the one with Kalyn and Reilly, ENGAGED!

For years I’ve complained to my friends, my family, a stranger on the street…anyone who would listen really, that I would never be a grandma. I mean, my girls weren’t even dating. Like REALLY dating one guy seriously. And all my closest girlfriends, they were grandmas! So, when Kalyn moved to Texas and started working for Texas Tech, and then introduced us to Reilly, well, I dreamed, but I didn’t want to jinx anything.

One year from the date they met, he put a ring on it!

And a little over 5 months from today, THEY ARE GETTING MARRIED! Hello! I’m going crazy over here! I’m praying for a wedding night baby for sure on this one!!!

Go Grandma!

We will put all the details up on a wedding website very soon. In the mean time? Enjoy this sweet sneak peek!

Love does,

Kristin

the one with Sarah + Lucas together

Guess who is getting married soon? Well, next year to be exact but I had the chance to shoot their engagement session in hopes (crossing my fingers) that I get to photograph their wedding! Kind of an interview, perhaps? A try-out? I’m sure hoping I got the job! Because these two are so much dang fun!

Love does,

Kristin

the one with Casey + Mikayla's engagement session

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, Stigler, Oklahome to be exact, my mom “Miss Betty Cheryl” has a BFF named Phyllis. They studied the Bible together, they went to church together, they raised their kids together. They were both single mommas and life was hard. Anyhoo, that kid above in the photo with the rope? He’s getting married! And his late Grandma was Phyllis, my mom’s BFF. And that pretty girl? Well, she’s the one he’s marrying. I got to photograph the tow of them over the weekend and I’m so glad I did. They are getting married in the fall and I’m so very happy they live in Texas and I got to meet them.

Are you in love an planning a wedding? If so, we need to talk. I know folks think I’m crazy ass expensive and I am. I can be. But I can also work with many budgets and enjoy meeting (and working with) all kinds of people. Hit that “contact” link and say hi and tell me all about the one you are in love with. I’m here waiting.

Love does,
Kristin

the one with Noah + Amber, MY NEPHEW!

Your guys, my nephew is getting married! And I’m the photographer! I had the chance to spend Thanksgiving in California recently and we carved some time for an engagement session. How lucky am I? So many times I wish we could have all lived close by over the years. We’ve done a great job of seeing each other almost yearly, but it’s never enough when it’s family you love! Congratulations on your engagement you two and I’ll pray for you both!!! ❤️

Love does,

Kristin

the one with a surprise proposal in the snow

What a way to celebrate the new year! RIGHT? Britton surprised his girlfriend with a proposal AND made sure to have a photographer there to capture it all! Way to go Britton!!! If you know this guy? Or if you know the beautiful Lexi, please ask them to tell you the story. It’s a good one! Remember that classic movie, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? Yep. It was that kind of traveling. All with a hidden diamond in his pocket.

Love Does,
Kristin

the one where Claire and Noah are engaged!

When there’s joy in an image, or love… really, any real emotion, the image is one I will keep. ALWAYS. Moment ALWAYS trumps anything. And when you are lucky enough to have gorgeous light and a gorgeous couple, well, everything is perfect.

I love these two. I was lucky enough to be chosen as their wedding photographer. Somebody pinch me!

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with an engagement at The Pearl in San Antonio

“But the you who you are tonight is the same you I was in love with yesterday, the same you I’ll be in love with tomorrow.”
― Gayle Forman, If I Stay

I’ve known Amanda almost as long as I’ve known Texas. She grew up just about mile from our farmhouse and we shared dogs over the years. Yes. You read that right. We shared dogs. The dogs would live at both places and we both fed the dogs. We even had different names for them. Totally cracks me up how farm dogs can “work the system”. One, we named Max, even ate a 9 year old’s birthday cake. LOL

She’s getting married next month. It was supposed to be a year from now. But remember the “snowmegeddon” we had in Texas? Her and Isaac “rescued” them when they were without electricity and when discussing their wedding, one mentioned that they hoped they would be here at that time. We all have numbered days. It was then that she decided to move up the wedding date and get married! BRAVO to them. Might make the planning a little crazy, I mean we did shoot engagement and bridals in 24 hours. BUT, it’s what is important to the two of them. To have family there when they start their married life.

They have two super cool dogs that had to be included in their session and then we just poked around San Antonio for a couple of hours and ate a lovely meal as well. All in all it was a great way to spend the evening. I wholeheartedly approve.

If you are planning your engagement session, I encourage you to think about all the places and things that are important to your relationship. The things that help tell your story. After all, it’s all about you.

Love +laughter, ALWAYS.

Kristin

the one with a West Texas proposal

Once upon a time, in a land just down the road, Lubbock Cooper High, a boy met a girl and they fell in love.

She became a Baylor Bear. Him? A Red Raider.

Today? He proposed.

Alec and Lo, aka Lauren, are now officially engaged. OFFICIALLY. I mean, we all knew, right? that eventually, they would get engaged? But did Lo know that tonight was the night? No. Alec pulled it off and totally surprised her! It was AWESOME!

It all started with a Grad Session @ TT. After a few grad portraits of Alec (who looks like a young Tom Cruise. You know, before he went all crazy and jumped on Oprah’s couch) we changed clothes and found a little nook in some pretty light by a local park. He twirled her around, kissed her hand, and dropped to one knee. She never saw it coming.

She said later that she felt like everyone was acting a bit weird. She just didn’t know why?

Congratulations to these two! I’m super happy for them!!!

Love ALWAYS does,
Kristin

the one where Taylor + Brannon get married at her home

Taylor and my daughter Summer Zoe are long time friends. They attended school together at Cooper and stayed friends long after Cooper ended. Every time Summer would come home from college or then her job/work, she never left the 806 without a visit to see Taylor, Heck, we took Taylor with us when Summer graduated from TCU! She’s family in our book.

Taylor fell in love with Brannon and when he proposed, they planned a wedding in the spring. We all know what happened this spring, don’t we? Yep. A pandemic. So, when her wedding venue couldn’t open due to the shut-in, she decided to get married at home in a small ceremony. Looking back through all these images, it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

We love you, Tay-con!

The Bednarz Family

the boys started the day with a little corn hole. Fun game, corn hole. I just recently started playing. I’ve been photographing it for years and never really played. Fun game!

Two guys just waiting on women. Am I right?

Brannon is a good guy. He’s got a few good guys that helped him get dressed. And during a pandemic, when the tux rental places are closed and not ordering suits and dressy outfits for guys to get married in, this isn’t easy.

Taylor has always had the BEST HAIR EVER. My daughter Summer has thick hair and I would consider Taylor her hair-twin. These girls take some serious wrist action by anyone involved that’s curling their manes.

They had caught a glimpse of Taylor’s dress and of course, immediately teared up.

checking out the activity of the day. I love this shot with all the maids enjoying the morning together!

LOVE this lace! Yes, the buttons are a pain in the ass, but there’s no way this dress would look this great without them.

WARNING: grab a tissue. Dad’s first look is is doozie!!!

I was a mess at this point. I simply held the camera above my head and fired away. Gosh!

The girls were GORGEOUS! Love the black with the bright colors!

Brannon and Taylor chose to not see each other before the ceremony. Instead? The read letters they wrote to each other. I have a video of this and it’s almost 4 minutes long. I took photos and recorded it as best I could. It was THAT good!

They both cried.

and then made each other laugh! Those kind of letters are THE BEST!

So good!

Taylor’s childhood home features a pool that gave her the perfect opportunity to walk around. It was great! We all got to see her and dad take a lap before the give-away!

Dad knows she loves him. And he knows Brannon’s a good guy!

See!

I love Tay’s hair in this shot! See how thick it is? She’s so happy!

Time for some rings!

There was a breaking the ice-laughing kind of moment!

and they are married!

Bubble blowers are the best!

We immediately marched through the house and onto the front yard. Beautiful sunset!

Some time for just the two of them…

and then reception time! Okay, so what’s the thing where you can get famous people to send out video good wishes to couple? Or to anyone really? You do it on an app on your iPhone? Well, Taylor and Brannon’s family surprised them with one from a favorite singer of theirs.

they danced and danced and her dress was perfect for dancing!

and then her baby sister, Bryce? She made us all cry again! it was perfect!

and when Randy danced with Taylor, it was GREAT! I love how they lit up the backyard with lights!

firework exit with a kiss involved and a cool car. BUT…

they didnt’ really leave…instead? POOL PARTY!!!! How cool is that?

Best pool party EVER!

the one with Sarah + Sherack , an engagement session

College sweethearts.

I have a soft spot in my heart for college sweethearts. My husband and I met in college. It’s a time in your life when you are on your own, getting to know yourself more as an adult and meeting all kinds of new people.
Some of those people become steadfast friends and you’ll keep them in your life forever. Some get in your heart and never leave. I think that’s what happened to these two.

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with Brittany + Vince at Joyland

This session was so much fun! When Brittany and I first started discussing her engagement session, Joyland came up in a fun activity that they love to do! Her and Vince are big on family and spend time at water parks and theme parks having fun just enjoying each other. Joyland is a local theme park here in Lubbock that is the perfect place to “go on a date” and take your photographer with you. LOL. I LOVE how these turned out!

Love does,
Kristin

the one with Motley and her engaged humans

I had. never met Motley before. I had met Trevor and Aislinn through Ky and Ashley. Those Houchin’s know EVERYONE. Not even kidding. But not Motley. People, this dog totally made me feel like my dog, Kanga was a complete failure at dog life. I mean come on! This dog stayed right by us the ENTIRE time. It did not chase cars and it would totally pose for pictures. I was completely jealous! Kanga needs to step up her game, let me just say.

These two are getting married at Kitalou Gin this fall and I’m so excited to be their wedding photographer!!! HELLO! They are totally cool as heck together and just plain fun to be around. My kind of people! Not to mention just check out how fantastic they look together!

Love Does,
Kristin

the one where Braden loves Sydni and...THEY ARE GETTING MARRIED!

I’m still processing the title up there. Sydni is getting married. SYDNI IS GETTING MARRIED! I’ve known Sydni her entire life and I could NOT be happier right now. Her momma, Keri is one of my life long friends and Sydni is the same age as my daughter Summer Zoe. They’ve literally grown up together, as in right down the road from each other. She fell in love with Braden and they are planning a July wedding. Guess who gets to photograph it? YEP. ME. I’m the lucky photographer.

How did you two meet? High school 💗

How cute is that? High school friends that are now getting married.

Who kissed who first? I kissed him first 😎

Girl made the move and it totally paid off.

The moment you “knew” you found the one? Braden would say when I cooked for him 💗

Okay, now I wanna know…what did you cook? And I don’t think she’s ever cooked for me. Hello! Now her momma has and she’s a great cook! Cooking is important. One of you should be able to do it.

A song title that describes your relationship?  Or your favorite song. Hmmmmmmmmm let me think.

What do you do for a living? We both are in the real estate industry. Flips, buy and sell, Buying a property management company this month. 

That’s some major “adult-ing” right there. IMPRESSED.

What do you secretly wish you did for a living? We both LOVE real estate and plan on doing this forever! 

I would have answered Victoria’s Secret Model. Jut so I could have the body. But then I’d totally be in love with myself.

Favorite thing you do together that I can talk about on my blog? Ummmmmmm our ideal night is to sit at home cook dinner and chill on the couch watching tv :) 

Love + Laughter,

Kristin

the one with Kolton and Kayleen

This picture above makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. Does it you? That feeling when you find someone you simply enjoy and love being around? And then, when you decide to commit and spend the rest of your lives together? Well, that’s just icing on the cake. These two? They are TOTAL icing!

I just love photographing people in love. It is the BEST job! Meet Kolton and Kayleen. This precious couple is getting married this summer and I’m so in LOVE with the two of them! For one, I’ve watched Kolton play ball out at Cooper and have photographed him many times. Then, I got to meet the girl he wants to marry and I fell in love with her sense of style and those LONG LONG LEGS she wears so well. HELLO! I’m totally #jelly. I feel like long legs make everything look better. Don’t you? And she looked AMAZING!

When I prepare for engagement sessions, I always requests pics of planned outfits. It helps me decide colors and areas that may compliment what the couple is wearing. Also, I scout locations based on weather and yesterday? WIND. What else? These two were troopers about it though and we found areas tucked away from the wind.

Another part of engagement sessions that I love is when I found out a bit more about the couple and how well they can tease and laugh together. These two? No exception. We photographed for a couple of hours, but it only felt like minutes. There was some football game being played last night, I think? Right? We wrapped up our session just in time to make it by half time.

Enjoy the sneak peek!

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with Fran and David's 50th wedding celebration at Caprock Winery

Fran and David celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a big celebration at Caprock Winery. Their family and friends came out to celebrate despite the cold and icy roads and they filled the room with love! I was invited to photograph the event and was so happy to do so!

Congrats you two on a lovely celebration and better yet, BEST WISHES FOR MANY MORE YEARS OF LOVE AND FUN!!!

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with Payton and Colton, an engagement in West Texas

Payton played basketball with my girls at Cooper. That’s how I know her or rather how I met her. I got to know her because she became a very good friend of our family. Yes. She’s drop dead gorgeous, but she’s also a total goofball who’s so sweet and funny that you only want the best for her. So, when she fell in love with Colton and he proposed, I of course, wanted to meet him. You know, to make sure he was the BEST. Well, after spending a lovely afternoon with him, I’m convinced. He is the best for her. These two are lovely to look at, lovely to be around, and so dang fun together!

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with Haley + Ryan

When life gives you a 2nd chance, it’s just THE best! It truly is. And it’s even better when I get to photograph it! Haley and Ryan are getting married next year in April at Horseshoe Knot Event Center. We met one gorgeous evening to make a few pictures together. I even got to photograph their kids, which was a total treat for me. This empty nest, living with only a dog and husband is killing me. I need someone’s kids to chase around now and again, so YES! Bring on the KIDS!!!

I mean can you blame me? Look at those faces! This cuties! BE STILL MY MOMMA HEART!

I know it’s crazy for parents when kids are being kids., but I totally love it! It shows off their personalities and is just so dang cute!

This will be a blended family. Blended with LOVE, fun and lots of boys! Hello! Haley, if you need a break, you know where I live.

Guys, want to impress the ladies? Find a kid to hang out with, preferably one you know, and then just love them and enjoy them. We will MELT. Like seriously MELT. Ryan, this was such a cute moment!

I can just hear the giggles!

Okay, so the kids left with “grandma” and we three went off to make some pretty pictures together. These two took some deep breaths and settled in for some “good stuff”.

These two are soooo good together! I love how he looks at her and just how easy they are.

um…Miss Haley! Sitting there so dang HOT! Hello!

and her hair…LOVE her long blonde hair!

I took her around the corner so Mother Nature could blow it like Beyonce. I mean, HELLO! LOVE IT!

THIS! This makes me want to go hang out with my man.

My favorite image from the session!

Q + A

How did you two meet?
We had mutual friends introduce us at their cinco de mayo party!

Who kissed who first?
He kissed me first. 😁

The moment you knew you found the one.
I can't think of a moment, we just kind of "knew". 

Favorite thing you do together that I can talk about on my blog?
We love to do things with our kids, watch movies, snorkel, kayaking. 

What do you do for a living? And what do you secretly wish you could do?
Ryan owns a carpet/tile/air duct cleaning business.  He secretly wishes he built hot rods. 
I am a mortgage loan assistant and secretly wish I was a dental hygienist. 

A song title that describes your relationship? Or favorite song.
I'm still trying to think of a song. That's a hard one. 
God Gave Me You, by Blake Shelton

Thank you, both of you, and your sweet boys for hanging with me. Let’s continue to make beautiful images together.

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with Maddie + Bryce and #thatdress

This is Maddie and Bryce.  I've watched these two grow up in Slaton, meet at school in Southland and fall in love.  And guess who gets to shoot their wedding?  YEP!!!  I DO!!!  Can I get a "woo hoo"?  Hello!  I'm a happy girl.  And we need some applause for that dress up there.  Golly!!!  It's gorgeous!!!!  It rained the day we met to take photos.  We ducked into the greenhouse on campus and quickly broke out into sweaty humans and decided that screw the rain, let's shoot anyway.  It didn't last long and we played behind the library a bit and then made our way to Slaton, USA.  Bryce is a fireman so we just had to make use of the Engine House there on the square.  I love the energy these two have and how much they laugh together.  It makes me all warm inside and very happy that they have each other.

Love does,
Kristin

the one with Koal + Courtney, an engagement session in the LBK

I adore this kid on the right, I truly do.  I've watched him grow up and I've prayed for him throughout his life.  I'm pretty tight with his momma + daddy.  And I'm very happy he's found his forever girl.  His FOREVER GIRL!!!  She's the. pretty one on the left.  But I selfishly cried, just a bit, when I heard the news of their engagement.  Yep.  I cried.  I was secretly hoping that one of the Houcin boys would marry one of the Bednarz girls and then me and Emily, Koal's momma, could REALLY be related. We'd be like outlawed inlaws!  How cool would that be?  And you can't blame me for thinking this.  Honestly you can't.  The entire town of Slaton was thinking this way back in the day.  In the early 2000's, our kids where chosen to be the sweet  little  Homecoming Kings and Queens by the town of Slaton.  See?  They thought it as well!!!  I have the photo proof.  Somewhere... I'll dig them up in just a minute and post them. So, keep coming back to this blog because I'm going to blow it up soon.  But back to my crying.  

So, I cried when I heard that Koal and Courtney were engaged and getting married.  There goes my dream of Summer + Koal.  BOO HOO!!!  But then I got super happy when they asked me to photograph them.  Like truly happy.  I've known and watched Courtney grow up a bit as well. And she's a keeper.  She loves Koal and you can obviously see it when the two are together.  I'm happy that my family of Houchins is bringing in a new member to the fold.  Welcome sweet, beautiful Courtney!!!  No worries here.  Me and Emily will still be friends and maybe one of my girls can wait to fall in love until Kutter, Koal's baby brother?  That might be weird now, but not in 10 years or so.  I won't give up the dream!!  LOL 

Back to some kick ass photos...

Enjoy your sneak peek, you cuties!!  And thank you for basically going along with Emilly and not letting anyone else photograph the two of you.  I love you both!!  And just so you know, I'm still praying.  

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with Natalie + Addison's engagement session

When you find "the one", you just know.  You truly just know.  These two found each other and are getting married this December.  I'm so happy I get to be a part of their big day!  Heck, big wedding weekend!  Natalie and my daughter, Kalyn Marie grew up together.  They became good friends when they both attended Cooper and even graduated together.  She's such a sweetheart and I couldn't be happier for her!  Now that I'm back in the country farm house, her mom and I are neighbors again and HELLO!  We have so much in common that we didn't know we had.  A good road trip will give you that.  Excited to be neighbors and excited that these two found each other.

Love does,
Kristin