Omar + Virginia are Married! Mission, Texas

F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.

Virginia and Omar have been married for one whole month now and I have been so behind of sharing their wedding with you on the blog. But, alas my friends, I have managed to sit my booty down and prepare some of my favorite images from their wedding day and share them with you. 

When I booked this wedding on my calendar back in 2010, November to be exact, the actual wedding date seemed so far away. June was more than half a year away but I was anxious to photograph Virginia and Omar. Originally, we had planned their engagement session for late winter or early spring but due to scheduling conflicts we were unable to meet until the last weeks of April. 

And then June came. Virginia and Omar were married on a beautiful sunny day at a beautiful church where Omar has attended for many years. Virginia and Omar were introduced by some mutual friends and began dating after Virginia received her doctorate in Pharmacy. 

At first glance, Omar is quite the timid groom. He smiles softly and supports his lovely bride, Virginia, in everything she does. But on this day, I finally got to see Omar loosen up and show more of his personality. Virginia is so effortlessly charming. She exudes confidence and classiness. Truly, she made an absolutely beautiful bride!

Omar is an engineer and Virginia is a pharmacist. Together, they create the perfect balance of caring, strength and love. I can foresee them heading into the future completely in love with one another. I really enjoyed spending the day with them, as I do with all of my couples. 

We get to bond and know a little more about each other than you'd typically expect to learn from your wedding vendor and client. But I work a little different.... not only am I your photographer but I serve as whatever you need that day. Be it capturing the intricate details you have so effortlessly planned or running to the store and getting you some eyelash glue... true story! :)

Again, I thank all of my brides and grooms for allowing me to catch a glimpse into their lives. And on this occasion, I thank Virginia and Omar for picking me as their wedding photographer. I had so much fun at their wedding!!!

 
Love :)

Virginia and Omar, I hope Jamaica treated you well!!! Welcome back to Texas and Congratulations again on your marriage! May the two of you be truly blessed.

It's going to be a great week! :)

Diva.

For being quite a little chatterbox, I have struggled on focusing my mind on specific things to blog about over the past few weeks. It's not that I do not have anything to write about but, rather, that I have so much I can think of. My mind is a little, well a lot, all over the place... but that's a good thing. Although I must admit I just deleted an entire blog post and started re-writing exactly one sentence ago. 

Gahh!!! Indecisive much? Ha! Tonight I'll just share a funny thought with you...

I am sitting here, on my bed, after having spent the latter part of the day doing my laundry enjoying some much needed television. It could be the romantic in me, the fact that I am a girl or maybe because I am a wedding photographer but I gush at the thought of two people falling in love. I am such a sucker for a cinderella story, aren't you?!

There's a commercial break right now but any moment Drop Dead Diva will come back on and I will gush over how handsome Grayson is and then get irritated at the fact that he does not realize his true love is right in front of him. Literally. 

In case you're not familiar, let me give you a quick rundown. Grayson is an attorney who loves his girlfriend, Deb - a young lady a little less bright but quite lovely. Deb, unfortunately and abruptly dies only to return to life in the body of Jane... an attorney who works with Grayson. Did I mention Grayson is handsome? Well, he is. He is also oblivious to the fact that Jane is Deb and about to marry some other woman. 

Can you understand my turmoil!!! Okay, so I just rambled about a fictional television show. Gosh, I am crazy aren't I? I thank you for amusing me and still reading... 

But I have a point, I think. 

My point is, I am thrilled to be a wedding photographer. Regardless of what type of day, week, or year I am having, when I show up on a wedding day to work I gush over how happy my couples are. 

Sigh... to be in love ;)


Okay, this time I mean it... Virginia and Omar's wedding will make its full debut on the blog tomorrow.

Have a great week!!!

Beautiful.

Truly, photographing women in their bridal gowns is one of my favorite perks of the job.  A woman waits her whole life for the moment when her prince charming asks her to marry him. Then she says yes. And a beautiful process begins. Every bride I see, dressed in her beautiful wedding, attire is breathtaking. Every single one. And my brides, my brides are beyond amazingly beautiful! They exude confidence, beauty and, above all, love.

Che l'amore è tutto è tutto cio' che sappiamo dell'amore. 
                                                 - Emily Dickinson 

I hope you are having a fun-filled-extended weekend!!! Be blessed my friends :)

Risks.

I'm on the ground, climbing trees, rollig on the dirt... this is merely a description of some of the things I do to capture an image. I truly enjoy my job; no mountain is high enough to keep me from climbing it. I may sometimes, maybe even often, not climb it all but I will always try, always. At first glance, I do not seem like much of a risk tasker. But don't be fooled. Every decision I make, be it large or small, I ponder meticulously before jumping.

I may appear indecisive, but, really, I am just weighing my options. So when I decide, I feel confident with my choice and can move forward without peeking back. When I have a camera in my hands, my brain is often traveling a million miles per minute. I am constantly thinking about what to capture and how to capture it next; where to go, what to say, and what to do.

Yes, I may often have a confused look on my face during this process, but fear not my beloved clients... I am merely concentrating. As a photographer, you have to be constantly aware of your surroundings; you may never know what may be lurking around the corner...

When I photograph near the beach, on a dock and on a boat, I get sea sick and my knees secretly tremble at the tought of drowning. Today an alligator made me weak in the knees... and for once, thus far, I was oh-so-glad I was not on the ground to become someone's lunch!!!

Ah, the perils of my job... I love it!!!!!!!!!!!

{Okay, so I still get the chills at the thought of that alligator chomping on my little body... agh!!}

Make it a GREAT week my friends :)

Love.

I know I said I'd blog Virginia and Omar's wedding today but I completely forgot today is my parent's anniversary... so in honor of their love, marriage and our family I'm writing about them....

I have realized that no relationship needs to be perfect to reach marriage. I have also realized, however, that one needs to be truly happy to attain love, real love. So at a time when I could have become a complete cynic and sworn off any future prospects of marriage, I am in fact more anxious than ever... anxious to be happy and find love. And, maybe one day, meet my soul mate and get married. Yes, soul mate. 

My parents celebrated another anniversary this year, twenty years of being with one another. Growing up together, learning each other's cultures, raising four children and many, many pets, and, most importantly, being in love.  I have seen them endure fights, endure sickness, endure trouble and reach happiness - time after time. 

I am saddened at the fact that my mom's first marriage never made it, but I have come to truly appreciate the fact that my step-dad came along, her prince charming, and rescued us both. And I am delighted that I was able to be a part of this wedding... too bad I wasn't a photographer in elementary school...

I believe in soul mates and happily ever afters. I believe in finding your prince charming and being swept off your feet. I believe. After all, I am a wedding photographer... 

Mom and Dad, Happy Anniversary!!! Michael, AJ, Brandon and I love you :)


I have asked my mother for wedding photos but, unfortunately, their wedding photographer never showed up on their wedding day. Boo! But there is a home video which we recently watched together as a family a few weeks ago (photo above is from that little video). My mother, just as I clearly remember, was truly beautiful. She radiated in her beautiful gown. I remember watching her walk down the aisle and thinking she looked like a princess. (I also remember being extremely bored during the ceremony... sorry - I was a little kid!) 

But of the entire wedding day, what I remember the most is how nervous my dad was waiting at the front of the altar. My mom was running late to the church and I clearly, very clearly, remember seeing my dad pacing. He looked nervous and at that exact moment, I think I completely accepted him. I knew he loved my mother, my beautiful mother. 

Their wedding was very much a DIY wedding... with the cutest two-tiered wedding cake. It was just the perfect size :) I don't remember much of the party... I wore a green bridesmaid dress my grandmother made and chased my little cousins around the yard. They held their reception at home and shared their celebration with a few of their closest family and friends. 

I am secretly hoping my mother lets me plan a vow renewal for next year or something because I want to photograph them both... and make heirloom memories :)

To semi-quote my friend and sorority sister Yva,  and in honor of my parents, I propose a toast...
... To everyone who above all believes in love and is searching for their fairytale.
Happy Anniversary to my parents!

Good night :)

Bridal - Virginia :) Mission, Texas

Wowzers! One of my favorite parts of photographing weddings is definitely seeing the beautiful wedding dresses all of my brides choose to wear... they are a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!! And Virginia is no exception. 

I can finally share with you some of my favorite images from Virginia's bridal session back in May. We headed to the Lomita Chapel in Mission, Texas and I have to admit it has become one of my favorite places to photograph brides over the past year. It is a popular location for many of my beautiful brides and, well, I can certainly see why. 

The little chapel is so quaint and somewhat ethereal. Plus, when you add a beautiful woman in a gorgeous gown, the ambiance definitely screams love... at least in my view it does :)

Virginia and Omar just recently wed and Omar has finally realized Virginia's gown does not include poofy sleeves and a turtleneck... ha ha! So without further ado, I share with you Virginia's Bridals...

As usual, I had a lovely time spending an afternoon with Virginia, her mother and maid of honor. This is also a perk of the job... making new friends :)


Virginia, you are beautiful!!! While Omar and Virginia are in Jamaica on their honeymoon, I invite you to come back tomorrow to view their wedding photos.

Have a good night!