Joie de Vivre Photography

Kim & Ryan - The Wedding!

2011-07-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

You remember Kim & Ryan. They're super cool, laid-back, hilarious people. Their wedding was equally awesome. It was full of people who love them and details that matter - the best kind! If you remember their love story, they met while both working at Barnes and Noble, so books played a big part, as well as their shared love of all things Irish. Lisa of Allure Event Designs and her team did an incredible job of keeping the day on schedule and flowing seamlessly! It was like a candy store for me - the historic Old Red brick courthouse in downtown Dallas has oodles of character and awesome light, and everywhere you looked there was some detail or another that was just so them. Everything you saw had a purpose and a story, rather than just something thrown out to fill a space. And did I mention that these two are in LURVE?! They chose to do a First Look (insert applause here), and STILL cried during their vows. I may have shed a tear or ten myself, the day was so charged with emotion. Here are some faves from their big day!!!

This tourist was walking around Dealey Plaza and saw me photographing Old Red, so he assumed it must be something he had to get, too!

I kind of love this.

Kim and Ryan both changed into their custom Cons after the ceremony - how awesome is this?!

Hands down, coolest save the dates, invitations, and programs EVER. Do you see that the RSVP is a check-out card from a library book?!

Waiting to meet his bride....

So I started tearing up here...

... and boo-hooed when Kim told me the story of her bouquet. The locket has been passed down for GENERATIONS in her family, and is called the Elizabeth Locket. It's super special.

The denim is a pocket from the overalls of her grandfather, who passed away last year.

Yeah, I'll pause while you grab a tissue.

OH. EM. GEE. You just can't get light like this anywhere.

Thank you, wind!

(Insert whatever the heck that doon-doon sound is from Law & Order.)

In order to spare some with weaker stomachs, I didn't post the gory shot, but I have to give a shout-out to Lauren, the most hardcore bridesmaid ever, who so painstakingly buttoned and un-buttoned Kim's dress that she quite literally worked her fingers raw. Like, seriously. She bled. Dedication.

Check out the brand on the guitar!

Funny story - I know you're oohing and ahhing at the light, but the officiant actually did a wedding I shot last summer! Small world!

Irish hand-fasting ceremony. SUPER cool.

Who's winning the match?

Kim & Ryan, thank you so much for letting me party with you guys and be a part of this most awesome of days for you! I still get people asking me about your details... and everyone raves about them! One of the most satisfying things about walking away from Old Red that night was knowing that as much thought and detail went into planning your wedding, there is so much more being put into your relationship. You guys are awesome together, and you light up my Facebook newsfeed just about every day! Congratulations!!!!!

Kim's AH-mazing Bridals

2011-04-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

You met Kim last year, with her fiance (now hubby) Ryan. They're super cool people who are so funny and easy to hang out with. Their super awesome wedding was last month, and now that I've got all the room in the world on this blog, I can finally share her bridals with you!!! I've been wanting to shoot at the McKinney Cotton Mill for YEARS. Seriously. It always photographs well and has unending amounts of photo op spots to choose from. So imagine my insane delight when Kim decided she, too, wanted to head out there!!! I was more than happy to make that drive - although my GPS did give up on me at one point. ANYWAYS, I was absolutely floored by it once I got there. It was everything I'd hoped for and SO much more! Add to that Kim looking super gorgeous in her wedding gown, her awesome friends, and her personal touches, and it was a FABULOUS Friday at the Cotton Mill!!!

Yep, I love it, too.

I KNOW.

As you probably remember from her engagement session (and you'll soon see from her wedding), books are a big part of Kim's life! This one was Pride and Prejudice, which of course spawned a quoting marathon and British-accented afternoon.

I'm DYING.

Kim, I cannot thank you ENOUGH for this! You look STUNNING!!! I had a blast with you at photographic mecca!! You are such an awesome person and have been just so COOL. Like I said, I'm a little obsessed with these... so don't be surprised to see your face on the website SOON! Congratulations!

Sarah & Bobby - The Wedding!!!

2011-04-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

WHEW this post has been a long time coming! Right in the middle of uploading it, I ran out of storage for this blog - EEK! You know how I like to keep you all included in what's going on!
So anyways, you remember Bobby & Sarah from last summer. Their wedding was super special. Not only did it include some of my most favorite people in the world, but it was GORGEOUS. They held it at Piazza in the Village - a gorgeous, state-of-the art venue with the most incredible, kind, patient, and helpful staff I've EVER worked with. Ever. Where else can you sit in the bridal suite of an incredibly romantic wedding venue and watch guests arrive on a closed-circuit TV? Like I said, state-of-the-art! Anyways, Sarah and her mother worked insanely hard for an insanely long time making certain this day was perfect, and all of their efforts more than paid off. WOW.

Sarah is THE best aunt!

"What's gonna work? Teamwork!"

I don't know if the previous post with Sarah's bridals truly communicated how nuts I am over her dress.

SCRUMPTRULESCENT.

Yep, my handsome godson, looking all dapper.

AWESOME.

GREAT face! "Whew! Let's do this!"

Bobby didn't like the bubbly.

Father-daughter dance. I cried. Of course.

At the end of the night, during the normally-chaotic time where guests are being ushered out for the grand exit (but they're really swarming the bride and groom), Sarah & Bobby chose to have a private last dance. This was the first time I'd witnessed this (although I've been privileged to see it again since!), and it was the best idea EVER. Almost as great of an idea as a First Look. It was so romantic I cried again. All by myself. Because even the DJ stepped out so that the Crones could have the room to themselves.

Sarah & Bobby, CONGRATULATIONS!!! I was so stinkin' honored to be a part of your day! Sarah, you have impeccable taste, so it's been a massive compliment that you've included me! You two are so obviously nuts about each other, so fun together, so surrounded by people who love you, that there is absolutely no question that forever will never be long enough!!!

Sarah's SENSATIONAL Bridals!

2011-03-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

If you're a Facebook fan, then you've already had the pleasure of staring at this lovely lady's GORGEOUS bridals for the past week or so. They're stunning. Seriously. More than a few took my breath away... as I was taking them!!!

Sarah was such a trooper and braved cold winds and mean security guards, all while rockin' it in her completely custom couture gown. WOW.

So film noir.

Love it!

LOVE it!

I sent this to Sarah via email while I was working on them. It was titled "YOWZA."

Love these.

And now begins the portion of the day when I kept exclaiming "Holy crap!" whilst photographing a gorgeous woman in a very expensive dress in a field. I love these SOOOOO much.

Sigh...

Love it.

Goodness, Sarah, I cannot thank you enough for trusting me to document this most hugest of times in your life!!! It has been a blast getting to know you as more than Matt's sister (which, by the way, you're way cooler), and getting to know Bobby and seeing how much he ADORES you. CONGRATULATIONS a billion times over - I cannot say enough how STUNNING you are! You have been BEYOND easy to work with and photograph... you've been a BLAST!

April Fools in Love Special!!!

2011-03-09T09:22:00.002-08:00

Well hello, friends! Gracious, it's been a while! I have had my nose buried in the computer screen for weeks now, churning out some of my most favorite images I've ever had the privilege of capturing in my career - 2011 has been a FANTASTIC year!!!
As a way to celebrate what's going on, I am offering up a HUGE special, an UNPRECEDENTED special - a WEDDING special!!!
That's right!
Brides who book by April 1, 2011 will receive $200 off the cost of the wedding coverage - WOWZERS! I know!!! So if you've got a big day approaching but didn't know if you could swing me, now's the chance to jump in and meet your new best friend - ME!!
Email me at jennifer@jdevphotography.com to get the ball rolling - contracts and deposits must be received by midnight CST on April 1, 2011 in order to receive the discount.
And because this IS a photography blog, I can't leave you without a STUNNING image from a bridal session this past weekend - I can't wait to show you the whole shebang in April, because this gal WORKED it. Enjoy!

Baby Ethan Baking!

2011-02-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

You know how you have some friends, very few in life, who you can go for months without seeing, but always pick up like you just saw each other? Friends who love and support you and get you through hard times and celebrate the good ones? Friends you can be real and honest with and share some AWESOME memories with? I have some of those. Two of them are named Jason and Christina. They're AMAZING people. They are so kind and generous and funny and caring... they're just WOW. They've helped us through some of the hardest times in our own lives, and given us reason to rejoice at the good ones... like like Baby Ethan! He has since been born, but his Mommy looked so great while pregnant that I'm going to share these anyway. I got to meet Ethan the day after his birthday, and he is both PRECIOUS and so BLESSED to have these two as his Mommy and Daddy. Since I was the first one to know about him in his Mommy's belly, I've been waiting a LONG time to get to meet him, and he did not disappoint!

LOVE it.

These are my friends. They're parents now.

This was Christina actually reacting to Ethan having a party in her tummy!

"Coming Soon" - get it?

PRECIOUS.

LOVE it.

Sigh...

He was due on Valentine's Day!

Jason and Christina, you two are ROCKSTARS. You have been amazing to us and everyone around you, and I know Ethan is going to be no different. I honestly cannot say enough about your generosity and friendship. Like I said, you guys are just... WOW. Thank you. And thank you for letting me be a part of preparing for Ethan... and for letting me hold him and sniff him. He's perfect. Tell him I'm coming to see him soon, and that Christina-and-Jennifer's-Day-of-FUN is imminent, and he's welcome to tag along. I cannot say thank you or congratulations ENOUGH. Like I said in the hospital, "congratulations" just isn't a big enough word! I love you guys!!!

Email Trouble

2011-02-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! For some reason, the contact form on the website has NOT been working, and I have no idea for how long! If you've tried to contact me through the form and haven't heard back from me, I'm sorry! Try emailing me directly at jennifer@jdevphotography.com, thanks!

Andy & Audra - The Wedding!!!

2011-02-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

Many of you know about my love for alliteration. It's pretty prevalent on the website. So I get just tickled when I meet couples who are alliterative... and I've never met a couple that stuck to it like this one! Andy & Audra became Mr. & Mrs. A last month, and what a wonderful day it was! They were both SO easy going it made me nervous! Andy was a complete and total gentleman, and Audra was absolutely calm and sweet... it was just a happy day! First a move to El Paso, and now one to Pheonix, has kept these two newlyweds busy and far from family, so I am MORE than happy to put more than the normal amount of photos on this blog to share with family all over the world. Enjoy!!!

Andy's ring had "FAITH" engraved inside!

Audra and her sister... love this moment!

REFLECTION. I'm a fan of that, too.

Awesome St. Joseph's Church in Richardson, TX.

Ricky never showed up.
A bit of an inside joke.

The weather that day was pretty yucky - about 40 degrees and drizzling. So Audra was QUITE the trooper to head outside for these photos!!!

There are so many great images from their first dance! They just giggled giddily the whole way through!

I love this shot of the paparazzi!

Another paparazzi shot!

This light saber was quite a hit.

Some fancy foot work...

Andy & Audra, CONGRATULATIONS!!! Thank you so much for everything! You guys were more than patient (especially with my uncharacteristically slow driving) and calm and sweet. Hope the weather in Phoenix is WAY better than what we've been having. Have fun on your new adventure!!!

Shannon et Reed se marient!!!

2011-01-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

That's French. It means Shannon and Reed are getting married!
In my work, I have the privilege of meeting new people all the time, learning new love stories, and making new friends. It's a BLAST all the time. It's so true that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life! Well, as much as I love my job, sometimes it just clicks, and everything I love about my job is just magnified to where I almost feel guilty about how much fun I'm having. Almost. It clicked (repetitive pun intended) with Shannon & Reed! We were introduced through the amazing talents of one Amber Church, wedding planner extraordinaire. If you're in the market for some top-notch service, over-the-top creativity, and making a new friend, Amber is your gal! ANYWHO, from the first time we spoke, I knew I was going to love these peeps. Their April ceremony is at a venue that I have been DYING, almost BEGGING to shoot at for over a year. They're gorgeous. They have incredible style. Their love story is swoon-and-tear-worthy. And they're just COOL people. Through our numerous emails, which I hope never slow down, Shannon and I discovered that we are long-lost BFFs and enjoy pretty much everything the same. And Reed can MORE than keep up with the two of us! They're both hilarious and so open and honest and IN LOVE. Wait, that doesn't really do it justice. They're in LURVE. I had such a blast spending the afternoon with them, making new friends, exploring and trespassing... it produced pretty much one of my most favorite engagement sessions EVER. I had too many favorites. WAY too many. But you won't mind, right? Thought so.

LOVE these.
They're gorgeous, right?!

You can still spot those eyes of Shannon's from almost a quarter mile away!

Okay, so while I don't have room or words to do their story complete justice here, I do have to explain some of the significance of the following images. Go go gadget short version!
When Reed first met Shannon a few years ago, Shannon told him she'd like to move to Paris for a year. Reed walked away and told his friends he was going to marry her. Shannon was tickled and flattered, but it wasn't on her agenda. Reed went out and bought TWO copies of this book - one for her, and one for him, for when she moved to Paris. Precious already, I know. Flash forward a few years, and the two of them begin dating. Of course Reed already knows where this is going. When it came time to pop the big question, Reed hollowed out one of these Paris books and had the ring inside, along with a few sentimental momentos he'd saved during their time together!
I KNOW!!!!!

LOVE these, too!

I mean, come ON.

AWWWWW yeah! Talk about commitment, haha!

SAUCY.
I love these!

SO SHTEAMY!
I love everything about this!

Poppin' it.

A definite favorite.

Reed has an AWESOME tattoo that was a gift to himself for finishing a marathon, and you know how I love tattoos, so of COURSE I had to post a lot of it right? Right.

And the remaining are also all my favorites. Ever.
It just was so perfect!

Shannon and Reed, you guys are AWESOME! You were such a blast and SO funny and easy-going. You made my job beyond easy. I am so excited that I've gotten to know you and have the honor of documenting your most special of days! I've been chomping at the bit to get these posted for months, so I don't know how I'm going to be able to make it once we take your bridals in THAT DRESS, Shannon! Wowza! You guys are so great, and I'm so excited for you! Thank you a BILLION times!!!!

Bridge Church

2011-01-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

So WAY back in the day, but not too far back, as a lady never reveals her age, I was a teenager looking for a place to belong, as most are. What I found was an amazing youth group with some of the best friends I've ever had - I'm still in contact with most of the people I was close with back then... especially the guy I met named Marcus. I married that one. :) Anyways, in this youth group where I learned SO much and later served in, there was a youth pastor named Jared, or Pastor J. Even as a grown woman I still refer to him as Pastor J. He and his wife, Mandy, have had quite possibly the biggest impact on who I am today, and I can never, ever thank them enough for the investment they made in me. Flash forward a FEW years, and Mandy and Jared are now pastors of their own church in Arlington. A few months back, Mandy contacted me about taking staff photos for their website, and I jumped ALL OVER that chance! Not just to get to see some of my old peeps, but to have the opportunity, however small, to be a part of what they are doing. They are some of the best leaders you could ever hope to serve under and learn from, so I was thrilled to get to have a minute little contribution to their dream and purpose! Anyways, sentiment aside, we all met up and had a portrait party-style day, and I have to say, some of my most favorite family shots ever were produced! Enjoy!!!

Pastor J & Mandy, what can I say that I haven't already said 100 times? You guys are awesome and I'm so excited for you and the future and what you're doing at Bridge Church!!! Thank you so much for the chance to be a part of what you're doing, and I can't wait to hear more AWESOME things!!!!!

S Family!

2011-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this family. Like, LURVE this family. They are awesome. And funny. And SO sweet and caring and talented and awesome and real. They are AMAZING friends, and we are so blessed to have them in our lives! I was so excited to get to spend an afternoon with them and laugh my rear end off!!!

There's no one in the world who could say that Shawn isn't MADLY in love with his wife, Renea!

Ahem... favorite.

Momma and her boys!

They should start a family band!

Another FAVORITE!

S Family, we love you guys so much! You are always so much fun to be around and such an encouragement! You're some of the most unpretentious and REAL people I've ever known, and we couldn't be more grateful to have you as friends. And Shawn, even though you taught my child to speak with a speech impediment sometimes, I still think you're pretty cool. :)

H Family and Catching Up!

2011-01-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

Yay! I just MAY be catching up on all of the blogging! I originally met this adorable family at the wedding of Mandy & Blaine, and they were all such sweet people. THEN, lucky ol' me got an email from Angie asking if I'd take their family photos... of COURSE! They were a BLAST to hang out with and super easy to photograph! Enjoy!!!

I'm a sucker for a Momma and her boys...

And now I must confess something: I have sessions that have gone unblogged since the SUMMER! I KNOW! If you haven't seen yourself on here, it's not because I don't like you, it's because I've neglected the blog in an effort to get photos out to clients in a timely manner. Your time is coming, I promise! Until that day, here are a few highlights from some yet-to-be-blogged sessions:

The D Family... my cousin!

I love getting Christmas cards in the mail with photos that I took on them! The D Family was proudly displayed!!!

I met up with Patty & Eric a few months back to take their engagement photos. I was SUPER excited to meet them, since I'd already LITERALLY spent HOURS on the phone with Patty! We were friends just about instantly!

Super cute, right? I can't wait until Patty's bridals and their wedding! (And to blog the rest of their session... notice the old watermark on there? Told ya I'm behind!)

Which brings me to my latest news - a referral incentive program! I've had so many brides and families referred to me by YOU, my loyal followers and clients, and I want to be able to say THANK YOU! Starting TODAY, January 10, 2011, for every client that I BOOK and complete a session for (or for every bride that I book and receive a deposit for), the referring friend will receive a $25 Target gift card. Yay! Sounds like fun to me! So if you didn't get what you wanted for Christmas, pass my name along, and then go get it for yourself! Thank you EVERYONE for continuing to keep me in business... and for the anonymous people who keep raving about me on the Knot message boards!

L Family!!!

2011-01-03T19:21:00.001-08:00

Sometimes genetics just work. The general rule of thumb is that two pretty people make frightening babies, or two iffy people make gorgeous little cherub babies. Welp, the L family threw that rule right out the window. Barbie and Ken got married and had Barbie and Ken babies. They're an amazing family! Aside from looking like they're in an L.L. Bean catalog, they're awesome people. Super DUPER diabetic sweet, funny, real, loving, supportive... they're great. I was BEYOND honored to get to spend some time with them and get some family portraits! Enjoy!!!

Told you Barbie and Ken got married!

LOVE it!

The L family's kiddos are in our youth group, and they are just AWESOME students. They're UBER talented and super fun and funny... plus, they're purdy. My oldest son has a bit of a crush on this little lady, and even has a photo of himself with her on his dresser! She's so sweet to him...

There's a bit of a height difference....

Love IT.

I know, I know. It's not fair for so much good-lookedness to stay in one family.

LOVE IT!!!

Oh, L family, what can I possibly say that would be enough to describe your awesomeness? You guys are such an amazing example of FAMILY. And genetics. You have been so kind and supportive and funny to us! Thank you so much!!! We love you guys!

Jonathan & Kristina - My Friends!

2010-12-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

These are my friends. They are awesome and super fun and smart and real and hilarious and thoughtful. And they needed pictures. So we took them.
There are a few Christmas-themed ones, so I had to get this blog in before they were no longer relevant. Enjoy my friends' faces!!!!

OH how I love this!

They're just PRECIOUS!

Merry Christmas!!!!

So normally when I shoot a couple, it's for engagement photos. But this lovely little set of lovebirds has been married for a year and a half! It was so cool to see how comfortable and easy they were with each other... and to get to hang out with my friends.

Jonathan's mom, Mrs. Sandra, was visiting from Kentucky for the Thanksgiving holiday!

Auntie came, too!

My friend is beautiful.

I know what you're thinking:
Yes, this is the most preciously perfect Christmas card photo, ever.
No, Chris O'Donnell and Jackie Kennedy did not get married.

Jonathan and Kristina hail from Kentucky and South Carolina, respectfully, and have joined the staff at our church this year as the new Spiritual Development pastors... and we couldn't be luckier to have them here!

Jon's mom just kept saying how much she loves Kristina!

AWW yeah.

Jonathan and Kristina, you guys mean so much to us! We love you and are so happy you're here... and our friends! Merry Christmas to EVERYONE!!!!

Rachel & Elliott - The Wedding!

2010-12-13T13:16:00.001-08:00

I met Rachel a year ago at the super fun and stylish wedding of Heather & Jonnie. I was THRILLED to get to work with Rachel, because I knew her day would also be super fun and stylish. And she did not disappoint! Rachel & Elliott have some of THE best friends, and they kept us laughing all night, which came in handy, because the ceremony started at 11 PM. Oh yeah, these lovebirds were also night owls! It was such a romantic ceremony, super fun reception - and did I mention how awesome everyone involved was? Even my own Ninja skills came into play. Here are some highlights!!!

5-Hour Energy and Monsters were all over the hotel room!

Cool story:
This mirror belonged to Brittany, one of Rachel's (and Heather's!) bridesmaids, and has been the "something borrowed" in their huge circle of friends' weddings for every one of them! (The ring is Rachel's.)

Love these!!!

I just LOVE this shot.

Quite possibly a favorite group shot EVER.

In addition to the traditional guest book, Rachel's sister painted this canvas that allowed guests to leave their fingerprints! SUCH a cool thing that will hang in Rachel & Elliott's home as a reminder of their loved ones!

AMAZING moment - while dancing with her Daddy, Rachel kicked off her heels and hopped onto his feet! There wasn't a dry eye in the HOUSE, including mine, but that's to be expected.

Rachel & Elliott had personal touches everywhere.
A few years ago, long before they were even engaged, Rachel accompanied Elliott to New Jersey to visit his grandparents (who have an amazing love story of their own). While there, Elliott's grandmother took Rachel aside and presented her with a necklace that belonged to her, a gift from Elliott's grandfather. Swoon. Rachel wore it as her "something blue", and I was lucky to capture everyone's reaction when she showed it off!

You would've had to be there.

AMAZING exit shot.

Rachel & Elliott, thank you SO MUCH for letting me come hang out with you and your friends!!! The special touches, the friends you surround yourself with, ALL of Rachel's hard work - it all came together to create a FANTASTIC evening/morning! Congratulations to the two of you!!!

H Family

2010-12-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

These are my friends, the H's. They're awesome, fun, hilarious, REAL people. They have a great little family and impeccable taste in both names (their son and my oldest son have the same unique name!) and friends (me). I had so much fun hanging out with them a few months back - it was just easy! So now I'm FINALLY getting to blog some highlights from their session!!!

LASER EYES!!!

Glorious!
You mean all family photos aren't this epic?

PRECIOUS.

But seriously.

Ha!

Pretty much perfect.

Superman!

I love you, H family! You guys have been incredible friends to us, MORE than patient with our insane schedules, always easy and willing and fun and real. You're just... well, you're wonderful! We're so happy to have you guys in our lives!

Baby Miranda

2010-12-11T19:28:00.001-08:00

Boy Howdy I have been busy! This poor little blog has been so lonely and neglected. Well, I'm going to try and make it up to you over the next few weeks by catching up on all of the awesome people I've been meeting and photographing - what fun to walk down memory lane!
This is Miss Miranda. You met her before - sort of. She is a whopping 2 1/2 months old now! Where does the time GO? Anyways, I had the fantastic pleasure of hanging out with my cousin Miranda, her Mommy, and her Mommy's daddy and step-mom when Miss Miranda was 4 weeks old. She was so good. Like, really good. Seriously. A perfect baby. She made divine little sounds and smelled delicious. Did I mention she's a great baby? Anyways, here are some favorites from my wonderful day with her!

Waving!

Yep, she's her Daddy's girl.

Eatin' that hand!

Your uterus skipped a beat, didn't it?

Mommy doing dishes in the background...

I love this.

Sigh.

Too cute!

Yumm-o!

Chillin' with her grandpa.

Adore this.

Miss Miranda, you have got to slow down! You are already precious and perfect - no need to rush things, little lady! I can't wait to watch you grow (slowly!), and hope you have a WONDERFUL first Christmas in San Diego!!!

Mandy & Blaine - The Wedding!

2010-11-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

I have had the BEST time with Mandy & Blaine. First, there were their engagements, which I loved. Then came Mandy's bridals, which were divine. But nothing could have prepared me for their AMAZING wedding. As a self-professed Fall-aholic, I adore all things leafy and warm-toned. And when you get a Fall-themed wedding into the hands of a fantastically talented florist, who ALSO happens to be the mother of the groom, magic happens. There was not an inch or corner to be found that wasn't adorned with stunning arrangements, clever pieces, gorgeous color, warm accents... it was amazing. I couldn't stop staring. There wasn't room enough in this blog to show you every single detail, but I'll try. Lovely as they were, the decorations most certainly were not the focus of attention that day - it was Mandy and Blaine, so in love, so happy! The two of them are so easy going, loving, carefree and happy and sweet... just awesome people that you definitely don't mind spending time with. They were surrounded by a hilarious group of people, and we just had an awesome day together! As I was taking their picture, I commented that I was sad to see them go, I'd had so much fun getting to know them and spend time with them over the course of the wedding planning.
Since Mandy is not on Facebook, and there is so much family so far away, I'm making this post extra giant. Their wedding really was such a blast - awesome music, tons of Southern touches, like a barbeque dinner in a barn, cowboy boots galore, and an outdoor barn dance-style reception with a live band! FABULOUS wedding!

Can you guess why I love this photo?

I love that you can see their socks stuffed in there!

Yeah, I know.

A favorite ever.

The weather was NOT being kind. The skies kept getting darker and the wind kept getting stronger... and the outdoor ceremony just looked to beautiful to move indoors!

Love it.

One of my absolute most favorite parts of getting the privilege of shooting someone's wedding is the chance to do a First Look. It's not for everyone, so I totally get it if you're wanting to stick with tradition. But being able to be so close when the two of them see each other for the first time... I tear up EVERY time I get to see it. There's something so special about being able to see each other ALONE, up close, without two hundred people in between you, watching you. You get to laugh, cry, pray, calm each other, TALK... and of course take more pictures! The light is better, you get more time to get MORE shots, there isn't a mob waiting to drag you off to the reception, there's more time for family photos AFTER the ceremony (meaning less stress), and it's a special moment between you two that is so worth bucking tradition a bit. If a First Look isn't something you want to try, then I HIGHLY suggest doing a Day After session in the week or so following the ceremony. Again, you get so many more shots of the two of you, much better light, and no mob and nerves! And with either choice, you haven't cried your makeup off before pictures!
Mandy and Blaine's First Look was no exception to my crying habit.

This one is all them - totally happened naturally!

WOW

The Facebook fans have seen this image before, and it STILL gets to me... I LURVE it. It's the first time an image has ended up on the website before it was in the hands of the client.

SUCH a fun group!

It started drizzling a bit... but stopped literally JUST in time for the ceremony!

"Oh, I feel like I'm falling for Fall..."

It never fails. If there is a child under 10 years old in the wedding party, I will catch them digging for gold. I have to say, though, that this is my first angry pick.

In keeping with the Southern touches, instead of one traditional Groom's cake, there was a table covered in different kinds of pie!

I already liked this in black and white, but then I also liked the boots themselves, so you get both.

What's more Southern than cornbread??

One of my favorite moments captured from a Father/Daughter dance ever.

The outdoor dance floor was so much fun! It felt very much like a scene out of Sweet Home Alabama... complete with a few songs from the soundtrack!

Full moon!

This night was also historic: it was the night that our Texas Rangers defeated the New York Yankees (A-Rod) to win the ALCS and make their first-ever advance to the World Series. I got to deliver the news to a few people, and capture their reactions:

You put your right elbow in...

Yes, you know them.
It's Amanda & Jeremiah, whose wedding is in April... and I get to see all of my new friends again!

Yeah, let's look at it again one more time.

Mandy & Blaine, thank you SO very much! The two of you are so kind, fun, laid-back... and you surround yourselves with people just like that! You two are so obviously in love, and I know every single person there was thrilled to bits to get to see you two start your happily ever after. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!