It’s that time again. It’s time to look back at some of the best photos from 2014. Everyday we’ll be taking a look at a new category. Voting is open till midnight and the winners will be announced Monday. The winning entries will each receive a 16×20 print.

Today’s category: Weddings

Take a look at the entries then vote at the bottom of this post.

One of my favorite things about my job is how unique each of my couples are, even though I’m basically shooting the same event every weekend. They all vary so much from each other due to the personalities and stories that are unfolding each day. The reasons I love these images are not because they are the most technically “correct” or most beautiful image. It’s because I feel like they nail who each of these couples are in one single image.

1. Prayer: Megan & Stephen’s faith plays a huge role in their life. (They were married at a Biblical Arts Museum for crying out loud.) Anyway, this shot of them praying together right after their First Look, just nailed them and their day.

2. Field: Amanda & Dale were planning on getting married back in 2013.  Illness and other issues forced them to have to postpone their day.  When April 2014 finally rolled around, you could tell they didn’t care about anything related to fancy wedding, appetizers, or linens.
They didn’t care if there were 500 guests or 5 guests. They just wanted to be married to each other.

3. Horse: Katelyn & Chris know what they want; especially Katelyn.  I love brides who know what they want.  Katelyn wanted a few shots at the stock yards on her way to the ceremony.  We literally stopped traffic to get some shots of her and her wedding party.

4. Century Tree:  If you know anything about Aggies you know they love their traditions.  (Sometimes a bit too much.)  Anyway, Emily & Lucas wanted to get married under the Century Tree.  It’s a rare sort of deal and a bit of a guerrilla operation to make it happen.  So this little moment where they were able to stand under the tree and look out at all of their friends and family that were their to support them, just made my day.

5. Hug: I’m a sucker for families.  I’m a super duper sucker for families coming together.  So this shot of Caleb and his daughter hugging their new bride/mom five minutes after the ceremony, melted every part of my heart.

6. Squish: Dani & Joey are super smart.  As in doctor smart.  As in MIT smart.  Yeah.  That smart.  Their wedding party was full of doctor smart, MIT smart people.  Doctor smart, MIT smart people are really good at being funny.

7. Shadow: Beth & Tim may have been the most “present” couple I have ever photographed.  They were so aware of their day, the beginning of their marriage, the start of their life together.  The reason I love this image is because of how tender it is.  It’s exactly the way Tim treated and acted towards Beth all day.

8. Selfie: Shelby & Logan can own any moment they want.  She is a lawyer and he is a game warden.  That means you can think things are going your way and you are in charge, and suddenly, out of no where, they step in and remind you they were there all along, making sure everything went as they had planned.  Right after their ceremony, they were gathered around their family and friends hanging out and talking,  and I was just snapping random photos.  Logan looked at me and said, “We want to take a selfie.”  BOOM.  Just like that they owned the moment.  Their whole day was full of things like that.  I loved them.

9.  Shape: Jennifer loves her some architecture.  Went to school for it.  Knows it.  Lives it.  Could not stop blabbing about the Parador and how amazing it was.  I know she got married because she loves Ryan.  But, sometimes, I think she got married because she wanted an excuse to rent the building. ;)

10. Swag: Hilary & Kirk.  Few couples intimidate me.  Hilary & Kirk were one of those couples.  Man, these two are full of such swag, it’s ridiculous.  They are so kind and a joy to be around, but at the same time, it’s like they are on a whole other level.  99% of the time when a couple walks over to their cake to be photographed with it, they look right at me and say “What do we do?”  Hilary and Kirk walked over to it and did that.  Swag.

The day you get married is really unlike any other day of your marriage. It’s packed full of moment after moment after moment of memories. There are huge swings of emotion and sometimes the most unexpected thing will end up being the highlight of your day. I’m often asked “What’s your favorite part of a wedding?” The reality is, I don’t have just one answer for that. It really depends from wedding to wedding. I can say, that having shot over 400 weddings, a few trends have emerged and I’ve seen some patterns bubble up that I always look forward to documenting and being present for. I’ll be writing about one of these per month and I thought I would kick it off with one you might not expect.

My favorite moment of a wedding day is…. Family Photos!

That’s right, baby. I LOVE family formals. (I even wrote about how to have great formals a few years ago.) These are your people. This is your tribe. These images are so full of history and depth it’s impossible to not love them. This is your chance to laugh and cry with those who have known you the longest. It’s the time all your people look their best and these photos are the ones that will be put in frames and looked at for years and years to come. These are the images that end up on the kitchen counter, in the hallway, and above the fireplace. The thing is, sometimes in all of our planning and prepping for the day, they get overlooked. They become an item in your 76-Things-To-Do-On-Your-Wedding-Day-Checklist.

[ ] 4:30 Bridesmaid Photos
[ ] 4:45 Family Photos
[ ] 5:00 Reception

Just realize that that little block of your wedding day is one that many couples are not present for. I mean, they are there. They show up. They smile, pose, and hug. But, really, they are looking towards the next moment. The reception, the ceremony, the alcohol at the reception. :) They are not fully present and aware of how special these moments can be.

Need proof? Take a look.
This is typically what you think of when you hear family photos.  Bride with parents.  Check. :)

But, you’ll quickly realize there is so much more happening.

1st family photo where all the kids are married.

That super tender moment you have with your dad.

A mother who has raised 4 boys into grown men.

Sometimes things get a bit more fun.
Example: A photo of what this family typically looks like. ;)

Siblings are the best!

Sometimes the photos are not even about you.
That moment when a grandkid spits up on your grandparents.

I LOVE to pull the bride or grooms brother/sister and their family aside.  It typically takes about 30 seconds and BAM!  They get a new photo to hang on their wall.

How about one of your parents. Who NEVER get dressed up. Who NEVER get photographed. Here they are, looking good and in love.

Or how about that picture with your grandparents who have been married 57 years and you have not even been married 57 minutes?

Let’s fast forward to 2020.

Six years from now when you go home for Christmas and you have a three your old little girl, she will be at PaPa & NaNa’s house looking at the tree. She will stare at all the gifts under it and then she’ll notice a photo hanging on the wall of her mom in a white dress. She will look at it for a while, then she will ask her NaNa about the photo. And then your mother will tell her all about how beautiful her mother was on her wedding and how wonderful the day was.

And THAT moment, in the future, will be magic. And it will all be possible because you took a few moments on your wedding day to be photographed with the people who love you the most.
Because you enjoyed this, I know you’ll want to see more in this series. Click here for more words and pretty pictures.

Emily & Lucas has a killer Aggie wedding day.  She got ready at the MSC, they were married under the Century Tree, then they headed to Christopher’s World Grille for the reception.
(See all the photos here.)

There was only one logical way for the day to end.  At the Dixie Chicken.

These two carved their initials here a few years back.  Of course we took photos by them.

My favorite moment of the night was when Emily was drinking, Lucas wanted a sip and Emily would not allow it.  Welcome to your new life Lucas. :)

So in the previous post we learned how to get married under the Century Tree.  This one is a bit easier.  You don’t have to make plans or call.  You just walk in to the Chicken.  And… bonus points to you because people will probably buy you a pitcher. :)

Congrats to you guys.  You had an amazing day.  Thanks so much for letting me share in all of it. WHOOP!

Lucas & Emily had an incredible first day as husband & wife.  They were surrounded by family and their closest friends and it happened right where their story began.  A little university in College Station called Texas A&M.  (You may have heard of it.)

The thread of family was so, so evident in their wedding.  From the very beginning it was easy to see how valuable it was to them.  Emily & her sisters must have spent thousands of mornings like this; laughing, music blaring, and getting ready together.  Well… minus the champagne.

Shout out to Emily’s mother who made this.  Out of string.  All of it.

Game.  Set.  Match.

Lucas did what many guys do.  He wrote Emily a letter for her to read on their wedding day.  Then he trumped all men everywhere by also giving her a letter he wrote to his future wife when he was 16.

A little spot on campus called The Century Tree.

Basically everyone was crying when Emily came out.

Well, everyone but this guy.  He was all like: “Why are all you humans up in my tree?”

I love veil mishaps during ceremonies.  They are the best.

Emily’s sisters responded by cheering like wild banshees.  Her brother responded by tearing up and hugging her for about 30 seconds.

The flower girls giggled and snuck a peak at all the kissing and hugging.

This image is becoming harder and harder to get at weddings.

A groom, his bride, and their parents.

It always fills my heart with joy when I get to capture one.  I know life happens, times are hard.  Sometimes tragedy strikes.  But there is something incredibly Holy and sacred about seeing 2 couples with over 25+ years of marriage joining their children in that covenant.  It always gives me that much more hope for the bride and groom.

You HAVE to take one “normal” photo of siblings.  But after that one is knocked out…  We get to the good stuff.

Speaking of “the good stuff”…

After the ceremony we all headed over to Christopher’s World Grille.  They spent the evening  Whooping, cheering, and saying wonderful things about each other.

The older I get… the more I love these moments.

Speaking of moments I love.  I LOVE when brides pull off a photo bomb.

Normally the getaway is where the night ends.  These two had other plans in mind.  If you are an Aggie, you’ll recognize the location.  If you are not an Aggie, you’ll have to wait till Monday to know where we went. :)

Oh… and for all you Aggies out there who are dying to know how they pulled off a ceremony under the Century Tree…

You can’t “reserve it”, but you can “show up”.  Other things may even be going on at your “time”.  Who knows.  Your best bet is to contact the University Events Coordinator.  Best of luck.  (WHOOP!)