Amber & Ashton, high school sweethearts, live in the DFW area with their adorable toddler Jace.  They’re both from Tyler, TX so they are getting married in their home town at the Tyler Rose Gardens on August 20th!

All of my wedding clients receive a complementary engagement session and with their wedding FAST approaching we had to coordinate them in the dead heat of summer with 100+ degree temps + 90% humidity.  (Good thing they’re Texas natives 💁)

I’m originally from the DFW area and most of my family lives there, so I immediately thought of the Dallas Arboretum but then I was warned about how much more humid it is in the gardens. 😫 Wilted clients are just not cute (or happy). After talking it over with some other photographers Amber and I decided on the Fort Worth water gardens, thinking that it “might” be cooler if we happen to have a breeze. WHEW we lucked out and although it was hot as….well you know those sayings…. we did manage to occasionally catch a breeze.

Safety is a big concern at the water gardens especially with a toddler in tow for the shoot. There are some deep (but beautiful) fountains with motors that have a lot of suction.  There is no swimming signs posted everywhere.  Jace however was the most well behaved toddler that I have every seen in a public place.  I was sorely tempted to see if Amber & Ashton wanted to trade a toddler for a teenager!

I loved how Jace’s outfit coordinated with mom and dad. Bringing in elements of both of their wardrobes brought the whole look together without looking too “matchy”.

Their wedding is THIS Sunday (and the temps are supposed to be in the 90s 😬)  So stay tuned for what is sure to be some beautiful wedding portraits at the Rose Gardens!

My Philosophy : Pictures are our way of capturing a sliver of time, a moment, so that we can tell it back to ourselves later. It’s my job to capture that moment for you in all its intensity and beauty so that you can hold onto it through times both bad and good.  My passion is storytelling, I just use a camera instead of a words.

Criss can be found floating around on her  Website,   Facebook,  Instagram, or Twitter accounts when she’s not running around the house in her cape or digging in the dirt in East Texas.