And what a wedding! Oh, my gosh! I think Toni's exact words (she 2nd shot with me) after seeing the reception site, and she's seen A TON of reception sites, "OVE THE TOP GORGEOUS". There's no way, and I hate to admit this, that these photos do this wedding justice. If I could infuse wonderment, softness and MAGIC into these images so you could feel what I felt? I could die a happy female photographer. I really could.
But thank the Lord I have many more weddings to shoot this weekend and every wedding I do, I can only pray I get better and better. Because if not? Why bother.
I met Bria and the girls at the swankiest hotel around the Woodlands, The Avia. I wanna go back, just me and read magazines and hang out in way cool clothes (on a way cool leather couch) and have makeup on PERFECTLY and gossip with 1/2 dozen of my favorite girls friends (you know who you are) and have our toes painted. THEN we'll go pool side and drink until we are sunkissed (or burned, in my case, which wouldn't take long, I swear) and just enjoy the place. YES. Someday, I shall go back.
I had seen Bria's dress before, but every time it takes my breath away! So so dang sweet and pretty. Just a perfect dress for her!
and every girl needs the PERFECT ring to go with the perfect gown. HELLO! Just check this gem out!!! For sure, I'd have said YES!!!!
The bride was GLOWING! Just check this photo out below! (Yes, I switched...Now photo commentary will be BEFORE the image. Some of you informed me you like it this way.) She has NOT A STITCH of makeup in this shot. GLOWING!
This was too cute! Bria gave each girl an adorable terry cover up to lounge around the suite in. I loved how they had a shoulder that stayed put so they weren't constantly pulling at their towel. AND how cute are these colors? VERY.
All princesses need a good stash of bling to accompany them everywhere. Bria did NOT disappoint. LOVE THIS SHOT! Toni took it, by the way. I took one too, but I LOVED hers!
Of course, it's FREEZING when you have no fat on your bones, so the girls while waiting for hair and makeup, covered up in the bed. I was hearing laughter coming from the bedroom, so I went to investigate and glad I did. I have an entire series of images from this moment and they are all so darn cute!
BAAAAMMMM! Way cool negative space in this shot. LOVED IT!Girl's got curls!!!! If I had hair like this, the damage I would do. Not sure what that means, but what is it about long hair that we always want? I know, Victoria's Secret. Not one short haired girl in there! I just got their "Wear now, save Now" Catty today in the mail, and I looked. I also found some cute linen pants, but enough about that. On to the pictures!!!The best part about adding 2nd shooter coverage to your collection is the photos take hardly any time. And I was so glad we had Toni on board! I stayed back with Bria at the hotel while she perfected her look. HELLO! Like she needed improvement, and Toni went on to the church to capture the HOT GUYS IN TUXES. She also got tons of details I couldn't get because of course, we ran late. Having a 2nd shooter is wonderful for that reason alone, but also, immediately after the ceremony she went on to the reception site to photograph the place before the guests arrived. AWESOME!
See, back at the hotel. Oh, yeah! Worth the wait, for sure!And this guy? HELLO! How utterly cute is he? Can I say that? Blake, you are definitely a HOTTIE. Working it on the sofa upstairs at the church. Toni took this one. Thank you, Toni!Getting in the gown! Always a great time during the day because let's face it girls, you don't get to wear it much. So, it feels good and fancy and wonderfully special to put it on again! Dad came to catch sight of his baby. He was definitely proud!Fighting back those tears. LOVE this shot of Bria and her dad. LOVE IT!Check these girls out!!! I think Bria's dad said something about how pretty they all were and that he knows he's biased, after all, it's his daughter's wedding, but I have to say, I agree. Girls, you looked FANTASTIC!These were taken in the same spot where the guys were just an hour later. There was no way we were going outside and melting this bunch. Shoot, melting the photographer. I was a hot mess again! I'm trying to grow out my hair and I'm just not sure I'm going to make it. I even scheduled another cutting appointment with Danny this week. It's hard. Very hard to be girly in Houston while you hair is stuck to the back of your neck. Not to mention, if you have any sort of wave, any sort of body in it, HELLO! Poodle do. Yep, that was me. One Hot Messy Poodle Doing Photog.
Okay, ceremony time. I'm sorry, usher, I should know your name, but I can't remember, but you walked Donna, MOB down the aisle and gave her a squeeze at the end. Thank you. You made my shot extra special.
LOVE this shot as well! Everyone was so happy! YES, almost every one cried, but happy tears!
Toni and I were talking about how happy Blake was to be getting married! He glowed too! And why not! Just check Bria out coming down that aisle! Great moment!Another plus to having a 2nd shooter, two angles of the ceremony at all times. While I stayed close and to the front, Toni climbed the stairs to the balcony and grabbed this one. LOVE IT! Beautiful church don't you think? And I love the skylight and dome at the top. We really played off the angles of the ceiling as much we could. LOVED IT!See, HAPPY.
Bria and Blake did something a bit different. Yes, the recited traditional vows, but each wrote their own as well. Very cool way to make something so important, so personal and your own.CONGRATULATIONS!After a few moments of portraits, we finished with just the bride and groom.WOW! Check out the presentation for this cake! Just wow!There are many more detail shots over at their wedding gallery. CLICK HERE for the full SNEAK PEEK!First dances are GREAT. Enough said.
And then, you dance with Daddy and the tears flow!I always take a moment during dinner to play with the rings. They had a sign in guest book and it was just right for a ring portrait.Cutting that fabulous cake was HARD. Very hard. No one wanted to see it sliced apart, yet everyone wanted a piece! Good thing I took like 100 pictures of the dang thing. LOVED the crystals hanging from the ceiling! BLING BLING!No, we weren't on the dance floor.
But we were for this shot! Everyone kept dancing all night long! And then, come 12:45, when the last dance of the evening was scheduled, we danced some more! Folks, this party went on until 2 AM!!! So much fun!This is Gasper. The hair designer/make up man. Great job, Mister!Those shoes!!!! They were on display along with the bouquet and serving things over at that fabulous cake station, so yes, they had their mini Vogue Moment!
And they danced! And danced, and danced! And so we did, too! I can hear the song in my head as Blakes cuts a rug on the dance floor! I'm walking on sunshine, HEY HEY! I'm walking on SUNSHINE! HEY HEY.........
and don't it feel good!!!!Last dance, we don't need no stinking last dance! Instead? Impromptu Journey solo!
Kiss that girl and take her home, Mister! Night's over!!!! How awesome is this?!?!?! Thank you, Bria + Blake for having a fabulous weekend and taking me along for the ride. I loved every minute of it!!!!
