Our second-to-last wedding of the year was a serious doozy. Gorgeous people, beautiful venues, a fantastic wedding party, and a dance floor to rival any we’ve shot. Chris & Julie were the perfect mix of excited and confident all day long… the confidence that comes from knowing that you’ve found your forever.

The ceremony was held at Fort Worth First Christian Church, with the reception at Colonial Country Club, where the couple first met. The day was a creative challenge for Mack and I, as all bride & groom portraits would be taking place after dark… but when we’re faced with something other than our “normal”, that just pushes us to rock our job in a different way. We LOVE this collection of images, and we’re excited to finally share them with Julie & Chris!

It was a miracle to get this collection narrowed down even just this far, so settle in and prepare for lots of pretty:

I think I might have scared the church groundskeeper early in the day… he was walking a hose to these steps to spray the leaves off them, and I knew that meant the front steps would be too wet for my wedding party portraits. I had to convince him just to sweep instead, and PROMISE that the bride wouldn’t be mad if the stairs “weren’t clean enough”. I’m glad he trusted me… this is exactly what we had in mind for these groups!

The following set is an example of Mack and I both shooting a ceremony at the same time… totally different results. (and don’t worry, I have images without the McG photobomb 😉 )

Mr. & Mrs. Neuman!

Special thanks to Sarah with Colonial Country Club. Not only was she incredibly helpful with a fast-paced reception timeline, but she secured a golf cart and a driver so that Julie & Chris could take a few photos at the 13th hole, where they met for the first time.

The following photo is the kind of moment we especially love capturing at a wedding… it’s SO 2015. When they show their wedding pictures to grandchildren, they’ll get to explain the culture of the selfie, and how awesome it was to have that personal view of such a special moment.

When it was time for Time Machine Band to bring the party, this little stud was the first one on the dance floor, clapping and yelling “HURRAY!”

It didn’t take long for grownups to fill up the floor, and so started one of the best dance parties we’ve photographed all year.

Toward the end of the night, the band leader called Julie & Chris up on stage. They proceeded to channel their best Tina Turner and give an outstanding performance of “Proud Mary”. FAVORITE.

Congratulations, guys. You’ve really been such a joy to work with over the last year, and we’re so happy to have been able to capture all these memories we know you’ve been waiting to create.

Now, let’s plan that Alaska fishing trip. 😉