It’s that time again. It’s time to look back at some of the best photos from 2017. Everyday we’ll be taking a look at a new category. Voting is open till 8am tomorrow and the winners will be announced Monday. The winning entries will each receive a 16×20 print. Today’s category: Bridal Sessions

Here’s what’s great about bridal sessions, you get to have all kinds of fun in your dress and we get photos that we probably could not get on the wedding day. Take a look at the entries then vote at the bottom of this post.

1. Kalley (Stone Oak Ranch) 2. Exie (Fin & Feather Resort) 3. Catherine (Castle on the Lake) 4. Monica (Dallas Arboretum) 5. Anna Caroline (Lake Tyler Petroleum Club) 6. Kaitlan (Stone Oak Ranch) 7. Rachel (Stone Oak Ranch) 8. Abby (Villa di Felicita) 9. Chloe (Lake Tyler Petroleum Club) 10. Lindsay (Wylde Acres)

It may be possible to have a better wedding day than Chloe & Tyler had.  I’ve just never seen it done before.

Let’s start off with giving shout outs…

First off, Lake Tyler Petroleum Club.  Always on their game. HUGE shout out to A Touch of Nature, I always love working with them.

Designs by D’Anne.  Keeping me 15lbs overweight for the past 15 years.

Because she is awesome, Chloe had a shrine set up for a bridesmaid who was not able to fly in.

MOTG & MOTB were both rockin’ their robes.

Chloe hated this spray thing.  Therefore I must blog it.

Tyler arriving in his getaway car.  (That his Grandmother let him borrow.)

This group is made up of brothers, brother-in-laws, and seminary friends.  So naturally they took the whole photo process very seriously.

First Look magic.

Good grooms always ask to see the back of the dress.

Chloe gave Tyler two sweet gifts. A watch that he had been wanting. (I think, I was kinda far away but was for sure eavesdropping.) And a journal she had been keeping for the past few years.  I loved seeing the delight on Tyler’s face as she shared little passages and excerpts from it.

Disclaimer: This is totally a photo I shot from the hip as I was carrying gear to get ready for their family photos.

My only goal in life from this point forward as a parent is to have Sara’s brothers love her enough to hold her hand on her wedding day.

Family is super, super important to both of them.  Chloe had her grandmothers each put on special pieces of jewelry.

Seriously, I can not say enough wonderful things about these families.

Tyler has a younger brother and sister. Chloe has a younger brother.  Whenever those people get married, I demand to be there. OK, glad we got that worked out.

So the other two times we did sessions, Chloe brought her own snacks.  She loves candy and seriously has a thing for gummy bears.  However, through all the chaos, she did not pack any for her wedding day. And was super sad when I asked her where the snacks were on her wedding day.

This was the look on her face when I surprised her with a little plate of gummy bears that I had brought for them.

Good news: if the wedding photography business ever goes away, I think I can make it selling stock photos of gummy bears and wedding rings.

Maybe it’s because we have 3 of our own, but I’m a sucker for momma’s and their boys on a wedding day.

Let’s take a little break right here.  This moment.  The moment when the bride comes down the aisle.  From a wedding planning perspective, this magical dream like instance has 1 million decisions that led up to it. Too many times event planners and coordinators are viewed as the people who help you pick out linens.  While that is true, every now and then you are lucky enough to find a planner who helps you think through every detail of your day.  Things don’t magically “fall into place” on your day.  Someone puts them in their place.

Taryn and her staff at Event & Company do the heavy lifting, and the easy lifting, and the lifting you didn’t even know needed to be done.  Book them.  Seriously, every dollar you give them is 100 less decisions you have to think through and make.  Money well spent.

Midway through her vows, Chloe decided she wanted a sip of water.  Because it’s her day and she can do whatever she wants.

Every time I photograph these two, they are snacking on something.

They both were hoping to have an outdoor wedding, but the heat was a bit more than they had planned for. (Of course it was stupid hot in October. Sigh.)  Anyway, Tyler surprised her with an impromptu outdoor dance and gift right after the ceremony.

Again, I didn’t catch all the details, but I think this was the first engagement ring he gave her that broke.  He had it made into a necklace.  “I was hoping that’s what was in the box,” she squealed as she opened it.

Chloe’s brother sang while she danced with her father. Because I told you, the whole family is awesome.

I do love a bride who watches her husband dance with his mother.

As I listened to their friends go on and on about how incredible they are, one thread ran through all the speeches: their generosity.
Generosity of time and actions.
Generosity of advice.
Generosity of gifts.
And above all, generosity of love.  Their ability to give you exactly what you need.  Whether it’s a compliment, or wisdom in a tough situation.  Maybe the perfect gift, or the right conversation.  They are constantly looking for ways to serve and give of themselves.

The anniversary dance was won by Mr. & Mrs. Clause.

Again, the theme of “family” was how we ended the day.  They wanted to make sure they saw everyone and hugged them before the getaway.  Just next level intentionality on their part.  I loved it.

The best part was that the family hugging led to Chloe tearing up as they walked through the bubbles.  Suddenly, “I’m not crying you’re crying” became the theme of the exit.

One these stories is a lie:
Chloe was still tearing up as she got to the car.
Tyler was like, “Dude, you have been totally awesome.  Please, come with us on our honeymoon, we would love to hang out with you even more.”

Yes, the Mug Machine was there.  Yes, I brought 3 giant sized bags of gummy bears to rain down from the heavens.

I love that Chloe was able to surprise Tyler with a journal.
A gift that said, this is my journey, and I’m forever glad you are now a part of it.

I doubly love that Tyler was able to surprise Chloe with a dance.
The gift of an unexpected moment in a day, that had been planned for over a year.

And their generosity towards me over these past months was what led me to make sure I had 4lbs of gummy bears for their day.
So that she could snack on them.
So that friends could throw them.
And so that I could stick a bag in their getaway car for them to find as they drove down the road.

Right after we did those photos in the Mug Machine Chloe said, “This is the happiest moment of my life.”

The generosity and love you guys pour out on others is what made that moment possible.

Thank you.

I had been looking forward to Chloe’s bridal session since I met her at their rad engagement session.

She did not disappoint.

I mean… this was the first photo I took.

Of course she brought bags of candy to munch on.

She would not leave until she got to kick some water around.  #bestbrideever

Anna Caroline & Scott met while in college.  He was a working at Pine Cove (Crash & Burn) and a mutual friend made sure they both went on a spring break trip together.  Soon after that, they started dating while they were finishing up school. They spent so much time studying in coffee shops that the Strada Cafe seemed like the perfect place to start their session. (Shout out to Strada for being super nice and accommodating and letting us shoot there.)

Scott said the thing he likes most about Anna Caroline is how laid back and chill she is.  How she just goes with the flow and is so transparent.  I saw that right away and I loved seeing the two of them interact. My Bride also possesses these traits, and trust me, they are great traits to have in someone you plan to share your life with.

I always try to get a photo of my couples just walking and chilling.  Getting a nice clean background can sometimes be a problem.  At first glance that red car is ruining the photo.  That shows how little you know.  The red car is actually MAKING the photo better.

Meet Wally.

Wally is the car Scott has had the past few years.  They have been through a lot together.

One time Scott hit a deer.  When he went back to check on it, it had gone back into the woods.  Totally to run back to it’s family to live a long and happy life.  (Definitely not to die cold and alone.)

One time one of the hubcaps fell off.  So Scott pulled the other three off because he wanted Wally to look symmetrical.

They have gone on trips, adventures and best of all, Wally is how Scott would go from Fayetteville to Little Rock every weekend to visit Anna Caroline. (3 hours one way.)

Yes, the windows still go up and down.  (Although the buttons sometimes fall down into the door.)

I think it took both of them by surprise when I insisted that we feature Wally in their photos. But to me, he is central to who they are.  He is a part of their story.  I loved working him into the session.

You know what else Anna Caroline likes besides Scott?  PLANTS!
Breedlove Nursery & Landscape was super generous for allowing us to crash their place.

These two fit together so perfectly.  I think it’s Scott’s magical hair.  I wanted to run my fingers through it, but I felt that might be inappropriate.  Maybe I’ll work up the nerve to ask about it on their wedding day.  (Totally normal right?)

Anna Caroline told me her favorite thing about Scott is how thoughtful and considerate he is.  How he is always thinking of others and looking for a way to meet their needs.  This jumped out at me right away as every time we were going somewhere, he would rush around to open the door for her.  He kept checking on me to see if I needed help with any of my camera gear and had enough room in the back of Wally.  (Riding in Wally was a joy and may have been the highlight of my day.)

Seriously though, this girl is nuts about flowers and such.  I can’t wait to see what La Tee Da Flowers does for her day.

I can’t tell you how much I loved hanging out with you two.  I loved your personalities and sense of humor.  I love that Scott drives a car that looks like it should be on fire, and I love that you, Anna Caroline, are ok with it. I love it because you two already seem to value the things that are worth valuing.  People.  Relationships. Community. Experiences.

What’s funny to me is that you two spent time thinking and planning what to wear and where we would go take photos, but didn’t once even consider Wally as part of the day.  Instantly I knew though that he would MAKE the session.  Because in 2067 when you have been married for half a decade and have piles of grandkids running around your house hunting eggs on Easter, one of them may ask about your story and how you fell in love.  I don’t know all the details you’ll tell ,and all the stories that you’ll remember, but I bet you’ll talk about how generous Scott was even as a young man. And I know Scott will tell of your gentle spirit and how attracted he was to it.

And I wonder if just maybe, you’ll pull down a picture off your shelf where the two of you are sitting in front of a beat up red car. And you’ll talk about how Scott drove for hours every weekend in a car that didn’t look like it could go 10 minutes, just to win your heart.

And right then in that moment, your kids will smile because they’ve heard the tales for years. And your grandkids’ eyes will be filled with wonder at how magical your story is and how a little car named Wally played a big part in it.

When it came time to decide where to do their engagement photos, Rachael & Briley knew the perfect spot.  The spot where their story started, and they have shared so many moments along the way.  Let’s go to the movie theater!

Their first movie together was a friend outing to see one of the 82 Twilight movies that were made.  They were not a couple at the time, but it’s fitting that their story began watching two people also on their journey towards eternal love.

Fast forward a couple years (and hopefully improved taste in movies), Briley started to take notice of Rachael.  She worked at UT Tyler gym and he was working out “2-3 times per day”. (That’s what she said.)  I’m thinking part of him wanted to get swole and the other part of him wanted to get noticed; he figured the getting swole would help the getting noticed.  That’s what us dudes call a win-win.

A few months ago, they went back to their theater to see another movie.  They arrived a bit late and it was already dark and they ended up sitting on the front row. Because they had not had a chance to eat, Rachael began stuffing her face with popcorn. Commercials were pre-rolling and when the commercials ended, a video came on telling their story together and ending with “will you marry me?”

Then the lights came up and the theater started cheering and when Rachael turned to look, she saw that Briley had invited their friends and family to be there.  They all went out to eat and Rachael never got to finish her popcorn.  The end.

These two both have such a tender spirit and personality to them.  I LOVED Rachael’s big giant laughs.

Rachael said she is so attracted to how committed Briley is to his faith.  She “loves that he is a leader and knows that will give them a strong foundation in our marriage.”

Briley said that at first he thought that Rachael was just like a “super-basic, white girl”.

Full stop.  He said that.  Swoon.

Anyway.

Once he got to know her, he realized she is “goofy as all get out” and she has been surprising him ever since.

“Body and soul, I am marvelously made!” I think Briley would agree.

Thank you guys for spending your morning with me.  Can’t wait for your super-basic, white girl wedding.