I first photographed Erin back in December of 2008.  She was a guest at Lauren & Brent’s wedding and has been creeping my work ever since.

I was so, so thrilled for her when she got engaged last year, and I LOVE the man she married.  (You can see their super fun Dallas engagement session here.)

Once you are done with those, continue on down and enjoy the glorious goodness that was their wedding day.

It’s always great to work at the SPRINGS Event Venues.  Their location in Poetry Springs was perfect.

Erica Ransom ( #hairbyericaransom ) from the deNovo Salon worked her magic on Erin’s hair.

Erin truly was a beautiful bride. Stunning.

One of my most favorite things from the day was how much Eric’s father made sure to include his other daughter, Lauren.  He was constantly affirming her, giving her hugs, and just generally being an amazing dad.

Why yes, we would like a magical First Look.  Thank you.

Aaron just kept repeating the words “I don’t even know what to say.” Erin didn’t worry about saying anything. She just kept tearing up.

They both included the phrase “teamwork makes the dreamwork” in their notes to each other.  I had not heard it before, but man is that ever true.

How about a nice slow clap for The Southern Table and the amazing florals they put together.

You know how at every wedding there are those people that hang around the family photo time, even though they are not related to you; only because they hope to be asked into a photo?  Lauren & Brent are those people.  Gross.

I LOVED when her mom pulled her grandmother over so she could get a great view of Erin coming down the aisle.

I also love when Aaron went straight Gladiator “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?!” right after they kissed.

Just because.

Erin and all her little Aggie friends sang their friendship song together.

Erin and all her little Aggie architecture friends built a building together.

Hey look.  More people who would not be married were it not for me.

Give it up for Jennifer & Ryan and once again, let’s here it for Lauren & Brent.

Erin had so, so many friend at her wedding.  You know why?  Because she is a friend.  She’s such a friend that when you bite it trying to catch her flowers, she’ll get down on the ground with you.

Excitement?  Fear? Trepidation?  Not sure what that expression is…
Maybe I can Photoshop a smile onto his face.

Of COURSE they did that thing I love where they are the only two people left dancing.

Thank you guys for trusting me with your day.  It was an honor to be there.

And, to the unknown single lady who  was at this wedding and will be creeping on my work for the coming years…
I look forward to photographing your 2024 wedding.

Rebekah & Matt’s wedding at The Landing at Joshua Farms in Kilgore, Texas was such a joy to be around.  Every time I turned around there were more friends and family showing up.  These two are surrounded by an incredible support system.

This little (big) printer is near and dear to Rebekah.  She’s had it for many years and it’s made her graphic design-loving heart full of happiness.  Of course it would play a part on her wedding day.

I love a great First Look.  But, I also adore me some Daddy/Daughter First Looks as well.

Anytime your getaway car and bridesmaid dresses match, you know your wedding is on point.

“What do we do now?!” That moment right after you have been announced at your reception, but are not quite sure where to go next.

I think Rebekah and her father laughed more during their first dance than any two I have photographed in the past 10 years.

Whoop.

Of course she had a reception dress.

I was totally humming “and at last i’ve seen the light”.

Sometimes I wait outside the bathroom for the bride to walk out so I can get an awkward photo of her. (That’s not creepy right?)

Let them eat cake!

Hey future brides… I can’t encourage you enough with this one… A last dance where you are all alone is THE BEST.

You guys rocked my socks off.  Thanks for being so delightfully wonderful.

Niki & Jeremy were so, so chill on their wedding day.  Even the threat of rain didn’t phase them.  These two wanted nothing more than to hang out, get married, and maybe have a little fun at the reception.

Hey, if you are looking for a pretty great place to get married… Wildcatter Ranch in Graham, TX is your jam.

Niki’s “something old” was her grandmother’s wedding ring. She passed away just shy of 50 years of marriage. Could this ring be any simpler?

Nothing about it says “look at me”.

All it really says is “Don’t bother looking. I’m taken. I’m committed.

‘Til death do us part.”

This is what people pay me for.

Jeremy and his son were getting ready together.  I loved how inclusive both Jeremy and Niki were to him the whole day.

I love when a First Look goes from the first reaction being a smile to everyone tearing up within 4 seconds.

One of my favorite family photo moments ever.  Of COURSE her grandfather said “hang on a minute” after their picture and gave Niki a 100 dollar bill. :)  Because that’s what grandfathers do.

Their reception was what every wedding reception should be: laughter, dancing, family, & friends.

Did I mention fireworks?

And… what do you do if it’s raining when you are done with the party and need to walk back to your cabin?

You put a trash bag over your wedding dress.

Thank you for being so relaxed.

Thank you for not stressing about rain.

Thank you for including your son every step of the way.

Thank you for leaving in a trash bag.

Can I let you in on a little secret?  I’m not impressed or excited by how pretty your wedding is.

It’s true.  I mean, sometimes it’s cool and all, and I may even pretend to care, but that’s not really what I love about photographing weddings.

And the reality is, even though you may not realize it, you might not care about the pretty by the end of the day.

Now, before you freak out, stay calm and look at the photos below.  I take pictures of all the beautiful.

See, I told you I could do it.  I told you I could take pretty pictures of pretty things.

But like I said, the pretty is not what I’m there for.  I’m there for the random, the obscure, the genuine moments that bubble up throughout the day.  Those are my favorites.  And part of me knows that the further away from your wedding day you get, the more you will love and laugh and want to look back on those moments as well.

Like that moment when I walk into the brides room and she’s doing this. :)

Or the moment that you realize that you only wrote your groom a short card, and he gave you two hand written pages of commitment on your wedding day.

That moment when you point at the one bridesmaid who is wearing leggings.

The little details.  Like the fact that even though your sock won’t show, it still matches your colors.

That moment when one of your flower girls calls you out for getting married in tennis shoes.

That moment when your brother-in-law photo bombs your formals.

That moment when your brother walks into your room, and everyone squeals with delight, and your sister stands in the background while the two of you hug.

Speaking of sisters… only they love you enough to rub in your deodorant.

That moment when your mom wants to both film your wedding and pray for you all at once.

That moment when your flower girl decides that she is done holding that basket you handed her and would rather balance it on her head.

That moment when you can’t get the unity candle lit and your groomsmen are hacking you as you struggle through it while the whole world watches and waits forever.

That moment you forget you are a bride and just decide to act like a normal person and lick part of the cake that got on your hand.

Or maybe my favorite moment of the night.  That moment when your flower girl head up collecting money for your honeymoon and ended up with over 300 dollars in cash and would not give it back.  And it literally took you and the groom’s sister ripping it out of her hands as she was carried away crying.

So yeah, make your wedding pretty if you want.

Make it beautiful.
I suppose someone cares.

Just not me.

Because what I loved most was while Lacey & Cory were struggling through that unity candle, and his guys were teasing him and poking fun at his failures,
Lacey kept smiling.

While it seemed like it took for-ev-er to get it figured out (it really only took 53 seconds),
Cory stayed cool.

When their perfect plan of a perfect unity candle flopped in their face,
they figured it out.

That is my favorite part of their day.  And if they can keep smiling, keep their cool, and work together, the rest of their marriage will be more beautiful than their wedding.

Today’s post will be a bit different.  I just wanted to focus on 3 aspects of Amanda & Bob super fun Castle on the Lake wedding: the flowers, the First Look, and the flower girls.

First up, the flowers.  Anytime I pull up to a wedding and see the La Tee Da mobile, I know I don’t have to worry.  The pretty will be there for sure, but even more importantly, there will be no added pressure or stress on the bride.  Barbara and her team show up on time, with no issues, and always make the place more amazing than even the bride could imagine.

Here is what Amanda had to say about the florals: “I was so excited to see the flowers that I kept peeking out the window while we were getting ready because I knew they were going to be absolutely gorgeous!”

You hear that?  A bride was so excited about her flowers that she put off getting ready for her wedding so she could look at the flowers for her wedding.  Way to go La Tee Da!

I also LOVE being there when a bride gets to see her bouquet for the first time.
La Tee Da even has a section on their site devoted to this moment at every wedding.  So fun.

You know I always enjoy a First Look.

Amanda & Bob spent their’s laughing and tearing up over the day.  Such a great moment of calm and reconnecting before the chaos that can be a wedding day.

Bob was super nervous up until this point.  So seeing and getting to talk to Amanda, really helped settle him down a bit. And, little did he realize it, after a few minutes he started to sooth her spirits and was so, so tender with her.

I told you La Tee Da was good at their job.

You were promised flower girls, and flower girls you shall have!

Yes, please!

Every lady has a nice handbag.

Seriously.  This is a real live human tiny girl who looks just timeless.

Thank you guys for such a chill and wonderful wedding day.  I promise I took more than just photos of your flowers, you two, and your flower girls. ;)