Scarlett and Eric's Rainforest Conservatory Wedding

In the heart of Fort Worth, Texas, Scarlett and Eric, were married in the Rainforest Conservatory at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. Their wedding day will forever be etched in their hearts, and in the hearts of all who were lucky enough to witness their union.

Set against the backdrop of the World of Orchids display, Scarlett and Eric's greenhouse wedding was nothing short of a fairytale. Not to mention, a dream come true for me! As a certified “crazy plant lady”, I was absolutely giddy at the prospect of photographing a wedding ceremony in a place like this!

The ceremony was officiated by the wonderful Lisa Cage of Love Your Moment, and was an intimate affair, attended only by immediate family and close friends. One of the most captivating features of their wedding was the intricate floral wall of live orchids that served as the backdrop for the couple's vows.

The handfasting ceremony, narrated by Scarlett's sister, was a beautiful and meaningful addition to the wedding ceremony. The couple's hands were bound together, symbolizing their commitment to each other.

With the exchange of rings and a heartfelt kiss, Scarlett and Eric sealed their marriage vows! The cheers and applause of their loved ones filled the conservatory as they embarked on this beautiful new chapter of their lives together.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests stayed in the conservatory for portraits. The vibrant colors of the orchids and lush green of the tropical plant foliage provided the perfect backdrop for capturing the romantic portrait session with the bride and groom. We ended the shoot outside with a few photos on the grounds of the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.

Scarlett and Eric's wedding in the Rainforest Conservatory was a testament to the beauty of an intimate or private wedding ceremony. The couple’s original plan was to get married in the rose garden, but there was rain in the forecast that day. They were givien the choice of moving the ceremony to the Conservatory and I am so glad they did! (The Fort Worth Botanic Gardens only allows weddings in the Conservatory as a weather back-up plan for small intimate weddings like this one) This was certainly a dream come true for me as a photographer and plant enthusiast.

I hope you enjoy viewing the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Alexis and Robert's Wedding at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens: A Celebration of Love

On a beautiful evening in the heart of Fort Worth, Alexis and Robert exchanged vows at the Moon Viewing Deck in the Japanese Gardens at dusk. The tranquil and serene surroundings of the gardens provided a perfect backdrop for the couple's nuptials.

As a wedding photographer, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Alexis, who assisted me on several weddings in the 2021 wedding season. It has been a joy and privilege to see her evolve as a photographer and I was so honored that she asked me to capture her special day!

The wedding ceremony was intimate and heartfelt. The Bride’s brother officiated, and the couple exchanged vows under the canopy of trees on the Moon Viewing Deck in the Japanese Gardens.

Following the ceremony, the reception took place in the Pavilion. The dinner was delicious, and the atmosphere was festive! One of the highlights of the evening was the toasts. As the guests raised their glasses in honor of the newlyweds, they shared heartfelt stories and anecdotes about the couple. It was touching to hear the stories of how Alexis and Robert met and how their love has grown over the years. I always find that the toasts are one of the best parts of any wedding, as they provide insight into the couple's personalities and relationships.

Alexis and Robert's wedding at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens was a beautiful and memorable event that I will cherish forever. I feel so fortunate to have been a part of it, and I wish the newlyweds all the happiness in the world as they embark on their marriage together!

-Stephanie Ray

Andi's Bridal Portraits at Sky Creek Ranch

If you are looking for a photographer for your wedding, find one that doesn’t mind getting rained out! I have been rained out twice at Sky Creek Ranch, in Keller, TX and I don’t mind one single bit! Photographing indoors allows me to have much more control over the final results. I am definitely a control freak when it comes to light and this bridal portrait session is a great example of that! In under 2 hours we went from day to night and all the shades of dusk in between, and we didn’t even have to go outside! No matter how many times I shoot at Sky Creek Ranch, I always manage to find new angles and new ways to utilize the space.

Sky Creek Ranch is one of my preferred vendors for many reasons, but most of all it’s the great relationship I have with the events coordinator, Keaton Dixon. I love seeing a familiar face and knowing that everything is going to run smoothly for me and my team. I always know I will be well taken care of because of Keaton! Best of all their food is amazing and we are always well fed. As I always say, “no one likes a hangry photographer!”

PRO TIP: If you are planning to do a Bridal session, the venue is the best location to do it. Not only is it included with most venue rentals, but they have a bridal suite for you to change in and lots of room indoors for photos! If you have great weather, you can utilize the outdoor spots as well, but for this particular session it was a very rainy day and we did not have the ability to go outside for photos.

If you have your heart set on Bridal Portraits, be sure to ask the venue representative about their policy for portrait sessions when you view the venue. The venue is typically the only free indoor option for these sessions, renting a studio can be costly but it’s worth it if you don’t have a venue to use. Trust me, you do not want to have to reschedule hair, make-up, photography, and flowers because it ends up raining on your session date and you were planning for an outdoor location.

Katie's Bridal Portraits at the Windsor at Hebron Park

I love a good bridal portrait! Especially at a gorgeous wedding venue like the Windsor at Hebron Park. In my opinion, the venue is always the best option for the bridal portraits. Its a great way to fully utilize your venue for photos! There are so many spaces and great photo spots that are just not accessible for portraits on the wedding day. Plus, most venues offer a portrait session with every package! Yes, you read that right! Most venues will allow you a 2 hour rental time at no additional cost to use the space for Bridal portraits before the wedding day.

You are not the only one who will benefit from your portrait session! Your wedding photographer will love having a chance to get to know the venue before the wedding day! It’s a great opportunity for us to familiarize ourselves with the best places for photos and makes the post ceremony portraits after the ceremony go much faster with better results!

Pro TIP: Schedule your hair and make-up trial and ask your florist to make you a bridal bouquet for your portraits. Its the only time other than your wedding day that you will see yourself as a bride with all of those elements together. Ask your photographer how much time they need to get you the images BEFORE the wedding day so you can see how everything looks and make any necessary changes before the big day!

Katie and Levin's Sneak Peek

I recently had the pleasure of capturing Katie and Levin’s wedding at The Windsor at Hebron Park. The Windsor is a beautiful venue that reminds me of a modern day fairytale! The patios are covered with vines that had just turned deep red as fall was approaching. As gorgeous as the balconies are they are nothing compared to the stunning 2 story foyer with a brand new custom chandelier. The venue has recently undergone a renovation and they did an amazing job. Every last detail of this place was perfection and it was an absolute dream to shoot there, especially with such an amazing couple that trusted me and my vision completely. This wedding was an absolute dream and every dream wedding comes comes with a dream team of vendors, and this wedding included one of my favorite DJs in the e=industry! TJ the DJ with Be Entertained Events kept the party going strong all night! it was so much fun it didn’t even feel like work. I certainly hope to be back to this venue again someday soon!

Hanah and Colten at Aristide Flower Mound

Who is ready to see a full wedding day?!?! Here are some of my favorites from Hanah and Colten’s wedding at Aristide in Flower mound, TX! I just delivered their wedding album and have been dying to share the finished images from this gorgeous wedding! They booked me after we met at a bridal show, where Hanah was the winner of my Bridal portrait giveaway! We did Hanah’s bridal portrait at the venue the week before the wedding, giving me an opportunity to think of some great ways to use the space for photos on the wedding day. I love it when I get a chance to take portraits at a wedding venue before shooting a wedding there. It really helps me to get to know the space, and find the best spots to come back to on the actual wedding day. During the reception I was able to step away from the party and set up a twilight portrait with the bride and groom in the chapel. I held a strand of wired twinkle lights, that I had shaped into a circle, right in front of my camera lens to get the bokeh effect. It’s one of my favorite camera tricks, and I use it often! scroll through all the way to the end to see the final result! It works best with an 85-100 mm prime lens. Its tough on the biceps to hold my camera and focus through blurry lights with one hand, but well worth it in the end!

Luis and Shannon's wedding at Stonebridge Venue in Blum, TX

let’s be honest, no one ever reads this part so I am gonna save you the trouble and just list the vendors so you can skip right to the photos! This wedding was GORGEOUS!

Venue: Stonebridge Venue in Blum , TX

Photography and Photo Booth: Stephanie Ray Photography

Caterer: Hard 8 Barbeque

DJ: McGrayson Entertainment

Hair: Marisa and Brit

Make-up: Maria Rizo Beauty

Floral: Sara Norman- Jackie of Random Trades

Dan and Ashley's Heritage Village Wedding

You should all know by now that I love sharing work that I do for friends! Dan and Ashley are our former neighbors, turned great friends. Ashley also assists me on weddings, when I need help, and has become a very dear friend to me through the years. When they got engaged in Ireland, I knew that I would be hearing from them about photographing their wedding. We invited them over for dinner for our consultation and we discussed all the details of their wedding day. I was able to give them some advise and help calm some fears of the “what ifs” but I knew through the whole process that Ashley was destined to worry about what could go wrong. I feel it’s important to tell you this, because a lot of bride’s go through this wedding anxiety. It can definitely be overwhelming as you try to navigate the process of planning a wedding for the first and only time. As a seasoned wedding professional, I make every effort to help with this process since I have so much experience with other vendors and planning the timeline to fit everything in, so you get the best out of your wedding photographs. I proceeded to assist Ashley by referring her to some of my favorite vendors including Linda “the flower lady” McEwan, and Lance Patton of My DFW DJ. With the dream team set up for success, and a decent weather report the week of, we figured it was going to be smooth sailing and everything would turn out alright. Fast forward to the rehearsal and long story short, I became violently ill upon arriving at the rehearsal dinner and had to leave before we were even seated! Let me tell you, I was beyond stressed about how I was going to make it through an entire wedding day when I could barely get up off the bathroom floor, but somehow I rallied and was able to run on adrenaline and Gatorade and get the job done. I guess I was over compensating, because I totally nailed it! I mean, nature had something to do with it, but our meticulous planning to avoid the “what ifs”, was what I credit to the amazing lighting we had for just about every important moment. Even though I felt like I might fall over or vomit at any moment, I was living the dream and I felt like I was on FIRE throughout this entire wedding day! It’s days like this that really remind me why I do what I do. I abso-freaking-lutely LOVE weddings! Especially when the stars align like they did on this day. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed creating them for two of my favorite people on this earth! Congrats to Dan and Ashley! Now bring on the babies!

Matt and Aubrey's Downtown Dallas Wedding

Last fall, before I had my baby boy, I was honored to photograph Matt and Aubrey's wedding day at the Magnolia Hotel in downtown Dallas.  My husband was a groomsmen and also my luggage handler for the day, since I was VERY pregnant at that point.  The reception was in the newly renovated Pegasus Room across the street from the Magnolia Hotel, in the Power and Light building.  The chandelier is my current favorite thing in Dallas!  They did an incredible job on this venue.  It is is simply stunning and photographs like a dream!  I was fortunate enough to have my good friend and colleague, Pam Peck as my associate photographer on this wedding and have included some of her amazing images in this gallery.  Enjoy!

Tori and Brandon's Fort Worth Wedding

I had the pleasure of capturing the wedding day of Tori and Brandon last fall.  I met the couple because Tori's grandparents are friends of my parents and have known me since I was about 10 years old.  I was so excited to be chosen to capture their wedding day!  The wedding ceremony was at one of my favorite chapels in Fort Worth, The Marty Leonard Chapel.  I love the architecture on the inside and the front doors are gorgeous!  The Reception was at the Golf Club at Fossil Creek.  The rustic chandeliers in the reception venue were stunning alongside the flower arrangements on the head table.  I am a big fan of colorful wedding flowers and these did not disappoint!  Check out all the other gorgeous details of this stylish Fort Worth wedding....