A few years ago I was able to go on my first mission trip to Haiti, the very next year I brought Jo along.  He was 10 at the time.  I loved seeing him connect with kids from the other side of the world and I love how he came home understanding that there is a bit more to life than video games and new Lego sets.  He’s since been to Haiti and Belize and this year Danielle and Sara are joining us on our trip to Belize!   We will be helping build a basketball court in a village as well as teaching vacation bible school during the week.

(This is the part where you come in.)

We are funding the trip ourselves and are still a bit short of the full amount. (Plane tickets are expensive yo!) So I thought, why not see if anyone out there is interested in contributing?!? As a little thank you for your gift, I’ll shoot a mini-session of your choice. Family, baby, maternity, senior, kittens? You pick it and I’ll shoot it. (These will take place in the East Texas area on selected dates.) I’m only offering 10 of these so get em’ while they last.

10 mini-sessions, $150 bucks each. All proceeds go to getting Danielle, Jo, Sara & I to Belize.

Two more things…

1. If you don’t need photos, but still want to donate. That’s allowed. (Email me here: alexmphotography@gmail.com)

2. If you don’t need photos, and don’t want to donate. That’s also allowed, passing this post along to others would be a HUGE help.

Ready… Go!

(Email me here: alexmphotography@gmail.com if you want to book a session.)

Here is a little video I put together from our trip last year.

And… if you still want more Belize goodness, you can click here to read about our trip from last year.

Sometimes my brides are cool and they take photos with airplanes because their fiancée is a pilot.

Sometimes my brides are even cooler because they take pictures with airplanes because THEY are a pilot.

Sometimes my job is way, way too easy.  Seriously.  All I did was follow these two around all day while they looked amazing, dressed amazing, and acted amazing.

The amazing started at the The Dry Bar in Dallas.

That monopod you see belongs to Matthew Lee Moore.  Killer videographer based in Colorado.  Check him out.

We then all headed over to Chapel Creek Manor in Waxahachie.  A gorgeous little venue where Bree & Tyson had perfect weather. (Of course they did.)

Tyson even looks smooth when he leaves his shoes 1 hour away from the venue.

First Look magic.  Yes.  Magic.

I LOVE when guys do the spin around look.

Slow clap for Platinum Petals.  They knocked it out of the park.

Tyson & Bree even have perfectly awesome little people at their wedding.

You may remember from her bridal session that Breelyn wore her mother’s wedding dress.

Here is what she had to say about the dress.

It’s true that there is something ineffably fascinating, magical almost, about stepping inside a gown that has been worn and loved in the past… Especially by your own Mom.  When I was really young I used to stare at the picture my Mom had hanging in the hallway and dream about the day when I would look as beautiful as her.  When my time came to “dress shop” my mom took me in her room and told me she wanted to show me something.  There’s this old cedar chest that my parents have always kept at the foot of their bed that is filled with hundreds of heirloom from our family. She had jewelry, handkerchiefs, pictures, and newspaper clippings from my Mimi’s day along with her own items already placed in a bag for me to have.  I was in total disbelief that she still had these items considering we didn’t have much of Mimi’s things.

Then she pulled out her own wedding dress.  We both are teary eyed at this point and she said, “You don’t have to wear it – I just wanted you to see it.” – I immediately put the dress on and as she’s zipping me up it fit like a glove.  I walked around her room for a few minutes and looked at my Mom as she was smiling so big at me… I knew it was the one.  I told her right then I didn’t need to look for a dress, I had it.  A wedding dress symbolizes so much about marriage, and I couldn’t imagine anything more special that carrying on the legacy of love that my parents have for each other.  I love my Dad with my whole heart – they have fought for their marriage of 29 years and I admire them so much for that.

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Breath.
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Are we ready?
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How about now?
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Who needs a drink?

No matter how amazing your day is… someone will always think it’s kinda boring and has gone on too long.

Brides often give a little giggle when they put a ring on their groom.  It’s like they know.

They won.

Who doesn’t love to flaunt their wedding ring?

Every wedding I try and get a shot of the bride looking stunning while the groom is shoving food in his face.

Mission accomplished.

Your toasts should always include you bending over backwards in full gut wrenching laughter.

Let’s just say all of the paper lanterns didn’t make it into the sky.  Some may have fallen down in flames and been used to light other lanterns.

As if their day was not great enough, they also had a killer Mug Machine.  Here are some of my favorites from the booth.

Breelyn and Tyson. I love you.  Thank You for letting me creep on your day.

I still remember the first call I had with Liz & Jeff. Danielle and I were in the car, and I called Liz to go over their engagement session plans. Since I was driving, I had the phone on speaker, but Danielle was just being her super, quiet self. (She’s a creeper.) Anyway, Jeff had not said much as Liz and I kicked ideas around. After hearing all of her suggestions, I kinda formed a little plan and said, “I think we should do this, this, and this, etc.” “Sound good?” There was a bit of a pause and then Jeff jumped in and said,

“How do you feel about that Liz?”

She said she was good with it, we finalized the details, and the call was over. I turned to Danielle and smiled and she said something to the effect of “That’s impressive.”

Seriously. I was floored. That little question said so much to me about their relationship. Months before they are getting married, Jeff has already realized what it took me years to understand and flesh out in my marriage.

Feelings Matter.

We all know they matter. But sometimes we tend to overlook or skip past them. We assume the other person is wrong to “feel” a certain way and they’ll get over it. We think we know best and eventually, they’ll come around. This is not a good plan. Trust me. ;)

Jeff and Liz have figured out that the more they communicate and talk through things, the stronger their relationship will be. The better you are about talking through something as unimportant as your engagement session location and time, the better you will be when it’s time to talk through a career change or move.

I adore their sense of humor.  I said, “Go stand on the bridge and hold hands with just a bit of space between you.”

Sit on the bench like you would if I was not here. :)

While shooting their session, I started to understand how and why these two seem so comfortable and secure in their relationship. I think it’s because they have been through and seen a lot. They met while serving in the Peace Corps, and together have traveled all over the place.

Singapore
Malaysia
Kenya
Canada
Jamaica
Mexico
London
Kenya
Uganda
Tanzania
England
France
Germany
Spain
Mexico

Not a bad list right? If you have ever been to another country, you know that sometimes the cultural or language barrier can be a tough thing to overcome. If you stay there long enough though, you find ways to make things work and figure the place out. That’s a skill Liz & Jeff have acquired. That’s a skill that will serve them well in the strange and exotic land they will find themselves in soon enough.

The land called Marriage.

I seriously loved you two as much as possible without being super weird about it.
I can’t wait to hang out on your wedding day and know you two are gonna be great at it.

Can I tell you a secret about your wedding?  On your wedding day, there will actually be two weddings taking place.  The one you planned for, and the one you may not even notice.

The one you plan for will be easy to spot.  It’s the one that looks like a real live Pinterest board.  Perfection will be everywhere you look.

Time after time, it will feel like you are in a movie and you won’t believe that it’s actually real life.  I mean seriously… did you notice that field just above?

As great as the wedding you planned is, sometimes there is even more fun and life to be had in the wedding you may not notice.

Like…. How adorable the little flower girls are as they wait while watching shows with matching headphones.

How your groom and his aunt photo bomb your formal photos.

That little moment of reflection as you film a message to your husband to be.

How about that time your dad trips while walking you down the aisle, catches himself, and then you share a giggle over it.

It only lasts 5 seconds, but when the minister tells you to turn and look at all the friends and family you have, soak it up.

If it feels like everyone is watching you…. it’s because they are.  Every little girl is kinda dreaming she was you.

And some little boys are trying to figure out what every older girl wants.

Of course you want a photo with your sorority sisters.  You never figured your dad would want to jump in too though.  Right?

Soak up every strange and awkward dance move your new husband has.  (And make sure it gets captured on film.)

Rent the best getaway car you can.  But if it does not crank, don’t sweat it.  You’ve got plenty of muscle standing by.

Plan your day, enjoy your day, just don’t miss the day happening behind the scenes.  You never know when lightning might strike.

(You see what I did there?)