San Antonio Botanical Garden Wedding

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that every wedding should incorporate something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. WELL, Fun fact #1: that saying comes from an Old English rhyme and those items are intended to bring the good luck to your big day. Fun fact #2: Sascha and Paul had the “something old” thing down pat at their Fall wedding held at the gorgeous San Antonio Botanical Garden. The venue was the perfect setting, the weather was gorgeous, and the colors WOW… I knew that it was going to be an extraordinary special day. Sacha and Paul planed a sweet, intimate wedding shared between themselves and their closest family and friends.

Thank you again for letting us to be part of your day, Sascha and Paul, and congratulations on hosting a beautiful, love-filled wedding!

Personal wedding detail:

Sascha and Paul’s rings were her paternal grandparents rings

Sascha and Paul couldn’t bring their dog to the wedding even though they really wanted to so they included him by ordering a custom stamp of him and stamping the back of each program

Sascha had a white satin ribbon on her bouquet that had buttons on the end of it… it was part of her grandmothers wedding dress which her mom also wore on her own wedding day

Texas Hill Country Wedding

I find that one of the best things about small weddings is that they lend themselves to especially tender moments. They also somehow feel a little more at ease, and that’s exactly what the vibe was on this beautiful cloudy day in October. I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite moments from the day, and with a big congrats to Tauna and Alex on their Texas Hill Country wedding.

Personal wedding detail:

Tauna and Alex’s wedding favors on each place setting were little jars of honey…. They harvested the honey and jarred it themselves for their guest!!

San Antonio Botanical Garden Engagement

If you're looking for lovebird inspiration, look no further than Sasha and Paul. They are the sweetest couple and clearly in love. It was such a pleasure to photograph this in love and seriously photogenic couple! I cannot wait until their wedding day! I know it's going to be perfect.

Here's some of my favorite captures from the day.

** Photos by our Associate Photographer Jessica **


How to prepare for your bridal session

Hello Bride-To-Bee’s Since this is most likely the first time you’ve had bridal portraits taken, you may be looking for a few tips on how to prepare for your session. Having shot many, many bridal portraits, I am happy to share some insight and bridal session tips!

1. Plan your hair and makeup trial for the day of your session! Make this a full on day of pampering ladies! You will feel so much more confident leaving the details to the professionals.

2. Bring your veil with you but put it in halfway through the session. It’s so much easier to mess up perfectly done locks when taking the veil OUT. Let’s get a few shots of you without your veil and then we can add it in later!

3. Bring your MOH or Mom with you to help carry the train or hold your veil or feed you a few sips of champagne :-) You and I can definitely make it work alone but I’ve found that having a bestie or your mom along really enhances your experience.

4. **Getting real here** Don’t wear your bra for a few hours beforehand if you have a backless dress! On your wedding day this isn’t a problem but a bridal session typically happens around sunset so you’ve had all day for those lovely bra lines to sink into your back! Eeek!

5. Since you’re having your hair and makeup trial, why not do a trial run of your bouquet as well?! It’s just an extra prop that can be really handy to have! If your exact flowers aren’t in season just grab a few like-colors or ask your florist if there’s a fake bouquet that you could rent.

6. Make sure you clean your diamond!! I’ll be doing a few close-up ring shots so you want to make sure it sparkles like the day you first received it!

7. Bring some water bottles!! Posing is actually kind of hard work and with your heavy dress you could work up a little bit of a sweat. It’s important to have some water on hand in case you need it.

8. Feel free to bring a few props along! If you’re not sure of something, ask me and we’ll figure out what could work!

9. Accept that your dress will get a little bit dirty. To get the most beautiful shots we’ll need to risk it a little and your hemline might have a few smudges on it by the time we’re finished. Of course, I’m not going to make you roll in the mud or anything drastic but just know and be prepared for the fact that walking around outside in your dress may make the undersides a little dirty. Schedule your last cleaning for AFTER our session.

10. Location! Both outdoor and indoor locations can be stunning for bridal portraits.  It is important to remember that many places require permits or rental fees to take photos on their property. Your wedding venue is always a great option. Many venues will allow you to take your bridal photos there at no extra cost

Lastly, Relax and HAVE FUN!!! This time is all about you and how BEAUTIFUL you look! Enjoy it!