Every girl dreams of the day she gets engaged, not only because she found Mr. Right, but also because she gets to start planning another highly significant day: her wedding. While this time can be extremely fun and exciting, it can also be ultra nerve-wracking, expensive, and confusing!
Everyone wants their wedding to say something about who they both are individually and as a couple. Choosing a venue, dress, makeup artist, stylist, menu, and cake are all big pieces of that ever-important puzzle. For brides and grooms who haven’t been to a lot of weddings or had siblings who wed before, the planning process can be hard to get going. I, however, have been to dozens if not hundreds of weddings, and would love to help you out! I’ve had the pleasure of photographing many weddings, but the following three are some of my favorites. I was also able to get to know some of the vendors that made them possible.
Ariel and Michael
Ariel and Michael’s wedding took place April 25, 2015, and was undeniably chic! The two are expecting their first child, and Ariel was very pregnant by the time the wedding rolled around. They opted for a small, contemporary wedding at NYLO in Plano, Texas.
If you haven’t been to any of the three NYLO hotels in the DFW metroplex, these places are incredible. They are cutting edge yet retro at the same time. They have sleek furniture, clean lines, distressed concrete, and brightly colored decorations that create an incredible vibe that’s really fun to be around. Perfect for entertaining!
Ariel and Michael amped up the décor with amazing flowers from Wild Rose Events, which brought the contempo atmosphere together with Ariel’s lacey, feminine gown.
They chose some cute, nontraditional touches, like decadent mini Oreo cheesecakes for dessert from Dandelion Cheesecakes. They also summoned the help of the always-lovely Sue Kelson, a wedding planner who runs Sue Kelson Events. I’ve got to say, working a wedding planned by Sue is such a pleasure. She is so helpful and well organized down to the last detail that, as a photographer, she just made my job super easy for this wedding.
Finally, Ariel’s gorgeous, classic up-do and makeup were done by April Ruiz. Ariel looked absolutely fabulous on her wedding day, I cannot wait to soon capture on camera the next chapter in her life, her soon-to-be-born first child.
Kathleen and Vance
Kathleen and Lance got married September 13, 2014, at Le Beaux Chateau in Flower Mound, Texas. This venue has got to be one of my favorites, and it appears I’m not the only one. It was featured in the “Best of Weddings” issue of the Knot just this year.
The venue literally has it all. A gorgeous bridal suite, beautiful daylight chapel, and a classic reception hall. The staff is great to work with too. They coordinated the entire wedding, which completely nixed the need for a wedding planner.
Kathleen and Lance decided to use Cindy Davis Designs for their floral arrangements and My Dallas DJ for music, which was really the icing on the cake. I have to say, one of the best parts about the whole wedding was how stress-free Kathleen was. She was not nervous, scared, worried, or anything! As a photographer, it is always wonderful to see two people so confident about one another that the wedding itself takes the backseat to the marriage. They even wore crazy socks and Converse to add some extra spunk and show off their personalities. That is what it’s all about!
Cristina and Bernado
Christina and Bernado met at the State Fair, so we shot their engagement photos there, which was a ton of fun!
I was very excited to shoot their wedding as well, which happened August 2, 2014 at La Cima Club in Las Colinas, Texas. In a word, La Cima Club is swanky. It has an outstanding view of the Dallas Skyline and a great ballroom for the reception. In the photo you can see how we got everyone to join in the middle of the ballroom for a group shot! I think that’s a great way to record the faces and fun of a wedding. 
I used to share studio space with Christina’s uncle, Richard McClure, who was also her DJ. Richard owns AVSD, which is a company that provides lights, sound, video, and décor for a number of events, including weddings. I have had the privilege of working with AVSD numerous times, and they are always one of my favorite vendors to work with. Christina looked simply stunning for her wedding. She had her makeup and hair done by Lang’s Bridal in Arlington, and donned a jaw-dropping wedding gown she picked up from there too.
Finally, they went with cakes from Frosted Art in Dallas, Texas. Bernado loves to hunt, so they hand made an incredible hunting-themed cake with a feed barrel, and ten-point buck with the phrase “The Hunt is Over” in delectable fondant. The cake was a great conversation started and the perfect way to show off Bernado’s personality.
They left their wedding in a really fun way, too, with bubbles being blown all around.
All of these weddings spoke to the couples’ personalities in different ways, and each of them was a blast to photograph. Choosing a beautiful venue and being proactive with your planning is a sure-fire way to have a great time without feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Wedding planners help keep the load of stress off your shoulders, but I think focusing on what comes after the wedding is always the key!
Happy planning!
-Ambreen
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