When you walk into a bridal suite and there are homemade bagels to match the shoes… you know you are in for a great day.

Style + Pop Culture (Best type of bride.)

Lauren chose to wear her late Grandmother’s watch.

Lauren pretending to be a model, while she put on perfume, was everything.

So.. technically this a photo of a bride walking to the bathroom. But I prefer to think of it more as a snapshot into Lauren’s personality.

Most brides end up “needing” 48 bridesmaids to help them move around on their wedding day.  Lauren is the type of lady who just figures things out on the fly and rolls with the punches.

First Look magic.

My favorite things about Sean is his ability to be fully present.  (Like how he stopped and noticed all the details of her dress.)

Or how he noticed the flower girl on the floor and sat down to play with her.

We all put our pants on one leg at a time…. except this guy.

Everyone always behaves and smiles and looks perfect on a wedding day.

No one EVER just decides to leave mid photo because the whole process is super long and boring.

Sean once again being super present.

Another example of Lauren’s totally chill attitude.  When the flower girl wanted to stand on her super nice shoes.  She just laughed it off.

Lilium Florals and Fringe Hair and Makeup Studio doing their thing.

I mean come on….

Little preview of what’s to come at the reception.

Everything about Ashton Depot in Ft. Worth is fabulous.

Also the reason everything looks AMAZING, and the day ran so smoothly, is because Kristyn Hall of Event Elements CRUSHED all the planning that went into this day.

I loved this little moment they had when no one was paying attention to them.

OK, ceremony time.  Guess who was super excited to walk down the aisle.

But wait…. what could change his mind?

Candy? Toy? Screentime?

Grandpa for the win!

My most favorite thing I have heard in a couple’s vows in a long time:  Lauren & Sean talked about how they were both going into this marriage not looking for the workload to be 50/50, but rather 60/40.  Each being willing to give just a bit more than half.  In an effort to “out serve” each other, they would make the commitment to always try to give more than they took.

Sean looks pretty excited.

Lauren’s parents look pretty excited.

Sean’s father looks thrilled beyond belief that someone would marry his son. I love it.

“Maybe Sean should have spent 60% more money.” – Mother of the Groom.

Custom t-shirt printing from Trust Printshop for all the guests!!!

Stir Crazy Baked Goods makes cakes that look amazing and taste even better!

So. Much. Dancing.

You will never convince me that a last dance alone is a bad idea.

Thank you two for trusting me with your day.  I love your story and how generous you are with your time, attention, and love.

OF COURSE THE MUG MACHINE WAS THERE!!!!

Hey hey, the people have spoken and here are the winners for this years contests.

Engagement: Natelee & Josh. There is something super timeless and perfect about a couple hugging while the dude makes his girl giggle.

Rings: Melanie & Aaron used these drinks during their ceremony. I’m glad their ring photo was able to include them as well.

Brides: Liz braved the stupid hot afternoon June heat for her bridal session. It was worth it. (Right Liz?)

Random: I LOVE this shot of the bride’s sisters and mom documenting their day.

Mug Machine: Hair makes the best prop.

Wedding: Breelyn & Tyson had the most perfect outdoor wedding ever. It’s only fair that their perfect outdoor photo win.

Each year it’s so hard for me to narrow down the categories and pick only 10 photos per section. This year I’m giving you a little peek behind the curtain at some of my other favorites that were not able to make the cut in wedding related categories.

Lots and lots of eye candy below. Enjoy.

Thanks to everyone who voted and a HUGE thanks to all my 2015 couples. You guys are super generous to allow me into your lives on these intimate days. You are the best.

It’s that time again. It’s time to look back at some of the best photos from 2015. Everyday we’ll be taking a look at a new category. Voting is open till 8am and the winners will be announced Monday. The winning entries will each receive a 16×20 print.

Today’s category: Wedding Rings

I love trying to capture what is unique about a couple and work that into a photo of their wedding rings. Here are some of my favorites from this past year.

Take a look at the entries then vote at the bottom of this post.

1. Glass

2. Jenga

3. Cork

4. Bling

5. Engaged

6. Horn

7. Caps

8. Mickey Mouse

9. Fight

10. Cards

It’s that time again. It’s time to look back at some of the best photos from 2014. Everyday we’ll be taking a look at a new category. Voting is open till midnight and the winners will be announced Monday. The winning entries will each receive a 16×20 print.

Today’s category: Weddings

Take a look at the entries then vote at the bottom of this post.

One of my favorite things about my job is how unique each of my couples are, even though I’m basically shooting the same event every weekend. They all vary so much from each other due to the personalities and stories that are unfolding each day. The reasons I love these images are not because they are the most technically “correct” or most beautiful image. It’s because I feel like they nail who each of these couples are in one single image.

1. Prayer: Megan & Stephen’s faith plays a huge role in their life. (They were married at a Biblical Arts Museum for crying out loud.) Anyway, this shot of them praying together right after their First Look, just nailed them and their day.

2. Field: Amanda & Dale were planning on getting married back in 2013.  Illness and other issues forced them to have to postpone their day.  When April 2014 finally rolled around, you could tell they didn’t care about anything related to fancy wedding, appetizers, or linens.
They didn’t care if there were 500 guests or 5 guests. They just wanted to be married to each other.

3. Horse: Katelyn & Chris know what they want; especially Katelyn.  I love brides who know what they want.  Katelyn wanted a few shots at the stock yards on her way to the ceremony.  We literally stopped traffic to get some shots of her and her wedding party.

4. Century Tree:  If you know anything about Aggies you know they love their traditions.  (Sometimes a bit too much.)  Anyway, Emily & Lucas wanted to get married under the Century Tree.  It’s a rare sort of deal and a bit of a guerrilla operation to make it happen.  So this little moment where they were able to stand under the tree and look out at all of their friends and family that were their to support them, just made my day.

5. Hug: I’m a sucker for families.  I’m a super duper sucker for families coming together.  So this shot of Caleb and his daughter hugging their new bride/mom five minutes after the ceremony, melted every part of my heart.

6. Squish: Dani & Joey are super smart.  As in doctor smart.  As in MIT smart.  Yeah.  That smart.  Their wedding party was full of doctor smart, MIT smart people.  Doctor smart, MIT smart people are really good at being funny.

7. Shadow: Beth & Tim may have been the most “present” couple I have ever photographed.  They were so aware of their day, the beginning of their marriage, the start of their life together.  The reason I love this image is because of how tender it is.  It’s exactly the way Tim treated and acted towards Beth all day.

8. Selfie: Shelby & Logan can own any moment they want.  She is a lawyer and he is a game warden.  That means you can think things are going your way and you are in charge, and suddenly, out of no where, they step in and remind you they were there all along, making sure everything went as they had planned.  Right after their ceremony, they were gathered around their family and friends hanging out and talking,  and I was just snapping random photos.  Logan looked at me and said, “We want to take a selfie.”  BOOM.  Just like that they owned the moment.  Their whole day was full of things like that.  I loved them.

9.  Shape: Jennifer loves her some architecture.  Went to school for it.  Knows it.  Lives it.  Could not stop blabbing about the Parador and how amazing it was.  I know she got married because she loves Ryan.  But, sometimes, I think she got married because she wanted an excuse to rent the building. ;)

10. Swag: Hilary & Kirk.  Few couples intimidate me.  Hilary & Kirk were one of those couples.  Man, these two are full of such swag, it’s ridiculous.  They are so kind and a joy to be around, but at the same time, it’s like they are on a whole other level.  99% of the time when a couple walks over to their cake to be photographed with it, they look right at me and say “What do we do?”  Hilary and Kirk walked over to it and did that.  Swag.

I had two engagement sessions in Dallas yesterday.  Both of them blew my brains out with their level of cool.  Check it.

More to come next week. :)