Julie + JD | wedding

When Julie first contacted us, she already had a wedding photographer booked, but then decided she liked us better, so she hired us instead! No pressure, right! We were so flattered that Julie and JD would have us come all the way to Corpus Christi to document their wedding day. It was a wonderful wedding, and we were so blessed to have a great group of people be so welcoming and make us feel like a part of things. I had an incredibly difficult time choosing my favorites to blog, so there are a few more pictures than usual. : )

The girls check out the gift Julie had put together for her mom (the wonderful children's book "Love You Forever" with hand-written notes and pictures of Julie inside):



Getting lots of help putting on the dress (hmm, can you find me in this one?):





Yay! It's so fun to watch a bride see herself all ready for the big moment:



Julie's mom looks pretty pleased as well:



The guys arrive:









Checking out the ring:



Julie signs "I love you" as they hold hands for a few moments without actually seeing each other:



The adorableness level at this wedding was just through the roof!



JD catches sight of Julie coming down the long aisle:







Darek caught this moment from the side during the formal pictures:



I think this may have been my favorite part of the day; we stopped at a mirador (gazebo) on the seawall for some pictures. And as you can see, I had a really hard time choosing my favorites!









Julie said she liked artsy/trendy stuff, so I tried out a texture on this one:





This was on the middle of the dance floor - great idea!



We actually had a rare opportunity to go by the reception site before the wedding - since it was on our way and set up early enough - and we were able to get some great shots of the tables and details all set up and looking perfect:



And I loved the ocean/seashell theme! Even the forks had seashells on them. Neat!



The NorthShore Country Club had a balcony overlooking the dance floor, which was awesome. First dance:













This was our first wedding with starfish in attendance. Loved it!





Father/daughter dance:



What happens when I shoot the toasts from the floor next to the kids (I had a good laugh over this one):



The dance floor stayed lively all night:







JD takes Julie's shoes off for her:





Giving her mom the gift:



After a long day:



Last dance:





I really like the cup flying through the air behind JD's head in this one:



Julie and JD, thanks so much for having us down for your wedding! We truly loved being a part of your wedding day!

Julie + JD | rehearsal dinner

We spent the weekend in Corpus Christi for Julie and JD's wedding and came along for the rehearsal dinner, which was held at Joe's Crab Shack right on the water (yum!). Since we hadn't spent much time with them (and didn't even meet JD until the rehearsal!) we did a quick little mini-portrait session out by the water.







And we couldn't pass up the nifty red elevator on the way back up to dinner:



There were LOTS of kids at this wedding! Here's Julie with her neice:





What happens when you try to get a picture of a bunch of little kids who are much more interested in running around playing?









HA! Those just crack me up. This one's pretty funny too:



The bay at night:



Wedding pictures coming soon!!!

Mary Anne + Waylon | wedding

Mary Anne and Waylon are one of those couples that we really felt like we clicked with; they were the first ones to do a nighttime engagement session (it was their idea) and we had an absolute blast with them! They're both so sweet and thoughtful, they even invited us to the rehearsal dinner just to eat and hang out, and kept telling us we didn't need to take pictures! They got married at the completely adorable Victorian House in Kaufman.

Mary Anne did a great job picking out (and setting up!) the details:













The flower girl was just cute, cute, cute!



Adjusting Mary Anne's dress:



Waylon sent over a note he'd written:



Meanwhile...man, the guys just have it so easy!







I liked this moment when the officiant stepped to the side (I think he was getting a ring) and it was just the 2 of them for a second:



The ring bearer:



Darek got some excellent shots from his "Ninja Spot" (see previous post):









The musicians get a thumbs up!



We stole them for a few minutes for some pictures while the chapel cleared out:





First dance:





Dancing with her dad:



The Victorian House looked great to begin with, but it looked super awesome when all their details were in place!





They had a candy table where guests could fill a bag with candy as a favor:



So of course we had to use it for a ring shot:





Mmmm...white chocolate fondue:







Mary Anne got Waylon with the cake, so he didn't take any chances with the strawberry (he never bit down):



We snuck out for a few minutes for a couple more night portraits! Our favorites!







I'm not real sure how to explain this one:



Waylon tore up the dance floor:





Mary Anne looks a little surprised:



Yay, sparklers!







Mary Anne and Waylon, your wedding was wonderful and we were so blessed to be a part of it!

Ninja Darek

We like to go to the rehearsal whenever we can, to make sure we know what to expect during the ceremony. It also gives us a chance to decide where we're going to shoot from (if we actually have a choice!). Last weekend's wedding was at the Victorian House, which is super adorable but wasn't exactly designed with photographers in mind.

But we found a good, unobtrusive spot for Darek (Mary Anne & Waylon called it his Ninja Spot):



Mary Anne gives the thumbs up:



Good job, Ninja Darek!

Laurie + Clif | wedding

We made our first trip to the very cute little town of Salado for Laurie and Clif's wedding. The ceremony at the Weatherstone Log Cabins took place beneath two huge beautiful oak trees that had grown together - very cool! Everybody was so nice and welcoming, we really enjoyed the weekend!

Laurie's veil:



And a close-up of the dress:








Laurie's mom puts the veil on:



And then Clif's boutonnière:



And makes sure hats are on straight:



Seeing Clif for the first time that day:



Laurie and Clif had an extremely sweet meeting before the pictures started:





The ceremony decorations were fabulously done:



Clif watches Laurie come down the aisle:





The flower girl is apparently a pretty good photographer herself, so she took pictures during the ceremony - I'd love to see those!



The parents had a pretty good vantage point (you can see the dress in the lower left hand corner for perspective:







A few more pictures before the reception:



Darek got this cute shot of Laurie realizing her veil was a little windblown:





Walking to the barn where the reception was:



They did a really great job with all the details and decorations at the reception:







The rings:





The competition from the other photographers was fierce:



They had quite the eye for details:









The bouquet had a long way to go:







Laurie and Clif - congratulations, and thanks for having us out to Salado!

Laurie + Clif | rehearsal & dinner

We spent the July 4th weekend with Laurie and Clif at their Salado wedding. Friday night we came along for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner and got some fun shots along the way:

They had these nifty fans to help guests keep cool:





Practicing the walk:



Dinner was at a yummy sushi/hibachi place in Belton:



Even if you don't like sushi, you have to admit it looks pretty darn cool:



At the hibachi table:



Clif's mom looks pretty happy with her gift:



Laurie's dad gave a great toast with some very funny moments:



And then we saw some fireworks!





Check back in the next couple of days for the wedding pictures!

Kristen + Michael | Wedding

We had a fabulous wedding last weekend. Kristen and Michael are such a sweet couple and always took the time to communicate with us to make sure we knew what was going on. During the day Michael even took the time to tell both Darek and me thanks, and that we were doing a great job; which I thought was really nice! They got married at First United Methodist Church in downtown Dallas.





Kristen had such a cool idea - each of the bridesmaids had a different bouquet:



And each of the groomsmen had a corresponding boutonniere:







The girls had a prayer before the ceremony:



The church had an awesome window:









I always like to look through Darek's pictures at the end of the day...I just never know what he gets with the guys:




Michael seemed pretty relaxed right before the ceremony started:


I love this series:







I don't normally post many "formals," but I thought this one was extra fun:



The entire wedding party walked a few blocks from the church to the reception site:





We got a few quick portraits right before the reception kicked off at the Belo Mansion:





I thought these apples were pretty cool (you'll see them again later) and of course the cake was pretty cool too:





First dance:





The groom and his mom:







Kristen's bouquet was gorgeous:



Remember those apples?



All the centerpieces were different too:









Kristen and Michael, we're so glad you chose us to document the day! Congratulations!

Road trip!

I spent most of the last 2 weeks of June on a road trip with an old friend, visiting her friends in St. Louis & Chicago and my sister in Wisconsin. I wasn't really planning on taking over 1,000 photos, but, you know...that's how it goes. : ) So I thought I would share a few here with you.

The visual highlight of the trip was a day in Chicago.



The view from the top of the Sears Tower:



I love the buildings in Chicago, especially the older ones. So much character.





Millennium Park is very cool.







We went down to Navy Pier and rode the big ferris wheel:







We saw the Lipizzans perform in Northern Illinois, something I've always wanted to do. I didn't get any really great pictures but I thought this one was funny. Looks like he's flying into the audience.



We also went to a nature preserve.



We went to see my sister and her baby in Wisconsin:







We went to the museum at the EAA (the experimental aircraft place where her husband works).





In St. Louis we checked out the zoo:









And the Botanic Gardens:





The Botanic Gardens also featured art:



And Henry Shaw's house:



We also went to the Basilica in St. Louis:





And here are a few shots from the road (out the passenger's side of course...I don't shoot while driving) (much).







Fun times! I'll take a road trip over flying any day.