It seems like every time I look up there is a new wedding venue in East Texas.  (We already have The Villa di Felicita, Elmwood Gardens, The Belgium House, Castle on the Lake, Roseland Plantation, Hunt Villa, and The Legacy Venue.)  I have not had a chance to shoot at all the new ones but still wanted to make you aware of them.  Here are just a few of the newer places.  Most are already open, some are opening soon.  The good news for brides is you should be able to find a place to get married practically any day you want. :)

Arabella Manor (Gilmer, TX)
http://arabellamanorevents.com/
903.746.5461

Bella Sera Ranch (Palestine, TX)
http://www.bellaseraranch.com/
903.723.0900

Centaur Arabian Farms (Flint, TX)
http://www.centaurarabianfarms.com/
903.561.6926

Kiepersol Estates Bushman’s (Bullard, TX)
http://www.kiepersol.com/bushmans/index.html
903.894.7505

Stone Oak Ranch (Athens, TX)
http://www.stoneoakranch.com/main/
903.530.7947

So I’m thinking of starting a new little tradition here on the site.  Once a month I’ll feature my 10 favorite images from a same month 1 year ago.  (Wow, I feel like I made that sentence much more confusing than it needed to be.)

I think it’s important for brides to see a “history” of work.  Anyone with a decent camera can shoot a good image every now and then. However, shooting a wedding week in and week out is what really helps me “know” what’s going to happen next on your day.  So, this is a way of showing you that I’ve been shooting for a little while, and it’s also a way for my past brides to flaunt their stuff on my blog again. :)

Anyway, here they are, in no particular order, my favorite images from April 2009.

If you are still considering a venue for your wedding then you are going to love today’s post.  Here are some of my favorite venues in the area.  They are all slightly unique.  Some have things that others don’t and I’m pretty sure that if you take a look at each of these you’ll end up having a hard time deciding on just one. :)  Anyway, here are a few photos with links to recent weddings as well as contact info for each of them.  Happy Friday.

Villa di Felicita | (903) 597-0002 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)

Castle on the Lake | 903-721-3593 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)

The Legacy Venue | 903.571.9644 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)
The Belgium House | (903) 660-0125 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)
Elmwood Gardens | (903) 724-5619 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)
Roseland Plantation | (903) 849-5553 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)

Hunt Villa | (903) 597-0002 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)

J’Vonne & Lee are from out of state so I really did not get a chance to get to know them before the wedding day. The frustrating thing is after spending about 10 hours with them today I really wish we could have done an engagement and bridal session because these two were a blast! There are so many stinking pictures I wanna blog so I better jump straight to those.

They were married at Roseland Plantation, just outside of Tyler, TX.

Lee is a Lieutenant in the Navy. He has lots of shiny things.  

Apparently Lee is also a Don.  

I really wanted to give them a portrait that looked like something their great great grandparents might have had done.
(You know, the ones were the couple looks disappointed that they just got married.)  

J’Vonne’s Maid of Honor was in Germany and unable to make it. She had her speech read off an iPhone.  

Navy tradition.  

Crank That (Soulja Boy)  [Kinda]

Guys with swords. I could not resist.  

They are off to Hawaii.  

Venue: Roseland Plantation
Florist: Michele’s Flowers By Ela (903) 581-7492‎
DJ: Sound Source Entertainment
Catering: Traditions