New Blog Home!

Thanks for visiting my blog!  I’ve migrated my current blogging over to my home at the official Shelley Elena Photography website, so click through to see what I’ve been up to lately.  Have a beautiful day!

Mo Ranch Wedding: Audrey & Mitch!

If you head west from Austin, pass through Dripping Springs and go all the way to Fredericksburg and then keep going west, you’ll end up in Kerville.  But if you drive a little further, you’ll pass through the little town of Hunt and then find yourself in the deep, true Texas Hill Country.  You’ll also find yourself at Mo Ranch, a camp along the towering banks of the Guadalupe.  After the long drive, arriving at Mo Ranch for Audrey & Mitch’s weekend of wedding festivities felt like an escape from reality: beautiful views, canoes, water slides, and little to no cell service.  But while it might have felt that way for the guests and myself,  Audrey & Mitch already live a life that is adventure and travel.  They don’t need to escape because exploring interesting places with the people they love is normal.  Maybe we should all aspire to make our weekends (and weekdays!) so vibrant that wedding weekends can be a continuation of a life we love already.

Palm Door Wedding: Emily & Zak are married!

Being a proud nerd, I’m not ashamed to declare my love for science fiction & fantasy novels, so I couldn’t have been happier when the best man’s speech at Emily & Zak’s wedding involved parallel universes.  He pointed out that every decision we make means another decision we forego, one of the biggest being marriage.  Emily & Zak decided to bind their lives together at the Chapel Dulcinea on a day that should have rained, but didn’t, and then partied the night away with friends and family at the Palm Door amid twinkling lights.  That decision to become husband and wife sets them down a path together for the rest of their lives and eliminates a million other paths.  But as Kellan pointed out, the fear of not know what you’re missing pales in comparison to the joy of choosing a path with the one you love.

P.S. That stunner of a cake is courtesy of the amazing Coco Paloma.

 

Garden Wedding: Jessie & Jason are married!

I could insert an inspiring quote about how important it is to marry your best friend or be with someone  who makes you smile, but all you really need to know about Jessie & Jason’s wedding comes from something Jessie said. Halfway through laughing our way through couple’s photos (and right before a bird pooped on me), she looked at Jason and said, “well, life will never be boring with you!”  And that’s how they begun the great adventure of marriage together.  That and a honeymoon in a treehouse on an island.  I think their smiles will say everything else!

Faythe & Mike are married!

Faythe & Mike embraced everything bright and cheerful about their spring wedding, most visible in the abundant vibrant colors, but also so apparent in their attitudes.  To me, spring always represents the hope that comes along with a new season.  The whole time that Faythe & Mike were sharing their personalized vows, I couldn’t stop thinking about how a wedding is the sign of a new season in the life of a couple and a new family.  I overheard Faythe’s dad joking that walking his daughter down the aisle was an easy task, but giving her away was a different matter entirely.  We always talk about the joyful moments of a wedding, but don’t always acknowledge that, as with any transition, it’s ok to feel the bittersweetness of another season ending.  Happily, that little bit of sadness doesn’t take away from the overwhelming joy of a brand new marriage and years of experience loving each other.

Park Wedding: Sarah & Patrick are married!

I think if you asked Sarah & Patrick what their perfect day would be, it would probably involve camping, Tacodeli, and hanging out all day with their favorite people in a riverside park on a gorgeous Austin spring day.  And shouldn’t your wedding basically involve all your favorite things?  So that’s how on a sunny spring morning, we all ended up on the banks of the Colorado River at Emma Long Park eating tacos, playing lawn games, and cheering on Sarah & Patrick’s brand new marriage.  The wedding was infused with their passions and personality, with recycling reminders and tents and Patrick’s colorful art.  If you ever need encouragement to just do whatever the heck you want for your wedding, just come back and look at these photos!

Mercury Hall Wedding: Brianna & Josh!

As Brianna & Josh’s friends & family scurried around Mercury Hall on the afternoon of their wedding, I commented on how hard they were working to make everything perfect.  Several people replied with total sincerity, “They deserve it.  They would and have done the same for all of us.”  That spoke volumes about the kind of people Brianna & Josh are.  They love well and are loved well in return.  That love even extends to their sweet pup, too, who faithfully followed them around all day, never in the way, but always present.  She even brought them the actual rings, during the ceremony!  As always, it was an honor to witness and document such a heartfelt celebration of love!

Lake Travis Wedding: Leah & Ryne are married!

Ryne won Leah’s heart when he made a joke about needing Polyjuice potion and they both won my heart when I heard that story.  Weddings have a bad habit of convincing people that you have to do things a certain way and I’m so glad that Ryne & Leah chose to make their wedding their own.  I geeked out over the nerdy little details like Lord of the Rings soundtracks played by the string quartet, Harry Potter references on the photobooth backdrop, and magical hanging centerpieces.  It helps that Nature’s Point basically looks like the Shire transported to Lago Vista.  More than anything though, I loved the quiet moment when Leah & Ryne shared their own private vows with each other before the ceremony.  It was such a beautiful picture of the commitments that two people make to each other based on years and years of relationship.

Venue: Nature’s Point

Second Shooter: Carlos Barron

Coordination: Krystal Wigfield

Hair & Makeup: Lola Beauty

Florals: Visual Lyrics

Desserts: Sweet Treets

DJ: Hill Country DJ

Officiant: Austin Weddings Unlimited

String Quartet: Hyde Park Strings

Invitations: Becca Ray

 

Take Me Home – Free the Honey

I could not be more proud to be sharing the music video I made for Free the Honey‘s song, Take Me Home.  Having zero video experience, I knew this would just be an experiment, but what a glorious experiment it was!  To create a visual story to accompany their enchanting song in one of the most gorgeous places in the hill country was a dream.  It may not be perfect, but I’m still overjoyed with how it turned out.  I can’t wait to do another music video, so let me know if music makes your heart come alive and you want to share that with the world!

Kyndall & Nathan are married!

If you’ve ever met me, you probably know that I’m a gullible person.  When Kyndall & Nathan’s wedding day came around, I had only met Nathan via Skype, but he is clearly good at reading people because he tricked me within 5 seconds of meeting him.  Let me just tell you, that is always a great sign for a wedding day.  Sure enough, their wedding at the Vista West Ranch flew by, thanks to their joyful personalities and hilarious friends and family.  One of my favorite moments was when we were taking night portraits and Kyndall suddenly ran back towards the reception so that she could dance to the Nae-Nae.  The wedding day was so fun that I couldn’t stop smiling looking back through the photos, and now I’m excited because sharing happy things only makes them sweeter.

Venue: Vista West Ranch

Florals: Petal Pushers

Planners: Coordinate This

Hair: Tiffany Williams

Makeup: Beyoutiful Hair & Makeup

DJ: Premier Entertainment Group

Caterer: Flores Mexican

Second Shooter: Janeane Melton

Cakes: Classic Cakes by Lori