Continuing on in our series of destination weddings, today I’m featuring one of my favorite commissions in my entire career. When Erin and Tyler first booked me, their wedding seemed fairly normal – a ceremony at a beautiful church followed by a lovely reception with all their friends and family. However, as the weeks of planning went on and the guest list grew, Erin and Tyler realized that all they really wanted was to be married, and the rest was just details. They decided to eschew the fancy centerpieces and table linens and pare their wedding down to the people and places that mattered most. I’ll never forget the day when Erin called me up and asked, almost apologetically, if I would be willing to fly with her, Tyler, and their pastor to Dublin, Ireland, the place that they met and had their very first date, and document their elopement. Naturally I just about jumped out of my seat with excitement, and a few months later we were off to the Emerald Isle!

I can never thank Erin and Tyler enough for introducing me to the beautiful wonderland that is Ireland. Traveling throughout Ireland is like walking into a postcard. Everywhere you turn is a new breathtaking vista – rolling hills thick with lush green grass, packs of sheep wandering alongside winding gravel roads, craggy mountains stretching up to the clouds, and rainbows everywhere you turn! As if the stunning natural landscape wasn’t enough, the people of Ireland are by far the nicest on planet Earth (high praise, coming from a Texan!). Everywhere we went, the locals embraced us with open arms and big smiles. I’ll never forget walking into an ancient looking pub in the middle of a tiny Irish town, hoping only for a drink and a warm meal, and instead being seized upon by a group of locals who had clearly known each other for decades, but they took us in as if we were old friends, and we drank and sang and danced into the wee hours of the morning. From the bustling city of Dublin to the little villages dotting the Ring of Kerry, every place and person we encountered was a charm. I understand now why Erin and Tyler were so anxious to return there to say their vows, and I am counting the days until I get to return there myself!

True to their mission of focusing only on the things that mattered most to them, Erin put a whole new meaning to the term “last minute.” When I shot their engagement session a mere week before we were to leave for Ireland, I asked Erin about her wedding dress, at which point she just shrugged, gave me her genuine and infectious smile, and said “I don’t have one yet.” You could have picked my jaw off the floor! Being a very planning-oriented person, my mind immediately raced with all of the options she had left – perhaps a sample sale, or Craigslist, or maybe she could borrow one from a friend – but Erin was unphased.  She gave another shrug and a smile, and told me that she trusted God would make it happen for her. Sure enough, Erin found a gorgeous lace wedding dress online, had the owner overnight it to her (and crossed her fingers that it would fit), and with only a handful of hours left before she had to board the plane, she picked up her dress from the mail and we set off across the globe. When we arrived in Dublin, Erin called up a local florist and asked them to put together a bouquet with whatever they had lying around, and she grabbed a small cake-for-two from a local baker.  Everything came together and Erin and Tyler got exactly what they had been hoping for – a beautiful, meaningful beginning to their marriage. Here are some of my favorites from their day:

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Continuing on in our series of destination weddings…

I’m fairly used to getting emails from girls who are planning their wedding before they actually have a ring in hand (let’s be honest, I was planning my wedding before I even had a boyfriend, so I can’t begrudge a girl who wants to get a head start on her planning!). However, getting an email from a groom-to-be before the proposal is definitely something that doesn’t happen on a regular basis, so when Doug contacted me months before he was planning to pop the question, my curiosity was piqued. He and his then-girlfriend were both photographers in the New Orleans area, so naturally photography was one of the most important vendors to them, so much so that Doug was prepared to drop a deposit in front of me before he had even dropped to one knee in from of CheyAnne! A few months later, a very excited (and newly engaged) CheyAnne inquired with me, ready to book her photographer, not even knowing that her sweet fiance had already beaten her to the punch. As New Orleans is hands-down my favorite city in the United States, I was thrilled at the chance to go there not once, not twice, but three separate times to capture their engagements, bridals, and wedding, and I felt that as I got the know the city of NOLA better and better, I also got to know CheyAnne and Doug better and better. I learned about the struggles they faced together, how important their families are to them, how active they are in the New Orleans community, how passionate they are about their photography business and their clients, their love of New Orleans Saints and LSU football, and how long CheyAnne has been patiently waiting for this day to come! When CheyAnne and Doug finally danced down the aisle, surrounded by friends, family, and curious tourists peering through the gates of Jackson Square, I truly felt like I was sharing the day with them, rather than just documenting it, and it made the experience that much more special. Here are some of my favorite images from their day:

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One of my all time favorite things to do is to travel. Seeing a new landscape and culture that I’ve never experienced before is one of the most thrilling things about life, and for me personally, it’s ten times better when I get to take a camera and a client along for the ride. I’ve been lucky enough to visit so many different states and countries as a photographer, including Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Paris, Venice, Chicago, New York, New Orleans, Nebraska, Arkansas, and so many others. In a few weeks my husband Jason and I will be jet-setting off to Europe for a couple of weeks immersing ourselves in new cultures and testing what we’ve learned in our year’s worth of French lessons, so to prepare myself for the trip, I decided to blog some of my recent destination work!

This week I’m starting off closer to home with a detail-rich wedding down in Marfa, Texas. Although it is in my home state, Marfa is much further away than many out of state weddings I’ve shot, and the culture is so drastically different that it feels like entering a new country. If you’ve never had the pleasure of visiting Marfa, the best way I can explain it is that it’s a hipster’s paradise. The town revolves around art, music, and culture and very much embraces its different-ness.  Everywhere you turn there’s a new art gallery or installation, musical performance, food truck, unique and innovative boutique, farmer’s market (quite an interesting variety considering it’s surrounded by desert and canyon), or trendy restaurant, as well as being the home of the famous Marfa Lights. You’d never expect to find an artistic haven nestled in such an isolated area, but if you’re willing to make the trek, it’s well worth it (especially for the Grilled Cheese Emporium).

Considering the Marfa culture, it’s no surprise that musician and artists Sissy & David decided it was the perfect place to say “I Do.” I had the privilege of photographing Sissy’s sister Rebecca’s wedding a few years prior, and I had been dying to check Marfa out for myself for years, so I was super excited to travel down the the Big Bend region with their family and friends and photograph their wedding at the Thunderbird Hotel and Capri Lounge. Sissy and David really put their style and vision to work in every aspect of their wedding, and the details were some of the most personalized and unique I’ve ever seen.  Here are a few of my favorites from their day:

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I’m so excited to finally share Lauren and Jeff’s OW Ranch wedding, now that it has been featured on Style Me Pretty!  There’s something so special about an outdoor ranch wedding.  Being surrounded by the beauty of nature in a rustic setting that almost forces you to relax creates a lovely, laid back atmosphere that can’t go wrong.  One thing I particularly loved about Lauren and Jeff’s wedding was all of the color! When I walked into the reception and saw every color of the rainbow, I absolutely fell in love.  Debby Jewesson of Branching Out really outdid herself with this one.  There were so many creative containers, such as plaster urns, wooden boxes, vintage tins, and mason jars, filled with every kind of flower and unique touches like moss, acorns, ferns, and quartz crystal.  Everywhere you turned there was a new and interesting centerpiece.  I must have taken a million photos trying to catalog all of the beautiful touches!  Lauren told me that she when she decided to have no specific wedding colors, she got a lot of strange looks and had a lot of people try to talk her out of it, but I am so glad she held her ground!  Entertainment was provided by Maximum Acoustic, the delicious Mexican food at the reception came courtesy of Wind Hill Catering, and the wedding cakes were created by Granbury Cakes.  The bride wore a Marisa gown from Patsy’s Bridal Boutique in Highland Park, and the bridesmaid’s stunning dress was created by a family friend.  Here are some of my favorites from their wedding:

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One of my favorite moments from Kristy and Brian’s wedding was walking in the door to her hotel room at the Adolphus Hotel and being introduced to her super friendly bridesmaids, some of whom admitted that they follow my blog, so I know they will be especially happy to see these images! Kristy is one of those rare, magnificent beauties that you seldom come across, and when you do, you can’t help but just stare. Every move she makes is so full of elegance and grace, and it is literally impossible to catch a bad angle of her. Her kind, quiet spirit is a perfect match for Brian, who is as likable a guy as you will ever find. I know Brian knows how lucky he is to have her, and I also know she feels equally lucky to have found such a wonderful man who adores her so much. Spending time with Kristy and Brian and being a part of their wedding was a real honor, and I’m thrilled to share the images with all of you! The ceremony was held at First United Methodist Church of Dallas and the reception took place at the Adolphus Hotel. The delicious cake was made by Panini Bakery, the flowers were created by Kabloom of Dallas, and Special Edition kept the party going all night long, as always.

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I love New Orleans. I mean, I don’t just love it, I looooooove it. Not a week goes by that Jason and I don’t talk about when our next trip will be, and every time we do go down to the Big Easy, we come back making plans to pack up and move down there. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Texas girl born and bred, I love my Dallas roots, but there’s something so magical about New Orleans. The music is the best in the world, the food is to die for, the architecture is beautiful, and there’s always something fun and exciting to do. It’s also a photographer’s dream city – everywhere you look is a photo op, and it’s virtually impossible to run out of stunning backdrops for portraits and weddings and environmental shots. Any chance I get to take photos in New Orleans, I absolutely jump on, so I was beyond thrilled when Annie and Chris invited me to photograph their NOLA wedding earlier this year. Annie took me under her wing and taught me some very valuable Big Easy staples – the to-go cup, the St. Charles street car, Magazine Street, the glorious Muriel’s Restaurant, and my absolute favorite wedding tradition of all time – the Second Line. I loved it so much, I decided to do it at my own wedding! I will forever be grateful to Annie and Chris for showing me a side to the Crescent City that I never knew existed. Here are a few (okay, a LOT!) of my favorites from their wedding day:

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Generally when you see a couple this attractive, you just assume they must have some major flaw, some chink in their perfect armor. Maybe they’re snobby, or not very nice, or not very smart, or not very interesting. This couldn’t be further from the truth with Jessica and Charlie. To an outsider, they seem to have it all together. They are warm, nice, loving people who come from two joyful families that seemed to be thrilled to see them married, they have awesome, supportive friends who partied the whole night long, and of course they’ve got that whole Aggie thing going for them, too! I kept catching myself grinning at this wedding, unable to resist the contagious joy from all the fun and super-nice people I was surrounded by. This is the kind of wedding I live to shoot – two genuinely good people surrounded by loving family and friends, celebrating their love without a care in the world. Here are some of my favorite photographs from their wedding at Villa Antonia in Austin Texas:

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