Houston Wedding Photographer – Photographics

Ok, as a wedding photographer in the Houston area, this is starting to sound like a cliché’, but this was a great couple!  They traveled down here to have their wedding as their family is from different parts of the Country and I’m glad they had their ceremony here!  The wedding ceremony and the wedding reception were held at The Forest Club at 9950 Memorial Drive and it was beautiful from start to finish.  The ceremony was held outside at sunset and the reception was held inside with a buffet dinner and live band.  It was hard to pick out some favorites because there were so many, but here are at least a few:

The Beautiful Bride

His first look at her that day (and that smile stayed on his face all night)

Did I mention that the bride was beautiful that day?

The Bridesmaids (at a shy moment):

the cute couple:

The groom and his men also having a little fun (and yes there is a story behind the guy they are all looking at):

and the flower girls were simply adorable!

the Groom was just a little bit of a baseball fan (and I wasn’t hating since I love the Astros):

Their first dance

and a private moment afterward

did I mention that he used to be in a boy band????? Maybe ready to go on the N’Sync Reunion Tour

one parting shot of the happy couple as they leave for the night:

As a wedding photographer in Houston, I sometimes have the opportunity to shoot special events in and around the Houston area.  to continue my other post on wedding reception venues, I wanted to add this one – the Hotel ZaZa.

I had the opportunity to attend the grand opening of the new Hotel ZaZa in the Museum District last year.  This used to be the Warwick Hotel and was remodeled.  Parties were EVERYWHERE and everyone had a great time.  The place is designed beautifully and the staff members I met were extremely friendly.  They have several very nice ballrooms (and honeymoon suites) and if you choose this location for your wedding reception, you can;t go wrong.

The images below are from the Grand Opening, but I wanted you to get and idea of how nice the rooms look and how special your day can be there.  If you want more information about the hotel, you can visit their web site: Hotel ZaZa

As a wedding photographer in the Houston area, I have been very fortunate to photograph some very beautiful weddings recently at some very nice venues.  Some of the Churches, Reception halls, and Hotel Ballrooms have been very nicely decorated and really set the tone for the wedding.  Most of the places have the “standard features” – Dance floor, room for the buffet tables or full kitchen to allow for service by caterers, room for the DJ and his equipment or the live band, and plenty of room for your guests.  You can either get the facility to decorate or you can get your own decorator.  Catering options are the same – you can use the staff at the venue, or in some cases, bring in your own caterer and servers.  this post is rather long and has quite a few more images than I normally post, so I hope you find something useful.

Here are some of the places I’ve shot:

Renaissance Houston Hotel Greenway Plaza

Ashton Gardens

Houston National Golf Club

St Edward Catholic Church

Brady’s Landing

Tuscany Villa

A. D. Bruce Religion Center (on the campus of the University of Houston)

Sweetwater Country Club

Foundry United Methodist Church

The Pavilion on Gessner

Paraiso Maravilla

Hotel Galvez on Galveston Island

As a wedding photographer who has done wedding photography for over 15 years, allow me to offer some tips to assist you in planning your wedding.  Whether this is your frst wedding or your fifth hopefully the info provided will assist you.  I will be posting tips for the next few days and the credit for this first set goes to Lynn Michelle of Lynn Michelle Photography in Dallas, Texas (I added a few additional tips in bold).  You can visit her web site here – Lynn Michelle

Are there decorations that photograph the best?

How do I avoid a bad wedding? Make sure the planning is done well and there is a good flow to the events. Keep the whole thing fun and don’t stress out. Stressing out about stupid little things will keep YOU from enjoying yourself. Make decisions on the way YOU want things to be and don’t look to everyone for their opinion; because they will have it and you may not like it!

What makes a good wedding? Happy people who are happy to celebrate a happy event!

What makes a great wedding? See above!

Now that Hurricane Ike has passed over the Houston Metro area, including Galveston, Brazoria, and Montgomery Counties, I hope that you and your family are safe and have not encountered too much damage.  Once the dust settles and the water recedes, you may want to get back to planning your wedding, but you need to check and see if everything is still in place.  Here are a few things to consider as you continue your planning:

• Your date
  Can you change your date?  If the wedding is within the next 30-60 days, are you ready?  do you have options?
• Your dress/tux
  Did your wedding dress have to be altered off site of the place you purchased it?  Contact them and make sure it will arrive in time or see what options or “plan B” they have for you.  Was your dress at home and maybe got water damage?  Depending on when your wedding is, you may have time to get it cleaned, but check with your Bridal Salon to make sure.
• Your Venue
  Some locations, especially those in South Houston and Galveston sustained heavy damage and will need quite a bit of repair.  Check your contract with the venue and see if you have options for an alternate date or if they can provide assistance with finding another venue.  Check their refund policy as well so you do not lose too much of your deposit if another place needs to be found.
• Music
  Is your DJ or Band still available?  Is their equipment in working condition or do they have access to equipment on your date?
• Food/Cake
  Are they still available?  Is the kitchen they plan on using in tact and usable?  Do they have options if it is not?
• Photographer
  Some of us have studios and some of us work from home, so try and call and/or email to make sure they are available.  Most of us are in the process of contacting clients whose dates are within the next 30-60 days and assure them of our availability, but if you have not heard from your photographer or any other vendors, please try and contact them

Most vendors have an “act of God” clause in their contract which controls what happens to funds you may have already paid, but please speak to each vendor personally and see if something can be worked out.  Most of the vendors that I have had the pleasure of working with are very accommodating and will do whatever is necessary to make sure your wedding can still take place.  Above all, allow for some flexibility and you can still have the wedding of your dreams.