After walking the park by their home, Matt and Taylor decided they wanted to take their engagement portraits around the brand new lake in Memorial Park. The 100-acres of eastern glades is surrounded by cute wooden walkways though parts of the glade and interesting concrete structures. There’s something at every turn. I couldn’t be happier about how Matt & Taylor’s engagement portraits turned out.
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Right before Easter weekend, I met Michael & Chantu at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. This location always holds a special place in my heart because that was where my parents got married. They have made some incredible changes to the center and are constantly improving it.
I loved getting the chance to hike some of the trails and see some parts of the Arboretum that I haven’t seen yet. I also enjoyed getting to play around with light and flash elements.
It was a gorgeous day when we set out to hike the Hermann Park trails to take engagement portraits. So gorgeous (compared the the previous days) in fact that it felt like half of Houston had the same idea. The park was swarming with people, but the further into the park we got, the fewer people we came across.
We hiked from the zoo parking lot all the way to Rice University where the azalea’s were in full bloom.
On a warm spring day, Gabe and Katy got married under swaying chiffon as the Texas sun was setting. It was such a romantic and magical wedding to photograph. The birds were chirping, there was a slight breeze and the sun was setting perfectly behind the happy couple.
One of my favorite wedding photography moments is the first-looks. I love the raw emotion that I capture during first-looks, and Katy had two! One with her Father and one with Gabe. The moments were so special to capture.
Some of my favorite parts of their wedding were taking photos of the joyful couple on the swing after the sun had set and seeing all of the sweet, sweet dance moves. So many guests were really cutting rugs that night.
Vendors
Venue: White Oaks on the Bayou
Photography: Kelly Urban Photography
Cake: Dolly’s Sweet Sensations
DJ: LG Events
Stress is to weddings as the sun is to heat… but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you follow these simple steps you can have a stress-free wedding.
- Stay organized. Keep a spreadsheet, a binder or a notebook with a calendar. you can color coordinate your to-do-list. Red for things that MUST be done, green to start thinking about certain things…
- Identify your priorities and your potential stressors. Do you have a perceptually late friend or a rowdy family member? Make a note and a plan. What are your top priorities? Make a list of the things that mean the most to you and your fiance at your wedding.
- Develop a game-plan for your stressors.
- Hire trusted wedding professionals. Check out the reviews of professionals before hiring someone. Ask if you can speak to one of their old clients.
- Set deadlines. Using your organization talked about in #1, set deadlines for yourself. Make sure to give yourself enough cushion for your deadlines.
- Schedule regular planning meetings. Whether you have a wedding planner or you’re doing it yourself, plan to meet with your wedding professionals to hash out some of your details, your desires and your fears.
- Establish a “No wedding Talk” time with your fiance where you do not spend an ounce of your time thinking, talking or planning your wedding.
- Delegate, delegate, delegate. you are the CEO of this event and you don’t have to shoulder the whole weight. Play off your friends and family’s strengths to help you with your wedding planning.
- Do not second guess yourself. Your first instinct is usually the right one. The more you second guess something, the more you worry and stress yourself.
- Maintain perspective. At the end of the day, you;re marring the love of your life and that’s the most important part.
- Be aware that Murphy is a regular, uninvited, wedding guest. It’s important to not sweat the small stuff. (Murphy’s Law: “things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance”)
After weeks of what felt like cold & gloomy weather, we finally had some really gorgeous days. One of those days happened to be the day I took Joshua & Katelyn’s engagement photos.
Brazos Bend State park was a buzz with life as we hiked through golden fields, alligator lakes and ancient oak trees looking for the best locations to take engagement portraits.
It was so cold and the temperature was beginning to drop as the snowpocalypse was making it’s way to Houston. Alex & Erin were getting ready in different rooms in the cute little bridal cottage at Oak Tree Manor.
Guests grabbed blankets, beers and pride flags at the entrance to the ceremony. They wrapped themselves up in rainbow, unicorn and many more fun blankets as they anxiously awaited the ceremony.
Alex & Erin were grinning ear to ear as the wedding ceremony started. the officiant joked that It was fitting that Alex & Erin had their wedding on such a cold night because their first date was Cryotherapy.
The happy couple made their grand entrance down the spiral staircase right into their first dance, which was magical. Whispering tendrils of smoke licked Alex & Erin’s ankles as they glided around the dance floor. After the first dance, the couple did a cute TikTok dance with their boys.
At the end of the night, the guests braved the cold again to light floating lanterns.
What a magical wedding! I am so grateful I was able to capture it for the amazing couple.
Vendors
Venue: Oak Tree Manor
Cake: Virginia’s Bakery
Flowers: HEB Blooms
Hair & Makeup: Rene Renee
DJ: Southern Style Entertainment
Videographer: Classic Wedding Photographers
Like many couples, COVID-19 did a number on Jacob & Emily’s wedding plans. Last spring, the couple went ahead and had a small wedding ceremony at a park in Houston for immediate family and close friends.
The couple was unable to have a proper wedding reception until early February this year.
Surrounded by friends and family, the couple was finally able to celebrate their nuptials… and a baby on the way at Magnolia Flats Ranch. Emily was glowing as she welcomed guests, munched on cake balls and finally had her first dance with her husband.
As if mother nature was offering an olive branch to the couple, the sunset was stunning. I was so happy to have the chance to capture some maternity portraits.
See their wedding photos >>here<<
Luis & Sarah tied the knot in a quiet ceremony with just Luis’s mother and myself (the wedding photographer) as witness at the Houston courthouse.
With COVID still running ramped, the couple decided they were ready to be husband and wife, but wanted to do it in a way that was safe. They picked a day with the court then designed a small wedding around it.
We arrived at the court house early, got screened for COVID several times, received a pretty purple bracelet indicating we were clear then went through security before we were allowed inside the building.
The ceremony was short, sweet and to-the point. After Luis & Sarah were officially husband and wife, I took them to Eleanor Tinsley park to take a some Houston Cityscape wedding photography.
Luis & Sarah had beer and tacos at Velvet Tacos, which happened to be the location of their second date. We noticed a free COVID screening at the dilapidated Jack in the Box next door. As a funny homage to the couple’s reason for their wedding choices, we took one last quick photo with the COVID screeners in the background.
David & Katie took their engagement portraits around the MKT Distillery in old Katy, TX. Maybe I’m a bit partial to urban settings (because of my name), but they are my favorite locations. There are so many neat things you can play around with.
Originally, their engagement portraits were scheduled for in early December, but the weather just wasn’t having it. We ended up having to reschedule their engagement portraits to a date after David & Katie’s wedding.
After taking a few photos around the distillery, and running into some friends of David & Katie’s, we drove a short distance to another part of old Katy to take a few photos in a slightly different urban setting.
Also, see David & Katie’s Wedding Photography
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A Southwest Houston wedding photographer
Richmond, TX
kelly@kellyurbanphotography.comKelly Urban Photography
Richmond, TX
kelly@kellyurbanphotography.comKelly Urban Photography
A Southwest Houston wedding photographer
Richmond, TX
A Southwest Houston wedding photographer
Richmond, TX
kelly@kellyurbanphotography.comKelly Urban Photography
Richmond, TX
kelly@kellyurbanphotography.comKelly Urban Photography
A Houston wedding photographer