Bridal Session - Candace!!! Mission, Texas

About a week ago I photographed one of the most beautiful brides I had for the 2010 wedding season... and three days later she was married. Candace was the very first bride to hire me as a wedding photographer. When we sat at a crowded table last December and I spoke about my pursuit of running a business, she jumped at the opportunity. In reality, I jumped at the opportunity...

Without any prior wedding experience, or event for that matter, Candace hired me on the spot as her wedding photographer. I couldn't believe it myself but I was oh-so excited. When she came down to South Texas back in May for her engagement session, the reality set it.  But by May, I had already photographed my very first wedding, albeit small, and had embarked on booking a year full of weddings.

But Candace's assurance and her belief in my talent was what catapulted my confidence higher than before and allowed me to dive into pursuing this job I have as a wedding photographer. 

Candace, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! For always believing in me and trusting me to capture every detail of your amazing day! I am ever grateful for that push you gave me last December. Before I blog her wedding photos, I want to share with you the beautiful images from her bridal session. 

Truly a beautiful bride, Candace radiated in her wedding gown. Take a look...

You are beautiful Candace!!! Check back soon for their wedding blog post :)

To view an online slideshow, click here: SLIDESHOW

To view an online gallery, click here: GALLERY

Please Note: Clients free to use these watermarked images on your social networking sites. Please refrain from altering the photo in any shape or form. Re-editing of images is strictly prohibited and infringes upon copyright law. Otherwise, please don't steal my images :) Thank you!  

Bridal Session ♥ La Joya, Texas

The weekend has been absolutely busy but oh-so-great :) Friday's wedding was amazing and now Krystal and Larry have wed. While we await the wedding photos, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite images from Krystal's bridal session. Krystal chose her wedding venue location for her her bridal photos and I think it was a great choice. Rancho El Charco (http://ranchoelcharco.com/) is immensly large and the possibilites were endless! The afternoon was perfect for shooting at the ranch and the weather was amazing. It was warm but cool and there were no mosquitoes!! The fall weather allowed us to take our time with the session without breaking a sweat, especially for my bride in her beautiful dress.

I've mentioned before that in middle school Krystal was my very best friend. When she hired me as her wedding photographer it was the first time we had time to reconnect and see each other since the days back in high school. Even then, we rarely saw each other and had not really spoken with her since we were way younger. Fortunately, from the very first time we reconnected I think we literally reconnected... It was like if I had never stopped seeing her and we had continued to grow up together. I had not seen her mom since the 7th or 8th grade but spending time with them both during the bridal session was so much fun and just like old times. Literally, I felt so at ease with them and extremely comfortable. It certainly felt like we were the same little girls who spent countless hours hanging out with one another.

Krystal, you looked absolutely radiant and even more beautiful on your wedding day. I had so much fun spending the afternoon with you and your mom. And to your mom, thank you for everything... from driving me home sometimes during middle school to being so kind and gracious and making me feel so much more than just one of the wedding vendors.

Now for the beautiful bride, she is truly amazing...

Wedding photos coming soon ;) Have a great week!

It's easy to forget about your wedding...

...when you get to admire so many beautiful people enjoying theirs! It's Tuesday, slowly creeping into Wednesday, and I have a fabulous wedding this weekend. I've been looking forward to the wedding for a few months now so YAY! because it's finally here :) I often wonder what it feels like to be in the final days leading up to a wedding, your wedding. As the photographer, I get anxious and excited for the day to arrive. When I am at the venue, I smile when the bride walks down the aisle. I want to cry when the groom is working hard to keep it together because I know deep down he probably wants tro cry from sheer happiness. Above all, I absolutely love to take a minute and enjoy the actual ceremony myself. The reception would not happen without the ceremony, so to me it is the most important aspect of a wedding. Come to think of it, the ceremony is the wedding.

Different couples, different venues but the love two people share is always the same. I see it, my camera captures it. I L.O.V.E. photographing weddings and couples in love. It's the best! So as I attempt to check off my to do list for the week and finish the workload, I leave you with a single image from my bride's bridal session. Ideally we shoot these a bit earlier, but due to scheduling conflicts we finally managed last Friday and the day was absolutely perfect.

I hope you had a great day and an even better tomorrow ;)

Sarita... Bridal Session ♥

It was one of those moments in which you are so busy, your phone rings and you contemplate on whether to let the voice mail take a message or running towards the phone to pick it up. The day Sarita called me was one of those moments. It was early in the morning and I was busy cleaning out an old building full of dust. Really, I was cleaning out true vintage items in an old, stinky place. It was hot and there was no air condition in the room I was in. I had been cleaning out through the rummage for about an hour when my phone rang. I remember leaving it on top of a few boxes all the way across the room. I sat there on the floor early that Friday and wondered if I had the strength to get up, run and answer my phone.

But I did and I am very glad. On the other line was a sweet voice of a young bride. Sarita had spent the past months planning her wedding to her very own prince charming and tha last thing on her bridal to do list was booking a wedding photographer. Guess who got the call... I did ;) 

At the start of the summer I was excited for all the weddings I had lined up during the hot summer months but hers was one of the ones I was most looking forward to. Sarita is quite and somewhat timid and the wedding style she described seemed very much something I would plan. She was chic, romantic with a hint of vintage. Of course I was excited! We kept in touch through meetings, phone calls, text messages, facebook and email. Finally, a week before her July wedding we managed to squeeze in her bridal session. 

When the doors opened from her dressing room and Sarita walked out fully dressed in her bridal attire I realized I loved my job.  I get to share the special moments of many of my client's lives. And that day, I got to share Sarita's bridal bliss as her photographer. We spent the morning light walking around the trails of the Quinta Mazatlan and she was a real trooper. Sarita's mom and bridesmaid were the best assistants ever! And even though I left the sessoin with bruises and mud, I am glad to take a dip in any pond for my brides - whatever gets us the winning shots. Sarita you made for a beautiful bride and I hope your beloved Kennedy loves the following shots...

Congratulations to Sarita and Kennedy on their recent wedding... photos coming soon ;)

Good night and have a happy Monday night :)

Illiana ♥ 2010 Bride

How many of you have planned a wedding in a month? Yes, you read correct, one month! I think Illiana deserves an award... she planned a beautiful wedding in such a short time frame and I had so much fun attending both as her friend and photographer. Last week Illiana scheduled her bridal session so we could capture some relaxed portraits in her beautiful wedding gown. I had been waiting all week to post them because she radiates in her beautiful gown! Illiana you are gorgeous and make me want to look just as beautiful as you did on your wedding day.

The Saturday was early in the morning but down here in the south it hardly makes any difference in weather conditions. The day was hot and oh-so-humid but my beautiful bride pulled of her session with out a hitch. We waddled around the area and she was such a trooper always making sure we captured the look we were going for. I had a lot of fun and I feel special because as a photographer I get to look at so many amazing gowns and the brides who wear them beautifully and proud. Like my friend Illiana...

I'll end with this one... sisterly love :) Thank you Kristine for being such a trooper and a great assistant!

Happy Saturday!

Chinese Food.

It's been a great weekend for me, has it for you? I finally had the opportunity to spend a Saturday afternoon with my handsome fiance, I ate at a Chinese food restaurant TWICE in one day, and I actually tried something new... eating Chinese food. Whoah, I'm so wild, aren't I? I know, I should behave better... ha, but in reality this weekend was great and I hope to have many more Saturday afternoons with Chris more often. On the Chinese food, I should warn you - I am the definition of a picky eater. It's the worst thing :( but I manage to survive on the few things I do enjoy eating. My limited palate makes having lunch with and inviting me to dinner a tedious task. But for those brave ones who do and bear with me, thank you. I have to agree, part of the reason I am a picky eater is because I sometimes just don't want to try something new. 

This weekend some of my gal friends and I surprised a friend of ours with a bridal shower in her honor. Because we were so busy and everything was last minute, we decided on a restaurant dinner and gifts. The restaurant, some place called P.F. Changs down here in the Rio Grande Valley. I didn't know it was a Chinese cusine and they wouldn't give me a kid's menu. Alas, the kids menu, the waitress informed me, was just mini versions of the regular menu. I opted for a salad, and, no, I don't like salads either. But I felt brave ;)

When all the food arrived everyone suggested I try some of their meal, so I did. And I'm glad I did. I don't know what came over me but I said "Sure!" and with my fork picked from everyone's plate like it was a buffet. Such manners, right? I know, I know but I think I was still in the buffet mentality since Chris had taken me to - wait for it - a Chinese buffet restaurant earlier in the day. Manners aside, I'm glad the gals encouraged me and I was capable of thinking "free" and letting go of a little inhibition... I'd like to announce publicly that I will certainly be trying much more different foods than the usual five things I eat. My dietary pyramid will definitely be experiencing more than one food group.

To recap, I tried something new this weekend and it felt great. So you, my beloved friend, should attempt to do the same. Maybe you already like Chinese food, that's okay. But I'm sure there's been something you'd like to do but haven't for whatever reason. Don't over think it, just do it! I leave you know with one shot from Saturday's bridal session. ♥

Have an amazing week!