Kayla and James Studio Pre-wedding Shoot

I am so excited to share this studio portrait session I did with my dear friends, Kayla and James! Since it is summer in Texas, we decided to rent a studio and stay indoors for their engagement portrait session. I knew that Kayla has a love for old shows like the Addams Family, so I reached out to my friends at Southern Wild Events to rent their Morticia Addams replica Peacock chair. This chair was giving me Fleetwood Mac vibes all day! Between the chair and the rolling matte-black background at Pink Pineapple Studio in Bedford, TX we were able to create a really fun modern look with a vintage twist. I could not be happier with how the photos turned out.

A little background on how I met Kayla: She answered an open call I put out for “pin-up” style models about 10 years ago. We became facebook friends and silently followed each others’ lives for about 8 years. Then one day I saw her post about a succulent and I had just started getting into plants myself and it sparked a conversation. Shortly after that I found out that we would be moving from East Dallas to the other side of the metroplex in Fort Worth. I immediately Kayla thought of Kayla, as I realized that she lived in Fort Worth and maybe this meant that she could be my new best friend on this side of town. She accepted my offer of friendship and agreed to meet me for a plant shopping date on my birthday, which has actually become a little tradition for us. When she got engaged to James in 2020 they booked me to shoot their wedding and I have been so excited work with them!

When we were planning the session I wanted to find a studio that had a good selection of props and furniture and I came across Pink Pineapple studio in Bedford. I really loved the rolling black backdrop and they had a great selection of other chairs and furniture as well as smaller pros to create a set. Naturally, Kayla and I both brought plants to incorporate somehow, and Kayla wanted to do some portraits to commemorate her dog, Ellie, who recently crossed over the rainbow bridge. She brought Ellie’s memorial plant with her collar and tags and a pet portrait painted by her friend Megan Doughney.

I really loved the clean look of the black backdrop against the white wall and window. I had some fun moving it around to create different shapes and lines in the photos. It was great to get back in the studio and now I want to open my own studio, but for now, I will stick to renting! If you need a studio in DFW, I highly recommend Pink Pineapple studio group. It was very easy to book online and they even let me come up before the shoot to check out their prop selection and see the space.

A message to the couple: Congrats, Kayla and James! You guys make such a great couple, and I am so grateful for our friendship! I know that you marriage will be a happy one filled with laughter, skulls, horror movies, heavy metal, .and lots of plants! hahaha I cannot wait for your wedding in October!

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....

Katie and Shawn's White Rock Lake engagement session

Check out my latest engagement portrait session at White Rock Lake!  Katie and Shawn are just the cutest couple and we had so much fun hanging out with their doggies at the lake for this stunning portrait session.  

I am so excited to photograph their wedding in November!  As a wedding photographer, I offer an engagement session to all of my wedding photography clients so that we have a chance to work together before the wedding day.  It helps me to get a feel for what poses work best for them, as well as giving the couple an opportunity to get accustomed to my posing style.  The best part is that we get to know each other a little better and it makes things go much smoother on the wedding day when you have had a chance to work together before.  

Take a look at this awesome session and tell me what you think in the comments!

John And Amy's Frisco Heritage Center Wedding

I know it's been a while since I have posted a blog, but I am back!  I have been busy shooting weddings almost every weekend this summer and am thrilled to be so busy, but it has left me with little time for blogging.  One of the many wonderful weddings I was tasked to capture this summer was Amy and John's wedding at Frisco Heritage Center in Frisco, TX.  I met Amy and John through a mutual friend when he referred them to me for their wedding photography.  We met and discussed their wedding day and I learned that this wedding was more than just 2 people coming together in love, it was about a great big family coming together through marriage.  Both John and Amy had children of their own who were going to be their wedding party!  Coming from a blended family myself, this made me very excited to be a part of this beautiful wedding!  Once the wedding day was upon us, I quickly realized that no one was more excited about this day than the bride and groom.  John and Amy were absolutely giddy with love and excitement for their marriage and it was very easy to photograph such happy people!  They really made my job so easy and I loved every moment of their wedding day.  Have a look for yourself and be sure to let me know what you think in the comments!

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Maggie and Omar at White Rock lake

I had the pleasure of photographing Maggie and Omar's wedding last year in Dallas.  They called me just before the holidays to do a portrait session of them to use in a holiday card, and also to have some updated portraits of them as a married couple with their sweet pups!  I am always happy when I get to work with wedding clients after the wedding and this session was no exception.  White Rock Lake is a great location for portraits.  I am always finding new spots there to use in sessions.  This fall, my favorite spot was an over-grown field that was the perfect backdrop to any type of portrait session.  Unfortunately, shortly after this session the field was mowed, which means it will likely be next fall before the grass is tall and pretty again.  I am so glad I got to use it while it lasted, but my heart broke when I realized that it had been chopped down.  However, I did manage to capture this great field several times last fall and I will definitely be keeping an eye on it to grow back!  Also, these doggies were the sweetest pups and such great little posers!  I always encourage people to include their dogs in their family portraits.  These two pups made this session so fun!  

Salma and Chris- Downtown Dallas Engagement Portraits

I officially love shooting in Downtown Dallas!  Salma and Chris were so much fun to work with!  Our downtown Dallas portrait session could not have gone any better!  We cruised around from Main Street Garden Park, to the AT&T Performing arts center, to the location of their first date, The Fairmont Hotel.  It was a fun time and these two lovebirds made my job easy!  They certainly don't have any trouble making each other laugh, which in my opinion, is the key to a long and happy marriage!  

Stephanie and Kyle's Hollow Hill Farm Wedding

As I was completing the wedding album for Stephanie and Kyle, I came to realize that I never blogged about this super cute barn house wedding!  So here we are, 10 months after the I do's and I am reminiscing about the Texas summers!  It can be really hard as a bride to pose outdoors in a wedding dress in 100 degrees, but Stephanie was out there twirling away happy as can be, while I captured what appears to be true wedding-day-bridal-bliss!  Hollow Hill Farms was a great rustic wedding venue.  Their staff was so friendly.  Not to mention the fact that they are perfectly set-up for The Photo Van! Stephanie booked The Photo Van as part of her wedding package with me. It was a perfect set- up for it and all the guests loved having the coolest photo booth ever at the reception.  I really enjoyed capturing this day for Stephanie and Kyle.  Thank you for trusting me with your memories of your wedding day, it was honor to be a part of it.  I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

Sabrenah and Aaron's Fort Worth Wedding

 Sabrenah and Aaron got married last November at Art space 111 in Fort Worth, Texas.  What a cool venue!  I really enjoyed working with them and knew from our first consultation that their wedding was  probably going to be the funkiest, vintage inspired, foodie wedding I have ever witnessed and I was right!  Their wedding day was absolutely one of my all time favorite weddings ever! I knew right away that these two lovebirds were meant for each other.  They are both so creative and I think their wedding was a true testament to their style and taste.    It's better that you just go look at the photos because words can't even begin to describe it.  I will tell you one thing, my favorite part was when the Bride and Groom grabbed the mic at the reception and sang (incredibly well, I might add)  "That's all I ask of you" from The Phantom of the Opera.  And they were GOOD!  It was a really cool moment and completely unplanned.  Take a look for yourself at this wonderful day:

Lee-Taylor and Riley: an engagement session at White Rock Lake

Who doesn't love a sun-drenched fall afternoon???  Hanging out with Riley and Lee-Taylor on a sunny afternoon by the lake, I was happy to realize that this gorgeous couple photographs like they just walked out of a Ralph Lauren ad!  I just love my job!  Enjoy this beautiful sunset shoot by the lake: