Houston Wedding Photographer - Leslie and Dany in Bellaire

I was thrilled when my friend Leslie asked me to shoot her wedding. I've known Leslie for a few years, and couldn't wait to document one of the most significant days of her and Dany's lives.

The day started around 12 noon on an overcast Saturday in January, 2010. The temperature was nice and cool and the lighting was pretty good. I had a nice time at the wedding. Everything was very organized, and started right on time, as scheduled. Nice planning, guys.

I usually like to post images from a wedding either the night of, or at the latest the day after the wedding. But this time, I woke up sick on Sunday morning- sore throat and overall feeling *blah*. So I'm finally getting to it a few days later, although still sick, I think I'm improving. MucinexD is my new friend.

Here's quite a few favorites from the day, although there's still a lot more that will be ready in the coming weeks.

Leslie arrives right on time.


She nervously prepares to make her entrance...


Her and her dad share a smile before the final walk


Dany sees his bride for the first time in her glorious white dress...

In this Christian ceremony, the speaker uses the Bible to point out the responsibilities and duties of a Christian Husband and Wife, as well as emphasize the sanctity of the Marriage arrangement.

Vows, as well as rings are exchanged, then they are introduced as an officially married couple.

We're off to the park for a short photo-session before the reception



















Time to go to the party...


First Dance as Husband and Wife

The dance with dad is always emotional, and understandably so...


What an elegant looking cake. I wasn't able to snag a piece, but if it tastes as good as it looks, I'm sure it was treat




There was some great looking snacks on display- complete with trees of fruit, and chocolate covered strawberries! Looks like a lot of time was spent making these edible trees and skewers.






Agua de Sandía - ¡Delicioso! (Rough Translation: Watermelon Juice - Delicious!)


One of the Groomsmen is an old friend of Dany's from New York. If you didn't see him, you'd swear you were listening to John Mayer. He totally rocked our socks off.


Cut the cake!


Fairwell...


Leslie and Dany, thank you so much for allowing me the privilege of shooting your wedding day. I really hope you guys like the photos. I wish you both the best.

I always have fun when shooting, but when I'm shooting for a friend, it's even more meaningful since we'll still be in touch years from now. As always, feel free to drop a comment or two here at the bottom.

Lates

Revital & David - Part 1

Revital contacted me through my website's calendar date-booking feature to book her wedding with David, which was just a few weeks away at the time. Fortunately I had the date open, and I'm glad I did- I had such a blast working with these two. They were really laid back and literally up for anything. They even had some great ideas of their own. I love when clients suggest stuff because that makes the shoot all the more interesting and different than any other session. They can look back at the photos and say "That's my shot..."


David and Revi also opted to do a pre-ceremony shoot, which is just the best thing you can do, in my opinion. Many people are skeptical about seeing each other before the bride walks down the aisle, some due to tradition, others due to superstition, and still others due to personal preference. If this is your final decision, it's all good. But consider a few things if you will...

Spending some time alone before the ceremony allows you to really appreciate what is about to happen. I've spoken with many brides who say their wedding day was just a blur. Spending time together before the ceremony, you can really soak in the significance of this special day before all the distractions happen. Before all the guests arrive and before all eyes are on you.

Couples who see each other before the hectic ceremony are able to calm down and relax, allowing you to really take in the details during the ceremony- seeing friends and family gathered to celebrate one of the most important days of your life.

I really appreciate when couples choose to do this because it makes for better photos since it's early in the day and nobody has gotten tired or began to 'glisten' yet :o)
Not only that, things go smoother since time is already allotted for photos and there's not as much rushing as there would be after the ceremony and before the reception. It also frees up family and friends to mingle and talk and catch up after the ceremony, instead of rushing everyone out to get group shots done.

But whether you choose to see each other before the ceremony or not is totally fine. Just consider the benefits of a pre-ceremony photo session before that day flies by faster than the speed of life. Yes, I said life. Moves fast, doesn't it?

Several times per day for the whole week leading up to the wedding I was checking The Weather Channel app on my iPhone hoping to see some improvement. One day it projected sunny skies with a high of 68°, other times it showed rain and a high of 55°. But in the end it worked out fine, with the exception of wet grounds. The overcast sky is a photographers best friend, as it makes the largest softbox known to man, and you don't even have to have an assistant hold the stand for you!

We started at the Downtown Aquarium. It's a great place for photos, and the staff is really nice. It seems that walking around with a man and woman in wedding apparel will get you things the general public only dream about. More on that below.


This next photo is trying out some use of Textures. I think I like it. Makes a nice vintage-weathered photo look...


So walking through The Aquarium, everyone stopped and stared, pointed and smiled. They had a dance floor with a DJ entertaining the crowd, so David and Revi paused for a brief dance...


The crowd went wild...


The staff was so cool- they let us on the Carousel without having to stand in line for a ticket. They would have let us on the Ferris wheel, but we didn't have time :o(


After the Aquarium, we were on our way to a local park that David had scouted the day before. He's a recon specialist in the army, so he knows a thing or two about scouting...





At the park...





They wanted a fun, urban feel to their photos, so we opted to find some places around Downtown Houston that would work. Since that's where the ceremony was going to take place, it worked out well given the time constraints that come with any wedding day. David pretty much planned the whole photo route, and it went like clockwork. Nice job, David. Made my job a LOT easier.




As you may have noticed from the title, this is only part 1 of the post. I had so many favorites that one Blog post couldn't contain it. Once again I will have managed to break my own record for number of photos posted at one time. And this is only a portion of the great shots on that day.

To be continued...