Meet the Smith family: Emily, Zander, 6 month old Ari and dog Arnold. (Incidentally, I was told Arnold was named after Arnold Palmer.) What a pleasure to photograph such a lovely family. Not only were they an exceptionally beautiful lot, but they were patient, easy to work with, playful, loving and magic in front of the camera. It's rare when a baby that young is so attentive and easy to get engaged in a picture. And, as you can see, Arnold is a natural.

We staged a morning shoot and planned to capture the family informally in their bedroom. With natural light from the windows above their bed bouncing all around their white room, the images took on a soft, surreal look which felt ideal for a sweet family morning in bed.

Emily wanted to take pictures in several rooms throughout the house to have a record of their home while they are raising young Ari. As you can see, we covered the master-bed room, the nursery, kitchen alcove, living room and outside the front of the house. Everywhere I looked was picture perfect.

Thank you Smith family for sharing your morning with me.

Congratulations to Amy and Ross on their March 9 wedding at Austin Country Club. This wedding was one of my favorite events this year! Not just because Amy and Ross are an adorable couple or that I have been taking pictures of Amy and her family for many years and know them all well - but because the event was fun and full of super cool people. Amy had ten bridesmaids. I always wonder how anyone has that many CLOSE friends to ask to be in their wedding party. Being a bridesmaid is a lot of responsibility. You have to buy a matching bridesmaid dress, attend bridal showers, purchase lots of gifts, attend a bachelorette party (this one was easy duty in Cabo San Lucas) and spend mega hours getting hair, make-up and pictures done on the wedding day. Wow, that is a lot of love for a bride. And it showed. These ladies were amazing. Attentive, sweet, supportive and always ready to do whatever was needed. Amy, you have great friends! 

Both Amy and Ross attended Westlake High School but did not start dating until after college. The couple honeymooned on safari in Africa and are now living in Houston. Married at The Smith Family Chapel at Riverbend, the ceremony was short and sweet. Westbank Flower Market added their usual amazing touches providing a garden of elegant arrangements. Twenty attendants filled the stage but the moment no one will forget is when the twin flower girls and their ring bearer brother walked down the aisle. All smiles were on the children as Lilly aided her brother with gentle nudges from behind. And then there was Amy. She was a beaming bride on her father's arm as she approached Ross and her future.

The reception at Austin Country Club was elegant and fun for all! The entire event was organized by the magnificent wedding planner, Sandy Perkins, staged with special effect lighting by FILO, Ibrahim the cigar roller provided hand rolled cigars, Say Cheese hosted a photo booth and EVERYONE danced to the music provided by The Matchmaker Band. Amy and Ross had selected Christine Cantrell of Custom Order Cakes to make their wedding cakes and everyone enjoyed the special comic topper on the groom's cake that featured the bride dragging the groom to the alter. 

So much fun. I am getting ready to make a wedding album of all these activities so they will have something tangible to remember this day. 
Amy and Ross - thank you for letting me be apart of this special event.

Key Players:

Wedding Venue: Smith Family Chapel, Riverbend Church
Reception Venue: Austin Country Club
Wedding Planner: Sandy Perkins
Photographer: Francois Photography, Kim Francois
Assistant Photographer: Cat Mattingly
Photo Booth: Say Cheese
Officiant: Gordon Smith
Ceremony Music: Musical Discovery Chamber Players
Reception Music: Matchmaker Band
Hair Stylists: Brittany Limon, Salon Savoy
Make Up Artists: Houston Puryear Ward
Ballroom Lighting: FILO
Floral: Westbank Flower Market
Vintage Car:  4-Leaf Limo
Cigar Roller: Ibrahim the Cigar Roller
Cakes: Christine Cantrell, Custom Order Cakes
Shuttle/Bus Transportation: Austin Charter
Invites: Medical Parkway Printing
Save-The-Date Cards, Francois Photography, Kim Francois
Guest Sign-In Book: Francois Photography, Kim Francois
Sign-In Poster: Francois Photography, Kim Francois

THIS COUPLE GOT SET UP! 
Sherri and David were both long time members of Austin Country Club but their paths had never crossed. Then, two mutual friends interceded and encouraged them to meet. After talking for hours and shutting down the restaurant on their first date, they knew they had found something special. The rest is history.

This is where I come in. Funny story. They hired me to photograph their engagement pictures and wedding. Sherri is very adventurous so we agreed to do the engagement session in a canoe, on Lake Austin, in the fall, after the leaves turn colors. I have been trying to get a couple to do this for years and Sherri and David were the first to agree.
This kind of session takes lots of planning. We had to hire someone to rent a canoe (I insisted it be red) and paddle it to a specific site for the shoot. Timing was critical as the shoot had to take place just prior to the sun setting to maximize the golden tree colors but not too late that the sun sets below the hills - that amounts to about 15 minutes of optimal light. Every time we set a date it rained. Or it was freezing. Or the wind was blowing. Then came the hill country floods and the city closed all the lakes to boat traffic. And, because of the floods, the water was muddy brown and ugly. This was not going well. Finally just two weeks before the wedding, we got a break. Lindsay from the Rowing Docks brought a RED canoe to the boat channel at Austin Country Club and we were able to paddle up a stream in a canoe - and with only two weeks to spare before the wedding.

The wedding went much smoother thanks to Suzanne Court, the wedding planner.  She had everything under control. The weather was perfect and the ceremony was beautiful. Sherri was escorted down the aisle by her father (Jerry) and her only son (Preston). There were some tears of joy and a few giggles when the ring did not slide on David's finger and he exclaimed; "Gee, I guess we should have practiced that ahead of time". Afterwards, the reception at Austin Country Club was an elegant display of gold, silver and teal featuring amazing white orchids, hydrangea flowers and teal crystal rocks on every table. The cake was also teal surrounded by a garden of hydrangeas. A totally amazing event for an amazing couple. So grateful that they let me be apart of this special event.

Key Players: 

Wedding Venue: Smith Family Chapel, Riverbend Church
Reception Venue: Austin Country Club, Amy Kennedy
Wedding Planner: SSC&E, Suzanne Court
Photographer: Francois Photography, Kim Francois
Assistant Photographer: Cat Mattingly
Officiant: Pastor Bob Bolender, Austin Bible Church
Ceremony Music: Dave Madden
Reception Music: Derrick Hicks, Nu Standard
Special Musical Performance: Doug Clark Steiger
Hair: Mirror Mirror
Make Up: Kiss & Make Up
Light Production: Austin Events Lighting
Floral: Fabian Salcedo
Vintage Car: Ben Wirtz
Valet Service: Uptown Valet
Cake: Simon Lee Bakery, Judy Lee
Macarons: Paris in a Bite

So honored The Society Diaries Magazine featured one of my weddings in the July/August 2018 issue of their high profile magazine. This is a second chance to celebrate this beautiful event!

Rebecca and Taylor met in the fall of 2011 while attending Auburn University - Go War Eagle! 
Currently living in Atlanta, Rebecca works as a Structured Securities Research Analyst at Invesco while Taylor is employed as a Sourcing Analyst at Jones Lang LaSalle. Seven years after that fateful meeting, they married in Austin, Texas on May 5, 2018 - also celebrated as Cinco de Mayo.

Anyone attending this wedding will never forget the flowers. As a wedding photographer for over 18 years, I have seen my share of wedding flowers. However, nothing compares to the flowers at this wedding. Westbank Flower Market did an amazing job converting the Austin Country Club ballroom into a lavish garden of pink, white and celery colored arrangements. They began by removing the doors from the ballroom and creating floral door arches to WOW the guests upon arrival. Then, each of the ballroom tables had spectacular arrangements which transformed the space into an elegant garden to stimulate the eyes and nose.

I love a wedding where the bride and groom take the initiative to personalize their special event with things that are important to them. This couple really hit the mark. A theme that was not to be missed paid homage to the holiday Cinco de Mayo. Contributing to the celebratory festivities, the bride supplied her twelve bridesmaids (yes, twelve) Mexican peasant dresses to wear while they got their hair and make up done. This Mexican theme was also carried into the evening reception with a Cinco de Mayo Buffet Room complete with Mexican decorations, a fabulous Queso Bar provided by Matt's Famous El Rancho Restaurant and a Beverage Bar featuring speciality frozen "Spicy" and "Texas" version Margaritas. Additionally the bride and groom created their very own speciality beverages: "The Becky" and "The Twan" complete with personalized wooden stir sticks. And what about the groom's cake you ask?  Well, it was personalized too. Taylor had it designed to look like an Auburn University football helmet. Again, Go War Eagles! The groom also added a personal touch for his entourage of groomsmen by providing Atlanta Brave badges which were sewn on the arms of each of his twelve groomsmen to show their passion for his favorite baseball team. Go Braves!

It was a fun and festive event for all. Music provided by the Memphis Train kept the guest dancing right to the end. The bride and groom had their last dance and departed through a duel sided line of guests throwing rose petals and they were swept away in a 1940 Cadillac 60 Special to the Driskill Hotel for one night prior to honeymooning in St. Lucia. Go Honeymooners!

Thank you Rebecca and Taylor for inviting me to enjoy the fun and capture this night of memories for you.

Key Players: 

Ceremony Venue: Smith Family Chapel, Riverbend Church
Reception Venue: Austin Country Club
Event Planner: Megan Metzger, Pearl Events
Florist: Westbank Flower Market
Bakery: Simon Lee Bakery
Decorations and Linens: Premiere
Photographer: Kim Francois, Francois Photography
Assistant Photographer: Cat Mattingly
Photo Booth: Kelsey Butler Harrison, Oh Happy Day Booth
Special Effects Lighting: Illios
Band: Memphis Train
Make up: Adore
Hair: Adore
Officiant: Jeff Loomis
Mexican Dresses: Saint Beatrice
1940 Cadillac 60 Special: Austin Classic Limo