Kelsey & Sean

Kelsey (aka Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, of Weddingbee fame) and Sean wanted a "beautiful, vintage yet modern" wedding and boy did they get just that. The events took place at Marie Gabrielle, a restaurant and gardens nestled among the skyscrapers of downtown Dallas. Branches, trees, and leaves were everywhere: the invitations, the centerpieces, tables numbers, guest book- I loved it. You could tell that there was a lot of thought and planning that went into every detail. The colors were green, grey and cream, very understated and classy. The bridesmaids were able to pick their own grey dress and super cute shoes, and the guys looked dapper in grey suits and green patterned ties. And of course Kelsey was a vision in her beautiful dress and striking blue Manolos.

Now, I can't talk about this wedding without talking about the rain. Not because the rain was a big deal and it ruined everything- not at all. But it did make me think about a bride's best laid plans, and how it can be if things don't go the way she hoped. Kelsey, being a contributer for the most popular wedding blog in the world, was probably under no small amount of pressure to have her big day unfold perfectly. Thousands of readers had been following her planning process for months, and I think it's safe to guess that she was rather invested in a certain image of her day. And that image didn't include moving the ceremony indoors to avoid a storm. Needless to say, she was disappointed.

But it was Kelsey's attitude despite her disappointment that made an impression on me. That's why I included her quote at the beginning of her sneak peek here: "I don't care that it's raining, and I don't care that things didn't go perfect. I just love you and I'm excited to be your wife." Ladies and gentlemen, that is what it's all about.

Here is a sneak peek we put together for the two, and it even has a little Super 8 thrown in for the vintage effect. Stay tuned for their feature film.



Location: Marie Gabrielle
Photographer: Modern Life Studios
Florist: Haute Events and Floral Design
DJ: Doug Biter with DoubleTake Productions
Officiant: Ken Byrd with Love Notes

Kelsey said, "Oh. My. God! I love it!! I've already watched it about 5 times and I'm at work!! I am giddy over it, it's seriously perfect. You captured everything so beautifully. :)"

You can read Kelsey's blog post about her trailer here.

Erica & Jess' Highlights

Erica and Jess had a beautiful sunset ceremony out at The Villa, followed by fireworks and then a night of all-out dancing. Boy can this bride cut a rug! She has great style and such fantastic energy. And if Jess looks familiar to you, it's because he's a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. (If you're a Texas Rangers fan, you might notice your first baseman in the wedding party.)



And in case you missed it earlier, here is their super fun trailer:




Location: Villa di Felicita'
Photographer: Lisa Marak Photography
DJ: CMB Music Productions

Erica said: "Thank you for doing such a good job. I cry everytime I watch it. The songs match us perfectly, I cannot thank you and your husband enough! It is honestly the light of me and my family's life."

Susie & Jack's Highlights

When we were driving home from Jack and Susie's wedding, Brent turned to me and said, "Those two are in love." I, having been distracted with filming (and also being the less observant of the two of us) asked him how he could tell. He said Susie was sitting down on the bench at one point, and Jack was walking toward her to sit down, and Susie was looking at Jack with this totally enraptured, captivated look. Brent was touched. In fact, we've both been touched by this wedding. These two have been through a lot in life, and you can tell that they are each other's rock. When you watch their highlights, you can see the excitement just oozing out of them. You could not wipe the smiles from their faces if you wanted to, and laughter rang throughout the day. And they both adore little Annie to pieces. They baptized her during the ceremony, and that was a truly beautiful moment.

And the wedding was beautiful too! It was in Susie's sister's backyard, and there were bright colors and flowers everywhere. Jack works in Bali sometimes, so he was able to bring back some beautiful textiles for draping, and cute woven baskets, and fans for party favors. They custom designed their programs in the bright emerald green color and had them printed there, and Susie had her cowboy boot "bedazzled" in Bali too. Jack was into planning this affair as much as his bride was, and that's always fun to see.

Thanks you two for allowing us to be a part of your day.



Susie said, "We watched it together for the first time and I laughed and cried, and thought you did the most incredible job imaginable. Pure art. You incorporated all of those diverse music suggestions into a video that appears to be made especially for us. I don't have a clue how you did that, but, Thank you. I am truly a blessed woman.

Love Ya'll"

Awesome Vendor Interview: Alex M Photography

Here's an interview with one of my favorite wedding photographers (and a good friend of mine and Brent's) Mr. Maldonado of Alex M Photography. This guy is great to work with: he's funny, relaxed, creative, caring and obviously very talented. If you want, you can watch this little video I made for him a long time ago.


Introduce yourself to my readers!
Hello, I'm AlexM. I've been married to an amazing woman named Danielle for almost 8 years. We made 4 little people: Joseph, Sara, Luke, & Eli. I take fancy pictures at weddings for a living. We homeschool our kids and I can't believe I get to work from home and spend all day with my family. It's a great job and it still seems like a dream.


You're pretty quick to talk about your family and personal life on your "professional" site. Why is that?
I feel like weddings are a very personal and intimate event. If you are having someone spend your whole day with you, you should know a bit about them and maybe even like them. Since my couples trust me enough to invite me into their lives, I feel it's only fair that I should let them be a part of mine.


Do you want your kids to grow up and all be wedding photographers?
I don't want my kids to grow up at all. I would totally freeze them at these ages and play with them forever. If they have to grow up, then based on their current personalities, these are the careers I would pick for my kids:

Joseph: Professional Lego-er (He likes to build)
Sara: Mom (She loves to cook, dress baby dolls, and tell people what to do.)
Luke: Boy Band (Music & dancing make his day. He has a little Bro-mance going with Zac Efron)
Eli: Dinosaur (He is large and likes to eat and crush things)


Tell us one thing your clients should know about you.
I like black t-shirts. In fact, they're basically all I wear. It's one less decision to make everyday. They are slimming and comfortable. :)


If you could get married again, what would you do differently?
We were engaged for about 4 months and the whole wedding planning process was not that big a deal to either Danielle or I. We really just wanted to get married. But a lot of people around us insisted that the wedding be this big ordeal. We really "fought" for our right to have a small ceremony with few guests. We are both glad we did that. The only thing I would have changed was not seeing Danielle before the ceremony. The whole day really is a blur and I wish we could have had more time together to really soak up the day. [Check out Alex's series on First Looks.]


What is your favorite part about your job?
I love meeting my couples and getting to know them. It's amazing how after only a few hours together I feel like I know them, and by the time their wedding rolls around I feel just as invested in their relationship as the rest of their friends and family. I'm laughing and crying along with all the guests and love knowing that I get to capture and document the day for them.


Describe your ideal couple?
I love clients who can give me a bit of direction on who they are as a couple. Then they sit back and let me run with it. I love really tapping into the uniqueness of my couples. I want all my sessions to be different because my couples are different. I try very hard to not make every engagement session about standing on a railroad track or dipping a girl and kissing her.


What is one thing all brides should know?
Your fiance' is putting on a show. Once you get married he will be slightly ruder, spend less time with you, and get on your nerves more. :) But it's OK because you are doing the same thing to him. We all put on a bit of a show and try to impress each other. Once you say "I do," a new level of security enters the relationship and you feel like you can let another layer of walls down. Once this happens, if you are willing to work through these new changes together, you'll be fine and end up falling more in love with each other.


What are some of your favorite photos you've taken and why?
Lauren mentioned she wanted a cool photo with the guys. So rather than have them pick her up or something cheesy, we went with a Marilyn Monroe-ish pose with the groom's brother crawling under her dress. I LOVE this shot.

Erika and Phil chose to only have immediate family at their wedding. They ended up with 11 people total attending the wedding. It was such an honor to share the day with them and I knew I was capturing something that her friends and family would be using to experience the day for the first time.

Brides, if you're in the market for a photographer for your wedding contact Alex right now. Here's his email: alex@AlexMPhotography.com. And here's his phone number: 903.729.4884.