They love “The Office”, John Mayer and piano music. They are madly in love and make each other laugh quite often.

Chris had it all planned, they were going to a John Mayer concert and for weeks he had been trying to share his proposal idea with the concert promoters. Chris was hoping he could get John Mayer to bring Rita on stage so he could propose to her. However the stars did not align that evening but when Rita told him she wanted to hang after the concert at the park, he knew exactly what he was going to do.

The met four years ago at the University of Texas where they quickly became good friends and started dating later on. They seemed to have so much in common; they made each other happy and seemed to have similar aspirations.

When he knelt on one knee and asked “will you marry me” she could not hold back her tears, she whispered yes. They hugged and cried and stood in perfect silence then they both started laughing for a good minute. Chris describes it as a perfect moment they would both remember for life.

The wedding day was beautiful, I teased Rita about being nervous and Chris seemed anxious to get to the ceremony. Chris’s grandfather married them in an emotional and beautiful ceremony at the Star Hill Ranch wedding venue near Austin. Check out their wedding highlight video and relive the wedding day.

                          

Today we bring you the beautiful love story of Amy and Larry which played at their wedding reception held at A1 Asian restaurant in Arlington, Texas. It was an encounter on a swing in front of the Willis library on the UNT campus in Denton, that brought them together. When Amy and Larry were invited to a mixer of the Asian Students Association, little did they know they would meet their life partner. He sat on the swing one person away from her and when she said hi he barely looked up. At the mixer they got to talking some more and when he started following her around she definitely took notice. Was he the real deal? She wondered! Well the only way to find out was to invite him to a three hour grocery trip to Albertsons in the middle of the night. Larry passed with flying colors and the rest is now history. Their wedding was fabulous starting with a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony, a church wedding and fun filled reception. Visit Graymask.net in the future to view their wedding highlight video.

                          

In my mind what makes for a great bridal photo session is a beautiful wedding dress. That to me is the opening you need for a successful bridal photography session. After all the bride wants the perfect portrait of her in the wedding dress so she can share pictures with her friends and family on her wedding day. A bridal photo session is obviously more relaxed than pictures taken on the wedding day as the added pressure and nervousness of the wedding is not present. I enjoy photographing portraits and bridal pictures are no exception.

Julie and Johnny were having their wedding in Houston however they wanted some pictures in Austin, check out their engagement pictures. We kicked of the day at the Texas State Capitol. I erroneously thought given it was a week day there wouldn’t be that many tourists visiting the state capital. I was definitely wrong, it made for a very challenging session however were successful in getting beautiful pictures. We then broke for lunch and finished the day at Laguna Gloria wedding venue where we photographed and second bridal session. Why not, we had all day and creating amazing bridal pictures was on the menu.

                          

The grounds at Laguna Gloria (Austin Museum of Art) is one of the best places to photograph engagement pictures in Austin. With a very large compound, tall trees and lush vegetation in the summer time, the Italian style villa provides the wedding photographer endless possibilities in creating engagement or wedding pictures.  I spent an afternoon walking the grounds with Julie and Johnny at Laguna Gloria. We had just completed Julies bridal pictures in the main building. Photographing their engagement photos was a breeze. They are so in love I didn’t have to pose them in anyway. We simply walked the grounds and I asked how they met and about the wedding proposal. They cracked each other up with jokes and were very playful. I like their engagement pictures because they were so relaxed.  I have always felt that the location for engagement pictures is not as important as the ability for a couple to relax and enjoy the session. I suspect I will be back to photograph another Laguna Gloria Wedding Engagement because I always discover a new part of the Austin wedding venue whenever I am there.

                          

They were determined to get married but as fate would have it the last 3 times they tried the joy of a successful wedding eluded them. Gary and Steffanie were all smiles on their wedding day. They were happy and couldn’t believe the day had finally come. They had first tried to get married at Villa Antonio a beautiful Tuscan style venue near Austin Texas. The wedding had to be called off for personal reasons, then a few short months later they decided on a destination wedding in Mexico. They spent their time planning and inviting guests to the magnificent wedding they had envisioned.  This time it was Mother Nature who said no, a hurricane turned their dreams of a fairytale wedding to one of disappointment yet again. So when their caterer suggested the Shoal Crossing Events Center in Austin, they were relieved they could finally get married. Fast forward to a week before their wedding they get a telephone call and the news is not good.  The renovations at Shoal Crossing are not going to be completed in time for their wedding. Once again Gary and Steffanie were without a venue. Gary’s mother determined to see her son and her new daughter in law get married, went on the hunt for a new venue and after a several calls around town the Renaissance Hotel came to the rescue. The Glass Oaks ballroom was available and so it was they planned it all in a week.

Gary and Steffanie are jovial, playful and very funny. On the wedding day the entire wedding party was full of excitement and it all made for a very festive atmosphere. We hope you enjoy the beautiful highlight video we put together for them.

They were determined to get married but as fate would have it the last 3 times they tried the joy of a successful wedding eluded them. Gary and Steffanie were all smiles on their wedding day. They were happy and couldn’t believe the day had finally come. They had first tried to get married at Villa Antonio a beautiful Tuscan style venue near Austin Texas. The wedding had to be called off for personal reasons, then a few short months later they decided on a destination wedding in Mexico. They spent their time planning and inviting guests to the magnificent wedding they had envisioned.  This time it was Mother Nature who said no, a hurricane turned their dreams of a fairytale wedding to one of disappointment yet again. So when their caterer suggested the Shoal Crossing Events Center in Austin, they were relieved they could finally get married. Fast forward to a week before their wedding they get a telephone call and the news is not good.  The renovations at Shoal Crossing are not going to be completed in time for their wedding. Once again Gary and Steffanie were without a venue. Gary’s mother determined to see her son and her new daughter in law get married, went on the hunt for a new venue and after a several calls around town the Renaissance Hotel came to the rescue. The Glass Oaks ballroom was available and so it was they planned it all in a week.

Gary and Steffanie are jovial, playful and very funny. On the wedding day the entire wedding party was full of excitement and it all made for a very festive atmosphere. We hope you enjoy the beautiful highlight video we put together for them.

                          

When some friends asked Johnny to join them for a night out, little did he know he was going to meet the woman of his dreams. He couldn’t take is his eyes off her once he caught a first glance. He walked over to her introduced himself and somewhere in the conversation remarked, “You are going to be my woman”. She laughed and told him yeah right. That was the beginning of Johnny and Julie’s love story. Their wedding day was beautiful, no rain in sight, it was a nice sunny day in Houston and we starting filming bright and early at the Intercontinental Hotel where Johnny was staying. On this day we were capturing both photography and video. Johnny was looking forward to the traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony they were to attend later that morning. Being of Puerto Rican decent this was new to him yet he was very excited and was looking forward to the ceremony. He had to wear traditional Vietnamese cloths for the tea ceremony

From the Intercontinental hotel it was off to Julie’s house for the tea ceremony. Johnny and his family created a procession bearing various gifts covered with bright red cloth for the bride’s family. In a traditional Vietnamese wedding ceremony the groom presents several gifts and once the gifts are accepted the bride is brought out to meet her groom.  Julie looked very excited to see Johnny and he in turn smiled broadly.  At the Catholic mas we witnessed them exchange vows in a beautiful ceremony where they read the first and second gospel readings.

Their reception was held at the Kim Son restaurant Stafford near Houston. It was a night filled with lots of dancing to a live Latin band and their guests were treated to a wonderful performance by Tipico Dancers from Panama. Julie and Johnny had a fabulous evening and beautiful day. We hope you enjoy their wedding video highlight.

                          

Kaci and Garret were married at a beautiful outdoor ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Austin. As she walked away from the ceremony Kaci looked very pleased with how everything had turned out for their wedding. She turned and remarked to Garrett how beautiful everything was. Watching them walk away I was glad we were there to create a permanent memory of their wedding day.

Kaci looked stunning in her wedding dress, Garret was certainly impressed when he first laid eyes on her during their first look. He was all smiles, turning around as she approached and walking towards her. He gave her a hug and then a gentle kiss all the while whispering into her ear. We all looked on as they had a moment and she proudly spun around to show him the rest of the dress.

The reception was fun with lots of dancing and cake. It was a beautiful evening and a beautiful day, one that Kaci and Garret will remember for a long time to come.

                          

She made him a beautiful book of pictures and attached a note. He was blown away by the pictures and moved by her words hitting him from the page. The day had finally come and they were getting married. A love story that began somewhere, some place perhaps a destiny fulfilled. Chelsea and Josh were getting ready to travel a path many had wrangled. Her bridesmaids and mum were there to support her and once here makeup was complete she shared a toast with them. It was an emotional moment filled with great anticipation.

Josh smiled broadly and was cool and collected. He was ready to get this show on the road. It was a beautiful day at Villa Antonia the venue they chose for their nuptials. The Tuscan style villa sits in the Texas hill country a few miles from Austin and a short drive from the city of Jonestown. In her wedding dress Chelsea looked stunning and happy. Josh stood alone, anticipating her touch as she approached from behind him. He could hear her footsteps, then her voice and that laughter he had grown accustomed to. He asked if he could turn around and was amazed when he did. She looked so beautiful and he told her as much. In that moment he was very proud and it showed.

After sharing vows at the well-attended ceremony, Josh and Chelsea danced the night away. They were excited about being husband and wife and that all the planning had paid off. It was late and every one had lined up outside, Chelsea and Josh emerged smiling and waving to their guests amidst whooping and hollering. The Joyous occasion had finally come to an end and we looked on as they road of into the night and to a new life togher.

                          

Downtown Austin has several unique places you can hold a wedding or a wedding reception. One of those places used to be The Belmont of Sixth street, unfortunately they have closed. Michael and Hyun had their reception there and I enjoyed photographing the wedding reception and spending the evening with them.

Michael and Hyun got married in a beautiful ceremony in South Korea.  Michael lives in Austin and since most of his friends could not make it to their Korean wedding they decided to have their wedding reception at downtown Austin Texas. We took several pictures that day, here are a few portraits I captured for them.