Wedding at Marie Gabrielle Restaurant in Dallas, Texas

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Lisa and Chris' wedding at the beautiful Marie Gabrielle Restaurant in Dallas, Texas. The beautiful gardens provided many opportunities for great images and the setting hides the fact that the restaurant is located in the middle of downtown with skyscrapers on either side. I hope you enjoy this selection of images.

 

 

Lone Star Wedding

Laura and Jess selected a spectacular location to hold their wedding nuptials - the Vintage Villas just outside of Austin Texas. I traveled down to Austin on the Thursday before the event with Laura's sister Sarah and her husband Nath (whose wedding I had photographed in 2009). Austin was experiencing one of its hottest and driest spells in decades and this fact became obvious the moment you left the cool confines of the terminal.

It is always nice to work outside your normal environment and be exposed to new and challenging situations. The Texas landscape and sunsets have won me over and I look forward to a return trip there very soon!

Here are some of the images we captured.

Bethany Beach Engagement Session

We love to photograph in new places. This session took place during a hot July evening on the  Bethany Beach Boardwalk. Maddie and Will were great fun to work with and we found some wonderful locations to shoot in.

First Secret to Great Wedding Photography

If you're a bride who wants her wedding to be PERFECT, and the most romantic, beautiful and emotional day of your life; if you want to enjoy every minute of your day;  if you want to be the most ravishingly beautiful bride your friends and relatives have ever seen;  if you want to spend wonderful, quality time with your guests;  if you want to remember with happy tears in your eyes all the love, emotion and joys of the day...
Then this is going to be the most exciting blog post you have ever gone to - Really!

      At Avonlee Photography we LOVE weddings!  We’ve been photographing them for 11 years - not because we have to but rather because we WANT to, because we love the emotion and romance of weddings.  

SECRET #1: How To Guarantee Your Wedding Lives Up To Your Dreams.      
Believe it or not, the photographer you select to photograph your wedding can make or break your wedding day.  Yes, I kid you not, your wedding day - not just your photographs!  Why? Because he's THERE - with you and your family, in person - interacting with all your family and guests - and representing you every minute. 
    
Now, HONESTLY, we're not just talking about photography here - we're talking about YOUR WEDDING - how YOU FEEL on your wedding day, and how smoothly and romantically everything goes.  You see, your photographer determines this, by the way he helps you plan your wedding, the way he treats you and your loved ones, and the way he conducts himself throughout the day.
 
Amazing Secret Revealed - What Other Wedding Photographers Don't Want You To Know!     
      
So here's the secret:  Meet the photographer - IN PERSON - before you hire anyone to photograph your wedding!  Most brides don't realize that many studios hire part time photographers to photograph their weddings for them - high school and college kids, friends, relatives, etc.  This means that you go to a studio, talk with a salesperson, look at their samples, and make a decision - without really knowing who will be photographing your wedding!
    
   And if it's not just the right person doing the photography, and interacting with all your family and guests, everything can be ruined! 
So, when you're talking with a potential studio, ask them the following questions:
      1.  Who did these photographs you are showing me?
      2.  Who, by name, will be photographing our wedding if we hire your studio?
      3.  We want to MEET this person, BEFORE we hire your studio.  

Then, when you meet this person, ask him or her the following questions:

      1.  How will you dress at my wedding?

      2.  Did you do ALL the samples of wedding photography we saw in the sample books?
          If not, show us YOUR work, please.

      3.  How long have you been photographing weddings?

       4.  How long will you be at my wedding?

       5.  Before you leave our wedding, who do you check with first to see if there's
            anything else we would like you to do?
   
      Then, decide if you REALLY LIKE HIM, as well as his work! Because he's going to be spending a lot of time with you and your family and friends, on your important day.
 
By the way, just so you know, here are my answers to those questions:      
I'm the ONLY photographer at my studio.  I will be photographing your wedding personally.

I will dress in a nice suit (NOT A TUX, AND NOT JUST SLACKS AND A SHIRT!  I don't want to take anything away from your groom and groomsmen and the fathers, and I also don't want to dress casually, and not represent you professionally.)
     
I have been photographing weddings, as I mentioned earlier, for _____ years.  Can you fill in the blank?  Just checking to see if you're paying attention!  It's 11 years!
     
I'll be at your wedding until both you and your husband (how exciting - your "husband!"),  say that you have nothing else for me to do.  I NEVER will leave your wedding without checking with you!


There are six more Secrets to Great Wedding Photography. To view them visit our website at http://www.avonleephotography.com/html/wedding_secrets.html

Amanda and Erik

October 10, 2010 - Turned out to be a spectacular day for Amanda and Eric. Their wedding at the Cloisters Castle in Lutherville, Maryland was bathed in wonderful sunshine and filled with surprises, including a visit from the 'The Bird' of Oriole's fame. The ceremony was officiated by the Cloisters very own Annie Applegarth. Catering was supplied by the Manor Tavern. For the second time in a month, I had the pleasure of working with the very professional Tom Gavin of DJ Delights. Here are some more images from the day.

Brittany and Loring

Last Saturday's wedding of Brittany and Loring took place at the lovely Cloisters Castle in Lutherville, Maryland. The ceremony took place in beautiful sunshine outside in the Cloistered courtyard. Reception followed inside in the main building. Squires Catering provided the wonderful food and service. The happy couple had a great send off in a 1954 mint condition Ivory and Classic Bentley from Lasting Impressions on Catonsville. The following are some images from the day - hope you enjoy them.

Amanda and Dale at the Cloisters

I had the pleasure of photographing Amanda and Dale's wedding at the Cloisters Castle recently. This is one of my favorite locations in which to photograph a wedding with its many unique settings and scenes it makes for great photo opportunities. Both the ceremony and reception were held at the same location. Amanda and Dale had 125 of the their dearest family and friends in attendance and I was honored to help them capture their special day.

Diana Venditto of Eventi Planning, did a wonderful job coordinating the wedding and Tom Gavin of DJ Delights provided great music throughout the night. It was great working with them both. Craig Hasslinger and his team from Hasslinger Golden Clipper Catering provided the delicious food and service throughout the evening. Please enjoy some images from the wedding: