Erica Rose Photography

Happy Love Day…

Erica — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:00:51 +0000

When I was younger my parents would often get me a gift for Valentine’s Day. I’d usually wake up to find a card and some kind of cute gift on the kitchen table. Pink and red socks, some flowers, good candy…something like that. I still love little surprises like that, the excitement over cheesy Valentines Day socks or red nail polish is not lost on me!
V-Day shouldn’t be a crazy day of pressure where we have to live up to someone else’s expectations for the day, but why not turn the day into an excuse to show a little extra love – right?
It doesn’t take much.
Even just some red paper hearts or a cupcake with sprinkles on top….see?

Anchorage Infant Photography :: Baby Elijah at 2 Weeks

Erica — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:23:00 +0000

This past weekend I had the opportunity to photograph the sweetest two week old little guy, Elijah. I have always loved to photograph babies, but it had a little extra significance for me this time since soon one of those will be living in our house – woah. Who knew they were so tiny? I really haven’t been around too many brand-new ones. I’m pretty sure I asked his mom a too many questions during our time, but hopefully she didn’t mind : )I always take pictures of their feet, but look how little and wrinkled Elijah’s are still? Love it.

Not many babies have this much awesome hair…it adds to his charm, I’d say.
This one-sie was lovingly made for Elijah by friends of his dad…I think Elijah knew the right face to make for this shot.

Published :: Katie & Matt in Wisconsin Bride

Erica — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:00:56 +0000

I’m so honored to see my work in print again in such a short span of time. This time Katie & Matt’s *gorgeous* daytime wedding was featured in Wisconsin Bride!

I remember leaving this wedding thinking “…and that is why I love being a wedding photographer!” Katie and Matt are a wonderful, sweet couple to work with, they chose a cast of amazing vendors and venues, and the day was lovely down to each thoughtful detail. It was perfect.To see more of this wedding you can check out my complete blog post
(and trust me, you want to…especially if you’re looking for some inspiration for your own wedding! The ceremony venue felt like being in Italy…in Milwaukee. How is that even possible?)

Eagle River Child Portrait :: Tessa turns One!

Erica — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:26:35 +0000

Tessa is my cousin…isn’t she cute?! Last week I got to capture some pretty special moments as Tessa had celebrated her first birthday. She also experienced her very first taste of sugar…and though it was a mild taste (in the form of a semi-sweet pumpkin muffin!) she sure loved it.This girl has the bluest eyes ever! I love the scrunchy face…I also took a few shots of Tessa just playing at home on a non-party day:
Just before I came over she took a tumble and you can see she’s got a bit of a fat-lip, but she’s still cute as a button (as my grandma would say)Happy First Birthday sweet Tessa : ) I hope these photos will be your memories for years to come!

Published! :: Ellen & Andy in Chicago Social Brides

Erica — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:10:48 +0000

When I got back from holiday travels last week I had a fun surprise in the mail…a copy of the Spring issue of Chicago Social Brides magazine with Ellen & Andy’s wedding feature! I’ve been waiting for this for a couple months now and was excited to finally see it in person. I photographed this wedding in September 2011 and loved every detail.
I remember talking to the people at the Nature Museum on Ellen & Andy’s wedding day about how beautiful and different they thought the wedding was. Ellen had a unique vision for her decor and with the help of her amazing planner (Shannon Gail) and florist (ZuZu’s Petals) the South Gallery at the Museum looked more beautiful than ever. Its no surprise that CS Brides wanted to feature such a beautiful wedding in their most recent issue!As usual…magazine features don’t give you the full scope of any event, but if you want to see more there is plenty to see on my own blog post!

Big Red Barn Wedding :: Mitch & Amy

Erica — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:25:54 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I flew in to Fort Collins, Colorado to photograph Mitch & Amy’s wedding and one of the best NYE parties I’ve ever been to! For real.
I’ve been working on these photos for the past week and dying to share…I absolutely loved the rustic-chic style of the day, and every detail from the couple and their wedding party to the dress, florals and decor was perfect. I’m not going to waste much time with words in this post because I picked so many images to share…I guess I’ll let them do the talking this time!

Amy showed me a picture of her dress a long time ago, its even better in real life…I *loved* it!Amy’s sweet mom, Penny and her sisters Kelda & Holly helped her get dressed.Amy, you are the most beautiful. Truly, truly!The reception was held at the Big Red Barn in Windsor, which is also where we headed to do pre-ceremony photos of the wedding party. This is one of my favorites of Mitch and Amy…Amy put together this really creative & unique element of their decor…a map of her and Mitch’s 5 year journey leading up to their wedding day, highlighting some of the major stops along the way and surrounded by lots of their original love letters to each other.
The ceremony was held at the Covenant Church in Fort Collins, where Amy grew up attending.I love these night shots…and I couldn’t resist using some sparklers at a NYE wedding.The decor was stunning, and so cohesive (cohesive is my favorite)…Amy’s coordinator and florist did a beautiful job pulling all of the elements together.Time to celebrate!
Congratulations again Mitch & Amy! I love you two, can’t wait to hear what ya think : )

Our Holiday Season…

Erica — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:31:33 +0000

This year Jamie & I spent Christmas in B.C with my family. Isn’t it funny that no matter how long you live away from your family, being there is always being home? I really appreciated that feeling of being home this year, since our lives have been full of so much transition in the past few months. My mom always makes the house really cozy, and cooks us amazing food, and we spend lots of time playing games, walking the dog and just being together. It was such a good week.
My parents! Cooking up a Christmas Day feast…We spent one day in Seattle after Christmas with Alex & Marie! Jamie and I got a short date at Pike’s Place too…so I thought we’d better take the most classic touristy-seattle pic in front of one of the signs. (Excuse the frumpy lady in the picture…she’s pregnant and can’t wear her contacts any more, and her wardrobe consists of only comfy, stretchy things.)
Our last holiday stop was in Colorado where I shot a beautiful NYE wedding! {More to come on that one soon!}
Also my dearest Ashleigh & Jesse, and the Fightmaster family (yes, that is their last name) live in Fort Collins so we got to spend some good quality time with them. Ash & Jesse took us to a friends’ cabin in Estes, and it was warm enough to sit in the sun and play crib. The cherry on top was that Ashleigh and I kicked the boys’ butts so bad that they even cried a little. We can’t help it, we’re just that good.He blends in here.Gotta love a self timer shot! Everyone is laughing because I almost fell when I was running over to get into the shot…typical.
And now, here we are…in Alaska. Beautiful, isn’t it? Winter may have skipped over the rest of the States but its here with a vengeance! At least there’s snow, if its going to be this cold we might as well have snow to make everything pretty.

The best donuts of my life…serious.

Erica — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:51:24 +0000

I do have a weakness for the deep-fried goodness that is a home made donut. I can’t help it. I try to just stay away from donut shops altogether, but this one had been calling my name for a while and I finally tried it out a couple months ago.
I’ve seen the lines at the Donut Vault a lot….they wrap around the corner right near the Kinzie Street Bridge/Merchandise Mart where I have photographed numerous wedding parties and engagement sessions. Finally curiosity got the best of me and I googled the place…only to learn that its probably the best donut shop in Chicago (I know, right? HOW did it take me so long to find this out?!)

The store is even tinier than it looks…more like a hallway than a store. They offer 3 kinds of donuts, I tried all of them and they are all amazing (we shared.) Since it was a nice day and there isn’t any seating inside, we walked over to sit by the river…maybe one of my favorite Chicago moments of all time with my best friend and my husby. Just a little tip though: They make the same amount every day and only stay open until they sell out! Its best to get there early, especially if you’re going on a weekend (and expect a line!).

Sweet baby Rayleigh

Erica — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:34:27 +0000

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!! Jamie and I spent it in BC, lots of family time and amazing food (my mom is the best cook!) and today he is snowboarding at Whistler and I am shopping in Vancouver…it has been a good holiday!

My friends Jordan & Lauren had baby Rayleigh about two months ago, and last time I was home visiting I got to take some photos of her. Sometimes, its still hard to believe that I’m at the point in life where my friends (or myself…) are having babies. When did we grow up??
Rayleigh is the sweetest…I think you’ll agree:I love this one.Not too thrilled about the hat, but I still think this one is adorable.

This year, in pictures.

Erica — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:34:53 +0000