Jennifer + Robbie's Wedding

Jennifer and Robbie chose to celebrate their wedding day at the gorgeous House Plantation, located off 290 just past Cypress. It was a warm and sunny evening filled with pretty pink and white florals, a glowing bride, happy groom... and two beautiful little girls waiting for Jennifer to officially become their stepmom.

The bride and her attendants, friends, and relatives were tucked away in the well-appointed Bride's room upstairs doing hair and makeup as A Day To Remember carefully arranged flowers and got the cake set up downstairs. The ceremony was to take place on House Plantation's storybook-wedding arbor-altar, which was decorated with lots of flowing greenery and a zillion little glass votives strung above from wires for a cozy romantic mood. The backdrop of blooming crepe myrtles was perfect!

It was very touching to hear Jennifer recite vows to Robbie's daughters. Being a stepmom myself, it brought a tear to my eye hearing another woman say those sweet words to the girls, opening her heart and promising to be the best parent she could be in their lives... not trying to replace their mother, but raise them respectfully as a wife to their father. You could tell that the girls were thrilled to be such an important part of the festivities, and Robbie looked on with adoration for his new wife.

After the ceremony the dinner and dancing began! The sun set, and the large trees on the property were lit with white lights-- which made for lots of stunning depth and allowed me to beautifully light the dance floor shots : )

You can tell that this was one great party, a fabulous celebration of love. Congratulations, Jennifer and Robbie!

Gloria + James... a familiar place

Gloria and James were married on a beautiful clear sunny day at Christ the Redeemer in Cypress.

I was really excited to come back and shoot at this church; it was my home Parish for most of my life. I remember when I was little, we actually had mass in an elementary school cafeteria for a few years while money was being raised for the new church to be built. We were all so happy to finally have a church of our own, and never would have imagined that all these years later CTR would be building an even larger sanctuary to accommodate for the urban sprawl that's hit Cypress over the years. The new sanctuary is absolutely beautiful! So much natural light coming in, beautiful elements of design, keeping true to the sparse, open, natural-wood feel of the old one. It's like walking into the old church, but with a newer, fresher feeling. I've included several pictures of the sacrificial lamb tile mosaic at the top of the ceiling... stunning!

But back to Gloria and James! Family and friends joined them for a full mass with marriage rites, then for barbecue and dancing at the Longwood Golf Club. The florals were a wedding classic-- stargazer lillies and deep red roses, dotted with hydrangea, Queen Anne's lace and other gentle greenery.

I was happy for a sunny day, as we were able to go out on the course for some fabulous couple portraits-- avid golfer James is sure to love them.

Enjoy! Congratulations Gloria and James on a beautiful marriage... many blessing to you for a happy, healthy life together with your new family (check out the picture of Daniel high-fiving his new stepfather!).