Back to Work!
December 29, 2008 | Filed Under Fun Stuff! | 2 Comments
Last week, once all the holiday print orders were sent off to the lab, the computer was pried from my fingers and I was forced to TURN IT OFF. Yes, a complete technology shut down. Time to focus on family for the holidays. Time to plow through reading the Twilight books (I finished Twilight, and then read all of New Moon and Eclipse in a span of less than a week), work on finishing up my latest knitting project (I’m 3/5 of my way through the 2nd sleeve - so close to being done!), and just unwind. December just FLEW by. It was a crazy, crazy month. The holidays always make it feel like it is going so fast!
So now as we head into the new year … there is so much on my list to do! So many things for you to look forward to! Yeah!!! I’m actually going to make my list in reverse order - just easier for me to think through! These are just some of the upcoming blog posts!
- Brooke & Billy’s Wedding - online gallery will be ready in the next 3 days, followed by the blog post
- Jodie & Wei’s Engagement Session - online gallery & blog post
- Erika & Nick’s Engagement Session
- Jodie & Joshua’s Engagement Session
- Amy & Paul’s Wedding
- Amy & Jerry’s Engagement Session & Wedding
- Andrea & Rich’s Wedding
- Lindsey & Shelby’s Wedding
- Sarah & Jason’s Wedding
- Samantha & Ben’s Engagement Session & Civil Ceremony
- Kathleen & David’s Wedding
- LOTS OF SLIDESHOWS from all the 2008 weddings!!!
- Updating the flash portfolio
- Plus a lot of new things are going up over on Boudoir Mon Cheri! (The photo here is one of the sneak peeks of a shoot that I can now share since the Christmas gift has been received!)
It has been an amazing, wonderful, awesome year. I can’t tell you what an honor it is to be a part of a wedding day. It is such a moving experience. I feel like I’ve been truly blessed by every couple I have worked with, and I can’t thank them all enough. In the end, I photographed over 30 weddings this year, including ones that I was able to photograph as a second for other *amazing* photographers. 2008 was more than my wildest dreams could have ever imagined - and I can’t WAIT for 2009!
I went through some old boxes of stuff over the weekend that had managed to gather in storage - I now have a HUGE pile of things to donate! The funniest thing I found though was one I just couldn’t part with yet - Mike dared me to wear it to the next Twitter or Flickr group meetup. Feel free to laugh at it — you can see it here. Yes, I know you’re jealous, and you always wished YOU had one…
I’m off to get through some of the email I have waiting for me (it was a complete technology detox) and I’ll post more photos here tomorrow!
Brooke’s Bridal Portraits - Downtown Houston, Texas
November 23, 2008 | Filed Under Bridal Session | 11 Comments
I’ve been waiting for weeks to be able to share these photos! Brooke’s bridal portrait session was back in October, but we had to keep the photos under wraps until the wedding day yesterday - we didn’t want to ruin the surprise for Billy! (Who thought she was truly stunning - it was a gorgeous wedding!)
I could have never gotten these great images without Beth, Dana & Karen’s help! We took photographs at Discovery Green and Eleanor Tinsley Park in downtown.
These are some of my favorites from the session - I love bridal portraits! It is so fabulous to get some special time to get great photographs, either before or after the wedding!
The Rachael Ray Show!
November 21, 2008 | Filed Under Wedding Photography, Weddings | 2 Comments
The fairytale aisle for the brides to walk down!
The Rachael Ray Show with the Houston wedding at Minute Maid Park will air today in Houston at 2pm on KPRC (channel 2). It has already aired in different locations around the country - here are the photos I took before the ceremony started! I’ll be posting photos of the three couples I worked with over the next few days!
I still find it so very heartbreaking that Bella Terrazza and Tuscany at Garden Oaks closed down and left so many couples stranded. It was truly an honor to be asked by the Rachael Ray Show to help with this event — I’m so glad I could do this for the couples impacted by this! You can see a full list of the vendors that helped out with this on the Rachael Ray Show website, and more details on the event itself here!
On a side note, I’m offering a 20% discount to any couple that books me for 2009 that was impacted by this situation. Contact me right away if you’re interested — 2009 dates are filling up fast!
The officiants - they had several denominations covered!
Erika & Jason - Wedding in the Heights, Houston, Texas
November 8, 2008 | Filed Under Wedding Photography, Weddings | 6 Comments
I think I was the first vendor that Erika called after she & Jason got engaged. She was a bridesmaid in Lauren & Dante’s wedding — she actually ended the night by giving Elaine her shoes! — and she said that as soon as she got engaged she had to have us. When she told me the date, it turned out that it was my birthday — but before I could tell her that, she told me that it was her birthday too! She said she had always wanted to have her wedding on her birthday, and really? I could not have spent my birthday with a more adorable couple!
Their wedding was two weeks after Hurricane Ike hit Houston. By that time, most of Houston had the power restored (my own power had just come back on the day before), but Indian Summer Lodge still had no power when the big day came around! We were all so worried that it would be too hot - but it wasn’t. I think everyone kept telling Erika that it was all just meant to be! There may not have been any air conditioning or lights, but the weather was gorgeous, Indian Summer Lodge took such great care of everyone, and it was an absolutely perfect day!
Below are a few of my favorite photos from the wedding day — be sure to check out the slideshow at the end of the post! (Or go here to watch it on the slideshow page!)
All the bridesmaids signed the champagne cork! Flower photograph by Elaine.
More awesome photographs by Elaine!
Select play to watch the slideshow to see even more of their beautiful day!
I highly recommend all of the vendors that Erika & Jason used:
- Venue: Indian Summer Lodge (Located in the Heights.)
- Caterer / Day-of Coordinator: Candy Massoud of Massoud Catering - 281-304-9924
- Wedding Dress by Allure, from Venturas Bridal
- Bridesmaid dresses by B2, from Venturas Bridal
- Grooms / Groomsmen attire by Stephen Geoffrey Suit, rented from Affinity & The Tux Shop
- Hair and Make up by Brandi Groves, Master Hair Design in Spring, Texas
- Rehearsal dinner at Wunsche Bros. Cafe in Old Town Spring
- Wedding Cake by Jenny Abke
- Flowers by Mary McCarthey of The Blooming Idea - 281-465-4288
- DJ - Complete Music - 281-379-1057
Congratulations, Kelly & Ian! Wedding - Majestic Metro, Downtown Houston, Texas
August 1, 2008 | Filed Under Wedding Photography, Weddings | 4 Comments
A huge, huge congratulations to Kelly & Ian! Last week when I was in California, I had spotty internet access at best, and this week I’ve been catching up with everything from last week — all while knowing that Kelly & Ian were patiently waiting to see a sneak peek of some of their photos from their fabulous, fabulous wedding!
The Majestic Metro is a really cool place because of it’s historical significance. From Cinema Houston, “Of all of Houston’s theatres built before 1930, only one has remained standing to see new life and restoration: the 1926 Ritz.” It closed its doors as a movie theater in 1984, but in 1990 it was opened again as a fantastic venue for all sorts of events, restored to be full of all sorts of wonderful architectural details.
This wedding had a little bit of a nostalgic touch for Elaine — it is where she had her wedding back in the 90s! It was also one of the top choices on my own list of venues when I got married in 2004, but we decided to get married in Galveston instead. I absolutely loved this venue, and it really was a perfect fit for Kelly & Ian and their guests!
We truly had such a great time at this wedding - it really was a night full of laughter and joy! Thank you so much, Kelly & Ian, for allowing us to be a part of it!
Dresses need to come with instructions!
Before the ceremony, I took the guys out to Main Street in downtown Houston for some fun shots.
After the ceremony, I went outside with the women to Main Street, and took advantage of one of my favorite parking lots.
I love these shots that Kelly Niemann got of the ring exchange during the ceremony.
After the ceremony, Elaine got this fantastic shot of all the guests! Whoo hoo!
How gorgeous are they?!?
This shot that Elaine got of the toast by the best man just cracks me up! The whole night was such a wonderful celebration of Kelly & Ian!
Getting Ready Hotel - The Magnolia, downtown Houston, Texas
Venue (Wedding Ceremony & Reception) - The Majestic Metro, downtown Houston, Texas
Brandi & Donald’s Wedding Day!
June 28, 2008 | Filed Under Wedding Photography, Weddings | Leave a Comment
I’m so excited! It is Brandi & Donald’s Wedding Day! When I delivered Brandi’s bridal portrait and the above portrait from their engagement session on Thursday afternoon, we talked about how we can’t believe the day is finally here. She was so calm about it all too - I love to see that. They are such a wonderful couple, and I just know it is going to be a fantastic celebration of their love.
Elaine & I are heading over to Port Arthur and then Beamont today for the wedding and reception. I can’t wait to see Donald’s look when he first sees her in her gorgeous wedding dress. I just know he is going to be blown away.
You can see more of their engagement session from last December on 19th Street in the Heights in this post.
Come to think of it, it was later that same day that we were pulling out of 11th Street Cafe and I first spotted Clover and thought that it would be the perfect place for a studio. Now, six months later, I’m renting space from the owner and using it for just that, and Brandi’s bridal portraits were my first portraits taken there in the new space. How is that for everything coming around?!?
Bridal portraits and then photographs from the wedding after it all takes place!
