Chicago Engagements | Susan+Harry | Dallas Destination Wedding Photographer

We had an amazing time capturing Susan and Harry’s engagement photos all around Chicago, a city that means so much to them and where they’ve spent most of their time together as a couple. Chicago is such a gorgeous city and what I love about destination engagement sessions is we really get to explore together and form a really great rapport with each other! We started the session right outside the Chicago Planetarium where the walkway was completely covered in ice, forming this perfect picturesque platform for us. We then headed over to Millennium park and ended the night with a fabulous dinner at the Gilt Bar, which I will have to stop by again next time I’m in town. The next morning started in their high-rise apartment for some lovely cozy photos. Susan and Harry went with a classic black, gold, and blue color palette which coincided with the magnificent Union station. We wrapped up this trip on one of their favorite bridges nearby with another stunning Chicago skyline backdrop and we couldn’t be more happier for them!

Excellence Riviera Cancun Wedding | Dallas Destination Wedding Photographer

Sandy and Leo were married on the gorgeous beachfront of the Excellence Riviera Cancun. The beach ceremony was intimate, sweet and was the perfect setting for the friends and family gathered. I loved how private and quiet the ceremony felt being on the far side of the beach. Besides a stunning beach, the Excellence Riviera Cancun is full of texture and beautiful backdrops for romantic portraits. I’m always blessed when couples are willing to take me to gorgeous destinations outside of Dallas!

Venue: Excellence Riviera Cancun

Avante-Garde Inspirational Castle Shoot | Dallas Film Wedding Photographers

We’re so excited to see our avant-garde inspirational shoot published on Hochzeitsguide today, one of the finest among European fine art wedding blogs! What makes this publication even more special is not only we co-organized this inspirational shoot with the talented Meggie Francisco Events, but we also had ten other talented fine art film photographers join us for this third “Haystack shootout”. Haystack isn’t just your typical mix and mingle event, but we also produce stunning artistry with some of the most talented wedding professionals in Dallas/Fort Worth. Our one and only rule is all images created must be shot with a film camera, no digital cameras are allowed during the shoot.

For this styled shoot, we aimed for an elegant look with the castle setting, but we also wanted something slightly edgy and futuristic with and avant-garde touch. We kept the color tones simple with different shades of greens and hints of ivory and white. We knew we needed a wedding dress that felt very luxurious to give us a princess feel, yet we didn’t want something too over the top, Catherine Deane‘s design was perfect for the shoot. To add some fun and character to the shoot, we had tons of flower girls which made for some of the cutest photos! Here are some of our favorite shots, but also head on over to Hochzeitsguide to see what our talented group of friends captured!

PLANNING + DESIGN: Meggie Francisco
LOCATION: The Castle at Rockwall
FLORAL: Jackson Durham
CAKE: Fancy Cakes by Lauren
MAKE-UP: Wendy Zerrudo
HAIR: Danica Rey
PAPER GOODS: Design Roots
FURNITURE RENTALS: AFR Event Furnishings
LINEN RENTALS: La Tavola Fine Linen
TABLEWARE RENTALS: Posh Couture Rentals
ADDITIONAL TABLE ACCESSOIRES: Z Gallerie
BRIDAL GOWN DESIGNER: Catherine Deane
BRIDAL GOWN SALON: Neiman Marcus Downtown Dallas
BRIDESMAID GOWN DESIGNERS: Paper Crown and Joanna August
BRIDESMAID GOWN RETAILER: Bella Bridesmaids Dallas
VELVET RIBBON: Mood Designer Fabrics
MODELS: Molli Stumpf, Collides Agency; Victoria Scoggins; Athena DeVonne
PHOTO LAB: Goodman Film Lab

Austin Destination Engagement Session | Sarah+Austin | Dallas Wedding Photographer

Sarah is the owner and creative mastermind behind one of our dearest friends over at Keestone Events! We’ve done numerous weddings and styled shoots with them through the past few years, so needless to say we were pretty excited to learn that she was getting married!  We’re pretty fortunate that most of our couples love to travel as much as we do, and they enjoy bringing us along.  Sarah and Austin love the nature and the city of Austin, so we decided to take a short road trip for their engagement session! Our first stop for the trip was grabbing some tasty handcrafted pizzas and beers at Aviator Pizza in Elgin, TX just on the outskirts of Austin.  The next morning we trekked out to Hamilton pool preserve where they had some great memories.  Unfortunately the typically gorgeous Hamilton pool had a record breaking high level of E. Coli due to several days of heavy rain and we were not allowed to touch the water at all.  Luckily the surroundings were just as amazing and we had perfect weather when we arrived!  Sarah is all about the textures, so we walked around downtown Austin in the afternoon creating some magic around the city.  We had so much fun together, and I just love how we had to practice walking in front of a wall because we couldn’t get it right on the streets!  We ended the evening with romantic shots on top of the scenic Mount Bonnell and we can’t wait for their Dallas Arboretum wedding next year!

The Venue at Waterstone Wedding | Celina, TX | Dallas Wedding Photographer | Paige+Bailee

A stunning rustic barn venue, intricate details, lush floral, gorgeous wedding party, fun Aggies, and two people just more than excited to get married; this is Paige and Bailee’s story.  The Venue at Waterstone is a brand new southern barn venue located in Celina, TX, and it was exactly what Paige and Bailee wanted.  Paige and Bailee had the perfect first look, you can almost feel how excited they were to see each other for the first time!  Their gift exchange was full of sweet moments; Paige has such a natural and mesmerizing smile, while Bailee has such a fun personality, they’re definitely the perfect compliment to each other.  While the Venue at Waterstone is a lovely venue itself, Timeless Fiori took it to the next level with lavish details including draping and the floral chandelier, the chalkboard theme throughout, and super cute moss bowl place cards.  Paige and Bailee’s wedding wasn’t short of moments and surprises either!  A flash mob during the father daughter dance, Bailee smashing some cake into Paige’s face, and Bailee breaking some glass decor with a garter football were just some of our favorites.  The night ended with a sweet private last dance and we sent them off with sparklers and a lovely vintage car from Romantic Remembrances!

Wedding Planning, Design, & Floral: Timeless Fiori  ::  Venue: The Venue at Waterstone  ::  Wedding Dress:  Lillian West from The Blushing Bride  ::  Bridesmaid Dresses:  Demetrios Bride  ::  Videography:  Roman Video Productions  ::  Cake:  Fancy Cakes by Lauren  :: DJ: Ambiance Entertainment  ::  Drape & Lighting:  Dallas Drape & Lighting  ::  Transportation:  Romantic Remembrances

Seven for Parties Wedding | Dallas Wedding Photographers | Nigina+Gary

When Nigina and Gary told me they met in Las Vegas by the pool, I knew we were going to have a blast at their wedding!  They definitely wanted to get married at a unique wedding venue, and 7 for parties ended up being the perfect place!  Gary’s mom happens to be a wedding planner in Oklahoma and did an amazing job designing the wedding with a color palette we haven’t seen before: oil bronze, copper, blush, and green.  The groomsmen had actual copper in their boutonnieres, their aisle runner was imprinted with a watercolor inspired brown and green monogram, and they had some of the cutest flower girls ever with their floral crowns.  Nigina and Gary are no doubt deeply in love with each other, and perhaps on par is their mutual love for ice hockey as shown by the Stanely Cup wedding cake, hockey puck wedding favors, exiting under gold hockey sticks, and half their wedding party plays hockey on the same team!  It was beyond amazing to witness the moment they were gifted an Oshie autographed jersey by one of their wedding guests.  Of course, the wedding wouldn’t be complete without some Russian culture, and there was surely enough Vodka to represent with some stunning Vodka shot glasses for Nigina and Gary.  They definitely weren’t kidding when they say Russians drink Vodka like drinking water!  The toasts were super entertaining because whenever the word “Gor’ko” was used, Nigina and Gary had to kiss, and it was used quite a bit!

Wedding Venue:  7 for parties  :: Hair & Makeup: Erin Blair Makeup & Design  ::  Catering: Wendy Krispin Caterer  ::  DJ & Lighting: Austin Patton

Dallas Indian Orthodox Christian Wedding | St. Mary’s Orthodox Church of India, Dallas| Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco/Hotel Convention Center |  Anu+Joe

We’re super excited to share our first ever Indian Orthodox Christian wedding on the blog!  Anu and Joe are some of the coolest people we’ve ever met, not only that, they’re also super organized and chill which made our day a whole lot easier!  The day started off with the amazing Tracy Melton Artistry working her magic, followed by the ceremony at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church of India, Dallas.  Indian Christian ceremonies have significant differences from the Christian ceremonies we’re used to shooting, thus making it interesting yet challenging at the same time.  There were lots of moments including the multiple celebrants, the priest placing the rings on the bride and groom, crowning of the bride and groom, tying of the minnu thread on the bride, and the overlaying of the bridal saree.  The huge reception was held at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco/Hotel Convention Center and it was full of fun games, great toasts and laughter thanks to “Chris Brown” and Joe’s sister!  Thanks for having us Anu and Joe!

Venues:  St. Mary’s Orthodox Church of India, Dallas; Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco/Hotel Convention Center  ::  Wedding Planning:  Piece of Cake Events ::  Hair and Makeup:  Tracy Melton Artistry  ::  Cinematography: SixFourteen Films

Weatherford Texas Southern Wedding | Doss Heritage and Culture Center| Dallas Wedding Photographers|  Jesse+Will

When I met Jesse and Will in Austin, TX, I knew they were going to be an awesome couple!  How can you not be if you live in Austin right?  Jesse is actually quite a celebrity in the FIFA gaming world and has an impressive amount of followers on Youtube, being the soccer fan I am, I was definitely beyond excited when they decided to have me document their big day!  Their gorgeous grey and yellow southern wedding was at the Doss Heritage and Culture Center in Weatherford, TX, planned and designed by the talented Sarabeth Events!  They had some of the most colorful floral I’ve seen in a while by A Rose in Bloom, and it was perfect for their spring time outdoor wedding.  Jesse and Will’s super cute cake top has the owls holding Xbox game controllers, and I wouldn’t have expected less from them!  After a super sweet father and daughter dance, it was definitely quite a party with DJ Jason Esquire in the house.  I love how Jesse had two beers in her hands the whole night!  The night ended with the great Texas Tech tortilla toss grand exit, and some sweet romantic carriage photos.  Don’t they look absolutely stunning?

Wedding Planning:  Sarabeth Events ::  Venue: Doss Heritage and Culture Center  ::  Floral: A Rose in Bloom  ::  DJ: DJ Jason Esquire  ::  Hair& Makeup: Karin Stone   ::  Cake: Sandy Chang

Bowers Museum Wedding | Santa Ana, California | Dallas Destination Wedding Photographer | Vicky+Daniel

Vicky and Daniel are new Dallas transplants from the great city of Los Angeles, California.  Needless to say, I was ecstatic to learn that their wedding would be back home in Santa Ana, California and they wanted to fly me there to document it!  Vicky and Daniel envisioned an “East meets West” wedding, and they couldn’t have picked a better venue than the Bowers Museum, which is rich in Spanish architectural elements and full of Asian cultural artifacts!  Coupled with perfect Orange County weather, a couture Ella Rosa wedding dress, lush floral designs by Dee’s Petals, and custom made invitations by The Bee’s Knee’s Custom Designs, I knew we were going to create breathtaking images!  All the pretty details aside, their love for each other and their families was truly a pleasure to capture.  For the reception, Vicky changed into her stunning pink couture qipao which was custom made in Taipei, Taiwan.  There were some touching toasts, fine wine, and tons of laughter to go around.  I hope you enjoy this California destination wedding as much as I did!

Venue:  Bowers Museum  ::  Wedding Dress:  Ella Rosa (from Taylor’s Lace)  ::  Wedding Planner and Floral:  Dee’s Petals  ::  Hair & Makeup:  EChou Makeup  ::  Cake:  Van’s Bakery ::  DJ & Lighting:  Carcano DJ & Lighting