Something Blue

Houston Wedding Trends – Something Blue:
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. We all know this traditional rhyme, some even adding in the final line, “a sixpence in your shoe”. But what exactly does it all mean? Representing good luck in a marriage if all charms are carried down the aisle by the bride, this Old English phrase has been observed time and time again at so many weddings over the years. Our favorite line of the phrase and the most fun to capture in photographs? Something blue! We’ve gathered up a few of our favorite images to share of this tranquil color. From the simple and most delicate of details, to the boldest, deepest shade of blue, we’re sure you’ll find something to inspire your walk down the aisle! Let us know what you plan to carry as your something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue with your comments below.

Pin a little "Something Blue" to the inside of your dress for good luck

Add hints of blue throughout your details

This bride added a touch of blue to her toes

Wearing a blue garter belt is an easy and fun way to add the hue to your day

How about a blue wedding dress for something different!

Adding blue to your bouquet is a great touch

The most popular blue item!

Hue + Hai – Le Virage Chapel & Rosemary’s Garden

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

Grooms Cake

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

Petroleum Club of Houston

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.

2011 Summer Bridal Tour – Full Length Video

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!

Trying to find the perfect photographer?

Okay, so some of you ladies may have seen the recent Google Ad during the past Super Bowl in between beer and potatoes chip bites. I was touched by it and couldn’t resist doing one ourselves. And we thought, we would have a little fun at EVOKE too.

Planning your wedding is definitely exciting and fun. Finding the perfect dress that makes you look stunning, the perfect cake that is not only delicious but a work of art, and the ring that blings is full of thrills. Certainty, it can be daunting at times too. Invitations, favors, bridal showers, what color to make the ribbon. The tasks and the bills do seem to mount up fast.

Where do you start the research? Just Google it (so everyone says). It seems to be the answer to so much now a days. Who doesn’t love it and the power of the internet? It’s brought everything right to our fingertips in our own home in our PJs with your cup of coffee next to you.

At the same time, we have all been victim to the Goggle too. Searching for hours and hours and hours on end… Google happily suggests an endless number of results. Really 38,200,000 wedding photographer results???? Who can pick from that? And sometimes it feels like it’s not giving you any practical suggestions. Neither is that fiance of yours on the couch.

And the distractions Google offers. You start with great intentions, to find the perfect bridesmaid dress and you end up at the Cinnabon website. Right? Who knows how you got there, but now you are craving that cream cheese icing.

At the end, searching the internet, Google, or whatever you may use. It is helpful you can get ideas, good information, and visit vendors virtual shops. It can help narrow down and do some filtering for your mind. It is just one of the great tools that are available to help with your quest of wedding planning. So, Google away, just have a goal in mind when you start or you could end up at the day spa faster than you think.

I’ve been involved in the wedding industry in the Greater Houston area for almost 10 years now, planned my own wedding, been to 30+ Bridal Shows, 300+ Open Houses and seen somewhere in the ball park of oh a zillion wedding photos (give or take ten). And I know the details and finding the right vendors are important. So, if the EVOKE Team can be of assistance to you during your wedding planning adventure, don’t hesitate to give a call or visit, we are happy to share our wealth of wedding knowledge not just on photos and video, but on veils and bouquets too.

So, tell me what you think? Is this how you feel at the end of the day searching online for hours, hopping from website to website? Has Google been your friend or foe in your wedding planning?