Wedding

We’re proud to offer a new addition to the Big Box lineup.

Enter The After Session.

A Two Hour after the wedding session in your Wedding Dress and Suit. After the wedding, after the pressure, informal, & just the two of you. Get ready for some super fun & creative post-wedding photos.

You want one more session to remember your wedding day by. To be able to have just one more set of photos in your dress before it’s preserved, and this will most likely be the last time you get to wear your dress too! Bring out your new husband and we will head out, just the 3 of us, to locations we might not have otherwise gone to. We can disregard grass, pebbled roads, even water.

But we can draw the line where you like it. We can get wet, or stay dry, we can head out to the country, or stick to some sleek urban spots.

You might not want to destroy your dress, but lets have some fun – knowings it’s going to get cleaned later! So we’re going to head out for what you could call “Trash The Dress”, but we’re not going to destroy anything…unless you want to!

Book your after session today. Sessions are 10% off until 2/28/12.

Budgeting your wedding can be a task for any bride to be. My wife is a master planner and did a stellar job keeping our wedding under wraps – but it is a very difficult task.

Our friends over at Real Simple put it all out there and built a great worksheet to help you get things in line when setting a rough initial budget for your wedding.

The list is broken up into main categories with suggested budget percentages, and subcategories from there.  We’ve spent a bit of time looking over this list and really feel like it’s giving a fair amount to each category too. Of course we always feel that photography is more important, but what can we say other than we’re a bit bias?

You can get your hands on the complete worksheet over at RealSimple.com or you can get the Budget Worksheet here.

It’s pretty cool to see who you get to meet over the years. Friend of friend of friends and before you know it you’re telling a group of guys to jump in their wedding tuxedos thinking “Man, these guys can really cover some ground – like they’re really really high in the air.” Come to find out it’s because half of them are in the Dude Perfect Basketball group. No wonder these guys can jump, it’s part of what they do making their crazy shots.

There’s always jokes from the groom about carrying a basketball down the aisle with them, but I can confidently say that two out of two weddings for these guys, the bride has shut that idea down (See The Cotton Mill Wedding with Sean & Melanie Townsend). For good reason too – both of these weddings were really cool, basketballs just didn’t fit the decor.

Garrett & Kristen were married in the Summer at the Dallas Arboretum, at Nancy’s Garden. The ceremony was wonderfully simple too, white chairs lined with rose petals, and a simple white table behind the minister for the bride & groom to take communion. What really set this wedding apart was the absolutely tangible love Kristen & Garrett have for each other. Have a look at the photos below and you can see that the gardens are an extension of what the ceremony was about.

The reception was held at City Place in Dallas. Brightly lit by the afternoon sun, the reception was a smash hit with a full meal and wedding cake squares. Oh my goodness I could get fat gorging myself on those. The staff at the reception was absolutely helpful, efficient and nearly silent they did a great job.

Congrats Garrett & Kristen, I’m excited to stay in touch with you guys and see what the future has to hold for you guys!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does your wedding say about you?

Thinking back to my wedding I’m not sure what mine said about me. I think it might have said that we really were into Target at the time, everything was brown and baby blue. EVERYTHING – centerpieces, tables, the cake, even some clothing was. It must have looked like Target camouflage.

That was a while ago though, and now that we’ve been around enough weddings it’s easy to see what your decorations can say about you. Something unique really happens when the decorations match your personality – there’s an unseen cohesiveness between you and your wedding. It all flows together so nicely then.

Decoration Ideas
- Consider using something homemade for your tabletop centerpieces.
- Clutter: One time when your mother won’t get onto you for it, over-filled tables are really getting more traction these days, and it’s easy to fill them up to give more life to your reception venue
-Natural: Incorporate things from your surrounding so your tables complement the venue. (EG an outdoor wedding with wooden centerpieces, even slabs of wood and decorated sticks pulls the table together with surrounding greenery)
-Be confident! Have a look at lots of examples to find some different decoration ideas for your wedding, see below for some of our favorite wedding reception centerpiece ideas from 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know when you spend time around some people and you just start to think, “Wow – these people are smart and they don’t even have to try”? That’s Nan & Kat.

Their wedding was nothing short of well thought out either. The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception really took the cake. I mean took the krispy creme cake. That’s right, a cake made out of krispy creme donuts.  Each table was loaded up with drinks too (Grey Goose Vodka, Johnnie Walker, beers, wines, champagne) and that was every table at the reception. Needless to say, we had lots of fun.

As the night carried on Nan was more and more affectionate towards Kat, rarely letting her leave his sight – while constantly and unabashedly complimenting her (especially during his toasts).

Great night, super fun couple. Want to get married again? Count me in!

Hotel: Sheraton Fort Worth
Church: Christ the King Catholic Church – Fort Worth
Reception Venue: Thanh Thanh Vietnamese Restaurant
Wedding Planner: Deanie Michelle Events
Videographer: Candlelight Films (View Preview Video here)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll hear photographers describe themselves as “lifestyle photographers” or “journalistic photographers” maybe even “traditional photographers.”

WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT

Can you really decide whether you want a journalistic photographer rather than a documentary/lifestyle type of photography? I’d think not, that’s a super involved process and who knows what kind of photographer you’re going to need! I think you’ll need all kinds.

Who is to say that at one point you won’t need all three types? We’re not limiting ourselves to a genre. We’re photographers, and we want to capture you. Not in a creepy CSI kind of way, but we want your friends to see the photos and say “Holy Moly (never actually spelled that out before) that is so ___(fill in the blank)___. After all this is about emotions,  make sure you photos are emotionally driven.

I get to shoot lots of things, mostly weddings – but we get around. We’ve done TV commercials, corporate events, photo-journalism, so we’ve got lots to draw from. I even brush shoulders with a few local movie producers – not a lot of Wedding Photographers can offer that. BAM.

Weddings are by far our main focus though, and our favorite. Weddings rich with details and unique factors (once a bride even made her bouquet out of brooches and pins that she had been given through-ought her life, wow – it was a beautiful bouquet!) those are by far our most exciting weddings. Since we’re in it to capture the essence of who you are it helps when we’re in an environment that reflects your smashing personality.

You’re most likely looking for a photographer that’s there to capture YOU and who YOU ARE

THESE ARE NOT THE BORING WEDDING PHOTOS OUR PARENTS GOT

(sorry mom & dad)
You’re looking for a guy who enjoys his job as much as you’re enjoying your wedding. That’s us.

Photo-journal-tradition-modern-digi-freestyle photogs. Take that, we do it all. :0)

We found out nearly a year ago that we’d have the chance to shoot  Megan & Darrells’ wedding here a few weeks ago we were pretty excited. She’s themed her wedding after her love for books, especially vintage ones. It all turned out so well at the wedding too. A very very loving couple!

McKinney is quickly becoming a hot spot for weddings. The newest addition that I’ve seen, and had the pleasure of shooting at is the McKinney Flour Mill (not the flower mill as we had mistakenly called it at first!). This renovated building is geared toward events of all kinds – but I would imagine primarily towards weddings.

Building Interior
 It’s a fantastic venue. Styled similarly to the McKinney Cotton Mill, but with it’s own unique features. This place is full of old details that are wonderfully preserved. Large steel bay doors, working scales built into the floor, tall wood ceilings with rustic chandeliers are just a few of the details that make this place a joy to shoot at.

Dressing Rooms
The brides room is outfitted with it’s own long couch, table, and restroom. Plenty of room for a wedding party of 4-6 to get ready in.

The guys were mostly excited that downtown McKinney was just a couple blocks over so they could hit up the bar down at Churchhills.

We’re looking forward to our next wedding here for sure – it was an absolute blast!

Contact
McKinney Flour Mill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The McKinney Cotton Mill offers a great backdrop for your wedding. We are constantly getting requests for photos similar to the ones we have taken at The Cotton Mill. Truth is it’s such a beautiful background (and lets be honest, the bride and groom really top it off too!) it’s hard to not want.

Along the ceiling of the main room a 3ft high pane of soft windows wraps two walls allowing bright light to pour in over the dark wood floors. Unfinished cielings & wall scales are reminiscent pieces of the 100 year old factory that at one point was a staple for the city of McKinney, TX.

For this particular event the room was flipped for the wedding & reception. Sometimes venues have trouble with this because of room issues – not an issue here. There was plenty of room and a very helpful staff to set chairs a pre-set tables in the back of the room around a natural dance floor (there is no need to rent a dance floor because of the natural wood floors).

We were able to pull the bride and groom away for a set of photos after the ceremony. We moved past the entry way with muted multicolored window panels, out the large wooden double doors and over to the unfinished factory floor. This made for an absolutely fantastic backdrop, and some of my favorites yet. I’ve got one of them printed on a 16×24 canvas print in our studio right now!

The photos speak for them selves though. One of my favorite wedding venues in McKinney, the McKinney Cotton Mill.

Get info on our wedding packages here.
View their Site Here: McKinney Cotton Mill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First off, what’s the difference?

You know you want music at your wedding right? Of course you do, dancing the night away to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”

But what about those in-between moments. What if the kiddos are flocking the dance floor and the rest of the crowd is more interested in the buffet line than getting out there and shaking their money makers? This is where a DJ will differ from an MC. The DJ can really play some great music, but the MC gets on the microphone and works the crowd. Getting the dance floor full and alive. He comes as a part of the DJ package, but gives you the chance to let somebody else handle the schedule. After all, you’ve got a dance floor to fill, and if it were just music you would have brought speakers for your iPhone.

So while he’s paying attention to keeping the party alive, you don’t have to worry about corralling guests when it’s time for the cake cutting, because he’s on top of it. He’ll announce anything you like from hunting for the garter, to coaxing some occasionally-too-open advice from your grandparents!

One of my favorite here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is Jabel Productions, headed up by a very fun Husband & Wife team.

Find them over at: http://www.jabelproductions.com/

They’re a necessity for any event, and I love working with him too! So don’t forget to book us together – it’s like eating ice cream and cake together, great separate – even better together!