Big Bend | Vow Renewal Elopement | Terlingua, Texas | Chrissy + Kevin

Chrissy + Kevin

What started out as planning a fun adventure session in Big Bend National Park turned into a surprise 20 year vow renewal elopement that the groom didn't see coming! 

Chrissy and I had been going back and forth laying out details for their family adventure shoot, and because I am getting back into the wedding industry, I offered to do some styled wedding portraits of them because they never actually had any done 20 years ago when they first got married. Their 20th anniversary was coming up this next April so she excitedly agreed and we began planning two shoots, one for her family and one for a styled wedding. She called me one day and asked what I thought about her and Kevin renewing their vows. She wanted to do it in a place that was "them". They are avid rock collectors and love all things nature. This adventure location would be the perfect place for them! I of-course agreed. As the weeks went on, we laid out locations, ideas, and plans all in secret unbeknownst to Kevin. As the days began to get closer to the trip, I reached out to Kevin and asked him to help me "surprise" Chrissy with his own written vows. He said yes and thus everything lined up the way we planned. 

On the day of the shoot we trekked all over Big Bend National Park, exploring, sight seeing, and enjoying the view. Later that Day, we headed off to this old catholic Chapel in Terlingua Ghost Town. As Chrissy changed into her gown (not the one Kevin thought she'd be wearing, this was another surprise) I took him off to do portraits of just him. As we did the portraits, Chrissy snuck out of the Chapel to give him the first look of his beautiful bride to be of 20 years. She took a knee and as the song 'Stand by Me' played in the background she asked him if he would do her the honor of marrying her again, in which he replied yes! They said their vows and then Chrissy surprised Kevin yet again with 2 new beautiful Celtic wedding bands representing their Irish heritage. 

We ended the ceremony with some beautiful sunset images on his Harley-Davidson. I was honored and blessed to be apart of something so big. 20 years is such an amazing accomplishment!

Congratulations Chrissy & Kevin, here's to 20 more! 

Wedding | Arrowwood Weddings + Events | Palmer, Texas

Sophia + Jose

Venue: Arrowwood Weddings + Events
Cake: Dallas Affaires Cake Co.
Dress: Terri Costa

Weddings like these just make my heart happy. There were so many little things that made this a memorable wedding, I couldn’t have asked for better clients than I have, Sophia and Jose are some of those clients that I now consider friends. I’m so grateful to do what I do that allows me to meet the best people!

They had an intimate small wedding at the beautiful Arrowwood Weddings + Events venue in Palmer, Texas. The venue is a quiet little hidden gem right outside of Red Oak, Texas, it’s like a secret get away, hidden in a cove of trees, down a Texas country road. Absolutely perfect for weddings.

Everything about this wedding was so sweet, sunshine filled the sky and the entire day was full of laughter and joy! The cake was to die for, it was so pretty and perfect! Sophia was extremely proud of it and how it turned out. The dress was beautiful and just a dream to see in person, I absolutely LOVED it. Sophia’s mom did a wonderful job on all the floral arrangements, they were colorful and vibrant just like Sophia!

We had some tornado producing storms that started rolling in later that evening and people had to start leaving early from the reception to get home before they hit. We ended it with a fun small group of people and we got to get creative on their exit. I instructed the small crowd to light up their cell phones and we had Sophia and Jose come out and let the group circle them while he spun her around and did a final dramatic kiss. It couldn’t have been more perfect!

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5 Tips On Planning Your Wedding During The Covid-19 Pandemic

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Planning your wedding can be stressful, planning your wedding during a pandemic is even more so!

As of March 15, 2020, the CDC has officially recommended the cancellation or postponements of weddings and/or large gatherings for the next 8 weeks in the US. (Read more about that HERE.)

The Covid-19 virus is greatly impacting the wedding industry as a whole, understandably, these are serious times and people aren’t sure what to do right now. I have seen so many of my peers in this industry post about cancellations left and right. I myself have rescheduled weddings recently because of the virus. I thought it might be helpful to give a handful of tips and advice on making it through this craziness right now!

****Please keep in mind, these are my personal thoughts and opinions from my own experience. This is most definitely not “the law of the land”. These are just suggestions and hopefully they’re helpful for those who just need some guidance on what they should do currently.

  1. Communication is Key

    Make sure you keep clear communications with all your vendors during this time. Touch base with them and make sure everyone has a plan of action ready to help you if you need to reschedule. I would suggest creating an email group so communications are the same with everyone and it keeps everyone on the same page in regards to planning your day and possible rescheduling. It allows there to be understanding and transparency for all vendors involved in making your day happen!

  2. Emotional & Mental Health

    Prepare yourself emotionally & mentally to have changes with your date that you’ve set. This is something that is effecting everyone in the wedding industry, we are all working to help our clients in every way possible with rescheduling their weddings. Try to keep yourself prepared for changes and open to those changes.

  3. Re-scheduling Your Date

    Your wedding date is super important to you and we get that! If you find yourself in this situation, just know that we are here for you!! We understand the frustration. Most vendors are working hard to ensure that we have availability for rescheduled dates. If your wedding date is being affected by this pandemic currently, look into pushing it back several months or rescheduling for the following year on the same date. This is stressful we know, but safety and well-being for yourself, your guests, and your vendors is a priority for all.

  4. Inform Your Guests

    Keep your guests informed of any possible changes. Let them be aware as soon as possible if you are in the process of changing your date. The better informed everyone is, the better chances you’re going to be able to reschedule and still have everyone you want to celebrate with you there as well. This will allow for rescheduling babysitters, time off from work, travel, etc.

  5. Remain Calm

    I feel this is probably the most important piece of advice any of us vendors can give you. Please don’t make any permanent decisions on a temporary feeling! Rather than panicking and cancelling everything, gather your thoughts, your concerns, and everything that you feel needs to be addressed and write them down. Once you’ve done that, go down the list and address them one at a time. As stated in the first tip, communication is key! I am always available to chat with my brides and help them navigate their day. This is no different! Your vendors care and want to calm any fears you may have about rescheduling as much as possible. We are here for you and we are here to help! Try your best to stay calm and be optimistic. You’re marrying your person. That’s all that matters! The date may change, but the love and celebration will be the same!!

These are uncharted waters for everyone right now. We are all doing our best to navigate through this together. I just want to send out encouragement to all the couples, my photographer peers, and wedding vendor associates having to go through this right now. We will make it through this!


Much love to you all!!

 

Wedding | Horseshoe Bay Resort | Marble Falls, Texas | Thomas + Heather

 

Thomas & Heather’s wedding at Horseshoe Bay Resort in Marble Falls, Texas was everything you could imagine and then some. These two met at Texas A&M university, all their family & friends have gone there, this wedding was FULL of aggie alumni! So of-course, there were nods to A&M throughout the decor and even an Aggie dance at the end—which by the way was AWESOME!!!

And OMGGGG there was a cockatoo for everyone to meet! She was sassy, beautiful, and wasn’t afraid to show it! I was later notified by the wedding coordinator that her handler had actually suffered from food poisoning right before it was show time. He was such a trooper and pushed through anyways, I had no idea he was sick until after the wedding. I was so impressed and I know Heather & Thomas were extremely grateful!


I loved every bit of this wedding and couldn’t have asked for a better bride to work with. Heather was amazing and her laugh was just so contagious! She looked so very beautiful and was just absolutely glowing with love. Thomas looked handsome in his suit and beamed with pride at his new wife often throughout the day and night.

Congratulations to you guys!! May your marriage always be full of laughter and love.

Mr. & Mrs. Uselton 3.16.2019




Vendor Credits:

Venue: Horse Shoe Bay Resort

Cake Artist/Baker: Horse Shoe Bay Resort
Caterer: Horse Shoe Bay Resort
Florist: Floral Designs by Randi
Hair & Makeup Artist: Divine Weddings Hair & Makeup by Tammie Garza
Wedding Gown Boutique: The Blushing Bride
Designer of Gown: Lillian West

 
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Bridals | Horseshoe Bay Resort | Marble Falls, Texas | Heather

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Check out these gorgeous bridals of Heather at the Horseshoe Bay Resort!

Isn’t she beautiful?

Vendor Credits:


Venue: Horse Shoe Bay Resort

Florist: Floral Designs by Randi

Hair & Makeup Artist: Divine Weddings Hair & Makeup by Tammie Garza

Wedding Gown Boutique: The Blushing Bride

Designer of Gown: Lillian West

 
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DFW Engagement | Arrowood Events | Jose + Sophia

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Finally getting to catch up with blogging and I know Sophia is over here like FINALLY!! haha!

I don’t even know where to begin with these two! They are some of the funniest and sweetest people I have ever met!! We had so much fun doing their engagements. The love these two share with each other is REAL. They are goofy, obviously comfortable with each other, like already been married for 50+ years kind of comfortable, and madly in love with one another and you can most definitely see that in everything little interaction they have with one another. I laughed so much during their shoot, and even had the pleasure of eating dinner with them and Sophia’s beautiful mother afterwards.

We did their engagements at their wedding venue, Arrowood Events, in Palmer, Texas. It’s a cute little cozy location nestled in the midst of trees right outside of Red Oak, Texas. The owners were so sweet and even ran in to grab us an umbrella when it started to drizzle on us for a bit.

These two are not only everything I’ve described, but they are genuine and open. I couldn’t love them more as my clients than I already do! They made ME feel like I was part of their little circle and I couldn’t be more thankful to have them as not only clients but as friends now too.

Sophia & Jose will tie the knot this October and I CAN NOT WAIT to capture it!!

 
 

Wedding | Wylde Acres | Longview, Texas | Kogan + Krista

9.29.2018: What can I say about this wedding that you can’t see for yourself in these images? The bride looked absolutely show-stopping STUNNING. From her hair, to her makeup, to her beautiful gown, everything was to die for!! The groomsmen and groom kept me in stitches the whole time with their witty remarks and jokes. I very much enjoyed shooting such a perfect wedding & group of people!

I was blessed to be able to help document the day while second shooting with Farrah Nichole Photography, these are some of my favorites I captured from Kogan & Krista’s special day!

Wedding at the Reserve | Longview, Texas | Nathan + Whitney

“Rain on your wedding day is good luck because it signifies that your marriage will last. As you know, a knot that becomes wet is extremely hard to untie – therefore, when you “tie the knot” on a rainy day, your marriage is just as hard to unravel.”

October 13, 2018: It was pouring down rain and thunder-storming, we had tornado watches active and everything! But rain or sunshine, this day was a perfect day for Nathan & Whitney to tie the knot in front of their amazing tribe of family and friends. The whole day was full of deep belly laughs, adorable moments, emotional moments, and just genuine LOVE. I could not have asked for a better wedding to photograph. The weather cleared up for us to get some amazing formal shots with an ever-changing sky color that was just phenomenal to see! The bridal party was an absolute hoot, the family for both bride and groom were so amazing and so so precious and caring. As you can see through these images, Whitney & Nathan not only have a solid foundation of love and trust with one another but they have a true solid foundation of support from their tribe. Their wedding vendors, family, and friends all made the night full of such wonderful lasting memories!

The Gorgeous Venue: The Reserve, Longview, Texas
Wedding Coordinator(This woman made everything soooo perfect!): Leah Davis
Most AMAZING DJ EVERRRR: Deaf Cat DJ
Stunning Hair styles by: Tessa Graham —seriously she’s flippin AMAZING!
The gorgeous makeup: Tabatha Elliot—another seriously talented artist!
Stunning wedding cakes: Chloe Cooper
Amazing food catered by: Travis Baker
Whitney’s beautiful gown was from: Sara’s Bridal