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!!!!

Lindsey & Jonathan are the kind of people I want to be when I grow up.  The trouble is, they are younger than me so I think I’m a bit behind schedule. :)

One of the questions new couples ask me right away is “Where should we do our engagement session?”

This typically leads to them telling me about an old abandoned building they saw, or a run down gas station they passed somewhere.  I normally point couples away from those locations because although they make for a “cool” background, they really have little if anything to do with their story.  I would much rather stick someone in their kitchen, a library, or a go kart.

Those are the places where their lives started to mesh.
Those are the places their story was written.
Those are the  places they fell in love.

Well, as it turns out.  For Lindsey & Jonathan, old run down buildings are kinda their thing.  They work for a non-profit called Burn Ministries.  Jonathan has spent the past 3 years pouring his life into the Lake Como community and Lindsey is signing up for the same challenge.  This building is right next to their office and too good to pass up.

You know how some people work in a community and then go back to their “real lives.”  Not so with these two.  This is the slab for their home.  They poured it in a “shady” neighborhood.  A neighborhood most of us would drive around or hope to not break down in.  They are being intentional with their careers and with their lives.  They are not athletes, celebrities, or millionaires.  They are regular people making irregular choices. They are my heroes.

Here they are in their living room.  I got excited thinking of all the meals they will share there.  The kids that will come over when they feel they have no one else to talk to.  The lives that will get changed because they opened their home.

It’s not often you can stand on a concrete slab and get goosebumps.

After showing me around their neighborhood, we hit up Qdoba.  These two met while working at a summer camp of sorts.
While at camp Jonathan found out Lindsey was a stylist, so he got her to cut his hair.  (Smart Move #1)
After the hair cut, he then invited her to “grab a bite to eat.”  (Smart Move #2)

This is where they went.

Realizing Lindsey was totally a keeper, Jonathan asked her on a “real date.”  (Smart Move #3)  The Reata is where that happened so we returned to that location to retell a bit of their story.

Thank you guys for being amazing people.  I left your session with a full heart.  You are the best.

ashley & blake are fun people.  fun people have fun friends.  fun friends make for a kick butt mug machine.

Ashley crushed her bridal session at Howell Farms in Arlington.  Check out these images and tell me you don’t love her.And, just to prove she’s a real person and not a cgi goddess..  We took this.