carpe vita blog - carpe vita photography

Last Saturday, Angie and Edward were married in the Sky Lobby of the Dallas Petroleum Club overlooking downtown Dallas.  While Angie was finishing up her make-up, the amazing Masoud from the club brought her fresh baked chocolate cookies - yummmm, wish I had one now.

Whenever Angie would have a moment that she felt her tears coming on, she would start this little bouncing dance to keep the tears at bay.  Her bridesmaids would chant something about Vegas but I’m not sure what that was about.

Angie with her lovely junior bridesmaids.  I like this photo because on the normal sized photo you can see Angie’s teal eye shadow.

A quick note, the delectable florals were done by Macaux - extremely creative with lots of lovely textures.

Edward did the very dapper real bow tie which made a very nice statement.
Even the dads are getting into technology.  When I came around the corner, I caught Angie’s dad snapping a photo of his beaming bride with his telephone.  Unfortunately, Steve and Kim are photogs from the old days who don’t yet have the capacity to photograph anything with their phones - maybe it is now time to change that…

The architecture of the Sky Lobby added even more to the intimate ceremony.

Look at how fun Angie’s and Edward’s families are!
 

more celebrating…

Dancing with her dad and then Don.

Of course there was dinner, cake, a garter and bouquet toss plus lots of dancing and some very touching special songs sung in Angie and Edward’s honor.  But for now, we’re skipping to the end - at the end of the post, you will see info to seeing all of the photos from the celebration.

But now now, we are loving this artwork in the lobby of the building.  The light parts actually float across the art with the assistance of a lcd projector - very cool.  Edward grabs one last kiss before heading into the sparklers.
 
And they are off on a honeymoon in Colorado.

For friends and family who are interested in seeing all of the photos, click here and you will be taken to our online lab partner Pictage.  You will need to register your email address and create your own personal password.  Then you will need the Event Key for Angie and Edward’s wedding.  If you don’t know what this is, you can click Request Event Key and an email will be sent to Angie.  As of today, the photos have not been released to the public but once Angie and Edward go through them all, they will release and an email will be sent to your address letting you know you can then see everything.

Now that Angie and Edward are married, we can unveil some of the bridal portraits we took of Angie at The Dallas Petroleum Club back in May.

Angie and Edward’s wedding took place in the Sky Lobby which is a much more contemporary area of the club and reflects Angie and Edward’s style.  Whereas Angie’s mom Michelle appreciates the elegance of the club so we made sure we had appropriate options from both areas to satisfy everyone’s wants.

Angie was a great sport and let us play a little more even though she had had a long day with a commute from Austin plus her hair and make-up session before we ever started photographing.

Thanks Angie, we have really enjoyed working with you!

While Angie and Edward were in Dallas for a wedding shower earlier this Spring, Kim and Steve Cooley of Carpe Vita Photography met up with them for a fun little session around a neighbor’s home.

Edward enjoyed the kissing portion of the session…

From this photo, the swan looks awesome but he was really speeding off to try and attack Steve for being near his territory.

Definitely a couple who enjoys spending time together which we love to see.

As Kacey and Chad had a Texas sized wedding with a pretty big reception, Carpe Vita photographers Kim and Steve Cooley were joined by Richard Sharum and Jason Alexander for documenting the party.

Kacey and Chad selected amazing wedding professionals to help them with their wedding.  Because so many of these photos show off aspects their vendors provided, we thought we would identify the contributors showcased here up front:
Florals, Decor (Event design and vision) and Wedding Coordination - Todd Events, Dallas
Cake - Candy & Cakes by Carrie, Beckville
Catering - Rick’s on the Square, Tyler
Snapshots - Boothbooth, Dallas
Band - The Project, Absolute Entertainment, Dallas
Valet - Tyler Shreveport Valet Services
Transportation - Ed’s Limo Service
Reception Location and Get Away Flight - KRS Express Aviation, Longview
Air Conditioning and Generators - Blue-Stream Rentals, Midlothian
Rentals - All American Party Rentals, Tyler
And of course, Photography - Carpe Vita Photography

Kacey’s dad Kim took Steve up for some aerial shots earlier in the day.  Here’s an overview with the jet Kacey and Chad would be leaving in later in the night.

The Todd Event people and their Switch lighting staff took the design from Kacey’s wedding design and transformed the aircraft hangar.  You might also notice how they took the motif from the wedding invitation and incorporated for a complete theme.

The couple’s first dance was like a scene from a Hollywood classic.
  

Then Kacey took a turn with her proud papa.

Before long Chad and his mom joined in as well as Pam, Kacey’s mom with one of Kacey’s brothers.  David and Donna, Chad’s dad and step-mom, watched on from the right.

The Todd Event crew created this 16 foot by 16 foot chandelier for Kacey - perfect for anyone liking a little sparkle.

A very sweet touch - Kacey had her elementary school class prepare the artwork for the menu cards.

Time for some cake.

Clay, Chad’s brother, business partner and best man takes a bite out of a Texas Flood cookie.

Then partying really began when Kacey and her girls made their way on to the bandstand.  The Project definitely had the crowd on their feet all night long.  Kacey’s two maids of honor, Texanna and Miki were right there to keep the party rockin.

I love this private photo of the couple that Steve caught of them in the Snapshots booth provided by Boothbooth.  Check out pics from Kacey and Chad’s booth by clicking here.

Pam checks out the candy favor and decides that the purple maltballs are her faves.

I was so proud of Kacey for wearing her gorgeous shoes on to the very end.  Before leaving, she changed into a little number that really played up her wedding shoes.

Celebration that the party is over.

A petal toss led by the horn section of the band playing “Leaving on a Jet Plane”

Kisses goodnight before heading to Dallas, courtesy of KRS Express Aviation and then on to a honeymoon in St. Barts.

Of course, this is just a very small portion of all the photos taken that night.  To see all of the wedding and reception photos, click here and you will be taken to Pictage, our online proofing partner/lab.  You will need to know the Event Key, if you don’t know it, there is a link you can click and your email will be sent to Kacey.  If she recognizes your email address, then she will advise you of the Event Key.

Thank you to everyone involved with making this such a special day for Kacey and Chad!

How can anyone not love weddings?  It’s the celebrations of existing families starting the next families, seeing friends (and family) you haven’t seen in awhile and everyone is gushing with love.  We are always so touched to be invited into our client’s intimate moments to help them document their celebration for them to remember for days and years to come.

All of the wedding florals were done by Todd Events including this lovely petal basket for the flowergirl

How about those wedding shoes - rhinestones on the heels of her shoes!

The lovely ladies

What a beautiful bride!

The gents bear the heat for little bit.

Kacey and Chad have a short little visit before the wedding but Chad didn’t get to see her until she walked down the aisle.

Kacey’s grandfather was one of the ministers overseeing their rites of marriage.

Now they are married, the fun begins!

Kacey and Chad were very busy the day they got married.  Here’s a little look…

First the ladies arrived at KRS Express Aviation, Kacey’s dad’s place (where the reception would be taking place at) to catch the white limo for the day.

Next, they were off to Chad’s dad’s house for pampering…

Then Chad arrived to meet his guys.  That’s wonder woman Mary Hollis of Todd Events in the Todd signature orange driving and making sure the guy’s gift bags don’t go flying.  As any one would expect, the Todd crew is incredible but who knew Mary could also wield safety pins and needle & thread to create designer gowns of ill-fitting bridesmaid’s dresses.  If there was wedding planner competition on tv where coordinators juggle everything, Mary would win!

Note the guy’s gift bags are actually monogrammed coolers stocked with items the guys could use for a hot game of golf - very nice!
After convening, the guys head off for a round of golf.

Back with Kacey, the first bottle of signature champagne is shared by all.

Chad shows off his new toy - his wedding gift from Kacey.  Looks like he may be ready for some off roading.

Nice swing Chad.

Kacey ran to have her hair done with Hung at Stella T’s in Longview while the rest of the ladies where having their hair and make-up done at Chad’s dad house.
 

America’s Next Top Model seriously needs to go to Longview, Texas! All of the girls are wearing their get ready dresses that Kacey included in their personalized gift totes.

The ladies head to the church.

Around the corner, the guys shower and start getting ready… 

They cleaned up very nicely.

Chad is the first to board the limo, time to head to the church!

You’ve seen some of Kacey and Chad’s engagement photos and now some of Kacey’s bridal portraits.  Now it is time for a sneak peek at the wedding festivities photographed by Kim and Steve Cooley of Carpe Vita Photography.

We started with the rehearsal Friday night at the First Methodist Church of Longview.

Kacey and her future mom-in-law pose for a photo by a friend.

Kacey and dad practice their walk down the aisle.

This group was the first our June weddings with awesome shoes.  If my big toe would fit in any of these, I would have been begging to borrow all of the incredible shoes in the crowd.

After the rehearsal, we headed off to the Country Tavern for some amazing barbecue - definitely worth the stop if you are ever in the East Texas area.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm

What better meal is there? Ribs and cake.  The cake honors the company Chad and his brother Clay run.

Chad looking very relaxed for the day before.

I love this photo of Kacey and her maid of honor Miki caught up in the moment.  Kacey and Miki are both getting married this summer (Miki is marrying Kacey’s brother Trevor) so they have had a lot going on.  Miki was a great help when we did Kacey’s bridal session.

Chad’s dad starts the toasts.

Check out these boots - makes me want to go shopping!

The boys didn’t want to be left out.

Just the sign makes me hungry.

For friends and family of Chad and Kacey - to see all of the photos from the rehearsal and Friday night’s dinner, click here and you will be taken to Pictage, our online proofing partner.  You will need to know the Event Key which was sent to the people who registered to see the photos at the dinner.  If you don’t know what this is, there is a link to request the Event Key (click on it) and a message will be sent to Kacey with your email address.  If she recognizes your email address, then she will let you know the Event Key.

Carpe Vita Photography loves for you to use photos that we have placed on our blog on your facebook and my space pages and share with others.  Please just leave our name where the world can see it too - it’s only fair right.  That means, please don’t crop the Carpe Vita Photography copyright banner out.  We make sure not to place it on any great faces so you can even use the photos as your profile photo if you like.

Please also tag either Kim Goodwin Cooley or Steve Cooley or Carpe Vita (all of these are on facebook) as we would love to see what all your other pals are saying about your images.

While you are at, if we aren’t already friends on facebook, we would love to be one of your many fans.

Best wishes,
Kim and Steve Cooley

Speaking of rain, here’s a wedding Kim Cooley did back in April with the assistance of Lynn Michelle.

Aimee and Greg were married at Perkins Chapel and had their reception in their backyard. This has been on my wish list for sometime - a backyard reception and to have a tent to top it off was perfection. Since it can be pretty hot in Texas, backyard receptions are a rarity unless the couple can afford air conditioning to be piped in.

April flowers bring showers. On the drive back to Aimee and Greg’s home, the sprinkles began and Aimee was glad we had planned ahead for the tent.  She actually made the most of their investment by using the tent then for their rehearsal dinner and a brunch the day after the wedding - brilliant, no wonder she is a busy attorney.
 

Another sweet detail for Aimee was her lovely shoes.  I have been reading about the trend but hadn’t had the pleasure of photographing a wedding shoe that wasn’t white yet.  Breaking traditions and adding your own flair is always great to see.

The little church up above is a little detail from Aimee and Greg’s backyard that makes the location of the reception even more special.  Below, Aimee stops by family wedding photos that hang in their home - brides then and now celebrated Aimee and Greg’s special day.

Their first dance - so sweet.

It was a wonderful day.

After Kacey’s bridal session in East Texas, Kim and Steve Cooley high-tailed it back to the metroplex and experienced a little wrath of the storm briefly mention in the previous entry.

We were stuck on the side of the road for awhile waiting out the major wind and rains.  But after the major storm passed, we called Katie and Jony to see if they might be interested in playing in the rain.  We have the best clients because they said sure and we met them in Ft. Worth at the Stockyards.

This is the engagement photograph Katie and Jony selected for their home - awesome selection.

 
What great sports they were - but I think Jony was really enjoying himself…


As we were finishing up, Katie lets us know that she would really love to get wet and do some photos but the rain had subsided a tad so we snuck into the rodeo which had just been let out and got these shots.

Unfortunately when we came out, there still no rain.  Not til we got home did it finally decide to rain some more.  Oh well, Katie, we promise we will photograph you two getting all wet one day.