April 8, 2015 by Melanie Grizzel

"...at the end of the day you are married, and the wedding was perfect!"

From the Bride - I remember the afternoon of the wedding pulling up to the venue and having to hide under my sister’s pashmina because guests were walking right by the car. Of course my uncle saw me and started laughing and pointing me out to other guests! Finally once we were in line to walk into the chapel, the musicians began playing the most beautiful rendition of “Concerning Hobbits” from the Lord of the Rings Soundtrack and I finally felt excited instead of just ready to get it over with. Fast forward to the reception, I was happy to see my new husband and guests having a great time. While there were plenty of hiccups in the planning process, both Alan and I had a great time with all the different people in our lives coming together and celebrating. Seeing my 80-something year old Grandma jamming to our ragtag bluegrass band was pretty heartwarming, too :) I feel like I should add a disclaimer here: I feel like there is a lot of pressure on brides to orchestrate the most perfect and flawless day. My advice is to let it go. Flowers will get knocked over, people will get drunk, someone might still be hung up on your pink wedding dress and non-diamond engagement ring and will choose your reception to remind you of this, and you may get stuck in your Spanx and nearly have to cut it off at the hotel that night, but if at the end of the day you are married, the wedding was perfect!

From the Groom - Once "Concerning Hobbits" started playing I almost choked up. Luckily both of us maintained composure through the whole ceremony (I'm an ugly crier). It was just so exciting to take my new wife's hand and walk down the aisle together after ringing the chapel bell. After Mel took some shots of the party, family and us newlyweds, we headed back to the Barn for the reception. Our families and friends did an amazing job of decorating-- my grandpa even made custom etched pine centerpieces for all of the tables. Once we arrived for the reception it moved incredibly fast. Damon, my best man, and Thomas, our mutual friend who introduced us, both had great speeches which doubled as passable stand up routines. Our friends from school also brought fiddles, guitars, banjos and mandolins for some live music out on the patio. Probably the most memorable moment of the night was when they had Erica and I to join them on the washboard and wash-tub bass for an impromptu jam session.

Thanks to all of these wonderful Austin Wedding Vendors

Ceremony Location - Chapel Dulcinea / Austin Wedding Photographers - She-N-He / Reception Location - The Barn at Bell Springs / Flowers Fifty Flowers and frantically created flower arrangements the night before the wedding by myself, my bridesmaids and matron of honor, my brother and his girlfriend, groomsman Thomas, and Alan and my mothers / Catering - TacoDeli / Wedding Cake: Crema Bakery and Café, owned and operated by the talented Jessica Forkner / Wedding dress and fluffy cape: BHLDN / Bridesmaid dresses - ModCloth / Shoes: Steve Madden (from Zappos) / Flower crown - DIYed by Bridesmaid Julia Ermlich / Makeup: done by myself (memorable moment, getting both eyeliner wings to match, which rarely happens for me. I took this as a good omen) / Rings - Specimentals on Etsy / Music - Barton Strings / Officiant - Rev. Gary Herbst.

She-N-He, an Austin original, husband and wife wedding photography team based in Central Tx. We specialize in documentary style wedding photography for couples who seek a unique, colorful and timeless look for their wedding photos. With experience in Advertising and Editorial Photography and Design we bring a unique perspective to Wedding Photography, Bridal Photography, Engagement Photography, and Boudoir Photography as well as Custom Wedding Invitation Design. If you're looking for the bold, fearless and the Best Wedding Photographer in Austin Tx, you found the right team! Available for destination wedding photography worldwide.

Style Me Pretty Blog Love / Austin Wedding Photographer / June 10, 2013 by Melanie Grizzel

A few month ago we had the honor of photographing Lauren and Kevin's wedding at Stone House Villa in Driftwood. Today is was published on Style Me Pretty. Thank you to all of the wonderful vendors who came together to create this amazing wedding, Chapel Dulcinea, Vintage & Lace, The Steeping Room, Terra Vista Strings, Stems, Michelle's Patisserie, Tiny Pies, Larry Todd, Erica Gray, Christy Edlin and Belle's Ball, it was wonderful working with all of you. All to best to Lauren and Kevin, we wish you a life time of happiness!

She-N-He Austin Wedding Photography and Design specializes in making your day…YOURS. We capture your wedding just the way you see it. We’re a husband and wife team with backgrounds in Graphic Design/Art Direction and Commercial/Editorial Photography respectively. We bring to you a unique perspective that is romantic, modern and timeless and 15 years experience shooting all over the world. Call us and tell us all about your big day. We’re listening. 512-351-9314. We also service San Antonio, Dallas, New York City, and any and all remote destination locations.

Eli -N- Ben / Chapel Dulcinea and Tuscan Hall wedding / Austin Wedding Photographer / May 14, 2013 by Melanie Grizzel

I know quite a lot about Eli and Ben now. We have become quite close in our short time together, and I'll miss them when Ben accepts his job and the pair move off to greener pasture. Eli knew from the first few moments she met Ben that he was her blank, he was even dating her girlfriend and she brazenly reported on a fateful trip to the ladies that night that Ben would be her husband some day. Even during the ceremony Eli placed the ring on Ben's finger and made the sound of a locking chain. I've never seen a pain more completely enamored. They are perfect.

They held their ceremony at Chapel Dulcinea, arguably the most beautiful setting in all of Austin, they moved quickly to Tuscan Hall for dinner, cocktails, cake cutting and a little dancing.

Chapel Dulcinea Wedding - Tuscan Hall Reception

Location: Chapel Dulcinea - Tuscan Hall / Photographer: She-N-He Photography and Design / Photobooth: She-N-He / Catering: Catering with a Twist

Lauren -N- Kevin / Chapel Dulcinea and Stonehouse Villa Wedding / Driftwood Wedding Photographer / April 17, 2013 by Melanie Grizzel

Lauren and Kevin married at Chapel Dulcinea under the most perfect conditions ever, a little windy with beautiful blue skies. Their reception was held at Stonehouse Villa in beautiful Driftwood, Tx. They had some of the most amazing small touches that came together beautifully with Heather from Vintage&Lace at the helm. Lauren designed her bridesmaids dresses and had them custom made. Stems devised and orchestrated a gorgeous display of flowers in pale colors with touches of tea party silver and crystal and also elements of the outside with succulents and tree stumps. Guests noshed on tea sandwiches and scones from The Steeping Room and shared pints of mead and stout from the home brewing operations of both Lauren's and Kevin's Dads, and Michelle's Patisserie delivered my most favorite cake to date, built to Lauren's exact specifications - perfection.

From Lauren:

My Matron of Honor, Valery Hitt designed and sewed my wedding dress, train, sash embellishment, and hair adornments. She put a lot of time and love into everything that she did for my wedding and I really think that it all turned out beautifully. She is a dear dear person and immensely talented.

The bridesmaids dresses were designed by me (after some unfruitful searching for off-the-rack styles). They were patterned and sewn by Austin Bridal and Formal. They turned out beautifully and have already accomplished their goal of being worn beyond the wedding!

Terra Vista Strings met every request that I sent to them. So I got Final Fantasy VII music for my bridal processional and Concerning Hobbits for the wedding recessional. And then they played my Final Fantasy music again!!! It was awesome!

The song that Kevin and I danced to at the wedding was from a show called Pushing Daisies that we watched together when we first started dating. It is super cute and I think it will always remind us of when we first fell in love with each other.

My Maid of Honor Sarah Nelson drove all the way up from Houston almost every weekend for a few months to teach us a dance for it. We think that we ended up doing a passable job of it on the day of the wedding.

The song that I danced to with my father was called Arirang which is a very very very old Korean folk song. It was one of the few Korean songs that my dad remembered my mom singing when they were younger.

I purchased my husband's ring from a jeweler named Johan Rust on Etsy. The center band of the ring is a seamless meteorite. Kevin is studying Astro-Engineering at UT and has always loved Outer Space so I had an engraving put on the inside of the ring that reads: Sic Itur Ad Astra 3113 It means "Thus you shall go to the stars." And the "3113" is the date of our wedding. I'm giving him a leg-up for anniversaries :)

The necklace that my husband gave to me on the day of the wedding has special significance to me. I was enamored with it at the jewelry shop and wanted very much to wear it on the day of my wedding. Kevin went behind my back and purchased it shortly afterwards. He gave it to my bridesmaid Elizabeth Boyd for safekeeping. And then he got everybody to lie to me for over half a year (including the wonderful shop owners at Franzetti's) about the disappearance of the necklace and prospective availability of another one.So I am very glad that everyone lied to me :p as it increased my delight on the day of my wedding. The large gem in the center of the star is a sapphire which was my only something blue on the day of the wedding. It will forever be a symbol of my husband's love and of the wondrous love and goodness of the people around me who aided him in giving me such a beautiful surprise.

My wedding ring was designed and made by McCoy Jewelcraft. Kevin's mother was a friend and client of theirs and they remembered her when Kevin and I came to have my ring made. They were very kind and helpful to us. They suggested that we bring in gold from broken or unused jewelry to help with the price of the ring. So my ring has gold from Kevin's class ring, my mom's old jewelry, gold and diamonds from my dad's second wedding ring (he and my mom remarried each other), and gold most generously given from my lovely friend Elizabeth. The ring guard was the ring guard from my mom's first wedding ring. It was fixed and resized by McCoy's. When we ordered my ring and turned in the gold for it, I told McCoy's that I trusted them to make a beautiful ring and left happily with no idea of what it was going to look like. When Kevin proposed to me that Christmas, he presented me with a ring beyond my imagination. It is beautiful and unlike any other.

The dollhouse was a project that Kevin and I started for the wedding. I thought that a dollhouse would be appropriate since we were asking for house money to put in savings in lieu of other gifts. We bought a $30 kit from Hobby Lobby and thought that it would be easy. I helped to paint the house and then Kevin did pretty much everything else and the project took on a life of its own. His original degree is in theater set design so I suppose it makes sense. He built a plot of land for it to sit on and put together all of the small details that made it charming. It was project that I thought would not last beyond a couple of weeks and it turned into a several month long adventure in arts and crafts.

It was a labor of love.

Location – Stonehouse Villa / Wedding Coordinator – Vintage&Lace Heather Sorensen / Photography – She-N-He Photography and Design / Catering – The Steeping Room / Ceremony Music – Terra Vista Strings / Flowers – Stems / Cakes – Michelle’s Patisserie / Groom's Pies - Tiny Pies / Officiant – Larry Todd / Hair/Make-up – Erica Gray / Make-up - Christy Edlin / Hair (bride and bridesmaids) - Belle's Ball

Best of 2010 - Austin Wedding Photographer / January 4, 2011 by Melanie Grizzel

It amazes me every year that passes, quicker and quicker now.

Then I get to take a look back and see where we have been... and where we are going.

This year we got to work on a few editorial projects, namely People Magazine for a story about a young father who almost lost his son forever, and the New York Times for a story about a man who reenlisted in the Navy after the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy was over turned. The world is changing and I am excited that I get to capture those moments.

We also got to work with Door Number 3 on a campaign for Highland Lakes, travel and tourism. Three grueling hot days in August is like summer camp for creatives. Way too much fun! They call this a job!?

This year we also had the privilege of photographing many wonderful couples on their most special day. For that we were both humbled and honored. Thank you.

As an artist it is difficult to turn a critical eye on yourself. I poured through images from the entire year to try to find just the right images for this post and I realized at the last minute that the key should be, which images speak to me. These images may not be the best representation of what She-N-He is capable of or even known for, but they happen to be my personal favorites from this year. I hope you like them. For giggles, let me know which you like the most. Leave a comment with your favs.

Aileen and Jeremy -- Star Hill Ranch

Bek and Donnie -- Kindred Oaks

Fatiya and Chris -- Hacienda del Lago

Brandi and Lee -- Barr Mansion

Bek and Donnie -- Kindred Oaks

Meagan's Bridal -- Hacienda del Lago

Brandi and Lee -- Barr Mansion

Brenna and Kyle -- Bella Note

Bek and Donnie -- Kindred Oaks

Juanita and John -- The Terrace Club

Carly's Bridal -- Laguna Gloria

Bek and Donnie -- Kindred Oaks

Christy and Kai -- Chapel Dulcinea

Carly and Chad -- Mandola Estates Winery

Maegan and Daniel -- Kindred Oaks

Juanita and John -- The Terrace Club

Katie and Ben -- St. Ignatius Church

Katrina and Andrew --The Gardens of Cranesbury View

Lauren and Caleb -- Katy, Tx

Kelly and Eric -- The Inn at Pearl Street

Linsey and Marcos -- Reunion Ranch

Samantha and Scott -- Brenham, Tx

Michelle and Bert -- Katy, Tx

Sara and Dylan -- Mercury Hall

Duane and DeVere - Hacienda del Lago

Sam and Hanh -- Casa Blanca

Ruhi and Chandler -- Mercury Hall

Sara and Dylan -- Mercury Hall

Tricia and Jonathan -- Mansion at Judges Hill

Duane and DeVere - Hacienda del Lago

Sam and Hanh -- Casa Blanca

Sara and Dylan -- Mercury Hall

Tricia and Jonathan -- Mansion at Judges Hill

We also photographed a host of families and beautiful children this year, here are a few of our favorites.

Lastly, we had the unique opportunity to work with students in their senior year of high school. They're straddling the edge of adolescence and we're there to witness those last few steps, it doesn't get any better than this.

Here are a few of my personal favorites from these 2011 freshmen.

Thank you so much for all of your support. I look forward to that special time in your life when you need us!

Choose your favorites. I'd love to hear what you think!

---mel

4.28.10 Christy + Kai Married! / April 28, 2010 by Melanie Grizzel

Christy and Kai threw an intimate wedding in their barn in Driftwood. They had plenty of time to create the perfect setting for their big day. Molding and forming a little day by day, I remember a conversation with Christy just a week before the wedding and she was rushing to get back to painting the barn. All their hard work paid off, the room was impeccable. They incorporated small details to marry their families. For example, Christy gathered wedding pictures from both her and Kai's family and tied them to rope and hung them through-out. They were a huge hit, all night guests made their way to the pictures to find themselves and family members. I have spoken with brides recently who were interested in using photographs for decor, you could consider this personal touch.

Congratulations to you both we wish you all the best.

as always you can see more images on facebook.

Thanks for looking.

---mel

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

11.5.09 Christina + Matt Married! / November 5, 2009 by Melanie Grizzel

Christina and Matt, super cute couple. Christina has this cute way of grabbing Matt's face and squishing it in her hands and laying a giant smackaroo right on him. I thought this llittle token of affection was so cute while shooting their engagements session a few months ago. At the wedding I met her mom and dad, and I now see where she gets it ;)

She is the fittest person I know, in-fact I'm a little embarrassed to be her facebook friend, because she works out all the time and I feel a bit like a schlub with all of the fun size twix bars I have swimming around in my gullet... I like twix better than spin class, I bet. She sure did look fantastic. What a beauty.

Like on a silver platter, we were delivered the most beautiful day of 2009. The weather was perfect and the location, Chapel Dulcinea, was stunning! A quick commute up Mopac in rush hour traffic on Friday (seriously the traffic was insanely traversable, I beat the bride and groom to the reception.) Cocktails, dinner and dancing were enjoyed by all @ the Iron Cactus downtown. Lauren and I had a great time working with you guys and we wish you a wonderful and happy life together, congratulations!

---mel

P.S. As always you can find more images up on facebook!

She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design