how crystal greeted robin for their first look.

my most favorite part about first looks are that it gives couples a chance to be themselves.  to be alone and really experience their wedding day and the emotions they have.  some couples cry, some laugh.  some do both.  :)

a little shoe change before the reception.

i’ll leave you with a peek at this image from the mug machine.  best. photo. ever?

Parts are parts? 

Do you remember the commercial where the disgruntled, messy chickens were flying down the road in an old beat up car? They wanted to become Foster Farm chickens…you know…the excellent chickens. Those goofy birds finally got it – you can fluff them up all you want but they are still messy, skinny ole birds!!

Flowers are not just flowers! They have so many variables to them, so many grades. I remember when guys would come into the flower shop asking for a dozen long stem roses. Little did they know, a long stem rose is really only a second grade rose. Roses come in many lengths and with each come different head sizes. The longer the rose stem, the bigger, fuller and prettier a rose head can be. For example, a rose can be purchased in 40, 50, 60, 70 and even 80 centimeters. The “long stem” rose is about a 50 cm rose so you can see there are usually three sizes that are bigger and fuller. The other grading system is medium, long, fancy and extra fancy. So, you can see the “long stem” rose isn’t really such a big deal!! I usually explain this to my brides by making another comparison – take for example jeans. You can buy a pair from Walmart for say $15.00 and you can buy  a pair of Miss Me for $100.00 (yes, I know there are a lot that are even more expensive) Now, they are both jeans….both have two legs, both are denim, both have pockets, both have a zipper, both can be worn to the movies but you sure wouldn’t say they are the same!! Well, the same can be said for flowers ….just because someone says…I can make a bridal bouquet of all red roses for $100.00 doesn’t mean there is going to be any comparison to a spectacular high grade rose. On the surface it’s easy to be fooled but get the two in front of you and I assure you, you’ll pick the better one! The problem lies in a bride and her mom picking out that one of a kind bouquet not knowing the right questions to ask. You see, a florist never says, “Well, it will be made with 36 Ecuadorian, 70 to 80 cm all white roses. The variety will be Polar Star.” They just say, “It will be an all white rose bouquet.”  Then they can show up with whatever they want much to your chagrin! Now, you might say “I don’t even want roses” well, ALL flowers are selected and graded. There are florist grade and supermarket grade. There are always variables to each and every flower.

That leads me on another topic….colors are not just colors! Red is not just red, there is red to the orange side and red to the blue side! For example, tomatoes and blood red – you can imagine there are lots of shades of red in between. White can be to the yellow side or green, purple can be to the pink or blue sides! All the colors are not the  same….all the varieties are not the same…all the qualities are not the same….Parts are not parts in chickens or flowers!

Fake flowers are just that….FAKE!

To many times a bride gets her hopes up on a particular flower that maybe she saw in a local craft shop. She’ll come in with a few plastic or silk flowers and think we can provide her with them in real flowers only to be disappointed. In the days of Google images, it’s so easy to see if the flowers you prefer come in the colors you want. Check it out…it’s a great tool!

Magazines and blogs are giving brides unrealistic visions of color! To many times the editor or blogger is enhancing the color to “make it prettier” or more with today’s trend. Some (of course not AlexM…lol) photographers are “color correcting” and this changes the color as well as the expectation of the bride.

Brides….did you know that the groom has responsibility in paying for some of the flowers? Grooms and/or their parents are responsible to pay for the brides bouquet, the portrait bouquet, all the men’s boutonnieres and the mother’s and grandmother’s corsages or posy’s. Ask the florist to separate  the flower totals and make two copies of the contract so one can be presented to the groom. It will take you out of the equation and give credence to asking them to pay for their part.

When consulting with a florist, make sure you find one that has pictures of their own work and will guide you through the decision making process. I do my best to make sure to capture each and every brides vision of their day as each is as unique and special as every bride. So much of the time I see a bride come in for her last meeting with me and she’s exhausted and “just can’t wait for it to be over with!” Remember to ask for help, hire the very best professionals, let go of a few of the decisions and take time to relax and enjoy the best day of your life!

Wishing you a happily ever after!
Barbara | La Tee Da

Didn’t I tell you she was awesome?
Still wanna see more?  Take a look at all the “La Tee Da Weddings” I’ve photographed the past few years.

It has been TOO long since I shot at Castle on the Lake.  It felt so great to be back.  (Britian and her staff do such a great job of making weddings super easy for everyone involved and it was great to see them all again.  You brides out there looking for a place near Jacksonville totally need to look at this place.)

I also snagged this shot of Darcee when she first saw her bouquet.

Seriously.  How great are all the florals La Tee Da Flowers pulled off for this wedding?!?!

Let them eat cake!!! (Really tasty / good looking cakes from Designs By D’Anne.)

This is what we in the business refer to as a “wardrobe malfunction”.

Thank you two for an amazing day.  You were the best.

This awesome!

Happy Anniversaries to Bethany & Nathaniel, Jennifer & Jeb, Courtney & Jonathan, and Julia & Robert!!

Since this is the last category I’m going to leave the voting open all weekend so get to work people.  check back Monday morning when the winners in each category are announced.  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.

One of the coolest things about Castle is their HUGE bridal suite.  This thing just blows away every other location.  If you have ever been a bridesmaid you know just how crowded these “prep” rooms can get.  Not the case with castle.  I shot a wedding with 10 bridesmaids getting ready in this room and there was still plenty of room for moms, aunts, and grandparents to come in and visit.  It’s awesome.

They have a couple of options for your ceremony.  One is a big a big tree.

The second is a cool rock wall they just built.

Finally, here is a video that Vanessa McKellar just shot.  Brittan is the bride you’ll see.  (La Tee Da Flowers did the flowers.)She’s also the owner and runs this place day in and day out.  She is super nice and will totally become your BFF as she helps you put together your wedding day.  Give her a call and get this placed booked! 903.721.3593.

Castle on the Lake
http://www.jacksonvillecastle.com/
903.721.3593.

This is part of a new ceremony area that the are putting in.  It should be done in the next few weeks, but I didn’t want to wait to start shooting there.

Sometimes brides get hot in East Texas outside in August.

Thank you two for a great night.  I’ll have an album design heading your way soon.

My tip to you… If you are using sparklers, don’t skimp on them.  Get the longer ones.  The short ones burn out way to quick.  Sometimes before you even get to them.  Also, make sure your guest wait to light them till you are standing there ready to exit.  If not, you’ll end up running though a thick cloud of smoke.

Happy 1 year to Lindsey & Justin, Mindy & Dustin, and Davi & Jonathan.

Past couples, this is your chance to leave a nice comment about me and how much fun I was to work with.

If you are interested in having The Mug Machine at your wedding shoot me an E-mail and we’ll make it happen.

Here are a few of my favorites.

After their first shot. This guy asked for a “Prom pose” because they never got a prom photo done. How awesome is that? I kept having to re-shoot this. The bottle was full when we started. Mothers of the Bride & Groom.

I think Heather may have had the most fun in The Mug Machine. She kept coming back for more.
And finally, one more family portrait.

Super cute flower girl. Ready and willing to be photographed.

This was Lindsey’s checklist for the day.

They wanted lots of photos of the two of them and that always starts off with a super fun First Look.

Lindsey had EVERYBODY rocking the white and they all totally pulled it off.

I love me a good ring shot.

It’s funny, no matter how hot it is, once the ceremony rolls around, it’s all kinda just fades away to pretty.

Right after the ceremony they decided to take me up on one of my “tips” and have a meal alone. Just the two of them.

Is it OK to admit that i teared up a bit during Butterfly Kisses?

My ring shot prop and his lady friend.

First sparkler getaway where I literally feared for my life. (I think some people snuck in some fireworks or something. There was a lot of flameage happening.



Venue: Castle on the Lake

She snuck her fiancee’s guitar away for the session.  

Of course we had to work the fish face in.  

I have known this little guy for almost 3 years now, he is the same age as my oldest son and we have a blast every time we are together. He kept saying he was James Bond.  

Josey. Sam. J. S. Get it?  

With 2 older boys and only 1 girl we all knew the day would be tough on Josey’s dad.  

After they finished their first dance they stopped for about 3 seconds and then broke into a 5 minute mash-up dance similar to the evolution of dance. It was easily the best first dance I have ever seen.  

You know you are in East Texas when….

the grooms cake is road kill…  

and little kids are playing golf with pine cones.  

Don’t freak out… he was not driving.  

Thanks guys it’s been a blast getting to know you the past few years and thanks for trusting your day with me.

Venue: Castle On The Lake
DJ: Alpha DJ & Sound Service (903.724.1686)