Amanda and Steve may be my most favorite couple ever. In the history of couples. Ever. Because I love them so much. With my heart. Seriously. My favorite part of their wedding was seeing just how deep and rich so many of their friendships are. So, so many people came to support them and it really was a full day. OK, enough of that… on to the images.

Let’s kick off the day by getting ready at the Hyatt Regency next to Reunion Tower. Yes, please.

Early on I realized socks would play a key role in this day.

Spoiler Alert: Steve is not an American.

These little peppers are a family tradition on Steve’s side.  His mother and sister spent part of the morning getting them ready for the big day.

On to the Old Red Museum located right in the heart of downtown Dallas.

HUGE shout out to Lottie and her team at Grit + Gold who made the whole day look AMAZING.  (You should book them.)

Very, very “formal” photos of the guys.

Sometimes my brides are excited to get married.

USA! USA! USA!

These two had such a perfect First Look.  They spent about 15 minutes talking/laughing/tearing up and exchanging gifts.

Steve gave Amanda a cool framed photo of Texas. Amanda was happy, but curious about the gift…

Then he busted out a little card that contained ANOTHER gift!!!!

It’s a painting that she saw once and loved. So he purchased it for their home and had the artist sign it. (Major bonus points.)

More “formal” photos.

Socks!

How great are these two?

Their ceremony was performed by a friend of Steve’s who had this perfect British accent.  It made the whole thing feel like a Jane Austen novel.  He also did a killer job on their vows.  He referenced Elizabeth & Mr. Darcy, Lady & the Tramp, and Marge & Homer Simpson.

As I was shooting the image on the left, I realized that if I moved a bit to the right, I could turn Steve into a Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Pet.  Mission Accomplished!

Ceremony done.  More picture goodness!

Before the reception Amanda surprised Steve with a video of recorded messages from friends and family “back home” that could not make it across the pond for the ceremony.  (Major bonus points.)

What happened next may be the greatest speech I have ever experienced at a wedding. It’s impossible for me to describe, but I’ll see what I can do.

You remember that guy form A Knight’s Tale, who would go around introducing Heath Ledger before each joust? Yelling and screaming and holding the crowd in the palm of his hand?

Well, Steve’s best man did that for TEN SOLID MINUTES!  Telling tale after tale of the myth and legend that is Steve Harrison.  It was a riot and something I’ll never forget.

Much dancing and merriment was had.

Right before their exit Amanda & Steve did one of my favorite wedding things.  They cleared the room and had a last dance all alone.  Those ALWAYS work.  (You should try it.)

The Mug Machine was also there.  (In full force.)  I’ll be posting some of those in a few days.

JoDee & Mike’s story began like any great love story.  It began with him putting a glass slipper on her foot.  Well, technically it was a cleat. And, technically it was not made of glass, but who’s really keeping up at this point.  Mike had just moved back to Dallas after serving in the Air Force and one day while playing kickball with his buddies he came across this girl with a busted cleat.  He offered to tape it up and they lived happily ever after.  Mike is now a Sous chef at Lucia.  This super great Italian food place located in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas.  These two kept me laughing their whole session.  Take a look at how great they are together.

I thought it would be fun to use the Japanese handmade knife that Mike will keep for the rest of his life as a prop when shooting the ring JoDee will keep for the rest of her life.

Get Excited!  It’s your chance to help someone win a 16×20 print!  Voting is open till midnight.  Tell your friends.

Today’s category: Engagement Sessions

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

1. Cooking:  I loved watching Amanda & Clayton cook with their little girl.  Such fun memories and tasty cookies were made that day.

2. Checkers: True story. This is the moment in time when Karl taught Justine how to play checkers.

3. Austin: Hayden & Alecia are good at kissing.  They also like Austin.

4. Class: This is the classroom where Emily & Lucas met.  This is the very place their story began.

5. Paint: 1 sure fire way to improve your engagement session.  Paint fight.

6. Paddle Board: Kayla & David like each other & paddle boards.  In that order.

7. Home: This is the foundation to Lindsey & Jonathan’s 1st home together.

8. Hunt: Jessica & Casey like to shoot things.  So I shot them.

9.  Cars: Megan & Stephen met because they both loved their cars.  Now they love each other.

10. Hockey: Katelyn & Chris are both hockey fans.  Blackhawks won that night 6-2

Natalie & Jason had such a chill wedding at Noah’s Event Center in Plano on a cold cold day in December.

I promise I’m not exaggerating when I say that during their First Look Jason kept repeating the this phrase over and over.

“You are so beautiful.”

He must have said it 20 times.

I may have teared up.

The guys took their portrait time very very seriously.

Some people spend months and dozens of Pinterest hours looking for the perfect cake toppers.

Natalie told me they got theirs from a toy store about a week before the wedding.

I love smaller weddings because it really does feel like everyone is family.  This is them with all the “guests” from the day.

How should we end the day?
Last dance?
Flower petal exit?
Fireworks?

All too boring.

80’s movie High Five?  Yes!  Roll Credits!

If I had to pick a couple to get a bit of rain on their wedding day Lauren & Alex would be my 1st choice.  :)

Lauren totally has a go with the flow mindset and Alex played a few years of college baseball so he’s also accustom to rain delays.  I loved every minute of their day and I hope these images can give you a small glimpse of how amazing these two people are.

Lauren has a few nieces and nephews so there were plenty of great little people moments.  This may have been my favorite of the day though.  Everyone was getting ready and there were about 10 ladies in the room.  They start to look for one of the flower girls and can’t find her.  Turns out she was hiding in the corner eating candy.  Once she realized she had been busted, she stayed in the corner, finished eating, then ran out smiling.

I loved the small touches of personality they sprinkled throughout their day.  Alex had some cufflinks that made from MLB baseballs.  Lauren’s hairpiece had once belonged to her grandmother.  And the bouquet had photos of her with her mom who she recently lost to cancer.

This is the part of the wedding where Lauren’s niece tried to steal her shoes.

Such a great First Look.  Anticipation, followed by joy, then jumping and screaming, and ending with a hug.

Lauren’s nieces completed the flowergirl hat trick.  One was literally only up there for 2 seconds. (I somehow pulled off a photo.)  Another managed to fall and cry a bit. And the third was a tiny princess always ready to pose and smile.

It had been overcast most of the day and then finally 20 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start it really started looking bad.  We all ran outside in hopes of getting this wedding done and keeping everyone dry.

As Lauren was about to walk down the aisle…  The drops started coming.  Totally in stride, her father reaches over, grabs an umbrella and they keep going.  Lauren’s heart was bursting with laughter all the way down the aisle.

I don’t think I’ve seen two people smile and laugh so much during their ceremony.

Alex jumped the gun and got busted for stealing first and then got to kiss her again.  Officially.

On the the party.  Hey look, it’s Angela & Spencer.

This little man’s go-to dance floor move.

I really can’t believe Alex’s mom didn’t make us all buy tickets to the gun show.

That tender moment when you leave a little cake on his face and decide to suck it off in front of everyone.

If you can catch a bouquet while holding a small child, you make the blog.

I loved their last dance all alone.  Just perfect.

BOOM Mug Machine Goodnesss!!!!

Ok guys, let me be straight with you.  Your wedding day was the perfect example of what marriage holds in store for you.

There will be days filled with dancing & laughter.
There will be days when everything just seems perfect.
There will also be days when the storms come.

They always do.

Great marriages are not ones that avoid the storms or ignore them.  They are the ones that look at the rain, grab an umbrella, and march forward with their commitment to one another.

It was an honor to capture the very first storm your two weathered as husband and wife.