Oh, how I love this wedding.. When Rebecca and I first met, she described her wedding to me as “small-town, southern, shabby-chic elegance,” and I knew immediately that this wedding would be a dream to shoot. I had extremely high hopes for this wedding, and it beyond exceeded all of my expectations. Jefferson, the small Texas city where their wedding was held, is one of the most charming towns I have ever been to. They call themselves the “New Orleans” of Texas, because it was the original steamboat port town. It’s also called, quite deservedly, the Bed and Breakfast capitol of Texas. The city is filled with beautiful, historic homes and friendly locals who sit out on their porches drinking sweet tea and saying “Howdy” to passers-by. For those of you who are familiar with historic McKinney, Jefferson is extremely similar – a quaint downtown with plenty of pedestrian traffic, craftsman-style homes that date back to the 1800’s, and an eclectic collection of residents who all share a love for history and heritage. I cannot wait to make a trip back to Jefferson sometime soon! I’m just sad to say that I won’t be able to find Rebecca and Erik there, because they have moved off to Alabama for Erik’s residency. In the meantime I will just have to placate myself by looking at their wedding photos over and over and over again! Here are some of my favorites:
This is one of the (many, many) B&B’s in the city, where Rebecca and her girls got ready
Rebecca and Erik decided to do a First Look in the park across from the church. These two are are so adorable when they’re wrapped up in each other!
So often brides ask their House Party to wear black dresses – I love that Rebecca mixed it up by having them wear pink.
Have you ever seen a cuter set of flower girls? Seriously?
Or a cuter ring bearer, for that matter!
Love love love this cake table!! Rebecca and Erik love to fish together, so the groom’s cake (and cake table) had a fishing theme, complete with a custom-made fish diorama.
Adore Rebecca’s reception outfit – check out those heels!
This was a definite first for me.. Instead of throwing rice or rose petals or confetti, the wedding guests tossed a potpurri mixture, including my favorite – lavender! It smelled amazing, although I have to admit I was finding it in my hair and clothes for weeks!
After the wedding some of the younger guests walked down to the historic downtown area for a little after party
Be sure to stop back by tomorrow for Rebecca and Erik’s Day After session!
I have had the pleasure of knowing Lisa for many years now, but somehow I don’t think I had ever had the chance to see her all dolled up.. That is, until her bridal session. Since Lisa and I were involved in a camp organization together as counselors, we were used to seeing each other in typical college and nature wear – shorts, jeans, t-shirts, flip flips, etc. When she walked up in her dress (which perfectly shows off her envy-inspiring silhouette) and her three – yes, THREE – veils, I was floored. What a stunner! I can only imagine what was going through Grant’s mind when he saw her for the first time, but I can imagine that he was thinking about what a lucky man he was to have such a stunning bride. Here are some of my favorite images from her session at the Dallas Arboretum:
If there’s one thing I learned about Courtney and Bucky, it’s that they know how to party! These two were on the dance floor all night, and I feel confident saying that everyone at this wedding had a good time. Courtney and Bucky have very close relationships with their family, so it was great to see their parents and siblings on the dance floor with them all night, as well. I’m posting less photos from this wedding than I normally do, because I’m pleased to say that Courtney and Bucky’s wedding has been featured in the most recent issue of Modern Luxury-Dallas Brides magazine. You can check out some more of their fabulous wedding there, but in the meantime, here are a few of my favorites:
Courtney chose to do a First Look with her dad, which I thought was really neat. I know that one of the most emotional moment of a bride’s day is leaving her father’s side to join her husband’s, so it was great for her and her dad to get a quiet moment together before the ceremony.
I adore Bucky’s wedding band – it’s actually three rings connected together to form one ring. Love the symbolism of this!
I love working at the Belo Mansion. It’s so stately and beautiful, especially at night!
Bucky’s grooms cake was the hit of the night – a Louis Vuitton briefcase by the renowned Frosted Art Bakery!
Special Edition did a FANTASTIC job at keeping the party going, as they always do. I’ve worked with them several times, and they have never disappointed. They keep the dance floor packed all night and interact constantly with the wedding guests, which I love.
Last but certainly not least, I want to mention Courtney and Bucky’s wedding coordinator, Mindy Rives at DFW Events. I’ve had the distinct honor and pleasure of working with many of the very talented women at DFW Events, and their weddings are undoubtedly some of the most well-coordinated, detailed, classy events I’ve ever attended. They handle every detail, keep everyone in the loop, keep the timeline flowing smoothly, and take care of all the little details so that each and every vendor can focus on doing the best job possible for the clients. I can’t recommend them highly enough!
Simon and Autumn have one of the coolest how-we-met stories I’ve ever heard. Simon, who is British, is an amazing tennis player and played at an international level in college. Autumn, on the other hand, is a tennis fan herself, and was in an organization at Texas A&M called the Thirty Loves, an athletic support group that helped out A&M’s collegiate tennis programs in various ways. One day Simon just happened to play in a tournament at A&M, where he was promptly heckled by a few inebriated fans in the stands. Autumn decided to go over to him after the match and apologize for the not-so-hospitable treatment, and they struck up a conversation. As fate would have it, Simon was living and working in Bath, and Autumn was going to visit Bath a few months later. They swapped numbers and decided to meet up, and once they did, they knew they had something special. Several international visas, overseas plane flights, and long-distance phone calls, they were engaged! For the engagement session, we decided to stick to familiar territory and shot at a gorgeous public tennis court in Highland Park. Here are some of my favorites:
One of my favorite parts of what I do is the bridal session. Texas brides may not know this, but bridal sessions are virtually unheard of outside of the South. I often get e-mails from photographers in other states asking me why we do them, or how we talk brides into doing them. The reality is that here, it’s simply expected. Most of my clients come to me expecting to do them because their friends, parents, and siblings already have. Personally, I think all brides should do them – it’s a great chance to do a trial run in your hair, makeup, accessories, and the dress to make sure that you perfect your wedding day look. It’s also a great opportunity for me to bond with my brides and make them feel as beautiful as they are. That was an extremely easy task with Ashley. Her natural joy and her upbeat personality would be enough to make her beautiful, if she wasn’t already gorgeous! Plus I just adore Ashley’s fashion sense – her Lela Rose gown is stunning! Here are some of my favorites from her bridals:
