you know a place is super fancy when you don’t know how to pronounce the name.  chateau cocomar is that kinda place.  i’ve shot in many many venues.  some of them cool, some of them less than cool.  this place made my jaw drop.  it’s like time traveling to a mansion in france.  can’t wait to shoot there again.  (hint hint ladies.)

this fireplace was unreal.

just to prove grace was a real person in texas we took a “normal” picture. :)

i can’t tell you how excited i am for lisa and rory’s wedding.  i love love love this couple and everything they stand for.  the wedding is just around the corner so you know what that means… bridal session time!  check out lisa, her amazing flowers by la tee da, and her dress all below. :)

well done la tee da.  well done.

whoop.

oh you know… just the flowers rory used when he proposed a few months ago.  no big deal. :)

Not many girls get to call a forest their home.  I mean… you have Snow White, Cinderella, I guess Tinkerbell.  Either way, it’s a pretty short list.  Add Ashley to that list.  She grew up at Dangerfield State park and if you remember from her engagement session, nature is kind of a big deal to her.  We knew we had to go back to the park for her bridal session and both her and it did not disappoint.  (How great are her flowers by Fantasy & Fairytale Floral Designs out of longview?)

So marriage can be a really strange thing.  You get engaged and spend months planning this wedding where everyone is involved and giving you advice.  Then, once you are married, people just kinda forget about you and assume that you totally know what’s going on.  One thing I would love to change is how nebulous and unknown that 1st year can be for couples.  There are tons one great recourses and books out there on the topic, but let’s be honest, if you are on a wedding blog that means you are in full creeper mode right now.  Let’s seize this moment and learn a little from Becca & Brad who totally got married 1 year ago.  Take a peek at some of their images and then keep scrolling to hear what they have to say about the first year of their marriage.

1. What do you miss most about the single life?
Sharing everything. You no longer are just thinking about yourself in decisions.

2. GIve us your best cheapo/fun married date idea.
$5 fillets grilled on the grill from wal-mart (actually pretty good) and a $5 matinee show .

3. What have you liked most about your first year being married?
That through hard times and the good, your no longer having to do things alone!

4. What’s been the hardest part about being married?
Getting through the financial struggles…us both having good jobs at the same time to pay off our debts.

5. What surprised you the most? (Either good or bad.)
We have grown closer to the Lord together and have now finished a book learning about the other person’s love language so even though things are great now…we maintain meeting the other persons needs. If you both focus on the others needs, your both loved and happy. It’s an excellent book.
(7 bucks on Amazon.  Go buy it.)

6. What have you fought about most and why?
Every fuss usually originates from stress about money! I brought debt into this relationship due to college loans and neither of us seem to get our perfect jobs at the same time.

7. What was the biggest thing you were nervous about? How has it turned out?
To be honest …nothing, we were friends first and nothing has really changed for us after marriage!

8. Do you have any advice for couples about to take the plunge?
Best advice…put God first (the couple is never doing things alone) and always be always honest about how you feel. It may cause a fuss at the moment but getting through those, learning everything about the other person, and always being honest sets your future up for success and will keep you from having things build up. Those explosions are never good for anyone. Most of all love your partner and meet their needs.

Thank you two for begin brave, opening up, and letting us peek into your life.

i can’t believe i have not shared these yet.  candace and i had a blast shooting at la torretta lake resort and spa in conroe.  if you are in the area you have to spend a weekend there.  their engagement session was a blast, the bridals were so much fun, and their wedding is only a few weeks away.  i’m dying to shoot it.

take a peek at her engagement session here.