Paulette Clay: Event Coordinator

Late yesterday afternoon I had the absolute best time photographing Paulette Clay, who is the visionary behind Visionz, a wedding and event planning company.

Paulette and I went to high school together, and after all these years the thing that stands out in my mind about her is her amazing smile. I'm talking Julia Roberts, here - big, genuine and infectious. She has the kind of smile that makes you feel warm, happy, and very interesting, even if you weren't already having that kind of a day.

But I think her heart is even bigger than her smile. She spent a little time filling me in on how she came to begin her own company during these rocky economic times, and how she just knows that this is what she is meant to do. She is taking a huge leap of faith, but everything in the universe is telling her that she isn't jumping blind, that she is doing the right thing. I think she is going to be wildly successful, and its killing me that I won't be here in SA to watch as it happens.

For her session, we headed out to The Vineyards Restaurant, one of my favorite spots on earth. It is located just a bit past the city of Garden Ridge, right at the edge of Texas Hill Country. I don't know which is best, the beautiful location or the food, but the combination is perfection, making it an amazing choice for a very special dinner or a wedding. A huge thanks goes to the manager, John, for allowing us to use the grounds of the restaurant for the session.

See what I mean about her smile?


She can look fierce, too:


And sweet:


It usually takes 30 minutes for people to warm up enough for a good hard laugh. Paulette was cracking up less than two minutes after she arrived:





One of my favs:






Sorry Paulette, I HAD to post these. Don't get mad.



Paulette is currently booking events and weddings for 2009 and 2010, and I completly recommend her for both her personality and her work. Her website will be live very soon, in the meantime you can call her at (210) 452-7874. She is sure to bring you a smile!

Sharp & Co.

I ran down to my mom's flower shop this morning to do some quick shots of a few arrangements that she was working on. I only had about five minutes to do them because they were going into the delivery truck when I arrived.

My mom has a refrigerated display case, which is painted black on the side. I used that as the backdrop for this arrangement but I couldn't back up far enough to get the whole thing. Still, I think it looks pretty good:


This one was so pretty-I hope whoever received it likes it as much as I do:


This one would look great in my house:


I LOVE how this one turned out. This is just a shot I grabbed right before I left the shop of an arrangement that sits in front of the cash register. It looks almost like the painting I have over my sofa, but better. Now I'm beginning to think of printing and framing this puppy:


I think they all turned out quite nice- hopefully I'll find a spot for the images on the flower shop website once I've got it all laid out.

For the past few months I've been busy almost every weekend photographing weddings and quinceaneras, and I've been incredibly lucky to work with some fantastic vendors that I want to recommend. So, in no particular order, here are a few of those that I think you should check out:

Wedding & Event Planning-
Patricia Ramirez of Bella Noche. Patricia was awesome from the moment I met her. She poured her heart into the wedding and it showed in every detail. She was warm and caring, and still professional. I'm hoping to work with her again!

Videography-
Ronald Dubuque of 3-D Videography. I haven't seen a finished video from Ron, but I was very impressed with his professionalism and personality. We worked together to try to stay out of each others shots, and I think this will go a long way toward getting the bride and groom the photography and video footage that they want. You can email Ron at wellamina_30@yahoo.com.

Venues-
The Wurzbach Estate. The thing I loved about this location is that the patio is in complete shade in the evening, making it so easy to get great pictures of the first dance in great light. Also a big plus-it is elegant but not stuffy, with georgous art hanging on the walls and bright colors used throughout the property. Lovely and convenient since it is located on Wurzbach Rd near Fredericksburg. For more information, email Gina@WurzbachEstate.com

The Marquardt Ranch. This is the perfect location for a Texas Hill Country wedding. Rustic and refined at the same time, it is one of the places that I'd chose if it were my wedding. I especially enjoyed getting to know the coordinator for the venue, Amanda Blissit. I know that she would love to hear from you, so contact her at info@MarquardtRanch.com

For a romantic dinner-
The Creek Restaurant. I thought this was a great little spot in Boerne-wonderful food and even better ambiance. I'd love to go back!

I have several more weddings to shoot in the weeks ahead, so check back for some more recommendations. And in case you're wondering, I don't recommend just anyone-only those that I'd like to work with again. Call me selfish!

Wedding Vendors I Recommend

I thought it would be a great idea to have all of the wedding professionals that I frequently recommend to my clients in one place. These are florists, DJ's or other vendors that I think are just amazing. I'll add photos when I can, and the link will take you directly to their website.

Things you might need as you prepare for the Big Day:
Wedding and Reception Locations


Victoria's Black Swan Inn

Los Encinos Hill Country Estate


Things you would use at the Church:
Flowers-
Pink Peony (website coming soon!)


Something you might see at a Reception:
DJ-
The Music Connection

Bands-
Second Nature Band


Mariachi Las Alteñas