she arrived but really powered through it for grandma and mom. Making these photos special! We were able to get all types of photos for them to cherish forever. The generations of the girls, everyone together, the grandkids, and even mom and dad alone. I was honored that I got to capture these memories for them and it gave us a little bit of time to do some catching up on what has been going on recently. Sadly with busy schedules and everyone going some many different directions, we will probably turn into some Facebook updates for a while. But hopefully the next time they need a family photo we can get together and catch up again! #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #familyphotos #parksession
Rachel Ravetta   0     family photography , Ravetta Photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer , stlouisphotographer

Birthday Club member is one!

We set up the appointment months ago since the fall dates and times book up so quickly. Leo, one of our birthday club members, just turned one! This family got super lucky with the weather for their family session. Those little noses don’t last long in the cold weather, but we had tons of sun. And the temperatures were not terribly cold for November. When they arrived Lisa said she never thought she would be one of those people that did matching outfits. But when she decided she wanted plaid it just worked out better for them to all have shirts that matched. It looked great in the photos, and we think either is good for sessions – matching or not. It really doesn’t matter, as long as, the clothing coordinates with each other. The buffalo plaid that she decided was actually great for the location that we picked. They really popped on any green backgrounds we did and then the fall foliage made the family photos look very seasonal. Leo took a minute to warm up to us, however once he got going he just kept smiling. He enjoyed taking photos with mom and dad but also liked to show off his standing and climbing skills. He will be walking very soon. Mom brought a chair for him but he really just wanted to show us that he could walk around it. Then when we tried some photos on a blanket he preferred rolling around. We did get some cute photos of him kneeling and showing off his balancing skills. Throughout all the options Leo was just happy. Then the cupcakes came out! He was not interested in moving around once those cupcakes were in front of him. He just wanted to stay right there and “eat” them. He destroyed all the cupcakes but really didn’t eat much, he would put it up to his mouth and then just play with the other ones. We never know what to expect when we do the cake smash photos. Leo gave us something new – play with but not eat. It was just a great one year session, we are so happy that Leo is part of our birthday club so we can watch him grow. #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #oneyear #birthdayclub
Rachel Ravetta   0     birthday club , Children photography , family photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer

New mom and dad are in love

We often do photographs for multiple family members and this past December we were at the home of one of our clients doing some Christmas photos of the family. We noticed an announcement for a baby on the refrigerator. We have also done this family members wedding! We were very excited to hear that they were expecting. We knew that when the baby arrived we would hear from them to set up a newborn session. The moment they got home from the hospital they did just that – they called the office and decided to have us come out the following week to take the newborn photos at their home. It’s always a personal touch to do the sessions in the nursery because we are then able to incorporate some of the blankets and decorations that are present in the home. We often come with multiple items posing pillows, blankets, wraps, baskets, and all sorts of things that we can use for the photos but we do like using personal items to make the photos unique. These items also make baby feel comfortable. When I arrived I had all of my usual items and settled in the nursery. Baby Jacob was wide awake which gave us some great family photos with mom and dad. We typically start with mom and dad photos so that they can then relax while we finish up with the individual photos a baby. Jacob got in his mind that he was not going to go to sleep for his photo shoot. He stayed awake most of the time and when we tried images of him unwrapped mom mentioned that he really doesn’t like to be naked and he told us that right away! We were able to get many photos of him dozing in and out of sleep as well as wide awake, as long as, he was wrapped or had clothes on. We did joke a little bit that as much as those naked photos are cute it might be a good thing that he wants to keep his clothes on. During the session we chatted about how well Jacob is doing with his sleep and feeding he is such a great little baby. Mom and dad are very lucky to have such an easy-going little guy. This being the first baby for mom and dad they were overjoyed by all of the wonderful images that I captured. We look forward to capturing more memories of baby Jacob in the future and at some point maybe even a photo of all the cousins together #ravettaphotography #newbornsession #stlphotographer #nurseryphotos #babyboy
ravetta   0     Newborn Session in Home , Ravetta Photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Newborn , stlouisphotographer