Such a perfect day.  I love when I leave a wedding and feel, “it would be impossible for them to have had a better day.”  That’s exactly the feeling I had at the end of Hilary and Kirk’s wedding.

It kicked off at the Magnolia Hotel in Dallas.

This is Hilary and her sweet mother. Everything I have ever achieved or will achieve is due to the connections and opportunities this lady has given me.  Thank you. ;)

Last year, I photographed Hilary’s brother’s wedding and took the image on the left.  Fast forward to this wedding… As a bridesmaid was handing Hilary a bite of food, it’s like I was suddenly in the Matrix.  I could not believe it was happening again and that I was given the perfect photographic bookend.

On to the venue.  The Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas, TX.

Kirk was on the phone, when someone came in to pin on his boutonniere.  He asked me if he needed to put his phone down.  I said no, then he proceeded to big shot all of us and started yelling “BUY BUY BUY!  SELL SELL SELL!”

Of course they had a First Look.

It’s always great when a bride chooses me to document their day.  It’s even greater when families have me back for another wedding.  Thank you so much Loyd’s for having two awesome kids, and letting me take photos of you and them, the day you handed them over to another.  That is an honor and a privilege.  Your kids ROCK and that means that you guys are pretty swell parents. ;)

Here comes the bride.

Hilary and her father took dance lessons and came up with a choreographed father daughter dance.  I know I was supposed to be watching and shooting them, but I kept being drawn to her grandparents who just kept cheering and clapping during the whole dance. :)

I don’t even know why Bridesmaid # 1 is poking Bridesmaid # 2 in the mouth while #2 spills her drink as Groomsman #1 creeps in the background but I felt it was worth documenting.

Couples take note.  THIS is how you stand next to your wedding cakes.

Rings are fun.  Mother’s dancing is more fun.  Pouty flower girls  are fun to make fun of.  Half eaten wedding cake is the most fun.

To Hilary & Kirk:  Thanks for rocking my socks off.  You guys were amazing.

The best part of my job is the people. I have the greatest couples, and documenting their story is the best because it’s unfolding along the way. Parts of it are already there, but much of it happens “live” and in the moment. This is especially true of wedding days. And, as far as wedding days are concerned, JoDee & Mike had an amazing one.
You may remember them from their super great cooking themed engagement session. (Mike is the Sous chef at Lucia. If you are in the Dallas area, you should go eat his food.)

These two decided to get married at the Inn at BK Ranch just outside of Palestine, TX. It’s a gorgeous location and perfect for a weekend of wedding fun and goodness.

Check out all the wedding pretty.  Doesn’t it all just look amazing?  Every detail has been thought through and planned out.
Enjoy it while you can…. SPOILER ALERT: Not for long.

When I first encountered JoDee on her big day, she was doing what every sensible bride does on a Sunday: picking the winner of NFL games.
(Her mother and sister were also making their picks with input from JoDee’s Grandmother.)

Speaking of her Grandmother: JoDee wore her earrings because she is super sweet like that.  And TOMS because she is super sensible like that.

I adore the faces brides make when they are getting their dress synched up in the back.  Always the best.

Some First Look magic.

Wait… what… no bouquet?

Why no flowers JoDee?

“No particular reason besides I just find them silly. Like really. Stop and think about it. Why would anyone hold flowers… I don’t even own a purse; let’s just say I’m not a fan of carrying things about. So I opted for the flower crown.”

Works for me. :)

So it started to drizzle at this point. So I said to JoDee, “Do we want to head inside or go ahead and knock out the wedding party photos?”
JoDee looked at me like I was a crazy person and said, “It’s just a little rain, we’ll be fine.”

629 Cool Bride Points earned.

Hey look everyone. Beautiful people, in a beautiful place, wearing beautiful clothing.

JoDee’s dog decided picture time was over.

About an hour before the ceremony time, it became clear that the rain was not going to pass over. I’ve seen this scenario unfold dozens of times: the will it rain/it won’t rain/please don’t rain/oh crap it’s raining dance that everyone does around the bride. As people tiptoe around the subject ,they try to ask her what to do or what she wants done on her most special day in the history of days.

This was no different. People went to JoDee to find out what she wanted to do and she started thinking through options and opinions. I found Mike and asked him if he wanted to go talk with JoDee and come up with a plan and he said, “Just do whatever she says.”

The thing is, it was not like a typical dude, just deferring to “whatever she wants; it’s her day.”

It was more like:
She is capable.
She knows what to do.
I trust her.
Well the more people asked, the more it became an issue JoDee did NOT want to deal with. So, she passed the decision back to Mike.

Then, as soon as it was in Mike’s court, he took it and ran with it. We are moving it inside. The rain is coming, so let’s get ready.

And just like that, without even realizing it, they did it.

They did one of the hardest things in marriage.

They faced a problem, tossed it around a bit, and then solved it by leaning on and trusting each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Mike COULD have made the decision all along. Yet he was wise enough to respect and love JoDee enough to let the decision be her’s. When JoDee felt the burden of it become too much, she handed it off to Mike, trusting in him to work it out.

Talking through, juggling, and working out difficult decisions are what make marriages stick. These two put on a clinic on how to do it 30 minutes before they were married.

Well, eventually the rains came. In fact, it started to pour. All their friends jumped right in and started moving tables and place settings inside and up stairs. The rain had come and it was here to stay. The outdoor wedding had become an indoor event. A soggy indoor event. But no one seemed to mind. We were all making the best of it and they were still going to get married.

Then something interesting happened. The clouds parted. (Well, more like it stopped raining.) For a moment, we were golden. We all ran outside and decided to try and do this thing as planned.

Here comes the bride.

Mike’s father performed the ceremony. And being a basketball official back in the day, he even surprised them with a little wardrobe change.

Then it started raining. Again. Right in the middle of their ceremony.

Someone tried to give JoDee and umbrella, but she refused it. I later asked her why and she said, “If the guests were willing to get wet, so was I.”
821 Cool Bride points earned.

Turns out, rainy wedding days are a bit of a tradition in Mike’s family. Both Mike’s siblings had rain at their wedding. A massive storm blew through the morning of his brother’s wedding and Hurricane Ike caused a ruckus for his sister’s big day.

Eventually the party moved inside. (Sans table linens.)
The rest of the afternoon was spent full of laughter, memories, and toasts from family. Toasts that included a signed photo from Tony Romo. (Although the signature did resemble Mike’s brother’s handwriting.)

Also, who doesn’t love the Mug Machine?

Fun Fact: Dude in the jacket in the lower left, split his pants bending over for the photo.

One million thank you’s to you two for letting me share in your day.

Thanks for trusting me with it.
Thanks for braving the rain.
Thanks for showing me how marriage is supposed to work.

When I got home from this wedding, I Instagramed a photo of these two and said this: “I have photographed hundreds of weddings. I have never seen a groom be more tender towards his bride than Tim was towards Beth.”

As I edited and looked over every image I captured that day, I still feel that to be an absolute truth.

The depth and richness of their relationship seeped through every aspect of their day.  I felt so honored to be there.  I felt like I should be paying them.  Then I was all like… wait.  My kids need to eat.  Nevermind.

Beth and Tim were married at Stone Oak Ranch in Athens.  It’s a Top 10 venue and I love shooting there.  Also Moss made the whole day explode with floral goodness.

Beth knew exactly what she wanted in a dress.  But, unlike her groom, she could not find it in one place.  So she had one commissioned, that combined 3 different dresses on Etsy. :)

Every time I turned around, these ladies were laughing.  About everything and nothing, all at once.

Tim wrote in a little journal for her and as she was reading it she was tearing up, and then chuckled a bit.  I later asked her and she said that he had misspelled a word. :)

Beth and her mom shared a super sweet prayer before the day really got rolling.

I told you Moss killed it with the flowers!  Call and book them! 903.787.8821

This is when I started noticing Tim’s attention to detail.  When he opened the gift Beth had for him, he looked over every part so carefully.  The card, the box, the small stuff we tend to glance over.  He even flipped through and read every page in a photo book she had made for him.  I was standing there photographing him, waiting for him to go to the next gift, but he just kept looking at the photo book.  Page by page.  After a minute or so, I began to worry because I saw that there was another book.  A longer thicker book.

Sure enough, he opened this one to the table of contents and started looking over it.
(At this point I kinda freaked out in my head.  We are on a schedule bro.  I only allotted 5 minutes for “gift exchange” and you are making me nervous.)

Then he went to this pose.  He settled in.  He got comfortable.  I think he forgot I was there, and we were there, and he was getting married.  He was so engulfed with the perfect gift that Beth had selected that it was threatening to ruin my day!!!

He finally put the book down and we moved onto the business of this ever important “formal photos.”  This is Tim and his brother being “formal”.

Tim also picked out bow ties for each of his guys.  (I’m scared to know how long that process took.)

Boom!  Tim’s brother strikes with a perfect photo bomb.

Beth’s sister made these.  Because she is awesome.

Wedding time rolled around and I was waiting for it to start, when all of the sudden preacher man started talking.  I figured it was the usual, silence your cell phones, no flash photography announcement.

Wrong again, Alex.

Beth and Tim asked him to speak for about 5-10 minutes on what marriage is.  What it means.  What we strive for and commit to when we enter into this covenant.  And they asked him to do it BEFORE they came out because they didn’t want any of his words to be missed by the distraction of them, and their closest friends being up there.

They just wanted a not so subtle reminder for them and their guests that marriage is legit.

You don’t jack with marriage. (My words, not his.)

Beth finally came out.  Tim cried.

When she got to the front, they spent some time just hugging and holding each other.  Because why not. :)

While at the back, I saw this.  It has nothing to do with covenants, or marriage, or the sacredness of the moment.  But you can’t NOT photograph dinosaurs.  Right?

This is Tim’s “I CAN’T BELIVE WE ARE FLIPPING MARRIED YOU ARE SO GORGEOUS” face.

After I finished their photos, I encouraged them to just take some time alone before heading back towards the wedding party and reception.  I looked over and found this.

Hello perfect moment.

I love it so much.  It totally captured their day and relationship.  It wasn’t a kiss.  In fact, I would not even call it a “hug.”  It was more of a “hold.”

As in, I’m here for you.  I’m supporting you.  I’m committed to you.  I’m in this moment with you and will be in so many more moments for years and years to come.

Marriage is hard.

Mortgages
Kids
Budgets
School
Work
In-laws
Holidays
Bills

All of these things are a part of it.

None of them are inherently bad.  But boy, do they sometimes feel like they are pulling you apart.

Knowing your spouse is committed.  Knowing they are there to lean on.  Knowing that you can always walk into a room and hold each other, regardless of whatever is spiraling out of control around you, is what keeps marriages together.

I loved getting to capture their first “hold” as a married couple.

I always like when this happens during a First Dance.

And just when I thought I had seen it all…..  They go and give me a Marriage Monday quote on the side of their car.

“It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Thank you two for an amazing day.  I love you.

Lucas & Emily had an incredible first day as husband & wife.  They were surrounded by family and their closest friends and it happened right where their story began.  A little university in College Station called Texas A&M.  (You may have heard of it.)

The thread of family was so, so evident in their wedding.  From the very beginning it was easy to see how valuable it was to them.  Emily & her sisters must have spent thousands of mornings like this; laughing, music blaring, and getting ready together.  Well… minus the champagne.

Shout out to Emily’s mother who made this.  Out of string.  All of it.

Game.  Set.  Match.

Lucas did what many guys do.  He wrote Emily a letter for her to read on their wedding day.  Then he trumped all men everywhere by also giving her a letter he wrote to his future wife when he was 16.

A little spot on campus called The Century Tree.

Basically everyone was crying when Emily came out.

Well, everyone but this guy.  He was all like: “Why are all you humans up in my tree?”

I love veil mishaps during ceremonies.  They are the best.

Emily’s sisters responded by cheering like wild banshees.  Her brother responded by tearing up and hugging her for about 30 seconds.

The flower girls giggled and snuck a peak at all the kissing and hugging.

This image is becoming harder and harder to get at weddings.

A groom, his bride, and their parents.

It always fills my heart with joy when I get to capture one.  I know life happens, times are hard.  Sometimes tragedy strikes.  But there is something incredibly Holy and sacred about seeing 2 couples with over 25+ years of marriage joining their children in that covenant.  It always gives me that much more hope for the bride and groom.

You HAVE to take one “normal” photo of siblings.  But after that one is knocked out…  We get to the good stuff.

Speaking of “the good stuff”…

After the ceremony we all headed over to Christopher’s World Grille.  They spent the evening  Whooping, cheering, and saying wonderful things about each other.

The older I get… the more I love these moments.

Speaking of moments I love.  I LOVE when brides pull off a photo bomb.

Normally the getaway is where the night ends.  These two had other plans in mind.  If you are an Aggie, you’ll recognize the location.  If you are not an Aggie, you’ll have to wait till Monday to know where we went. :)

Oh… and for all you Aggies out there who are dying to know how they pulled off a ceremony under the Century Tree…

You can’t “reserve it”, but you can “show up”.  Other things may even be going on at your “time”.  Who knows.  Your best bet is to contact the University Events Coordinator.  Best of luck.  (WHOOP!)

Amanda & Dale had the perfect wedding day at The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge.  But it didn’t just happen.  They had to fight for it.

Coby Neal and The Flower Studio in Austin CRUSHED it.  So so nice to look at.

This next photo is one of my favorites.  These two had planned to be married last year but some date conflicts and a medical emergency caused them to postpone the date.  They were able to find a date early this year that worked and even then they had the threat of rain all day long.  They stuck with it though and had a fantastic day.  They were willing to keep pushing forward to get what they wanted.  Just like this image.  Amanda wanted photos in a field of bluebonnets.  They were far away.  She made the hike and never once complained.

The rest of the night was filled with laughter and stories told by the fire.  It ended like every wedding should.