A Laos Wedding at Las Lomas Irving Banquet Hall

Like a said many times before, I absolutely love to shoot different cultures weddings and interfaith weddings. This particular ethnic Laos and American wedding was a great example of traditions, culture and in the synergy of interfaith love.

I got the honor to document this stunning Laos wedding between Maggie and Brad in Irving, TX.

Whenever I get the opportunity to photograph a non western wedding with different culture and traditions, I always take the time to do some research about what to expect and how to best document it.

Hereby I will describe the different parts of this Laotian-American wedding and its important traditions.

Engagements are not that common in Laos, so this couple choose to not do an engagement session.

Most American-Laos couples choose to split their wedding into two parts, one is the traditional Laos wedding ceremony and the other is the modern western wedding and reception. Maggie and Brad choose to have the Baci ceremony in the morning of their wedding day. Only family and close friends where invited for the Baci ceremony. The traditional Laos wedding ceremony was held at the bride’s family home, as the tradition calls for.

I started the coverage of the bride and groom getting ready at Maggie’s family home.

The Bride Price - Sour Khor

The actual wedding preparations start weeks before the wedding with the Sou Khor (bride-price negotiation) procession.

The bride-price is usually gold and money, but it can be anything of value. Usually this is asked by the bride's parents as a refund for the breast milk that has been fed to the bride since she was newborn. The amount depends on the family social status of both parents, but nowadays many parents don't ask for anything so long that their daughter is happy.

The wedding date is decided on when both sides have finalized the negotiations and the Sour Khor is agreed on.

The wedding date has to be on a suitable day in the lunar calendar, so the parents will consult elders or senior monks, who have great knowledge of Lao custom and tradition, before the wedding date is chosen.

The Laos Wedding Preparation - Oun Dong

The night before the wedding an informal ceremony is performed at both the brides and grooms home This is called Oun Dong (translates to wedding or marriage warming) and it only involves family and close friends who come to help with wedding preparations as well as to eat and drink. The centerpiece of the preparation includes the Pha Khaun  (handmade marigold pyramid made of banana leaves and flowers). They also prepare food for the wedding and the new couple’s bedroom. Tradition demands the bed must be made by the mother of the bride or an older female who has a good family (with a good husband and good children and who is not a widowed, or divorced).

On the wedding day, the bride is dressed with a traditional Lao silk Sinh, and silk blouse, and has her hair tied up in a traditional way with gold decorations. Her wedding day outfit includes a gold necklace, bracelets, earrings and a bell.

The groom gets dressed up usually with cream or white silk shirt and a traditional silk Salong.

Traditional Laotian Wedding Outfit

The Bride Price Giving Procession

During the wedding day morning, a procession of the groom is sent ahead to give the bride-price to the bride’s parents. The bride-price is usually gold and/or money. The procession consists of a group of few older men and women, who could be the groom’s parents and relatives and that are good and know a lot about Lao customs and traditions.

The Groom Parade - Hae Keuy

When the bride price giving procession is completed, the groom’s group is informed and they parade to the bride’s home, playing musical, singing and dancing along the way (they sing a song, that’s specially composed for this groom parade). Everybody is cheering, laughing and enjoying the parade. The groom walks under an umbrella that’s is hold by his family or friends. This part of the Laos wedding is really festive and joyful. This procession is called Hae Keuy (the groom parade).

When they arrive at the bride’s house, the groom and his group are met by the bride's relatives where a silver gate and a gold gate are waiting and closed. These doors are symbolized by lines of silver and gold bells stretched across the door way (also known as the Golden and Silver Gates) to stop the groom from entering before he is granted permission. In order to be granted permission the groom has to pay the brides party.

The groom will be permitted to walk through the gates only after he drinks with the bride’s party and pays them to open the doors and after their traditionally questions such as: “Where are you coming from? What are your intentions? What are you bringing?” etc. are answered. Extensive and playful bargaining, questioning and drinking starts at this point, this is another fun part of the Laos wedding.

The groom doesn’t have to answer the questions since the relatives will do all the talking for him. All the groom has to do is to drink and offer his money or gold to the door attendants. When he has paid “the entrance fee” and they are happy with the small money gift they will grant him permission to under through the gates.

But before he can step inside the house he has to have his feet washed by the bride’s younger sister, or chosen relative, this person has to be female and have to be younger than the bride. The groom then gives some money to the person washing his feet, and then he can enter the house 

The Baci or Sou Khuan Ceremony

The groom is met at the door and led by a female relative of the bride to the Pha Khoun, the ceremony site where the Baci will be performed. Once he takes seat, the bride is led to the ceremony site from her room by another elder female relative. She is seated on the left side of the groom with the parents and relatives of both sides sitting nearby. During the seating process the bride’s relatives and friends will give her a slight push to make her to lean on the groom unintentionally, and the other party will do the same thing to the groom. According to traditional beliefs, the first to touch the other one during this ceremony will have an advantage in power over the other party in their married lives.

After everyone is settled in, the actual Baci ceremony begins. This involves the chanting by the master of ceremony (Mor Phon), the egg feeding (the bride and the groom feed each other an egg) and the tying of white strings on wrists of the couple. 

The first to tie white thread around the wrists of the bride and the groom is the Mor Phon is, followed by parents, relatives, and finally the guests take turns to tie the white thread on the wrists of the bride and the groom. During the tying process everyone chants their well wishes. Some also roll a bill or two and tie it by the white threads before tying it to the wrists of the couple.

The Somma Procession

By the end of the Baci ceremony, the elder relatives lead the couple to Somma (a customary asking for forgiveness and thanking the parents and elder relatives of both the bride and groom). This process involves the giving of money gifts (wrapped inside banana leaves, together with flowers and a pair of candles). During this ceremony the elders give the couple good wishes.

The Procession of Sending the Newly Wed to their Room 

The Laos wedding ceremony ends with the sending of the couple to their room. An elder female relative will lead the groom to the room and the bride follows behind. In the bedroom, the elderly person lead the couple to customary pay their respects to the bed and the pillows. After this procession is done, family and close friends take turns to have photos taken with the newlywed couple in their bedroom. 

American Wedding Ceremony & Reception

After the Laotian wedding ceremony at the brides parents home it was time to head over to the Las Lomas Irving Banquet Hall for the American wedding ceremony and the reception. The couple changed to a western wedding outfit for the second part of their interfaith wedding.

After both wedding ceremonies were completed, it was time for the big party to begin, all the guests were invited to eat, drink and dance. At this time we did a brief wedding party photo session.

The bride and groom entered the reception hall and opened the dance floor in Lao style dancing (it’s called Lum Vong) and then guets and family join in. Lao style dancing has its very distinct style, with pairs and line dancing going in circle and with specific circular hand movements. The wedding reception party continued late into the night with foods as roasted pig and drinks like whiskey, bourbon and Lao Beer.

There is a lot of dancing, laughter and festivities at this point, it was a mixture of Laotian and. western wedding traditions.

At the end of the night the couple, Maggie and Brad choose to do a western type exit with sparkles and farewell in a white Lamborghini. What a fun and colorful wedding!

A Pretty Simple Guide to Wedding Invitations

Wedding invitations can seem overwhelming. Where do you shop for them? How much will they cost? And what else needs to be included aside from the main invite? These are all great questions that every bride asks herself. Unfortunately, some brides don’t get the answers they need and in turn feel stressed throughout the wedding invitation process.

Ordering wedding invitations online can be a super simple process once you know what your doing. Thanks to Basic Invite and the tips they’re bringing us today on what to order, when to order, and answers to the age-old etiquette dilemma all of you brides-to-be will be invitation pros in no time.

From the start of you engagement all the way to post-nuptials there are endless opportunities to incorporate wedding stationery into your festivities. Here’s what Basic Invite offers:

- Engagement announcements and invitations

- Bridal shower invitations

- Save the dates

- Wedding invitations and enclosure cards

- Wedding day stationery

- Guest books

- Thank you notes

- Wedding announcements

Personalize your wedding invitations with photos for a more personal touch!

So, what all goes into a wedding suite?

A straightforward question with a not-so-straightforward answer but once you know your options and weigh those against your needs it’s easy to navigate.

Start with the wedding invitation. This is going to be the main focus of your suite. Be sure to include all the main event details here – who, what, where, when, and why.

Next, the enclosure cards – a rule of thumb to follow is if it doesn’t apply let it fly. Not every couple needs to include every enclosure card. Enclosures include rsvp, direction, accommodation, reception, and registry cards.

How should a wedding invitation suite be put together?

There are a couple options when it comes to how an invitation suite is assembled.

Option one, go for a standard suite where each card it stacked on top of one another then secured with a belly band or ribbon to keep each suite placed nicely inside of their envelope.

Option two, opt for a pocket. These are a fancy and super organized way to deliver your invites. The invitation will be placed on the left inside flap and each enclosure will be nicely stacked on top of each other on the right inside flap where each card will be showcased flawlessly. Fold up the pocket and secure it with a sticker for a crisp look. It’s all up to you and what suites your style.

What is the proper wedding invitation etiquette?

There are various ways to follow proper wedding etiquette and when it comes to invitations there are two categories to consider.

The first being timeline. Timing for wedding invitations is vital because you want to ensure your guests have ample time to check their calendar, respond, and prepare for your special day. Following the easy timeline guide below will help make things run smoothly.

8+ months – start shopping, playing around with design customizations, and order a custom samples

6+ months – order your save the dates and choose your wedding colors

4+ months – send your save the dates and order your wedding invitations

3+ months – mail your wedding invitations and order your wedding day stationery

2 weeks after – send out your thank you notes and order your wedding announcements

Next, wording. This is where things can get tricky, but don’t stress too much on wording etiquette. Use your best judgment especially when inviting someone divorced, remarried, or in a non-martial relationship. Etiquette can be taken to a whole other level when secular traditions are involved. Luckily Basic Invite has done all the hard work for you by creating a guide to help you out.

Check out these easy to read guides on wedding etiquette and wording examples.

Choosing a style and design is easy and once you know the ins and outs of it all so is creating a custom invitation suite for you! Don’t forget to use coupon code 15FF51 at checkout for 15% off your order and follow Basic Invite on all social media platforms at @basicinvite for all the invitation inspiration you can handle!

Star Map Art For Your Wedding Day- A Review

I had the opportunity to receive an unique and very cool product from Modern Map Art.

They make different products as wall art, pillows and shirts with custom maps.

In my case I got the Star Map Poster that's a great gift for a wedding couple or for the couple to buy and display at their reception table. It could even serve as a backdrop for guest to write their best wishes and notes on.

The map came very well packed in a a protective paper roll with extra protective gift wrapping tissue.

The map I received was a 16x20 Star Map that I custom designed on their website, you can choose the size, if you wanted framed, the color, text, font and date. So you can have the Star Map from your wedding day!

The quality of the print and paper is excellent and the paper is the right kind if you want the guests to write on it with a pen.

I highly recommend this product as a wedding gift and for couples that want something original for their wedding day. It's a great alternative to a regular wedding guest book if you design it the right way.

Multi-Cultural and Interfaith Weddings

Merging two faiths in matrimony requires patience, love and a willingness to compromise. Every faith has its unique traditions, customs, and rules that influence the format of a wedding ceremony, the décor, the music and even the food selection.

Needless to say, there are numerous accommodations to be made to avoid offense and to make everyone feel welcomed and a part of the celebration. No need to worry. There have been hundreds of interfaith weddings in Dallas and there will be hundreds after yours. So, we don’t need to look too far to observe what made their weddings seamless and memorable. Here are a few consideration to add to your mental notebook as you start the planning for your big day.

Questions to Ask

1.   Location, location, location—where will you have the wedding—a mosque, church, temple, or ballroom. Some reasons offer no exceptions to the location of the wedding. This is certainly a conversation to have with your spouse-to-be.

2.  Whose faith will guide the wedding ceremony—yours or his? Of will you have two wedding officiants? It is customary to have just to make sure each faith is given proper honor and also out of respect for the families that are being joined.

3.   Weddings with partners of Christian faith have popular bible passages that are read during the wedding ceremony. While many faiths share a similar gist in their messages, for some faiths the reading itself is symbolic and should not be overlooked.

4.   Give a diligent search for an officiant as you would a Dallas wedding photographer. Due to the restrictions of their religion, some faith leaders will not officiate a multicultural wedding. Once you’ve identified an officiant who will, there are a few important questions to ask.

a.   Officiating fee. You want to factor in all of your expenses as early as possible in the planning process.

b.  Share any faith-related accommodations or traditions you’d like to include in the wedding ceremony. Remember, your attention will be on the magnificent of the event. Your wedding officiant can help keep the ceremony flowing when others may forget their queue. 

c.  While most couples have family planning discussion during their courtship and engagement, it may be a good idea to consider pre-marital counseling with your selected officiant. He or she will ask questions that unearth fears or deep concerns that are better addressed sooner than later.

5.   While the two of you may enjoy your shared music tracks in the privacy of your car and home, the music for your reception should consider the many loved ones who have gathered in support of your union. Consider a varied music play list to reflect both cultures.

At Igor Photography we love to capture multi-cultural and Interfaith weddings, through the years we have a had the opportunity to witness that love does emerge across cultural and religious borders and how beautiful it is. 

We have photographed several American-Muslim weddings, American-Asian weddings, American-Hindu weddings and Christian-Muslim weddings, Christian-Buddhism weddings, Christian-Hindu weddings, Christian-Jewish weddings and other combinations of cultures and religions. 

Multi-cultural and Interfaith weddings are often one of the most colorful and lively celebrations that we get to photograph and film. We have developed a deep understanding and respect for how to meticulously and professionally capture such a wedding so all the important parts get the attention it deserves. 

If you you are having a Multi-Cultural/Interfaith wedding in Dallas or somewhere else, contact Igor Photography today so we can provide you with the wedding photography and video that your celebration deserves.

11 Tips for No-Stress Dallas Engagement Photography

Love is in the air—you’re engaged and you’ve decided to hire a Dallas engagement photographer. Whether the portraits are for save-the-date cards, invites, or to display on your website, this is the time to simply be yourself—in the moment, doing what you naturally do when you’re with your sweetheart.

Yes, you’ll receive subtle direction from your Dallas engagement photographer, but this is your love story; told through your eye contact, the way you touch each other, in your smile and those quirky moments that make you laugh uncontrollably.  

The engagement photography session is all about capturing expressions of your love and any stress is not invited to the party. So, here are 11 tips for No-Stress Dallas Engagement Photography.

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Emotion filled photos by a Dallas Engagement Photographer Igor.

1.  If you follow any tip on this list, this first tip is huge and non-negotiable. Hiring a Fort Worth Dallas engagement photographer who is personable, creative and fun can make all the difference between having a no-stress engagement photography and a stress-filled engagement photography.

You should have a professional yet warm connection with your engagement photographer. If you feel uncomfortable, awkward or nervous, that discomfort will show up in your body language and in your facial expressions. Take some time to search for the best in Dallas engagement photography. This is a special day for you and your fiance and you’ll have these portraits for a lifetime.

2.  Choose a theme and share your vision with your engagement photographer. Yes, the photographer is the creative master, but having some knowledge of your love story helps your photographer capture the best poses and props to showcase the perfect engagement story book.

3.  Select an attire that is comfortable and that complements each other at least 2-3 weeks in advance. The last thing you want is to start your photography session with a regret over a last minute, and less flattering purchase. That will certainly bring on the stress.

4.  We’re in awe of the landmarks we’ve seen in Fort Worth-Dallas engagement photography, but consider choosing a location that has special meaning to your love story. Being in a familiar environment will help you open up and allow your emotions to flow naturally.

5.  Come prepared to have fun! Remember, your DFW engagement photography is a unique, less formal and playful reflection of your bond and friendship. Soak up the beauty of this special and un-rushed time with your sweetheart.

6.  Trust your engagement photographer. Your professional photographer is the expert. He or she knows how to capture the ideal shots, at the right time and from the most flattering angles. They are keenly aware of appropriate hand placement and poses.

7.  No amount of editing can cover the effects of feeling tired and sleep deprived. So, get a good night sleep. Rest your mind and body so you’re looking and feeling your best for your engagement photography session.

8.  Eat a light breakfast so you’re not feeling weighed down or bloated. It’s better to have not eaten enough than to over eat right before your photo shoot.

9.  Breathe. Sounds obvious, but when you’re mindful of your breathing it will help you relax and release any tension in your body, which can show up in your photos.

10.  Communicate with your engagement photographer. If there’s a special pose or backdrop that you want to capture, share it with your photographer. Your professional photographer will advise the best approach and you’ll feel more invested in the session knowing your idea was considered or used.

11.  Here’s a simple and effective approach to no-stress DFW engagement photography. Workout together at the gym or go for a brisk run or walk the morning of your shoot. The release of endorphins will have you feeling confident, connected, and maybe a little frisky—the perfect ingredients for no-stress looking engagement photos.

Congratulations on your engagement! I hope these tips have been helpful. Remember, relax, breathe, and enjoy every moment. As you begin your search for Dallas engagement photographers, choose an engagement photographer who is personable, creative and fun. Cheers!

Contact us today if you want IGOR Photography to take your Fort Worth Dallas engagement photos!

Better posing for your wedding pictures - Directed Flow Posing

 

Better Posing For Wedding = Better Wedding Photos

Correct and flattering posing in wedding photography is paramount for successful and attractive wedding photos.

Pease don't tell us that you don't like posed photos, what you don't like is awkward and unflattering photos due to no posing directions or straight out bad posing. Even with the most flattering location, light and angle, direct instructions must be given to the wedding couple. You don't have to be a professional model to improve your photos with better posing from a professional wedding photographer!

But first, let's talk what posing is and most importantly what "good posing " is. For our intentions, the traditional definition of posing is to place the body in a suitable position or attitude for a picture, tableau, or the like, for an artist such a wedding photographer or painter.

At IGOR Photography we don't usually use "traditional posing", since we believe that it can make you look too static and unnatural.

Posing doesn't have to be a static held position, over the top dramatic body position or an unnatural way to stand that makes you feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Directed Flow Posing

A lot of people have a negative idea and feeling about what posing is and feels like. Maybe because what they seen models do on TV, or because of their parents contrived wedding album pictures or due to uncomfortable high school yearbook picture sittings. We all have seen or experience this, so it's understandable that we feel some resistance to being posed in front of a camera.

At IGOR Photography we use a technique that we call "directed flow posing", we direct the subject into a starting pose, and make small adjustments one at the time after that, it's a constant flow, where we encourage subject interaction and movement, the subtle variation from shot to shot is what makes it natural looking, relaxed and more fun.

It's a very natural and organic way of posing, we like to make it fun and relaxed, and it's shows in our photos. We use very subtle directions and adjustments, we let the subject to move and interact with each other, creating a more intimate and organic feeling.

Let's talk about how you can take some of our posing techniques for better posing for wedding photos and make your next photography session or wedding photos much better.

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Use the KISS principle - "Keep it simple stupid"

Don't try to do to much with your posing, less is often more when it comes to posing for wedding pictures.

Start with your Feet

Posing starts with the feet. For the bride's posing. Plant one foot slightly in front of the other,  bend the front knee, point your toe to the camera and shift your weight on your back leg and away from the camera. This achieves the classic hourglass silhouette.

For the groom is better to face the camera more or less straight towards the camera and with the feet slightly apart.

"Bend it like Beckham"

Keep the elbows bent and slightly way from the body, this forms a small gap that shows the waistline, the s-curve and slim downs the body. Most of the joints in the body should have a slight bend, it looks softer and more relaxed that way.

Men can keep their arms slightly bent against their body.

Let's Twist it

For the bride, turn your body about 45 degrees away from the camera and put the arm closest to the camera on your hip or slightly bent next to your body. This will make you look slimmer, curvier and it will ensure that the arm will not get flatted against your body.

Men can keep the feet slightly positioned away from the camera and turn their upper body squared against the camera to acentuate broad shoulders and a smaller waist.

Straighten the Spine = Good Posture

You mother probably always said to you as a child, "straighten your back honey", and she was so right. Standing up straight really does make a difference for the health of your back and your physical appearance. Not only will it make you look taller, but it will also give you a look of strength and confidence, which is naturally attractive to both genders.

Be asymmetrical

Bend your joints, dip one shoulder or hip, make sure that your arms are at different heights, or bend one leg a little more than the other.

Remember your hands

Try to keep your hands open and relaxed. it's often best to show the side of your hand. You can also grab a part of your dress or suit with your hands to make it feel and look relaxed. Men can keep their hands in their pockets or hold the jacket or cuffs. 

When the couple is engaging each other its important that hands are either touching each other or holding on into each other. Show intimacy!

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Intimacy and "directed flow posing".

Use your tongue

This is a great and weird trick, but it works very well. It might feel strange, but by pressing your tongue on the roof of your mouth while smiling is a great way to help avoid the unflattering double chin, as it elongates your neck and your jawline.

Pull your ears forward

This bring brings the chin forward to create a strong jawline and also minimizes double chin.

Add some movement & Interaction

In directed flow posing we always encourage the subjects to talk and laugh to each other about anything in order to get more emotional and organic photos. We also like to have the couples and wedding party walk, dance and move to create more dynamic lively wedding photos.

Don’t be a follower

In order to get some interesting and great group shots its best to not have the group do the same thing, since it's often looks boring that way, everyone is of different heights and shapes, and it often looks like a forced mishmash" of people. It's better to have everyone stand slightly different.

Don't say cheese

Smiling and looking good in photos is often not that easy as it seems. If you don't smile you risk to look bored or angry, but if you smile to much you often look silly instead. It's best to smile in a relaxed and natural way without overdoing it.

When you smile to much on purpose you face get's tense, you show to much teeth, your eyes squint and you wrinkle up, it's not the look that you want! The key is to smile naturally and in moderation.

I hope that you have learned a few posing techniques and that you realize that posing doesn't have to be awkward, that instead it's a crucial ingredient in obtaining stunning wedding pictures.

IGOR Photography's "Directed Flow Posing" system is a surefire way to obtain those organic and natural looking wedding pictures that we are known for. Being able to quickly come up with a variety of poses that suits the couple and the occasion is an important skill that Dallas wedding photographers develop through practice and experience.

Great and effective posing is an art form that takes a lot of time to master. Make sure that you hire a wedding photographer that has the right posing skills to make you look fantastic!

Proposal Photography at the Enchant Christmas Maze

I love proposal photography, there are always so many raw emotions at display and I really enjoy the anticipation, the planning for the perfect capture and the big surprise. This past Christmas I got the privilege to photograph a beautiful proposal between Michelle and Matt at the perfect Christmas location; The Enchant Christmas Light Maze in Arlington.

Matt contacted me a few weeks before Christmas to plan the shoot, we went through the game plan and agreed to scout out the event in advance in order to find out the best spot for the proposal to take place.

Most proposal photography that I do are shot in true "paparazzi style", the fiancee never knows that there is a photographer until the actual proposal has been made, then I jump into the action and reveal myself and get some close ups shots of the couple, in this occasion I also shot a short portrait session around the Christmas Maze.

This proposal was very fun but presented us with some challenges that we had to take into consideration. It was a cold day before Christmas eve and the event was completely full with people. Another challenge was the proposal shoot had to take place at night, and I didn't want to start using the flash to early and risk to compromise the surprise factor.

But with careful planning, the right photo gear, selection of location and the right timing we got the perfect proposal photos that we are known for at IGOR Photography.

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The proposal moment:Did she say yes?, It's pretty safe to say that she did judging by her smile from ear to ear!

Michelle was so surprised and her face lit up in awe and happiness when Matt kneel down, her smile was priceless and the joy and love was at full display. These are the kind of moments that I live for, it makes me so happy to witness and it makes me believe in goodness and in humankind. I always get very emotional and my heart beats fast. It's so exciting!

I continued to shoot through Michelle and Matt's reactions, smiles and laughter. After the proposal, Michelle and Matt walked through the maze, got some hot chocolate in the cold, and I continued to take candid photos of them as they were walking and interacting. We also did a few posed photos when I saw a great backdrop. 

It was the perfect proposal photo session, so much fun and we got some amazing looking photos!

I wish more people would hire a professional proposal photographer in Dallas and Fort Worth, it's such a joyful and important moment to capture properly. 

Contact us today for Dallas-Fort Worth or destination wedding photography and photo sessions, we would love to chat about how we can get you unique paparazzi style proposal photos!

Las Vegas Destination Wedding Photography

At IGOR Photography we love to photograph destination weddings and portrait sessions at different locations, and one of our favorite wedding destinations is Las Vegas, Nevada.

This wedding shoot was a little bit different than a our typical wedding in Fort Worth or Dallas. "Sin City" is a city full of life, energy and with some amazing backdrops for the type of wedding photography that we like to capture. Las Vegas is a perfect complement to our emotional and artistic style of wedding photography.

On this trip to Las Vegas we mainly shot at the famous Las Vegas Strip, both during the day and night, and we captured the beautiful couple in the middle of all the buzzing midday city activities, we wanted to include the walking tourists on the stripe and some famous landmarks such as The Bellagio Hotel and Casino.

This was such a enjoyable shoot, our beautiful couple Charm and Andrey were having a lot of fun at the different locations that we walked to during the photos session, we did a combination of some traditional posed portraits with some stunning architecture and Casinos as a backdrop, and also some lifestyle action shots as they were interacting with each other and enjoying a walk at the famous Las Vegas Strip. It was a very organic and natural way of shooting a bride and groom session, with no awkward or forced posing, this is how we shoot at IGOR Photography.

Paris Hotel Vegas Strip Wedding

Lifestyle Candid Vegas Wedding Photography

Contact us today to talk about your destination wedding or engagement session, we would love to create some epic photos for you that fully show your personality and happiness.

Marty Leonard & Historic 512 Wedding in Fort Worth

We can not get enough of one of our favorite venues here in Fort Worth, Texas, it is the Marty Leonard Lena Hope Chapel, this Chapel is definitely a sculpted masterpiece with it's genius architecture, high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows that bring the outdoors and light to indoor.

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Marty Leonard Chapel Wedding Photography

Our Bride and Groom Julie & Stanley came to us with their hearts wide and mind open. They love IGOR wedding photography for it's creative takes, angles and lighting. Stanley especially enjoyed the way we played with lines and Julie appreciated that we could showcase romance, love and passion while still being classy and traditional.

You may remember this couple from their beautiful modern engagement session in The Arts District in Dallas, which incorporated their cute fur babies :)

The preparation and getting ready shots were done at the classy Omni Hotel in downtown Fort Worth.

The wedding reception was held at the lovely Historic 512, also known as the YWCA, first founded in 1907, the now wedding venue provides lovely vintage architecture and furniture for your wedding reception, and a two story building with ample space to have a dance floor and separate location for photo booth , which IGOR wedding photography in Dallas-Fort Worth also provides, with custom Instagram cut outs and props!

Fort Worth Omni Hotel Wedding

Bride & Braidsmaids at the Omni Hotel getting ready.

Bride and Bridesmaids

Father viewing the bride for first time

Fort Worth wedding photography

Groom at the hotel

wedding tears

Groom watching the bride walking down the aisle

Groom tearing up

Marty Leonard Chapel wedding

Marty Leonard wedding photographer

Fort Worth wedding photographer

DFW weddings

Historic 512 wedding reception

Wedding reception selfie

Wedding reception dancing

Wedding ring shot Ft Worth

Historic 512 wedding photography

This wedding was an extremely emotional wedding as we had grown close to our clients, and to see our groom express his love for his beautiful wife was a sight to see! This wedding was also filled with funny moments such as the MacGregor and Mayweather fight that the groom had specifically begged his bride if he could use one of the reception tables to broadcast the fight. At one point during the night, the wedding attendees gathered around a table to watch the fight!

Stay tuned for more beautiful Images from our recent trip to Las Vegas & upcoming weddings, including a beautiful multi-cultural wedding at the Fort Worth Omni Hotel.

Are you getting married ? Contact Igor today and set up a consultation date to discuss your wedding details!

Live.Love.Marry

Meg