A few of my favorites from Kristen & Brandon’s wedding at the Villa di Felicita in Tyler, TX.

Another tasty cake from Designs by D’Anne

These two came ready to work.

La Tee Da Flowers did their magic.  I always love getting to work with them.

Every time I mentioned having a First Look to these two they were opposed to it.  About 3 weeks before the wedding Kristen said they had changed there mind and wanted to do one.  Once they saw each other both of them really seemed to “settle down” and they kept mentioning how glad they were they decided to do one. :)

I like to keep my couples alone for a few minute after their First Look, but these two were too cute to shoo away. :)

We went outside for a few shots with the wedding party.  We looked at the back of Kristen’s dress & found some grasshoppers who were also celebrating their wedding day.  I joined the groomsmen in photographing them proving that all males, regardless of age, are just 6th grade boys when it comes to humor.

A quick action shot of Thomas taking care of the wedding walk.  This is just one example of why I love La Tee Da so much.  He waited till the last possible minute to set out these flowers because he didn’t want the wind to blow them to the side.

Thankfully Thomas had left by this point or I’m afraid the ring bearer would have gotten in trouble. :)

Two things I love about this photo.
1. A Seriously good “You may kiss the bride”.
2. Jeff Heimer from JMH Pro peaking around the back.
(I love working with talented videographers and Jeff is one of the best in the area.)

Come back tomorrow for some fantastic-ly delicious Mug Machine photos!

Typically when I meet with brides or chat with them at the engagement session, I like to ask how the planning is going and what “phase” they are in.  More often than not, when the topic of “The Guest List” comes up, a discouraged look comes over their face.  This seems to be the most dreaded part of the planning process.  Well today I have great news for you.  I am adding guest lists to all my packages.  That’s right, I will contact all your friends and family and get their pertinent information and pass it on to you. :) It will not cost anything to my current brides and….

OK, so maybe I’m lying about that.  But, I do think I may have a solution for you.  Most of you are users of the internets. (Assuming you read this on a computer and do not have someone print it out and hand it to you every day.)  In fact, most of your guests are computer savvy as well.  Pretty much everyone is on Facebook and can do a bit of E-mail, so this is something that should work for the majority of your guests.  It’s a short little video on how you can use some free Google sites to organize and put your whole list together.  It’s 2010 people.  Work smarter not harder. :)

Sign up for a Gmail account here and get going.

Get started with Google Docs here.

Let me be super clear.  If there is one thing I know NOTHING about, it’s flowers.  I know there are roses, gerber daisies, and sunflowers.  That’s about it.  The good news for you as a bride is that I don’t have to know about flowers.  I have to be able to take fancy pictures of them.  That I can do. :)  However, Barbara & Thomas from La Tee Da Flowers in Tyler, TX know absolutely everything about flowers.  Week in and week out I get to interact with  different florists.  The folks at La Tee Da Flowers set the standard for this part of Texas.  I popped into their shop one day to hang out and snapped a few photos while I was there.  Barbara kept getting on to me because I didn’t warn her and she didn’t get a chance to pick up a bit.  But seriously, look at this place.  It’s like working in The Secret Garden.

Seriously, even the “mess” on the floor is fun to photograph.

How did you get started & how long have you been doing this?
Started in 1989 as a flower wholesaler..I used to drive a 24 foot long bob tail truck. Went completely retail in 1994 after the big Calif. earthquake. Our store was called Antique Flower Garden. (goggle us)  We were an award winning florist and sold it in 2006 and moved to Texas. Love it here!

What is your favorite part about your job?
Giving the bride her bouquet and seeing her first reaction…it’s worth all the effort.

What are some things brides should look for when looking for a florist?
An owner involved florist/designer. Tons of pictures of that florist work…current ones, not pics from a book. someone who understands your sense of style and will help you develop it. 


How many flowers do you guys typically go through per week?
As little as a couple of hundred to many thousands. Nothing is typical in the flower business.

What are some arrangements that you don’t get requested often but you think look great for a wedding?
Wreaths for the entry doors.

What is something unique to your service that you are extra proud of?
No drop and ditch for us..we deliver and I mean deliver. We set up, pin on all of our own bouts and corsages (don’t leave it for the photographer) we tear down….we do it all.

Anything else you wanna say?
We love what we do….our enthusiasm is contagious, we are committed and happy to be here designing and creating for such great people. We love Texans! (My husband Thomas, says he got back here as soon as he could)



And, because you can never have enough photos in a post, here are some images from Kristina & Nick’s wedding where La Tee Da provided the flowers. 

This first shot may not seem like a big deal.  But, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a wedding where the florist dropped off a cardboard box full of boutonnieres and no one had any idea which one went to whom. Then at the last minute, someone is walking up to a grandfather and REMOVING his flower to place it on the usher because they thought they had enough for everyone. Not a good way to start the wedding day. This labeled board makes the whole process seamless and easy.

Say hello to the La Tee Da mascot.







One last thing… not only are their arrangements beautiful and incredible to look at, Barbra & Thomas are nice people.  Think about it.  This is your wedding.  Why would you want to interact with someone who is not super nice?  About 15 seconds into our first meeting I felt like I had known these two forever and they were totally invested in my life and business.  That type of interaction is what you want from ALL of your wedding vendors.

La Tee Da Flowers
105 North Spring Avenue
Tyler, TX 75702
(903) 566-1566

Web: http://lateedaflowers.com/
Blog: http://lateedaflowers.blogspot.com/

Kristina & Nick had a crazy fun wedding at the Villa di Felicita in Tyler. Let us now relive the day through stellar photography. :)

It takes a lot to get me excited about jewelry, but Kristina’s necklace did the job.


Shoe Contest!

(I think Nick won.)

First Look fun.

La Tee Da showed up and basically exploded color all over the place.

This amazing cake was done by Shelly Franke (csfranke@yahoo.com)

I love when grooms tear up as the bride comes towards them.

After the ceremony everyone basically danced from 6:09-10:20. Crazy fun.
(I especially love the couple in the lower left. Close, but not too close.)

Kristina & Nick, I had been looking forward to your wedding for months and you did not disappoint.
Thanks so much for trusting me to share & capture your day.

Alex – Contact Me!

Kristina & Nick’s wedding was so of the chain, it is going to take 2 blog posts to chain it back up.
(I clearly have no idea how to talk like the cool people.)

4 Easy steps to an incredible wedding.

Step 1: Be beautiful.

Step 2: Make sure one of your bridesmaids is rocking’ an iPod mini. (circa 1994)

Step 3: When you write your own vows, tell your groom you are not a very good cook.

Step 4: Dance with your dad.

Come back tomorrow for more Kristina & Nick goodness.