A little peek at an awesome collaboration wedding shoot in Wimberley – more to come later!

I often tell my family that I have the best clients in the world… and I truly do. Thank you wonderful Austinites for making our second year in Texas such a success – for inviting me into your homes to witness your children growing, your marriage vows, and so many small moments that I am grateful for all the time. I truly, truly appreciate it and am so very thankful for each and every one of you.

Wishing you a prosperous, beautiful 2011 and beyond from my family to yours.

Peter and I flew into El Paso the morning of the wedding and checked into the Hampton Inn (which was a first time staying with Hampton and it was quite nice!). We were able to eat and double check the wedding day itinerary. I was going to Christina’s mother’s home and Peter was heading back to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral to be with Adrian and his family.

I was welcomed into the home and all the excitement of pre-wedding activities. I thought it was so special that Christina’s mom requested a portrait in front of all the women that came before her in the family. It was poignant and beautiful – and you know me – I love vintage photographs!

Meanwhile… back at St. Patricks…

Adrian and his family along with the groomsmen were waiting for the ceremony to start.

The bridal party arrived…

and it was almost ceremony time!

At this particular church we are not permitted to stay inside following the ceremony. So we headed out to the front after the Mass for all the congratulations. I kept hearing the words, “Finally!” from family and friends. And then we grabbed a few wedding party images.

We then headed off to the reception at Butterfield Trail Golf Course. I was thrilled that Christina had planned plenty of photography time before the reception started. The light on the golf course was amazing!

The reception started with amazing mariachi music and happy guests.

And then it was time for an amazing sunset over the mountains.

As the sunlight kissed the day goodbye, Ballet Folklorico took the stage. They were breathtaking!

The bridal party was announced and Christina and Adrian took their first dance as husband and wife. It was beautiful!

And now back to the title of this post for a moment…

Throughout the reception I kept hearing “FINALLY!” and I learned why during the best man’s toast (which was awesome, by the way!). Christina and Adrian have known each other for 13 years. Christina had a massive crush on Adrian throughout high school and used to run up to him and sing song lyrics. Adrian admitted that he knew about the crush. They told of how they became engaged on a cold Winter day in the mountains. They exchanged beautiful words to each other and exclaimed their excitement about starting a family together. The words of the best man and maid of honor actually had me in tears (yes, I do get a little emotional!). There is so much love between these two and all of their families. It was beautiful to witness two families becoming one family on that day.

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Sanchez!

- Our family dog, Kupono passed away the day before Christina & Adrian’s wedding. It was incredibly heartbreaking and for the most part, unexpected. I don’t feel fully recovered yet.

- Kai fell and got a concussion and I have been so worried about him… monitoring everything and double and triple checking. I also learned about CFL lightbulbs containing mercury and one shattered on him about 6 months ago. I feel that this could be a contributing factor to his speech delays and extreme drool problem.

- My work computer decided it was time to go to Computer Heaven. Rest assured clients, your files are backed up in three places. If a computer crash ever happens, your images are safe and sound, as are all of mine!

- Yesterday Peter and I had to say goodbye to our dog, Chico, who was our first baby. He peacefully went to Heaven yesterday. Two dogs in two weeks. I am having a very hard time letting go.

- My diaper bag camera, the Canon G9, quit on me yesterday as well.

It’s so hard to have all of these things happen at once. I haven’t slept well and don’t think I can take anything else falling into my lap. Fortunately I have some awesome projects coming up and am editing away on Christina & Adrian’s wedding. I had meant to edit more over the past few days, but with the computer dying and my dog passing I just needed some personal space to reflect on my feelings and emotions.

So another long overdue teaser… with more to come soon – I promise!!

Peter got this awesome shot … kinda behind the scenes… Yes… I am laying down on rocks!

But it was oh so worth it to get this!!!!

I’ll admit that the three of us were absolutely exhausted the day after the wedding. But it was a beautiful day, the waves were perfect, and we really had no excuse not to go. We hit up Polo beach and were rewarded with a beautiful sunset.

This is something I miss the very most about Maui. And I teared up a bit… no… I actually did cry. I know that seems so silly. But I really do miss that part of living on an island. I am so happy to live in Austin now… but the beach will forever hold a very special place for me. Thanks guys for dealing with a very emotional (and pregnant) photographer

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above: The amazing cupcakes that were served and one of the coolest things… a wish tree. All the guests left wishes and messages on the leaves. Sweet!

above: Seriously fun when the guests are all dancing!!

below: one of the last images of the night. It started to rain POUR on everyone. I asked Leighanna to stay on the dance floor just a moment longer and she was lit by the lantern. Love it.

Two beautiful people + one amazing wedding = one very happy photographer.

I took the weekend off to celebrate Halloween and my husband’s birthday – so I’m back to work this week with some great sessions coming up and lots of editing to catch up on. Here is more from Justin and Leighanna’s gorgeous wedding on Maui on October 10th. I still have more to edit. And they have been soooo patient with me. Love them…. really… my clients are just the most awesome people. I am so happy that many of you have become my friends as well.

Okay… onto the gorgeousness!

The bridal party was really awesome!

All of the above images were taken at their friends taro farm. The light was magical. The love in the air was palpable.

And then we walked over to the creek where Justin played as a child. It’s so neat that they got to get married in such a special place.

See?? Magic, right?

Hope you all are enjoying these teasers. More to come!

XOXO, Mariah

I’m shortening this part so there are some surprise images for the bride and groom to go through. But here’s one of dad and daughter that I absolutely adore… and a close up of the amazing bouquets that each of the bridesmaids held.

Leighanna sees Justin waiting for her.

A couple of my favorite moments from the ceremony. The light was a bit of a challenge for the ceremony. As you can see from the aisle walking in, the light is PERFECT. But then there’s a clearing and the sun beamed down directly on the bride and groom and nobody else. I felt like the sun was blessing them, and I loved that inent, but it made it quite difficult to shoot!

Okay this one totally cracks me up!! After we did the family portraits, it’s always advisable that the bride and groom get something to eat and drink. OYSTERS! And everyone is making sure that nothing spills on the gorgeous dress!

Such a secret garden locale…. beautiful.

And today I leave you with a very happy bride skipping along the road. Part three features images from the taro farm.

XOXO, Mariah

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