On the eleventh day of Christmas, Santa gave to me eleven minutes til sunset.
A sneak peak at my latest bride and her father just before walking down the aisle. Many many more to follow.
Bride and groom sniping.
Newlyweds dancing.
Eight brilliant feathers.
A duo’s love a-brimming.
A mother and daughter gazing.
Young lady graduating.
Four all aglow.
Three big grins.
Tender sister love.
and a branch full of purple berries.
On the tenth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me a bride and groom sniping.
I would like to make clear that no persons were harmed our attacked during this beach wedding. Jennell and Mike are both police officers and I thought it would be fun to pull out their Saturday-night special for a few shots (pun intended) on their wedding day.
Newlyweds dancing.
Eight brilliant feathers.
A duo’s love a-brimming.
A mother and daughter gazing.
Young lady graduating.
Four all aglow.
Three big grins.
Tender sister love.
and a branch full of purple berries.
I received an initial inquiry from Jennell last summer. She was getting married in my hometown the same weekend I was to be in Florida for my ten-year high school reunion and she needed a wedding photographer to document her special day. Well, the stars aligned!
Imagine months and months of planning a special beach wedding to your dream groom only to arrive at your destination and find scattered showers and thunderstorms on the weather radar the entire weekend. I met the couple for coffee the day before their wedding and I was blown away by their composure. I prefaced them with the fickle tendencies of the weather in Panama City Beach, assuring them “the clouds will clear…” and they immediately entrusted me with the responsibility of revising wedding day itinerary as I see fit. Being that my prowess when at-arms with or reading the mind of mother nature is sub par, I went home and said a few hail marys then proceeded to track the weather for the next 24 hours.
I call the morning of and suggest pushing everything up an entire hour and the family quickly obliged. When I arrive at the condo the bride is already teary-eyed eyed as she is reading old letters and poems she wrote for her father which her mother saved especially for that day. It was a very sweet touch.
I snuck the bride and groom away for a few shots of their first look before walking down the aisle. It is always so nice to capture a couple’s emotion in its truest form without the awkwardness of guests staring. The couple exchanged their vows and champagne glasses were raised. As the final glass was emptied…down came the rain.
I guess I’m not so bad at predicting weather after all..but I’ll happily keep my day job!
On the ninth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me newlyweds dancing.
Eight brilliant feathers.
A duo’s love a-brimming.
A mother and daughter gazing.
Young lady graduating.
Four all aglow.
Three big grins.
Tender sister love.
and a branch full of purple berries.
Olivia and Rene were married in November at the beautiful Mercury Hall, nestled in a secluded hilltop near downtown Austin. The wedding was a non-traditional one of many sorts.
The celebration commenced with cocktail hour (yes, drinks first. priorities!) and the bride came clad in a white blinged-out dress. Plethoric? Yes. Too much? No. After libations were had and laughs were shared, the bride slipped into her beautiful gown. I managed to sneak a few photos just before she walked down the aisle.
The ceremony was small and intimate. There was a warm vibe all around and I could tell each and every guest was special to the bride and groom. And when a few eyes in the room started to get a little dewy, Olivia came close to setting her dress on fire with one of the candles lining the aisle. She definitely garnered a few laughs. Just in time for the reception.
More often than not, a few special guests give a special toast and everyone follows by raising their glasses signifying their best wishes for the newly married couple. Olivia did away with a champagne glasses on her special night and decided a champagne bottle for each guest would be adequate.
It’s no surprise a night of fun, food, drinks and dancing ensued. And when it was time to see the couple off, everyone lined up with their Texas-sized sparklers and bid the couple adieu!
On the eighth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me eight brilliant feathers.
A duo’s love a-brimming.
A mother and daughter gazing.
Young lady graduating.
Four all aglow.
Three big grins.
Tender sister love.
and a branch full of purple berries.
I had the great pleasure of photographing Eleanor for her family’s annual Christmas cards. It was a misty and desolate morning and the peacocks and peahen awaited our entrance into their park. I learned the Cantus are a feather-collecting family so I guess we could not have decided on a more perfect spot for photos. Eleanor was such a delight to photograph. She is a confident, uninhibited and easy-going young lady so it made my job too easy. I was sad Mom and Dad weren’t going to be part of the shoot but it was so nice to chat afterward. I guess the bird’s making an appearance in our photos somewhat made up for it.
It was a pleasant surprise to receive a Christmas card from them with one of my photos! Thank you, Cantu Family!
On the seventh day of Christmas, Santa gave to me a couple’s love a-brimming.
A mother and daughter gazing.
Young lady graduating.
Four all aglow.
Three big grins.
Tender sister love.
and a branch full of purple berries.
I met with Carolina and Bert on South Congress for their engagement session this fall and had a great time getting to know them before their big day. When I asked the lovely couple how they met, Bert was first to respond. He claimed they had been teaching at the same school for quite some time and both happened attend the same conference. Carolina noticed him immediately and rather than approaching him she made her presence so obvious he could not miss her! Now- this is usually the part where brides refute the validity of the first meeting. Nope. Not this one. She unabashedly retorted, “Yes, after a few days he finally noticed me!” I loved her honesty. This is how I know their marriage will be of longstanding!
And I found out they love Hall & Oates as much as we do. What’s there not to love about this duo?
