the tucker family • lubbock, tx

It had been 6 months since I'd seen Sarah, Jett, and little Scout (who's not quite as little anymore!)- and I got an email from Sarah wanting to schedule another family session this summer, because their family has grown! Mark and Sarah were recently married, and I had the pleasure of meeting him, along with his sweet daughter, Delaney, at our shoot. 

I love this crew! They blend so well and I just couldn't believe how much Jett and Scout have grown. Mark and Sarah were wonderfully happy and easygoing, which made it fun as well. 

The newlyweds!

the coward family • amarillo, tx

It's always such an honor as a wedding photographer to get to see my wedding clients go from being a couple to a family- and to be asked to document that. I just love this family- I met them when I shot Clay + Bandi's wedding back in 2009. Since then, they've had a few new additions in the form of new granddaughters and a son-in-law, so it was high time for some new photos. They endured the heat with me that day in Amarillo, and had the best attitudes the whole time. Here are some of my favorites. 

I'm slightly obsessed with baby Karrington. Maybe we can schedule an arranged marriage? :)

Four generations.

ashlee • bridal • canyon, tx

It's not often that I get to blog a bridal session- even though some of my most favorite images are created during a bridal, I typically get so excited about the actual wedding images that I post them first. Well, not this time, ladies and gentlemen! 

Ashlee was a total rockstar for her bridal session. We'd carefully planned the date to where it would be nice, and she would have time to get her hair + makeup done. The West Texas wind, however, had plans of it's own. It was a rowdy 40 MPH wind that blew the ENTIRE time during the session, and Ashlee handled it like a pro. I'm still in awe of the fact that she didn't blow right away!

Being that Ashlee's Dad is a farmer/rancher, it was only appropriate to photograph her in the fields. My grandpa (a.k.a. Popsy) is also a farmer, and so we went out to his property for this shoot.

Here are some of my favorites from her shoot. Doesn't she look beautiful in her Melissa Sweet dress?

Why don't you take your designer wedding gown over to that old horse trailer and have a sit? Ok, no problem. :) (WORTH IT!)

For these next few images, we literally had to weigh Ashlee's dress down with hand weights (Thanks, Debbie!) because it kept getting blown away. Crazy!

Bouquet by the skilled team at Parie Designs.

michael + heather's wedding published in the knot texas

If you've been perusing the magazine aisles at your local bookstore (like I do), you might have seen the new copy of The Knot Texas. I was enthralled when the fabulous ladies at The Knot contacted me about featuring Michael + Heather's wedding. They also picked up an image from Lance + Taleigh's "first look". Go get yourself a copy and check it out!

kameron + angela • wedding • lubbock, tx

Ok, I just love these two. Seriously- the more time I spent with them on their wedding day the more I was affirmed of the fact that Kameron and Angela are totally fun, awesome people who have a great circle of family and friends. These two were married at the Frazier Alumni Pavilion on the Texas Tech campus. It was a gorgeous summer day and I could not have had better people to work with. Here are some of my favorites from their day.

Their vendors:

Wedding Gown: Alfred Angelo

Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Men's Wearhouse

Florist: Town South Floral

Cake: Aunt Norie's Bakery

Caterer: Top Tier 

Venue: Frazier Alumni Pavilion

DJ: Express Unlimited

Hair: Jennifer Garcia

When you get married at the Frazier Alumni Pavilion or the Merket Alumni Center at Texas Tech, they put an engraved brick with your names on the patio. "Kamgela" was the name a friend gave this couple, so they went with it! Haha!

jeremy + haylee • wedding • amarillo, tx

Jeremy and Haylee were married at Moonwater Weddings in Amarillo. I'd never been to this venue before, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! It was decorated beautifully by the owner, Marci, and her staff- you could see Haylee's style and personality mixed into the decor everywhere- and everything was right there- which made the day run so smoothly. I had such a great time with Jeremy and Haylee- they were both so kind and patient and easygoing. You could tell they were truly enjoying their big day. Here are some of my favorite images- along with Haylee's commentary looking back!

Venue: Moonwater Weddings

Dress: Maggie Sottero

Hair: Katrina Renteria

Makeup: Charisa Bryant with Mary Kay

Cake: The Cake Company (Canyon, TX)

Florist: Budding Art by Kerry

DJ: All About Music

Haylee's reflections on their first look:

"I would most definitely recommend it! It was such a special moment for us. It helped to ease the anxiety of the day. On such a huge day, no one can ease your mind like your best friend and the first look gave us this chance."

Every one of my wedding packages includes two shooters- and this is why! You can see Shanna's  shot on the left, and mine on the right.

...and these are both Shanna's images. She makes me so jealous sometimes, haha!

Haylee's daughter Lexi and niece Brooklyn were the perfect flower girls.

Ceremony time!

They both chose Haylee's walk down the aisle as their most memorable moment. 

Haylee: "Walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Jeremy about to tear up as I was walking down. It was so awesome to have all the people that we love the most sharing in that special moment with us. Also, when Lexi ran up to us as we walked back down the aisle, she was crying. It was so special for us to hug as a family for the first time. It was awesome to see the emotion she felt starting this new chapter in our lives."

Jeremy: "The most memorable moment on our wedding day was hearing the song "Marry Me" by Train and watching Haylee walk down the aisle. I was doubting whether or not I was going to tear up earlier that day, but as soon as that one song started I knew Haylee was going to be coming down the aisle to marry me and I almost lost it!"

Sweet Lexi cried the whole time...

Jeremy and Haylee let me take them out at sunset for a few more portraits-

This car was passed down from Jeremy's Dad to him.

Money dance!

Jeremy and Haylee spent their honeymoon in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and said it was awesome. Haylee also said that her biggest piece of advice to future brides is to "get everything you can done before the wedding day so you can be as stress free as possible! And don't be afraid to delegate, people want to help and you want to be able to enjoy the day! Oh yeah, shop on etsy! I found so many awesome things for the wedding that I wouldn't have found anywhere else."

dan + natalie • engagement • olton, tx

Last week I got to drive out to the small West Texas town of Olton, Texas to photograph Dan + Natalie's engagement session. These two met in college at TCU and have settled down in the place Dan grew up. Dan is a cattle rancher, and so it was appropriate to go out to his property for their shoot. I know I asked a zillion silly questions ("so, like, how much do each one of these cows weigh?"), but Dan was so patient with me! I had a great time with he and Natalie- and can't wait for their wedding at the Baker Building next month!

kassie • ttu graduate • lubbock, tx

Kassie called me interested in doing a shoot to celebrate her graduation from Texas Tech University. Soon, she'll have her Master's in Fashion Design- she hopes to open up her own bridal boutique one day, which of course got me so excited!

It's actually amazing that I didn't already know Kassie and her husband, Dusty- they were high school sweethearts in a small town just 15 minutes from my old stompin' grounds. They are super fun- I had such a good time talking with them. It's such a small world. 

Here is the gorgeous Kassie:

Don't you think Kassie looks a bit like Jennifer Grey a la "Dirty Dancing"? Except Kassie is prettier. :) 

We got a few of her and Dusty together- they've been married 3 years now!

baby jake • newborn • lubbock, tx

It seems like my life has been filled with so many precious newborns lately, and I'm not complaining! I was so excited to meet baby Jake and see his family again- I met them at David + Taylor's wedding last April. I typically like to shoot newborns inside their nursery, but since the Mullins family lives out of town, we got to do an on-location session which was equally as fun. The weather was suprisingly nice, and baby Jake and his big brother Cooper did such a great job. Check out this gorgeous family!

hunter + amanda • wedding • plainview, tx

Hunter + Amanda were married in Plainview at First United Methodist Church. Since Hunter is a pilot, their reception was held in an airplane hangar, which fit their personalities perfectly. This was a special wedding for me seeing as I've known Amanda for the greater part of my life- and it was cool to get to see their relationship develop. These two are simple, easygoing, and kind. Since my usual second shooter (my friend Shanna) was a bridesmaid, my husband Shawn shot along with me at this one. We had a fantastic day- I interviewed Amanda about her big day and will be sharing some of her thoughts looking back.

The day began at Kadiza Hair Studio- Jessica did a fabulous job as always!

And then we headed to Plainview-

Can you believe baby Atlynn is getting so big?

Hunter + Amanda chose to have a first look. I asked her if she was glad they had and here's what she had to say:

"It was just such a special moment to see each other before the ceremony, because it gave us a chance to see each other and just relax for that moment. From then on, it felt like the day flew by! So it was nice to have the quiet moment before things got busy. Also, having the First Look gave us the opportunity to get some much desired pictures done so we could get straight to our guests after the ceremony. I have no regrets with doing a First Look."

I love this moment between sisters!

Amanda said being with her Dad right before he walked her down the aisle was one of her favorite moments. 

"I'm the youngest of 3 girls so I feel like I'm definitely a 'daddy's girl'. It was just my dad and I in the hall, and it was the first time of the day that I got to see him by ourselves. So I took that opportunity to tell him that I love him (and almost started crying!) But I loved that moment with my dad."

These two made a grand exit in a plane!