W Studios Blog

This weekend I flew up to Minnesota to photograph and celebrate a family wedding. My cousin Becky married her long-time boyfriend Paul on a surprisingly mild October day near Buffalo. Ok, mild for Minnesota was still in the low 50s, but that meant the ceremony could still be held outdoors among the falling autumn leaves.

Photographing Becky and Paul’s wedding meant that I was able to spend a few days with my wonderful extended family, my mom, and my twin brother. We cooked, laughed, and shared in finishing all of those fun last minute wedding details. John stayed in Texas to photograph another wedding, but hopefully we can travel up together next year. I know he will love the lakes, farms, and Midwestern accents as much as I do. I always want to photograph every old barn I see there. John has listened to “A Prairie Homecoming Companion” with me for years; it’s time for him to really experience Minnesota.

One of my favorite details from the wedding were the paper tablecloths and crayons Becky and Paul put out so that their friends and families could draw pictures and write little messages them. After the wedding we carefully folded the tablecloths for Becky and Paul to read later. I’m not sure that I had a chance to write them a special note, so here it is: thank you so much for letting me be such an important part of your first day together as husband and wife.

I arrived at the Arboretum early for my photo shoot with Sharon and Brian. Since I was early, I talked to a few other photographers there, one of whom I graduated from Grapevine High School with. Such a small world…and a busy Arboretum.

Sharon and Brian were a great couple to work with. At first they were worried they would not look natural, and they have been practicing kissing for an audience just for our photo shoot today. Talk about tough homework.

Their reception will be at the Arboretum in January, and I am certain it will be a delightful night.

Kaitlyn and Brian met with us in the Colleyville Town Center for their engagement portraits last Sunday. We love the town center for shoots, because it is right down the street from our studio, the architecture is lovely, and it is usually quiet on the weekends.

We were very proud of Kaitlyn and Brian for baring the cool morning weather for the shoot. Kaitlyn was determined to wear her pretty little green dress despite the cold wind, and Brian donned a tie-dyed shirt that has a special meaning for the couple. We love to have our clients add their own personal touch to their portraits – they are so much more meaningful that way. Kaitlyn was brimming with ideas to personalize their upcoming wedding. I tried to keep count, but I lost track after the color yellow, spring green bouquets, bumblebees, wine, and their beloved puppy, Hank. I can guarantee there will be several “Anne’s favorite detail” entries for their wedding blog.

Wondering about the title? That was a direct quote from Kaitlyn when we finished the shoot. The couple was a little nervous when we started their portraits, but by the end they were having a fabulous time. We had a lot of fun with them, too.

As always,

Anne

I drove down with my friend, Angie, to Houston on Friday night. I wish I would have had my camera ready as we drove through downtown, because half of the city was covered in clouds. It was beautiful.

We spent the night at the Owens (see Meg and Greg wedding) on Friday. They took us to Frenchies, a fantastic little Italian restaurant in Clearlake. If you are ever down that way, you should definitely check it out. Angie and I tried osso bucco for the first time, which was served over risotto I am pretty sure was made out of butter.

Saturday morning we woke up and drove the hour up to Plantersville. We spent the whole day drinking mead, eating food on sticks, and people watching. I was surprised at how elaborate the Festival was. I knew I would find a plethora of unique characters, but everything was professionally put together. These Ren Festivians mean business! I did pick up a little present for myself while there – a pretty set of blue topaz earrings set in silver from Earth Art.

The gorgeous couple below is Brigitte and Rox, two dear friends of mine. Brigitte and I were tied at the hip while getting our Masters degrees, and Rox is her Knight in Shining Armor. They are getting married at the Ren Fest in November, so watch for upcoming pictures. I took some pre-wedding “peasant” pictures of them before the don their royal outfits for their wedding. They really are a sexy little couple.

Angie and I shared a big bag of freshly popped kettle corn we had pillaged from a local wench as we drove home to DFW that night. Talk about a perfect ending to an adventurous weekend.

We ran into 5 other photographers, but it was a perfect day at the Botanic Garden in Fort Worth. We started early Saturday morning and had a great time with beautiful light.

Fifth time is a charm.
Due to the recent rain we have had to reschedule the shoot several times.
But this time we had a great time and beat the rain. Victoria and Jake are a lot of fun, and were so easy to work with. The overcast sky provided perfect lighting and Deep Ellum provided the colorful backgrounds.

Our nephew was born last night. Jerome Ryder Ries was named in the JRRies tradition of his Daddy, Grandpa, and Great Grandpa Ries. We were there with Ronnie and Crystal as they welcomed him a week early. (Arriving anywhere early is unusual for a Ries.)

His big sister, Charlotte, is just thrilled with him. She keeps repeating "baby!" enthusiastically every time she sees him or hears someone talk about him.

While the grandmas are rushing up from South Texas, John and I have been keeping an eye on Char. She is a bundle of fun energy. As soon as we pick up an "I'm a Big Sister" t-shirt for her, we'll take her back to the hospital to see her mommy, daddy, and baby brother.

In case anyone is wondering, Charlotte and Ryder's parents would like some red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles delivered to the hospital. :)

It may have been the night of the UT vs. Tech football game, but we weren’t watching like the rest of the Metroplex. We were busy photographing Lisa and Paul’s wedding at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. Aren’t they a gorgeous couple?

It was a small and intimate event. Lisa and Paul have lovely friends and family. The dance floor was never empty, and endless laughter rang late into the night. In fact, you could hear the festive group all over the hotel as they made their way to the Glass Cactus after the reception. Of course, some of that festiveness probably came from the horde of Cowboys fans at the Gaylord that night.

Gavin McNosky joined us for the event to run a special portrait area where guests were able to take both formal and fun portraits together. John’s mom actually suggested we do this, because as she said, for some families, weddings are the only time people get dressed up together. Lisa and Paul’s guests had a lot of fun goofing off in front of the camera.

I had two favorite details at this wedding. The first was that Lisa and Paul were head-over-heels for each other. They looked at each other with such tenderness that this photographer teared-up a couple of times. The second detail was the fantastic flowers provided by the Orange Orchid. JJ actually hung off of a ledge just to get the placement of a few pieces just right. Luckily he came out unscathed.

As Always,

Anne

The best Cowboys fans I know live in South Texas. These guys drove all the way from Edinburg today (511 miles). I have always tried to find a place to mount a bottle opener on the outside of my truck, they have at least 2.

We drove down to Georgetown celebrate Mrs. Ella Woelke’s 90th Birthday (my grandmother).

The weather was gorgeous. Apparently Texas decided to celebrate Grandma’s birthday with a break from the heat, because we were able to spend the day outside. The kids swam, the grown-ups drank Woelke margaritas, and we all relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company. You can see Grandma (Oma to the little ones) and the Woelke siblings below. Travis wasn’t too happy to be taken away from birthday cake to take family pictures, and Lauren and Afton proudly showed off their garden toads.

In all, it was a pretty idyllic Texas Saturday.

Anne’s favorite detail: Grandma’s frosted sugar cookies. Heavenly!