Elizabeth is a music teacher and talented pianist who is about to release her first CD of recorded music. Kim Cooley of Carpe Vita Photography met Elizabeth and her husband the night of the NACE 50th Anniversary Celebration and bounced around the idea of pairing some of Elizabeth’s music with Carpe Vita Photography work.

Earlier in July, we all got together to photograph Elizabeth around Dallas and here are some of the fun photos that came from that session.

A quick change into something a little cooler.

And then another change for a more casual look. We really enjoy photographing in downtown Dallas – you never know what you might find.

Utilizing graphics on location that complimented Elizabeth’s outfit was all part of the fun and makes this quick little mock-up of an album cover super easy.

Of course there is a slide show. Too bad we didn’t yet have any of Elizabeth’s music to pair up with her photos.

I had to include this little outtake or behind the scenes shot of Elizabeth’s hubsand directing traffic away from his lovely wife. Men you take care of their girls are by far the best!

July 19th, Carolyn said “I do” to Nathan and Carpe Vita Photography was there to document their celebration through artistic photography.

Team Carpe Vita consisted of Kim and Steve Cooley and Richard Sharum for this wedding. We started with hair and make-up at Carolyn’s parents’ home and then we were off to the church.

Carolyn’s dancing boots for later in the evening and the guys arriving…

After a quick ceremony and formal photographs, we are off for the fun part of the celebration.

The reception was held at Bill Bates Cowboy Ranch in Celina, Texas. We love the staff there – especially Trina Harris, cause she is one of our past brides! Seriously, they took great care of the guests and is definitely a facility we count as one of our faves.

The stunning florals were taken care of by The Wildflower and the linens and chairs are from Ducky Bob’s, the ranch’s preferred vendor and one of our faves too.

The first dance – don’t you just love the hanging candles and ribbons. Time for Carolyn’s boots so she can really dance.

Nathan’s groom’s cake.

A last dance for Carolyn and Nathan before the head off on their honeymoon.

The get-away mobile was a first for us. We were really bummed that we couldn’t fly away with them.

Of course, there is a video with more fun photographs.

And to see all the photos, go to Pictage. You’ll need the Event Key which Carolyn or Nathan can pass along to you.

Friday, July 18th, Carolyn and Nathan prepared for their wedding the next day with a rehearsal at the church. Crosspoint Church in McKinney is a sweet church and their staff was incredibly helpful and excited to have the wedding there.

Carolyn and her dad practice the walk, while Nathan is trying to get the hands just right.

Carolyn’s big sister Elizabeth is one of our past brides. Elizabeth and Jeff were married last August so will be celebrating their first anniversary soon.
It was terrific to see a lot of Jeff’s family at the wedding.

The rehearsal dinner was at Shady Oaks BBQ and boy is their bbq yummy!

The first introduction to Carolyn and Nathan’s monogram – on the slide show orchestrated by Carolyn’s dad. Wayne is known for his slide shows so this was a special treat.

Nathan’s parents enjoy the evening – they were wonderful hosts.

Got to have a video…

Now that Carolyn has walked down the aisle, we can share some of the photos from her bridal session.

We (Steve and Kim Cooley of Carpe Vita Photography) started with Carolyn at a field in Grapevine not too far from our studio. Kudos to Carolyn’s mom and dad for doing a little four wheeling for us – it was worth the extra effort.

Then we were off to find an antique fire truck to honor Nathan’s fire fighting career – we love that Carolyn really wanted something different and personal for the two of them.

Last stop, the Las Colinas Canals for a little architecture.
This photo of Carolyn spinning is fun – there was a little breeze and chill for this early May session.

What pleasure photographing Carolyn was plus the whole family including big sis Elizabeth and grandmom from Alabama were in tow so we got to catchup with everyone before the celebration.

Here’s the slideshow with even more photos…

Well, it is simply gorgeous! The Grand Opening Party was three weeks ago today and Carpe Vita Photography was there documenting the festivities for The Stoneleigh Hotel  It has just taken us this long to get the blog entry up. For Wednesday evening, Team Carpe Vita consisted of Steve Cooley, Heather Gildroy and Richard Sharum and for Thursday night, Steve and Heather were the photographers on hand.

It was so great to see the hotel open and welcoming guests to her sumptuous halls. I love this entry – three of my fave colors!

To see lots more of the hotel rooms and decor, check out this little video:

Some of the outdoor fun included a band playing out front of the hotel and the hand-rolled cigars were very popular.

I have to share a “this was then and this is now” photo comparison to demonstrate just how much the view from the Penthouse has changed.
This is Steve and me attending a wedding back in 1996 at The Stoneleigh – yes, we have aged and are both a little thicker but the big deal is the difference in the Dallas skyline.

Here are Billie Delarosa, Chef Curtis Cooke and Sarah Fischer. And this is Gretchen Stofer Darby, Director of Sales & Marketing for the hotel and one of our 2007 brides (on the right) with a friend. All that you see in these photographs should be accredited to these very talented and dedicated movers and shakers for this great venue.

To see more of the amazing food served up those two nights and the decadent displays of yummies, check out this vid.:

For a view of how much fun the guests had, you are just a click away: