You may not be ready for this post.  It’s like a billion photos long.  (Now is a great time to stop and get a snack before we get started.)

OK, I warned you.

First off, I walk in and see Von Criswell upgrading Kally’s face.  I adore Von and she always knocks it out of the park.  The day is off to a great start. (Every bride should book Von.)

Kally’s father was in perfect father-of-the-bride mode all day.  Sit around and wait to be asked to do something.

Kally was a STUNNING bride.

Wait, I think this was the photo I was meaning to post.  Ignore that last one.

Kally was a STUNNING bride.

Kally giving her parents handkerchiefs when they saw her for the first time was a well thought out plan.

It’s like Stone Oak Ranch and La Tee Da Flowers were made for each other.

This little man was a rock star all day.

Like I said, La Tee Da was on FIRE. (I guess Kally liked her bouquet.)

First Look time.  (I guess Kishan liked his bride.)

Little man going for the nose pick during portraits while his dad rushes in to deny.

Why yes, they do both belong in a magazine. I’m glad you noticed that.

Ceremony time.

From the moment I started their engagement session last September, I noticed that Kishan constantly looks at Kally with a sense of awe and respect; this really came through on their wedding day.

Kishan & Kally decided to have both a Hindu & American wedding ceremony.

Little man looking at me like, “They told me I just had to walk the rings down.  Why are you still photographing me, bro?”

They then preformed the Saptapadi (Sanskrit for seven steps/feet) where they made these commitments.

1. Let us provide for our household, stay in good health and carry out our duties and responsibilities to each other, our families and our tradition.
2. Let us develop our mental and spiritual powers.
3. Let us increase our wealth and comfort by righteous and proper means.
4. Let us acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love, respect and trust.
5. Let us be blessed with contended family of strong, virtuous and heroic children.
6. Let us be blessed with long lives.
7. Let us remain true companions, committed only to each other.

Of course they planted a tree with soil from their own homes.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the moment right after a couple becomes one.

I also think photographing a married couple with their grandparents is such a HUGE moment in every wedding.

This may be my favorite moment from the day.

I mean, if you HAVE to have a first dance, you might as well make it a good one.

This dance with her father was EVERYTHING.  Him crying, her crying, Kishan holding her mom while they both watched.

Back to the nose.

Speaking of nose.

Kally has a GIANT laugh that fills the room.  I’m glad I caught a few of them on camera.

This is my new best friend, North.  He and his wife own Northmark Films out of Dallas.  Even though he looks confused and caught off guard in this photo, he really is pretty great at his job.  Well, I say that, but I actually think he is sub-par at best.  His wife Olivia however is a BALLER and she does AMAZING work.  You should absolutely have them film your wedding. (Or at the very least have Olivia come out.)

The evening was pretty chill.

My favorite thing about Kally was how inclusive she was on her day.  Constantly noticing and making time for everyone around her:  grandparents, nieces, college friends, high school friends. Kally is so full of life, and she made sure that everyone who honored them by coming, felt a bit of that joy and thankfulness.

You can’t plan moments like these.  They just happen organically.  And they are wonderful.

That time at your wedding reception when you are really getting into the dancing.  Like really, really getting into it.  And you look over and realize your mom is watching.  And everyone kinda laughs at the awkward moment, and then your mom shouts out,
“SHE LEARNED ALL THOSE MOVES FROM ME!”

Every single wedding should end with you and all your friends singing “Don’t Stop Believing.”

Then you should have one last dance alone.

Then you should leave with sparklers and get dipped on your way out.

Back to this photo…

Every now and then while shooting, you KNOW you’ve got a golden photo.  This was one of those moments.
I loved everything about this moment.

I love that they are relaxed with a drink in hand.
I love that Kishan is being a gentleman and holding the 58lb bouquet.
I love that you can see the henna on Kally’s ankle as her dress is hiked up.
I love the laughter they are sharing.
I love the cowboy boots Kishan is sporting.

But most of all, I love that they are on a path together. Already taking steps together.

Just 30 minutes prior, they made a commitment, a vow. The last part of that vow was to “remain true companions, committed only to each other.”

This is how you stay true companions.
This is how you stay committed only to each other.

By doing the journey together.  Side by side.

Hannah & Rob had the most chill wedding day at Nantucket in Longview, TX.  So much of the day was put together by these two and their insane group of friends.  It truly felt like a wedding day straight out of a movie.

I walked in to Hannah giggling as one of her bridesmaids did her makeup.  Hannah’s brother is in the United States Army and could not make it.  His wife was kept company all day with a life-sized cut out.  Because of course they had a life-size cut out.

“If you walk around to the back of a house and hide behind the bushes while a girl is getting ready for the day, eventually, she will see you, laugh, and you will capture a magical photograph.” – AlexM

Hannah used her grandmother’s old jewelry box to hold the rings.
(More like her grandmother’s vintage, magical mystery-case of wonder, beauty, and joy.)

Baller Mother of the Bride.

Hannah gave Rob a sweet note and a flask.

Hannah’s mom was just a delight.  She was so present throughout the day.  I loved capturing her reactions.

Of course I’ll take the timeless photo of you putting on your earrings.
Just be aware that the timeless moment of you putting on deodorant will also be documented.

First Look goodness.

I looked down for a minute as I was swapping lenses and then Rob is suddenly checking twitter or something.  “What a douchebag,” I think to myself…. Oh wait… never mind, he’s totally reading Hannah a super sweet note he wrote for her about their day. (That was a close one.)

Remember that flask… Hannah is one of those brides who thinks of everything.
Including: “I might want a drink mid-way through my wedding day.”

These two were way too comfortable on this swing.  I made her stop before she fell off.

Hannah spent most of her wedding day smiling and giggling.  Being kissed by her husband also helped.

Her bridesmaids put this together.  True story.

When you look down during the bridesmaids portraits and see this…. You know the reception is going to be legit.

Family portrait time!

Right before the ceremony I look up to see Hannah’s grandfather doing this.  Eventually someone brought an umbrella out, but boy do I love this moment.

Of course the official opened with 2 minutes of Princess Bride styled, “Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday.”

Why just walk into the reception when you can dance your way in?

This moment was everything.  It was when Hannah and her grandfather teared up about her grandmother not being there.  Hannah told him that she had attached a necklace of her’s to the bouquet that she carried all day. Which was sitting on the table in front of them.
All the feels.

I adore toasts.  I love when people say the things we often feel, but rarely tell each other.  This one was a doozy.  If you are wondering why it goes from evening to night time in these photos it’s because they had that much great stuff to say about them.

And then her brother called in from his super top secret location and talked about how much he loved Hannah and what an honorable man Rob was and how he could not be happier for the two of them.
Game over.

“Can we just cut the cake?  We don’t want to do that thing where we feed each other?” she said.
Of course you can!  It’s your wedding, do whatever you want to do.

Every sparkler exit should feel like the Battle of Helm’s Deep.

My favorite 10 Mug Machine images from the night.

Old man using them as as x-ray goggles. :)

This is what happens when your brother-in-law films your wedding.

Of COURSE Rob tore a hole in the crack of his pants.

Spit take.

Thank you for your service.

You guys had the perfect day.  Thank you for sharing it with me and trusting it to me.

I don’t even know where to start when it comes to Kayla and Trent. I can honestly say I have never had a couple that was as full of life as these two. Constant laughter, constant energy, constant joy.

Before we get started… there is one detail you should know about Kayla: her mother owns a wedding venue. Not one of those “we have a big house, so we let people have weddings here at times” wedding venues. But, a straight up, legit, killer wedding venue. It’s called Stone Oak Ranch and it’s amazing. I love shooting there and I will link to it like 10 times in this post in hopes of giving them a little extra SEO goodness. Also, when your mom owns a venue and your coordinate weddings out there, you probably have seen and worked with over a thousand photographers. It was a HUGE honor when they asked me to shoot their wedding. Thanks for making me feel good about myself.

On to the day.
Step One: Party Animals.

Look at all the shiny, shiny-pretty, pretty at Stone Oak Ranch.

Check out their custom made, super fun invitations made by the Rifle paper Co.

2 weeks ago I shot a wedding with a tattoo station.  I demanded more brides do this.  BOOM!  I show up and Kayan and Trent have this.  Well played.

Someone stopped bride-ing and started coordinating as she put her topper on her yummy Chez Bazan cake.

Hello, my name is Kaylan, and Von Criswell did a killer job with my makeup.

You know a wedding is good when they have a First Look….

and they loved it so much they decided to do ANOTHER FIRST LOOK!!!!
(they blew my mind.)

That super sweet, tender moment, every outdoor bride shares with her groom as he picks bugs out from her dress.

Wait what….?  This seems out of place…. Why would anyone have a random carnival cut out at their wedding???

A Touch of Nature did a fantastic job with all the flowers.
(I just love the shot of Kaylan blowing her bang back into place.)

These two are not only super full of life, but their siblings are as well.  Trent’s sister kept pretending it was her big day, while Kaylan’s brothers made the most of their “formal” photos with her.

Licking your finger and wiping things off.  Such a baller move from Trent’s Grandmother.

Is it ok if I think this is my most favorite photo ever?
This is how you Flower Girl. Maximum extension. Petals high. Feet off the ground. Clear eyes. Full heart. Can’t lose.

Their ceremony at Stone Oak Ranch was full of laugher, stories, and joy.  As every ceremony should be.

Of course they exited to “Come and Get Your Love” and had an impromptu dance party.

I adore moments like this one.
No one around them.
No one posing them.
No one coordinating them.

Just two people who have been married 15 minutes.

That carnival cut out makes a whole lot more sense when you realize that they had A FULL BLOWN CARNIVAL for their cocktail hour.  (Like you do.)

Everyone does the mamba for their first dance, right?

I don’t even know where to start for this reception. It was perfect.

Let’s do this… Let’s start with Otis and the Metro Band. They sang, played, and kept everyone dancing at Stone Oak Ranch for 4 hours.

Everyone loves tattoos.  Buff brides, couples, super cool Grandparents.

What’s left…. Oh yeah… a clown.  Give it up for Kornpop and his perfect balloon animals, hats, and mistletoe.

You know a reception is great when the flower girl grabs on to a post and holds on tight as she is being carried out.

There are no words.

Who doesn’t love a face full of lavender?

Thank you guys for a perfect evening at a perfect venue.  Let’s give it up one last time for Stone Oak Ranch and for Kaylan and Trent.

If I had to sum up Shelby & Logan’s wedding day in one word, I would choose “relationships” as their word.  Every time I turned around, it seemed as if these two were deep in conversation or a moment with another person from their story.  Weddings are often a time when the bride and groom are surrounded by their friends and family, but they rush and events of the day make it easy to overlook the people they love the most.  Shelby & Logan spent their day fully present and soaking up every moment.

They were married at the historic and gorgeous Astin Mansion in downtown Bryan.  This place is amazing.  They are also home to Carriage House Floral who brought their A game.  Take a look.

The ladies spent the morning like all good Aggie bridesmaids… Watching football.

Right before she started getting ready Shelby’s mom gave her a few small gifts from herself and other friends.  Then they sorta broke down.  Just for a minute. :)

Shelby’s maid of honor loved me getting this shot of her brushing her teeth.

I love toasts.  They are super great.  I also enjoy finding the creation of the toast.  So many times I come across that moment, when a mother or father sit down to try and put into a few sentences, what a lifetime of raising and loving a child has meant to them.  It’s rarely an “amazing” or “stunning” image, but so many times they end up being my favorites from the day.

Shelby’s dad was super sweet when he saw her for the first time that day.

I love how Shelby went all creepy on Logan during their First Look.

So, somewhere along the day, we got news that the cake had been dropped on it’s way to the venue.  Not cool right?  Of course Shelby responded how every bride should.  She was like, “No big deal, I’m sure it will all work out.” :)

And just like that Shelby earned 387 Cool Bride points.

Can I tell you a little secret?

Everyone knows you are supposed to look at the bride when she comes down the aisle.  (It’s her day BLAH BLAH BLAH.)

And… all you professional wedding go-ers also know that looking at the grooms reaction is also a golden moment.

The thing is, and due to the angle and location, this is so hard for most of you to see: the mother of the groom is sometimes where it’s at.  :)

All mothers ever want is for their kids to have a fulfilling life.  It’s never about them being successful, rich, or even giving them grandkids.  They just want them to be full.  To know they have a teammate.  So when a mother can see her son, looking at the woman who will be his partner in life, his biggest fan, the one who will hold him, give him comfort, joy, and the security that she has given for all these years, it’s a special moment.  I love that moment.

Right after the ceremony I heard Logan say, we should take a selfie.  Then Shelby said, I don’t have a phone.  Then Logan said, I don’t have a phone.  Then I said, I have a phone.  Then they selfied on my phone while i photographed them selfieing.

You’ll be surprised to know that Logan’s grandmother is a fan of watching her grandson dance with her daughter. :)

Sometimes I think the only reasons Aggies get married is so someone will photograph their rings.

Hey, hey.  Guess what showed up?

Not only was Shelby cool about the whole thing, she went over and gave the cake lady a hug and thanked her for making her another cake.

274 Cool Bride points earned.

So many people shared so many great stories about growing up and raising these two.  I would love for you to hear them, but guess what?  I was only there to take photos.  Good news though!

Matt Johnson of FilmStrong was there.  He is a killer videographer based out of Dallas.  You should book him.

Towards the end of the night, Logan surprised Shelby by playing and singing a song for her.  He also made all us other guys look like chumps.  :)

These two ended the night how I believe every couple should end their night: with the dance floor all to themselves.  It’s totally a thing that feels right out of a movie.  I love it every time.

Thank you guys for an amazing day full of laughter, friendships, and all around Aggie coolness. ;)

P.S.  You know what else was at their wedding?  The Mug Machine.

Check out my 10 favorites from the night.

One of the best things about weddings here in the East Texas area is just how many great venues there are for brides to choose from.  Most of these places were build from the ground up with weddings in mind.  They have plenty of rooms to get ready in, multiple locations for you to have your ceremony and reception and some even offer a place for you to stay the night.  Many will offer catering and provide you with packages that include a few other wedding vendors as well.  A good wedding venue is totally worth the money once you factor in all these things.  Here are the 10 best East Texas wedding venues. (In alphabetical order.)

The Arbor
2215 Roy Rd.
Tyler, TX
903-534-4997
www.arborvenue.com

The Belgium House
Longview, TX
903-720-6414
www.thebelgiumhouse.com

Bella Sera Ranch
286 ACR 1400
Palestine, TX
903-723-0900
www.bellaseraranch.com

Castle on the Lake
9110 US Hwy. 79 W.
Jacksonville, TX
903-721-3593
www.jacksonvillecastle.com

Elmwood Gardens
680 ACR 446
Palestine, TX
903-549-2716
www.elmwoodgardens.com

Lake Tyler Petroleum Club
15898 Eastside Dr.
Tyler, TX
903-566-4444
www.laketylerpetroleumclub.com

The Legacy
Jacksonville, TX
903-571-9644
www.thelegacy-venue.com

The Reserve
7725 Hwy. 259
Longview, TX
903-431-3496
www.bookthereserve.com

Stone Oak Ranch
Murchison, TX
903-530-4201
www.stoneoakranch.com

Villa di Felicitá
7891 Hwy. 110
Tyler, TX
903-597-0002
villadifelicita.com