Amanda & Kyle’s wedding came first, on Saturday October 22nd.  I had been looking forward to this wedding since taking their engagement photos in April.  Amanda and Kyle are adorable, and have been together since high school, which I find sweet and amazing.  My parents are high school sweethearts, and while it’s a rare find, it’s such a cool thing when you do. I first met up with Amanda and her lovely maids at the Hotel Derek near the Galleria.  I showed up just in time to catch them primping for the big day.  Amanda was calm and collected and the overall mood was relaxed and fun. While I shot some photos of details and candid moments with the ladies, Dena headed over to the guys room to capture some shots of them getting ready.  One thing I have quickly learned is there is a HUGE difference in the atmosphere in the brides room and the grooms room.  Another thing to note is there is ALWAYS a football game on TV in the men’s room. I am convinced football season lasts 365 days a year, because it never fails. Somehow Amanda convinced Kyle to get married on a day there was an Aggie game on, which is a true testament to their relationship.  True love at its finest!

After some mimosas, snacks and laughs,we were ready to go and headed over to the Church in downtown Houston for the big moment. The church was GORGEOUS and so was the traditional Catholic ceremony. There was so much beauty in that place and if I could have, I would have been shooting for hours.  After the vows were exchanged and the ceremony commenced, we quickly took some portraits at the alter with family and friends and proceeded to the reception venue.  The reception was beautifully decorated.  I especially loved the photo booth, their amazing grooms cake and the CANDY BAR! Who doesn’t love a candy bar?

All in all, there was great food, great music and great people. Perfect combination for a good time! Kyle and Amanda were so fun to work with and I can’t wait for our future session!  Congrats to the beautiful couple, Mr. & Mrs. Kyle Wayne Chism!

There are many reason’s I am excited about this new chapter in my life, mostly to finally make our union “official” as a couple, but a little bit because I am SO over wedding planning.  And by the time you read this I guarantee I will have been even more over it than you can imagine. One thing that has been thrown to the wayside throughout my engagement has been my ability to keep up with my photography business like I really want to. I am so excited to be able to commit more time to this when I return. I have already began the early stages of redesigning my blog, logos, business cards etc. and I am hoping to launch them as soon as possible. I am excited to start 2012 with some fresh ideas, a fresh look and a fresh ring on my finger. 

I wanted to make sure to point out how lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life, especially all my fans and clients who have been so sweet and understanding this whole year.  I have really enjoyed working with many new faces, as well as some repeat clients, which will never get old. 2011 was a great year and I am excited to do bigger and better things this year! Bring it on 2012! Soon I will be putting together a montage of some of my favorite photos from 2011!

Also, I have been asked about my name change and some think I’m crazy for dropping Florida from my name, but I will be leaving my business as Shawna Florida Photography to avoid any confusion.  Plus it’s a small way to hold on to a piece of my first 27 years of life.  So no worries, SFP remains!

Alright, well I better get out of here, it is in fact my wedding day…    I hope you are all enjoying the start to a fabulous year! I’ll be coming back with undoubtedly a million photos from my trip, so expect a post full of personal photos and wedding fun upon my return! -xo

A long, long time ago I took part in athletics at the University of Houston, where I met many of my friends, as well as my soon-to-be Husband.  The Cooley’s were a big part of UH Athletics as well, Crystal being on the softball team, and Brett on the baseball team with my fiance, Austin.  Brett and Austin have always been good friends, and I have enjoyed seeing Brett and Crystal out from time to time.  I met the Cooleys on a balmy, 90 degree, November afternoon in Cypress, Texas and had a blast.  The Cooleys have two little rugrats, Chase and Alli, both of whom inherited amazing genes. Chase is a boys boy in every sense of the word and is already showing signs of his future as a star athlete.  He is so full of personality at his young age. I thoroughly enjoyed him saying “CHEEEESEBURGER” every time we took photos.  Alli, at only 5 months, was so sweet, calm and downright gorgeous with her little floral headbands.  At this point she was already able to sit up on her own for small amounts of time and even strike a few poses for the camera. The Cooley’s are one of those families who look like they belong in the pictures that come in your store-bought frame. Enjoy the goodness.

Dena and I drove down to Galveston on a gorgeous day to meet at the Disibio’s home.  I always forget how much I love Galveston, and I definitely would like to do more sessions there!  Such a cute, historical place.  Once we arrived we got started right away, as with most young-ins’, you have to take advantage of TIME; they do not like to be on anyone’s schedule. Elle and fam were definitely on their “A” game and I had a blast taking their pictures.  My favorite photo of the entire session was literally the first shot I took of Elle.  She is just too cute for words. Looking forward to the next Disibio session!

December 9th, 2005, I went to one of my favorite country bars, Wild West, where I met up with some college friends.  I danced to footloose with a cute baseball player I knew from UH. The following day, December 10th,  I went to a birthday celebration for one of cute boy’s best friends on Matagorda Beach.  We have been inseparable since. There are so many great stories about the beginning of our relationship, but if footloose being our first dance doesn’t describe “us” in a nutshell, I don’t know what will. We are about to celebrate 6 years of adventures, life changes, ups and downs, (mostly ups) and one month later, I will officially take his last name.  I can’t believe how quickly this year has flown by. I am truly lucky to have him and, on top of that, I inherited amazing In-Laws and friends, many of which will get to celebrate with us in Mexico. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little stressed out about the fast approaching wedding date, but thankfully, I am more excited than stressed.Viva La Mexico!

In honor of our 6 year anniversary, I wanted to upload a few pictures of us over the years.  Love you Austin!