Anna + Nick (the wedding)

I love my weekend weddings away from this area.  As much as I love my family, it's so cool getting to travel to Austin over the weekend and take in everything.  And this wedding was no exception!  An added bonus was that I had worked with this family before at their daughter Laura's wedding, CLICK HERE.  AND many of the friends at Molly + Steven's wedding were at this one too!  Anna and Molly were roommates in DC so they travel in several of the same circles.  So much fun seeing everyone again!

So MUCH fun!

On to the photos!  

Luncheon:  Moonshine

Rehearsal Dinner:  Shoreline Grill

Bride's Preparations:  Omni Hotel Downtown

Make-up:  Method of Make-up

Hair:  Monica of ?  (I'll find out)

Ceremony:  University of Christian

Reception:  Mercury Hall

Anna + Nick, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this day!  I had a wonderful, wonderful time!  And of course, more sneak peek photos on your Wedding Gallery.  CLICK HERE!

before I go to sleep

I'm almost asleep but this image has been in my head since I made it.  Anna and Nick were enjoying some mac n cheese, special recipe of Anna's mom and they lighting was just beautiful.  

I had such a great time tonight.  :)

Anna + Nick (friday)

How cute is this munchkin?  ADORABLE!

I'm in Austin photographing Anna and Nick's wedding and having such a fun time with this bunch.  I photographed her sister's wedding last summer and Anna and Molly (bride from Feb.) are good friends, so some of the same friends from Molly + Steven's wedding, are involved with this wedding and it's so much fun!  Just a good group of people.

Yesterday, it was rainy and kinda chilly but just in time for Anna's luncheon, the sun broke and the skies were blue!  The church is AWESOME, the city is AWESOME!  I just know the wedding day will be awesome.  

Here's the FRIDAY sneak peek.

Our beautiful Anna.

I thought this was cute.  

Beautiful skies for a great day!

The Koch women (L-R), Sally, Laura, Anna and their mom, Barbara.

Funny moment.

Love this moment of them!

This is Nick's mom and dad.  Everyone is definitely enjoying getting to know one another.  :)

The little people enjoying their time.  

HA!  Dad checking out the itinerary for the day.

The exchanged gifts at the church.  Him, a watch, her more diamonds!

The beautiful couple!

Onto the food!  Dinner was at the Shoreline Grill.  Beautiful setting.

II couldn't keep my lens away from all the flowers.  

It's always so important to get the key players in this wedding.  I simply love this moment between Nick's mom and dad.  She was nervous about getting her picture taken, many people are, but if you can get people to relax and just sink into the moment, you get some wonderful images.

Too cute, right before we took this, Anna tied Barbara's shrug.  This is her mom and dad.

This is Laura and Jason, Anna's sister.  It's great to work for the same family.  They are pros at the "take my picture" thing.  :)

Of course, my favorite part of the rehearsal is the slideshow!  The toasts/roasts are good and they were very good with this bunch, but the slideshow is a great time to get wonderful moments of those key people watching.

Oh, great moment!  Tears and laughter all rolled into one!

This image was made after Nick has given his "speech".  He was very professional, but you could hear the break in his voice when he spoke of Anna.  I love how everyone behind them aren't aware and it was a great feeling of gratefulness between them. 

And last, but not least, the "newlyweds", Steven and Molly!  It was great seeing them!

coffee break

It's definitely time for a coffee break.  I wanted to share some things that are on my mind.

  
Dooce's New Book

She did it!  Heather Armstrong's new book hit the stands this and she dragged me in. Actually, her hubby did. He twittered something about it being on the top list of non-fiction so I raced to Barnes and Noble after my pedicure Tuesday and went and picked it up. I just started it, but the writing is witty and profound and she's not afraid to bare her soul. I love people who do that.

I stared reading dooce's blog back when I first started blogging. I always wanted to be a write. Not a Jane Austen, be still my heart and whisper my fleeting soul on a sun rise breeze, kind of writer. And not a SCARY I can't finish that paragraph, check make sure the door is locked kind of writer, either. But a witty writer. A funny writer. A writer that bent the language, said much of nothing, yet had you constantly searching out any little snippets they might create. Heather's that kind of writer.

Softball

Kalyn made Varsity!!! Woo Hoo! Or did she? She was officially on JV and we were excited, but then JV broke up because there simply weren't enough players so she is on Varsity. Sort of? I mean, she's played in a game, she's batted, she's slap-hit, she's gone 4+ days a week. Probably sees her coach more than her family. She's missed enough softball related absences that her mother was perpetually (how's that for using Catholic words?) worried she wouldn't make it past her Freshman year, despite her high GPA.

I'm thrilled she’s on the team, however, I’ve been waiting for the announcement, the letter in the mail that tells me how to get our Varsity Flag. You know, the flag that’s in your window or your yard to tell you that a Cooper Pirate lives there. I want the flag. We have no flag. So maybe we aren’t on varisty?


House Building Blues

I seriously thought we would be in by now. I knew Feb. 20th was not a chance. And then when the door arrived much delayed, I was thinking, OK. March 1st or so. AND now that Spring Break is passed, I'm thinking Easter? Who knows. But we do have floors and amazing back splash. Just a few weeks longer, right?


My Weight

It’s too high. I’m too large to move like I want. In my head, my body is tanned and hard and I have long blonde hair and high heels and I’m dancing around a pole. Wait, that’s in Devin’s head. But you get the idea. We always think we look better than we really do. I was editing Molly and Steven’s photos and Emily, the photographer that shot with me, took many photos of me and I look so LARGE in the middle I swear I was wearing a bullet proof inner tuber under my black shirt. I must get in shape.

New iPhone

I’ve had a first generation iPhone since they came out in June 07. During Spring Break it swam in a cup of coffee and the screen quit working. So, I now have the 3G iPhone and I just heard through the apple rumor mill that a new one is coming out this June that will allow you to text photos and a slew of other things that is too cool to comprehend.  

This is kind of a pisser.  I mean, I'm pleased Apple is doing cool things and making such wicked cool things that I MUST BUY instantly, but I just bought the 3G, so now what?  

I'm heading out of town this weekend for an AWESOME wedding of Anna + Nick.  I know it will be great because her sister's was AWESOME last June and I always have fun in Austin.  :)  

Until the next coffee break.  :)

New hair and new iPhone ap

YIPEE! I was featured...

On the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers.  I submitted some shots from Molly + Steven's wedding and YIPEE!  They liked them!

CLICK HERE to check them out.  Oh, and be sure and look through the work under contest results.  Some of the BEST photogs EVER are on there.  I'm definitely doing a happy dance over this one.  :)

Megan + Austin

Megan and Austin were photographed by my friend, Lauren (Lauren Clark Photography) during one of Laurn's AWESOME Brainwash sessions.  The images ROCKED of course, but they needed a clean image to put on their invitation.  In this business, we call that the "Grandma shot" or the "Mom Shot" or the "safe shot".  I offered to do a quickie session and had some fun putting a little "passion spin" on things.  

We had so much fun just laughing and getting to know each other.  They got used to how I shoot before their big day and I to to study them together and know their best angles.  I never found a bad one.  Can't wait to photograph the wedding!

Woo Hoo!

beautiful belly

This is Kara and she loves photography.  We became friends on facebook through family (my husband and her dad share the same great-grandma, I think?)  And when she told me she was pregnant, I instantly asked if she would willingly be my belly model.  She agreed and I had the chance to get some images out of my head that had been stewing around  in there.  

Thanks so much, Kara!  You did a great job!  And good luck with Baby Girl #2!  :)

to glaze or not to glaze?

Leave a comment and let me know.

ABC Rodeo Sweethearts

How cool is this?  Studio West is the corporate sponsor of the ABC Rodeo Sweethearts this year and I got to photograph the Sweethearts @ Studio Wests' offices yesterday.  Their way kewel offices!  LOVED THE PLACE!  I was using their exterior walls already, after hours with clients, so it wasn't a big stretch to step inside and see this wicked cool place.  

Many of you know I'm currently building a home in West Texas and let me tell you, I so had my eye on the table in their kitchen.  OUCH!  You talk about smoking HOT!  I wonder if they would notice it being gone?  

I think I'll head back this week for some more of that awesome cookie smell.  I gave up sweets for Lent, but that doesn't mean I can't smell them!!!  They had a batch going for the girls which was super sweet.

Special thanks to Marinda Heinrich for securing me the gig.  She's the long and lean one in the middle.  

Sweethearts?  If you are reading this, your images will be ready for viewing in about a week.  Be sure you email me to get on the notification list to receive the gallery link.

Janae (grad session)

AWESOME!  After photographing the fam, me and Janae found some cool places around her homestead to shoot her Senior Portrait.  She was AWESOME!

the jones family

 This is the Jones Family in their Airstream which they've taken on our Labor Day Warrior Trip many times. We all know this camper well and I couldn't take a Jones Family portrait in my  head, without the Airstream being included.  Janae is graduating this May and I encouraged her mom to take a family portrait.  It seems that once a kids gets away from the family home, it gets harder and harder to get the family together.  And soon, they fall in love and your family changes.  So before I assaulted Janae with my camera and arsenal of gear, we spent some time around the good old Jones Homestead remembering this family.  :)

 

ENJOY!

molly + steven (the wedding)

WHEW!  What a weekend!  I'm incredibly sore from doing my first wedding of the year.  But that's probably because I wouldn't stay off the dance floor!  LOL  The music at the reception was beat enticing and you just couldn't help but shake your booty!  

The wedding was held at HPUMC in Dallas right next to the stadium I watched many a games in.  SMU.  My BIL played football there and we went to every game we could.  But I had never been in this church.  

Beatiful.

Scaffolding and all.  Yes.  They informed the bride of the scaffolding the week before.  They are repairing the organ at the church and it was dragging on for weeks, and even though it was supposed to be finished before Molly's wedding, it wasn't.  YIPES.  But because of this, a church that is normally "hands off to photographers", meaning we camp out in the balcony, gave me a bit of freedom to move around and get the best angles to avoid the scaffolding.   It really wasn't hard to avoid after Junior (florist) decorated this place.  HELLO!  Can you say AMAZING?  

Emily Alexander helped me out tremendously during the day and I'm so thankful.  She's posted some of her favorites she took on her facebook page.  Go and check her out.  Mine are up too, as well.  :)

Of course, MORE on the Owen Soper Wedding Gallery.  You will be prompted for a passcode.  It's the bride and groom's last names, lowercase, smushed together.  :)

Special thanks to Ginna McLanahan for keeping things organized and on time.  YOU were AWESOME!

Wedding Day Brunch:  Mattito's Pavilion Room

Bride's Preparations:  Stoneleigh Hotel

Church:  Highland Park United Methodist

Officiant:  Bill Smith

Florist:  Garden Gate (ask for Junior)

Reception:  Brook Hollow Golf Club

Band/DJ:  Bulletproof Bass Band, Brent Boyd

I love this shot of Molly just waiting to put on that dress!

Steven and Molly exchanged gifts ahead of time and he gave her earrings that matched this broach on her dress.  AMAZING!

Molly did not have a Bridal Portrait done ahead of time, but if you get ready just a few minutes early, you can have your "mini-vogue" time and get those shots just fine. 

The flowers were perfect.  This is the flower girl's bouquet.  

and Molly's.  

Walking with her Dad into the church.

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Soper!

After exiting the church, Steven kissed her.  I didn't even have to tell him.  LOVE THAT!

Now for the fabulous reception!

I would so desperately love to tell you that this cake was amazing, but it is Lent and we gave up sweets.

darn

Wonderful dad/daughter dance.  

He's not Jewish and there was no chair, but that didn't stop his Chicago Buddies!  

a moment before leaving

Congratulations you two.  It was simply wonderful..