Here are the winning images!

The following images did NOT win, but they were my personal favorites from each category so I wanted to give them a little shout out not he blog as well.

Thanks again to everyone who voted and all you 2012 couple better bring your A game because I already have some serious entries for next year’s contest.

This means…..

This November we are at DisneyWorld & last year the kids got coal in their Christmas stockings.

Things were a little slow but hey, at least I had two kick butt sessions.  Thanks you guys for being awesome!

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to take a quick peek back at my favorite image from each wedding.  Here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Kecia & Zach from The Upper Hand Salons were there making everyone’s hair behave.

Whoop.
Whoop.  Whoop.
Melissa did not even make it to Ross for their First Look before she started tearing up.

Not a fan of the formals.
Whoop.  Whoop. Whoop.Claton from Southwest Sound did one of the best DJ jobs I have ever seen.  If you are getting married in the Houston area you have to hire him.
The wedding reception took place at Melissa’s parent’s house in the country.  It really was the perfect setting.
Somewhere in the madness that was the dance floor you might be able to pick out Vanessa McKellar.  She was there filming the wedding and even did a big of Super8 magic.  We even jumped out onto the dance floor together.  Click here to view my mad double dutch skills.

Even though Grand Finale Catering filled everyone’s tummy at 6:00, by 10:30 we were ready for a snack.  Whataburger Taquitos to the rescue!

So… technically I did not take this last photo at their wedding, but I feel like Melissa & Ross won’t mind sharing their blog post with the 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball Champions.

Ready… Set… Go!

I walked into the house where Jennifer was getting ready and found her grandfather getting his combover done by the stylist.  Best. First Image. Ever.?

Jennifer had all of these done by an artist she found on Etsy, visit her full site here.

Steven is sneaker head so he actually fly to New York and had these custom made for his wedding.  (The day they met & they day the were married.)

First Look time!

This was one of my favorite moments from the day.  We were grouping people for family photos and Steven’s niece ran up to get in a shot.  it was not their turn yet and someone said.  ”No, not you, go back.”  She was crushed.  She was crying and tearing up as she headed back to her mom.  Jennifer saw this and walked out of the photo area and over to comfort her.  9.5 out of 10 brides would have just let others handle it, but she wanted to make sure her new niece was OK and assure her she was loved.  It totally made my day.  In fact…. it earned her a free 16×20 of any wedding image she wants.  That’s right Jennifer.  I’ll hook you up.  You’re that awesome!

Great great cakes were done by Fancy Cakes by Lauren.

Rather than have their guest sign in, they finger printed people.  This made for both a super cool piece of art and official documentation of who really was at the wedding.

After the ceremony much dancing occurred.

Lauren & Brent.  (You may have seen them before. here.)

I snagged this shot of Vanessa & Brent McKellar doing their video thing that they do so well.  I LOVE working with those two.

Stay tuned later this week for Mug Machine and Rock the Frock goodness.

The wedding took place at the gorgeous Villa Antonia near Austin.

Simon Lee Bakery did a great job on the cakes.

I loved this moment right after the ceremony.  (The florals from Flower Creations also helped a lot.)

Saw em off.

My favorite part of a wedding is watching Aggies do the fight song. Regardless of how many their are, they can never all seem to get their lean going the same direction all at once.

Tunes Across Texas made sure everyone danced every minute of the reception.

Thank you guys so much for sharing your day with me.  I can’t wait to show you the rest of your images!

Quick run down of the rules. You can vote on each category once. There will be a new category every day this week. Then the polls are closed and the winners will be announced Jan 17th. Each category winner will receive a 16×20 print of their winning image. So pick an image, vote, then get on your Twitter and your Facebook and make your friends come vote.

Here are the images.

This year was extra fun because my favorite wedding videographers Vanessa & Brent McKellar came along and filmed a family video for us. Our kids have already watched it over and over and I know the older they get the more this video will mean to us. I have tons of photos of my kids but there is something extra cool about capturing them on video. You really get a feel for their personality, how they walk, their tiny hands struggling to hold a huge burrito. It’s perfect. (The same is true for getting your wedding filmed. You absolutely MUST do it.)

Grab some popcorn and enjoy the flick.

(This is a service they offer to anyone so hop on it parents!)

This patch of dirt is where their wedding reception is going to be.  They are having their ceremony at a church and then we are all heading over to her home for a laid back intimate reception. (Including Mug Machine!)  In the next few months a pavilion is going to be built in this spot and I hope to be able to re-shot this with them in their wedding clothes and all kinds of fun wedding stuff happening around them.

We also explored the hay barn.  I almost sat Melissa in raccoon poop.

Can’t wait for your wedding!  Thanks for a great session.

Each cast signs the wall backstage.  Their first show together was Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Thanks for a great session.  You guys were great.  Can’t wait for your wedding at the Villa di Felicita!

These two love them some golf so that’s where we started. Jessica has recently taken it up and told me she plans on practicing till she is able to beat Derek. (Sounds like the beginning of a great marriage.)

Today’s tips are on choosing your wedding cake.  Who better than the amazing ladies from Edible Art to help you with this choice.  Check out their work.

1)  Plan early- there is nothing more disappointing than to wait until March to plan your June wedding cake to find out the date is already booked.

2)  Have ideas- research/look at pictures on the internet, magazines, do you like square, round cakes, flowers, no flowers, etc..

3)  Make appointment with wedding cake designers-  Have designer look at your picture ideas, listen to your ideas, sketch out your design so both of you have the same vision of your dream cake. Be sure to ask to taste the flavors of cake.  Taste is as important as the design!

4)  Once you have chosen your cake designer- pay a deposit asap and get you wedding date of the books. Brides are so disappointed when they wait 3 months and come back to find another bride booked her wedding date and now the designer cannot create her cake.

5)  Confirm everything 30 days before your big day- Make sure the designer reviews your dream cake and both of you have the same vision.

(A note about Edible Art’s payment plan.  We work with families on these large cake orders.  We have “Cake Lay-a -way” available for wedding/large events.  Once a deposit is made, we are all about working with our brides.  Payments can be made in any amount at any time for the months leading up to the big event. Our only requirement is the cakes be paid in full 10 days before the wedding/event. If their choose to pay a deposit and wait until then to pay that is ok too.  Ask your bakery about a payment plan to help you get your dream cake.)

Edible Art
504 West South Street
Longview, TX 75601-7052
(903) 234-2114
Give them a call today!

Here are 5 ways that a good DJ can make your wedding better.

1. Announcements.
Having a DJ that can announce the toast, cake cutting, and the occasional lost set of keys, and be heard and understood is a huge plus. The person on the microphone has to be able to cut through all the chatter and get everyone’s attention.

2. Mixing music that suits your guests.
A good DJ can look at any group and sum up a play list that fits. And he can only do this if he/she is familiar with many genres of music and it’s era. (Adult Contemporary, Pop, country, hip hop, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s)

3. Quality equipment.
While it doesn’t necessarily make a better DJ, quality equipment can provide a better experience and service that not only sounds good, but looks good. A “rats nest” of wires on the DJ table or around the Dj’s setup tends to take away from the nice  center pieces, cakes, and linens that make up your reception decor. Especially in smaller rooms.

4. Be prepared.
Having an outline of the order of events for your reception and any special songs that go with those events will allow your reception to run much more smoothly. If the DJ has a digital setup, making “folder” in his DJ program with all special songs for the reception, or putting all special songs on a single CD and having them ready for use ensures all those important songs are accounted for and ready to play on cue.

5. Knowing the wedding etiquette.
You can’t take a karaoke jock from a bar, and expect them to know how to pull off an elegant and fun wedding reception. This is how that could turn out. ((insert blog link to that couple taking for ever to load the first dance and mother son dance.)) You will want a DJ that has wedding experience and references. When the budget needs to be cut one of the first things they think of is the DJ entertainment.  Because all the DJ does is play music right? By getting a cousin to man the iPod, or a friend that has a big music collection, you stand to lose many if not all of the tips mentioned here. If you’re on a small budget, try to budget more for the services that really affect your wedding, and cut some smaller things that may not be quite as important.

CMB DJs
http://cmbdjs.com/
903.724.3192

Also, here is a list of some of her wedding vendors which she loved so much as well as a few favorites of mine from each of her sessions.

Cakes: Chez Bazan
DJ: CMB DJs
Flowers: Michele’s Flowers by Ela
Venue: Villa di Felicita
Videography : Vanessa McKellar Productions

The preacher man.  Follow him on twitter
The grandparents ROCKED the Mug Machine.

Another fantastic shot of the grandparents.

There were a TON of Aggies at this wedding.  I found a few of the Longhorn faithful and we had fun.

There were FIVE past AlexM couples at this wedding. Some of them left the wedding early.  Those who stayed late get some blog love.  Here are Davi & Marcie.  Marcie is great with child.

Katherine& her dad share a treat from the candy bar.

The tasty and fancy cakes were done by the umber talented ladies over at Edible Art.

Some First Look goodness.

The flower girl spent a few minutes scratching Katherine’s back and relaxing her before the ceremony.

If you look over to the right of the photo you can catch a glimpse of RuthAnne.  She was rockin’ the harp and did a swell job.  You should book her for your wedding.

Of all the weddings I have shot at the Villa di Felicita, this was the first I ever saw or heard an airplane fly over.  I’m assuming it was heading towards the island for the LOST series finale.

CMB DJs kept everyone dancing the whole night long.

The Mug Machine was also at the wedding so be on the lookout for those later this week.

I think it’s important for brides to see a “history” of work.  Anyone with a decent camera can shoot a good image every now and then. However, shooting a wedding week in and week out is what really helps me “know” what’s going to happen next on your day.  So, this is a way of showing you that I’ve been shooting for a little while, and it’s also a way for my past brides to flaunt their stuff on my blog again.

Anyway, here they are, in no particular order, my favorite images from April 2009.

Enjoy the slideshow guys.  (You can also click the little box on the lower right and make it super big. )

Come back tomorrow for and interview with one of my most-est favorite wedding vendors.

What better way to start this series than with one of my all-time favorite couples: Lauren & Brent.

These two had an incredible wedding at the Villa di Felicita in Tyler about a year ago. I visited their place in College Station to chat about the wedding process, photography, and even asked them if they still like their wedding photos. (You’ll have to watch the video to get the answer.) 

Also, many of you may not have seen their wedding images so here are just a few of my favorites.

So, every so often I get couples who are so cool and amazing that I can’t wait to get home and edit their images. I had a feeling that Ashley and Brock would be one of these couples. We had only had a few phone calls and some E-mails prior to her booking but when she sent in one of her payments with this post it note attached I started to extra like them.

One of the things I ask my couples is what do you guys like to do together. Some bowl, others play tennis, some are musical. I love capturing couples in their element. Sometimes people say “We just like to sit on the couch and watch movies.” That’s an OK answer, but not really something that would be amazing to photograph.

When I asked Ashley the question, this is the E-mail I got back:

“okay, so we’ve been thinking.. and this is the list we’ve come up with..
-We like to cook together and probably the thing we cook the most is spaghetti
-Try different wines
-Bowling
-Look at the stars (corny i know, haha but true!)
-Playing this dart game called killer
-Traveling/driving around together
-Getting ice cream
-Volleyball, Knockout (basketball), throwing a football around
-Board games
-Watch movies
-Go to football/basketball games”

I tried to figure a way to work ALL of these into a session but soon gave up and just went with the first one.

This will be a great photo once they are married. She can PROVE that he is capable of cleaning and remind him that he used to do it.

We then headed out into Aggieland for some “real” engagement photos.

This was their first time walking under the Century Tree.


These next two are great. I’m not sure what was happening in the first.
The second is how I feel Ashley negotiates with Brock anytime she wants anything.

Oh, one more thing… Since these two were so much fun to work with I went ahead and edited their WHOLE Session! That’s right, less than 24 hours after shooting it, it’s done and online!

Thank you guys for an amazing session. – AlexM