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. ;)

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.

amanda & clayton had the closest thing to a perfect wedding day i have ever seen.  no hiccups, fantastic weather, and just the right mix of family and friends.  if all i did was shoot this wedding over and over i would come home every weekend with a full heart.

can we all agree that la tee da flowers is amazing?

there was so much gorgeous light filling first presbyterian in tyler.  i loved it.

so many many vintage goodies provided by prairie sage vintage rentals.

clayton busted out the biggest face of awe when he saw amanda during their first look.

their daughter was as perfect as a flower girl could be.

i adore this image.

clayton was so kind to give alexis a little necklace.  she felt so so special.

the only thing better than vintage props at a wedding is vintage snacks! :)
they were the first couple ever to have their reception out on the church lawn.  it totally felt like anne of green gables.

thank you guys so much for letting me be a part of your perfect day.

stephenie and jared had the most chill wedding i’ve seen in a while.  i love couples that understand that this day is about so much more than the million tiny details that can make up a wedding.  stephenie and jared get that and that’s part of the reason why i love them so much.  having said that…. they had an amazingly pinterest-able wedding at wildcatter ranch in graham, tx.

a bit of goodness from their first look.

i LOVE these shots we snagged in the kitchen as they are waiting to enter the reception.