this title is completely true in every sense and i have never seen a wedding in my entire life that was more beautiful (and i go to a lot!).  i heard some really disheartening news last week about my friend sarah.  she found out that a previous bout with cancer (that was gone) has returned   on her lungs. instead of going through chemo with a fiance, she wanted to go through this walk with a husband.  so everyone made a couple of calls and her wedding was planned in less than 24 hours!  i have never seen a community come together so fast to plan a wedding before, but it was amazing! 

backing up, sarah contacted me to shoot her wedding in november of this year.  it was going to take place on thanksgiving weekend and i just could not make it happen with my holiday schedule. i of course was disappointed because i wanted to capture that day for her and had been planning on it even before she had a husband in mind!

if anyone has ever planned a wedding, you know all of the details that might take place.  it may take 6 months (at least) to find all the vendors to make it happen.  this wedding was a testament to what it really is and is not about. what took place on sunday was a beautiful act and reminded me that this is the perfect example of what a wedding should be about.  it was all so beautiful and true.  it encourages me to live life day to day and relish every moment as if it was my last.  i am glad that i did get to shoot her wedding after all!

a prayer service is being held tonight at ecclesia for sarah @ 8:00. click here to see more from their beautiful day.

special thanks to:

ecclesia church
dj red
kelly balfour (helped with donation items (cake and bouquet)
Special Arrangements Floral (donated bouquet and boutineer)
smilebooth
robbie seay band

I am often asked at every wedding if I shoot with Digital.  Mainly they are older men who have an old camera and can't get through to letting film go, I don't blame them.  There is something about a hard negative that you can lift up to the light and view an image on.  Josh was the creditor to helping me grow in my passion of photography and so many nights a camera would be in our hands exploring the light.  We fell in love over it and continue to grow in it every day.  I am blessed by what it has brought to my life and how it continues to teach me to find myself or what speaks to me.  Below are some images that I took with our Hasselblad.  To see the image framed in the viewfinder of this camera was the best part of the process for me. 

Below is a trip that I took with my mom and late aunt.  We visited a flea market in texas where i practiced my skill.  I will never forget this trip and what it meant to me to go out there and capture life on film. This post is for my Aunt Kathy who taught me to explore the world and love life at ever moment (even the bad times).  Mi mancherai bella.

and taking portrait sessions.  here is my first after being back from maternity leave...baby caroline is only three weeks younger than leon.  sweet sweet baby!

audra and paul were married this past weekend so i am safe to post the bridals.  these have been waiting patiently! thanks to emily for allowing us to shoot at her bridal store.

locations of the shoot:  mia bridal couture and the gremillion art gallery.  this session was quite fun! 

these two are so cute!

could not have been more perfect! glad to have pictures to explain the beauty of the night. not good with words! :)

some details from their wedding:

christ church cathedral
river oaks home
swift events
angela nix
casa de novia

celebrating fathers today.  are these not the cutest babies you've ever seen? well, i think so!  i love that josh is a dad to stella and leon.  i know that they love him and will grow up to be amazing people because of the example that josh is. these two already think the world of him. happy fathers day. xoxo

i love her smile, her elegance and her sweet disposition.   louise married drew on may 28, 2010 in her parents back yard. the affair reminded me of an enchanted garden.  it was fitting to have her bridals taken in the beautiful spring garden.

fun facts:  her dress is from casa de novia and instead of carrying flowers down the isle, she carried the families prayer book.

I have had my studio in the Heights for 3+ years and it has served a purpose for meeting my clients and working out of.  The only thing is that a 350sq ft studio becomes really small when your husband starts a new business and wants to move in! That being said, we have had to look for a new space.

I was looking for a perfect spot that was big enough to shoot, give us storage, meet clients and have a space that encourages creativity!  All that said, we have found one!  It is a 2300sq ft studio located right on the edge of downtown Houston.   I am excited to have my hubby and another photographer come together and share the space too!

Is this something you may be looking for? We are now looking for another "creative" "clean" "professional" to share the space with.

If you are interested in talking about the possibilities, give me a shout via email. Attaching some pictures of the space. The two images below show some of our space. The whole building is professional, clean and has such a unique feeling.  There are wonderful common areas that can be used for parties or events for no extra cost which is a huge plus!  Can't wait to see where this takes us.  Hoping to have the space ready by July 1st!  :)

a lovely lovely wedding.  thanks anne and richard for being amazing clients!

never has there been a more blessed monday.  leon bernard was welcomed to this world at 7:38 am. he was named after josh's grandfather and my mother's maiden name.

here is the birthing story: we spent the weekend relaxing for the most part and managed to squeeze in a date night, block party, brunch and dinner with friends.  i was excited most of all to get to spend our friday night at my favorite restaurant where we discussed the arrival of little leon.  i felt that labor would come soon as i was having contractions already.

come sunday night i could really feel that they were consistent and moving along, but managed to sleep through them. around 3:45 am i noticed that things were moving along so i was quick to wake josh up and head over to the hospital.  we arrived at the hospital at 5:00 am and i was glad to know I was 5 cm along. i labored for a good hour before my dr came in to see the progress and she was happy to announce that i was complete and ready to have this baby! at this moment i recall that i needed DRUGS, although it was my original plan to have a natural birth. of course that was not an option at this point and leon was born at 7:38 am.  one fun fact that i have to throw in this story is that the baby nurse for leon was also mine when i was born (30 years ago). i only know that fact because we have a picture of her bathing me.

a special thanks to my best friend katie for grabbing my camera to document this moment. thanks to my dr, damla dryden for your care throughout my pregnancy and delivery. next, i could not have done it without the support of our doula, amanda moore.  she was so great in helping me relax through all of that pain. last but not least, my josh...he has been such a supportive husband during the entire nine months, making sure all of my cravings were met and putting up with my emotional self.

i am overjoyed with a son and a second child, as i have learned with stella that time flies by too quickly. i can now see how parents have third and fourth children; i am not saying that i am going to have more (SMILE). stella is enjoying time with her baby brother and she makes the best big sister. 

on a business note, i am on maternity leave from may 1 to july 1. this leave does not include the shoots we have scheduled. we will be accepting bookings for 2011 weddings at this time and you can contact us through our contact form on our website or email roxanne.  thanks for allowing me to enjoy time with my new family of four.

carolyn and chris were married at their family's home in river oaks.  the wedding was beautiful in every sense; i loved the history behind it all. carolyn's mother was married here so it was special to the family to have their wedding here.  i loved the traditional ponies that were out in the front lawn greeting the guests as they arrived.

our sweet neighbors and friends welcomed their second child to their family in late march.  it was fun making a hospital visit soon after her arrival.  they both looked great and that got me excited to meet my baby boy! he is due in may and it will be fun to have a newborn all over again.  i feel like 4.5 years between kids has left me to feel out of practice, we will see!  to all of my clients, i will be on maternity leave from (may 1st to june 1st)  as i adjust to the new addition.  please contact roxanne if you need assistance or information.

at this time, we are not scheduling portrait sessions due to a busy summer with weddings and the adjustment to a bigger family. thanks for understanding. 

soul is a deep word and most of the time i find it to be a complex thing. if i had to show you my soul, it would be of the first image. backwards but moving, changing with the flow of what life has for me. it longs to be found and seen clearly by everyone, but most of the time its hidden. what does your soul look like?

images taken in austin, texas at the st. cecilia.

no detail was left behind for morgan's bat mitzvah party!   her mom, karen, is the owner of a fare extraordinaire and she put together a beautiful weekend full of events to celebrate morgan.  the hobby center was a perfect spot for her party and i loved shooting there!  the 200 kids were entertained all night with a glowing dance floor, dj that kept the party going, spray-on tattoo artist, 3D slide show, glow sticks, great food, and QUESO.  mazal tov!