Current Reception Ideas I'm loving from a Wedding Photographer!

As a vendor within the wedding industry you can probably imagine that I go to more weddings than the average person. I’m constantly seeing my couples change their wedding day up to what they want! The best thing about your wedding if that you can do whatever you want to. If you hate the idea of throwing a bouquet & your partner throwing a garter, then don’t do it. Don’t overthink your wedding!


Here’s my current favorite reception ideas!

  • Champagne Tower 🥂 The photos with champagne towers are definitely in my top 3 ideas! This is perfect for brides that wanna go all out, plus this looks so classy in photos!

  • Late Night Snack - Serve your guests pizza, Chick-fila-a, Whataburger, or your favorite drunk snack!

  • Photo Booth - This is perfect for the guests to go home with something from your wedding! Plus, who doesn’t love a good photo booth fun! 📸

  • Kids Table! If you know there’s gonna be kiddos at your wedding, then consider opting for a kids table. This can be filled with kids activities like; coloring, word searches, legos, tabletop chalk, cornhole, & maybe even bubbles (hear me out, this could be a cute idea if they blow these whenever the newlyweds make their grand entrance.)

  • S’mores Bar 🍫 - Guests can make their own s’mores. This would go get for an outdoor reception by a bonfire!

  • Guest Book with a twist! There are so many ways to have a guestbook, you can have your guests; sign an old record, take Polaroid pictures of themselves, record a voicemail, or you can have a guestbook full of your engagement photos & have guests write in that.

  • Anniversary Dance/Money Dance! This is perfect to get everyone on the dance floor! The anniversary dance is when all married couples dance at the same time & then a DJ will slowly kick out people to find what couple has been married the longest. The money dance is when you & your partner both dance with guests, however in order for your guests to dance with you they have to give you money, it can be as low as $1!

  • Disposable Cameras 🎞 I love it when couples have disposable cameras on their wedding day & then have their closest friends & family also capture the day! This is so sweet to me, because you’re able to see your wedding through your family & friend’s eyes. This is definitely one of my favorites!

  • Wedding Bounce House 💫 This is a trend that’s on the come up & definitely has it’s own crowd. This idea isn’t for everyone, but this is a super cool fun idea for those having kids in attendance & this could be super fun once the night goes on & everyone get’s drunk.

This is just a small little list of reception ideas that I’m absolutely loving! If you want to do any of these ideas at your wedding, do it!!

Zachery & Samantha's Engagement Session in Downtown Houston, Texas.

I’ll set the tone for you guys. It’s almost the heat of the summer, it’s the week before your wedding, & you’re running around your city with the fanciest clothes on with your personal photographer. Okay y’all got the vibe? Well, this was Zachery & Samantha’s life last month & these are the photos from our night wondering around downtown Houston, Texas.

I loved everything about this day, we started at a parking garage before heading to Main Street, then we stumbled across a bar which we had to go in for a quick shot before heading to Post Houston to wrap up our session. We truly made Samantha’s Pinterest board come to life & I’m not playing around with y’all! These two killed it & were so easy going even with all my crazy ideas!

8 Simple Steps to Planning an Engagement Party 💍

I've realized I share a lot of tips on planning your wedding, your elopement, and so on... But I have never shared some tips on planning an engagement party!⁠

A few weeks ago I photographed Amy and Charles’ engagement party, so it got me thinking and I thought I would share a sort of checklist for planning your engagement party for those who don’t know where to start! It can be so overwhelming after becoming engaged to not feel like you’re doing everything right as a bride. It doesn’t have to be stressful & it can be whatever you want as a couple!

Engagement Party Checklist:
- Decide who is hosting, or where you thinking of having your engagement party.⁠
- Pick a date (tip best time is within the first few months of your engagement as it's still fresh and exciting, no wedding planning stress yet!)⁠
- Create a guest list!⁠
- Register for gifts!⁠ This is a great way to have friends & family give gifts without having to be their in person due to not living nearby. You can even have a wedding fund box at the event & then family & friends can contribute to your wedding day.
- Send invitations! This is a great time to do your engagement session with a photographer you’re considering.⁠ Plus, this is easy decor for your engagement party to show off your engagement photos!
- Plan the food! Is it gonna be a formal sit down dinner party or a casual appetizer party?⁠
- Plan the theme / organize decor (keep it simple as you don't want more stress added to planning a wedding)⁠
- Decide what to wear! This is all up to you!

Now you're ready for your engagement dinner party! This is perfect for couples who plan to elope, have an intimate wedding, or people who love to celebrate with family & friends for every occasion!