shaun + elizabeth • wedding • first united methodist church • lubbock, tx

Shaun + Elizabeth were married on a gorgeous day in August at FUMC Lubbock. Their reception was held at the Lubbock Women's Club, and it was such a wonderful event. Everything was so perfectly planned and executed- which is a testament to Shaun and Elizabeth themselves. It was such an honor to document their day- and a lot of fun, too! Here are some of my favorites. 

Weding Gown: MoriLee

Groom + Groomsmen's Clothing: Calvin Klein- Men's Wearhouse

Bridesmaids' Dresses: David's Bridal

Florist: Patti Weaver- Market Street Floral

Cake: CAKE Cupcakes

Caterer: Lubbock Women's Club

DJ: Music to the Maxx

Hair: Carmen at Sophisticuts

Makeup: Michelle at Panache

Both of them selected their first look as the most memorable moment of their day. 

She said, "I'll never forget how nervous I was walking into the church to see Shaun. After I saw him everything melted away and I was ready for our Big Day...I became completely relaxed afterward. We exchanged our wedding gifts to each other and had a special moment with each other. I don't really remember the music played or cake cutting, but I'll never forget the 5 minutes I got to spend alone with my husband on our day. "

He said, "It relived all my nerves that had been building all day."

Each table at the reception held a frame with a chapter of their lives written in it- from the time they first met to buying their first home. 

They went to Boston, New Hampshire, and Maine on their honeymoon. Sounds wonderful! Congrats you two!

Shaun + Elizabeth also had the Fancy Booth at their reception, so stay tuned for that post!

sometimes this is what you get

The other day it was happening in my hallway- the perfect photo moment. Knox was destroying a huge ball of yarn, and although it meant a lot of untangling for me later, it was darn cute.

So, I grabbed my camera, and immediately, the cuteness stopped. The tears began. And screaming followed. And this is what I got.

As a professional photographer, I'm always trying to capture my clients' best sides, which usually means they are smiling, or at least in a good mood. But especially with my (very) young clients, that's not what they are trying for. And that's ok. 

I honestly love these images as much as any happy-baby ones I have of my son. It is, after all, a part of our lives right now, and that bottom lip is pretty cute. :)

madison • senior • lubbock, tx

Madi is actually a senior at Fritch (a little town next to the little town I grew up in), but she drove in to Lubbock for her shoot. I was so excited to shoot with her- it's no secret that I have an obsession with red hair and freckles. Not to mention that Madi is super smart (currently #1 in her class), and wants to be in the fashion industry. I have no doubt she will succeed at whatever she pursues!

john + alisha • wedding • the milestone • denton, tx

To me, one of the biggest treasures God gives us on this earth is getting to share life together with people, at different times and different stages. It's such an honor for me to get to experience a wedding day with people when I've been a witness to even a small portion of their love story. 

John and Alisha were married last month at The Milestone in Denton, Texas- a beautiful new venue. I've known Alisha all my life- the last time I'd seen her was at her cousin's wedding last summer, right before she left for Guatemala to spend a year doing mission work. Yes, you heard that right- this girl planned her wedding from Guatemala! 

There's not much I can say about John and Alisha except that they are so, so wonderful together. I'm reminded of God's goodness when I think about their story- and I'm thankful to call them friends! 

Wedding Gown: J. Crew

Groom's Suit: J. Crew

Floral/Event Design: Season Celebrations

Cake: Candy Haven

Caterer: The Milestone

Venue: The Milestone

Hair: Ashley Beets

How gorgeous is this little flower girl?

The guys' getting ready room was complete with an NBA Jam arcade game.

John + Alisha both selected her entrance as the most memorable moment of their day. 

Her perspective:

"Walking down the aisle! I was so excited to see John, as far as I was concerned there was not another person in the entire room but him! He looked so handsome and that moment represented so much to me....we had lived in different countries for the last year and had done so much preparing for that moment! I was so excited to become his wife!!!! It was a moment I will never forget!"

His perspective:

"My most memorable moment was everything about the entrance. It was so humbling standing in front of all our friends and family. It was such an overwhelming feeling to know everything that God had done to bring us to that point. When all the bridal party came down, it was amazing seeing each of them and how God had used them to minister to us. Then the doors closed and the anticipation of seeing Alisha was so amazing. We had waited so long for that moment and it was finally about to come. The doors opened and to finally see her was overwhelming. I was overwhelmed with how much God had done in our lives to pursue us and bring us there. She looked absolutely gorgeous. I really cannot explain the emotion I felt to see her so beautiful and her walking towards me knowing that God had loved us so much to bring us to our wedding."

John washed Alisha's feet during the ceremony. It was such a neat picture.

Funniest moment of the day, from Alisha:

"Our pastor told us he was about to announce us husband and wife - I looked at him and said 'already?' - I didn't remember saying our vows so I was really confused how it was already over!" 

The decorations and details at the reception were so personal and thought out- there was so much to look at. Alisha said one thing she'd recommend- "We were able to walk around and look at all the details before the wedding. We each walked (separately) through the reception area and got to soak in all the details as well as the entire venue. It made the reception so much more enjoyable because we were able to just enjoy the people and each other and knew we had already gotten to see all the details that we loved so much!"

The table decor incorporated old family photos and even wedding invitations.

The image on the right is of Alisha's grandmother's wedding dress.

Alisha's flower was handmade by my sister- HOUSEofLOVELY

Be sure to check out their Fancy Booth iamges below!

john + alisha • fancy booth • wedding • denton, tx

The Fancy Booth at John + Alisha's wedding was a hilarious place to be. Their guests were so much fun and added a good dose of crazy in, too. 

Most of the hats and some gloves were generously given to me by Alisha's mother and were actually worn (and some handmade) by Alisha's grandmother, so it made them extra special. 

Here are my faves. Enjoy!

This group brought their own props as a suprise to Rene, the mother of the bride...

calvin + dyana • maternity • lubbock, tx

Calvin and Dyana are expecting a little boy this October. They've picked the name Liam, which I just love. I have to give these two (especially Dyana) major points because they braved the hot West Texas heat for this shoot, laughing the whole way. Maybe it's because I have a little boy myself now, or maybe it's because I was there not too long ago- but I got terribly emotional while working on these images. It also might be because I was listening to this song as I was working:

arthur + alex • engagement • lubbock, tx

Don't their names just sound like there should be a movie about them? I met with these two about shooting their wedding not long ago, and left really, really hoping they would book me. :) They did, and I'm so excited to be shooting their wedding at Spirit Ranch this July! We shot their session on a gorgeous morning and incorporated Alex's dog, Jovii. Here are some of my favorites:

dan + natalie • wedding • lubbock, tx

Dan and Natalie were married at the Historic Baker Building here in Lubbock on a very hot July day. I really enjoyed getting to be around their cool families and Dan and Natalie themselves- who both are incredibly thoughtful people. Even on their wedding day they were making sure everyone was taken care of. Here are some of may favorites from their wedding!

Wedding Gown: David's Bridal

Groom/Groomsmen Suits: Jos. A Bank

Bridesmaids' Dresses: Dessy

Florist: Lubbock Wedding Solutions

Cake: Cakes by Ann

Caterer: The Baker Building

DJ: West Texas DJ

Hair: Coree Shipley

Makeup: Clinique

Bryon and Moriah Potter (some of our friends from college) tag-teamed this ceremony and did a mighty fine job!

I asked Natalie what her most memorable moment was-

"I obviously loved walking down to see my future husband with a giant smile on his face. But I also had the best "Father" Daughter Dance. All of the men in my family who have been there for me danced with me. Starting with my grandfather, uncles, brother, cousins, step dad and step brothers. I couldn't have asked for a better dance."

It was pretty cool to see such a loving, supportive family in action.

Natalie's advice to future brides? 

"Take a deep breath in the begining, middle and end. Be prepared for details to go wrong, but know that it's not going to ruin your night!"

i'm forbeyon's photographer of the month!

My awesome album company, Forbeyon, selected me as the photographer of the month for August. I'm so honored and excited- please head on over to their blog to read my interview...

food, cubed.

If you keep up with me on Twitter you'll know that I've had a baby-food making carnival going on at my house for the past couple of days. We've been out of town and super busy and our baby food stash had dwindled to almost nothing. 

I thought I'd share a bit about my experience making my own baby food for anyone that might care (all 2 of you, haha). Well, the truth is, I am not a great cook. I really try to be, but generally I take too much of an artistic license on things and end up ruining the dish. My friend Jodee had her baby several months before Knox came and convinced me I needed to try it. It was totally intriguing to me as I am interested in 1) saving money and 2) knowing exactly what's in my baby's food. 

So far it has been a pretty fun experience. I just go to www.wholesomebabyfood.com, which contains recipes, directions, and all sorts of hints that answer my "am I doing it right" questions. We started out on the Stage 1 foods and now have gone on to the Stage 2. 

Once you have cooked the food and are ready to store it, you just pour it into ice cube trays and let it freeze. Then you've created 1 oz. portions that you can store in the freezer, pop out, and heat up in the microwave right before eating. It's very convenient. So these little cubes below have been my world lately.

Here are Knox's favorites so far:

From left to right, top to bottom: Pears, Oatmeal w/ blueberries, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, peaches, green beans, apples. 

We had to travel a few weeks ago and instead of just buying some baby food at the store, I borrowed old baby food jars from a friend and filled them with the homemade food. We kept it in a small cooler with some ice packs and it was just fine until we could get to the hotel fridge. He is still a vegetarian (haha), but I'll be working on some meats soon.