This is CRAZY and might come as a complete surprise to most of you. I have a NEW Valentine. I have kept him a secret for a couple of years, but not because I haven’t wanted to share him. He is a super cute amazing guy. In fact, I married him a couple of weeks ago. YES, I GOT MARRIED!! His name is Greg and he makes me VERY happy.
Cheers to new beginnings!
I have been told over and over by industry leaders that in order for a Photography business to survive, I have to specialize in one type of photography. Can you even imagine doing the same thing over and over, year after year? NO! I can’t either. No wonder some photographers experience burn out and just decide to quit. I LOVE being a photographer. I’m certainly not a rebel, or even a very opinionated type of person. However, I do know what I like and what I want and have resisted the urge to listen to advice that just didn’t seem to fit my personality or my goals for my business.
In January of next year, 2019, Texas Tradition Photography will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary! And I can tell you with the most certainty that I specialize in photographing people. I specialize in High School Seniors Photography, studio and location Family Portraits, Business Portraits and Personal Branding, and of course special events like Wedding Photography and Dance Schools and life’s milestones.
So, as I gear up to celebrate this amazing milestone in my business and my life (I am also turning 50 in 2019), I find myself happy exactly where I am.
When Lisa’s mother called me to schedule a consultation to chat about her upcoming wedding, I was excited to finally get to know them. Lisa and her family have lived down the street from me and go to my church; however, we have not actually been anything more than neighbors and acquaintances that wave and smile as we pass by.
Once they stepped foot into my studio and we began talking, I KNEW that I had been missing out on a great relationship. Lisa’s eyes lit up just talking about Nathan. I LOVE this family and I am SO happy that they are now part of our Texas Tradition Family. I’m also blessed to now call them MY FRIENDS instead of just neighbors. Lisa has two sisters and a brother and they are all amazing! And… Nathan is the perfect addition!!
Lisa looked STUNNING in her dress and Nathan was MORE than handsome. They are such an amazing couple, and are such good loyal friends, it’s no wander they had ten wedding attendants! Yes, it was a big wedding party, but every one of them was a special part of this couple’s life. They were all invested in Lisa and Nathan’s relationship.
Take a peek at some of the images from the wedding and reception, you will have so much fun looking at them, you will feel like you were there.
You can see by the expressions of their faces, the wedding was perfect. We’d love to be your wedding photographer too! If you are getting married and would like more information on how we can become part of your wedding team, please fill out the contact form below and we will give you a call.
The secret to an amazing wedding is to plan your heart out, choose professionals that share your same creative vision, and then let go and enjoy your day. It’s okay if something doesn’t go as planned, just relax and trust that your professionals will take care of you.
Rachel and Eric’s wedding was elegant, traditional and simply romantic. I caught myself tearing up a few times when I saw how sweetly he looked at her. Rachel has a heart of gold and I felt that everyone at the wedding knew it too.
Rachel and her mom did most of the planning. They did an amazing job picking two perfect locations and wedding professionals who shared her same style. Garden Gate Floral Design worked their magic to create a sea of elegant arrangements. Jr. even dressed their precious dog.
Rachel and Eric’s amazing Professional Wedding Team
Hair: Amanda with Chad Rookstool Salon
Make up: Stormy Weather Make up
Florist: Garden Gate Floral and Design
DJ: Uptown Sound
Video: LeVon Owens with Spinning Leaf Films
Dress: Mia Bridal Couture Houston
Bridesmaides dresses BHLDN
Groom’s tux: J Hilburn
Ceremony: Perkins Chapel at SMU
Reception: The Adolphus Hotel
Photography: Lisa Manis and Tim McCord with Texas Tradition Photography
The Windsor at Hebron Park Open house was SO much fun! Most of my favorite vendors were there. It was more like a party than an open house. Melissa and Hayley from Windsor did a fabulous job planning the event. As you can see by the pictures below, the floral arrangements that were designed by Dianne and Justine at Fleurs De France Floral in Carrollton were absolutely beautiful! Combined with the elegant white draping provided by Randy Roe, the room was Old Hollywood ready. Top that off with Old Hollywood style music by Jeff at Jay Fox Productions, cake by Elegant Cakery in Southlake, food by CN Catering and of course photography by yours truly, and you have a very successful open house. United Rental and Jason from Dream Driven Media were also part of the party.
And the party couldn’t have been complete without all the wonderful brides, grooms and their families that came to enjoy the evening “Hollywood Style”.
From my first meeting with Kelsi and Tony, I knew right away that I really wanted to photograph their wedding. Aside from the fact that they were/are both ADORABLE, their wedding was at Piazza in the Village.
Piazza in the Village is in Colleyville and it is SO beautiful! I have wanted to photograph there since it was built, but haven’t had the opportunity.
Kelsi and Tony did an amazing job planning their special day. They thought of every detail. From the hanger holding the bride’s dress, to the groom and his mother’s dance, there always seemed to be one more thing to be excited about. Who says you can’t have it all? Take a peek at some of their wedding photographs.
I LOVE this! Click on the link below to take a peek at the new hottest trends in 2015. I can’t wait to see these pop up at my weddings.
Molly and Guy had an amazing wedding day! It started with their creative vision to mix a historical location with a country vibe… and I love the color!
Even though it rained a little, it didn’t slow us down. 
Molly’s dress was beautiful and a perfect fit. Her blue shoes were a fun surprise.
The bouquets and table centerpieces were designed by Kevin May of May Flowers and Memorable Gifts.
Molly and Guy chose Nothing bundt cakes in Plano for their MANY wedding cakes. Each cake was a different flavor. The guests loved them.
The first dance brought tears to our eyes. This couple is truly in love.
Look at their faces! That is real happiness!
Thank you to all the vendors who helped make this wedding amazing.
Venue: Frisco Heritage Museum
Florist: Kevin May with May Flowers and Memorable Gifts
Cakes: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Coordinating: Dianne
Photography: Lisa and Tim with Texas Tradition Photograpy
Wedding season has officially begun! The New Year always brings newly engaged couples. It’s SO exciting. And it seems like this year brides are in a hurry to book early. I certainly can’t complain about that.
So.. are you planning a wedding? If so, come see me this Sunday (Jan. 4th, 2015) at the Signature Bridal Show at the Plano Center in Plano from 12-5. I will have an awesome booking bonus.
If you can’t make it out this weekend, I will also be at the Signature Bridal Show in Dallas on Sunday, Jan. 18th and at The Windsor at Hebron Park’s open house on Thursday Jan. 29th. Or you can always call me and we can set up a time to meet here at my studio.
2015 is going to be a great year to get married!
Last week one of our smoke alarms in our house started beeping. Unfortunately, it was the only smoke alarm in the house that is in a place that is unreachable to a regular home owner. So… My husband and I went to Loews and purchased a REALLY big ladder. We loaded it up in my Tahoe, tied a red flag to the end (because it was sticking WAY out of the back window), and drove about 20 mph all the way home.
Once we got home, unloaded the ladder, unwrapped it and leaned it against the wall. We realized exactly how high it was. We looked at each other trying to decide who was going to go WAY up there and change the battery. I decided to go. I admit it, I was SCARED! It took me a few minutes to get up the courage to start my REALLY high climb. Once I got to the top, I changed the battery and… dang it, it was still beeping. I took the battery out, turned it around and put it back in and… yep it was still beeping.
Just like with any other married couple who has been listening to a beeping smoke alarm for over 24 hours, my husband was irritated and told me that I didn’t do it right. It’s a battery. How did I do it wrong? Anyway, I came down the ladder and my husband went up. He was up there for a VERY long time because no matter how HE put the battery in, it kept on beeping!
Our conclusion was to call a professional. This is the advice that I give all my brides. You must use professionals for your wedding. And not just your photographer, but also your consultant, your florist, your DJ and/or band, your bakery… yes, all of them. If not, you might end up working WAY too hard without achieving the result you were hoping for. AND you will probably spend more money in the long run.
But the story isn’t over. Once we got the ladder wrapped back up, loaded back into the truck, drove 20 mph back to Loews and returned the ladder, it was another 2 days before the professional we called could make it out to our house. Our pre-requisite for this professional was that he had a really tall ladder and could change a battery in a smoke alarm. We didn’t think that was too hard.
Boy were we wrong! This guy showed up on time and was professionally dressed for an electrician. Good Start. I showed him the smoke alarm (and he could hear it beeping). Without even unloading anything from his truck or evaluating the smoke alarm, he started telling me about a year long program that they had for continued service. It was only $9.99 a month and would entitle me to get all the batteries in all the smoke alarms changed once a year. Then he walked around and looked at all the other smoke alarms in the house to “evaluate” them.
A little while later, he came back to me with a quote of well over $1000. I was speechless! We just needed one battery changed on a smoke alarm that we couldn’t reach. I know that smoke alarms are important! We have had a house fire before. So, I had him call my husband at work and have him explain to him why it was going to cost much. He hung up and my husband called me on my cell and asked me if he had even changed the battery yet. I said no, he hadn’t even taken his ladder off his truck.
I’m sure that a professional electrician can’t make a living changing smoke alarm batteries, but in my experience, it’s best to earn someone’s trust and business BEFORE trying to make them a client for life.
I guess the moral of the story is, not only should you choose a professional, but make sure you research that professional first and make sure they know exactly what kind of service you are looking for. Some people want a whole new smoke alarm system and some people just want their battery changed.
Texas Tradition Photography 