Alyse French Photography | Houston-Based Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer

Rice University Cohen House Wedding: Katie & Bryan

May 15, 2013

I had never before seen so much rain… What started out as drizzle the morning of Katie and Bryan’s wedding suddenly turned to downpours and lightening. But you wouldn’t know it! Just ONE thing mattered. And it was written all over their faces the entire day. Through tears. And quiet smiles. And even more tears… Katie and Bryan’s hearts are as golden as they come. The combo? Also known as a photographer’s dream!

K&B – Thank you for inviting us in to capture your beautiful, beautiful day. We are so excited for the new life you are about to share. :) Here are some of our favorite images! We hope you enjoy them!! XOXO!!

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Many thanks to Blooming Gallery for the gorgeous florals and Christos for Katie’s PERFECT dress!

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These J. Reneé’s were also a class act…

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Katie and Bryan decided to see each other before the ceremony. HERE’s why!!

This was taken when the rain really started coming down… Thankful that GBC’s walkway is covered. :)

K&B have a sort of calm about them when in each other’s arms that translates so well in photographs.

This moment has to be an all-time favorite. So adorable in every way… :)

Loads of thanks to a very sweet wedding party, who also looked FABULOUS.

Another shout out to Eventology Weddings for making sure this day went off without a hitch!

Then that moment came. :)

LOVE when brides and grooms incorporate a time of worship in their ceremonies!!

A sweet moment of prayer…

After they were official, we made our way to the arches!

Where Katie worked it like the super model she should be!

Back at the reception site, the Cohen House was transformed with hues of cream and pink.

Cakes by Gina never ceases to amaze me!

And the dancing…

And bubbly…

Went on and on and on. :)

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Ziegler!!

Happy Wednesday! :)

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katie - absolutely in love with the pictures!! i think i have looked at them a trillion times today. thank you so much alyse!

and p.s. the suits are from Jos. A. Bank – we got a great deal!

kacy - Hi! I was just wondering where the guy’s suits are from? My fiance and I are thinking of doing grey suits. Beautiful job, alyse!

1 For Me // 1 For You | May 2013

May 8, 2013

Happy Wednesday night, y’all! SO sorry this is coming so very late in the day. This week has been kicking my butt with all sorts of shoots, meetings, and culling/editing/blog-prepping pretty things. :) But I still wanted to let you know who won my three favorite prints of all time! Let’s go ahead and head on over to Random.org to see. And the winner is…

COMMENTER #30, ANNA HADLEY!!

Congratulations, Anna! I’ll just need you to send an email with your mailing address to alyse@alysefrenchphotography.com so I can follow up and ship these beauties to you ASAP! Thanks to everyone else for entering this month. And I’ll see you in June for another installment! :)

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Good morning, friends! I woke up far too early today realizing the only thing holding me back from FINALLY posting May’s 1 For Me // 1 For You was the fact that I haven’t been able to photograph the items as perfectly as I’ve wanted to. BUT! I’m on a mission against my typical obsessive, perfectionist ways… So I’m bringing this month’s contest to you straight from my bed and Instagram! :) Let’s review the rules of how it all works!

What is it? Each month, a winner receives a duplicate of something I find fashionable, functional, or fun!
Who can enter? Friends, clients, random readers, etc.! (Please read the not-so-fine print below.)
How long do I have to enter? You have until Tuesday, 5/14 at midnight CST to enter. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Wednesday, 5/15 at the top of THIS post.
How do I enter? You must comment (and answer the question asked at the end of this post) to enter. Comments left via Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere will not be taken into consideration.
But why? Because pretty prints make me happy!

First up? The print I keep by our bedroom standing mirror. And the words I have to repeat to myself on a daily basis… The sweet Emily Ley created this 8″x10″ using gold foil on heavy cardstock. LOVE!

Continuing on with my fake-bokeh fascination – I’m plain GIDDY about this second 8″x10″ print by Oh My Deer Handmades. Since Hemingway is Dylan’s all-time favorite author, it’ll be the perfect addition once we get it up!

And finally… a third! This 8″x10″ vows print is from Southern Weddings’ online shop via Lindsay Letters. I loved it from the minute I laid eyes on it. Such a powerful reminder of the promise we made!

Question to enter: The winner gets all three! But if you had to pick one, which print would be your fave and why?

Not-so-fine print: One entry per person. All contestants must be able to provide a valid mailing address within the continental U.S. upon winning. We’re not responsible for items that are lost, stolen or damaged during shipment. The winner will have 24 hours to contact us and redeem the item or a new winner will be chosen.

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Indu Huynh - I would pick the Hemingway print as it is a great reminder to cherish the moments the true simplicity of things and who it is shared with. the love that is not defined by how much things cost and the materialistic pleasure. At least thats how it resonates with me :) All the prints have powerful messages and reminders, something I would love to have :)

Anna - I LOVE the Emily Ley print…such good words to read daily

Mary Katherine - Definitely the Emily Ley one! It is absolutely perfect!!

Tiffany Dawn - Oh and I forgot to say why I love the first – because that’s the mantra I speak on when sharing “The Insatiable Quest for Beauty Seminar” with young women – such a needed message!

Cna - I am swooning over the first one!!! Gold FOIL!!!

Beverly P - #1! It is by GRACE we have been saved!

Randi-Michelle - All 3 are beautiful! But, if I had to choose, I’d go with the Ernest Hemingway quote. It resounds most with me and he’s one of my favorite authors.

Kate D - so beautiful. Can I just say that they all would go perfectly in my creamy white airy room. Specifically though, the first one. I have gold accents. Plus, the saying is one I need to be reminded of on a minute-by-minute basis!

Sarah - I LOVE the last one, even though I’m not married (yet)! It is beautiful in every way!

Jess S - Grace not perfection – now that’s a mantra I could use to hear (and see!) every day!

Jessica - I would definitely pick the first one. :)

Emily - These are all so lovely, but I think I’d pick #3. It would be beautiful to display at our wedding reception and in our home thereafter. :)

Nicole - I’d pick the 1st one….GRACE….such a virtue and one of my favorite words. It would be a great addition to the affirmations I have all over my home, a beautiful reminder of where we’ve come from (God!!) and where we need to go….back home to Him.

Dana S - The third one is my favorite, so beautiful!!!

Jeanie - Hands down the Ernest Hemingway print. A Moveable Feast is a hauntingly beautiful book that I adore. I so wish that I could have lived during such a romantic time in Paris. Every time I read this book it transports me back to the beauty and sophistication of Paris. I would love to have it displayed in my bedroom! :)

Hayley Hughes - I would choose the vows because I’m getting MARRIED! It’s sooooo good and lovely to remember WHY we’re getting married rather than getting caught up in all the details. It’s so beautiful :) Yay for love! :)

Lindsey - I would pick the vows – I love them :)

Anna Fortner - I would totally pick the first one. I am getting counseling for some things in my past right now, and a big link to a lot of my past problems was perfectionism. This would just be a great mantra to remind myself to set my mind correctly every day. Not holding myself to such a high standard… the standard is GRACE!

Sarah - I live the Southern weddings vows print. It’s such a beautiful and daily reminder of the promise you made as husband and wife :)

Andrea Kilpatrick - I LOVE the first one. As a middle school teacher in a Christian school, it is the perfect message to send to my girl students! It is also a wonderful reminder to me, a perfectionist, that it’s not anything I do. It’s all about Him!

Rebekah Jause - Beautiful prints :) The third one is very sweet and meaningful and IS a very important reminder, needs to be resurfaced every day! AND our anniversary is in a couple weeks ;)

Mischelle - I absolutly love all three, but if I had to pick one, I would say the third. Having been marrid for 24 years it is a loving reminder of that day when we commited to each other before God and family our commitment to each other. Have a wonderful trip.

Shayla - Lindsey Letters’ Vows print is my favorite, but it is a close call with the first print! It is such a sweet and simple reminder of why God created marriage and to put my husband before myself.

Angela Parker - I love them all but the 3rd is my favorite because it is a beautiful reminder and would go great with all of our wedding memorabilia that we have displayed :)

Joey - For me as one who struggles with perfectionism and fear of failure the Emily Ley one would definitely be a great reminder! But I love them all! And you! =)

Carrie Stiles - I love all three but the Emily Ley one is my favorite. It’s such a powerful thing to remind yourself of each day

Debby Morales - Wow! These are all PHENOMENAL!!! If I really had to choose I would keep the VOWS :)
What an excellent print and reminder <3

Sarah Byington - My fave is the middle one right now because of the stage I’m at in my life. Just having recently graduated college, I moved back home to Austin and reunited with a dear friend from the 6th grade. That makes almost 12 years of friendship. We have yet to establish our careers so we don’t own a lot; bu we dream a lot. Gabi is the friend who will invite me over to paint, go hiking at the park, lay under the sun and listen to music-little things in life that I may not appreciate otherwise. We may not be able to go out on the town or done in restaurants, but is rather way a picnic with my bf out in Mother Nature. I couldn’t have com to this conclusion without her. She’s a dreamer and its contagious. It’s probably why we’ve been friends for so long: we’ve lived each other and accept ourselves. Best friends forever really DOES exist!

Joanna Dunton - I choose the Hemingway quote; it just makes me smile!

Stephanie - Mmmm, I love the one by Lindsay. I love what it says, and can only hope I will one day be as good at hand-lettering as she is! P.S. Have fun in DC! We’re going in July, so take notes on where we should visit! =) -stephiie

Katie - I would pick the first one because that is the exact reminder that my perfectionist mind needs every single day!

City Hall Engagement: Stephanie & Jonathan

May 7, 2013

They were working at the YMCA when they first met… Stephanie saw how great Jonathan was with kids. And Jonathan let the girl with the gorgeous blue eyes beat him in a game of “horse.” It’s been love ever since.

S&J met me at city hall last night for their engagement session. (Yes, it’s been quite the productive morning so far…) I found myself asking them for fashion advice, and wanting to pinch myself from the sheer cuteness unfolding in front of my lens. One of my favorite downtown sessions ever! Enjoy :) XOXO!!