Six weeks before her wedding, Monica took advantage of all these great features the studio has to offer. With simple yet sophisticated backgrounds, Monica’s personality was able to shine through and take center stage during her shoot. We got so many great laughs and smiles from her! Monica was able to easily show off her playful side – and let’s not forget to mention those amazing shoes she wore! Tell us what you think of Monica’s modern, playful session in the Evoke studio with your comments below!

The Studio lets Monica's personality shine through!

We got some great laughs out of Monica during her session!

This chair is one of several props in the Studio

Another fun moment in the Studio

A background and prop alternative in the Studio

Monica shows off her beautiful ring

Hermann Park? Yeah, we’ve been there. Sam Houston Park? Been there, too. Discovery Green? Check! Never satisfied with the same ol’thing, we are constantly on the hunt for new and exciting locations to not only display our artistry but also places that will allow you as a couple to be yourself and show off your unique personalities. On a suggestion from Shanna + Jason, we ventured over to the Historic Houston Heights, located in northwest Houston, for their photo session. 19th Street in the Heights is known for its various shops that dot the pavement up and down the busy road. So how do we turn this traffic-filled location into a private set, allowing us to focus on Shanna + Jason? We take the sidewalk less traveled of course! Stepping off the main road and into a nearby alleyway, we were able to capture fun, playful images of Shanna + Jason that truly showed off their creative style. Let us know what you think of Shanna + Jason’s engagement session in the Historic Houston Heights with your comments below!

A brick wall is never just a brick wall

Taking a stroll with Shanna + Jason

We just had to show off Shanna's awesome boots! Wardrobe plays a key role in sessions.

A simple Houston alleyway turned into a dramatic backdrop

Detailed shot of Shanna's engagement ring

Capturing a playful moment between Shanna + Jason

Houston Wedding Venue Review – The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center:
Tucked away in the beautiful forest of The Woodlands Texas, The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center is the ideal wedding venue for your special day. Just 30 minutes away from Downtown Houston and miles away from the every day hustle and bustle, your wedding day will be instantly transformed into a memorable experience for you and your guests alike. Conveniently located just 25 minutes away from Bush Intercontinental Airport, The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center is an easy destination for any guests traveling into Houston for your big day. The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center offers impressive venue options for your ceremony and reception such as a lakeside terrace, where the natural beauty of The Woodlands provides the perfect foundation for your wedding day decor, and a glass-enclosed ballroom that extends the perfect hotel setting with an added luxurious atmosphere. Natural light and breathtaking scenery are in abundance at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center making it the ultimate wedding venue for photographers. The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center also boasts a perfectly manicured golf course which is not only a great way for your groom and his attendants to relax before the big day, but provides photographers with a creative outlet for fun and unique formal photographs of the bride and groom. Inside and out, The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center has a warm, intimate feel and the professionalism and experience of the staff make it an excellent choice for not only your wedding day but your bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, bridemaid’s luncheon and so much more. Be sure to let us know what you think of The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center with your comments below!

Beautiful scenery welcomes you

Mom helps Candace as she prepares for her walk down the aisle at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center

A beautiful portrait of Candace in the bridal suite at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center

A beautiful lakeside ceremony at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center

Artistic inspiration awaits you at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center

Fun and unique formal photographs at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center

Alyssa + Chad are filled with joy during their first dance

Alyssa + Chad make their way through the bubbles as they exit The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center

Houston Wedding Photography – Le Virage Chapel & Rosemary’s Garden:
Hue and Hai’s wedding at Le Virage Chapel and Rosemary’s Garden was definitely one of the many highlights to our summer. Not only were we lucky enough to photograph this colorful event but Evoke Videographers were on hand to record all the laughter, the voices and the music that accompanied this special occasion. The day started out at a family residence in Houston as Hue and Hai began to prepare for the festivities with one of our favorite beauty teams, Thalio Beckham Makeup Artistry, on hand to enhance Hue’s natural, classic beauty. Evoke lenses then captured the traditional tea ceremony that began the day of celebration for the couple’s close family and friends. From there we traveled to Le Virage Chapel for Hue and Hai’s wedding ceremony officiated by Rev. Ron Ramey. The stunning architechture of the chapel at Le Virage provided an atmosphere that was both warm and inviting with neutral, soothing colors that easily blended in with the couple’s unique decor. The contemporary structures at Le Virage also provided a great backdrop for some artistic, formal photographs of the couple. As they led each other down the hallways of Le Virage Chapel, Evoke was able to capture special moments between them – a shy smile from Hue, a loving glance from Hai. And after a break in the day, it was on to the reception at Rosemary’s Garden. Surrounded by lush greenery and a picturesque water fountain outside, the evening started with a grand entrance into the ballroom at Rosemary’s Garden as Hue and Hai, now husband and wife, greeted their guests. And just as Hue and Hai complement each other perfectly, their reception decor consisted of complementary colors chosen by the couple during the planning stages of their Houston wedding. Hue selected the warm shade of orange and Hai selected the electric shade of blue to complete the look. As the night continued on, Hue and Hai let their playful personalities come out as they fed each other cake provided by the French bakery at Rosemary’s Garden. We are thrilled to share with you some of our favorite photographs from their wedding day at Le Virage Chapel and Rosemary’s Garden along with a short-story video highlighting some of the memories as well. The music in the video is so hauntingly beautiful as it plays along perfectly to each scene, as if it were made especially for Hue and Hai. We hope you enjoy these images and highlight video as much as we have. Be sure to let us know what you think of Le Virage Chapel and Rosemary’s Garden with your comments below!

Capturing all the details at Hue + Hai

During the ceremony at Le Virage Chapel

Lighting the unity candle during their ceremony at Le Virage Chapel

Great formals at Le Virage

Hue and Hai share a moment at Le Virage

Time to cut the cake from the French Bakery at Rosemary

Having fun with the cake from the French Bakery at Rosemary

Houston Wedding Trends – Grooms Cake:
In the United States, the grooms cake is generally known as a Southern tradition. So how lucky are we that we live in Texas and get to take part in this delicious custom? Though not absolutely necessary, the grooms cake can serve several purposes. It is often times served alongside or as an alternative to the wedding cake during your reception or instead, used as dessert for your rehearsal dinner. In addition, there’s a very interesting wives tale that says if a young, unmarried woman takes a piece of the grooms cake home with her and places it under their pillow, she will dream of her future husband that night. Talk about sweet dreams! Over the years we have seen some very intriguing and elaborate grooms cakes and we wanted to share some of these tasty treats with you. Our photographers have captured these cakes in such great detail you can practically taste the sweetness. From tshirts to school spirit and cakes that look so much like real food they make your mouth water, we’re sure you’ll find something to inspire you for your big day. And we saved our favorite image for last! See if you can name all the snacks that make up this towering confection!

Tshirts Showing off Favorite Hobby

Favorite Video Game Land

Showing School Spirit

Honoring the Military

Favorite Summer Tradition

Favorite Food

Mouth Watering!

Ultimate Sweet Treats

Houston Wedding Venue Review – The Petroleum Club of Houston:
Located on the 43rd and 44th floors of the ExxonMobil building in Downtown Houston, the Petroleum Club offers world-class chefs, quality service and first-class accommodations all surrounded by the city’s breathtaking skyline. The glass-lined rooms of the Petroleum Club allow for natural lighting during the day that is exceptional to work with and the evening sunset provides a stunning backdrop that adds to the classic and romantic atmosphere. Imagine the reactions from your guests as the sun begins to fade and the twinkle of lights from the office buildings among Houston set the tone for dancing long into the night. Having been located on Bell Street since the early 1960′s, the Petroleum Club has been a long-standing Houston treasure and we always look forward to photographing at this amazing venue.

Breathtaking view from the Petroleum Club of the Houston skyline at night

Anne and Michael's wedding colors at the Petroleum Club included Tiffany Blue

Brooke and Dirk make their way to the Petroleum Club with bridal party in tow

Anne's dad presented her with ruby red slippers during their father/daughter dance at the Petroleum Club

Brooke and Dirk surprised guests with this amazing coffee bar during their reception at the Petroleum Club

Awesome decor and lighting at the Petroleum Club

A fun rose petal exit for Valerie and Nick as they leave their reception at the Petroleum Club

Valerie and Nick take one last spin outside the Petroleum Club before heading off

Houston Bridal Portrait Photography – EVOKE 2011 Summer Bridal Tour:
Now that the summer is quickly coming to an end, we wanted to share with you the final piece in our efforts of pioneering a new direction in bridal portrait photography. One thing that we’re passionate about just as much as taking pictures is putting those images into motion. Ethan, our talented and creative videographer, captured our journey from start to finish that late June day and highlighted some of our most memorable moments to share with you. And what a journey it was! What started out as a simple idea soon became reality and a great collaborative effort between some of Houston’s top vendors in the wedding industry. Our day would not have been complete without the help of Thalio Beckham Makeup Artistry, Dream Bouquet, Platinum Limo Services Inc. and the Bayou Lofts downtown. We also had great supportive efforts from Specs in Conroe and manager, Kevin Daniel, Almaza Jewelers, BeautyFirst, Dromgoole’s, Monica Seymour Hair Designs, Maison de Mode, Papyrus and Richard’s Fine Wine and Liquor. And what is a bridal tour without brides? We cannot thank our three brides enough for their enthusiasm in this project and their willingness to go great heights (literally!) to promote our creative visions. To Amanda, Leilani and Schande – Thank you for being the stars of our shoot and the first brides in hopefully many more to come to share our passion for developing new and inventive ways of showcasing bridal portrait photography. Though this is the last piece of our first bridal tour, it is just the beginning of what Evoke has in store for the future! We hope you enjoy the video and we look forward to reading your comments and feedback!

Houston Wedding Photography – St. Laurence Catholic Church & Sweetwater Country Club:
This week’s “Wedding of the Week” features images from St. Laurence Catholich Church and Sweetwater Country Club. Check them out below!
When it came time for Laura and Daniel to unite, Laura knew she wanted to keep her wedding day traditional. But having a traditional wedding doesn’t mean your special day has to look and feel like all the other weddings you see in the bridal magazines. With personal and unique touches added, Laura and Daniel’s day was anything other than cookie-cutter.
And this all started with amazing images captured of her wedding dress. While searching Ventura’s vast selection of wedding gowns, Laura came across her flower-adorned dress, designed by Mori Lee, that was a perfect fit for her and complemented her personal style. Evoke was sure to photograph the special elements of this dress for the bride to treasure long after the gown has been tucked away into the far ends of her closet. To complete the look, Laura added a garter belt and veil, both handmade by her mother, to the day’s ensemble.
Part of the classic wedding day traditions that the bride included during the pre-ceremony moments was having her mother place a sixpence in her left shoe for good luck. And with bouquet in hand from Suzanne’s Flowers in Sugar Land, it was now time for Laura to walk down the aisle of St. Laurence Catholic Church to the alter where Daniel waited beneath the beautiful stained glass windows. These stained glass windows at St. Laurence Catholic Church are always a favorite detail for our photographers to capture as they provide great backgrounds for our album designs and not only help to tell the story of the wedding day, but tell a story within themselves. After a traditional full mass ceremony, the bride and groom were now husband and wife and were quickly making their way to the elegantly decorated reception at Sweetwater Country Club.
Jennifer from Sweetwater Country Club assisted the happy couple in transforming the ballroom into a fun and luxurious event for their guests, who danced the night away to music provided by JM Productions. After a little dancing, dinner was soon completed with a slice of delicous cake from Cake Affairs & Culinary Creations. Based on how great the photographs of the cake look, we can only imagine the wonderful taste of the sweet treat!
And finally, the bouquet and garter toss brought the afternoon at Sweetwater Country Club to a close as the bride and groom made their way through the bubble exit and in to the awaiting car.
Be sure to leave your comments below and let us know what you think of these amazing images from St. Laurence Catholic Church and Sweetwater Country Club!

The beautiful and unique details captured from Laura's wedding day gown at St. Laurence Catholic Church.

Traditional full mass ceremony at St. Laurence Catholic Church

Stained glass windows at St. Laurenece Catholic Church

Bouquet and other floral arrangements from Suzanne's Flowers at their reception held at Sweetwater Country Club

Toasting to their future during the reception at Sweetwater Country Club!

Delicious cake from Cake Affairs & Culinary Creations during their reception at Sweetwater Country Club

A bubble exit at Sweetwater Country Club

Houston Bridal Portrait Photography – EVOKE 2011 Summer Bridal Tour:
Is that a gold couch you’re seeing in the middle of an alleyway in downtown Houston? Yes, it is! And you can bet that only Evoke can pull off something like that! This summer we wanted to do something to not only challenge our creativity but really push the limits on bridal portrait photography. We invited three of our brides to meet this challenge head on with us, and boy, what an amazing job they did! Leilani and Amanda were newly married, Leilani in March and Amanda in April. And at the time of the shoot, Schande was yet to be married and all three brides were wearing their actual wedding dresses. So not only were we testing our creativity but we also had to keep Schande’s dress clean before her big day. And wouldn’t you know it, it rained the day of the shoot! The total rainfall for the year had been at an all-time low and the one day we were actually hoping it wouldn’t rain, it did. But being Evoke photographers and team members, we didn’t let that get us down or stop our plans. The first item on our agenda for the day was getting our brides ready for their close-ups! We had the amazing team of Thalio Beckham Makeup Artistry getting our brides all dolled up for the session. Thalio, Jessica, Robin and Hilda wowed us with their awesome hair and makeup talents, which you can clearly see in the images. And by the time Platinum Limo Services showed up with their stretch Hummer Limo to drive us to the Bayou Lofts on Franklin Street in downtown Houston, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. (We’d like to think it was Mark with Platinum Limo that gave the sun a ride with him to our studio!) With bouquets in hand provided by Dream Bouquet, Leilani, Amanda and Schande began the photo shoot in the alleyway of the Bayou Lofts and as the sun was setting, we made our way up to the rooftop for an amazing view of the city skyline. To finish up our day of shooting, we headed over to Sabine Street to get some impressive nighttime photos with the Hummer Limo. And waiting back at the studio for the brides were surprise gift bags filled with treats and discounts from Almaza Jewelers, BeautyFirst, Dromgoole’s, Monica Seymour Hair Designs, Maison de Mode, Papyrus and Richard’s Fine Wine and Liquor. All in all, we’d say it was a pretty good day! How would you like the opportunity to be a part of the next Bridal Tour? Leave us a comment below and let us know if you’d like to participate!

Only Evoke can pull off a gold couch in the middle of the Bayou Lofts alleyway!

Amanda, Leilani and Schande did an amazing job during the Summer Bridal Tour!

Bayou Lofts has the best looking alleyway in Houston!

With all three brides in their wedding dresses, you can guarantee there was no diving on the Bayou Lofts Rooftop pool!

The amazing Downtown Houston skyline!

A beautiful sunset on the Bayou Lofts Roof in Downtown Houston!

Platinum Limo took the Evoke brides to Downtown Houston on Sabine Street to finish up our tour.

Houston Wedding Venue Review – Las Velas:
Formerly known as Paraiso Maravilla, Las Velas (which translates to “the candles”) is taking the romantic atmosphere to a completely different level. Las Velas is elegant, unique and absolutely beautiful.The huge windows in the front of Las Velas allow for beautiful natural light which always helps make great photos! Photographers can appreciate every square foot of this venue because it is beauty, everywhere you turn. The Mediterranean look of Las Velas with the gorgeous wrought iron, intricate archways and stone is one of a kind! The tall ceiling and beautiful foliage growing inside makes it feel like you have left Houston and are in Latin America in a romantic getaway. Las Velas is simply gorgeous… for sure!

Elegant exterior at Las Velas instantly transports you away from Houston.

Beautiful Wrought Iron Details at Las Velas

Las Velas is the perfect setting for Bridal Sessions

Stained glass arched windows at Las Velas make for beautiful backdrops.

Las Velas has several angles to view ceremonies.

Delicious Cake at Las Velas!

Houston Portrait Photography – Woodlands Waterway:
Take a look at this engagement session at the Woodlands Waterway!
Ok, so I know this is supposed to be “Wedding of the Weekend”… but I decided it would be cool to switch it up a little bit this time. Candace and Ben decided to have their engagement photos taken on location at Woodlands Waterway in the Woodlands. These guys have a very awesome chemistry which made the shoot all that much better! – Ashleigh

St. Helen Catholic Church:
Ana and Daniel were awesome! They were married at St. Helen Catholic Church in Pearland which is not only gorgeous, but has amazing natural lighting inside which allowed our photographer to capture some amazing ceremony shots!  A lot of people don’t realize how hard it actually is to get good images inside of Churches… there are not only so many rules and regulations photographers have to abide by, but the lighting is very limited and good color balance is super hard to achieve. – Ashleigh

Houston Wedding Photography – Omni at Woodway:
Check out this wedding which took place at the Omni at Woodway!
Danielle and Robert had a very traditional Jewish ceremony which was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Both the ceremony and reception were held at the gorgeous Omni at Woodway in the Galleria area. It was hard to narrow it down… but here are some of my favorite shots from their special day! -Ashleigh

Orchard at Caney Creek:
Take a look at this beautiful wedding held at the Orchard at Caney Creek!
While editing images, I constantly come across so many awesome pictures that literally keep me in awe for hours. Thousands of detail shots, formals, ceremony shots, reception shots, family shots, romantic shots, candid shots, and of course my favorite, cake shots!! So instead of trying to visually embed in my mind each cool picture that crosses my path, I have decided to create a blog series to share them with YOU guys! I will be posting a weekly “Wedding of the Week” blog with a handful of images from weddings that I thought totally rocked… so make sure to keep checking back! This week we’re looking at Katie + Zak’s wedding which was held at the Orchard at Caney Creek. It was such a beautiful day which allowed them to have their ceremony outdoors on the grounds of the Orchard at Caney Creek.
We would love to hear your feedback! Until next time…. ENJOY!! -Ashleigh

A big thanks to everyone who entered! The contest really got everyone here at evoke excited. If you didn’t win we hope you won’t be to disappointed to go ahead and save your date to keep your opportunity to use Evoke’s photography an videography services on your special day.

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1. No cash substitute
2. Your wedding must be in Houston
3. No change of your wedding date. (The date you registered with is the date you must keep.)
4. We might make up some other rules if we need to. (but probably not)

That is all not too bad. Right? If you have not signed up for the drawing, you may do so by clicking the Price Info at the top of this page. There you will find a video that explains more along with a form that you will use to enter.