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Nick & Rachel’s Sunset Coffee Building Wedding

On a gorgeous spring day, Nick and Rachel exchanged vows atop the Sunset Coffee building looking over Downtown Houston.

Weeks before their wedding, Nick and Rachel decided to take some couple portraits around the Hermann park area. We started in the Cochlear Butterfly museum and ended in the Japanese garden.

On their wedding day, guests arrived to the Sunset Coffee Building by the busload. Guests milled about and found their seats overlooking the Buffalo Bayou as they waited for the wedding to start. Nick and Rachel made their way up the side stairs together and walked down the isle hand in hand. They chose not to have a wedding party, however include several of their friends and family in reading passages from poems and other pieces of literature that spoke to them and their lives together.

After the wedding, the guests made their way down to the second floor where the cocktail hour. Guests cooled off and wandered around the level taking in the sights of downtown or taking photos in front of the gorgeous floral sculpture that SOMEONE made.

Dinner was served on the ground level (which is actually below street level) under tents with glowing lights. An amazing collection of flowers littered the three long tables. After dinner, guests were welcomed to join Nick and Rachel back on the second floor for dancing and cupcakes.

The couple choreographed a first dance that included all of their closest friends. TO WHAT SONG? After the first dance, the DJ did a reverse anniversary dance. He started with couples married the longest and worked his way to couples married for less than 5 hours. I loved how they actively worked to get people onto the dance floor. The last thing the DJ asked was for everyone to come to the dance floor to take a series of photos. One photo of everyone looking at me and smiling. One photo of Nick & Rachel kissing and everyone going “eew” and the last photo of everyone with their hands in the air. As soon as the DJ counted to 3 (for the photo) he started a song to get the party started. This was such a clever way to break the ice and get everyone on the dance floor dancing.

Congratulations to Nick & Rachel! May they have years and years and years of happiness.

See the wedding photos.

 

Vendors:

Venue: Sunset Coffee Building

Coordinator: Lriliece Events and Decor

Floral’s: Babe City Blooms

Decor: Art Attack

Tent: Houston Tents & Events

Catering: Dhaniyas

Dress: Lafayette Couture

Brazos Bend Park Engagement Portraits

Brad & Christy’s Brazos Bend park engagement portraits were set on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The birds were chirping and the bees were busy pollinating. Spring had officially sprung!

I enjoyed walking around to some of the places I’ve been before and exploring some new locations within the park. Check out the engagement photos below.

 

Raphael & Melinda’s Holy Family Catholic Church Wedding

Raphael & Melinda’s intimate wedding at Holy Family Catholic Church.

It was an excessively windy day (reminded me of my time in Lubbock) in December when Raphael and Melinda married. The temperature dipped as the clouds settled into an overcast day.

Lucky, the reception was just a short walking distance from the ceremony. Friends and family gathered early to help with decorations and food.

Melinda was resplendent in her wedding gown. She donned her something blue, borrowed, old and new. She realized, after getting her jewelry and hair clips into place that the look was missing something, earrings. She was about to borrow some earrings from her mom when Raphael gifted her a set of stunning diamond studs.

The couple had a beautiful ceremony in their family church full of tears, laughter and beaming smiles. As if blessed on their wedding day, the clouds parted for a short while and the sun shown brilliantly onto the couple and their wedding party during photos.

As the day progressed into evening, the couple sang, danced and laughed with their friends and family. The evening ended with a grand bubble exit right into the waiting arms of a limo to sweep the couple into their long, happy life together as husband and wife.

Congratulations Raphael & Melinda!

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Vendors

Houston Japanese Garden Engagement Portraits

Shawn & Tyler’s engagement portraits inside the Japanese Garden in Houston, TX.

Just before Thanksgiving Shawn, Tyler and I took a stroll through the Japanese garden in Hermann park. This garden is one of my FAVORITE places in Houston. I remember visiting once on a week day and running into a sweet older gentleman who was feeding the squirrels. He told me on the week day (not sure how they know what day of week it is) the squirrel are very tame and will climb up your leg to get treats you’re offering them.

The weather was perfect for their engagement portraits, which was a pleasant alternative to their originally rainy & muddy engagement session we had to reschedule. Golden rays of sunshine peeked through the tall trees casting a warm glow in all of the photos.

Check out the photos below.

Stuart & Laura’s Engagement Portraits at Smither Park

Stuart and Laura were looking for something a little urban and a little unique for their engagement portraits, luckly for them I recently came across Smither Park. The park was filled with tile mosaic art from so many local artists. When we arrived, there were artists using the park as inspiration for their own art.

I enjoyed getting to know the couple and hearing more about their wedding plans. They both have mad dancing skills that were so impressive! I was so excited to get to capture some of that in their engagement portraits.

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  • Smither Park Engagement Portraits

Ashley & Sonya’s Downtown Houston Engagement Portraits

Ashley & Sonya told me they were big theater aficionados when I first met them. That sparked the idea of taking their engagement photos around the beautiful architecture in the Houston theater district. I absolutely love how the photos turned out. We ended our Houston engagement portrait trip at Eleanor Tinsley park. The sunset caused a the skyscrapers downtown to glow this gorgeous orange and pink tone.

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  • Eleanor Tinsley Park Engagement Photos
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Alex & Erin’s Winter Wedding at Oak Tree Manor

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.

 

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Vendors

 

Venue: Oak Tree Manor

Cake: Virginia’s Bakery

Flowers: HEB Blooms

Hair & Makeup: Rene Renee

DJ: Southern Style Entertainment

Videographer: Classic Wedding Photographers

Luis & Sarah’s Downtown Houston Elopement

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.

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  • Velvet Taco Wedding Photography
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Jacob & Emily’s Re-Imagined Houston Covid-19 Wedding

When life hands you lemons, the best of us make lemonade. Emily & Jacob did just that. Their wedding was scheduled on April 25, in the height of the pandemic shutdown.

Instead of rescheduling their wedding, they decided to have a small (family only) wedding at a park in Houston. The ceremony was beautiful, and the weather was perfect. Emily’s mother walked her to the crops of trees where Jacob and his brother stood. Each family unit stayed at the 6 foot social distance.

After the ceremony, Emily and Jacob went their house to watch their friends and family drive by in a wedding parade. Friends stopped by to congratulate the happy couple. Some people threw confetti, others decorated their cars.

Honestly, the parade was so much fun and Emily & Jacob had huge smiles on their faces. I am totally stealing the parade idea for Tristan’s 6-th birthday!

Sometime later, the couple will have a reception so they can celebrate with all of their friends and family.

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  • Outdoor Houston Wedding Photography
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  • Houston COVID-19 wedding Photography

Carrie & Jeremy’s Downtown Houston Engagement Portraits

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of stealing Jeremy & Carrie’s sole, I mean taking their engagement photos (wink) at a downtown Houston bar.

It was the day after valentines day and Carrie and Jeremy were celebrating the holiday that day. Carrie bought Jeremy a new Astros jersey to wear for the engagement portraits and Jeremy’s brother was there to sneak around in the background of our photos. I love the goofy vibe I got from the two as I was taking their photos.

Jeremy told me he was uncomfortable in front of cameras, which I totally understand. At one point he joked that every shutter click was causing him pain. I asked if I was stealing his sole, he joked that I was just a little bit every time, though Carrie has been steeling his sole just a little bit with her picture taking too. lol

How did they meet?

We both worked at a bar and I yelled at him the first time I met him. Then he invited me up for drinks one night, he will tell you he went for a high 5 instead of a kiss, but after that the rest was history.

It was only fitting that we were able to take Jermey & Carrie’s engagement portraits in a bar in downtown Houston. I had so much fun exploring the bar and it’s surroundings all while learning more about Jeremy and Carrie. Jeremy is a HUGE Astros fan, so we were able to incorporate some baseball into their photos. I love that Jeremy and Carrie recreated their first kiss for me to photograph. 

Thanks for the fun and laughs, Jeremy & Carrie.

A Southwest Houston wedding photographer
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

A Houston wedding photographer