We’re still working on the  majority of the images from last weekend’s wedding, but everything about the wedding was gorgeous and we couldn’t help sharing a whole bunch of favorites. So, sit back with your icy-cold beverage of choice on this 97-degree day, put your feet up if you can, and take in some really fun memories from the day!

Crystal’s gown was beautiful, so Holly and I borrowed it for a moment to put it in some appropriately elegant surroundings.

Isn’t the ironwork in the window amazing? Love these old buildings with their intricate details and fine craftsmanship.

This is definitely one of my very favorites from the day (above).

Crystal’s Dad having a quiet moment with his daughter before the ceremony. I just loved the deep, meaningful relationships that were apparent all around us… Made for lots of really great photos!

Candles and rose petals adorned this wall in the room where the ceremony took place.

The men relaxed in the “21″ room, where they enjoyed drinks, billiards and a few TVs… but mostly, they talked and had a great time visiting.

This venue was unusual in that there was so much room, we could photograph the guys right up until the last moment before the ceremony without being in the way of any of the guests or the rest of the bridal party. So, we maximized our time and got most of the photos done before the ceremony, despite the fact that the girls were running a bit behind. =)

Fast forward a few minutes, and the ceremony has begun!

Loved this moment between Crystal’s father and Ryan, just before placing her hand in his.

The ceremony was intimate and the officiant had a good sense of humor that kicked in on a couple of occasions. The room erupted with laughter at one point, though… Ryan was repeating his vows and looking at the officiant, when the officiant interrupted and said, “I’d feel better if you’d say that to Crystal!”

We slipped outside immediately after the ceremony to try to take advantage of nice light from the setting sun, and across the street was the most amazing old church.

Back at the reception hall in the Fort Worth Club again, here are the cakes!

And the rings… Crystal’s ring was so intricate and detailed, and was passed down from her grandmother. What a treasure! We photographed the rings in these next two images with the night lights of downtown Ft. Worth in the background.

The couple’s first dance…

Crystal dancing with her father… another really touching moment. Add the sun streaming through the window and, viola! =)

Crystal’s sister, Tiffany, and her husband, dancing. I just LOVE this image! Somebody please get this printed large and put on display so it enjoys a good home. I want to order one for me! I won’t, Tiffany, don’t worry. =)

Love this image of the Dads together at the reception.

Some of the most impressive dance moves from the evening! Yep, the guy below cleared his foot and landed without hurting himself!

At the end of the evening, as the guests were arranging for the send-off, Ryan & Crystal had one last dance together…

Congratulations, Ryan & Crystal! We were honored to be there as your photographers, and it was really a pleasure to serve you both. I’ve never heard better toasts at a wedding… and four of them no less! It was so apparent how much your families love you both that our own hearts were warmed just by being there.

The other wedding pros who contributed to the beauty and success of the day:

Venue: The Forth Worth Club
Florist: Bridal Blooms
Cake: Sandy’s Unique Creations
DJ: Jeff Hornok
Officiant: Randy Dicken
Bride’s Gown: (info forthcoming)
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: (Jim Hjelm label)
Tuxedos: Men’s Warehouse
Bride’s Ring: Robbins Brothers (in Dallas)
Groom’s Ring: Bartolo’s (in OKC)
Carraige: Brazo’s Carraige Co.

If you can help with any missing info (like the where the dresses came from) or links, we’d be grateful if you’d comment with it or shoot us an email so we can give credit where it’s due!

So, there you have it! Forty-plus favorites blogged at the end of a long work-day. I think it’s time to jump in the pool! Before I let you go, though… The last few posts we’ve gone with slide-shows (which you’ll only see if you’re on our blog – feeds actually pull the individual images) and for this post — as you can tell already since you made it all the way to the end — we went with embedded images. I still haven’t heard a real good consensus as to which is preferable, so if you have any feedback for us, we’d love to hear from you!

***UPDATE: All of the wedding pictures have been lovingly edited and are now online! They can be viewed here,  as long as you know Crystal’s maiden name. =)

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(Camera settings in case anyone’s interested: 24mm f/1.4 @ f/10, ISO 800, 1/2 sec. exposure.)

The Bellagio fountains. (Settings: 24mm f/1.4 @ f/4, ISO 400, .4 sec. exposure)

Congrats, Tori and Brandon! Thanks for bringing me over to help document it!

Okay, now time to catch up! Lots of editing to do these next few days… It’s actually kind of nice that it’s raining to allow us more time and fewer distractions. It’s perfect weather to snuggle up to a warm Mac Pro with my French press and favorite mug. All I need now is one of those Snuggies you see on late-night TV to make my life complete. =)

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Anyway, it’s good to be back where we can get Dr. Pepper in restaurants again! =) As always, we have a lot to catch up on, but I thought we’d share a few favorites from sessions we did while we were up North. We were able to meet up with several families in Chicago to do portraits, and we’re thinking that we need to start offering these kinds of traveling sessions more often! It’s a great way for us to visit fun places and get to see old friends while we’re helping them update their family portraits. Next stop, Myrtle Beach. Anyone needing portraits out that way? =)

First, a few from Matthew & Joyanne’s wedding:

I love these two images from after the ceremony and before the reception. We carved out just enough time to swing by the beach and take advantage of the nice light.

And a few from the family sessions we did in Chicago:

We did this lifestyle session for Sam & Jessica at their home in the Chicago suburbs. We don’t often do lifestyle sessions, due to the time and costs involved, but we had such a good time I think we’ll start doing more of these. These photos will be particularly meaningful to Sam & Jess because they’re moving soon and they really wanted images to capture the fun times they had in this, their first home together. And what a cute home!

A favorite from Angela & Gregg’s mini-session at their home in the ‘burbs as well. Can you believe this is just outside of Chicago? What an amazing front yard!

Then we had the good fortune of meeting up with Nathan & Rebecca and their very sweet girls. If our girls turn out anything like theirs, I will be thrilled! =)

There were just so many awesome places to do photos, I can’t wait to get back up there and take advantage of them again. Seriously, we’ve done photos this year in N. Carolina, Chicago, Michigan, Texas and soon S. Carolina and Florida; so consider us available to travel to whatever beautiful location you might have in mind! We can be bribed with an extra day or two of vacation, especially if you’re thinking Bahamas or Mexico. =)

Okay, time to find that grindstone and plant my nose firmly against it to catch up from the out-of-office time. Thanks for checking in for the latest news and images. And don’t forget to leave us a comment… you’ll make our day!

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More coming soon from yesterday’s beautiful wedding at the Chesapeake Boat House. We dodged the rain storms luckily, and had some really beautiful weather and clouds. We even got to meet one of our self-proclaimed blog stalkers, Brandi J. who is also getting married sometime before too long! Good to see you again, Devin, and really nice to finally meet you, Brandi! =) Now that you’ve commented a couple of times, Brandi, I don’t think you really qualify as a blog stalker any more, do you?

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The Seaside cottages were decorated nicely to complement the detail shots we love to get!

The beautiful silk dress! It was heavy and warm, but the photos will prove it was worth it. =)

I found this long covered boardwalk the day before when I had a couple of hours to scout out the little town. It’s in front of the old school there in Seaside. I was loving the beautiful, soft light there…

Time for a little Arc d’Triumph background!

It’s always nice when we have enough time to take our time and not rush through every step of the day. Everyone relaxes and enjoys themselves more and there are better moments to be captured!

After the ceremony, we had planned to walk down to the beach for a few minutes and although it was warm, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. I was SO excited to be finally shooting on the beach. We’ve done the occasional family session on the beach, but I’ve been longing some wedding photos on the beach for a long time now. Man, I wish we lived closer to a beach! =)

I got a really funny shot of Wes acting like he can’t hold Serena… It’s a good thing Serena is used to Wes’s sense of humor. I really wanted to post it, but Holly wouldn’t let me. Maybe if I get enough requests Holly would change her mind? Serena, let me know if you’re game. =) The expressions are priceless.

This one may be my favorite from the day…

This is harder than it looks… Have you ever tried dipping someone? I tried it the other day and I’m impressed at how many people can do this and make it look graceful. Nicely done, guys!

Wes & Serena – hope you guys are having a wonderful time honeymooning in Costa Rica! Thanks for bringing us all the way out from here in Oklahoma to shoot your beautiful wedding! Destination weddings are awesome! We’re definitely going to start offering our services for more destination weddings. Traveling with all of the gear is a bit stressful, but I love the new locations and the unbelievable scenery that we just don’t have in Oklahoma.

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The grand getaway! I heard he has a Corvette engine in that Camaro.

After the big getaway, we met them at two nearby locations for some more photos together.

After the wedding, it’s always much more relaxed and stress-free. =)

Congrats, Guy & Scarlett! We were honored to be there to capture the many special moments throughout the day. Have a wonderful honeymoon, and we look forward to working on your photos in the days ahead!

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