Erika Rene Photography- St. Louis Wedding and Senior Portrait Photographer

07/16/2026

I cannot wait to photograph a wedding at Romaine Valley. It is not only one of the most beautiful venues in St. Louis, but one whose owners share the values that matter most to both my couples and me: a love for the Lord Jesus Christ and a deep reverence for the covenant of marriage.

Every time I leave my house with cameras in hand to photograph a wedding day, my goal is simple: to outdo myself in love, service, and creativity.

I want every couple I serve to feel deeply cared for, celebrated, and seen. I want my brides to feel more beautiful than they ever imagined and my couples to know they can be fully present, trusting that every meaningful moment is being preserved with intention and care.

And beyond simply documenting a wedding day, I want to create art from the memories of it. I want your portraits to feel timeless and editorial, as though they belong in the pages of a magazine, while your candid images bring you right back to the emotions of the moment itself.

Years from now, my hope is that opening your wedding album won’t simply remind you what your day looked like, but what it felt like to live it.

Venue:  
Coordinator: Catherine | STL Day of Coordinator 
Florist:   
Gowns: Bridal Parlour 
Glam: THE BEAUTY COLLECTIVE
Getting ready outfit: Missouri Gown Preservation
Couple Model:
Solo Model: Hannah Stewart
Tablescape: Weinhardt Party Rentals Styled & Staged
Cake: 314 cakes | stl trendy celebration & wedding cakes🍰  
Painter: Elysia King

07/15/2026

Almost a year later and I’m still reliving these memories like they JUST happened!

Rick and Hannah. These photographs feel like them. The smiles and tears during the ceremony, the way they looked at each other when they thought no one was watching, the joy that absolutely exploded onto the dance floor later in the evening. Nothing felt forced or performative. Just two people delighting in each other and in the people who love them most.

Rick and Hannah’s day at Laurel Hall was elegant, joyful, and deeply personal from beginning to end. And maybe my favorite part of all was watching how many people showed up not just to witness their marriage, but to celebrate it with their whole hearts.

Because a wedding day is beautiful.

But a covenant is holy.

Long after the flowers fade and the dance floor empties, what remains is the promise they made before God and the people who love them most. And being the one entrusted to capture a day like that is a privilege I will always thank and praise the Lord for and one I will never take lightly or for granted.

Venue: Laurel Hall
Planner: Indiana Wedding Planner | Hannah
Photographer: Christian wedding photographer in St. Louis
Second photographer: Kaylan Minson from East Coast Wedding Photographer | Light & Airy | Husband & Wife
Florist: George Thomas Florist
Rentals and Decor: Vickie Swanson
Cake: Kim‘s Kakery & Catering
Hair:
Makeup: Indy Renee MUA
Dress: Marie Gabriel Couture
Limo: (Jake gambs)
DJ:qitup

07/09/2026

Oh Details, how I love thee! Let me count the ways!

Creative Partners
Host: Styled Shoots Across America | Heather Benge
Planning: Heather Benge &
Venue: Melrose Abbey
Florist: Kansas City Wedding Florist // Romantic + Timeless
Linens: Nuage Designs
Rentals: Kansas City Event Rentals & Design
Hair & Makeup: Destination Bridal Hair and Makeup Artist Team
Stationery: amber - wedding stationery
Signage: Kansas City Wedding Branding, Paper & Signage
Cake: Cake House Design Bakery
Gown Salon: Savvy Bridal
Jewelry: Lindsay - Owner, Designer
Shoes: Kate Whitcomb Shoes
Specialty Cocktails: KC Cocktail Company
Ice Cream Cart: KC Scoop Coupe
Styling Mats: Hand Painted & Textile Styling Mats for Flat Lays
Ring Boxes: Lovely Ring Boxes

07/08/2026

Part 1 of this amazing St. Louis Central Library session with Anastasia and Gabe is on the blog today and part 2 is going up soon, so I thought their session should have a permanent place on the grid!

We could not have had more fun if we tried! Just look at them and how they delight in each other! These are the moments I live for!

https://erikarenephotography.com/central-library-engagement-photos-st-louis/

07/07/2026

https://erikarenephotography.com/st-louis-bridal-session-forest-park

Discover why every bride should schedule a St. Louis bridal session before the wedding day. London's Forest Park bridal portraits take place at the Jewel Box, The Pagoda, and The Muny.

07/07/2026

The best wedding days never feel rushed.
They feel peaceful.
They feel intentional.
They feel like this.

Planning a wedding at The English Barn? I’d love to help you preserve every beautiful, joy-filled moment of your day!

Host: Styled Shoots Across America | Heather Benge
Planning: Heather Benge & 
Venue: The English Barn at Lily Creek
Florist: EverWild Florals
Linens: Nuage Designs
Rentals: Kansas City Event Rentals & Design
Hair & Makeup: Destination Bridal Hair and Makeup Artist Team
Stationery: amber - wedding stationery
Photographer: Christian wedding photographer in St. Louis
Signage: Kansas City Wedding Branding, Paper & Signage
Cake: Cake House Design Bakery
Gown Salon: Savvy Bridal
Jewelry: Lindsay - Owner, Designer
Shoes: Loeffler Randall
Styling Mats: Hand Painted & Textile Styling Mats for Flat Lays
Ring Boxes: Lovely Ring Boxes
Classic Car: Pech Limo KC
Models: Lauren Cox Nick Cox

07/04/2026

Can we just talk about this mother of the bride for a second?!

I already loved Rick and Hannah. It should’ve come as no surprise that I’d also fall in love with the people who have loved them the longest.

Hannah’s mom is one of those people you never forget.

She brought so much joy to every moment of the day. She made everyone laugh, celebrated every little moment with her whole heart, and somehow made it impossible not to love her. The second I met her, I saw where Hannah’s big, beautiful smile comes from as well as where her big, beautiful heart comes from.

One of my favorite moments was watching her first look with Hannah’s dad. And one of my favorite photographs from the day wasn’t even of the bride and groom
(Although of course MANY of my favorite photos from the day WERE of Rick and Hannah!) It was the portrait Hannah’s mom organized on the back steps of Laurel Hall, bringing together the incredible women who had a hand in raising Hannah.

I love that photograph because it tells such a beautiful truth.

None of us become who we are on our own.

Every wedding day is filled with people whose love, encouragement, prayers, sacrifices, and quiet faithfulness helped shape the bride and groom long before they ever found each other.

After spending the day with Rick and Hannah’s families, their kindness made perfect sense.

Beautiful people are so often raised by beautiful people.

Being an Indiana wedding photographer means I get to preserve more than a wedding day. I get to preserve a family’s legacy of love.

Photographing this Laurel Hall wedding was an incredible honor, and telling stories like this is one of the greatest privileges of what I do.

I am not kidding when I say your wedding day is truly one of the best days of my life!! It’s a joy and a privilege I will never take for granted!

Venue: Laurel Hall
Planner: Indiana Wedding Planner | Hannah
Photographer: Christian wedding photographer in St. Louis
Florist: George Thomas Florist
Rentals and Decor: Vickie Swanson
Cake: Kim‘s Kakery & Catering
Hair:
Makeup: Indy Renee MUA
Dress: Marie Gabriel Couture
Limo: (Jake gambs)
DJ: Billy Quesenberry
Ice cream: Handel's Ice Cream 🍒

07/03/2026

Just posted Olivia and Brett’s Missouri Botanical Garden Engagement session on the blog today, so thought it would be the perfect time to post some of it on here as well!

Here’s the link if you’d like to see more:

https://erikarenephotography.com/missouri-botanical-garden-tower-grove-park-engagement-session-st-louis-wedding-photographer/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAS00c5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEehrcSRs0L4TRr15R6HYtLPT16A0akwzk_xXt28eagntwYlNKOvHLzYm5dIQ4_aem_faH_xEWELffT-KcAxlgu6A

07/02/2026

True luxury isn’t found in the flowers, the venue, or the dress.

It’s found in the freedom to be completely present.

To forget about the camera.

To delight in the person you’re marrying.

To laugh with your family.

To hold your grandparents a little longer.

To sing every word at the reception.

To let the day unfold without feeling like you have to document it yourself.

John and London did exactly that.

They embraced every moment, never once appearing distracted by the details or consumed by the schedule. They simply enjoyed being surrounded by the people they love while beginning the rest of their lives together.

Those are the weddings that never go out of style.

And those are always my favorites.

The elegance of the Missouri Athletic Club was the perfect setting. But the greatest beauty of the day was watching two people who never stopped delighting in each other.

Venue: Missouri Athletic Club
Hair and makeup: St. Louis Makeup & Hair Ashley Albers
Dress: Boulevard Bride | Bridal Boutique
Florals: Bloomin’ Buckets
Photographer: Christian wedding photographer in St. Louis
Videographer: Lumière Wedding Films
Coordinator: Courtney Everding
Bride: London Crane
Groom: John Crane

07/02/2026

Extraordinary venues deserve extraordinary documentation.

Before the music begins.

Before the chairs are filled.

Before the dance floor comes alive.

There is a quiet kind of beauty that exists only for a moment.

The Ivy Rose Barn in Rocky Mount Virginia offers no shortage of it.

If you’re planning your wedding here, I’d be honored to preserve every intentional detail and every meaningful moment exactly as they deserve to be remembered.

Keywords: Ivy Rose Barn Wedding | Virginia Wedding Photographer | Virginia wedding photography | Luxury wedding photographer in Virginia | East Coast Wedding photographer | Virginia weddings | Virginia wedding venues

Host: Styled Shoots Across America | Heather Benge
Planning: Heather Benge
Assistant Planners: , Ash Events ® | Destination Event Planner, Forever Moments | Northern Virginia Wedding Planner
Venue: The Ivy Rose Barn ®️™️
Hair: .lorson
Makeup: 𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐔𝐏 & 𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐂 | DMV
Florals: Sarah Campbell - Luxury Floral Teacher, Heather l Wedding Florist | Houston TX with support by VA Bridal Boutique | DMV Floral Services & More! Blossom & Bliss, Intrigue Teaches - Floral Education
Plants: Townside Gardens
Stationery: Victoria Perez
Cake: Blush Baking Co.
Rentals: The Heirloom Collection
Linens: Nuage Designs
Wedding Gown: Eleanor’s Bridal Wedding Dresses
Menswear: Friar Tux
Bridal Accessories: Lindsay - Owner, Designer
Styling Mats: theflatlaystyler
Models: DIRECTIONS USA MODELS, , Michael