On September 11, 2005, five fire fighters gathered in the city of Denver, CO to honor to the 343 FDNY fire fighters that gave their life four years earlier.  By climbing 110 flights of stairs, the number of floors in each of the lost Twin Towers, they paid tribute to the heroic efforts of those that paid the ultimate sacrifice on that fateful day.  The number of fire fighters that climbed grew from the initial 5 to a band of 12, to a group of hundreds and was ultimately held to 343 climbers.  Eventually, this tradition found its way into numerous cities around the nation.  The motto for this valiant effort is presented on their website, collateral and posters.  “We promised to never forget so we climb because they climbed.”

This year, on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, the memorial stair climb was scheduled in more cities than ever; Dallas included.  343 fire fighters from throughout the Metroplex gathered at the Renaissance Towers dressed in full bunker gear and equipment.  Each of them carried a badge with an image and name of one of the 343 we lost and climbed 110 flights of stairs beginning at the exact moment the rescue efforts began ten years earlier.

Our good friend Clayton is a member of the Frisco Fire Department.  He promised to never forget so he climbed because they climbed.

You can view the slideshow of all the images HERE or by clicking on the image below!

Last night, a group of wedding and event industry professionals, associates and friends all descended on Cowboys Stadium for what promised to be an amazing event.  The DFW NACE chapter, in conjunction with Cowboys Stadium, Bring It On, Legends Catering and a host of immensely talented sponsors, too many to mention here, coordinated what had to be one of the best events of the year.

The evening began with a casual reception in the Dr Pepper Starbar complete with a variety of delicious snacks, refreshing frosty beverages and tons of networking!  From there, the guests were escorted through the stadium to the AT&T Star Club where dinner and cocktails awaited them.  After a brief presentation by the hosts, the eager group, clearly consisting largely of Cowboys fans, were lead onto the field through the Miller Lite Club.  The only phrase that may do justice to what we witnessed once on the field would be that it was like watching kids in a candy store!

Kudos to DFW NACE, Cowboys Stadium, Legends Catering and all those that worked tirelessly to ensure that each guest was able to act like a kid again.

You can view the slide show of selected images by selecting the play button on the video below.  If you would like to order any images captured at the event click on the shopping cart link to be directed to the event gallery.  Please not that all proceeds from the print sales will benefit the charity of choice for this month’s meeting-Emily’s Smile Boxes!

McKinney is charming and picturesque in that way that makes you feel as though you may have stepped back through the years to simpler times.  It is warm and welcoming and was the perfect place for Kaylee and Matt to get married.

You may recall from my recent entry about Kaylee’s Bridal Session that I described her as being one of our “Most Organized, Proactive, Pleasure to Work With Brides.”  All the qualities clearly carried through to all aspects of her wedding planning because with the help of Wendy Kidd from Each & Every Detail, Kaylee and Matt’s intimate ceremony at First United Methodist Church and elegant reception at the Cotton Mill in McKinney were simply fabulous!

You can view the entire wedding slideshow below:

Most if not all wedding professionals will tell you that having a great wedding planner has a profound impact on the experience a couple has throughout not only the planning process but also on the wedding day.  The ability to take a deep breath and know that all the details are coming together and that you do not have to be concerned about them is such a relief.  Lauren Schmidt, owner and planner at The Creative Touch, Events by Lauren affords her couples that deep breath of relaxation!  Luckily for us, we get to enjoy that relaxation as well when we have the pleasure of working with her.

LaShundra and Courtney’s family and friends came together on a very cold day in January, some from as far away as New York, to celebrate with them on their wedding day.  There was snow on the ground and the sky was overcast and the view from the fourth floor at City Place was beautiful.  A ballerina scattering flower petals as she danced down the aisle made for a particularly unique and beautiful moment during the ceremony.

Following the ceremony, guests braved the cold weather for a grand departure complete with sparklers for the bride and groom.  Their Edison’s Dallas reception was really rockin’ with music, food and fun.  One of the most special moments to witness and photograph was the father/daughter dance; so much love and emotion!

Thanks, Lauren for introducing us to LaShundra and Courtney and congratulations on coordinating a simply wonderful day.

If it is not immediately evident that I am somewhat behind on my wedding blog posts it will be once you check out Bonnie & Jeremy’s images below.  You will likely notice that many of the them have a hint of the holiday season in them. Come on though…gimme a break. Better late than never…right?

Rachel Events planned and organized Bonnie and Jeremy’s simply beautiful ceremony at The Heights Baptist Church in Plano.  From there Rachel and Mandy ensured that their reception at the Granville Arts Center was non-stop food, fun and dancing.  Thanks to Rachel and Mandy for your all you do and and thank you Bonnie and Jeremy for inviting us to capture your very special day.

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Many wedding professionals can tell you that personal referrals make up a good bit of their business and, as you can see, that fact proves true for Emily and me.  It is always so much fun to photograph weddings from these personal referrals since, many times, the guest lists overlap and we already feel like family.

We met Jackie and Tanner while photographing her cousin Kori and Cosper’s lakeside wedding.  We were so honored to return to The Cliffs Resort in Possum Kingdom Lake for another family wedding.  As you will likely note very quickly, Tanner is an avid golfer and Jackie is quite the go-getter.  So, while Tanner played a round with his groomsmen, Jackie and her bridesmaids put the finishing touches on her D.I.Y. bouquet and flowers.  They are one amazing couple and very much in love.

Who says a wedding day has to be either traditional or contemporary? Meredith and Cory’s wedding ceremony at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church was traditional and elegant and their reception at Marc Events was stylish and contemporary.

Last fall, Emily and I hosted a wedding photography seminar where we attempted to demystify the process of finding and selecting each couple’s perfect wedding photographer. Shanika and Stephen’s wedding planner Lauren was coming and encouraged them to attend as well. Lucky for us they did and thought we were the perfect wedding photographers for them. It was such a pleasure to be a part of their historic Fort Worth YWCA wedding ceremony and reception!

Kori is the daughter of our dear friends Phil & Lisa.  Cosper is the hard working cowboy that won her heart.  When they approached us about photographing their wedding we were both honored and pleased to be a small part of their special day.  The wedding ceremony was planned in a small family chapel at Possum Kingdom Lake with the reception to follow at her Gran and Grumps house.  Little did they know that Mother Nature had a different plan.

Rain the night before and morning of the wedding rendered the outdoor venue somewhat tenuous as a reception venue  so, rather than risk it, Uncle Rick and Aunt Cathy stepped up and volunteered their home as the new reception site.  It is a welcome sight when a group of family and friends pull together so well with a common goal in mind.

In a matter of hours the entire reception was relocated.  Granted, the bride was running a little behind when all was said and done; she was well worth the wait.  Being a little late was a great excuse to use the boat that served as her transportation from the ceremony to the reception to ensure we captured sunset images of the bride and groom.

If we had an award for “Global Wedding Couple”, Anne & Scott would be our winners without question.  We had the pleasure of capturing their engagement images in New York City; their ceremony images in London; and finally their reception images in Pennsylvania.  What an exceptionally unique set of experiences that we will treasure always.