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Aisle Style bio picture

About our blog

People say to me all the time: “You're so lucky. You get to go to weddings all the time." They're right. We are lucky. We get to be among people having a great time, looking and feeling their best and participating in what is often the most important day in someone's life.

Here’s the other thing we are lucky to see: the terrific style and creativity that our clients bring to their celebrations. If there is one thing we’ve learned while photographing weddings, it is that a wedding doesn’t have to be expensive to be lovely. We dedicate our blog to sharing the terrific ideas that we’ve seen before and will see this coming season, with a focus on ideas that are simple, elegant and stylish.

All these images are the work of us or our associate photographers from events we've photographed. So, we say "thank you" to our clients who have shared their warmth and happiness with us. 


About John & Theresa Valls

Because we love to travel, we photographed our first wedding together in exchange for two plane tickets to Europe. That was our original plan: we'd photograph a wedding or two, basically just enough to underwrite our love of italian food eaten in Italy. What we hadn't counted on, however, was how much we would grow to love everything about shooting and working together.

John's wedding photography is influenced by his advertising work with agencies, companies and magazines he shoots for. Avoiding an overly-produced style for his photos, John's images reflect his light touch as well as his ability to capture what is descriptive, yet beautiful.

My background in design management helps us create wedding albums that are both contemporary and timeless. I'm an avid believer in the strength of a killer edit, so I work with our clients to compile a photo selection that will meaningful and satisfying 25 years in the future. 

 

Monthly Archives: March 2009

Beach wedding ideas

When months of rain and grey skies make me blue, I like to look back on this sunny wedding in Cannon Beach. Joe and Robin got hitched on a perfect, blue summer afternoon. Their florist constructed a simple bamboo canopy, decorated on each corner with a cluster of orchids, white roses, hypericum berries, grasses and a few...

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More simple weddings: Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

If I was getting married this summer (and I was worried about my budget) I would have a wedding just like the one pictured here. What I appreciated about this wedding was that it was both simple and elegant. It downplayed the formalities and instead emphasized the conviviality of the celebration.  
Jennifer’s dress and flowers were...

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color story: purple & green

You would never know from looking at these photos that is was acually 105 degrees on Brian and Stephanie’s wedding day at the Waverly Golf Club. Everyone looks so fresh and unwilted. It’s a darn good thing there are not any pics of John and I, since we were both looking seriously wilted. The color...

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color story: red with orange

Check out the great colors from this September wedding in Portland. All the warm colors were there: red, orange, yellow, tangerine. It was like all of summer’s vibrant palette in one big dose of fabulosity. The venue was the Sculpture Garden at the Portland Art Museum. We’ve shot events there before, but never had we...

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Color story: acid green

Today I take a break from my budget wedding posts and have a little fun with pure color. Here’s a great example where a single color, acid green, unified elements of Malia and Daniel’s summer wedding. Geranium Lake Flowers did a wonderful job of translating Malia’s taste into a gorgeous floral arrangements and bouquets. All...

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More very simple weddings

I’m on a bit of a roll lately. Everyday I hear more dire talk about the economy. In response, I’m continuing my campaign to showcase delightfully simple weddings. In the end, it only matters that you are married and have one another for life. Flowers, dresses and cakes are lovely for sure, and they go...

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Let’s talk about money, #2

Here’s a second post on the financial aspects of planning your wedding. I’m a big advocate of the idea that there are scads of inexpensive ways to have a stylish and meaningful wedding. Consider Jennifer and Eric. Shortly before their wedding, they were able to purchase a wonderful home. Although it was a huge amount...

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Let’s talk about money

Who isn’t thinking about their finances right now? It seems that nearly everyone is ready to reconsider how they spend their money. Especially if you’re getting married. For the last several years it seems like a big, blowout wedding was something most every couple felt entitled to. But I wonder if maybe that’s changing?
The good...

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some favorite images / contest entries

Both of the professional organizations we belong to conduct quarterly contests. Sometimes we enter, sometimes we don’t. It can be a challenge to look back on the season as ask yourself: “What images are our best?” and also “What images will win a contest?”  Sometimes those are two completely different things. When we pick our...

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23 photographers, 1 blog

It’s no secret that the local scene of wedding photographers is a friendly and helpful one. Several Portland photogs, like us, belong to local chapters of professional organizations such as WPJA or ISPWP. Others of us just get together regularly to shoot the breeze or have a brew or two. It is these  friendly connections...

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