I still remember the first call I had with Liz & Jeff. Danielle and I were in the car, and I called Liz to go over their engagement session plans. Since I was driving, I had the phone on speaker, but Danielle was just being her super, quiet self. (She’s a creeper.) Anyway, Jeff had not said much as Liz and I kicked ideas around. After hearing all of her suggestions, I kinda formed a little plan and said, “I think we should do this, this, and this, etc.” “Sound good?” There was a bit of a pause and then Jeff jumped in and said,

“How do you feel about that Liz?”

She said she was good with it, we finalized the details, and the call was over. I turned to Danielle and smiled and she said something to the effect of “That’s impressive.”

Seriously. I was floored. That little question said so much to me about their relationship. Months before they are getting married, Jeff has already realized what it took me years to understand and flesh out in my marriage.

Feelings Matter.

We all know they matter. But sometimes we tend to overlook or skip past them. We assume the other person is wrong to “feel” a certain way and they’ll get over it. We think we know best and eventually, they’ll come around. This is not a good plan. Trust me. ;)

Jeff and Liz have figured out that the more they communicate and talk through things, the stronger their relationship will be. The better you are about talking through something as unimportant as your engagement session location and time, the better you will be when it’s time to talk through a career change or move.

I adore their sense of humor.  I said, “Go stand on the bridge and hold hands with just a bit of space between you.”

Sit on the bench like you would if I was not here. :)

While shooting their session, I started to understand how and why these two seem so comfortable and secure in their relationship. I think it’s because they have been through and seen a lot. They met while serving in the Peace Corps, and together have traveled all over the place.

Singapore
Malaysia
Kenya
Canada
Jamaica
Mexico
London
Kenya
Uganda
Tanzania
England
France
Germany
Spain
Mexico

Not a bad list right? If you have ever been to another country, you know that sometimes the cultural or language barrier can be a tough thing to overcome. If you stay there long enough though, you find ways to make things work and figure the place out. That’s a skill Liz & Jeff have acquired. That’s a skill that will serve them well in the strange and exotic land they will find themselves in soon enough.

The land called Marriage.

I seriously loved you two as much as possible without being super weird about it.
I can’t wait to hang out on your wedding day and know you two are gonna be great at it.

I was totally hooked on Haley & Mark 5 minutes after meeting them.
Here is all you need to know:  Mark flies an Apache chopper.  Normally that would be enough to impress me, but  wait… there’s more.
His fiancée flies a Black Hawk.

BOOM!  I’m sold.  Just like that.

These two met at West Point. (Like you do.)  And after a little back and forth, decided they are totally perfect for each other and are getting married next year.  They love all things science so we all headed to the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

This is totally how I picture them.  Always off on little adventures together.  Running towards danger together.

My favorite thing about Mark is that even though he could probably kill or paralyze me in 2.5 seconds, you would never know it by how he interacts with Haley.  Super sweet, extra tender,  a total gentleman.

I also was thrilled to finally meet people more excited about their rings than those Aggies tend to be.  West Point graduates.

Thank you guys for a great afternoon, letting me share part of your story, and most of all, your service to our country.

Candace & Covy were married a little over a year ago.  I asked her to drop some dimes of knowledge on us about what that first year has been like for them.  (And, as a bonus, her wedding day gets one more blaze of glory on the blog.)

Q: What do you miss most about the single life?
A: I don’t!

Q: Give us your best cheapo/fun married date idea.
A: Anything outdoors – fishing, working out, beach, picnic, gardening, playing with Rex, etc. There’s something about just the solitude in nature and making your own fun without cell phones, laptops, television interruptions. “Just you and me, enjoying us”

Q: What have you like most about being married?
A: Being a team, having someone else’s support and love to come home to everyday

Q: Whats the hardest part about being married?
A: We both work full time so finding the middle ground on the dreaded chores!  (I’m more of a deep clean while Covy is a surface clean.)

Q: What was the biggest thing you were nervous about? How has it turned out?
A: Buying our first home, one that we can start a family in, and that it would feel like “home” to us. It was meant for us, we are such homebodies now!

Q: Do you have any advice for couples about to take the plunge?
A: Enjoy every single second, and let loose! Those memories you will look back on and will smile ear-to-ear. And write notes to each other the day of, exchange, save and open on a special anniversary – it will be so special to look back on how you were feeling, and what you projected.

Suzanne & Ryan are doing a destination wedding in Florida later this year.  They had already booked a photographer out there and spent most of their budget, but didn’t end up having enough left for an engagement session.  That’s when Ryan stepped up to the plate with his awesomeness.  He found me online, called me, booked me, and printed out some of my images and surprised Suzanne with a session.  50 bonus points for him!  Way to go Ryan.  He’s a keeper!

My favorite part about their story is that they met at work and had gone on one or two dates.  Then Ryan got a promotion and he became Suzanne’s direct report.  ;)

He actually proposed out in Vegas.  We were not able to go to Vegas for this session, but he did track down this slot machine rental place that let us use their inventory.

Thank you guys for a great afternoon.  Have fun in Key West.

This is a post I’ve waited close to 5 years to write. As long and as hard as the wait has been, the end result is that much more rewarding.

When I first started shooting weddings it didn’t take me long to realize 2 things:

1. I loved shooting weddings.
2. I hated shooting weddings.

It seemed like every other week I would bounce from one end of the spectrum to the other. Little by little I was able to pinpoint my feelings and figure out exactly what was causing me to love or hate each particular weekend. The more the day was about THE WEDDING, the less I seemed to enjoy it. The more the day was about the marriage, the more I left with a full heart. Little by little, year by year, I’ve been able to find my voice, and find the type of couples that I want to work with. This site is the culmination of that process.

There are 3.6 billion wedding photographers in Texas alone. 3.5 billion of them take fantastic images so taking a great photo is not enough. I’m not looking for couples who only want great images. I’m looking for couples who want an honest portrayal of who they are. I’m looking for couples who are authentic and real about what their wedding day can be. I’m looking for couples who want great marriages. The best way for me to find those couples is by modeling that behavior. So finally, after all this time, I have a site that is an honest reflection of myself and what working with me is like. You are not going to find another site like this anywhere. Second Street Creative did an AMAZING job building it and I can’t say enough good things about Ryan. Thank you so much for making this idea a reality.

This is who I am. If you think you might want me at your wedding, spend 10 minutes on this site and you’ll know. And, if you decide we are not a great fit that’s ok. I’ll even help you find a photographer that is. ;)

So go on, take a look around.  There are fun little surprises and things to be found.  It looks different on a computer, tablet, or phone so why not try all three? My favorite part may be the Mug Machine section under Info or the super cute kids on the Bio page.

One last note. The past 2 weeks leading up to this site launch have been packed full of 17 hour days. You would not be viewing it were it not for the limitless hours Danielle invests in our family. Thank you so much for your love and support. You are more amazing today than the day we were married and I’ll never feel like I deserve you.

 
P.S. If you want a chance to win a 2 night stay at a bed & breakfast, here’s what you gotta do.

1. Leave a comment below.
AND
2. Post something on your Facebook telling folks to come take a look around the site.
(You must do both things to be entered to win.)

Here’s a little suggestion on what you could say:

AlexM, my best internet friend and killer photographer, just launched a new site. You should go take a look at it’s amazingness.
http://www.alexmphotography.com

I’ll be selecting the winner at random by the end of the week.