Everything about Lauren and Phil and the wedding day they put together makes me want to photograph weddings for the rest of my life. They just got everything so right. They surrounded themselves with their favorite people as they got ready at the light-filled, historic Grand Hotel down the street from their venue, the Mckinney Flour Mill. The day went at a relaxed pace — so much so that Lauren informed me she’d had time for a bubble bath late that morning and Phil and his groomsmen were ready in time to leisurely walk to the Flour Mill before portraits began. Beneath the calm and the laughter in the hotel rooms we could all still feel the weight of the significance of this day, this day that Lauren and Phil would become Lauren-and-Phil-forever-and-ever-alright-oh-yeah.
They saw each other for the first time of the day in the same space where their ceremony would take place that evening. They met in the middle and took a moment to hold each other tight, to laugh the kind of laughs and smile the kind of smiles that one exchanges in the last couple of hours before they marry the person in front of them. We followed this with portraits during the best light of the day. I loved that time with Lauren and Phil on their wedding day, seeing how happy they were, getting the honor of documenting a bit of it.
During Phil’s vows to Lauren he thanked her for marrying him. Not once, not twice, and not three times but even more than that and with each time he repeated it, earnestly, everyone laughed not just because it was comically redundant but because it was so obviously sincere.
And then they danced and ate Texas BBQ and spent the rest of the evening under string lights, celebrating and enjoying their friends and family, some of whom had travelled quite a long way to be there with them dancing and eating and celebrating.
Lauren and Phil, you two and your wedding day are what my wedding photographer dreams are made of. And with that, hopefully the photos tell the rest. Enjoy!
For those of you who made it all the way to the end and are thinking, “WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS ADORABLE COUPLE BEFORE??” it may have been from their NYC engagement session in Grand Central Station and the Brooklyn Bridge. Or I suppose it could have just been in passing on the subway (although they did confess they’ve become more “taxi people”).
Lauren and Phil — I think you guys are SO GREAT. I couldn’t be happier for you two and your growing family. Like Phil in his vows I feel the need to repeat it over and over and over, from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you
thank you
thank you
thank you
 thank you
for choosing me as your wedding photographer.
I’ve been putting a lot of thought into what is it about certain couples that makes me fall so hard and fast for them. One of the things I’ve pinpointed is that I tend to connect most with people who feel deeply, who are really all in for experiencing and enjoying the moment they’re in and the person sharing it with them. Katy and Brandon, aside from being incredibly genuine and sweet individuals in general, have such a beautiful way of basking in each others presence. I fell hard and fast for them.
Going back to this wedding day is also fun for me because when I shot Brandon and Katy’s wedding I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and now blogging it I am in my third and final trimester, just six weeks or so out from meeting my baby girl (time flies, take photos). I remember going into this day I was nervous only because I had been experiencing morning (*scoffs* or rather, all day) sickness for weeks and wasn’t sure how that would affect me shooting. But I had prepared — I was armed with prayers and Cliff Bars — and from the moment I arrived and gave Katy a great big hug there was no way I could feel even the least bit lousy because every remaining second of the day was filled with joy and laughter and celebration at the marriage of Katy and Brandon.
Katy and Brandon — your love makes me happy. A million and one ‘thank you’s for inviting me into your wedding day to document it.
Vendors:
Venue – Le San Michele
Catering -Â Bittersweet Cakes & Catering
Hair and Make-up – Weddings by Celissarae
True to my word from yesterday’s post, today I’m sharing some of my favorites from Anita and Michael’s wedding. Anita is the sister (and sister-in-law) of one of my past bride and grooms, and in the time since this wedding was photographed, I’ve photographed another wedding where I got to run into some of these same bridesmaids and wedding guests a third time. Guys, I love getting to know family and wedding party members and having the pleasure of photographing them again at future weddings. The more I do, the more it feels like running into old friends and I really cannot fully express how sweet that is to me.
As you’ll be able to tell in the following photos, Anita and Michael are loved by so many and after getting to know them in this engagement and wedding season it’s entirely clear to me why that is. It was an absolute joy to document their special day, and now to share a few of my favorites with all of you.
It’s facial expressions like these that let me know I will never ever ever grow tired of first looks. Just never.
Things I enjoy:
– photographing the wedding of a sibling of past brides and grooms of mine –Â WARMS MY LIL HEART!
– documenting Indian weddings and because they are seriously SO FUN
– photographing people who genuinely enjoy themselves and the people they surround themselves with on their wedding day — it seems like a no-brainer, but not everyone does. Anita and Michael do and I like that very much.
– getting work from SEVEN MONTHS AGO up on my blog finally
– using caps lock to show how emphatic I’m feeling (obviously)
– Anita and Michael’s Indian bride-groom portraits, if you happened to miss that previous post
– and the dark chocolate covered sea salt butterscotch caramels from Trader Joes that I’m consuming while I write this post
And if you’re sad that the post is over — DON’T BE! I’ll be blogging Anita and Michael’s Chapel at Ana Villa wedding tomorrow. That’s right, I’m blogging two days in a row. Huzzah!
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