Safari Texas Ranch Wedding: Maggie & Paul

I’m not sure the words exist. Believe me, I’ve tried to find them… Maggie and Paul’s wedding day was one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever shot. There was just SO much beauty everywhere. Yes, I’m talking about the details – the shoes, the J. Crew dress, the colors, the venue itself… Nothing makes a photog tick like creative inspiration at every turn. But I’m talking so much more about what this day meant for Maggie and Paul. The anticipation. The longing…

Early during the getting-ready process I asked the bride how she was feeling, fully expecting the whole “I’m nervous!” answer. But instead she stared me right in the eyes and simply said, “I am just so excited to marry Paul.” It floored me… And when Paul told me the exact same thing about Maggie not an hour later, with an additional “She’s amazing…” Well, I think it was then that I lost all words to describe this day. To describe the thankfulness in my heart for Maggie and Paul, for love itself, and for being able to be surrounded by it so wholly, so often. To M&P, I hope these sneak peek pictures are a good start. All my love!! XOXO!!

The day started off at An Albert Luiz Salon in Sugar Land, the most jaw-droppingly awesome salon I’ve ever photographed.
This is Melissa. She did an absolutely PERFECT job on Maggie’s hair and makeup. :)Isn’t she gorgeous?Maggie’s mom and maid of honor stopped in to say hello. Just love this moment.Okay. THE SHOES. I don’t know if it’s the ruffles, that incredible shade of blue, or the surroundings, but these shoes had me shooting them for a solid 15. Which in wedding-timeline-speak is a veeery LONG time. ;)Flowers by Nora Anne KILLED this bouquet.The incredible J. Crew dress, and just one more shoe shot. I promise. :)One of my favorite moments captured of the entire day. Maggie, you are radiant. And beautiful.No this isn’t the groom. It’s Maggie’s bridesman, Jitin, lookin’ sharp.Can I just say a big collective “I LOVE YOU” to this bridal party? You guys were so welcoming and fun. :)The below-right shot makes me smile. This is the mother of the bride with her sister. And of course, a little bubbly.It’s finally time to meet the groom, Paul! Who also invited his sister Jennifer to be a groomswoman. :)I’ve always made fun of my mom for telling me about 100 times a year that I look like some random made-for-TV-movie star, mixed with a little bit of some grocery bagger at Price Chopper. But then I realized I do this to everyone I meet… Case in point? Paul is a mix between my old 8th grade math teacher Mr. Gilchrist, and Robert from Everybody Loves Raymond. Maybe that’s part of why I like him so much. :)The chapel at Safari Texas Ranch. LOVED this view.Seeing his bride. :)Maggie and Paul had a Jewish ceremony. This shot captures the tradition of walking around each other three times after coming down the aisle.The ketubah (AKA, the traditional Jewish marriage contract) was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen.Joy.And some more joy. The recessional is always one of my favorite things to shoot for this very reason. :)

Then it was family formal time! I just LOVE this image of the sweet Bolstad fam. And the best part? They set this up entirely themselves.

Portrait time! Maggie and Paul were SO relaxed for the camera, and it made for some pretty fun images.Seriously? Seriously. Seeeriouslyyy. You two are so beautiful together.Favorite number one.Their laughs are the best!!Okay, I take it back. THIS is my favorite number one. :)
The reception was held in the lodge, and Danielle and her crew gussied it up peeerfectly. The zebra/cheeta print chairs almost came home with me.Sweetest first dance ever. Again, no words.The NiteBeat Band! SOO good.The toasts killed me. This is Paul’s father. I’m pretty sure the whole room was in tears by the time his speech was over. Yours truly, included.The horah! Terrifying, but so fun!! And then they danced the night away. Literally.

After re-reading through this post, I’d like to formally document the following tally of how often I used the words (or derivatives of the words) fun, perfect, beautiful, LOVE, and favorite: Fun (6) Perfect (4) Beautiful (5) LOVE (10) Favorite (6). I suppose I may have found the words after all… Happy Friday!! :)