Yay, yay, yay!!! I am so excited to finally get to post Melanie and Blake’s wedding on our blog. This has been a long time coming (like, for real. These have been already prepped in the cute way and in the “perfect” order {that I’m all OCD about ;)}, with our logo and the curved edges I just really like for some reason, just waiting and ready in our blog drafts for me to write down the words. This post was {and I already knew it would be} a really big deal for me, though, because…Well, it’s hard to explain, but I just don’t know if I could ever do the wonderfulness that is Blake and Melanie’s relationship to each other and to their families justice with my words. Just by looking at them that day, you could tell that their wedding day was beyond anything they could {or would} have ever imagined, and every feeling that washed over me while witnessing it was joyful and thankful. Because that is exactly how it was). Ohhhh, the pressure of wanting it to be perfect, to a fault! Haha. Same thing happened with my cousin Tanner and my cousin Sarah’s weddings {TBP…to be posted}! I can never do the people I love justice because no words are good enough to describe how much respect I have for them.
So this was one family that we just felt so close to, and now I get to {attempt to-haha} fully explain how beautiful and perfect it truly was. Not just their wedding day, but their entire marriage and the foundation it was built upon.
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The first time Will and I met them, we were very excited about the wedding process and getting to be a part of a year of their lives that would mean so very much to them. I have always known that I would be blogging Melanie and Blake’s wedding (as I have many that I haven’t blogged yet but have posts floating around in my head for!), because Melanie has been a long-time blog follower of ours for years and has always supported our business from the beginning. Meeting someone who already has complete confidence in us before we even meet and is really excited to get to have us as her photographers meant a lot to us. There’s a big {HUGE} boost in the wedding pictures when we have a good connection with our clients because having your photographers (and also videographers and other vendors…Tip #5879 for future brides) emotionally invested in your wedding is something that really takes your wedding photographs (or video, music, Ceremony, etc.) to the next level. I cannot stress how important this is.
It was wonderful to get to slow down and really enjoy the whole process with people we completely love! I will also say that we truly felt like family the entire time we did the Engagement/Bridal/Wedding photographs (and as a side note, you HAVE to see the Engagements/Bridals. AHHHH-SO PERFECT!). We’re getting ready to reveal our new website and they will be on it; that’s for sure!
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So here it is. A curating (curation?) of our favorite images from their wedding day and why we loved everything about it so much! I would also like to note that Melanie and Blake had an excellent team of Dallas/Fort Worth vendors, and we loved her hair and makeup artists so much that I even asked her after the wedding for their info because they did such a gorgeous job on Melanie’s hair and makeup. I have a vendor crush on them now. I don’t say that about a lot of hair and makeup people, so you should just know that.
Getting Ready Location: The Renaissance Worthington, Downtown Fort Worth (We love it for the large rooms!)
Ceremony: Robert Carr Chapel, TCU
Reception: City Club of Fort Worth
Wedding Gown: Bliss Bridal, Justin Alexander
Bridesmaids’ Gowns: Bliss Bridal, Mori Lee
Groom/Groomsmen’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse
Paper Products: Magic Pen
Bridal Hair: Sam Walters, Old World Salon (Could it BE more soft and romantic????!??? Um, no.)
Bridal Makeup: Ryan Bushman
Florals: Out of the Garden, Grapevine
Officiant: Casey Lewis from First Baptist Keller
Cakes: Opulent Cakes
DJ: Michael Sanderson (Boom! That’s my addition to his title) with Randy Ro Entertainment (You guys. Randy Ro Entertainment is one of the BEST. For real).
General Prettiness and Feeling of Excitement: Melanie and her BFF Bridesmaids, who made the day even more fun, times a million!!
Oh, and Will wants me to mention that Blake and his Groomsmen were so incredibly fun to hang out with, and funny, and that he thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with them and pretending he was a groomsman (Should I maybe photoshop a picture of Will into one of Blake’s groomsmen’s photos? Well….yeah. I think it would make him feel extra cool. Will, not Blake. Probably only if I use one of our wedding photos, though, because Will says he “was still hot” back then. Bahahaaa. Okay, Will ;).
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There’s a lot of prettiness that occurs when you put all of your wedding details in a box and let me take them to the beautiful light to photograph them at the beginning of the day. I was very happy about all of these…
The hair flower! The hair flower!!
And the bows! Ahhhhhhh, the bows!
{I don’t know how to do an upside-down arrow that points downward at this picture, but} The makeup vendor I have a crush on! Or. Not, like, a CRUSH-crush. A vendor crush. I explain it above. Nevermind.
The invitation suite was just breathtaking.
An adorable flip-flop gift Melanie received that she’ll always remember! And will get to continue to wear until they start to get all curvy! Then, once she rubs the words off, she’ll still have the pictures of the note. Genius.
Beautiful, Melanie! Your eyes simply radiated blue that day. They are always blue, but they were REALLY blue on your wedding day. Do you think they might work like mood rings or something?
This precious gift from Melanie’s Dad, which made her cry, was a 2014 penny and a penny from the year that he and Melanie’s mom got married (I think those were the two significant dates, anyway. Hopefully I didn’t just botch that one).
Ohmygoodness, this beautiful girl was ready to be the star of the show in her princess dress! And she was. There was an audible “AWWWW!” when she entered the Ceremony.
Meanwhile, with the Groom and his Groomsmen…
This was part of the extra fun Will was talking about. Apparently everyone, while of course being dashingly handsome (my words, not Will’s) was also hilarious and upbeat. The perfect guys to have stand by your side on the day you get married.
If someone doesn’t pin this and label it “The Perfect Wedding Hair”, I will.
Okay, I will anyway…
Everyone was in love with her florals. Out of the Garden = perfection.
Even though Blake was probably really nervous at this moment, he didn’t show it. Instead, his joy and excitement permeated the room as he got to have his family congratulate and spend these special moments with him before he’d see Melanie for the first time that day.
This moment with his mom turned out to be one of my favorite images from the entire day.
Blake and Melanie both have wonderful relationships with their families. I’m sure they already know what a blessing this is!
Back-of-the-dress-perfection!!! As the two girls helped Melanie make her way to the front of the church, Blake stood inside the chapel at the end of the aisle, his heart practically beating out of his chest out of anticipation to see his almost-wife.
The doors opened, and the gleeful smile broke out over her face.
Blake patiently waited as she approached. Even though it suddenly felt like an eternity.
The moment heightened the closer she got. You could literally feel how sweet this moment was about to be.
This. This right here is why every bit of the butterflies were completely worth it.
A spontaneous princess twirl that makes a girl feel just like Cinderella…
One of the most special things about Blake and Melanie’s First Look was that they got to spend the entire thing together, without any rushing/pressure/worry that they needed to be somewhere else.
They were exactly where they needed to be right now.
Having a prayer together before becoming husband and wife.
This one is just to accentuate the fact that I am OBSESSED with the back of Melanie’s dress. Obvs.
Yeah, you’ve already seen the bouquet. What of it?
It looks pretty here.
Another really cool thing about them doing the First Look with plenty of time to spare was that instead of rushing around after the Ceremony to try and get to the Reception quickly, they got to spend quality {wedding-day-excitement} time together during their Bride/Groom photographs, too. Because of the fact that they’d JUST seen each other for the first time, had cried and prayed together, and felt completely on top of the world at this very moment, all of their Bride/Groom photos turned out to be completely real and genuine.
There’s no faking this feeling.
Tee-hee…I just caught myself smiling fondly at the screen. WELL, DO YOU BLAME ME??
Will’s close-up versions of my full-length favorites.
Okay, here are more florals just to make your day!
How can I HAVE so many favorites???
The first step is admitting that I have a problem.
Here are the absolutely STUNNING one-shoulder full length blush colored bridesmaids gowns. Besides the one-shoulder part, my favorite part is the sparkle at the top of the sleeve.
Goodness, these florists knocked it out of the park!!
Anyone else notice that Blake is already the perfect Brother-in-Law to Melanie’s sister? She’s the brunette he’s sharing his overwhelming happiness with at the moment.
Alllllmost time…..
Blake takes a deep breath and he and his mom have a laugh together. I hope that they get to look back and remember what was said at this very moment.
The ladies also had a lot to giggle and smile about behind Robert Carr’s curtain as they waited for their musical cue. How perfect is it to be able to share your excitement with your bridesmaids, who are genuinely as excited as you are???
You can almost feel how it was for her start walking through those white double doors.
Melanie’s Dad was so proud of his daughter. At this moment, he was probably the proudest Dad in the room.
Each and every moment during their Ceremony was carefully planned out and was completely thoughtful and intentional. They really wanted to show the love of God in their Ceremony and to get to put Him first in their marriage from the very first day on.
It’s really hard for Blake to hide how much he loves her. Just look at his face.
The perfect low-five-while-walking-down-the-aisle.
They got to take a deep breath and let out an I-can’t-believe-we’re-actually-married laugh once they were up in the balcony.
These are just some of my favorites from inside the chapel that day.
I love the way her dress falls, don’t you?
SO. Now we’re here at City Club. The music is already filling the room with a celebratory vibe, the lighting is a perfect blue, and the guests are enjoying getting to be a part of it.
(I just like the sparkliness of the background lights in this one. City Club is so great about having tons of places for candles and lighting.)
So much pretty bokeh EVERYWHERE!! Yay.
This bow on the cake matched Melanie’s bow on the back of her dress. LOVE!!
One of my favorite things about weddings is getting to see the couple being announced as husband and wife. First, when they turn around to face the guests after their first kiss; and second, when they enter the reception to a room full of clapping, beaming friends and family members. That moment is so truly genuine, and you get to see exactly how happy they really are.
I remember the moment that Will and I turned to face our guests at our wedding with more clarity than most other moments from that day. It was incredibly overwhelming, and it was such a huge blessing to get to see all of the faces of our loved ones and lifelong friends who had come to support us just because they loved us. A true thankful feeling enveloped my heart and I could feel all of the love of the ones who had come just for us.
So when I see a couple being introduced as husband and wife, knowing that they get to feel that too makes me happy. And also, getting to see their closest friends and family cheer them on with vigor (no, I didn’t look that up in a thesaurus. I just couldn’t use a different word than “vigor” because nothing else describes this as well) is a feeling that you simply can’t beat.
Melanie and Blake’s first dance as husband and wife was so very sweet.
(Side note: Can I just take a moment to love her hair?? Again??)
Cuties.
Take a bow, Blake.
Melanie’s Dad gave the welcome speech and everyone smiled. And cried. And smiled some more.
Adorable.
Another favorite moment of mine is when the couple is praying together. It is one of the few times during the day when no one (well, except for me ;) is looking. It is a moment that they get to take a breath, be themselves, hold hands tightly, and thank God for bringing them together. Melanie and Blake considered God to be a very important part of their wedding day (THE most important one there, in fact!), and it showed that He is such an integral part of their lives. As a result, the foundation of their marriage has been built on God’s love; not just on their own.
When you have the love of God in your heart and treat your spouse the way Jesus has treated you, it is a lot harder for a couple to be shaken. Even during the tough times, God is always there.
If there is any advice I could give an engaged couple who is about to be married, it is to put God first, before your spouse, for the two of you to always pray together, and to always trust in Him. If you ask any of our married couples who have had God as a priority in their marriage, they will all tell you the same thing: Having no one else above God and loving each other as you have been first loved by Him really helps the foundation of your marriage immensely.
This was the first time I’d seen this at a wedding. It is a Bible with a sign next to it that says, “Please feel free to leave a highlighted verse & well wishes for the Bride and Groom. Once you have written your note please sign and place in the Bible.” How special it must have been to get to see who gave you each verse, and to have your first married Bible to hold so many good memories and love!
There are way too many pictures below of Melanie’s Father-Daughter dance and Blake’s Mother-Son dance, but I know you’ll love them. So I couldn’t cut a single one. There were just so many emotions and so much happiness!!
After a day of on-and-off rain, gray clouds, and then sunshine, a HUGE, bright rainbow appeared right outside the windows of City Club. It arched all the way across the sky for all of Fort Worth to see.
With the excitement of everyone wanting to talk to them and to get to dance with them, I don’t know if Melanie and Blake got to stop and see this that day. But to me, it was one of the most perfect things about this day.
It felt like a promise.
At the end of the night, the guests were sent down the escalators to wish Melanie and Blake off, and after everyone else cleared out, the ballroom suddenly became a private, sparkly, romantic cove for their last dance together.
This moment was unbeatable. The soft candlelight and blue uplighting made the mood absolutely perfect.
They held each other closely and soaked every last moment up so that they could remember it forever.
This is one of my very favorite images from the night. City Club’s mirrors make everything look even more special.
Grasping on to the last seconds of the day and celebrating it, they let out a happy cry of excitement and joy. They were still unable to believe that they’d just gotten married. It felt just like a fairy tale, but it was real.
Glo-sticks as an exit at the wedding = fun! As long as the groomsmen don’t whip you as you walk by ;). Tee-hee!!
Congratulations, Melanie and Blake!! Your wedding was almost exactly a year ago (WOO-HOO!!!), and you look just as happy and in love now as you did on your wedding day. Now that all of the elements of the wedding day live only in your memory and in photographs, we hope that these images bring the memories to the forefront of your mind and that you get to remember how each moment felt, once again.
We have been incredibly blessed by getting to know both of you and your families. Thank you for trusting us with such an important time in your lives, and thank you for always being amazing and wonderful clients (and now friends!!). We truly love you both, and we think you’re the BEST! This goes down in history as one of our very favorites because of who you are.
XOXO,
Lauren and Will
by Lauren Aves
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