Tuscany of Garden Oaks & Bella Terraza Displaced Brides
September 23, 2008 | Posted in Wedding Photography | 15 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
I’ve been wrapped up in weddings and worrying about my brides & grooms that are dealing with Hurricane Ike issues, and then I heard from Mariae Bui of Pink Posh Photography about the Tuscany of Garden Oaks and Bella Terraza and the Displaced Brides due to the venues filing bankruptcy.
Ack.
How horrible to deal with Ike, only to find out that your venue has filed bankruptcy - leaving you in a lurch and without your initial payments to them! (You can learn more about the story on Channel 13 KTRK’s site.)
She emailed me to ask if I would be interested in helping couples out - and I responded with a hearty “YES!!!” So I’m extending the same offer that she did - in her own words, what I would like to do is offer one (1) displaced Tuscany of Garden Oaks or Bella Terraza bride my photography services, free of charge.
Based on my 2008 - 2009 calendar availability (and my choice), I will offer one displaced couple who does not already have a photographer:
- One portrait session (choice of engagement, bridal or boudoir)
- 6 hours of wedding day photography coverage with two photographers
- All high-resolution digital images on DVD with a print release
- In response to an email question I had yesterday - yes, you could choose to purchase an album or add extra hours if 6 isn’t enough; we would discuss that and work out all the details ahead of time.
For all others, I will offer a 15% off of my normal rates.
What you need to provide:
- A copy of your contract to verify that you are a displaced Tuscany of Garden Oaks or Bella Terraza bride.
- Your new venue and wedding date so I can see if I’m available
- A paragraph describing your situation (that you won’t mind me sharing on the blog if I select you)
- And a photo of you & your fiance if I choose you (optional - to go with that blog post)
Please contact me using the contact link on the site. I will announce who I picked on November 1st. (I am considering November & December 2008 dates also based on availability.)
For the other brides that I don’t select, I would be happy to set up a Boudoir Marathon of hour long shoots at the studio in the Heights - we would just need to coordinate a day! The shoot would be free, and you can select any prints or albums you would like to purchase at that time.
Also, I would also like to encourage some of my photography colleagues, as well as other wedding industry professionals to see if they are able to assist in any way. If you would also like to offer your services to the displaced brides and do not know how to reach them, I would be happy to post your information on my blog.
As I mentioned above, Mariae of Pink Posh Photography, Eric of Serendipity Photography, Donna of Paper Dolls Houston, Kelley of KD Loftis Photography, Joanna of JTG Studio, and Jason of Table 4 Photography are all extending similar offers. My friend Corey, who lives in Ohio, has also extended the same offer to brides who would be willing to buy her round trip ticket to Houston - and I’ll let her stay at our house and shoot with her if I’m available that day. (If you are too, let me know!)
Thanks to Google, I found a bit more about this over on The Knot forums. I’ve had enough experiences with vendors leaving brides in a bad situation like this - it just makes me so sad. Ugh. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you!
Update: For details on other vendors offering help to couples impacted by this, visit the ABC 13 blog. There are more details on their website too. KHOU also has a forum post about the situation. Sabrina of Chic Soiree also has helpful information on her website.
Hurricane Ike Status Update
September 18, 2008 | Posted in Administrative | 4 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
(Updated on Sept. 20, 2008, and again on Sept. 23, 2008)
I thought a post was in order to let everyone know my status during Hurricane Ike:
- My family is fine.
- My house is fine. Tree limbs down, but none on the house. No power as of 9/23/08 (11 days so far), so we are staying with my parents who do have power.
- None of us have internet access - not at my house or my parent’s house. My parents now have internet access. Yeah! I can only respond to email via my iPhone though, and it is somewhat tedious so I try to limit it.
- I’m still working. Matter of fact, I’ve posted the first half of the proofs from Tricia & Daniel’s wedding today.
- I’m trying to keep driving to a minimum until the gas shortage is over - I want to make sure I have gas to get to weddings. I’m starting to see gas stations without lines now, so hopefully that will pass by this weekend. Gas is much more available now, but there are still traffic lights without power, so I’m still trying to keep driving to a minimum for the time being.
- Any print orders or DVDs that need to be shipped out are currently delayed. They will hopefully go out next week, but it could be two weeks.
- Posting things online in galleries is also delayed until we get the internet access back at our house or my parent’s house. I’ve tried at public wifi access places, but they won’t allow large uploads like that. I also posted Leah & Ryan’s wedding photos last Friday, along with Erika & Jason’s engagement session.
I’m sorry about the inconvenience for everyone — trust me, I feel your pain! I’ll update this post as I know more, and keep it at the top of the page until it no longer applies.
I’ve received several emails asking about available dates for rescheduled weddings — I am rather heavily booked for the fall, but I am working to get together a list of other photographers that are available for fall dates. Please feel free to email me to get the list for a certain date, even if I am booked. I’m happy to do anything I can to help out!
My currently *booked* 2008 dates are:
- Saturday, September 20
- Saturday, September 27
- Friday, October 3
- Saturday, October 11
- Sunday, October 12
- Saturday, October 18
- Saturday, November 8
- Saturday, November 22
- Saturday, December 20
Congratulations to Leah & Ryan! New Iberia, Louisiana Wedding
September 17, 2008 | Posted in Wedding Photography, Weddings | 2 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
Not even a hurricane could stop Leah & Ryan’s wedding from taking place! I don’t have internet access to post photos on the blog here yet, but I will as soon as I do. Meanwhile, the first round of proofs from the wedding are already online!
- Select the “Clients” link on any page on this site.
- Create an account using your email address and your own unique password.
- The access code for their gallery is Ryan’s last name.
- Be sure to use the “Add to Favorites” feature to easily find your favorite images later on!
I’ll update this post with photos when I get back to Houston, and the rest of the photos will be online at that time too!
On a personal note, my family & home are fine. My husband was in the Netherlands for work, and was due to return on Sunday to Houston - the day after Hurricane Ike hit. His flight was cancelled, and since I was already in New Iberia, I suggested that he fly to New Orleans instead and I would meet up with him here. My son was in Houston with my parents throughout the storm, but they had power back by Sunday night, and phone service back by Tuesday. Mike & I stayed in New Orleans through today (Wednesday), and are leaving for Houston as soon as I hit publish on this post.
Leah & Ryan’s Houston Engagement Session
September 11, 2008 | Posted in Engagement Sessions | 3 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
Leah & Ryan came into Houston for the 4th of July this summer, and we lined up an engagement shoot near Ryan’s parent’s house in a neighborhood. His mother suggested it, and it really was an ideal park setting for our shoot! It was hot, hot, hot pretty early on, but they were great sports and we really had a lot of fun shooting! I’m looking forward to their wedding this weekend in New Iberia, Louisiana.
Boudoir Mon Cheri - Holiday Specials!
September 10, 2008 | Posted in Boudoir | Leave a Comment | Add to Kirtsy!
Have someone especially nice on your holiday list? Want to make them something naughty for a gift? Here is your chance! Check out the 2008 Holiday Specials over at Boudoir Mon Cheri!
These specials are good for any sessions booked by the end of 2008 — so it is a great chance to make an appointment for 2009 too! Boudoir photographs make a fabulous gift for your wedding day, your anniversary, or just because!
Sunset Over Seattle
August 15, 2008 | Posted in Fun Stuff! | 5 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
Our vacation to Seattle is coming to an end and I’ll be back in the office next week. We absolutely LOVE it here - the weather has been gorgeous, we’ve had the chance to visit with family and friends, and the photo opportunities have been incredible!
As we drove into Redmond, Washington last night from our visit in Bellingham (where I had a photo shoot for Success Magazine!) and Whidbey Island, we came around a curve and I realized that the mountain (Mt. Rainier) was out, the sun was setting, the full moon was rising — it was the perfect chance to get great skyline photos of Seattle! So we detoured to downtown Seattle, and the above was the result. It was so breathtaking — the photo truly doesn’t even do it justice! We stayed well past sunset, so lots more photos to follow on Flickr!
I’ll miss Seattle, but I can’t wait to get home and share some more of the fantastic weddings we’ve been blessed to be a part of this summer — and get ready for the fall wedding season that is quickly approaching!
