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.
Sneak Peek: The Hottest 2015 Wedding Trends
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Why should you schedule your 2015 Senior Portrait session NOW? Here are my top TEN reasons.
1. It is 2015… YOUR graduation year.
2. Graduation is less than 5 months away.
8. Finals are over, there is no stress right now.
7. You just got some amazing clothes over the holiday break.
3. You will need senior portraits for banquets, slideshows, school programs, graduation announcements, parties…. should I go on?
4. From here on out, your schedule will be booked solid with school commitments like team activities, college visits, college applications, SAT testing, senior parties, and let’s not forget PROM!
5. There is only ONE of me and many of you, so I may not be available after spring break.
6. Did I already mention that you will be graduation in 5 months?
9. I will give you a custom app for your phone with some of your senior images on it… FREE
10. I can’t wait to see you! Call me today to schedule your senior appointment. 972-492-2983
Molly and Guy’s Frisco Heritage Museum Wedding
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
What do you want to be when you grow up?
A couple of times a year I have the privilege of participating in the CFB ISD 5th grade career fair. Unfortunately for me, it always happens during the busiest times of the year. But, I’m honored to be included. There are tons of photographers they could ask, but they choose me. And I don’t take that lightly.
The set up is similar to any other trade show, the difference is, the attendees are 5th graders. Hundreds of them! Their objective is to visit with the representatives from careers they think they may want to choose when they get older.
These kids are my future employees, clients and competitors. I want to give them the most useful information and the best advice possible.
One 5th grade boy walked up and asked me what was the worst part of my job… okay, I wasn’t expecting that question so I thought a minute. I told him that as a business owner, I had to do the day to day chores around the office like taking out the trash and cleaning the bathrooms. Without even thinking, he responded “do you have to go to college for that?” I couldn’t help but laugh.
Then another 5th grader asked me what I wanted to be when I was in 5th grade. That was also a great question. These kids will change their minds a million times from now until they start their careers. But the great thing about this career fair is that it gives the kids an opportunity to look a professional in the eye, shake their hand and speak to them face to face. It also gets them thinking about their future and opens their eyes to many new opportunities. The sky is the limit for these kids, they can do anything they want. And because of that… the kids… I will continue to carve out time to spend with the future of this awesome city.
The Plano bridal show was perfect.
We had a really fun time at the bridal show yesterday. And when I say “we” I mean the future owner of Texas Tradition Photography and me. My daughter is just 11, but she has been my sidekick since she was born. She has had a camera in her hands since she was about 2 and has been doing odd jobs in the studio with me forever. Up until now, her responsibilities have been stamping postcards, shredding important documents, sorting dance school and team photographs and cleaning. Although I have been teaching her Photoshop and Lightroom, I don’t allow her to work on client images. She always practices on personal images or copies.
A couple of years ago, we had the opportunity to photograph a friends wedding which was outdoors, so I gave her a camera and she followed me around and actually captured some really creative images. Although I was proud of her professionalism and creativity, she was still a kid. Ever since that wedding, she has been asking to come along with me to shoot “real” weddings. I told her I just can’t take her. I gave her a time limit of high school. I told her when she reaches high school, I will take her on some more important shoots.
Well, I bought this really cool customize-able app for my clients. I decided to create one for the bridal show and give it to all the potential brides. Well, this involves loading it on each bride’s phone. Once I set it up and got it all ready, I couldn’t figure out how to save it on the home page of the phone. And of course it is different for i phones and androids.
Linzy can into my office and asked me why I was frustrated, I told her and she said, here mom, let me try. Within two minutes or less she had it figured out. She looked up at me and said… “I guess you have to take me to the bridal show” BRAT! So, that is how my 11 year old, wormed her way into my bridal show booth. But, I will say, she was professional and pleasant and we had a lot of fun.
It’s Wedding Season for this Dallas Wedding Photographer!
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!
Santa’s visit to Texas Tradition Photography
The day started with Santa riding up on a Harley! (His elves brought the sleigh)
Santa absolutely LOVES his job. He looks forward to seeing the kids all year long. He played peek a boo with the little ones, listened to the long lists from the bigger ones, and gave candy to all of them and a fist bump to one.
Today marked Santa’s 14th year to visit our studio. Some of the kids that visit our studio come year after year, so this is the only place they ever visit with Santa. As it should be, Santa remembers the kids.
Santa was fun and playful. He had enough energy for all the kids… even Collin. But the second the last child was gone…
Santa had to take a nap. He was pooped. So, we fed his elves and reindeer some food and water and sent them back to the North Pole.
See you next year Santa! Thanks for coming.
Choose your professionals wisely
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.
CJ and Carmen get hitched in Southfork Colorado
I can’t believe it has been a week already since CJ and Carmen’s wedding in Southfork Colorado! I feel like it was just yesterday. Everything about the weekend was just a dream.
The day started off with some cool weather and the sound of the rushing river just outside our cabin. We had plenty of time to eat breakfast and start getting ready for the big day. Mary, the maid of honor kept everything running smoothly! I’m pretty sure she was in charge. She kept everyone calm and on time. Thank you Mary!
Carrollton, TX wedding couple
Carmen, the bride, looked breathtaking. She looked like an angel in her wedding gown. We photographed her and her family at an old bridge that they have been crossing for years. It is a place that has special meaning to their family. They even have a nick name for the bridge. They call it the Shriek bridge. It’s a fitting name because it looks scary and is only wide enough for one person to cross at a time. No, I didn’t cross it, I’m a chicken!
Carrollton, TX wedding couple
CJ looked very handsome. Of course he was ready for pictures on time. This guy has got “it” together. Both families looked great and were all so happy to be there. The bride’s family was all from Carrollton, but the groom’s family was from all over… New York, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Spain. It’s a rare occasion when you can get your whole family in the same place at the same time.
Carrollton, TX wedding couple
The wedding was held at a cute little bed and breakfast in the heart of Southfork, Colorado. It was called the Arbor House. If you ever get the chance to stay there, you will be treated as one of their family members. They are as friendly as us Texans. The combination of trees and mountains and the river came together like a painting. The color of the Aspen trees were vibrant! They didn’t look real. According to Eddy, the bride’s dad, they looked like they belonged in a Dr. Seuss movie.
Carrollton, TX wedding couple
The wedding started out with some beautiful music (thank goodness)(inside joke). Carmen and CJ were SO excited to see each other. This man is everything she dreamed her husband would be. And he is VERY lucky to have her. The awesome thing about a destination wedding, is that the guest list is kept to a small number, which makes it very intimate. Every person there was family except me… and…
Carrollton, TX wedding couple?
What is that?…
Carrollton, TX wedding couple
Yep, it’s a cat. And YES IT DID sit down in the front row… ON HER DRESS and enjoyed the wedding vows.
Carrollton, TX wedding couple
But, that didn’t change the mood or the focus of such a loving moment. CJ and Carmen are officially married!
Carrollton,TX Wedding Couple
Carrollton, TX Wedding Couple
What a beautiful couple! …and yes…
Carrollton, TX Wedding Couple
CJ tried to smash cake in her face. Remember that mom and dad I was talking about in my last post? Here they are. Very proud. Eddy’s face tells it all while he is hugging his daughter, his first born, daddy’s little girl. Thankfully, CJ is everything he wished for his little girl.
Carrollton, TX Wedding Couple
Congratulations CJ and Carmen!
Carrollton, TX wedding couple
Carrollton Wedding Photographer travels to South Fork Colorado for a destination wedding
Last year when my very dear friend asked me what I was doing the weekend of October 19th 2014, I hesitated. I like to know what someone wants me to do BEFORE I answer a question like that. Well, the answer was I’M OPEN after I heard what she wanted me to do. Her daughter was getting married and they wanted me to travel to South Fork Colorado to photograph the wedding.
I thought the day would never come since we booked everything a year in advance. But, finally the day came for me to board the plane. It was a LITTLE plane. And the little plane didn’t have room for my LITTLE bag full of photography equipment. I had to turn on my charm to get the flight attendant to agree to put my bag in the closet that the attendants keep their belongings in. Since I don’t travel much, I don’t know what most professional photographers do with their equipment, but I sure wasn’t letting it out of my sight, much less let them toss my bag in with the other luggage.
Once we (the brides dad, sister, grandma and I) landed in Durango, Co, got a rental car and had lunch, we drove 2 hours to South Fork. The trees were absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t wait to get my camera out.
The morning of the rehearsal dinner, the Bride’s mom, Ann asked me what I wanted to do. We didn’t need to be to the rehearsal until 2pm, so we had some time to sight see. She said we could do anything I wanted. Once I made sure she wouldn’t go back on her word, I told her I wanted to do some photographs of just her and her husband before the attention turned over to their daughter.
Now, I know all of you think that a wedding is all about the bride and the groom. And it is! It’s their very special day. But, if you really pay attention at a wedding you will see a whole other story start to unfold. This mom and dad started out this same exact way some twenty-ish years ago. And during the last year or so, they have been watching their daughter fall in love with this man. So, tomorrow, Sunday October 19th, 2014, their daughter will marry this wonderful young man. This will be the start of her new family. This is a very exciting day! It really is, but, if you look into the eyes of her mom and dad tomorrow, there will be SO much unconditional love, SO much pride and SO much joy, that they will be over flowing with emotion. They will be sad that this chapter in their life is over, but joyous about the new one starting. I’m sure they are wondering how it can be that their first born daughter is already getting married.
So, before the festivities begin tomorrow, I want to say to my VERY dear friends Ann and Eddy, I love you two very much, I’m SO proud of you for raising such a beautiful daughter, and thank you for including me in this unforgettable weekend. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Texas Tradition Photography 