Every photographer relishes a chance to shoot something different, so when Rebecca’s mom Lisa asked me if I would be interested in photographing Rebecca and Victor’s very unique wedding, I absolutely jumped at the opportunity. Rebecca and Victor live in Chile, where they both work as architects and live with their son, Sam. They decided to get hitched during a trip back to the States to visit Rebecca’s family, but they did it in an intimate, special way. So special that the wedding was just featured on Style Me Pretty!
First up on the docket was a trip to the Justice of the Peace to make things official..
Next we headed to a Fort Worth landmark, the famous Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant, which has quite possibly the most beautiful grounds I’ve ever seen at a restaurant (perfect for a rehearsal dinner or a small reception!). Luckily we managed to squeeze in a short Day After-style session before the guests arrived.
I love that Rebecca chose a fun sundress instead of a traditional white dress.. I think it really fits the couple as well as their wedding, and who doesn’t love a splash of color?
Their son, Sam, was celebrating his birthday that week as well, so they had both wedding cake and birthday cake!
This was a really cool moment.. Rebecca and Victor read special messages to each other written in the other’s native language. Even though I couldn’t understand a word Rebecca said, I still teared up a little.. I’m a sucker for toasts!!
Rebecca, Victor, and Sam – thanks for allowing me to experience your fabulous wedding, and I hope the three of you are safe and sound in Chile right now!
It has been killing me to hold on to this wedding but I’ve been patiently biding my time, keeping these images quiet. Now that I finally have the go ahead from Style Me Pretty (where the pics will be featured this afternoon), I can show them off! Abby & Zach’s wedding was an awesome one for many reasons. Abby is a photographer herself, so she and I were completely on the same wavelength when it came to many aspects of the wedding day, and she really put a lot of thought into every detail of their wedding. From the tiny ceramic squirrels (Abby and Zach’s favorite animal) to the heart-shaped locks they gave away as favors (a European tradition; both Abby and Zach have lived abroad in Europe), to the clever play on their initials (A & Z) to the vibrant use of purple (Abby’s favorite color), this wedding was all about the couple and the things they love. Here are some of my favorites:
Because it was a morning ceremony, the day started EXTREMELY early (I arrived about 4:30 AM and the girls were already up and running).
Zach is the Vice President of DJones Tailored Collection, a company that makes custom-tailored suits, so naturally all the men are clothed in swanky DJones suits! Sharp!
Abby was inspired by the proposal scene in Pride and Prejudice where Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy meet up in the early morning glow, so she and Zach chose to do a First Look at the crack of dawn to recreate that feel. I love how soft and glowy the light is in their shots! You can see more of their First Look photos a little later on in this post.
This is by no means the end of Abby & Zach’s photos. I also have some incredible shots from their Day After sessions in Paris and Venice, but you’ll just have to wait a little longer for those!
However, I do want to give some major kudos to Piazza in the Village. They have done an incredible job of building a wedding venue that is beautiful AND functional. The bridal suite is a woman’s dream, with several vanity stations that are perfect for hair and makeup and a bridal pedestal with a three-paneled mirror for the bride. The groom’s suite has a large leather couch, a big screen TV, and video games. They also have a system of video cameras throughout the property that record various points-of-view of the ceremony so not only can the bride and groom watch their guests arrive from their separate suites, but the wedding can also be streamed on the internet so that friends and family who couldn’t make the wedding can watch it via webcast on the internet! Never have I seen a venue that has put so much thought into providing the best wedding day experience for their couples. If you’re still looking for a venue, I highly recommend Piazza in the Village!
Ceremony & Reception Location: Piazza in the Village
Event Design & Lighting: Signature Productions
Cake: Opulent Cakes
Wedding Gown: Anjolique from Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses
Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Angelo
Menswear: DJones Tailored Collection
Hair and Makeup: Les Hill and Amanda Pogue at One Fine Day
Stay tuned – Abby & Zach’s AMAZING Parisian and Venetian Day After sessions will be live sometime today!
17 Comments
- Wow, that is one amazing wedding! I'm loving all the details. Great job Abby, and Stacy beautiful as always!
- stacy! this is my favorite work from you! the bride put together the most beautiful wedding with GREAT colors and the attention to detail by you and the bride/planner is amazing!! well done by everyone!!
- [...] Reeves has lots more terrific photos from Abby and Zach’s fabulous wedding day on her website {click [...]
- Wow! So gorgeous.
- Ohhh the purple, the details, the bubbles! All to die for! Great work! Also, thank you for your pricing guide, which I was directed to from another photographer in my area. Frightening, yes. Truthful, yes. So thank you :)
- I love the idea of a first look at dawn - what gorgeous pictures that produced! I'm also planning a morning wedding and wondered if you or the bride have any tips or advice about this. It seems morning weddings are few and far between so I was so excited to see one feautured and wonder if there might be anythign I can learn from it.
- Thank you so much!!! @Katie, I enjoyed our morning wedding a lot! We had to do it at that time because the venue was booked and we were leaving for the HM that afternoon. We didn't have to wait around to get married, from 4:00 am till 3--we were going going going. We served breakfast for everyone, had coffee and mimosas and it worked out nice. Don't expect the party to last as long as an evening wedding, but our guests seemed to enjoy themselves despite the hour! I bet if you have your wedding at a warmer time of year you won't have to deal with a cold photo session either! :-) You can break some "rules" with a morning wedding, so have fun with it! Good luck!
- Abby and Zach your wedding was absolutely gorgeous..OMG, all I can say... LOVE,LOVE,LOVE IT Stacy you rock!!! Pictures INCREDIBLE.. and Congratulation on your engagement I only hope my wedding turns out as beautiful as this and I am able to have a photographer capture the special moments without seeming over bearing like you did Stacy.. KUDOS.. This was just awesome!!
- This is amazing Stacy, seriously my fav wedding to date. Congrats on the feature you totally deserve it. Celina
- Congradulations Zack, the pictures are incredible. I am so happy for you and Abby. Give my regards to your family. I'll talk to you soon!
- wow ~ these images are really beautiful! Love the bubbles :)
- I also just saw Katie's comment ~ my husband and I also had a morning wedding, and it was also born out of necessity. Our situation was a little different because we married in Taiwan, but the same basic principles still apply! I loved getting married in the morning! There's something really special about enjoying the morning air and then getting married! We did have to book a salon to open for us extra early, but that wasn't a problem. Then, we were able to have both families together for a light evening meal after the whole banquet, and that ended up being a really special time of celebrating with our families!
- [...] Zach’s wedding [...]
- So amazing & inspiring, love the way you captured the bridal party!
- Wow! Great work! I guess my comments are a bit different as I am a photographer in Dallas as well and just came upon your site (and these wedding pics.) Of course I am completely objective as I do not know any of the parties involved but was just compelled to comment on how impressed I am with the work. It is, well, beautiful. But not only that, technically good as well, meaning a great eye for composition and post-production as well as GREAT timing. I understand you probably shot a lot of stuff here and edited well, but if you shot this wedding yourself (no assistants?) well, wow! So, anyway. Just another photographer saying (and I'm hard to impress) GREAT JOB for your client and a pat on the back for yourself.
- [...] peacock themed wedding from Stacy Reeves. And a similar inspiration to reality shoot from Style Me Pretty here, here, and [...]
- [...] 3: Boutonniere, Decor, [...]
Sommer is my complete kindred spirit, aesthetically speaking. Her style is so romantic, feminine, classic, with just a touch of vintage. Her wedding, which I just shot this past weekend at Butler’s Courtyard near Houston, had some of the most beautiful florals and general decor I’ve ever seen. I wanted to steal all of her centerpieces and bouquets and take them home! Sommer herself is such a classic beauty, it’s pretty much impossible to take a bad photo of her, so this bridal session was easy as pie. Here are a few of my favorites:
9 Comments
- LOVE these, especially that first one.. GORGEOUS!!
- I love these! Beautiful as always.
- wow.love.
- Stacy, These are so beautiful of Sommer! I can't wait to see the wedding photos. You do such a wonderful job but I agree you did have some beautiful subjects to work with. I also loved the engagement pictures you took of Cody and Sommer, what a beautiful place you picked out to shoot in. I hope you publish all your favorite wedding photos so everyone can enjoy them also. Thanks for the compliment on the florals and decorations. Sincerely, Jeri Key (Mother of the Groom)
- I am *so* in love with the shots with the mirrors. Wowwww!!
- Stacy, you are amazing! I am so thankful that you are my photographer, you make me look good! Thank you for all your hard work and can't wait to see more! Much love!!
- You and Cody are the perfect couple---Im so happy for both of you. May god bless this beautiful union and keep you healthy and happy forever. Ellen
- Love these shots!! GORGEOUS. Amazing lighting gives this bride a very soft and elegant glow.
- Stacy...these pictures of Sommer are awesome! Can't wait to see the wedding pics. I hope you will let me know when you have them ready.
Caroline has been a friend for a long time, and since the day I met her I have always admired her unique beauty and style. Just look at that face! That girl should be a supermodel! I’m a lucky photographer for getting to put her in front of my camera, and especially lucky to be able to call her a friend. She and Todd are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and the size of their wedding party should show you that they are two VERY likable people. Here are some of my favorites from their wedding day:
Ceremony Location: University Park United Methodist Church
Reception Location: Tower Club
Florist: Park Cities Petals
Band: Cuvee
Cake: Panini Cakes
Wedding Gown: Pronovias
Bridesmaids Dresses: Vera Wang from Stardust Celebrations
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse
8 Comments
- i agree, you are a lucky photographer to have this couple to photograph but it's also apparent that they are lucky to have you on their day!
- Excellent work as usual! I love the one with the dancing hands in silhouette! Such a beautiful pink glow.
- Love the one of the girls under the brick building all scattered. Large groups are so hard and yet you deal with them effortlessly. Love the back lighting on the first dance pic and my fav is the BW of the bride and groom with her veil over her face. So classic and glamorous. Well done.
- Stacy, first of all congrats on your own engagement! Second, I love viewing your work and find it refreshing and so creative! It inspires me to be a better photographer!
- I just starting following your blog recently, your work rocks! Thank you for sharing with the world!
- I'm so in love with your blog. I check it out at least a couple of times a week and I am such a huge fan of what you do, Stacy. I'd love to be a fly on a wall and just watch you work.
- Great work! love the ring shots... dinosaurs RULE!! (as does your portrait work, btw) :)
- Beautiful work!!! Great wedding!
Leah and Bryan could put up a pretty healthy fight for the “happiest, funnest, most party-lovin’ couple” award. These two are all smiles, all the time, especially when they’re around each other. Leah is the quintessential happy-go-lucky girl who has a great time no matter what’s going on, and the love she and Bryan share is one of the most upbeat, enthusiastic loves I’ve ever seen. Spending the wedding day with them was a heap of fun, and you better believe they kept the dance floor going all night long. They also had some of the most unique ballroom decor I’ve ever seen. Here are some of my favorites:
There was such amazing light in the room that Leah and her bridesmaids got ready in, and as a result I think her pre-wedding shots are some of my best work. It’s amazing how much light can affect the quality of your wedding day photographs. If you’re engaged, make sure that on your wedding day you surround yourself with as much natural light as possible by getting ready in rooms with lots of unblocked windows!
Leah and Bryan chose to do a First Look, which I love them for! It allowed us to get some gorgeous photos of them before their ceremony (I’ll show more of those off later).
Leah told me that her design inspiration for her wedding was garden/forest theme, only ballroom-ized. The guys at Party Props Inc did a crazy job of bringing her vision to life, complete with a custom-made tree and personalized heart carving!
Ceremony: First United Methodist Houston
Reception: Crowne Plaza Downtown Houston
Cake: A Day To Remember
Lighting and Event Design: Party Props Inc
Florist: The Flower Corner
Wedding Gown: Sophia Tolli at Ocones
Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Angelo
9 Comments
- Absolutely gorgeous shots, as always. I particularly love the vibrant colour shot of the wedding party walking down the road - really amazing!
- Recently found your blog Stacey! So Glad I did too, beautiful work! Leah and Bryan look like an awesome couple!
- beautiful lighting with the girls geetting ready! Love the fact that they chose to see each other prior to the ceremony; I wish more couples would opt for that. Besides all of the gorgeous details pics, I love the group photos (walking down the street and sitting on steps) Stunning.
- I love your work so much. You do some of the most fun group shots I've seen. Love that last shot - and btw, what a gorgeous bride.
- Stacy you are the best!!! These are fantastic :)
- just beautiful! I love the first look and group shots... perfection.
- Beautiful pictures as always Stacy! :)
- I love your photos Stacy, and your pricing guide is initially how I found you. I'm shooting my first wedding in May, and I love all the pictures of the rings that you did. How do you generally work that? Do you just ask the couple to hand 'em over or what? I think I'd be so scared to lose them. Best wishes in planning your own wedding! You must have tons of awesome ideas and connections now!
- I don't really think about it, I just ask them to hand over the rings at some point during the reception usually. I always make sure that there are no events coming up like bouquet toss or cake cutting so that I can have a good 20 minutes with the rings uninterrupted. I think the danger of losing the rings would be if you had to run and do something else, and threw them in your pocket or something. If I have to stop shooting the rings for any reason, I always hand them back to the bride and groom first.
*******As part of the Cans for Comments drive, for every comment left on the blog in the month of December, I will donate a canned good to a local food bank. Please leave a comment and help out those in need!*******
The best part of shooting my friend’s weddings is that it feels like a mini-reunion, and I get to spend a day not only with clients that I love, but also with some of my favorite people, and we’re all there to celebrate a really happy occasion and have a great time. Lisa and Grant’s wedding was like all of that times ten. I had the joy of getting to watch their relationship blossom when we were all together in an organization at Texas A&M, and I truly can’t think of two other people who are more deserving of love and happiness. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who knows Grant or Lisa and doesn’t think the world of them, so it’s no surprise that their wedding was packed with friends and family who traveled far and wide to come to tiny little Ennis, Texas (home of the greatest drive-in ever!) to see them get married. Here are some of my favorites from the wedding day:
I loved how Lisa incorporated an item from both her grandmothers and grandfathers, including an Aggie ring, a cross, a bible, and a rosary. There was so much significance and meaning tied into her bouquet!
So you remember how I mentioned that this would be the most Aggie wedding of all time? Here’s some visual proof:
Look at all of that Aggie bling! With over 70 Aggies in attendance, we estimated that there had to be at least $35,000 in gold in that pile of Aggie rings (and at least $3 million in tuition money to earn them)!
*******As part of the Cans for Comments drive, for every comment left on the blog in the month of December, I will donate a canned good to a local food bank. Please leave a comment and help out those in need!*******
20 Comments
- beautiful! I love the chicken hat. wonderful pictures :)
- Wow ~ these photos are fabulous! And I'm not just saying that to donate a can to charity. :)
- You are such an amazing photographer, definitely one of my favorites. Your work is always so inspiring. Great job.
- Wow I love the dresses and the bouquets! And you had a great time with the details! Great work as always!
- Beautiful pictures - I kept thinking "I love that one..." until I saw the next one. The Aggie ring pictures are great! People outside of Texas just do not get how special A&M is. The ring pictures remind me.
- Whoop!
- Absolutely love the pile o' Aggie rings. That is a great photo and must have been a great moment!
- yay for comments for cans!!!! let's all make a difference this christmas!! awesome wedding details!
- Awesome Aggie wedding. :)
- The rings...I'm just speechless.
- I LOVE the grand march photo...too cool...I always love your shots :)
- Beautiful as always! :) Love the rings in the candy. Woo cans for comments!
- It almost makes me want to become a Texan! Almost... :)
- Beautiful pictures, every single one of them! What a cool photo with all of the Aggie Rings. This couple is adorable & have beautiful contagious smiles! Good job capturing the moment.
- The KJT never looked so good. Incredible job as always!
- Whoop!
- These are lovely, Stacey. I'd love to know the story behind that chicken hat :)
- Stacy, Love the pictures and your sweet comments. The chicken hat was purchased by Lisa's Mom at an Oktober Fest celebration when Brave Combo was playing. Several of the bride's cousins have worn the hat at their weddings. This is the second one as the original one is hiding someplace and we couldn't have a wedding without the hat, so I googled it, got the same one as the original and I have not seen a prettier bride wearing a chicken hat except her sister and cousins. Stacy, thanks again for the photos and your nice comments.
- Gig 'em, Ags!
- I love your style and 50 1.2 is magic :)
It’s just a fact that SOMETHING will go wrong on your wedding day. For some lucky brides, it’s a late bridesmaid or a bouquet with the wrong type of flowers. For other not so lucky brides, it’s a power failure at the reception site or a best man who ends up in a jail cell with the wedding rings in his pocket. I’ve seen all of these situations firsthand, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the only thing that can truly ruin a wedding is the way the bride and groom react to these situations. If the bride panics and goed into hysterics or the groom goes on an angry rampage, then everyone is on edge, and the day becomes miserable for everyone involved. On the other hand, if the bride and groom allow these troubles to roll off their shoulders and stay focused on the real meaning behind the day, then the wedding becomes that much more special, and not even the worst emergency can ruin it. Zi and Gary are the epitome of the latter type of couple. They were so focused on enjoying their friends and family and loving each other that not even a freak monsoon could keep everyone at their (outdoor) wedding from having a blast.
The day started off smoothly enough..
Both the ceremony and the reception were being held at Gary’s family’s home in Highland Park, near White Rock Lake. Gary’s sister did an amazing job decorating their lovely yard, including both soft spring colors and infusing bits of Zi’s heritage, as well. The ceremony was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and the seating with guests on both sides of the gazebo made the whole ceremony feel intimate and open.
As Zi changed into her reception dress, the family prepared for the reception, transforming the ceremony area into a party tent. Although it had been sprinkling occasionally, the sun had been peeking through and we thought we might be in the clear.
Then, as is wont to happen during May in Texas, the weather suddenly changed, and things started getting a little… wet……
We all waited and waited for the skies to clear, but the rain only got harder and harder, and the afternoon sky turned almost black. A snap decision was made to move everyone into the living room and continue the festivities!
Finally the rain let up and we all resumed the party outside!
As evidenced by the photos, these two had smiles glued to their faces all day, even when the rain forced all the wedding guests into the living room. These two, and their AWESOME families, made sure that no matter what happened in the skies, they were going to have a great party and start Zi and Gary’s wedding off with a bang. Every bride should take a lesson from these two and remember that it’s possible to have a great wedding day even when the flowers aren’t right, the DJ plays all the wrong songs, the groomsmen get drunk, or the reception ends up happening in someone’s living room!
Special thanks to Scotty Perry for flying all the way out from Louisville to second shoot with me!
10 Comments
- SCOTTY SHOT THIS WITH YOU? Jealous. Great blog post. :)
- These are so clean and beautiful. I love them.
- stunning! the details are so so beautiful. you summed it up perfectly - great advice
- Amazing!! Love the details! The ring shots are beautiful!
- These are beautiful!
- What a cute couple!!! Amazing images as always Stacy!
- love your work!
- You two did a beautiful job on this! Love it!!
- stunning work! you caught so amazing moments.
- Ken, don't you mean SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTY? :) Great job, amazing wedding! Love the bride's attitude!
Gara - Ridiculous, Stacy!!! I'll never look at Joe T's the same way again. Plus, they are just a great looking family. These pics really make me want a margarita....
Pakistani Wedding Photographer - lovely work!!!
Kelly Ry - Love, love, LOVE! Her dress is perfect.
Lisa H. Chang - Yeah! I love untraditional weddings. :)
Mehul Khandhar - Your work is inspirational. The moments and expressions have been captured wonderfully. I Love your work.
Adore Amore - Love how the bride wore such beautiful colors in the courthouse. beautiful couple. Stacy, you rocked it out on this wedding.
Kyle - OMG, I know her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, I just got way too over-excited about this moment. Every gringa knows every gringa in Santiago so I shouldn't be so surprised, but still, it's so cool to see them on your blog!
AmyPunky Photography - Sweet little wedding!! I love her dress, she is gorgeous!! They make such a beautiful couple!!! Your photos are amazing!
fotograf wesele - They look like Pro Models or something, again great work
kristi wright - You are amazing, Stacy. What a sweet little wedding. I just love the bride's dress. Fabulous.
William Massey - Stunning! The portraits are simply amazing, but really everything is breathtaking. You got amazing shots in a courthouse!!! Now anytime I feel limited by the location I'll think back to this awesome set and be inspired!
Erica - Absolutely beautiful, perfect shots - amazing work! And a gorgeous couple (and baby!) to boot!
Cat Logan - Ah, I love that bench surrounded by all that greenery! Absolutely beautiful!
Erin - YUMM!!! Joe T's! Great places to take pics too :D Beautiful images! Not many people could make a courthouse romantic, but you pulled it off :). Bravo!
Holly - where is her ring from?