When you walk into a bridal suite and there are homemade bagels to match the shoes… you know you are in for a great day.

Style + Pop Culture (Best type of bride.)

Lauren chose to wear her late Grandmother’s watch.

Lauren pretending to be a model, while she put on perfume, was everything.

So.. technically this a photo of a bride walking to the bathroom. But I prefer to think of it more as a snapshot into Lauren’s personality.

Most brides end up “needing” 48 bridesmaids to help them move around on their wedding day.  Lauren is the type of lady who just figures things out on the fly and rolls with the punches.

First Look magic.

My favorite things about Sean is his ability to be fully present.  (Like how he stopped and noticed all the details of her dress.)

Or how he noticed the flower girl on the floor and sat down to play with her.

We all put our pants on one leg at a time…. except this guy.

Everyone always behaves and smiles and looks perfect on a wedding day.

No one EVER just decides to leave mid photo because the whole process is super long and boring.

Sean once again being super present.

Another example of Lauren’s totally chill attitude.  When the flower girl wanted to stand on her super nice shoes.  She just laughed it off.

Lilium Florals and Fringe Hair and Makeup Studio doing their thing.

I mean come on….

Little preview of what’s to come at the reception.

Everything about Ashton Depot in Ft. Worth is fabulous.

Also the reason everything looks AMAZING, and the day ran so smoothly, is because Kristyn Hall of Event Elements CRUSHED all the planning that went into this day.

I loved this little moment they had when no one was paying attention to them.

OK, ceremony time.  Guess who was super excited to walk down the aisle.

But wait…. what could change his mind?

Candy? Toy? Screentime?

Grandpa for the win!

My most favorite thing I have heard in a couple’s vows in a long time:  Lauren & Sean talked about how they were both going into this marriage not looking for the workload to be 50/50, but rather 60/40.  Each being willing to give just a bit more than half.  In an effort to “out serve” each other, they would make the commitment to always try to give more than they took.

Sean looks pretty excited.

Lauren’s parents look pretty excited.

Sean’s father looks thrilled beyond belief that someone would marry his son. I love it.

“Maybe Sean should have spent 60% more money.” – Mother of the Groom.

Custom t-shirt printing from Trust Printshop for all the guests!!!

Stir Crazy Baked Goods makes cakes that look amazing and taste even better!

So. Much. Dancing.

You will never convince me that a last dance alone is a bad idea.

Thank you two for trusting me with your day.  I love your story and how generous you are with your time, attention, and love.

OF COURSE THE MUG MACHINE WAS THERE!!!!

OK. It’s time again for that killer blog series: My Favorite Part of A Wedding.

Today’s topic: Bouquet Toss

Ah, yes. That moment in every wedding, where single ladies either get way too excited about it or vomit at the shear thought of it.

Quick history lesson:
Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that stems from England. Women used to try to rip pieces of the bride’s dress and flowers in order to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from the crowd, the bride would toss her bouquet and run away.

First of all, this sounds AMAZING! More like this please.

Somehow, the toss has evolved into this thing that now guarantees that the lucky lady who catches it will be the next one married. Because you know… magic.

So even though it’s a bit corny, I do love this little moment when your girlfriends get a chance to go all Hunger Games during your reception.

I love when there are literally dozens of competitors.

I love when they stretch their arms like NFL wide receivers.

I love when the girl that does NOT catch it is more excited than the girl that does.

I love when the girl you think is going to catch it does not.

I love the taunting that is often performed by the victor.

I love when the girls trip over themselves trying to catch it.

I love it most of all, when a girl falls to the floor, and a bride is willing to meet her down there for their photo together.

I also love when a lady has so much swag and confidence, that she knows she can jump, hold her red solo cup in one hand, and snag the bouquet with the other.

But seriously. Here is the key that I have found after shooting hundreds of weddings: some people love it, some people don’t. But you know your girls better than most. If you think they will enjoy it, then by all means, go for it. If you know they hate the idea… punt it. Sure it’s your wedding, but these are your closest friends. The goal isn’t to embarrass or shame them because they haven’t found someone to file taxes with jointly.

And, sure it’s a glorious moment for the winning lady, but it’s not like catching your flowers actually empowers the girl with the ability to become the next one married.

Or does it?

Because you enjoyed this, I know you’ll want to see more in this series. Click here for more words and pretty pictures.

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.

Wow, last weeks Top 10 contest was the biggest ever. There were over 4,400 votes cast. (You people have a lot of friends.) The bridal category had close to 600 votes and was decided by only 1 vote. Anyway, here are the winners for this past year. Be sure and shake hands and say good game before you walk off the field. You couples that won, you can go to bed tonight knowing you are champions. You couples that lost…. you can go to bed tonight complain about the officials.

Engagement: Band
Marriage is tough.
Balancing marriage and work is tougher.
Balancing marriage and work when you work at the same high school is tougher-er.
Balancing marriage and work when you work at the same high school and both your jobs depending on how well the halftime performance goes is the toughest.

So glad that Katie & Joe trusted me to pull of this shot. I love it.

Rings: Tweet
Nicole and Tyson met on Twitter. Yeah. Twitter. 140 characters at a time they fell in love. I would love to be there when one day they have to explain to their grandkids what Twitter was.

Brides: Emily
I’m sure many an Aggie bride has dreamed of drinking a pitcher of beer at the Dixi Chicken in a wedding dress. Emily actually pulled it off.

Mug Machine: Hair
Amanda and her friend had a KILLER wedding reception. It only makes sense that one of their Mug Machine images won.

Random: Flower
This may honestly be my favorite “lucky” photo I’ve taken this past year. You can never predict what little kids will do. I never expected her to jump in the air as she tossed petals left and right.

Wedding: Hug
It’s a bit ironic, but last year’s winning wedding image was also a hug that took place shortly after the ceremony. That’s such an unscripted time. It’s always full of so much emotion. I saw this moment unfolding and was so so glad that I was able to do it justice. Anytime part of your day involves the rebuilding of a family, I’m all in. Thank you Caleb & Sarah for trusting me with your wedding.

Thanks again to everyone who voted. It was fun. Let’s do it again next year.

It was great to spend the day with Megan & Stephen as they started their marriage at the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas, TX.  So much history there and it’s neat to view their story as a part of a larger continuing story.  Check out some of the artifacts.

Not a bad way to start off your First Look and marriage.

First wardrobe malfunction in history.

These two LOVE to play video games together.  There were all types of goodies to be found at the reception.  HUGE shout out to Silver Lining Events for putting this all together.

Get it. X/Y,  Girl/Boy, Hers/His, Bride/Groom

Toasts continue to be some of my favorite moments in a wedding day.  So many great things said about lifelong friends.
(It’s also great when your roommate asks you to hand over your princess key now that you are married and have a place of your own.)

Evolution of Father/Daughter Dance.

You remember just how much these two loved their Camaros right?  Stephen’s friends made a few adjustments to their getaway car. :)

Thank you guys so much for sharing your day, and part of your story with me.  You were so so chill.  I hope your wedding will be a reflection of your marriage.  One that is full of much Bible, video games, cars, and wardrobe malfunctions. ;)