“Are you Rita?” I hear from a short distance away. It’s Allison, who looked just as relieved as I did, when I nodded “yes” and then greeted me with a warm hug and a smile. My fears were set at ease. Then I noticed she was wearing a UT orange sweatshirt and he had an A&M cap and thought to myself: This really is true love!

For the next 45 mins or so, we chatted about life, the engagement proposal, living in Los Angeles (which is where they call home now), and how the wedding guest list has grown. I love their laid back attitude about the whole thing and I can tell immediately that they aren’t about keeping up with the Hilton’s, and are more about surrounding themselves with the people they love and, as Ben said: “We just want to make sure everyone is fed.”

As we ended our little meeting I thought to myself “I’m sure I’m forgetting something important I’m supposed to say or do.” But as we all walked toward our cars, my mind was already picturing Allison in her dress and Ben smiling at her as she walked down the aisle. My heart pounded a little, feeling so honored they would chose me to be there on their wedding day and what I could do to help make it even more special for them. It was then that I realized I wasn’t forgetting anything. I just needed to see with my heart and remember to pack my camera. I’ll figure out the rest…

Share on Facebook

Personally, I believe we get what we put out into the world. And the one thing I grew to love about this group of folks is their positive energy approach and general good vibes. No pretenses, no popularity contests, and above all, no “right vs left” dogmatic ideals – just people doing what they can to make a positive difference in our communities. And I love that!!

I have to give an extra big thanks to Angela who helped out that night with the photobooth, which was the big hit of the evening. And as always, thanks to my amazing husband, Val, who knows just how to make me feel loved in a sea of faces. I was thrilled to be invited to photograph this event and look forward to seeing their future activities. Check them out if you want at www.tagtexas.org.

“We’ve got to give a little love, have a little hope. Maybe we can make it better.”

XOXO
Rita Q

ps: I’ve read about a lot of pro photographers raving about blogstomp, this AMAZING (and dirt cheap) photoshop action that helps you make quick work of getting images prepped for your blog. So, I bought it and used it for the first time on the images below. I love it!

Share on Facebook