I love photographing such sweet wedding couples! Meet Melissa and James … I am pumped about their fall wedding in Dallas and can not wait to photograph them again. I first met Melissa at a Dallas wedding show…OUR FIRST BRIDAL show in 7 years. I can’t tell you how nervous we were to do our first bridal show. We were about to be in front of a ton of couples…all looking through our work. Ok, so I was super-pumped about it, but really nervous.  I saw this red gorgeous hair walk into our booth and said, “We NEED you in front of my camera”. Its true…we (ol’ Canon gal and me)..we needed it!. She had talked me a little more after the show and was still unsure of her wedding date or venue. Once she decided on Hall of State and a date, we were ready to get Melissa and James on the books (and in front of my camera!). She is working with a fantastic wedding planner along the way and I was excited to meet her as well. Kimberly, with Hitched Events….I knew Kimberly and I were going to be great pals when she said “oh, I love your big wedding albums!”. Over coffee, we chatted and I looked at some of Melissa’s artwork as well. Its not every day you meet such an inspiring person. Melissa is a true artist. She has some amazing work and I was in awe of her talent. James is an attorney but quite the artist himself. He proposed to Melissa with a song, that he played on the guitar, and sang….be still my romantic heart! Old 97′s “Question” to be exact… Can it get any sweeter? Well, almost….they brought cupcakes to the session and they were delicious. Not quite as sweet as their story…but certainly yummy! We started the session in the arts district of Dallas and made our way around town finding the most beautiful light.

Happy Tuesday, Friends! I am so excited to share a few of Kara’s bridal portraits. Now that their beautiful outdoor wedding has taken place, these beauties are ready for some blog love! We photographed this pre-wedding bridal session at her parent’s private residence in Rockwall, Texas and the photo options were endless. I kept seeing light hitting walls so beautifully and kept saying, “ooh, lets take a few here!” several times….read over and over again. So many great places in that house for pictures! We stayed inside most of the session, but the few we were able to get outside are some of my favorites as well. We even made a killer double-exposure shot with Kara’s silhouette. Her beautiful smile just lit up the entire house. Her dress was a custom dress from Stanley Korshak and the lace detail and beautiful belt were stunning on her. I just love how soft and romantic her dress is. Rachel with Rachel Derman Events was out for the bridal portraits and to have a wedding planning meeting with Kara after … that gal is always working hard for her wedding clients! Carpe Diem Bride was there to help make Kara look amazing and flawless! The added icing on the wedding cake were her beautiful Jimmy Choo’s! Thank you so much for having me photograph such a special time in your lives together. May each day be better than the last!

Meet Megan & Adam! I am so excited to share their fun engagement session with you! When I met with Megan to talk about their wedding photography, she mentioned they were not too out-doorsy … so the brainstorming began where this mostly natural light Dallas wedding photographer would photograph them for their engagement session. These two Illinois love birds met in college through a cute hi-lighter incident and are set to get married this fall in a brand new beautiful wedding venue and I am so stoked about it (and the new wedding venue)! We talked about some Dallas locations and some Plano locations, then when she mentioned Watters Creek and how they both love to walk around there and even go to a cute little chocolate shoppe, Sublime, we were pretty certain it was going to be Allen, Texas for the portrait session. Our first attempt at date, the Texas weather had other plans for us. With rain, winds, and chilly temps, we postponed the session for a few days….this is Texas after-all! Cold one day and hot the next! The chocolate shoppe was so sweet to us and let us take a few photos and then even left us with a delicious sample of triple chocolate truffle … yes, it was SUBLIME! We made our way through the shops, the gorgeous landscaped area, saw some baby ducks, and danced and dipped like no one was watching. A few outfit changes and some gorgeous light made this session so fun. We couldn’t have asked for a better day for an engagement session. Enjoy these images! Thank you, Megan and Adam for such a fun time!

We had a lovely bridal session yesterday for Kara’s upcoming wedding. I love learning new tricks with my camera … here’s my first try at a double exposure. A huge thanks to Sara K Byrne for the inspiration.

Marissa and Jarrod’s wedding inquiry arrived in my inbox and I was so excited to meet with these two Texas Aggies. They are getting married in Beaumont, Texas in 2014 and have so many cute amazing camera drool-worthy details they are planning. Did I mention how cute THEY are yet? Well, they are super cute! They are both artists and their hearts are full of love. Jarrod came up with a brilliant idea (being a smart guy and mega-talented artist) for his proposal to Marissa. He designed it and drew it, painted it and gave it to her. Of course her answer was also a work of art…. she responded with her drawing as well! These two kept me in suspense and wouldn’t let me even see an iPhone picture of these pieces, so I had to wait until the middle of the session.

We started off our session in Downtown Fort Worth around Sundance Square. They dipped, and snuggled and did a lot of laughing. We made our way to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens where Marissa brought a chair that was her Great, great, great-grandmother’s. We found a beautiful oak tree with low-lying limbs and when Marissa mentioned it reminded her of her g-g-g-mother’s, it was for sure in the right spot. The signs came out and we did a little acting to create that “will you marry me” moment. Afterwards, we made our way down to the rose gardens and Jarrod gave Marissa a little piggy-back ride….whoa cute and those red lips! This session was so much fun. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did

I am packing up gear to go shoot underwater photography and what is more fitting than sharing a Dallas underwater bridal session? Nicole & Brian’s Dallas wedding was last week and now I can officially share these beauties with all of you while they are on their honeymoon in Hawaii!

When I first met with Nicole to talk about her wedding at the Stoneleigh Hotel and Dallas Arboretum and her wedding photography, Margaret (her wedding planner) asked me show Nicole my underwater work. I pulled up the gallery on my iPad and I watched her eyes light up. I am thinking she was imagining herself underwater…..Dancing with her veil and flowers. I follow her on Pinterest and could see how much she loved water, fire, and all things pretty. She talked to me about doing a shoot and we got it on the books. Once the date started to get closer, we realized it was not going to be warm enough for an outdoor pool (heated pools are awesome until you have to get out in the cold weather with a WEDDING DRESS on!) , so we started to search for options inside. Nicole found a beautiful dress from Priscilla of Boston. She brought a bouquet of roses and her veil. I went shopping for some sheer fabric that I knew would flow beautifully underwater. I chose red to bring in the element of fire. Rayven with Beauty and the Blush did her fabulous makeup and used products to keep the makeup in place once we decided to dunk Nicole. She did great. She moved with such grace and poise and I was blown away with how natural she was for never doing anything like this before. This is one of my top shoots of all time favs … hope you love it as well.

I have been wanting to photograph wedding proposals for such a long time. This is my second one this year! I am going on 7 years as a Dallas based wedding photographer, and this is the first year I have actually been able to be a part of such a joyous occasion. I often ask my clients when I first meet with them … “how did he propose?”. I hear the stories and think how wonderful would it be to have this moment captured?! Its getting a photographer there that makes it tricky. Are we hiding in the bushes, creeping behind a parked car, shooting from a trench coat? Coit was able to make it happen by telling Celina he bought a Groupon for family photography. We started the session as I would with any session, I started photographing them as a family. Coit’s son Ethan was there (but wasn’t in on the secret). A few pictures of the group, a few pictures of Ethan, then just the two of them. I wasn’t quite sure when it actually was going to happen, so I was cautious with my lens selection. I wanted to give them a variety for their “family session”, so we made our way to a beautiful patch of grass that was being lit so gorgeously in the afternoon sun. I kept saying, “oh, the light here is perfect”, “lets definitely shoot here!” … this was my cue to Coit, this was going to be the perfect spot to pop the question. I was shooting away when Coit paused for a split second to grab his sweater (the ring box was hidden in there!) and then it happened! He got down on one knee, the tears started to stream from Celina’s eyes, and they hugged, kissed, smiled, laughed, cried … all in about 30 seconds! We took a few more photos and then Celina said this was how she imagined their proposal to be and she was so glad Coit opted for a photographer to be there.

I sometimes get the itch to do personal work so I can push my boundaries and flex my creative wedding photography muscles. It was about that time for something like this. Meet Abbe and Jordan. I first met Jordan at a wedding we were both working; he’s a awesome video dude. He and I became pals and kept in touch after the wedding. He has been dating the beautiful Abbe for about 2 1/2 years and they wanted to make some awesome portraits with me. Jordan and I chatted it up on Facebook and brainstormed some ideas. With the winter weather being pretty unpredictable in Dallas, we thought an indoor spot would do the trick for the session. He and Abbe dig coffee, so I suggested one of my favorite spots in the Bishop Arts District, Oddfellows. I met Abbe and Jordan there and Abbe was dressed so cute. They styled the shoot nicely and complimented their clothing really well. I often tell me clients to coordinate, not match. Choosing outfits that compliment each other and still keeping with their over-all style. They loaded Abbe and Jordan up with a couple of cappuccinos fit for the lovebirds. We then drove to a nearby park and got some ridiculously awesome golden hour light. Other than Jordan sending me a few inspiration images and telling me about an overall style he had in mind, I had 100% creative freedom for the entire session. Enjoy these images from what was a super fun session that got lots of attention on Facebook and had Abbe and Jordan’s friends asking if they were engaged. Ha!

I am so touched by this wedding proposal story! When I meet with my wedding clients, I like to ask them about the proposal. This was the first one I was able to be a part of with a client. Jeff sent me a note a few weeks leading up to one the biggest days of his life with Tara. He was planning a surprise proposal and wanted to have it secretly photographed. We talked about how he was going to convince his beautiful Tara to get to a meeting so early in the morning on a Friday and since they work together, it was going to be a breeze. He had planned to propose to her at a location in Dallas, but the restaurant had alternate plans and he switched gears and decided Las Colinas was going to be a perfect place to pop the question. The La Cima Club was a perfect spot. It over-looked the skies of Las Colinas and we had a perfect view from the 26th floor of the sky-line of Dallas. I crouched behind a potted plant after my cue, cried a few tears, and laughed with them after Tera realized the jig was up. All of the excitement wasn’t over yet…Jeff planned a romantic gondola ride with hot chocolate and even a waterfall! Jeff and Tara’s story started 20 years ago when they were in school together and he gave her a promise ring. She and her family moved to South Texas, were they kept in touch by snail mail. Their lives would cross paths again where he found out, the promise ring was kept along with the letters they shared together. Jeff designed a book with images from their time together. As soon as he presented her with book and she began to turn the pages, tears started to stream from her face. The last pages of the book were images of the ring he gave her 20 years ago beside the ring he was presenting for the proposal. The page read, “Promises Kept”. Their love story touched me and I hope it does the same for you.

Its time to fall in love with Felecia and Tyler! I am so excited about their Dallas Wedding! They met way back when they were still in school. He went into the Army, got stationed in Europe and Felecia followed. She said she loved their time in Europe. Their chemistry was charming and I loved photographing this session. We were running around Dallas this week for their engagement session. I chase the sun in my sessions and light is a big deal to making the images you have grown to love about my photography. We crafted our timeline and started at their Dallas wedding venue, Arlington Hall at Lee Park, then to the Dallas Arts District then to the roof of South Side on Lamar. Tommy and Angie, Felecia’s parents, were with us and took lots of behind-the-scenes photos. Thank goodness I washed my hair and put on a shirt to cover my rear. They had a friend at South Side we went to visit before we made our way to the roof. I must say when I saw who their friend was, I was slightly star-struck…like, “should I tweet or instagram this?” kind of starstruck. Felecia’s family run a business, 360 Wraps…shout out! and all work together. The dynamic was great and they made me feel right at home like one of the gang. A big thanks to Tommy for chauffeuring me around keeping me hydrated with fresh water! And Angie, for sharing her iphone photos on the cloud and both of you for being great!

Talk about an infectious smile. I dare you to look at Felecia and not smile – she’s got one of those faces that you just have to smile back at When I first met with the gang, I knew it was going to be a blast to work with them. Tyler wore an undershirt that I was instantly drawn to. It had the words, “LOVE” and “LIFE” on the shoulders. He was about to cover it with another (cute) top, when I asked him to wear it for a few images. They are some of my favorites from this engagement session. So glad he wore that! Enjoy this session and be sure to leave these guys some blog love….it would make my day

Meet Jennie and Robbie. He’s an investment banker, she’s in fashion … together they are an adorable couple with a sweet pup named, Tigg. Their Dallas wedding is going to be at an amazing event space, Three Three Three this spring and I am stoked to work with these two for their wedding. When the stars aligned and we were all available, we jumped at the chance to get their session on the books. It was a great day for portraits. The weather was amazing. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Tigg was out for the session and was a very well behaved gentleman. He got a little anxious when Jennie and Robbie made a mad dash to change outfits, but other than that, he was a super-loyal fun sweet pup. He loved to give kisses to Jennie and Robbie….and to me too. I loved that pooch to bits..he reminded me of my Maggie May with his sweet temperament.

Their outfits for the session were coordinated so well…a little sad the tweed jacket from the email didn’t make the cut to the session. Take my word for it, it was awesome! For our session, we hit some Dallas favorites and it was great. Jennie and Robbie wanted to make sure the city was a big part of the session because they love the city. They live in the city. And also because Dallas is way awesome! We started with an urban feel and lots of color, then made our way north to the Arts District. There we made a stop at a few of Tigg’s favorite spots too. He was excited and thought it was play time when we hit the water. I did too … just sayin…a little addicted to water and underwater photography. This session was so much fun and getting to know Jennie and Robbie was great. I hope Tigg still has his job as ring bearer so I can see him again soon! As I was packing up to leave, I said I would see them soon and Robbie said the exact number of days until the wedding. Love it when the countdowns start … exciting times ahead and see you two lovebirds soon!

I love laughing, crazy-faced photos just as much as I love the somber, sweet images….if this Dallas Wedding Photographer catches you with my camera doing this, its going to be quickly one of my top faves of you! Alisia and Brian are beautiful, loving troopers. We photographed their engagement in Downtown Fort Worth in some pretty low temps, but that didn’t stop the amazing time we had. They didn’t mention once about being cold. Of course, I kept them all snuggled up during poses, so that helped for sure. We talked about locations and Alisia was up for anything I threw at them. They are dancers, lovers, and avid sports fans. Alisia is a Texas A&M Aggie, WHOOP! and Brian is a LSU Tiger. I was able to hear more about the couple as we walked and talked and stopped for some beautiful photographs. I just loved the pops of color from their outfits on this super-hot spot, Scat Jazz Lounge in downtown Fort Worth. They made a quick outfit change for the next stop at T&P Station area in Fort Worth. We found some remnants of what seemed to be an awesome shoot … a little chalk graffiti. We just had to take advantage of someone else’s creative markings because they were so cute. So despite all the things the weather, the flu and the wind threw at us, their love shines through in these images. Their warmth, their kindness, and awesome smiles made my camera and me happy. I can’t wait to see your first dance at your wedding … I hope just as Brian described,  “sensual”.

This past fall I photographed this gorgeous Dallas Indian wedding…..eeep!! – the color was a joy to see. It was full of tradition, family, culture, and color, color, color! Raman and Shantanu worked closely with me to make sure I was prepared for what their wedding would be like. She sent me YouTube videos and tons of information so I would have a general idea what I would be photographing. I did tons of research and wanted to make sure I was up to speed with all of the traditions so not to offend or miss anything. Raman and her friends and family were so gracious and held my hand the entire time (not literally, but helped a great deal). I was anxious to download the CF cards and view the images so between the ceremony and reception and after the Mendhi, I posted a few from the previous events before the reception on Facebook and Instagram (lets connect!). That’s where all of my super-sneak peeks go (back of my camera shots). My style lends itself to be quite photojournalistic, so I tend to look for social queues. Where is everyone else looking? That’s going to be what I will photograph along with the people looking. I had a few helpful guides on the day-of that helped me so much and kept me on track. Raman and Shantanu’s Dallas Indian Wedding was such a wonderful event. They had friends, family and a great deal of love around them the entire weekend. The ceremony was held at the Sikh Temple of North Texas. The reception was in McKinney, Texas at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club. We set aside time that day to take some wonderful portraits with just the two of them before the reception. The sun was creeping down and I spotted a hill and just knew it would be a “hero shot” for sure, so they twirled, I snapped and as soon as I saw the back of my camera, I gasped….it was stunning! Now to share with you…enjoy!

There are some events where your heart goes pitter-patter and the wedding of Rayven and Alex was one of those. It was a super awesome team of wedding vendors and it was going to be the wedding anniversary of my late Grandparents….it was destined to be a great day! Cityplace, The Warwick, Jimmy Choo, Sugar Bee Sweets…c’mon….with this kind of guest list, its gotta be fab! Rayven and I met years ago (wow! seems like yesterday I walked into Texas Wedding Guide) and I secretly thought that when this gal gets engaged, I hope she chooses me to document her wedding! It happened by text…one morning, I received a text that said something like, “reserve mm-dd-yy for me because I just got engaged and I knew you would always shoot my wedding”. One of my most flattered moments of my career! Thanks Rayven!! Months leading up to the wedding, I was seeing yummylicious (new word!) posts on Instagram and Facebook with loads of gorgeous details. Rayven was working around the clock trying to make it look amazing. Jen Rios came out and really helped to knock the ball out of the park. Seriously….some amazing wedding details and styling.

Speaking of styling…did mention Rayven’s style is so out-of-this-world-shut-the-front-door-cute-awesome? Yep…true story, check out their engagement session at the Magnolia Hotel in Dallas and her Retro Bridals in Dallas! I would love to take the majority of the credit for these two awesome shoots, but Rayven and Jen might toilet paper my house. Without further ado……Rayven and Alex said “I Do!”….

Meet Andrea and Andrew. They met in college in Indiana. They are getting married in Milwaukee. He just moved from Shanghai. Together, they are one amazing couple and love to travel. These two cool cats had a beautiful engagement session with me this past weekend. Welcome to Amy Karp Photography Weddings 2013! If this is any indication how the year is going to pan out, lets do this and lets do this a lot! During the first part of our session, we were in the Farmers Market area to pull some color into their session during these winter months. I asked Andrea to look toward me & Andrew said “did you say Andrew OR Andrea?” – it was then, I realized I REALLY needed to enunciate my words working with two clients with such similar names. The colors we were able to infuse into their engagement portraits were really awesome – reds, greens, blues, yellows…so gorgeous paired with the sunlight. We found some pretty foliage that stuck around from this year’s beautiful Autumn, some pottery named Katrina, wall art, some vibrant green bamboo, and some birds on a wire….it was a fun day.

Andrew had contacted me a few times to get everything set up for the session. I had it in my head for about a month that is was going to be warm. I really am a wuss when it comes to cold weather. The week leading up to the engagement session it was dreary, cold, overcast, cold, grey, cold and cold. I was starting to get nervous. The day of their portraits the sun came out, the temps warmed up and I was so thankful. We spent all of our time together in Dallas. We even hit the new park over Woodall Rodgers, Klyde Warren Park and had some yummy food truck snacks.

Beth and Nathan’s wedding will be at the beautiful Hall of State at Fair Park in downtown Dallas this upcoming year. I was completely blown away when we walked in and saw the rich history and beautiful columns….eeeep…can’t wait until their wedding! I met them on a gorgeous fall day where the weather was just perfect. The sun was shining through the trees and the leaves were still holding on a little from the most beautiful colors we have seen in Dallas in quite some time. This year, we actually had Autumn months and the colors were amazing. We have also had some 80 degree days in December, so Texas….your weather is crazy, but I love ya! After we pranced around (don’t tell Nathan I said he pranced…he didn’t prance at all), we went over to the Dallas Farmer’s Market for the golden hour with these two. We snuck in (shhhh!) and found some light dripping in by the hanging baskets. I just love to photograph through things and add a pop of color, so this spot was perfect for that. We wrapped our time together with a gorgeous sunset and these two being all lovey dovey on each other. It was a fun day and I can’t wait until your wedding! Its almost here!!

I tried so hard to narrow down the recap from all of these weddings, but alas….I couldn’t. So feast on 100+ images….

I remember the day I decided to do wedding photography full time. I have been so blessed to be able to do what I love every day. It was a pretty scary, special, exciting, impulsive decision that felt 1000% like the right thing to do. I mean, I had a newborn, who needs a steady paycheck, corporate benefits, sick time, health insurance, and lunch breaks? Scariest day of my life. Most rewarding day of my life as well. What I would potentially gain from this GIANT leap of faith was more than I could ever imagine. I started to photograph weddings in 2006 and went full time in 2008. In January of 2009, I was still petrified to say “I am a photographer” to anyone. A drawer full of gushing “thank you” notes and publications later… I am a wedding photographer. I still can’t believe I get to play cameras and dress-up every day, but I just love making my clients feel amazing about themselves and giving them a legacy to hold in their hands and treasure.  I am excited to see what 2013 brings.

This year for weddings was a dream come true. My camera landed me in print in CHINA! I went underwater with two lovebirds from Hong Kong, we danced in the streets of Downtown Dallas, we had fun at a REAL Fort in Oklahoma, we played (wedding) dress-up at a bar and it was amazing, we sang songs and played guitar in open fields, we rode horses….all of this for some beautiful photographs. Its been an amazing year filled with wonderful clients with so much creativity and artistic vision. Thank you for a spectacular year and for trusting me to bring your vision to life!

In 2011, I introduced Emily and Derek to you during their wedding anniversary session in Galveston, Texas. I am elated to have them on the blog again for such a joyous occasion….a family portrait! Em and Derek announced the arrival of Baby Nolan on Facebook with their two dogs, Penny and Linus. It was beyond precious. I told her in the history of baby announcements, it was the cutest I had ever laid my eyes on. Derek and Emily are so fun to be around and they are so sweet, kind and affectionate with each other. It was a pleasure to shoot their session in an unexpected beautiful location (that I hope I can take pictures in again…seriously amazing spot!). The words she said for her maternity portraits were, “organic, natural, sweet, fun”….I think we hit a home run on the location for those words.  We can’t wait to meet sweet Baby Nolan. You guys are going to be amazing parents.

I love it when someone calls me and says, “I know you are a wedding photographer, but…..”. It usually ends with something like “your style is perfect for our Dallas family and do you offer family portraits” or “we are pregnant and want to have a little something different, do you offer maternity sessions?” I usually take on sessions like this because I really do love all types of photography – no matter what stage of your life you are in. I love stretching and flexing my creative photography muscles. I love to have a “specialty”, but lately I say “specialize in weddings and underwater photography“. The underwater part gets a lot of raised eyebrows and is a great conversation starter. Being a wedding photographer, you actually are specializing in so many photography genres. When I shoot details, I am doing product photography. When I am shooting the family formals, well, that’s family photography (sort of). When I am running from the Church to the reception hall backwards (praying to God I do not bust my buns and break any bones if I fall!), I am doing event photography. Any way you slice it, I just love photography.

Here are some of the family sessions I have been doing lately. I have been really blessed to have a lot of faces repeat offenders on my blog over the years and I am happy to show them to you another time. Better, older, and sweeter than ever. For those newcomers to the site, meet The Ryan’s, The Johnson’s, The Garcia’s, The Krausse’s, and The Coker’s. I love all these faces like my own family!

This year has been filled with so many wonderful wedding clients that are so very creative and full of wonderful ideas. I have traveled outside of Dallas quite a bit and when I find super awesome hidden Texas gems, I get excited….really excited. New amazing places with new amazingly creative faces are a great combo and great for this Dallas Wedding Photographer! I love it when they infuse their style into their engagement sessions and that is EXACTLY what Katie and Josh did for their session. Thanks to Pinterest, we have been able to pin and see each other’s ideas. Katie’s boards are so fun to see. It was a family affair for their session with both sets of parents there as well as their two precious dogs. Josh’s brother even built a fence for their session. They are a handy family! We were on the hunt for hay bales and a fence. Katie spotted the perfect spot for the hay one day on while she was on a bus run for her her school. Their wedding this year is going to be unreal – a ranch in Anna, Texas….I can not wait! We started our session in the quaint downtown area of Prosper, Texas and made our way around the old buildings and rustic architecture. The guys were setting up the fence while the gals were making it up pretty with Katie and Josh’s wedding date for their save-the-dates. Our last stop of the session was the field with the hay bales. The sun, the fall colors, the couple….it was picturesque and it made my camera so happy. Lets do it again soon, guys!