Justine & Karl are my new best friends.  (I just need to double check with them and make sure that’s ok.)  I loved hanging out with them and love their story so much.  I’ll try to do it justice, but you should just take my advice and become best friends with them, too.

They met in the rainforest of Borneo while they were studying abroad.  Not a bad start, right?  Anyways, after a few months together there, they knew they were perfect for each other.  Eventually, Karl would move to Texas for medical school and Justine would continue her education in North Carolina.  They have had a long distance relationship since then and have made it work.  (With a few flights back and forth to see each other in real life.)   Well, this past weekend Justine was in Dallas so the three of us headed down to Klyde Warren Park for their session.

True Story: Justine did not know how to play checkers.  So Karl taught her while we were shooting.  How great is that?

Both of them have huge giant brains that are extra smart.  Justine’s is just a tad bigger.

When I asked them what they like to do when they hang out, Justine mentioned that they like “old people things”.  A few months ago they were on their way to take some archery lessons and instead ended up learning to play pétanque.  How perfectly random is that?

Justine is not a fan of diamonds so of course Karl designed her a custom engagement ring with her birthstone and favorite color.

Justine is a bit of a geek.

OK, “a bit” might be selling her short.  Let me try again.

Justine kinda invented her own strand of DNA that can trace if water in wells has been contaminated.  BOOM.  Just like that.

Anytime she talks about it, she gets really excited and I get really confused.  So I may not have described it 100% accurately, but you get the idea.  So of course we had to hit the Perot Museum of Nature & Science.

They could have spent hours in this place.  I kept having to pull them away from the exhibits so I could do my job. :)  When I was done shooting I left them in the museum.  They might still be in there right now.

Super cool exhibit that tracks your body movements and replicates it in 8-bit format.  Here is an 8-bit version of them making out.

Thank you guys for spending your July 4th with me.  Nothing says “America” more than an Army doctor dude and a lady scientist from L.A. falling in love.  (Go Lakers!)

It’s really rare to be able to start an engagement session at the location a couple first met.  Especially when they first met over 20 years ago.  With Audra & Brian we were lucky enough to do that.  We went back to the place it all started.  We went back to the house Audra grew up in.

Sometime around 1985 or so Audra & Brian’s fathers were coaches together for Texas ATM. (Whoop!) I’m sure this led to many family get togethers and team functions where little Audra & little Brian would spend hours playing together. That’s were they fell in love. OK, not really. They were like 5 years old or something, this isn’t a Disney movie. Anyway, They did hang out at Audra’s house so that’s where we went to start their session.

There were so many memories at this house. It was neat to see Audra back in that setting and hear her talk about how different yet familiar it felt. We were doing a few shots on the porch and I noticed a wasp’s nest in the corner. She told me a story about when she was little and her mom was stung by them and she almost ended up calling 911. I thought the wasps deserved to make the blog.

Then, like all good Aggies, we headed onto campus.  Some of you may be familiar with this tree.

The thing is though… Audra & Brian didn’t go to ATM together. Audra’s dad took another coaching job a few states over and moved away, Brian’s dad did the same and that normally is how the story would end.

Brian did end up coming back and becoming a full grown Aggie so at least he gets credit for that.

Fast forward to 2012. Audra’s dad is still a college coach and he’s filling out his new staff. He know’s a former college of his has a well qualified son who is looking for a job so he decides to give Brian an shot. Well, one thing led to another and one day he’s doing his new boss a favor and picking up Audra from the airport. Well, one thing led to another and now they are getting married. Because that’s how awesome their story is.

Multiple states, multiple campuses, multiple teams. Their journey started together, went thousands of miles apart, then led them right back to each other.

I could not have picked a better wedding to kick off the new site if I’d tried.  I had such a great weekend with Heather, Travis, and all their family & friends.  I hope this peek into it captures just a little bit of what it was like.

The thing I love about shooting out of town/destination weddings is getting to hang out at the rehearsal & dinner.  You really get a feel for the families and what everyone’s personalities are like.

It *might* be time to upgrade.

NO matter how much practice they get.  Father’s are never really ready to give their daughter’s away.

Here’s a shot of Travis & his brother.  It’s crazy to me when I think that one day my tiny boys will look like those men.

The dinner was an evening of stories, laughter, musical tributes, tears, and more.

On to the wedding day!  You know it’s a good group of bridesmaids when you walk in and find they have been raiding the hotel juice machine all morning.

These two photos happened within 15 seconds of each other.  It’s exactly what many wedding days are like.  One moment you are laughing because you are so happy you are getting married.  10 seconds later it all hits you and then you tear up and can’t believe the day has finally come.

Heather & Travis wanted a giant field for their ceremony.  So they did what any rational person would do.  They contacted the fine folks at Big Foot Turf and said; “Can we start our marriage on one of your fields?”

Hey look, it’s Heather’s dad hugging her again.

Every time I turned around he was hugging her.  It’s almost like he didn’t want to miss a single chance to remind her that even though she was changing her name that day, he would always be her daddy.

Sisters make for great money shots at weddings. :)

I’m not sure Travis finished turning around before Heather had him in tears during their First Look.

Smoothest. Ring bearer. Ever.

Smoothest. Groom. Ever.

How do you get little people down the aisle?  Pez.

That moment when you just got married and get to high five your dad.

I LOVE the 3 minutes after a couple are married.  I’m not sure if all your wedding-blogs tell you this, but it’s kinda the coolest part of your day.  It’s a blur and you may not even remember it later.  It’s that moment when the 10-20 most important people in your life engulf you with love.  (And sometimes your mom gives you bunny ears.)

Every wedding has that corner of the room where the tiny humans spend the reception.

It was an honor for you guys to have me out there.  Thanks for trusting me with your day and I can’t wait to dump a couple hundred more photos on you soon. ;)

This is a post I’ve waited close to 5 years to write. As long and as hard as the wait has been, the end result is that much more rewarding.

When I first started shooting weddings it didn’t take me long to realize 2 things:

1. I loved shooting weddings.
2. I hated shooting weddings.

It seemed like every other week I would bounce from one end of the spectrum to the other. Little by little I was able to pinpoint my feelings and figure out exactly what was causing me to love or hate each particular weekend. The more the day was about THE WEDDING, the less I seemed to enjoy it. The more the day was about the marriage, the more I left with a full heart. Little by little, year by year, I’ve been able to find my voice, and find the type of couples that I want to work with. This site is the culmination of that process.

There are 3.6 billion wedding photographers in Texas alone. 3.5 billion of them take fantastic images so taking a great photo is not enough. I’m not looking for couples who only want great images. I’m looking for couples who want an honest portrayal of who they are. I’m looking for couples who are authentic and real about what their wedding day can be. I’m looking for couples who want great marriages. The best way for me to find those couples is by modeling that behavior. So finally, after all this time, I have a site that is an honest reflection of myself and what working with me is like. You are not going to find another site like this anywhere. Second Street Creative did an AMAZING job building it and I can’t say enough good things about Ryan. Thank you so much for making this idea a reality.

This is who I am. If you think you might want me at your wedding, spend 10 minutes on this site and you’ll know. And, if you decide we are not a great fit that’s ok. I’ll even help you find a photographer that is. ;)

So go on, take a look around.  There are fun little surprises and things to be found.  It looks different on a computer, tablet, or phone so why not try all three? My favorite part may be the Mug Machine section under Info or the super cute kids on the Bio page.

One last note. The past 2 weeks leading up to this site launch have been packed full of 17 hour days. You would not be viewing it were it not for the limitless hours Danielle invests in our family. Thank you so much for your love and support. You are more amazing today than the day we were married and I’ll never feel like I deserve you.

 
P.S. If you want a chance to win a 2 night stay at a bed & breakfast, here’s what you gotta do.

1. Leave a comment below.
AND
2. Post something on your Facebook telling folks to come take a look around the site.
(You must do both things to be entered to win.)

Here’s a little suggestion on what you could say:

AlexM, my best internet friend and killer photographer, just launched a new site. You should go take a look at it’s amazingness.
http://www.alexmphotography.com

I’ll be selecting the winner at random by the end of the week.

I had such an amazing day hanging out with Jaime, Nolan, and all their family and friends. It was a day filled with love, tears, and laughter. It was a great day. 

Jaime spent the morning putting some finishing touches on her day. Nolan spent it putting finishing touches on himself.

They placed a few of these cards across all the seats.

We invite you to be truly present on this special evening. Your presence as we take this step is a wonderful gift for us. Please turn off your cell phones and put down your cameras during the ceremony, and open your hearts to experience this moment fully. (we have hired a photographer we trust completely to capture these moments in images, and they will be available to anyone who wants them in a few weeks.)

Needless to say I was honored and giddy all at once.

They had a perfect First Look.

Jaime has two little boys. I wanted to eat them.


Seriously?!?!?!

1. Nolan drank like 16 sweet teas. He was intent on staying hydrated.
2. Ring Bear for the win!
3. That moment when you stop being a bride and have to sit your kids down and be a mother.
4. The back of Nolan’s vest. (It was his favorite part of the vest.)

This next image is my favorite one I took all day.

Jaime had been fighting serious migraines all day, in fact we almost had to put off the wedding till later in the day. After the ceremony they were just sitting in the kitchen resting and someone asked them if they were ready to make their entrance and have their first dance. Jaime said she didn’t think she was up for all that. Nolan said no problem. About five minutes later while holding and comforting her they broke out into a slow dance. All alone, with no fanfare, no one clapping, no one watching. I took 3 photos and walked out. It was a moment that just belonged to them.

Just the two of them on their wedding day.

It was a beautiful picture of marriage. It’s not the big public moments that get us through life. It’s not the things we say when everyone is watching. Marriage is about what we do when we are alone.

Marriage is about changing the toilet paper roll.
Marriage is about making the bed.
Marriage is about impromptu slow dances in the kitchen.

The little happy pills that helped Jaime make it through her day.

Eventually everyone felt better and dancing was in full “swing”.

Sorry ladies, that super mysterious ultra good-looking dude in the band is married!

A million thanks for sharing your day with me.  Thank you for letting me help launch your marriage.