Montgomery, TX Wedding Photographer | Designs by Karinda Photography » Designs by Karinda Photography specializes in wedding, newborn, and child photography in Montgomery, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to The Woodlands and Magnolia.

I was so amazed when I was looking for my wedding dress how hard it is to find wedding dress shops online. There are obviously the big ones that everyone knows about but the smaller private ones were difficult to track down.

My first day of dress shopping was with my mom and sisters.

One of the first places that I visited was Brickhouse Bridal in the Woodlands. I found one dress that I really did love there and ended up going back two more times to try it on. I fell in love with this dress but it was a little out of my budget and due to the time constraints of planning a wedding in 4 months and the fact that I waited till last minute to pick out my dress I could not get the dress in time. I loved my experience at Brickhouse Bridal, they were very sweet and helpful when looking at dresses. I think I tried on what seemed like 20-30 dresses. I tried to make sure I tested out all of the different silhouettes and types of dresses to make sure what my heart was set on (the fit and flare/mermaid) style was actually the one. The girls working there were great at helping make recommendations.

We also visited a little place in Old Town Spring, and we walked in right before closing so we weren’t able to actually try on any dresses.

The second attempt at dress shopping was with my future mother in law.

We went down to some shops in the Willowbrook area.

We started out at M2 Milan Bridal aka Mommy Dearest. I love this store, is is actually where I bought my homecoming dress my senior year of high school. They had gowns in all price points. After spending hours trying on gowns we did find couple that we really liked. We also went down the road to a couple of other shops off of 1960 but they were a total strike out for us, a few of them were a little rude because we didn’t have an appointment and just wanted to browse.

*Lesson learned, always make an appointment at dress shops.*

The final day of dress shopping my Mom and I went to Parvani Vida  it was a little bit of a drive but well worth it. The girl that helped is was amazing, the dresses were all fabulous. At this point in time I had discovered that I really was at the point of no return and would have to buy a floor sample. Luckily I was able to find the dress, it was everything I wanted.

When you are dress shopping they will ask you what you want over and over…and for me that was the hardest thing ever. I knew I wanted a fit and flare/mermaid style dress that was strapless. I also knew that I wanted it to be unique. I thought I might want lace, but in most cases lace was too plain for my dress. Other than that I was hopeless, I kept telling everyone that when I saw the dress that was unlike anything I had ever seen before that it would be my dress. I looked online for hours and hours and would go to the stores hoping to find that dress I would fall in love with online only to discover they look nothing like they do online in person on an actual person (not a 6 foot tall 100 pound model).

Here are a few of my favorite dresses from my past brides.

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The Bridesmaid dresses were a completely different story for me. I knew I wanted them in coral dresses, and I had a certain color coral in mind. This coral color I dreamed up in my head was impossible to find. After exhausting all of the normal options I headed for Nordstorms. I fell in love with the Adriana Papelli lace dresses and was able to find one in the perfect color coral for my wedding. Plus I thought it was a pretty cute dress to, so I was hoping my girls could wear it more than once. They were all able to order them from Nordstorms or pick one up at a store near then so it worked out really well.

I find that most brides go the Davids Bridal route. It is super convenient when your bridesmaids are in different locations because they have stores all over and it is super easy for them to run in to the store and find the size and style that works best for them and order their dress.

When you are deciding on your bridesmaid dressed you will need to decide if you want all of them to be the same or if you want them to all select different styles in the same color. Some brides go as far as telling their bridesmaids to go find a dress in a certain color or shade and just snap a picture before they purchase the dress to make sure they approve.

You will also need to choose short or long dresses. I think the type of wedding you are having and the time of year of your wedding will dictate what direction you go on this. Long dresses are a little more formal in my opinion and are a great choice for weddings during the cooler months of the year. Short dresses are a little more fun and casual, and a must for most summer weddings in the Texas heat.

I found an amazing article over at The Knot with some tips on how to choose your bridesmaid dresses. Just remember to keep your girls in mind when making your selection, you want to make sure they look and feel good too…and it’s even an added bonus if they LOVE their dress so much that they can wear it in the future for other events!

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 Designs by Karinda Photography specializes in wedding, newborn, and child photography in Montgomery, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to The Woodlands and Magnolia.

PinThisIn an earlier blog post I mentioned a couple of things that I had to have in my vision of my wedding.

1. An outdoor ceremony

2. A reception under the stars with lots of lights

Other than these two things, I didn’t care too much about anything else.

When I was planning my wedding and someone would ask what I wanted my wedding to be like I could never quite explain it, often times I would hand people my business card and show them my logo because I felt like it described what I wanted my wedding to be like perfectly. My logo has paisley print, and lots of bright colors. So I guess you could say rustic and bright.

The only problem with this was that I was having my wedding in November, so what? I broke the rules. I had a bright spring time colors in my winter wedding. This is why it’s your wedding, you can do whatever you want.

I vividly remember showing my wedding coordinator the different colored table runners that I had made and her reaction was less than amused. I was having 3+ colors at my wedding instead of the traditional two colors and I was completely ok with that. Coral was my main color because I love coral, my bridesmaid dresses were coral and my cake was coral. I also had some teal, green, and purple mixed in there.

As far as my wedding decorations I knew that I could keep it simple, the venue was so incredibly gorgeous on its own that there was no need for a ton of decorations. I will dive into this more in a blog post later.

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As you can tell, I am not too great at explaining to people what my vision was for my wedding. This was so incredibly frustrating at times but I am going to try to help you with this.

I would create a style board for your wedding first, you can do this on Pinterest or even use a bulletin board in your house. Find images of things that you want to inspire your wedding, or images from weddings that inspire you. Try to choose a handful of images that you feel like really represent what you want your wedding to be like. Think of colors, the type of flowers, dresses, shoes, a random item you found while shopping, or anything else that may strike a cord with you.

For me those things were bistro lights hanging in the open sky, a giant K from Vintage Marquee Lights , paisley print, bright colors (like coral, green, teal, and purple), lots of soft flowers, lace, a fitted style dress, some Lucchese wedding boots I found on Style Me Pretty, and wood grain.

These were the things that inspired my wedding day. It only took a few staple pieces that I fell in love with to plan my entire wedding. I also worked to find ways to incorporate these things that I loved. Images by Amy Watson. PinThis

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You may find the things that inspire your wedding day in the most random places, driving down the road, skimming your Facebook news feed, in a antique store, or even somewhere like Hobby Lobby. I recommend checking out wedding blogs like Green Wedding Shoes, The Knot, 100 Layer Cake, Ruffled, or any of the other wedding blogs for inspiration. Keep in mind that often times the weddings you see on these blogs are styled shoots so they are not real weddings, and the real weddings that make it into these blogs are often very styled weddings with a million tiny details. For me it was super overwhelming when I looked at wedding blogs because all I could do is think, how in the world will my wedding every be as pretty as these or how on earth can I come up with all of these cute ideas…but seriously remember that they are not all real wedding 😉 Many of them are put on my wedding vendors to showcase the best of their work.

Designs by Karinda Photography specializes in wedding, newborn, and child photography in Montgomery, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to The Woodlands and Magnolia.

First I will tell you a little bit about my search for a venue. The first things I did was jump on google and search for all of the wedding venues near Montgomery,TX. As I searched for venues I kept my must have’s in mind.

I had to have.

1. An outdoor ceremony site

2. An outdoor reception under the stars with lights everywhere

Ultimately it came down to two places Hodge Podge Lodge in Montgomery,TX  and Rock Lake Ranch in Anderson,TX.

First we went to visit Hodge Podge Lodge. I loved everything about it, but they ended up being booked on the date we decided on.

Second we went to visit Rock Lake Ranch in Anderson,TX. The minute we pulled up we fell in love. It is a large ranch and it is GORGEOUS. We went on a tour of the main office house/grooms room, looked at the ceremony site and the outdoor reception site with pavilion, and even visited the bride’s cottage which was a short drive down their ranch road to a quaint little house. The minute my fiancé and I got in the car to leave he looked at me and said “we don’t need to look anywhere else, we are getting married here.” Lets be honest, I couldn’t deny that what he said was exactly right, we had found the perfect place for our wedding.

Here are a few pictures from our wedding day. Images by Amy Watson.

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Our venue search wasn’t too adventurous but I am totally ok with that because I knew exactly what I wanted and found it.

Looking back I am so extremely happy with our experience at Rock Lake Ranch. The owners of the venue Annette & Michael are absolutely the best. We got to know Annette when we were planning the wedding and even met her husband and had a nice chat with him the evening of our wedding. My husband and I are so thankful that these two people, and the fact that they created such a beautiful place for us to start the rest of our lives and share it with our friends and family.

We were even able to rent out the Bride’s cottage to stay in the night of our wedding so that we didn’t have to go anywhere. This was seriously the most peaceful quaint little place, we sat on the porch for hours after the wedding and opened up all of our cards and talked about how crazy fast the night flew by, tried to remember who showed up/and who didn’t show up, and laughed about how we worried about so many little things that ultimately didn’t even matter in the end.

I could go on and on about how much we loved Rock Lake Ranch, but I’ll stop at this. Photographing a wedding at Rock Lake Ranch is on my bucket list for 2015, so if you decide to get married there make sure you give me a call 😉

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When you are searching for a wedding venue there are two main categories.

1. Full Service venues: These venues include other services such as your food, DJ, cake, coordinator, etc, etc. The list can go on and on. Often time when you are planning a wedding the initial shock of cost is enough to send you running, but ultimately you normally end up better off in the end. Normally these type of venues run like a well oiled machine and each service is used to working with one another, the vendors that normally work with these venues are the best of the best because these venues reputations depend on them.

2. Space only: There are many venues where you simply rent the space and must bring in everything on your own, some venues like this do not include basic things such as table/chairs so make sure you get all of this information prior to booking a venue like this.

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Here are a few of my favorite Full Service Venues:

Ashelynn Manor: I will start out by telling you that I photograph a majority of my weddings at Ashelynn Manor. I am always excited when I receive an inquiry from an Ashelynn Manor bride. I love Ashelynn Manor because they have been around for a long time and been doing wedding for what seems like forever. The ladies that run this place could put a wedding together in their sleep, they are that good 😉 I know for a fact that when I show up to a wedding at Ashelynn Manor that every wedding is absolutely perfect, things just don’t go wrong. From the day of coordinators that keep everyone on schedule and make sure that everyone is where they need to be and ensure  boutonnieres are pinned on in time for pictures, to the DJ’s that are always certain to get guests on the dance floor and run the reception like clock work, and the food is always amazing.  Not to mention there are countless spots around the property for gorgeous pictures. Ashelynn Manor in Magnolia,TX offers a gorgeous white chapel or outdoor gazebo for your ceremony and a huge carriage house for your reception. They also include services such as a day of coordinator, DJ, food, cake and many more things for your wedding day. Plus they have an amazing area on site to get your hair/makeup done with Exquisite Reflections.

Moffitt Oaks: I was lucky enough to photograph the very first wedding at Moffitt Oaks in Tomball,TX so I have been around since the beginning. It has been so incredibly awesome to watch this venue grow over the past year. They have a large variety of options for ceremony sites, and gorgeous stables and a ballroom for receptions. If you visit Moffitt Oaks I promise you will be blown away by the grounds and all of the things they offer for your big day. One of my favorite things is the area where the bride and her girls get dressed, they have two different areas you can choose from and they are seriously the most gorgeous dressing rooms you have seen in your life. I also adore the Stables, they are truly the perfect setting for an elegant barn wedding. They have day of coordinators, food, cake, DJ’s and lots of other things included with your wedding package. When you visit Moffitt Oaks you will be greeted by some of the friendliest women there are, and even a little white fur baby if you are lucky 😉

Here are a few of my favorite Venues that are not full service:

Rock Lake Ranch: As I mentioned above Rock Lake Ranch in Anderson,TX is amazing 😀 Obviously, its the place I chose to have my wedding. They do include the use of their tables/chairs and have a few other things such as lanterns and shepherds hooks that we were welcome to use, they also set up the tables and chairs for you on your wedding day which was super nice. They met with us prior to our wedding to make sure we had everything lined up and ready for the big day.

Old Dobbin Station: This is another venue that is on my wedding bucket list of weddings to photograph for 2015, so if you decide to get married here make sure you call me 😉 Old Dobbin Station in Montgomery,TX is just up the road from my studio. It is absolutely stunning inside and out. It was once an old pump station and they refurbished the building and brought them back to life. This venue screams rustic elegance with a huge dash of class.

Here are a few more local venues that I love.

Big Sky Barn in Montgomery,TX

The Carriage House in Conroe,TX

Balmorhea Events Magnolia,TX

The Springs Events multiple locations

Rustic Rose Willis,TX

Bernhardt Winery Plantersville,TX

Madera Estates Conroe,TX

The Woodlands Wedding Photographer Designs by Karinda.

It is super important to sit down and figure out exactly what you want your wedding to be like. You know that Pinterest board with a million ideas on it that you have been pinning for the past 10 years? Well now would be a great time to sit down and go through all of those things and pull of the 5-10 ideas that you feel represent what you want your big day to look like the most.

Things to think about

1. Colors: Colors are a huge thing on your wedding day. They help to set the mood for everything else. Do you want soft and airy colors like blush pinks, or do you want to make a bold statement with rich colors. How about a mix of colors, a blush color pallet with a pop of deep burgandy (Maroon, whoop!) and a little bit of sparkle is currently one of my faves. You can find some awesome options for wedding color palettes here.

2. What is the overall feel: Do you want that rustic charm, a black tie affair, a tuscan garden feel, or an upscale modern event. The venue you pick for your big day can have a huge impact on how this is conveyed to your guests and this will make a huge difference when you are searching for the perfect venue.

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3. Church: Do you want to have your ceremony in a Church? This is a huge thing for some brides, most brides choose to get married outside of the church and have an officiant from their church of choice. If you are anything like me, your parents probably had a wedding in the Church they grew up in and followed up their ceremony with cake and punch in the basement. Often times I talk to brides whose parents want them to get married in a church but they are not crazy about the idea, that is completely ok. It is your big day and you should be able to do whatever you want. If you really long to have a gorgeous outdoor ceremony in a garden or the perfect ceremony under a huge oak tree then go for it. If you do choose to get married in a Church keep in mind that some churches have very strict rules and regulations for wedding ceremonies. One of the biggest things that I encounter as a photographer is that photographers can not use flash and are often times limited to where they are allowed to photograph the ceremony from. Often time they state that photographers have to stay at the back of the church and not move around during the ceremony. This may be something to keep in mind if pictures are extremely important to you. I recommend finding a photographer that is familiar with photographing church weddings if you choose to go this route.

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4. Guest List: You and your fiance should talk about who should be invited to your wedding so that you can have an idea of the number of guests before you dig into planning. This will help you down the line when finding a wedding venue and planning a budget. Do you only want to invite close family and friends, or do you want to invite everyone you know. My husband and I decided to only invite guests that both of us had met so that we didn’t have to spend the entire night meeting new people and greeting that long lost relative or family friends that we hadn’t seen since we were a baby. Often times on your wedding night you will meander through and talk to all of the guests, this can take quite a while and if you are not careful you will get stuck greeting your guests your entire reception. Oh and there is always that weird “oh hi, I have no idea who the heck you are, umm why are you at my wedding,” so be prepared for it.

5. Budget: This can be a sticky topic. Let me make it quick and easy for now, I will dig into it more in my next blog post. You will need to figure out if you will be paying for your wedding, or if your parents will be helping. The old tradition is that the Brides parent pay for the wedding, but I have found that this tradition is long on its way out the door. I see it all with my own clients, from the Bride & Groom paying for the entire wedding themselves, to both families splitting the wedding down the middle and everything in between. This is a good starting place for planning out your budget. My next suggestion is to prioritize the things that are important to you. If you know that your pictures are a non negotiable and that you will do whatever you have to do to get your dream photographer to photograph your wedding than take that into account, you may have to cut down in other areas but you will be happy in the end. In 25 years I promise you will not remember what your food tasted like or if it was served buffet style or if it plated, but you will look back and remember your wedding day with your pictures. Trust me, this was a hard pill for me to swallow, I did not want plastic plates at my wedding even if they were fancy plastic…but looking back now I realize that it really didn’t matter.

6. Bridal Party: Ladies, I’m sure this is the first thing that crossed your mind when he proposed. You started listing out your girls that will stand next to you on your big day. I’m almost certain your fiance didn’t think about it until you brought this topic up. How many bridesmaids/groomsmen will you have? Will both of you have the same number? When you are looking at venues and possible ceremony locations this is a big thing to keep in mind. If you are going to have 12 bridesmaids then you need a room big enough for all 12 of them to get ready, you also need a ceremony site big enough for all 12 to stand by your side. Oh and don’t forget those little ones, your ring bearer and flower girl. Not every wedding has to have a cute little girl running down the aisle, and it certainly doesn’t work for everyone. You may consider having a junior bridesmaid or groomsmen instead. My husband and I had 3 bridesmaids/groomsmen and then 1 junior bridesmaid/groomsmen. I had my nice as my junior bridesmaid, and he had his little brother. My nice was 6 and his brother was 13 but they were both super important in our lives so we wanted to do something for them. They were more like our MOH/BM and they stood by our sides during our ceremony.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wedding planning but these few simple things will help guide you in the right directions as your start your wedding planning.

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 Designs by Karinda Photography specializes in wedding, newborn, and child photography in Montgomery, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to The Woodlands and Magnolia.