Art, décor, family and photography- it's all part of me!
Josh and Hannah had the most beautiful autumn wedding at Spirit Ranch. I could not get enough of the rich plum and bright orange colors and how they complimented Hannah's lace dress. These two are high school sweethearts, and so it was extra special to photograph it with my high school sweetheart. :)
As always, I love shooting at Spirit Ranch and Market Street killed it with the florals! Congrats Josh and Hannah!
I had anticipated this wedding for a long time, since Sarah booked me almost a year in advance. I knew that A) Sarah was quite the organized bride, and B) this would be a fun wedding since she'd already told me about their milk + cookies favors. Yum! I had a great time with these two at their engagement session in the fall and was so blessed by them on their wedding day. I couldn't get over the gorgeous plum color of the bridesmaids' dresses and how everything coordinated so smoothly. The Merket Alumni Center was the perfect venue for their big day.
Wedding Gown: Brides of Amarillo
Tuxedos: Men's Wearhouse
Florist: The Market Plaza Flowers
Cake: Mylinda Wood
Catering: Top Tier Catering
Venue: Merket Alumni Center
Hair: Angie Lewellyn of The Tobacco Leaf
Photobooth: Four Frames Photobooths
This was a first! The bridesmaid on the far left works for the Ringling Brothers Circus and provided all the ladies with a clown nose. Awesome!
When you get married at the Merket Alumni Center or the Frazier Alumni Pavilion, you get a brick in the courtyard with your names and wedding date on it. Stephen and Sarah came up with this sign that read "Forever Set".
I asked Sarah what the most memorable moment about her day was and this was her response:
"The entire day was amazing so it's hard to choose just a moment. The ceremony was amazing and nothing beat finally seeing Stephen at the ceremony. We were both so nervous so it was fun when my Pastor lightened things up - after all I think everyone witnessed and remembered Stephen saying 'and I'll do anything she says'."
I hardly ever post family portraits, but this is exactly the type of image that I love to capture for families. Pretty light, outside, everyone is relaxed- not in some dark sanctuary where all you see is carpet. :)
Sarah created these custom made milk cartons, which they stuffed with Oreos. Yum!
Four Frames Photobooths were there and there was a constant buzz around the booth. Everyone loved it!
Stephen surprised Sarah by pulling out a GIANT pair of pink leopard undies instead of a garter. It was hilarious.
I can't remember his first name- maybe Troy? I hadn't worked with him before, but this DJ was super great- kept everyone entertained and the music pumping.
Sarah's advice for future brides:
"Enjoy every moment. We had a long engagment which gave us time to enjoy it and add some fun details. We had so much fun designing our save the dates, invitations and creating all the details. Last advice would be to recruit lots of help for the wedding day. We had so many amazing friends and family members that came to help set up which allowed my bridal party, parents and I to really enjoy the morning and hours leading up to the wedding."
Congrats you guys!
Jeremy and Haylee were married at Moonwater Weddings in Amarillo. I'd never been to this venue before, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! It was decorated beautifully by the owner, Marci, and her staff- you could see Haylee's style and personality mixed into the decor everywhere- and everything was right there- which made the day run so smoothly. I had such a great time with Jeremy and Haylee- they were both so kind and patient and easygoing. You could tell they were truly enjoying their big day. Here are some of my favorite images- along with Haylee's commentary looking back!
Venue: Moonwater Weddings
Dress: Maggie Sottero
Hair: Katrina Renteria
Makeup: Charisa Bryant with Mary Kay
Cake: The Cake Company (Canyon, TX)
Florist: Budding Art by Kerry
DJ: All About Music
Haylee's reflections on their first look:
"I would most definitely recommend it! It was such a special moment for us. It helped to ease the anxiety of the day. On such a huge day, no one can ease your mind like your best friend and the first look gave us this chance."
Every one of my wedding packages includes two shooters- and this is why! You can see Shanna's shot on the left, and mine on the right.
...and these are both Shanna's images. She makes me so jealous sometimes, haha!
Haylee's daughter Lexi and niece Brooklyn were the perfect flower girls.
Ceremony time!
They both chose Haylee's walk down the aisle as their most memorable moment.
Haylee: "Walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Jeremy about to tear up as I was walking down. It was so awesome to have all the people that we love the most sharing in that special moment with us. Also, when Lexi ran up to us as we walked back down the aisle, she was crying. It was so special for us to hug as a family for the first time. It was awesome to see the emotion she felt starting this new chapter in our lives."
Jeremy: "The most memorable moment on our wedding day was hearing the song "Marry Me" by Train and watching Haylee walk down the aisle. I was doubting whether or not I was going to tear up earlier that day, but as soon as that one song started I knew Haylee was going to be coming down the aisle to marry me and I almost lost it!"
Sweet Lexi cried the whole time...
Jeremy and Haylee let me take them out at sunset for a few more portraits-
This car was passed down from Jeremy's Dad to him.
Money dance!
Jeremy and Haylee spent their honeymoon in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and said it was awesome. Haylee also said that her biggest piece of advice to future brides is to "get everything you can done before the wedding day so you can be as stress free as possible! And don't be afraid to delegate, people want to help and you want to be able to enjoy the day! Oh yeah, shop on etsy! I found so many awesome things for the wedding that I wouldn't have found anywhere else."
Everything about this wedding- from planning, to shooting, to processing- has been a total pleasure. Jeff + Becca are two incredible people who have some fantastic style and a lot of fun, too! I shot their wedding on July 3rd at Becca's parents home in Sherman, Texas. It was a day filled with lots of love and purpose...but instead of telling you about it, I will let the bride!
(I gave her a mini-interview post-wedding, and so I'll be including her thoughts here in their blog post, along with some helpful links to all the cool stuff she used- for the brides-to-be! Note: The interview idea if not mine originally- some of my favorite photogs- Bobbi + Mike- do this. I've always thought it was so insightful and helpful that I'd give it a try!)
So, here is Becca's perfect description of their day:
A week or so before the wedding, my mom started worrying about the weather (understandable, an outdoor wedding with no indoor alternative with 400 guests expected), but felt the Lord give her a message, that she needed to wait and He would "delight" her. That obviously gave her a huge peace, and we moved forward with preparations.
The night before the wedding, a big rain rolled through, soaking the ground. It rained for most of the night, and my mom came and woke me up early on the morning of the wedding, saying we needed to talk. I went downstairs and out onto the porch where she and my dad were sitting, drinking coffee, and watching the rain. They told me the forecast called for more rain throughout the day. As a family, we decided that the Lord does not break his promises, so we had to move forward in faithfulness, or we would be missing out on something spectacular.
About ten minutes before the ceremony started, a huge, dark cloud ominously filled the sky. Mom said she stood at the window and watched it grow until it consumed the entire skyline...and then the Wind blew. The cloud literally split. Thanks to a meteorologist friend, we have a copy of the radar just minutes before the start of the ceremony, and in a huge raincloud that stretched miles to the north, south, east, and west, there is a small hole in it--about five square miles, right smack in the middle of which was our wedding.
Now, if our wedding had been rained out, nothing would have been ruined, the day would have still been wonderful. Rain makes no difference. But the fulfillment of God's promises makes all the difference.
It really was such a peaceful, perfect little weather bubble right over the ceremony. Little did I know at the time that it was literally evidence of God's presence there with us!
Here are my favorites from the day...there are more, but these are the ones I could fit into a blog post!
Wedding gown, bridesmaids' dresses and suits were all J.Crew, except the fabric flowers on the bridesmaids' dresses, which Becca made herself. Veil by Fascinating Creations.
Becca wore Jeff's late grandmother's necklace on her wrist as a bracelet.
I asked Becca what their favorite purchase was and she said:
We had our groomsmen buy slacks and a dress shirt, then we gave them the tie and tie bar. We had our ushers wear clothes they already had, and Jeff bought his suit--so they got to keep everything they paid for, instead of spending $100+ on a tux they only got to keep for a day or two!
Jeff being totally GQ-
Jeff + Becca knew they would do a First Look before I even asked about it- here's what they had to say:
It was intimate, comfortable, and made the rest of the evening stress-free. We didn't have to worry about trying to avoid each other for the rest of the pre-wedding evening, and we got to take all of our portraits while we looked our best. It also helped us max out our time at the reception, because we were basically able to go straight from the ceremony to the party!
My favorite!
It was at this moment that Becca revealed Jeff's ring to him. She knew he had wanted something engraved on it- but this was totally amazing! Inside his ring is the engraving of her fingerprint! Here's where she got it. SO COOL.
This flower girl was adorable. You have to hear this story from Becca:
When I gave our flower girl her little "thank you" bag, she immediately put on the bracelets, makeup, and hugely-flowered headband, and, looking herself over, commented quietly, "I am so, really pretty." Now that's how little girls should always feel!!
Couldn't get over the ceremony details. The sign-in desk was Becca's great-grandmothers, and they borrowed the antique doors from the landscaper who did all of the landscaping on the property.
I MUST give some serious props to my friend Stancy Higley of Stancy Higley Photographie, who not only was a bridesmaid, but shot some gorgeous images for their Engagement and Becca's Bridal Session. (You can see an image on the program).
Yes, those are twin boys, with curly blonde hair, in seersucker suits. I thought this only existed in the movies, haha! They were precious.
Jeff + Becca found themselves in Alaska a few days later- and said the Taku Lodge is not to be missed!
Here are a few more questions:
Q. If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
A. We didn't take the time to walk through the entire tent during the reception, so we didn't see a lot of the beautiful decor or food, which was a bummer. (It's OK- I have plenty of pictures!)
Q. Any advice for future brides/grooms?
A. If you're on a budget, use your friends' talents. For example, our flowers were done by a friend, and we couldn't have afforded anything like them if we'd gone though a "professional" florist. Also, be as organized as possible and delegate EVERYTHING, literally. If you need to tell someone to be quiet, ask someone else to do it. Don't be the bearer of any bad news. Everyone wants to serve you on your special day, so let them! Try to plan for every situation, but when it comes down to it...just let it go. Make the most of it, have fun, and be all lovey dovey!! And hire LISSA ANGLIN!!!
Promise I didn't add that last sentence in!
Thank you, Jeff and Rebecca, for letting me document your day! It was such an honor!
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Kuhrt and Lindsey were married on a gorgeous day at the Fulford Barn in Brownfield, Texas. When Lindsey was deciding on a venue for her wedding, I was praying and not-so-subtly suggesting that she select an outdoor location. I LOVE outdoor weddings, and they always make for beautiful photographs...so I'm a little partial. :) Sure enough, it was beautiful- I heard so many people say it didn't feel like West Texas!
Besides being my friends, these two were a fantastic bride and groom. Easygoing, excited to finally be married, and ready to enjoy the company of their friends and families on their big day. They are really perfect for each other.
Without further ado, some pictures! Lindsey has been very patient with me, so I have quite a few to show!
The details were so much fun- lots of color, buttons, and sentiment.
Lindsey, you're so pretty! I loved the braid in her hair.
The band recently bought a new bus, so it was quite a convenient place for the guys to chill out before the ceremony.
While we were shooting the above image, we got some visitors along the road...
We joked that Kuhrt moved to "lead singer" position since he was the groom and all... :)
Kuhrt + Lindsey chose to do a first look. It was such a special moment- they were both sooo excited! One of the many things I love about seeing each other before the ceremony is that you actually get TWO "first looks". Both come with their own set of anticipation and emotion- and I love getting to capture both of those moments!
Their shoes were very good representations of their personalities! Lindsey had a friend handpaint her TOMs.
I had to throw a little Asian influence in their portraits since Lindsey and I have traveled there twice together!
Miss Cayla was LOVING her flower girl outfit.
Brogan was a precious little ring bearer.
This was their guestbook. Each guest write them a note and hung it on the tree.
Don't you love the paper flowers on her cake? I got to help with that little project and it was so much fun!
Isn't the colored confetti so much fun?
Congrats you guys! I am so blessed to call you friends and family in Christ!