brad + laura | engaged

I had soooo much fun with Brad & Laura!!  They picked our location and it was so perfect for their personalities.  I'm really looking forward to their September wedding!

Seriously, so happy for you guys and I'm very excited to be a part of your wedding!

skeeter & katie | a bridge city, tx engagement

I had so much fun with this couple and I can't wait for their wedding in late January!  The day of the session was very cloudy but it was the last day before Christmas we could all get together and it turned out to be so perfect.  Gray skies couldn't mask the sunny personalities of Skeeter & Katie!

Not only was it a little chilly outside, but the mosquitos were terrible!  No worries, these two were troopers and were able to push past the swarms - all the while looking fabulous! :)

S & K, thanks so much for choosing me to document this amazing time in your lives.  I'm so excited for the both of you and I'm so happy to be a small part of your wedding day!

**Katie's hair and makeup provided by Nicki Rich & her assistant Katie Rich.**

a family engagement

I met up with this great couple one weekend in late September for an engagement session.  Of course we couldn't leave Mr. C out of the picture so we fit in some family photos too! :)

We've already done bridal portraits of this beautiful girl and her dress is stunning.  I really really love it and I can't wait to share photos and the craziness behind the scenes on those days! :)  Congrats Brianne, Billy, and Cody - I can't wait to be a part of your special wedding later this month!

an evening in the country

Last Thursday I met up with a lovely couple for an engagement session. The bride-to-be has two amazing uncles that were kind enough to let us use property and a very cool vintage car! Their wedding isn't until December, but in talking with the bride over the last couple of months, we both agreed that a May session would keep us out of the summer heat and they'd have photos in plenty of time to send save-the-dates. It was over 90 degrees when I pulled up at the barn last week so I can't imagine if we'd waited until June or July!

Despite the heat, it was a glorious May day. After several cloudy days, the sun was out full-force and it was lovely.

I say it often because I have been so blessed to work with really great people, but this couple was so amazing! So fun to watch together and so obviously in love. They smile and laugh a lot with one another...and maybe sometimes at one another, which is important too. :)

Loved her boots!

And in an effort to garner some real belly laughs, I included some physical comedy to my regular bad joke schtick. At one point in during the session after setting up a shot, I turned and walked face-first into a clothesline. And okay, maybe it wasn't intentional, but it was hilarious. T, the groom, saw it happen and honestly tried to be a gentleman and stifle the first laugh and ask if I was okay. Then L looked up from arranging her outfit and said, "Oh my God, did she just get clotheslined?" And just thinking about it all makes me laugh out loud all over again. I'd like to say I learned my lesson but not five minutes later I almost made the same mistake. This time I reared my head back into what could only be an attractive double (triple?) chinned funky face to avoid being clotheslined once again. Good times that session, good times.

I'm so thankful for clients like them, they're so sweet!

Congrats again L & T, I can't wait for the wedding in December. Surely we'll avoid the 90 degree temps, but in Texas you never know! I'll have more family photos to share of this couple later this week!

i love to see love

I do love photographing people in love, and I was fortunate enough to meet up with another great couple and their dogs last Sunday night. I actually went to school with the soon-to-be-Mrs. but I don't know that we've actually been in the same place since...high school! She is so pretty and has a great sense of style!

It was nice meeting her fiance too, and as I've said before, I'm really not funny. But G? He was so great at making A laugh, he does a good crazy! They were both so great to work with and were totally up for whatever. My favorite kind of people. :)

After a quick walk back to the car for a wardrobe change and the dogs, we headed back out for more photos. I love that both dogs are looking at them in this picture, so cute!

And I didn't know it at first, but I actually photographed this sweet girl's brother with another family back in April!

Seriously loved both of their wardrobe selections, but A's second dress was perfect against the colorful walls at our second location! And their dogs were really well-behaved. A's mom came along to help tend to them while we were shooting but really, they were so good!

A & G, I really enjoyed our session and I hope you enjoy your photos. Best wishes on your upcoming marriage!

engaged and in love

I met up with this gorgeous couple on Saturday night. We were actually parked next to one another, waiting on each other to arrive. Sometimes it happens that way when I'm not sure what kind of car a client will be driving, but a quick phone call had everyone smiling and getting out for greetings. :)

J and C looked amazing, J is such a gorgeous girl and had some really rockin' red heels!

After a quick wardrobe change we headed out for more photos and seriously, I don't think these two can take a bad picture. Ah-mazing. Both of them. In every single one.

J's sister came along and she is such a good sister! She carried shoes, fixed lipstick, and in general was a great help. Thanks so much K!

And I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm really not funny. Instead, I put a lot of pressure on my clients to make themselves laugh because I do love those genuine smiles and laughter. Inevitably my un-funniness ends up being pretty funny, because it turns out that people are actually really great at being silly and making themselves laugh. And I usually crack up too, so it's win-win!

J and C, I hope you enjoy your engagement photos. I absolutely cannot wait for J's bridals later this summer and what is sure to be a beautiful wedding in September!