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.

i loved the super chillaxed wedding day these two had.  lots of friends. lots of family. lots of fun.

this note that jim gave lindsey the morning they started their marriage was perfect for a photo of her rings.

big shout out to rayven of life is pretty event planning and make up for making the day happen and people look awesome.

casa flora did a killer job on the flowers. (as always.)

who doesn’t love a first look?

i always love it when couples cheer after they are married. one of my favorite photo moments.

hey look.  tricks with ring bearers.

a little hook em / whoop battle.

cmbdjs making the dance off happen.

So, interestingly enough, this is the second time I’m doing a blog post about dinosaurs.  The first one was ok, this one is better. :)

A few days ago this photo popped up on the internet. Mad props to the photographer Quinn Miller. I loved his story about it and why he did it.

The photographer knew of the groom’s love for dinosaurs and thought it would be fun to try out the shot. That’s it. They were not following a trend on Pinterest, they were not working off a Style Me Pretty checklist. They had an idea and ran with it. (Get it… “ran with it.”)

It’s super easy to get caught in the wedding checklist mindset. There are 3.7 billions wedding sites on the web and most of them have a great list of helpful tips and ideas. The problem is the more lists you look at they feel less like suggestions and more like the 10 Commandments to a successful wedding.

I’ve had couples dress up their dogs, make a cake out of Lego blocks, and stick skulls next to the cake table.

AND even CRAZIER… my bride this past weekend had NO WEDDING CAKE!!!! (Oh the horror!)

Here is the photo I didn’t take of her not having a cake.

All of these things might be strange at your wedding. But they were totally in line with each couple and I loved them for it.

This is your wedding not Martha Stewart’s.
You are starting your marriage.
Do it your way.
Be creative.
Have fun.
Enjoy yourself.
It’s a celebration.

You were alone and someone wandered up to you and said I choose you. I pick you. I love you.
Take them by the hand and run. Run together for the rest of your life.