I really have no words to express what a joy it was to photograph Laura & Scott’s wedding at Laura’s grandparent’s house in Blooming Grove.  Laura happens to be the sister of a dear friend of mine, but but over the past few years, even having only spend a little bit of time with Laura and Scott, they now feel like dear friends too!  I’m pretty sure that’s not an uncommon feeling, since they both love everyone they meet with complete sincerity.

I very much enjoyed photographing all the lovely details with the “enchanted garden” theme in mind.

The girls got ready at Laura’s parent’s house just down the road from where the ceremony would be held and the whole thing just felt like a family reunion, including their sweet puppy, Gracie.

The pouring rain cleared up just in time for some photos outside!

The men looked so dapper, but we had a good time with the country roads and stormy skies.

I’m proud to say that I did not take the gorgeously lit photo of the welcome sign.  My newest second shooter and fiance, Brad, did a fantastic job.

As she walked down the aisle, Laura received flowers from different women who have poured into her life. I love the symbolism!

In fact, pretty much everything they did had beautiful symbolism and showed their sweet love for each other and the Lord.

Most beautiful reception site I’ve ever seen!

Congratulations, Scott and Laura!  I love y’all!

Sometimes I have to stop and just marvel at how quickly time flies.  Through a dear mutual friend, I’ve know Lindsey since we were five.  As happens though, we lost touch for the most part until Lindsey contacted me about shooting her wedding.  I didn’t meet Paul until the day of the wedding, but the way he and Lindsey look at each other completely convinced me that they are going to have such a solid, loving marriage.

Lindsey put so much work into making their wedding unique, and made everything- from the flowers to the bridesmaid dresses, I was super impressed with her crafty talents.

Bridesmaid gifts? Necklaces Lindsey made out of earrings she found and loved.

Lindsey’s brother, Ivan, was technically a “bridesdude,” so he got to be in both photos.  P.S. Lindsey made her veil, too!

The St. Catherine of Siena Catholic church is a gorgeous place to take photos.

Since (almost) every member of the wedding party is a proud Aggie, they had to show a little school spirit.

Lindsey isn’t the only talented one in the family- both Paul and her brother Ivan made their own wedding rings!

Tip to brides and grooms: taking even 10 minutes away from the reception is a great way to get a few more awesome photos together and a nice moment just to be with each other and be happy about being married!

Such happy bubble photos!  Congratulations, Lindsey and Paul!

I am SO beyond excited to post photos of Martin & Rachel’s stunning Mercury Hall wedding.  While I didn’t get to know them super well, as they live in New York, I think that their quirky-but-classy, laid-back wedding fit them perfectly.  And I love that they met at Southwestern, my alma mater!

Rachel’s sweet mom is a florist and has great taste, meaning I about died from the gorgeousness of the flowers created by Pollen.

Such a sweet and simple first look.  No fuss, just excitement to see each other!

Seeing so many weddings, it’s easy to get jaded with normal wedding routines, so seeing Rachel and Martin just do whatever made them happy was really refreshing.

Thanks to my wonderful second shooter, Becca for capturing the way that the old oak trees covered the ceremony with a perfect canopy.

So much more than pretty details, beautiful relationships at weddings steal my heart, but this wedding had both in overflowing quantities.  The coordinators at Your Wedding, Your Way, the vintage rental company Loot, and Pollen (not to mention Rachel & Martin’s talent for finding awesome Etsy vendors) worked together to create one of the most unique and perfect receptions I’ve ever seen.

Not going to lie, I ran around like a crazy person photographing the lovely dinner set up during the cocktail hour.  Especially the succulent boxes made by the mother of the bride, a few of which I now treasure

After a delicious dinner of Guero’s, some guest moved inside to dance, but I loved that lots of people just enjoyed the beautiful Texas spring evening.

I genuinely think that all weddings are beautiful, because each one represents a declaration of love and commitment.  But every once in a while, a wedding comes along that just makes me jump up and down with excitement.  Kenny and Corey’s happened to be one of those.  Their obvious joy and carefree attitude, along with SUPER FUN bright fiesta colors everywhere, seriously made my job a blast. 

I never get tired of shooting at The Villa on Lake Georgetown.  The light and backdrops are the stuff of photographer’s dreams.

I kept finding unexpected and delightful splashes of color everywhere.  Needless to say, I took way too many photos.

As a surprise, Corey sewed a heart with their initials and date into Kenny’s tie, greatly impressing all the guys.  It’s such a great idea, I might have to steal it.  But I guess it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise now since Brad is my biggest fan and reads all my blogs

Just try and look at these photos without smiling.  Everyone shared in Corey and Kenny’s joy, including their sweet puppy dog!

Can I have this wall and take it home with me, please?

I don’t usually post theese, but they’re so cute!

The whole reception was a labor of love by the people closest to them.

I’m drooling just thinking about Dos Salsa’s catering….so yummy.

Cream cheese frosting.  That’s pretty much all I need to say about the baked goods by the folks at Upper Crust Bakery.

Corey & Kenny exited in a zealous shower of sprinkles, one of the more creative exits I’ve seen.  Upside to sprinkles, if some get in your mouth, it tastes yummy!

Isn’t it crazy how time flies?  Being relatively young, I’m constantly amazed at how quickly our lives change; nothing puts that into perspective like a wedding.  Four and a half years ago, I welcomed a big group of nervous and excited freshman girls into the residence hall where I was an RA.  Now one of those girls is married and I had the honor of documenting her as she became a wife!  In my years at SU and living in Georgetown, I would see both Chris and Ellen reaching out in different ways to be a part of solid communities and to be positive role models to others, from Bible studies, to church young adults groups, to Young Life.  Knowing how wonderful they are individually, I’m just so happy to see how much joy they bring each other when together.

We started off the day at St. John’s, the church where Chris pastors the youth.  I love me some stained glass windows!

I love how unique Ellen’s ring is, and the little pop of blue that the sapphires add!  Also, succulents make for awesome photos.

No bridezilla here, just a sweet, laid back girl waiting to get married.  Works for me!

Funny story: Ellen’s sister is also named Shelley, and apparently we have a lot in common, so that was fun!  Having two Shelleys around did cause a little bit of confusion though, that never happens!  Shelly (Ellen’s sister, not writing in third person there) got married two years ago and as little tribute, Ellen wore her veil, along with several other sentimental borrowed items.

Beautiful ladies!

And seriously, Ellen.  Wow.  You’re beautiful!  Many thanks to Willow and Vine Event Design who did all the flowers for the wedding!  It’s amazing what a difference gorgeous florals make in the feel of a wedding.

And now for the guys!  This was fun because I already knew a couple of the guys, and one groomsmen will get his turn as the groom in front of my camera this summer

Chris gave his groomsmen monogrammed pocket watches as gifts…so classy!

Ellen & Chris decided not to do a first look, but exchanged beautiful, thoughtful, and personal gifts that perfectly represent the deep care and honor they show each other.  Then they spoke on the phone for a few minutes just before walking down the aisle to become husband and wife!  My freaking awesome second shooter Carlos spent a few minutes with Chris while I was with Ellen before we both snuck out to give the bride and groom at least a couple of minutes of privacy.

At this point in time, I’d like to give a shout out to Angel and Lauren of Your Very Own Fairy Godmother wedding planners.  They rock.  Everything went so smoothly because they were always on the ball!  They even organized family photo groups for me.  Such a stress reliever having them there!

YAY!!!  Married!

Though I’ve shot a lot of weddings by myself, the absolute best thing about having a second shooter is getting shots like this.  While I was making sure that I was all ready to go with the bride and groom, Carlos got this amazing photo of Ellen & Chris’ get away car.  With the old house and classic car, it feels like we went back in time.

We then headed to Cimarron Hills for the reception, a venue that never fails to be gorgeous.

Mmmmm happy bride and groom, golden sunlight, classic car.  The photographer is in a good mood!

To everyone who made this reception happen: major props.  Cimarron doesn’t need much help looking great, but wow.  Just wow.  Up lighting by Intelligent Lighting Design?  Now I’m just dying of happiness.

Loving the blue ombre centerpiece!

Cakes by Kathy made the lovely desserts!

I loved Ellen’s dad’s toast, including the story of how God so ironically answered a very specific prayer for a godly man in Ellen’s life.

During dinner, the light only got prettier.

Everyone had a good time dancing, thanks to the awesome djs from Texas Pro DJ and a fun surprise swing dance lesson for the guests from Arthur Murray Dance Studio.

Congratulations, Ellen & Chris!  May God bless your marriage!

A few more people to thank for making this beautiful day happen:

Hair & Makeup: Posh Salon

Rentals: Premiere

Linens: Unique Events and Design

Classic Car: Transportation Consultants

Photobooth: Say Cheese Photobooths

Valet: Uptown Valet

One of my goals as a photographer is to improve with each wedding because I know that each wedding I can learn from my mistake.  Inevitably each wedding poses some challenge, whether it be tough lighting, technical difficulties, or a shortened timeline. But every once in a while, a wedding comes along where everything I’ve learned falls into place and it all works out perfectly!  This was one of those weddings…a gorgeous happy couple, a super fun bridal party, perfect light, amazing vendors, and an awesome party!  Jordan and Randy are the kind of people who make me love my job even more than I already do.

Linda of Breathtaking Blooms set the stage for the wedding with gorgeous pink and white flowers everywhere, making Reunion Ranch the perfect vintage country wedding venue.

Jordan’s gorgeous dress, which she trusted us to bring outside, was the epitome of a princess dress and actually comes from Alfred Angelo’s Disney line of dresses!  I’m a sucker for a good fairy tale love story

Maybe I should send this to Alfred Angelo for advertising.  The prettiness is almost too much for me to handle.

My friends Haylee and Macy (so grateful that their family recommended me to Jordan!) made the sweetest junior bridesmaids!

Nice rustic burlap details showed up all day!

Good-ness, Jordan!  SO beautiful!

I’ve got to give a little love to the guys, too.  They were looking pretty schnazzy, and I even got Zack, one of the ring bearers to show them how to be rock stars!

Before the ceremony, Jordan, her bridesmaids, and her wonderful mom took some time to pray for the wedding and more importantly, Randy and Jordan’s future together.  Their prayers reminded me how special it is to begin a marriage with the surety and solid foundation of a relationship with God, and the joy that He takes in displaying His love through marriages.

The ceremony archway was decorated beautifully with flowers and lace.

Light!!! Pretty, pretty light!  And such happiness to go along with the pretty light!  The post ceremony moments are some of my favorite because I get the couple away from the hubbub for a few minutes and they can be all excited about being married!

Party time!  Reunion Ranch is perfectly suited for vintage, country chic receptions!  I love the heirloom tables that are becoming popular because family histories are so special in celebrating the foundation of each person entering to a marriage.

Tree trunk centerpieces.  Need I say more?

Simple white cakes and more tree trunks!

One of my favorite things about Reunion Ranch is that they have someone work a spotlight during important moments.  Hello, backlighting!  Jordan’s dad’s toast ranks among the best toast/welcoming speech I’ve ever heard, since he included a story and photos of the first time that Jordan brought Randy home to meet her parents.  Her mom and dad dressed up in old-fashioned, super conservative clothes and interrogated him.  He passed the test, and it’s a pretty awesome story now!  To make it even better, Jordan’s parents dressed up in other over-the-top outfits and then had the guests vote on which photo was the real one.  I just about died laughing (quietly, of course, gotta keep up the professional appearance).

Ok, so I have too many favorite moments in weddings.  But this was so awesome!  During dinner, the groomsmen rushed over and grabbed me to get a spontaneous shot of the bridal party posed as the last supper.  Thanks to someone’s smartphone, they pulled up the painting and figured out each person’s pose.

Many thanks to my friend and fellow photographer, Becca for helping me and getting these great shots from the balcony!

I love a good toast.  It’s easy to be too cheesy, too short, too long, too personal, too impersonal, but the bride’s brother and the best man seriously nailed it.  Funny, heartwarming, inspiring and a little emotional.  If you need tips, ask these guys!

Congratulations, Jordan and Randy!  It was a joy to be part of your wedding!

It seems like I waited FOREVER to shoot Jenn and Ben’s wedding!  It was truly a pleasure to get to know them over the course of their engagement.  I’m pretty sure that everyone who meets them would agree that they are so fun and the wedding lived up to that reputation.  I’ve never laughed so hard at a wedding or so often at a wedding!  Kindred Oaks (as usual) made the perfect place for them to declare their commitment to one another and then have a stinking awesome party.

I feel like I’m constantly bragging on Zuzu’s Petals, but they deserve it!  Their bouquets are always exquisite.

I seriously couldn’t have made up light as pretty as we got in for the girl’s photos!  Can you see the fun-ness I’m talking about here?!

Ahhh, Jenn looked so beautiful.  Her phenomenal hair and make-up was done by Shaune from Bang Salon.

And did you ever see a cuter flower girl?!  Such a scene-stealer.

My wonderful friend and second shooter Jessie was kind enough to grab some photos of the guys.

This was one of my most favorite moments of the whole time.  Jenn and her father have a close relationship, so their embrace before the ceremony was so sweet.

The cloudy day made for AMAZING light at the ceremony.

This might have been a little too much fun…adventurous groomsmen is 85% of why I have insurance!  But it did make for a pretty cool photo!

Cakes by Kathy never fail to be beautiful and tasty!

And then the fun never stopped!

During Jenn and Ben’s first dance, the flower girl and a little boy copied every twirl and spin that the newlyweds made.  They had the whole place in stitches!  I almost couldn’t take photos I was laughing so hard.

I also have to point out that I am seriously jealous of Jenn’s dance skills.  I knew that she had dancing in her background, but wow.  She and the bridal party kept the crowd dancing with their awesome energy.

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor!!!

It was so hard to narrow down photos from Anna & Cole’s beautiful March wedding at the Villa on Lake Georgetown because not only were the details and venue amazing, but they are just awesome people!  Anna teaches and coaches and Cole is a minor league baseball players, so both of them are in the position of a role model.  Even just from shooting their wedding I know that they set a good example for the people they are in front of every day.

I love the cute robes the girls got ready in!

Pretty girls in pink!  The beautiful flowers were actually done by some family members.

Oh man, the cloudy sky was a dream to shoot with!

But let me tell you, we had a good time trying to get a serious photo from the guys.  They looked super sharp though!

The guest were greeted by a lovely display of vintage item and a guest book filled with photos of Anna & Cole, setting the stage for the vintage, romantic theme of the whole wedding!

This display of heirloom items, along with all the other vintage things, really did come from Anna’s family!  Anna’s mom did an amazing job putting together everything in a way that was worthy of a professional, in my opinion.

The ceremony was decorated simply, and elegantly, with rustic tin buckets of baby’s breath and a chandelier that I wish I could steal!

Despite the rain earlier that day, Anna’s prayers were answered, the rain stopped, and the ceremony got to be outside overlooking the lake!

When I asked Anna what some of her favorite moment of the wedding were, she said that seeing Cole’s reaction when she walked down the aisle was on of them.  I have to agree, and I always love getting to photograph that moment!

The fading light presented a challenge photography-wise, but made for a gorgeous twilight ceremony!  And the sunset with the clouds leftover from the storm?  So pretty!

This wedding really showed that while natural light might be my forte, nighttime offers a totally different and seriously gorgeous opportunity to get something a little different!

The lovely pink and grey romantic, vintage theme carried through and made for a lovely reception!  For favors, guests could make up bags of yummy candy.

The centerpieces almost made my vintage-loving self drool.

The precious mini cakes by Be My Cupcake tasted just as good as they looked!

The Villa on Lake Georgetown’s reception hall is a great space for a party and I thoroughly enjoyed my first time shooting in the new building!

One of the most touching parts of the wedding for me was the dollar dance because unlike a typical dollar dance which raises money for the couple’s honeymoon, Anna and Cole decided to make the dance a fundraiser for Anna’s cousin’s son, Logan, who is dealing with a rare form of childhood cancer.  It was a really beautiful way to honor and support their family.  Any prayers for Logan and his family would be greatly appreciated!

There were also some amazing dancers making the party super fun, aided by the always awesome DJ Blake Hunter.

In a tribute to Cole’s baseball career, he put the garter on a baseball and pitched it, the fun kind of detail that really makes a wedding unique!

Congratulations, Anna & Cole!  It was such a pleasure photographing y’all’s wedding!

I have to also give a shout out to my amazing second shooter, Carlos, and assistant, Becca.  Sometimes photographers get sick, and unfortunately I wasn’t feeling too well on this day, but they supported me so well the whole wedding.

Earlier this month, Jen and Jeremy committed their lives to one another at the positively lovely Vintage Villas overlooking Lake Travis in Austin.  I loved this couple as soon as I met them…maybe it has something to do with the fact that we were all Communications majors!  Or just that they’re super fun and awesome.  From their engagement shoot, to Jen’s bridal shoot, to other meetings, it was such a pleasure getting to know them over the past six months.  And their wedding certainly didn’t disappoint!  I also loved how special each of their families are to Jen and Jeremy, and their families love each other!  From their siblings being the maid of honor and best man, to Jeremy’s dad officiating the ceremony, the whole day felt so full of love from the people who mean the most to Jen & Jeremy.  And most of all, I know that their love is rooted in God, and has such a strong foundation.

Convenient to the classy color scheme of navy and yellow, I found yellow flowers!  Yay spring!

Both Jen & Jeremy’s rings have special little touches that make them so personal.  See those little blue and green stones?  Those are the bride and groom’s birthstones, and they plan to add the birthstones of their children when they start having kids!  How sweet is that?!

Tammie Garza & Su-Min Ruliffson did a wonderful job on the hair and make up for all the lovely ladies.

Too much prettiness, I can’t handle it!  Fleurish Austin put together the beautiful flowers for the day.

After they got all spiffied up, I took the boys on a little adventure in a field!  It wasn’t actually that much of an adventure, but it’s the best we could do

In the few final moments before the ceremony, Jen & Jeremy shared a few moments together to talk and pray for one another.

The it was go time!

Vintage Villas has such a gorgeous ceremony site overlooking the lake.

My favorite moment…man and wife!!

We finished just in time to take advantage of the most gorgeous sunset light ever.

Then reception time!  I cheated and took a few photos earlier so that you could see all the pretty details before they were overrun with happy people.

The handwritten place cards by Melissa Tang were beautiful.  That kind of talent amazes me!

Jen & Jeremy danced to JJ Heller’s Boat Song, which you should go look up right now!  It will make your day happier, I promise.

As usual, Classic Cakes by Lori made two beautiful and yummy cakes!

Then lots of dancing!  And let me tell you, everyone had a good time.  But you can probably see that for yourself

And what A&M wedding would be complete without the Aggie War Hymn?

So excited to be officially married!

Such  a fun day, topped of by a bubble and cheering filled exit!  Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Payne!

God did so much in each of us over those years, as well as growing an affection for each other. If you want to hear the longer story of some of the amazing thing the Lord used to draw us together, you’ll have to ask me in person sometime! But needless to say, we did feel God leading us into a relationship! Ironically enough, that began right when Brad left for Costa Rica for six months for an engineering mission trip in January 2012. I convinced my mom (not that it was difficult) to take a vacation to Costa Rica to visit Brad over the summer and we had an amazing time exploring. The thing I enjoyed most though was seeing my mom get to know Brad and see the way he treats me with love and respect.

Since Brad has been back in the states, we have learned so much about how to love and serve one another in a relationship.  But we’ve also had so much fun!  We both share a love for discovering the beauty for God’s creation and take any chance to be outside.  I’m so grateful for the way that God reminds me daily who I am through Brad and how he lifts me up to be the radiant person I was made to be.

We’ve always know that we were dating with marriage in mind, so I knew that a proposal would come before too long.  The day after Valentine’s Day, we went out to my parent’s ranch where I grew up my whole life to celebrate my mom’s birthday.  Little did I know though, that we weren’t celebrating my mom’s birthday!  Brad suggested walking up to the beautiful pasture with a big (in my eyes) oak tree where we had talked about getting married.  Being a happy clueless person, I really didn’t know what was coming, but after walking around the oak tree, Brad got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.  I was speechless for a few moments before I could squeak out a yes and then start jumping up and down for joy!  He then put a gorgeous golden ring on my finger and it was official…we are engaged!

The story of my ring is just a little picture of the care and thoughtfulness Brad puts into the things he cares about.  Knowing my love of all things trees, especially oak trees, he fashioned a ring out of an oak twig from the tree in front of his house and took it to a jeweler where they cast the twig and a flower in gold for the most perfect engagement ring ever.  Brad gave me the choice of what stone to add and, of course, I chose a light aqua stone.  I can’t imagine a more wonderful symbol of our commitment.  Since I’m in the wedding industry, I’m so excited to have my own wedding, but more than ANYTHING, I’m just so happy to be marrying this Godly man who serves the people around him, delights in adventure, and is so intentional in loving me.