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

Every time I’m fortunate enough to shoot out at Elmwood Gardens, I love it even more. :)

Calley had all types of shiny pretty things.  Petal’s Florist did a great job and I LOVE that she wore her grandmother’s jewelry.

Calley told me she has been “playing with this jewelry” since she was a little girl.  How awesome is that?  And, how crazy are these screw on earrings.  :)

Calley & William had an amazing First Look.  William kept spinning her around and looking at all the details of her dress.

If you remember their engagement session you know that these two love them some triathlons.  Their ring bearer must be in training because this little man sprinted down the aisle.  Big, long strides.  About a 5 minute mile pace.

As they were finishing up their ceremony it started to drizzle a bit.

Calley actually stopped her vows, turned to the crowd and said, “You all can head inside, we are going to finish up.”  They then shouted back at her, “Keep going!” “We’re fine!” “We are staying!”

That is what every marriage needs.  When the hard times come,

You need a group of friends that will cheer you on.
You need couples who will sit in the rain with you.
You need friends who will say “We are with you through all of it, good and bad.”

When planning your wedding and marriage make sure you have those.  They are super important.
You can’t find them on Pinterest or Style Me Pretty.
The Knot does not have a checkbox that looks like this: [  ] Friends as committed to our marriage as we are.

Those are the types of things that will make your marriage stand up to all types of weather.

So, Calley & Will continued, while family and friends were rained on a bit, they committed to each other regardless of what life brought their way.  They said I do. They kissed. And we were all witnesses.  (With a few raindrops to prove it.)

Just when I thought I could not love them any more, Will stepped up to the mic and sang “Forever and Ever Amen”.  Will’s vocal talents are…. how can I put this… uh… less stellar than his triathlon skills.  :)  It was totally out of a movie.  So so great.  Calley could not stop laughing and everyone else enjoyed it quite a bit as well.

Thank you two for trusting me with your day.  Thank you for not letting a bit of rain dampen your spirits.  (Get it. Ha Ha)

I hope you two have many many years and miles of marriage together.

I had such an amazing day hanging out with Jaime, Nolan, and all their family and friends. It was a day filled with love, tears, and laughter. It was a great day. 

Jaime spent the morning putting some finishing touches on her day. Nolan spent it putting finishing touches on himself.

They placed a few of these cards across all the seats.

We invite you to be truly present on this special evening. Your presence as we take this step is a wonderful gift for us. Please turn off your cell phones and put down your cameras during the ceremony, and open your hearts to experience this moment fully. (we have hired a photographer we trust completely to capture these moments in images, and they will be available to anyone who wants them in a few weeks.)

Needless to say I was honored and giddy all at once.

They had a perfect First Look.

Jaime has two little boys. I wanted to eat them.


Seriously?!?!?!

1. Nolan drank like 16 sweet teas. He was intent on staying hydrated.
2. Ring Bear for the win!
3. That moment when you stop being a bride and have to sit your kids down and be a mother.
4. The back of Nolan’s vest. (It was his favorite part of the vest.)

This next image is my favorite one I took all day.

Jaime had been fighting serious migraines all day, in fact we almost had to put off the wedding till later in the day. After the ceremony they were just sitting in the kitchen resting and someone asked them if they were ready to make their entrance and have their first dance. Jaime said she didn’t think she was up for all that. Nolan said no problem. About five minutes later while holding and comforting her they broke out into a slow dance. All alone, with no fanfare, no one clapping, no one watching. I took 3 photos and walked out. It was a moment that just belonged to them.

Just the two of them on their wedding day.

It was a beautiful picture of marriage. It’s not the big public moments that get us through life. It’s not the things we say when everyone is watching. Marriage is about what we do when we are alone.

Marriage is about changing the toilet paper roll.
Marriage is about making the bed.
Marriage is about impromptu slow dances in the kitchen.

The little happy pills that helped Jaime make it through her day.

Eventually everyone felt better and dancing was in full “swing”.

Sorry ladies, that super mysterious ultra good-looking dude in the band is married!

A million thanks for sharing your day with me.  Thank you for letting me help launch your marriage.

i’ve known gabby since she was this little.

i met her because i thought her oldest sister was hot.  (i later married her oldest sister.)

more than any other bride i have followed gabby’s journey towards marriage and been there for the ups and downs.  it was so special to be there on her wedding day at bella sera ranch.

gabby and kendal met in hong kong where she teaches english.

gabby gave me her shoes like this.
i said can i take them out of the bag?
she said do whatever, i trust you.
this is what i did.

nothing like having twin daughters help you get ready.

sara, my 7 year old, loved having aunt gabby fix her hair.

petal’s florist did the amazing job they always do.

gabby was so so nervous leading up to her first look.  i loved seeing kendal melt those nerves away as he held her.

i typically don’t post many “formals” but this bridesmaid was too attractive to pass up.  (the little boys aren’t bad either.)

jo loved getting dressed up.  he kept channeling his inner tony stark.  (his words)  he loved it until the bridesmaids started telling him how handsome he was.

fine! fine! since you asked, i’ll show you all 4 of my kids.

gabby & kendal had a herd of nieces and nephews walking down the aisle.

it was about a billion degrees below zero outside and some of the inside cowards were taunting the faithful of us who endured the cold.

i love this photo of them after the ceremony.  gabby has the best laugh.
kendal’s brother in law dropping the perfect out of focus photo bomb.

the toasts were perfect, they included stories of them making out and bible verses that morphed into 3 sisters rapping.

before returning the get-a-way car my kids and i decided to give it a little test drive the next day.

gabby, i’m so so proud of you.  i love you dearly and know you and kendal will make me many many glorious nieces and nephews to spoil.

am i allowed to love everything about lisa & rory’s day?  i hope so.  i connected with these two instantly  on their engagement session and knew their wedding day would be super swell.  they did not disappoint.

la tee da flowers doin’ what they do so well.

they met at the hospital where they work.  their hearts beat for each other. (get it?  ha ha!)

a little bit of first look magic.

i love wedding parties that laugh.

cmb djs always make a wedding reception more cooler. :)

thank you two for trusting me with the launch of your marriage.  i had a blast.