Beaumont Texas Wedding Photographer - BellaFotografica » reception venues in beaumont tx

Beaumont Weddings | Krystal and Ross – Part Un

Allen — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:43:55 +0000

Earlier in April I had the privilege of photographing Krystal and Ross’ wedding day – everything about the day, from the weather to the reception details to the events leading up to the ceremony were perfect.

Here is their story:

The day began with getting ready in the bridal suites of the MCM Elegante` here in Beaumont:

Krystal’s ring and pearls lay waiting their duties, I love pearls

We begin the official ‘getting ready’ with Krystal in the salon chair, having her curls and flower coifed together:

Shoes! Red shoes!

Grace Mathis in the house!

Grace is one of the best in the business – the results speak for themselves

Here Ross is opening one of his presents Krystal gifted him for the day – personalized Converses!

Shoe!

Krystal’s ladies in waiting assist her with getting her netted veil just right:

It always amazes me in the difference in preparation that goes into the day for the groom and the bride. Here Ross slipped his tux and shirt on and is now checking out his accoutrements in the mirror:

Meanwhile, Krystal has been getting ready all morning and into the afternoon – finally comes the time where she can step into her dress:

… and at the same time, Ross is now ready and filling his extra time with video games:

A little more finishing touches:

Ross is ready to go, one last touchup himself:

Both are just about ready to go, the difference this time is that they’re not automatically heading to the ceremony site.

This time Ross and Krystal have decided to see each other before the ceremony – a “first look”. A “First Look” is a chance for you and your fiance to see each other in a beautiful, private setting before the ceremony. This not only gives you the opportunity to “reveal” yourselves without the stress of a thousand eyes watching you and a hundred camera flashes, but it also gives us more time to create romantic portraits (as well as the fun, artistic wedding party photos) before the ceremony so that you can get to the reception more quickly afterwards. It helps the day go much more smoothly as far as nerves go.

Ross headed down the elevator and is now heading to the tavern to wait for his bride.

Krystal makes one last check of her dress:

Now she’s headed to meet her groom…

Our next installment will have the two lovers meeting each other, beautiful romantic portraits afterwards and the party that followed. See you then!

Beaumont Weddings | Kyra and Ian – part deux

Allen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:26:27 +0000

And… we’re back! Part two continues the story of Kyra and Ian’s day. In part one we left with Kyra stepping out of the Rolls in front of St. Michaels Orthodox Church into a beautiful floral-festooned chapel. The architecture and artwork is amazing there, gilted in gold, lit with chandeliers, with broad beams supporting them and the roof.

Kyra and her dad making their way up the aisle, doesn’t she look radiant? All the work over the past few months has led up to this moment:

Exchanging rings. Orthodox weddings have a flow to them unlike other Christian weddings, things just move along, from blessing of the rings, to exchanging of them, to the crowning, communion and march around the altar – beautiful amazing rituals. You have to pay attention or you’ve missed it.

At the rehearsal the night before, a story circled the group of a recent wedding where one of the bridesmaids had fainted, hitting her head on a step and bleeding all over the place. Everyone decided they’d bend their knees occasionally to relieve tension and fight off any chance of the same fate. I think this image is when they figured they looked like members of the Lollipop Guild bobbing up there

I *told* you it was a beautiful ceremony, eh?

One of the many unique traditions in the Orthodox church: The bride and groom are crowned with thin crowns, or “stefana”, which are joined by a white ribbon and have been blessed by the priest. The crowns symbolise the glory and honour that is being bestowed on them by God, and the the ribbon symbolises their unity.

They also drink from a common cup and walk around the altar three times – rich symbols of their beginning as a married couple. Here’s one that’s common to other faiths:

Bazinga!

Onto the reception! We arrive at the Beaumont Botanical Gardens where Kyra and Ian are announced and glide across the floor.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the end of Kyra’s dance with her dad.

One of the Groomsmen toast the new couple:

The Beaumont Catering Company performed masterfully – from the great food and spirits, to the hot chocolate bar with monogrammed cups at the end, everything was perfect… and very tasty!

mmm… Cake!

There’s a lot of trust built in this moment, I have no idea why

One of my favorite scenes of the night – something about a long-time married couple dancing in each other’s arms at your reception, it kind of puts a nice stamp on the event.

Wow, the entertainment at the reception was outstanding! Jimi Jams always does an excellent job with DJ’ing/Emcee’ing an event, but the band “Stereo”, well-known on the local blues and jazz scene tore it up:

They both had the crowd dancing until their shoes just had to take a break:

After a quick pick-me-up with the hot chocolate bar, it’s time for their great escape – many bird seeds died to make this possible:

Beautiful day

Ceremony Venue: St. Michael’s Orthodox Church
Reception Venue: Beaumont Botanical Gardens
Caterers: Beaumont Catering Company
DJ: Jimi Jams
Band: Stereo
Second Photographer: Marius

Beautiful Wedding Reception Venues

Allen — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:33:12 +0000

Believe it or not, there are plenty to be found in Beaumont. You will need to book early to reserve your desired location, but they are out there. Most will cater the reception for you or work with your desired caterer. I’ve photographed wedding receptions in many locations, these are preferred

Art Museum of Southeast Texas – Classic and beautiful – one of my favorite venues.

Beaumont Country Club – available for wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers and ceremonies.

Brentwood Country Club – Classic tradition in Beaumont’s West End.

Holiday Inn Atrium Plaza – several places to choose from – from small to large ballroom space to the dramatic atrium with waterfall, they have it all. The atrium makes for beautifully dramatic photos.

MCM Elegante – several ball rooms to choose from, from small to large to huge

The Neches Room – perfect for the small to medium sized reception. The large windows let in amazing light during the day/early evening – your afternoon bridal photos are gorgeous here

Poblano Grill – Very nice location that hosts receptions and banquets.

Sugas Deep South Cuisine – Premier facility – large room available upstairs with private bar, band stand, dance floor, and balcony.

Bistro Lemonde – very nice place for an intimate dinner reception.

I’ll update these as I find more to recommend. Keep in mind that I am available for travel so even if you don’t get married in the Beaumont area, I would love to hear more about your wedding!