I love meeting couples where they are.  Shooting in a field, alley, and on railroad tracks is super overdone, trust me, I’ve done it.  That’s part of the reason I’m willing to drive 3 hours to a location if I kow it means something to my couple.  I want your photos to be unique to you and be unlike any I have taken before.  I was so pumped when Christen & Brandon agreed to shooting at the location they had their first date.  It’s a place called the Whisky River in Houston.

So after a few months of hanging out at the Whisky River Brandon decided it was time to propose.  He did this at Hermann Park.  (Our second location.)

Ashley & Chase started dating in high school.  They are all grown up and getting married in a few months at the Villa di Felicita and I can not wait for their wedding.  These two were so much fun to hang out with.  We started at the Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston. (They like beer.) :)

I have to say, for being the patron saint of beer this Arnold guy sure seems to not be having a good time.

I have no idea why Chase tried to bite her nose off.

We finished the session over at Brix Wine Cellars.  (They like wine too.)

A HUGE thanks to the two drinking establishments for opening early and letting us crash their place.  Chase & Ashely, you guys were a-freaking-mazing.  See you soon!

A few of my favorite shots from June 2009.  Come on past brides, you know you wanna leave some comment love!!!

Maybe it’s because Sara is starting to grow up.

Maybe it’s because I’ve seen too many weddings where brides rush through the day.

I’m not sure what it is, but lately brides and fathers have been on my mind at weddings.

I have a fantastic tip for you brides on your wedding day: Spend time with your dad.

This is the thing with most dads, they are kinda numb to the whole wedding thing.  You and your mom or friends have planned the day.  As guys, we clearly have little or no opinion on the colors you choose or the type of flowers you use in your bouquet.  The whole process is by women and for women.  There is one part of the day however that Dads are very, very clued into.  The part where they “give you away”.

Some dads joke about it, others cry through it, but all of them have a feeling about it.  Here is my tip to you: find a way to honor and thank your dad sometime the week you get married.  Maybe it’s by having that super traditional Father-Daughter dance.  But guess what, some dad’s don’t like to dance.  Especially with 283 people watching them.  Some dads like iHop.  How about taking him to breakfast the day of your wedding.  That’s right.  The morning you get married you CAN spend 30 minutes with your dad.  Trust me when I say that nothing will make him feel more honored and loved than you spending a few moments alone with him.

Here are a few things I’ve seen brides do.

It’s amazing how a simple 3 minute chat at the candy table before the day gets going can mean so much.

Lauren’s dad kicked everyone out of the bride’s room to spend a few moments alone with her and give her a gift.

I loved this moment between Amy and her dad.

Erika actually called her dad and talked to him for about 5 minutes before he came to walk her down the aisle.

And, if the only thing you can do with your dad is the Father/Daughter dance, dancing to “Thriller” is the way to go.  (Happy Anniversary Kim & Josh)

Here’s the deal, I WANT Sara to get married.  I’m sure that I’ll love the guy she is choosing and be thrilled to see her find happiness in him.  My “fear” is that I’ll be forgotten.  I see this in dads in many of the weddings I shoot.  They don’t want to take over the day.  They just want 10 minutes with their daughter to hug them and tell them how proud they are.  Give your dad time on your wedding day.  Even though he’s not your number 1 man anymore, he desperately needs to be reminded that he’s number 2.

I started doing this last month and got a good little response so I think a tradition has been born.  It’s time to jump back to May of 2009 and take a look at some of my favorite images from the month.  It’s crazy for me to think that I shot these frames last year, some of them only feel like I took them 3 months ago.

:) Past couples, this is your chance to leave a nice comment about me and how much fun I was to work with. :)