Kulengowski Wedding

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July 30, 2011: I was invited to Crestwood, Kentucky (a suburb of Louisville), as the second photographer alongside Artistic Drift Photography for the wedding of Heather Martin and Brandon Kulengowski at Crestwood United Methodist Church.  Crestwood was so kind as to allow us into the smaller, more intimate chapel following the ceremony for portraits of the newlyweds, before moving on to the reception on the same site.

Heather and Brandon are high school sweethearts, and at the time of their wedding had been together for nearly five years!  They’re very much as in love as they were from the beginning (just as anyone who’s known them for any length of time!), and their simple wedding was the perfect end-of-summer event for friends and family.

This is the more intimate, smaller chapel at CUMC, which is typically used for the Sunday school students.  CUMC was kind enough to open up the chapel for our use for wedding day portraiture, and the plush velvet interior combined with the beautiful stained glass windows provided a romantic, intimate atmosphere for the young couple.

Heather and her ladies stand outside the larger CUMC chapel on a day that was just perfectly partly cloudy and warm without being scorching

Here, Heather is handed over to her soon-to-be husband

Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Kulengowski!  Brandon is an engineering major at the University of Kentucky (go Wildcats!), and his wife is studying Music Education at the same.  We wish them all the best in their new life together, and thank you for the opportunity to be present to document your wedding!

My teaser album can be found on Facebook, with the full wedding event as shot by myself and Artistic Drift here.  If you’re friend or family of Heather and Brandon, please register for the event and let the bride and groom know what you think of the memories we’ve captured for them!  All photos in the event are available for purchase, as well.

Kelley and Todd’s Engagement

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At the time of their engagement, Kelley and Todd had been dating for nearly eight and a half years.  Not only is that longer than many first marriages these days, but they’re also a beautiful young couple whose love for each other practically overlays everything they do.  Todd proposed to Kelley overlooking the water in Rockport in March, and we met up for their engagement session on the 14th of this month.  They’re undergraduate alumni of Texas State University, and current graduate students at the University of Texas San Antonio.

They chose the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Antonio as a primary location for their engagement pictures, because of the tranquil, multi-faceted setting, and the ponds.  Water has been a central theme in Kelley and Todd’s relationship, so we made sure to incorporate it into their engagement session.  The day was perfect, with not a cloud in the south Texas sky, and the gardens were every bit as beautiful as the couple in love.

Kelley and Todd are getting married in March of 2012, and rumor has it that their wedding will incorporate a lot of beautiful Celtic themes…  We’re very excited about their decision to cement their love by getting married, and can’t wait for the wedding!

Check out more photos from our session here!  The full album is up on SmugMug, but sorry folks, you’re going to have to ask Kelley or Todd how to check out all of the pictures.

These two are very much in love

2011 Hot Wedding Dates

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Are you or someone you know getting married on 09-10-11?  What about 11-11-11?  Do you (or they) already have a photographer lined up?  If not, have them contact us about special wedding packages for those days.  We’re available on both dates right now, and would love to do something special for people who are getting married on such memorable days.  There’s a ‘hot wedding day’ discount on two photographers, plus you get all sorts of free prints and products after the wedding’s over!

(Know we have some other discounts out there?  Are these capable of being combined?  Can you grab a real steal of a photography package?  Absolutely!)

Kokel Wedding

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March 27, 2011: Rachel Herrin and Michael Kokel are high school sweethearts.  He proposed to her on their fifth anniversary as she was getting ready for their date, down on one knee asking if she’d wear this on their date (holding a ring, of course – a Kokel family heirloom to be more specific).  They selected the House on the Hill for their ceremony and reception site, and the eclectic location tucked in the Westlake area was perfect for the happy couple.

Rachel's hairpiece - yes, it's real!

Bride and bridesmaids got ready in the main house atop the hill, where they could occasionally sneak out onto the balcony to watch the groomsmen and other preparations for the wedding, which was scheduled for 6pm.

Rachel's shoes - very Austin in style; different and elegant at the same time

What's a wedding without champagne?

Once all the ladies were ready, we made our way downstairs for photos of bride and bridesmaids.

Lovely ladies out on the back patio at the House

After portraits, it was time for the ceremony.  The pastor made sure there were plenty of laughs, and painted a beautiful tale of the young couple.

Looking down the aisle before the start of the ceremony

Rachel and Mike, we hope you have many, many happy years together.  Thank you so very much for asking us to be a part of your special day, and most importantly… Congratulations to you!

The Facebook album of pictures can be found here.  The full album is here, and ask Rachel for the discount code to get 10% off your order if you’re interested in pictures!

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Kokel!

Brie High School Graduation

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Brie is a senior at Round Rock High School, and a very active member in both the school and local community.  One of her favorite activities is being a member of the Dragonettes, the Round Rock High School drill team.  She will be graduating in May, and this fall she will be a part of the 2015 class at Texas Christian University (TCU), where she plans to study accounting and journalism.

To showcase Brie, we went to the Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, near the Dell Diamond, where there are some beautiful red oak trees and a lot of old-style farm architecture to play with.

 

Brie has far more patches than can be seen here - not all made it onto her jacket!

Brie's class ring

Brie poses with a classic farm Chevy in the background

Congratulations on your acceptance to TCU, Brie – we know that you’re going to have nothing but success in college, and wish you all the best.  Thank you for letting us come out to photograph you, as well!

Brie’s teaser album can be found here, and her full album here.

 

Carpe diem!

Krawitz Wedding

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February 19, 2011: Emily Thomas and Thomas Krawitz were married before family and friends at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, followed by a country elegant reception at Creekside Pavilion in Driftwood, Texas.  There was a little bit of rain the morning of, but that’s always a good sign on your wedding day, ladies!

The day brightened up by the time the ceremony was over, and the stately elegance of St. Catherine produced some absolutely beautiful photos before we even moved on to Creekside.  This time, we worked in conjunction with Christian Brown Videography to ensure excellent coverage of Emily and Thomas’ special day.

Emily and Thomas have a wonderful love story.  They met online, and each knew that the other was most definitely ‘the one’ once they spent a little bit of time together.  Emily is a Colorado graduate who relocated to Austin for the weather and work, while Thomas is a graduate of our (relatively) local UT-San Antonio.  This couple meshes beautifully with each other, and it’s obvious to anyone who’s met them that they’ve embarked on a perfect partnership together.

The bridal party awaits their turn to walk down the aisle.

Exchanging vows - and rings.

Father Patrick Coakley performed the ceremony, a full Catholic ceremony including communion, which was both beautiful and an absolute pleasure to be a part of.  After the ceremony, we did formal pictures against the backdrop of the altar and crucifix at the church, before moving outside for a few eclectic shots of the couple and their nearest and dearest friends.

The full wedding party, along with the Thomas and Krawitz families.

Emily pauses to joyously pray for her marriage.

Bride and groom steal a kiss while the wedding party looks out from a copse on the grounds.

We left for Creekside, stopping at a windmill along the way and near The Salt Lick (they have the greatest wooden fence!) for a few more pictures, before joining everyone at the reception.

Purple was the color of the day, and the decorations at Creekside were beyond perfect.

The cake topper and Emily's bouquet

The wedding party definitely likes to have a little bit of fun, and the groom was not going to get away from what these ladies had planned for him:

They say every good man is supported by a better woman... Or a group, who helped make this wedding perfect!

The groomsmen were serious about their tasks.

Emily, Thomas…  We know St. Lucia was a magnificent honeymoon get-away, and we wish you many decades of happiness together.  Thank you so much for letting us photograph your day!

The teaser album of pictures is here, and the full album is here.  Friends and family of Emily and Thomas need only contact them for a coupon code good through May 17th for a discount on top-quality prints from the wedding.

Jeslyn’s Bridal Portraits

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Jeslyn Sabol (nee Roy) met with us in November for bridal portraits on location at her venue in Kyle, Texas.  Texas Old Town is everything fantastic about Texas, and has some great areas for beautiful portraits.  Jeslyn was beautiful that afternoon in Kyle, but beyond stunning on Friday the 31st of December, when she and her husband committed themselves to each other.

Bouquet cradled in Jeslyn's lap

This bridge over a bubbling brook was perfect for pictures

Beauty taking a quick break

See all of Jeslyn’s bridal portraits here.

Congratulations again to Mr. and Mrs. Sabol – your wedding was a wonderful way to send 2010 out and 2011 in, and thank you for the opportunity to take these beautiful bridal portraits.  Best of luck to you both!

Aiken Family

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On Sunday we met up with Brytiany Aiken and family (husband Jon, sister-in-law Stephanie, and Stephanie’s boyfriend Mark) for a quick family shoot at the Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park here in Austin, Texas.

Stephanie, Jon, Raider, Brytiany, and Mark relaxing amidst the beauty of the Walnut Creek Park.

Raider is very excited to be at Walnut Creek!  It’s an off-lead dog park, and he’s absolutely loving it.

Brytiany and Jon having a chat.  These two are a lot of fun and it’s easy to tell from watching them that they’re not just husband and wife, they’re also the best of friends.

The teaser album can be seen on Facebook, and the full album on SmugMug.  Thank you, Brytiany and family, for letting us come out to photograph you (and play with Raider)!

Suniga Family

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Remember Lisa Suniga, the lovely lady who was pregnant back in September?  Well, baby Ivan was born on October 8, at a whopping 9lb 7oz and 21 inches in length!  We met up with the whole family – Lisa, husband Joseph, and sons Caleb and Ivan (both making a reappearance, though we were very excited to meet Ivan for the first time outside the womb!) for a wintertime photoshoot at the Texas State Capitol.

This was also a fantastic chance to test out the new camera Fiona has, a Nikon D7000, and boy does it take some amazing pictures, as you’ll see below!  Ivan slept for probably the first quarter of the shoot, but didn’t even fuss for the remainder of it, instead being passed back and forth between family members.  Caleb, as before, was a total ham in front of the camera, and we managed to snatch proof of the parents’ love for each other on the pathway outside the main Capitol building.

Tender love for little Ivan

Awww!

Austinites!

Congratulations, Joseph and Lisa, on the birth of your new son – and Caleb, we know you’re going to be the best big brother ever!  Thanks for getting together with us so we could meet Ivan and visit with everyone again; we had a complete and total blast.

The full teaser album of photos is here, and all of the pictures here!

Blair at the University of Texas

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Blair is graduating from the University of Texas at Austin on Saturday, December 4, with a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education.  She’s worked very hard for her degree, and we visited her at UT for a quick graduation shoot to commemorate her time at the university.

Blair relaxes near the Turtle Pond behind the UT Tower

Blair is absolutely beautiful, whether she’s in her cap and gown (which she gets to don again on Saturday for commencement, and receive her hard-earned diploma) or in the dress and boots she chose to wear for the shoot today, and her pride for her hard work and her alma mater shines through in every picture we took.

There's a lot to be said for being done!

Congratulations, Blair, and the best of luck to you teaching the next generations!

The Facebook album can be found here, with the full album here on SmugMug.