Little boys 5 and under in a tux is the cutest thing in the world, but sometimes it’s not feasible to have an adorable kid as your ring bearer at your wedding.
Here are 5 alternatives for a ring barer.
Don’t have one. Just send the rings down with the best man or if the maid/matron of honor has pockets, she can hold them too!
Have an older relative walk the rings down the aisle. If you’re really close to your grandpa and want him to take part in your wedding, now’s your chance! If you have a cousin or sibling that you want in your wedding but don’t have the room for them as a groomsman, they can be an extra enthusiastic ring bearer (with fanny-pack and all).
Do you have a pet that’s special to you? Strap the rings to your pet and have someone walk them down the aisle.
Use technology. Send an RC car or drone down the aisle with the ring. Bonus points if the drone can drop the rings into someone’s hand!
Want to be extra? Hire a falconer to send your rings down the aisle with a falcon!
Do you have any creative ideas on getting your wedding rings down the aisle? I would love to hear them. Leave me a comment!
It was a beautiful day in Galveston when I met up with Lukas & Tori for their engagement portraits.
We decided to start on the Strand first. We wondered the streets walked up stairs and found a cute alley to take engagement portraits.
Some of my favorite photos from the strand were reflected photos and photos on the old brick.
After the Strand, we headed to the beach to take a couple of photos as the sun set. We met up near the Pleasure pier and started under the pier of another property taking engagement photos with the pleasure pier in the background. The sky was weirdly foggy for a sunset, but it gave the photos this ethereal vibe.
I’ve spent the better part of 2 months helping my son’s school plan a Spring Carnival. As the carnival is nearing (and because I’ve had carnival on the brain) I thought it would be fun to share some carnival themed wedding ideas.
The most important thing to remember when theming your wedding, whether it’s Harry Potter themed or Starry Night themed, is subtlety. Take your theme and water it down. You can use hints of color to make your point or small elements. When you take a theme and water it down so it’s not so blatant, you create a more elegant wedding design.
The Entertainers: Hire some entertainers for your reception/cocktail hour. Any of the following entertainers would be a unique & fun experience for you and your guests:
Fire-eater
Contortionist
Balloon animal artist
Petting Zoo
Trapeze artist
Clown (though they can be scary for children & adults alike)
Have some carnival games for guests
The Decoration: Decorations can make or brake a wedding design. As I stated above, you would want to take your theme and water it down a little. That means, if you want red & white striped fabric (very carnival-esk) either have only one small area that’s red & white striped or have some red and some white in different places but never together.
Drape white fabric from the ceiling like the inside of a carnival tent. You can even pair it with twinkling lights for a more romantic tone.
Colorful balloon arrangements either hanging like chandeliers or in vases like flowers.
Gold silverware or miss matched plates and glasses.
Paint some toy animals gold and use them to decorate tables or even as a cake topper.
Rent a fog machine to fog the dance floor
Send your guests admission tickets with their invitation
The Food: You could have a lot of fun with food options.
Carnival Themed Food Trucks
Candy Apple’s & assorted candy in jars and Cotton Candy
In December of last year I had the honor of capturing Landon and Stephanie’s wedding at the Brookwood Community church.
This wedding held a special place in my heart, because Brookwood is special to me. Growing up, I had an uncle with special needs. He would have loved to be a part of the amazing community at Brookwood.
The wedding day was much rainier than I would have loved but thankfully everything was held indoors. Stephanie and Landon got ready inside the church then had a first look in the foyer. I absolutely loved how involved the family was with the wedding.
After the wedding ceremony, everyone headed to the Brookwood restaurant. One of the neatest parts of the reception was the station to take Polaroid photos under the mistletoe. Wedding guests partied and took photos throughout the evening. At the end of the night, the couple exited through colorful streamers.
John & Morgan’s Galveston wedding photography at the Lyceum.
Last December John & Morgan said “I do” inside the historic Lyceum building in Galveston, TX. It was a beautiful wedding day as Morgan was getting ready at an Airbnb just across the street from the venue. As night began to fall, the couple exchanged vows on a stage in front of friends and family.
The night kicked off with dances and speeches. There was a cookie bar and a cool “Til Death” neon sign guests were taking pictures in front of. I really loved the geode wedding cake. At the end of the night, the couple shared one last private dance then exited under a spray of dried lavender.
For me, however, the rodeo season kicks off around Christmas. My mother and I have been volunteering for the HLSR School Art committee since 2010. We’ve worked a couple of different jobs within the committee, but I think the job we currently have is one of my favorites.
This was a picture I sent my son because we were not going to be able to make it to his school for his presentation. We were still working at the Rodeo that day.
Within the School Art committee, there are several smaller committees. Each one has a specific job from educating the school representatives on the rules to judging the art and returning it to the schools at the end of the season. My mother and I are a part of the committee charged to handle the art once it is judged.
Each school district has a cubby with their name on it. Once the art is judged, all of the art that is chosen to be displayed is placed in those cubby’s as a holding place until they are displayed in the cases along the inside hall of the NRG arena. All of the judged art is then displayed for a second round of judging. This is the process of selecting the Grand Champion, Reserve Champion and all of the other champion & auction pieces. All of this takes place between January and February.
In late February (usually the same day as opening for the cook-off) we clean the display cases and hang art. The process usually takes all day with 2 shifts for volunteers. This year, we had over 300 pieces of art to display. Fourteen 2D pieces are displayed in the big case. Those pieces are the Grand Champion, Grand Champion Reserve and champions and reserve champions in specific categories like colored pencil and mixed medium. There are also two 3D pieces displayed in this case. The 3D champion and 3D reserve champion. After the champions are the top 72 high school pieces of art that will be auctioned during the School Art Auction with the champions and reserve champion pieces of art.
Because art is subjective, the grand champion piece of art may or may not be auctioned for the most amount of money. Sometimes the pieces that go for the most money are pieces that include an obvious part of the HLSR. In the past pictures of the famous rodeo clowns have gone for A LOT of money. I’ll be curious to see how much the Painting Grand Champion piece goes for since it’s of the infamous Leon Coffee.
Are you interested in volunteering? Be aware that some committees only work during the rodeo while others (like School Art) work before and after the rodeo. Here’s the link to learn more
It was a warm December day when I met Caleb & Taylor at the old Black Labrador location which(I didn’t know until I got there) is now a part of the University of St. Thomas. We wondered around the location, sad that the colorful doors were all a bold black against the brick. There was a puddle in the parking lot that I was excited to use for some creative ideas.
After taking photos around the building, we headed over a block or two to the Menil collection park. Caleb and Taylor attempted a swing attached to an old oak tree and hid in the old oak tree.
Here’s a list of the 2023 wedding trends I’m excited for.
Color! Even as a child, I’ve been obsessed with color. I memorized the order of the rainbow before I was in elementary school. I’m also flabbergasted when adults don’t know the order (or what primary colors mixed together make what secondary colors). Color in weddings is making a big & bold statement. It’s in bouquets, in bridesmaids gowns and in the decorations. Be bold with your color choices. Consult a color wheel to help you pick the perfect harmonic balance.
Colorful wedding dress: I have always loved a wedding dress that stands out from the norm. Some of my ALL-TIME favorite weddings dresses either had a pop of color, like a floral pattern, or were a solid color instead of white. Be fun and bold… who cares what your stuck-in-the-mud relatives think. It’s your wedding, own it!
Custom Dance floor: This year, couples are opting to deck out their dance floors. Maybe you have an awesome marquee lighting your space or you have a flower bedecked disco ball hanging from the ceiling. If the dance floor is a place you want to be and you want your guests to join you, make it fun, flirty & memorable.
Private Last Dance: Still holding strong from last year. The private last dance is one of my favorite things to shoot. I love that the couple gets one last moment enjoying their wedding night in a quiet space with only their DJ & Photographers for company. One of my favorite things to do during private last dances is to move through the back of the room framing the couple with their dark & empty tables.
Sustainability: I’ve always been a tree-huger and can see how weddings can become wasteful. Some of my favorite things couples have done include seeds and living plants as wedding favors. Some things you can do to have an Eco-friendly wedding — use Eco-friendly invitations & decor, encouraging guests and wedding party to carpool or use a bus to transport guests, use biodegradable confetti for your grand exit, don’t use single use dinnerware and glassware
Capes! Seriously, capes are in this year. I LOVE this for us! I’ve seen brides pin muslin to their gown with gorgeous brioches to make a cape. I’ve also seen some awesome capes with groom’s attire. There’s a very fine line from elegant to gimmicky with capes, however. Be careful & use an editorial eye.
Embroidered veils: This is such a neat idea. I’ve had a couple of brides do this and it really added to the entire look. Make sure to include colors and flowers you intend on having at your wedding to really pull the whole look together.
Comfy & cute shoes: Who says fashion has to be pain? Wear those converse at your wedding. You can really spruce up your sneakers by embroidering them, bedazzling them or personalizing them in any way. Do you have a really comfortable pair of boots? Wear those! As cute as the shoes are, if you’re ditching them halfway through the night, were they worth it?
What are your thoughts? What trends are you really excited for and what trends are you ready to disappear?
Arnold & Maritza’s wedding at The Springs Event Venue in Angleton, TX.
Just before Thanksgiving, Arnold & Maritza gathered all of their friends and family to witness their marriage. The theme for the wedding was Fall & Thanksgiving! The couple chose a beautiful rust orange & sage green color pallet & offered their guests traditional Thanksgiving pie!
Arnold & Maritza chose to have a first touch before their ceremony. We found a quiet place where they could hold hands and talk quietly to each other. After the first touch, Arnold lined up with his groomsmen and Maritza shared a first look with her father.
The couple and their guests danced well into the night!
Trey & Cassandra’s Early Morning Hermann Park & Rice University Engagement Portraits
Tristan and I met Trey and Cassandra in one of the Hermann Park parking lots for their early morning engagement portraits. Tristan was bribed with donuts if he helped me with the engagement portraits.
We started the morning just inside Rice University where the oak trees canopied the driveway. We were hoping for sun-rays through the trees, but unfortunately it ended up being a mostly overcast day. I made Trey and Cassandra play a few funny games for their portraits which brought out some amazing laughs and smiles.
Cassandra had on these adorable earrings that said “I do.” I had to make sure I got several shots with them.
There was a lot of construction at the park, so we wondered the long way to the reflection pond. Tristan helped drag the wagon that had purses, lights and a blanket. On several occasions, I made the couple test their balance on the train tracks.
I was just absolutely amazed at how the photos turned out. You would think Trey and Cassandra were seasoned models. See the photos below!
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Comfy & cute shoes: Who says fashion has to be pain? Wear those converse at your wedding. You can really spruce up your sneakers by embroidering them, bedazzling them or personalizing them in any way. Do you have a really comfortable pair of boots? Wear those! As cute as the shoes are, if you’re ditching them halfway through the night, were they worth it?