SXSW 2010 – a preview and disclaimer

So I was googling myself, which I often do. Fortunately the word “google” has entered the lexicon in such a way so as not to sound like some bizarre euphemism for something that might be considered illegal in the state of Texas. And I realized, as I googled, that it’s been 6 months since I worked SXSW over with my camera. For all of you out-of-towners reading my blog, SXSW stands for South-by-Southwest. It’s a two week festival in Austin, Texas, celebrating all that is film, interactive, and music, with the focus on the up-and-coming. I was there, with my camera. The reason I realized this is because some of my work is now making its way through the official website. And this has made me realize that I need to get off my butt and post these amazing pictures, and like soon. So prepare yourselves for a cosmic shift in focus from all the beautiful brides and grooms to some rockin’ bands and awesome scenes. There’s more to come…much much more!

Here’s the photo that had been using on their main website:

Band = Abe Vagoda

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Tess + Justin = Engaged! San Francisco Engagement session

While I was in the Bay area for my Napa Valley engagement session, my best friend’s nephew and his fiancee came down from Seattle to visit us. We got together with them and, since they’re newly engaged, we decided to turn our fun time together into an impromptu engagement photo session. Some of the locations included the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Chinatown and Union Square. Tess and Justin are simply the cutest couple ever. They’re getting married next year at Disney World in Orlando, and I’m super excited that I’m going to get to be their wedding photographer. Congrats you two!!

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Dominique’s Bridals – Bridal Session @ Laguna Gloria

Dominique had her wedding in San Antonio, on August 21, 2010. I wasn’t able to be her wedding photographer, but I was still able to to do her bridal portrait session at the beautiful Laguna Gloria. Dominique purchased her dress from my favorite gals, Erica and Amanda at Blush Bridal Lounge. For all you dress junkies, hers was the Enzoani Diana. I love loved how vintage-looking it was! Her gorgeous flower bouquet complete with peacock feathers was designed by Whole Foods Market. Congrats Dominique! You look stunning!

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Jill + Dave! Post Wedding Session

I had the opportunity to photograph Jill and Dave a few weekends ago. I will readily admit that I’m really bummed that I wasn’t able to be the photographer for their wedding at the Allan House in downtown Austin. They won a free session with me after they had already booked their photographer. We planned on doing a bridal session, and after months of rescheduling Jill’s bridals, we finally finally got our session in: a post wedding session. Jill and Dave were super nice and really easy to work with. And I love love Jill’s vintage-styled dress, the Allure Couture Model C143. Gorgeous! Her hair was done by Tammy Garza and her makeup by Nisa Nicole. Enjoy!

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Melody + Sebastian! Chapel Dulcinea wedding and Salt Lick reception

Melody and Sebastian had their wedding ceremony July 10, 2010 at Chapel Dulcinea and their wedding reception at the Salt Lick. Both wedding locations, just south of Austin in Driftwood, TX, offer awesome venues at a great value. Chapel Dulcinea is the only FREE wedding venue around. FREE! And the Salt Lick? Only some of the best BBQ in the state! Melody and Sebastian are both originally from Texas and wanted to come back to their home state for their wedding. For their wedding day, they chose a few spots for the photography that scream, “Howdy, y’all!” We started at the Texas State Capitol for their “first look.” I’ve mentioned before, I just love doing the first look. It’s a private and intimate moment, and it’s such a great way to get out all of the wedding jitters before the ceremony. And from a completely selfish standpoint, I get some killer photos that I can’t necessarily get during a ceremony, especially at those gigantic super-restrictive churches where they make the photographer hide in the back. After the Capitol, we headed to the “Welcome to Austin” sign for a few shots, before heading down to Chapel Dulcinea. I just loved working with Melody and Sebastian. Their wedding was so full of love and family, and it was a pure pleasure to be their wedding photographer. I hope you love their story!

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Lacey + Lee = Engaged! Austin Engagement session

Lacey and Lee are tying the knot in September just south of Austin, at Texas Old Town in Kyle, Texas! We had to reschedule the engagement session a few times because of all of our busy schedules. When session-time did finally roll around, we had some pretty heavy storms in the forecast. I ran the idea of doing a rainy engagement shoot by them, and they jumped on the idea. I love that! When it came time to do the shoot, the rain all but stopped! No matter. I had every intention on getting these two absolutely water-park soaked! As you can see, the sweet and simple engagement shoot turns awesomely outrageous! I loved working with Lacey and Lee…both eager to let me experiment with the photography and try some new things. I had a fantastic time getting to know them, the fun and laughter, and it really comes through in the photos! I hope you enjoy them!

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Jen + Ben! Mansion at Judges’ Hill wedding

Jen and Ben had their Austin wedding on June 26, 2010 at the Mansion at Judges’ Hill. This was the very first 2010 wedding that I booked and I was so happy that Jen and Ben chose me to be their wedding photographer! What a fun wedding, full of friends, fun and laughs. It’s always fun to shoot at Judges’ Hill, with the beautiful architecture, the cute and intimate courtyard, and the swank ballroom. The flowers add so much to the ambiance, and Beth Richard of Exquisite Petals outdid herself. Absolutely stunning! Michelle’s Patisserie designed the gorgeous cake, Sterling Affairs made the wonderful cuisine, and Tunes Across Texas rocked the night away. Congrats Jen and Ben!

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Alison + John = Engaged! Austin Engagement session

Alison and John aren’t having their wedding until next year, but we still wanted to get their engagement session done while Alison’s fiance John was in town. I loved working with this cute couple! I had high hopes for a rainy and moody engagement session, so we brought along an umbrella, just in case. It never worked out as I had hoped, but I still think, for some of the photography at least, I captured the mood and feel of something classic, vintage, and timeless. The others are just outright cute and fun because here are so many cool places to shoot in Austin! Congrats on your engagement, Alison and John!

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Sneak Peek! – Lacey + Lee!

I don’t know if you all are ready for the awesomeness that was this engagement session. Here’s a little bitty taste.

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Abbi + Dean! Laguna Gloria wedding

Abbi and Dean had their wedding May 22, 2010 at Laguna Gloria. I had the great opportunity to be the second photographer to Stacy of SMS Photography. It’s always a treat to shoot alongside her, because she has such a great eye for posing couples. Abbi and Dean were a joy to work with. So camera friendly, and patient to deal with not only one, but TWO photographers who are detail obsessive! Speaking of details, I absolutely loved this classy and elegant wedding! From all of the cute vintage inspired details, to the great decor and coordination by Gina and Aimee of CLINK!, the gorgeous flowers by Tina of Prive, and the mouth-watering food by Primizie. Everyone did a fantastic job! I hope you love the photos!

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Haley’s Bridals – Bridal Session @ Laguna Gloria

Haley had her wedding in Alabama on June 26, 2010. I wasn’t able to be her wedding photographer, but I was still able to to do her bridal portrait session at the beautiful Laguna Gloria. Haley purchased her dress from my favorite gals, Erica and Amanda at Blush Bridal Lounge. For all you dress junkies, hers was the Saison Blanche Couture #3064. Her gorgeous flower bouquet was designed by Central Market. Congrats Haley!

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Sandy and Robert = Engaged! Austin Engagement session

Sandy and Robert are having their wedding November 6, 2010 in San Antonio, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be their photographer! We had a great time wandering around Austin while getting to know each other. We hit some favorite traditional spots, and made use of some new ones too. We capped the engagement photo shoot over at the Lucky Lounge with a few beers and some amazing photos! I hope you love them!

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Sneak Peek! – Sandy + Robert!

Here’s a sneak peek of Sandy and Robert’s engagement session! The rest will be coming this Friday!

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Andrea + Clint! – St. Austin Church Wedding and Zilker Clubhouse Reception

Andrea and Clint had their wedding on May 21, 2010. Their wedding ceremony was held at St. Austin’s Catholic Church and the wedding reception was held at the Zilker Clubhouse, which has an absolutely amazing view of downtown Austin. You’ll see through this blog post, that I almost got a little too obsessive about capturing the gorgeous Austin skyline. I had a great time being the photographer for Andrea and Clint’s wedding! They’re such a sweet and fun couple, and hysterically funny! I can tell where Andrea gets her humor from. Her DAD! He gave one of the funniest toast speeches in recent memory! The sexy baby blue Caddy was provided by Vintage Rides of Austin.

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Candice + Dave = Engaged! Austin Engagement session

Candice and Dave are getting married November 5, 2010 at Mansion at Judges’ Hill in Austin. I am so happy that they chose me to be their wedding photographer! What a fun and cute couple. We started off at the Spider House, and then trekked over to the Long Center for some epic cityscape shots. I’m really excited for their wedding, it should be a fun one! I hope you enjoy the pics!

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Amber + Nick = Engaged! Austin Engagement session

Amber and Nick’s wedding is October 16, 2010! I’m thrilled that they chose me to be their photographer! We started off shooting in the field out near where I live. The bluebonnets had all passed on, but in their place were these gorgeous red and yellow blanket flowers (yes I had to google it! If you must know, it’s Gaillardia aristata). For the first part of the shoot, their sweet dog Calla joined us. She is one determined huntin’ dog, but a few treats kept her attention! We then headed down to south Congress and did a few shots out in front of the restaurant where they had their first date, Southside Flying Pizza (which, BTW, is among my top 3 pizza places in Austin). While we were out in front of the Hey Cupcake! trailer, a film crew for the Food Network videotaped us whilst we were shooting. They were doing a special on Trailer food of Austin…soooo cool! Check your local listings!

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Jen + Mike! – Hideout on the Horseshoe wedding

Jen and Mike had their wedding on May 15, 2010 at Hideout on the Horseshoe in Canyon Lake, Texas. It was such a pleasure to be their photographer. What a beautiful wedding, and Jen looked absolutely stunning! The Hideout is a very rustic setting with wood cabins, lots of West-Texas styled details, and a great view of the Guadalupe River. The absolutely gorgeous flower displays by Madeleine and Bonni of Posey Floral helped to bring this venue to life. I really love-loved the flower displays that incorporated citrus in the vases! In lieu of a traditional wedding reception, Jen and Mike hired one of their favorite bands, Micky and the Motorcars to perform a concert. It was definitely a neat and unique twist to tradition. Other vendors included Cheryl Bailey Catering, and cupcakes by The Gruene Flour Cupcakery. I had a wonderful time working with Jen and Mike, they’re such a relaxed and kind couple. I hope you enjoy the photos!

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Bea + Peco! Mansion at Judges’ Hill wedding reception (part 2)

After Bea and Peco’s wedding at St. Mary’s Cathedral, we headed to the Mansion at Judges’ Hill in Austin for the reception. This was seriously one of the most fun wedding receptions I’ve been a photographer for, but I always seem to have really fun wedding receptions at the Mansion. The food there is some of the best wedding-fare out there, and it’s a great room to shoot in. I also love the Mansion’s classic antique facade. The reception featured more Bouquets of Austin‘s beautiful flower displays! Bea changed into a traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai for the first half of the reception, and then back into her wedding dress for the dancing. Speaking of dancing, the dance floor was packed all night as Red Alert rocked the house! And in case you are wondering, in one sequence, Bea had to move an egg from one of Peco’s legs to the other. Hilarious!

The cakes were provided by Simon Lee, and were both stunning and delicious, as usual! I love the World Cup trophy for the groom’s cake. And, normally I don’t blog on so many cake-cutting photos, but this was just hysterical. Peco celebrates winning the World Cup-Cake, and then Bea takes a bite out of it, only to find out that it was made of Styrofoam…priceless reaction! I’ve never laughed so hard at a cake-cutting!

Congrats on your marriage, Bea and Peco, and thank you for letting me be a part of the magic!

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Bea + Peco! St. Mary’s Cathedral wedding (part 1)

Bea and Peco had their wedding May 1, 2010 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Austin. This was such a hugemongous wedding that I just had to break it up over two blog posts. I just adore Bea…absolutely full of personality and wit, and she’s super cute and great to photograph. And Peco…he’s still my hero! I love shooting at St. Mary’s. It reminds me of the classic fairy-tale cathedral that only princesses get married in. Bea’s cousin was the Priest that married them (his first wedding EVER!), and her father was the deacon. Through the ceremony, they were fighting back the tears. How sweet is that?? Bouquets of Austin provided the flowers…they always do such an amazing job! Love them!

Stay tuned! Their reception at the Mansion at Judges’ Hill is coming tomorrow!!

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