Jenn & Ben - My First Destination Wedding

Where do I begin describing Ben & Jenn's wedding? (Hi Jenn!!!!!!!)

One of the many things I wanted to do this year was to shoot my first destination wedding, so when Jenn asked me to shoot her wedding in St. Thomas every part of me screamed YES! Vanessa and I flew down and had an AMAZING, AMAZING time. Jenn, Ben, their families and friends were so fun to be around - we couldn't have asked for a better crowd and a sweeter couple.

THE DETAILS
Jenn had so many special elements all throughout the day, she made sure all her guests were well taken care of and she had the coolest hot pink shoes! There were so many lovely details, from the fans on the guests chairs to her late dad's green shoes, it was a photographer's dream.




THE CEREMONY
Jenn & Ben stayed at this beautiful villa with breathtaking views and they exchanged vows on one of the terraces. The weather was perfect (of course!) and Ben is so cute!




THE PARTY
On our way to the restaurant, Mafolie, we stopped at this gorgeous lookout to take some photos. WOW. The restaurant had more amazing views!





THE MORNING AFTER
Early the next morning Jenn and Ben actually met up with Vanessa and I at Meaghan's Bay beach and oh yeah - we all got a little sandy! I had been wanting to shoot a session on the beach, and after getting a little taste I CAN NOT wait to do another one! It is impossible for me to pick just three. But I will try!




JENN - I can not wait to design your album! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Cristina

Mike & Angie

Angie and Mike met me at the Las Colinas Mandalay Canal for their engagement session. I think this is one of the coolest spots in the DFW, it actually doesn't seem like I'm in DFW when I'm there!

We had a great time, they totally let me get creative and were just so laid back and fun! They will be getting married in August. Stay tuned for Angie's bridal session which we will be shooting very soon!

Here you go!

BJ & Jason

They are so cute together! Jason is way taller than BJ, but it is so cute because he is so gentle with her. BJ and Jason met me at the Legacy Shops in Plano for their engagement session. I had never been out there before and I will definitely have to go back just to walk around and see what I see! :) It's beautiful out there!

I was so flattered when they asked me to shoot their wedding since BJ is actually also in the wedding industry, she is a videographer just taking off in the field. As soon as she gets a website I will totally share it with everyone!

Here are some of the favorite shots!

Stephanie & Michael

These two are hilarious! I shot their engagement session last month and I am just now getting around to sharing these! Geez!

I should tell you, the first time Stephanie and I met we talked for about 2 hours. The second time we met, we were at the Starbucks for, oh, 3 or so hours... We just clicked right away. Her and Michael will be getting married in June and I am excited because they are just so fun!

You know, this has been a great year and I have to thank my FABULOUS couples that let me get creative and just have fun on our shoots!

I love that the photos show their playful personalities!

Coming Up!

I have been shooting so much recently (and loving it!).

I wanted to give you guys a heads up on what I will be posting soon:
Jenn & Ben's Wedding (St. Thomas!!!)
Mike & Angie's Engagement Photos
Allison & Paul's Wedding
Jenny & Fernando's Wedding
Morgan & Matt's Wedding
BJ & Jason's Engagement Photos
Amy's Maternity Session

Busy, busy, busy! And I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my job!

Stay tuned...

Cristina

Christian

Christian has been a family friend for more than 15 years, we've known each other since junior high! And here she is going to get married!!! I am really looking forward to her wedding in a few weeks, I know it will be beautiful. Christian and Rudy are both very artistic, creative people and with the help of awesome coordinator Becca from A Stylish Soiree, this will be a very photogenic wedding. And I think it will be my first wedding I will be shooting were both my parents and my hubby will be guests and one of my sisters will be the matron of honor.

We went to the Arboretum with her mom and took our time finding cool spots, which is not hard to do there.

Lauren & Michael

I have to say that the first time I met with them, after about 5 minutes, I said 'you have to let me shoot this wedding!'. Michael is one of the gregarious people I have ever met; he is so funny! Lauren is so sweet, something about her demeanor is so inviting. After they described their plans of getting married at Michael's parents beautiful Dallas home, in the backyard, under some big trees and a tent under the stars reception I was already making mental notes of what lenses I was going to bring! Yeah, I know...

I remember when I asked Lauren what the backup plan was in case it rained she said, 'don't need one, it's not going to rain on my wedding day'. How do you argue with such determination?! She was totally right too! It was a beautiful day, couldn't-have-asked-for-a-nicer-Springtime-day sort of day.

Vanessa and I really had an amazing time with their family and friends, it was a fun crowd! We are so grateful to have been there and love the photos!

Wanna see?

New Product - Companion Books!

These sleek, soft cover, miniature versions of your wedding album are printed on high grade glossy paper, covered in a matte metallic stock and can be purchased in sets of 10, 25 or 50. These are great as thank you gifts, wedding favors and a truly unique way to share your big day! They come in different sizes and can be ordered at the same time as your wedding album or any time after.

So Cute!

Just shoot me an email if you'd like some additional information!

Cristina

s i c k

So this past Thursday I started feeling pretty lousy. I had this terrible headache, was totally congested, aching all over... By Friday night I had a fever of over 103º and could barely stand. I went to the ER and have been bed bound at home since Friday night. Tonight is really my first time in my home office since then. I was itching to check my email, look at the bridal shoot I did Thursday (hi Christian!), finish editing St. Thomas and to update my blog.

So, please forgive my absence and I am sorry if you sent me an email this weekend that I just got to today. I am easing back into things. I am DEFINITELY feeling better and hope to have lots of photos to show within the next couple of days!

Cristina

I'm Home!

We are finally home and it's funny because we really had a great time but it is so good to be home! I missed my little one (we had never been apart longer than an overnight visit to her Grandma's).

Jenn and Ben were just a great couple to hang with and they were up to ANYTHING!

I'm not kidding:

I'm Away

***photo taken with my fab Pearl Blackberry***

So Vanessa and I came down to St. Thomas to photograph Jenn & Ben's wedding (Hi Jenn!!!!) and we had THE BEST TIME. We can not thank them enough for their hospitality. I can not wait to sit down and start editing! :)

Well, we went to the airport to catch our flight home (which we both secretly didn't really want to go on) and something happened to our reservation because it was somehow canceled!!! With the next flight available not leaving until tomorrow evening, we were stranded in this beautiful island. We called the hotel to see if we could come back for an extra night - BOOKED! So our grandmother who lives in the island next door, Puerto Rico, got a very unexpected call from us. I am now sitting in my Abuela's living room, just had some y-u-m-m-y food only grandmas know how to make and just thinking how funny life can sometimes be!


It has been a great weekend and though we were seriously confused by the airline mix up, we are glad to not only have gotten to shoot our very first destination wedding with one of the coolest couples, but at the chance to spend some time with Abuela & Abuelo.

So buenas noches for now, I will be back to the swing of things Tuesday morning!

Amanda & Keith

This past Sunday I met Amanda and Keith at the Tribute Golf Club in The Colony, where they will actually be having their ceremony and reception in November. I am having so much fun in this beautiful weather! We got into a golf cart and went out looking for cool spots. Of course, we had a whole tournament behind us so we were at each spot for about 20 seconds! Keith is into photography, so he was totally finding some great spots too!

All in all, we had a great shoot with some great shots to show for it!

Thank you guys! It was great seeing you again and I think a wedding at the Tribute in November will be awesome!