Tish & Cody Engaged!

We met Tish & Cody through Raelyn's brother Andrew, so we're really excited that they chose us to document their wedding! We had originally planned to do their session on Saturday, however that day had crazy wind and it was quite cold so we rescheduled for Sunday. Sometimes the cold isn't so bad because it gets our couples to cuddle up nice and close for the shoot, however the wind isn't as nice! Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day though and we got some great photos of them and their pup Sunny. Good luck with all of the wedding planning Tish & Cody, see you in November for the big day!

Tips / Tricks : To See or Not to See

I hope everyone enjoyed our first Tips / Tricks!  For our second outing, I thought we'd go over the decision of whether or not the bride and groom should see each other before the ceremony.  For the more traditional bride out there this is a no brainer.  Not seeing each other before the ceremony is a time honored tradition, and one that most brides stick to, especially down here in the south.  And traditions are popular for a reason.  The emotion expressed when the groom sees the bride for the first time in her wedding dress is usually one of our favorite shots of the day!  But there is a case for the other side too, and brides who are not as concerned about tradition may have a tough choice to make.  Here are some examples from weddings we've done that hopefully will help you make that decision:

Aerin and Alex went the traditional route and waited for the ceremony to see each other for the first time that day.  And when they did they were both overcome with emotion!  Luckily those were tears of joy and Aerin did eventually make it down the aisle.  It was a sweet beginning to a beautiful ceremony!

Colbie and Jake opted to see each other before the ceremony so we did a First Glance for them.  This is what we call a little time set aside for them to have a moment together, so Jake could tell Colbie how beautiful she looked.  We got some amazing photos and I hope that they will help them remember this moment forever.  Having this time together gives the bride and groom a chance to get in a final I love you before they  become husband and wife, and we've also heard seeing each other before gets rid of some of the nerves of walking down the aisle.  

There are also some practical reasons for seeing each other before the ceremony.  Darcy and Tom met in the hotel lobby before sharing a limo ride to the church with their bridal party.  When we got there we shot all of their formal pics with enough time to spare for Darcy and Tom to relax a little bit before the ceremony started.  After the I do's were said they were able to head straight off to the reception and get the party going!

Buck traditional altogether and have a pre-wedding photo session in your wedding outfits like Mary & Kenneth did.  We think this is a great idea for those brides who don't mind the groom seeing the dress before the big day because it makes sure you have plenty of wonderful photos of yourselves in your wedding day finery.  A lot of times on the day itself schedules get rushed and we have to hurry through formals, maybe only getting 5-10 minutes with the bride and groom at the most.  And while we understand that you're in a hurry to get to the reception and we do our best to get you there, we would love to have more time to get that perfect shot. So this is an option that might help take some of the pressure out of the wedding day.  

So there are some pros and cons to think about when deciding whether or not to see each other before the ceremony.  In the end it's a personal choice, and one we're happy to photograph either way!  Have an opinion?  Let us know in the comments section, especially if you picked one way or the other and thought it was the right choice!  

Tips / Tricks : Buying Handmade

Hello hello! We're starting a new segment on our blog for tips and tricks we've learned that can maybe help you out on your engagement and bridal shoots and your wedding day. (Or maybe even in life in general. Well, we can try anyways.) So we hope you enjoy, and if you have any tips you'd like to share let us know!

For our first tips and tricks, do you want to add a really unique touch to your wedding? Try something handmade from Etsy.com, one of our absolutely favorite websites. It's an online showcase of all things handmade. Seriously, anything you could possibly ever imagine that's made by hand is on there. For your wedding you can find unique favors, invitations, cake toppers, jewelry, hair accessories, even the dress! Plus, since it's the people making it that are actually selling it they're usually more than happy to custom make something for you. Only one warning, it's addictive! You can spend hours browsing through all the unique stuff! So if you're pressed for time (or maybe you should be working) we found some of our favorite things for you:

For more fabulous items handpicked by Etsy editors, check out their wedding gift guide.  And try not to spend too much money!

Andrea & Zach: from A - Z with lots of L - O - V - E

Raelyn thought of the adorable blog title all by herself!!! Haha, too cute! We've gotten to work with Andrea and Zach a lot over the past two months, shooting their engagement photos and Andrea's bridals, and their wedding was so much fun. They have been dating for five years and they couldn't wait to tie the knot! Everyone at the wedding was so much fun to work with, and the reception ,which is always my favorite part, was a blast! Everyone was on their feet dancing, from the infants to the adults :) Here's a sneak peek of the wedding along with a list of their awesome vendors!

And to add: I'm really excited to jump start this season, and we are so happy with a first weddings of the year. We've got new equipment and new techniques and can't wait for more weddings and portrait sessions to come!

Vendors Include: Flowers: Gardenia Designs, Hair/Makeup: Jojean Murray, Studio 8 in Hightower Salons, Cake: Meringue Bakery, DJ: Doubletake Productions - Doug Biter, Reception: Trammell Crow Center

Brandi's Senior Portraits

We had a great time this past weekend with Brandi, who is a senior this year and is counting the days down to graduation! Literally! Next fall Brandi will be going to Houston Baptist University on a soccer scholarship and we wish her the best of luck! We took her portraits around the Stockyards, my new favorite photo spot because of all the cool walls and textures. We want to thank Brandi for being a good sport and braving the chilly weather and wind. We hope the rest of your senior year is awesome!

As a reward for getting a soccer scholarship, Brandi's parents bought her a car, a convertible PT Cruiser! Brandi will definitely be heading off to college in style!