 From the first time I met with Katy and Ryan to even discuss wedding photography I just knew we’d be a good fit. They’re so genuine and warm as all get out to everyone around them. I love when I get to photograph people who don’t try to tone down what they’re feeling to, say, a “socially acceptable level” (whatever that means), they just FEEL IT, danggit! And I am HERE FOR IT.
They got ready at The Adolphus before heading over to the Hall of State for their ceremony. Ryan just didn’t particularly care to have any prep photos taken of himself so we’ll start off this first portion of the post from the hotel room where Katy was getting ready. Goodness gracious, I could not stop photographing Katy and her momma’s sweet bond during that time. There are actually so many adorable photos of the two of them that I left out of this post because I was like “It’s Katy and RYAN’S wedding I’m supposed to be blogging, not just a slew of adorable momma-daughter pictures” hahahah but y’all just keep your eye out for Katy’s sweet momma throughout this post because she was so thrilled for her daughter’s wedding day.
Ok guys, then Ryan’s sons came in the room with some cards + drawings they had made for Katy to open on the wedding day and I honestly do not know if I’ve ever witnessed anything more precious. Just look how happy they are to be adding Katy to their family and how obviously they adore her!
Once we got to Hall of State we met up with Ryan and got some photos of this dapper trio.
In loveeeeee with all the florals by Kate McLeod Studio.
Just please, please do not miss Katy and Ryan’s facial expressions throughout the ceremony. This was my favorite part of the entire day.
Thank you, Katy and Ryan, for letting me document your beautiful love. It was such a joy and privilege of mine to document your wedding day story.
blissfully engaged , familiar love , first look , Indian wedding , personal , with this ring
2019 year in review // jillian zamora photography
2019. Man. A year in review blogpost serves lots of purposes. First, it gets a whole lot of images that would have never seen the light of day (beyond the client galleries/homes of course) onto my blog. Since becoming a mom-of-two my work hours got cut down by about three quarters. I never knew how quickly I could edit until my main editing hours became those I used waking up before the kids woke up, nap time and then the hours after they go to bed. I learned I could be HIGHLY EFFICIENT and honestly do just as thorough an editing job before. If 2015 Jillian could see 2019 Jillian edit she’d be REAL real impressed. But it does mean my blogging time is nearly non-existent. HENCE my massive year in review post that, at the very least, shows you I’m still working 🙂 The second purpose of a year in review blogpost is for me to reflect on the previous year’s weddings and portrait sessions. GOODNESS GRACIOUS so much thankfulness washes over me as I look through these images and think about these souls who’ve entrusted me with something so precious as recording their memories on such special days. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all my clients this past year. Thank you for your trust. Thank you for connecting with me and my work out of the hundredsssss and hundreds of other photographers out there. It means so much to me. If I wasn’t afraid the length of my text would keep you from actually getting to the photo portion of this post I’d keep going. But know, from the bottom of my heart, I am so appreciative of you.
Now on to the photos!
Kicked off 2019 with Connor and Allie’s wedding at The Nest at Ruth Farms. This is one of the *two* full weddings I got up on my blog last year (*Jillian hides in corner in shame*) so if you’d like to see more images from this lovely day feel free to click here for a whole bunch more.
This sweet January babe has just celebrated her FIRST birthday — I can hardly believe it looking at these photos from Sutton’s newborn session.
I love me a family session in homes full of windows and love like the Windle family.
Then came the engagement sessions — I loved each and every one of ’em.
My first time to photograph the lovely Katy was at her bridal session and I knew we were kindred sprits when she started to tear up during her session when I asked her to think about marrying her (now husband) Ryan.
I only did one round of mini sessions in 2019 (after three rounds in 2018) — here were a few of my favorites from that stormy day of sessions at The Lumen Room.
Lily + Nick eloped at the Japanese Gardens and I so enjoyed their quiet little ceremony + wandering the garden together for a bit afterwards.
Katy + Ryan’s got married at the Hall of State in April and a full blogpost from their wedding will be up soon because I have a really hard time narrowing down photos of people as expressive as these two. This first image is Katy’s (now, but at the time very-soon-to-be) step-son’s helping dry her tears after she read the letters + drawings they made for her to read on the morning of the wedding. Sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet. More to come from this one.
You’ll note from this teeny preview from Jessica + Sal’s engagement session that I REALLY like photographing these two in a close up hahaha. I just love them so much I couldn’t step further away from them!! (I did, however, put plenty of further back ones in their gallery haha all my favorites just happened to be pretty extreme close ups hahaha).
Oh sweet Katie and Jacob. These two flew me out for their California wedding last May and we kicked off photos with some portraits before their rehearsal dinner.
More portrait sessions — summer engagements, an equestrian shoot (!) and a sunrise newborn session to welcome the third little Vanderpool child.
Aynav + Adam — goodness gracious these two (and their Houston wedding at The Crystal Ballroom) just make me smile.
I had fun at Melanie + Michael’s engagement session playing with shadows and sunset reflections.
No smiles can compete with Lauren and Billy’s smiles, I’m thoroughly convinced. Also that last picture of he and his mom singing through their mother-son dance at the reception is one of my favorites.
Cynthia + Bryan’s June wedding was full of family, mariachi and perhaps my personal favorite detail, her handmade veil from Mexico.
This was my first wedding to photograph at Hidden Waters in Waxahachie and it was such a treat for my first wedding here to be Emily and Trent’s.
You guys, it had been a hot minute since I’d had the joy of documenting a proposal but Casey and Samuel’s at Klyde Warren Park had me feeling all kinds of feelings.
Ahhhhh Ameena + Sahir — it’s almost laughable for me to try and narrow down my favorites from their three-day wedding at The Dallas Renaissance so feel free to check out their full blogposts here, here and here (hey, I told you it was three days!).
In August I had the joy to photograph the lovely Tori at The Lumen Room.
Marion + David were so expressive during their ceremony and I COULD NOT HANDLE the cuteness.
Fun fact:Â I went straight from Taylor + Ryan’s Dallas engagement session (so. much. fun.) to the hospital to photograph a dear friend’s baby being born. Now THAT is a good day.
Brooke + Gordon on White Rock Lake, what dreams are made of.
Y’all, this is coming to a blog near you REAL soon. The last time I photographed portraits of these two (outside of their wedding day) we hit up the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise and these sunrise portraits for their second anniversary were (IMO) equally as epic. Texas was showin’ OFF that morning.
Tori and Paul –Â two of the nicest humans around and now they’re married.
I PHOTOGRAPHED THEIR WEDDING AND NOW THEY HAVE A BABY NAMED LUCA AND I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING!!
Baby Henry, your aunt Jillian lovvvvvvvvvvves you.
It’s just. I have no words. I loved this day. I love shooting at Cliff House. I love Erin + Kevin and all their people (and their pup).
Taylor + Micah were married at Knotting Hill Place and danced the night away under a full moon.
Chelsea + Patrick are TOP NOTCH. I want to shout it again TOP NOTCH!! Their wedding at The Fort Worth Zoo was so beyond fun, like these two. I also always, always love working with Jen Rios Weddings and, fun fact, this was our second wedding together at the zoo!
Isn’t it so nice to see people you knew growing up so HAPPY? Does the soul good. It was a privilege to document this jr-and-high-school-friend of mine marry the love of her life in October.
Okay one of my favorite memories of this day was when the groom couldn’t find parking around their wedding venue (which was at The Dallas Farmer’s market on a Saturday) so he went back to the AirBnB and rode one of those rented scooters to his wedding. Still cracks me up each time I see that photo — I just happened to be scouting for their first look when he pulled up with two of his groomsmen on those scooters and I’m SO glad I was there to document.
Too many favorite parts of Taylor + Ryan’s wedding day to even recount — the super touching toasts and Taylor’s dad barely holding it together during the father-daughter dance are at the top for me.
My last wedding of 2019 and MAN did it end with a BANG with Jessica + Sal’s wedding. There is no way I could possibly condense the beauty of this day into a few images but here’s me trying my best. Cloud Creative Events and Moss Floral went above and beyond on this one.
Oh hey, we moved to South Dakota. Surprise. I’m still shooting DFW weddings (I feel the need to compulsively say that each time I share the SD news with people). This was my very first shoot ever in the snow. I loved getting to document a bit of the Carlin’s pregnancy.
Remember Casey and Samuel? From the proposal up there? Well I ended the year with their December engagement session and it was peachy as all get out.
If you made it to the end of this post *HIGH FIVE* Thank you for caring. For supporting. And for listening to my rambling. I’m ending this year in review with a few of my favorite personal photos from the year featuring YOU GUESSED IT my family. They mean the world to me. And I think that should matter to you, prospective clients. If you know I love and treasure my family then you know that I understand the importance of documenting yours — your first day of your new family on your wedding day, your newborn days, your big-kid running wild days. They matter. And I care a whole big bunch, about my family AND yours.
SO MUCH LOVE TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU,
xoxo Jillian
Indian wedding , with this ring
with this ring: ameena + sahir, part III // dallas renaissance hotel indian wedding
This is the third and final post from Ameena + Sahir’s beyond lovely wedding weekend at the Dallas Renaissance hotel and in it you’ll see images from their nikkah, khoba khobi and reception. If you missed them, you can catch up on their mehendi and pithi/sangeet in these two previous posts.
Saturday AM: nikkah
We had grand outdoor plans for portraits at the Dallas Arboretum before the nikkah ceremony but the weather had different, indoor plans for us when we woke up to a forecast of rain all morning long. But it just so happens that THIS GIRL loves shooting indoors next to big windows with raindrops on the glass and city views beyond them so we made some moody indoor photo magic.
This was the moment before they walked into their Nikkah ceremony. I wasn’t allowed to photograph during the actual ceremony so we will pick up right as they exited the ceremony, officially marriedddddddddddddd!
Saturday afternoon: Khoba Khobi
Saturday PM: Reception
Okay but we all agree that Ameena is a breathtaking magical princess, yes? I cannot stop thinking that when I look at this next set of portraits.
Ameena’s dad and brother surprised her by bringing her beloved dog to the hotel to greet her on the big day.
Something I thought was so especially special was that Ameena shared her father-daughter dance with not only her dad but her little brother and a whole line of the other male family members who had played a major role in her life, each one taking a short turn dancing with her. Then Sahir shared his mother-son dance with his darling momma as well as both of his sisters and then a line of his family members who were important to him as well. I loved this
is ode to “it takes a village.”
Sunday: farewell lunch
This was (obviously, by the title) the last wedding weekend event. Below you’ll see photos of Ameena’s little brother slyly performing a “magic trick” which involved a group of people lifting Sahir and Ameena off the ground so that Ameena’s family/friends could steal Sahir’s shoes right off his feet. He would then have to negotiate with them to agree on terms of how often he and Ameena would come back to DFW to visit and they drove a pretty hard bargain (spoiler alert: the visit count got pretty high before he got any of his shoes returned hahaha).
You guys, I did it! For the first time in YEARS I blogged an entire multi-day Indian wedding! I so enjoyed telling Ameena + Sahir’s wedding day story through photos not only because they themselves are such ABSOLUTE GEMS OF HUMANS but because getting to document over the course of three days as they were celebrated and surrounded and supported (and, yes, at times also tricked out of footwear) and LOVED in the start of their marriage by all their friends and family is such a joy joy joy to my soul. Thank you, Ameena and Sahir (and all of your family and friends). Thank you for inviting me into your wedding weekend, for treating me with so much genuine warmth and kindness and for trusting me to tell this story for y’all. I have so much love for y’all!
Indian wedding , with this ring
with this ring: ameena + sahir pithi and sangeet // dallas renaissance hotel wedding
I just love days full of story.
I’m sharing some of my favorite captures from Ameena and Sahir’s pithi and sangeet at the Dallas Renaissance hotel and let me tell you, this day (and all of their wedding weekend) was chock FULL of story and love and family and friends and celebration and FUN (and tumeric — ammiright, Sahir?). I’ve always been inclined to photojournalism but I think even moreso now that so many photos seem to be “for the ‘gram” that I crave all the more to capture the pureness, the beautiful unhindered reality of days like this. So enjoy some of the story of the second day of Ameena + Sahir’s wedding weekend. It was an absolute joy and privilege to be there to tell it. (Also, in case you missed it, you can view images from their mehendi and some of my favorite portraits of ever here.)
Part I // Pithi
Little brothers, ammiright?
Okay so these next few image comparisons between Sahir’s pithi and Ameena’s pithi just crack me up. Ameena is handed babies to snuggle while Sahir starts to get completely and utterly smothered in tumeric paste hahaha.
Ok, so I can’t stop laughing at how this next part began (and Sahir’s sweet mom’s genuine surprise/reaction) — keep your eye on Sahir’s brother in law coming up behind him in this next GIF.
And the “best sport” award goes to SAHIR.
part II // Sangeet
After a shower and outfit change came food, performances from friends and family plus allllllllll the dancing
I’ll be back (*hopefully* soon) with the next post from Ameena + Sahir’s third day of wedding festivities — their nikkah and reception! Wahoo!
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