owner / photographer / mastermind behind it all

 

HOW I GOT MY START:

I started my dream, Simple Moments Photography, in early 2002 after returning from the wedding capital of the world: Las Vegas. Having lived and worked there in the fashion, commercial, and wedding photography industries after graduating with a degree in photography, I decided it was time to go out on my own and did so as soon as I moved back to my roots in Texas. Since that very day I’ve been a full-time wedding and portrait photographer, now based in Grapevine. March 2012 marked a huge anniversary for me: 10 years in business!

 

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION AND AFFILIATION:

• Awarded for my work by The Wedding Photojournalists Association.
• Recognized for my business service by Wedding Wire.
• Published in Texas Wedding Guide, Style Me Pretty, Brides of North Texas, and the coffee table book Spectacular Weddings of Texas.
• Served 6 years on the Board of the Professional Wedding Guild of Fort Worth, 2 of those as President.
• Member of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce
• Member of the National Association of Catering and Event.

What do all these stats mean? In short, it means I’m dedicated;  I’ve got some serious experience under my belt, there’s nothing I haven’t seen, and no situation that will throw me off. I’m recognized, road-tested, and raved about.

 

HOW OTHERS DESCRIBE ME:

If you want to hear it from someone other than me, be sure to check out those Wedding Wire reviews on the left. But in short…

• I’m known to make most anyone feel comfortable in front of my camera.
• My couples always tell me I’m a calming force in any storm and I make them so relaxed.
• I’m extremely passionate about what I do.
• I will take charge when it’s needed, step back when it’s not, and be a good teammate and play well with your other vendors.
• I always, ALWAYS, make it fun, easy, and painless.
• I’ve been accused of being “bubbly” and “a Pollyanna”. What can I say? There really is something to be happy about and grateful for at any time.
• There is no wedding day crisis I haven’t already seen and not many that will ruffle me. At least, YOU’LL never see me ruffled.
• My work is best described as timeless and real, but I also hear it called intimate and personal.
• I’m detail-oriented so as not to miss anything, but I’m also flexible and versatile since weddings and sessions are living, breathing events!

 

 

I love the classics of a wedding… a white dress, a black tux, the perfect shoes, and an impeccably matched wedding party.

But even more than all that? I love you in a red wedding dress, or in a tweed vest and plaid bowtie, wearing boots instead of heels, a brother who escorts instead of a father, a minister who recites movie quotes for your vows, serving custom ‘made-to-order’ pizzas for dinner, dinosaur cake toppers, and most importantly – the changing tide that is finally allowing you to marry whomever you wish.

But the most important fact …

There is a moment at almost every wedding that makes me cry. Sometimes it’s the way your Dad looks at you right before he walks you down the aisle. Or perhaps it’s the way your first dance causes the world to drop away as you get lost in each other. Other times it’s a glance from a mother, a toast from a brother, or a hand hold from an elderly grandfather.

Whatever it is I’m always watching… always waiting… because it’s these moments that define your wedding day and these moments that define my work.

 

 

Yeah, yeah, this is supposed to be all about me but for now I want to talk more about YOU! Because, really… this is all about you! You’re the reason I do this every weekend and the reason that, after 15 years, I still love my job.

You’re always on the look-out for little touches that will make your wedding day personal and unique. At the same time you love the traditions of a wedding and the time-honored reasons we get married.

You want to hire pros to work with you on your wedding as a team; a group that works well together so you don’t have to babysit. Because on the wedding day you want to sit back and enjoy it knowing the team you hired is taking care of everything else.

The thing you’re most excited about on your wedding day is being able to SHARE this with those that you love. Your family and friends that have loved and supported you, are so very important. You can’t wait to experience this day with them.

While posed pictures are important, you don’t want to spend hours on portraits. You want a photographer who can make you feel comfortable, make you look amazing, and MAKE IT QUICK! After all… there’s a celebration waiting on you!

You want pictures that tell the story of not only how YOU remember the day, but how everyone else experienced and remembers the day.

Does any of this sound like you? If so, I get it. I get you. I know what’s important to you because it’s also what’s important to me! Se let’s connect and chat more. Sounds like we’d make a great team!

 

 

For now  I’ll end with a few “fun facts” to help you better get to know the gal behind the camera:

My sidekick and mascot is a furry Brittany named Bailey whom I adopted from a local rescue organization.

Laughter is my favorite past time and I’m known to regularly laugh until I cry.

I love the ocean and one day I’ll own a home close enough to smell it from my front porch. For now, I make regular pilgrimages to wet my fin.

You’re just as likely to find me antique shopping as you would at IKEA.

I’m a not-so-closeted Public Radio junkie and yes, I’ve been known to sit in the car outside my home, completely engaged, waiting for a program to end. What can I say? I love a good story!

People fascinate me. We are unique, interesting, varied, and capable of anything.

I never miss an episode of Mad Men and I’m a sucker for the ridiculously over-the-top Baz Luhrmann films.

The Andrews Sisters? Ella Fitzgerald? Big Band and Crooners? Yes, yes, and yes.

Give me crafts or a puzzle and you’re likely to lose me for hours.

There’s not many foods I haven’t tried and I’m willing to eat most things, but blame my Scottish and English blood… I can’t handle anything spicy!

My travel bucket list includes Fiji and India, experiencing the beauty of the Aurora Borealis, and a safari to see majestic animals not behind bars. But give me a B&B with a gorgeous view that takes my breath away,  over a 5 star hotel in a high-rent district.

While I adore my fuel-efficient car, I still dream of owning a completely impractical 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible. Cherry Red, of course.