Austin Wedding and Portrait photographer, Amelia Tarbet. » Best of The Knot

Deborah and Christian at The Barr Mansion

Amelia — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:41:21 +0000

Deborah and Christian had never even visited Austin before they chose it as the destination for their wedding. They are from Atlanta. After looking around, they chose, of course, one of the coolest cities and venues to host their wedding. It’s been about five years since I photographed two weddings in one weekend, but I knew when Christian contacted me last fall, that their wedding celebration was going to be extra special, and I had to accept the challenge. Boy, was I right! Christian, a graphic designer, came up with the robot and flying saucer theme for their invitations, put together the entire play list of songs for the reception, and created the table numbers. Deborah’s mother crocheted all the flowers, which acted as table cards and as favors (they had closures on the back to wear as pins). In other words, this wedding had a lot of heart and creativity poured into it. A side note- this was also the first wedding I have ever shot without ever using flash! I know, might sound boring to some, but it was great not to have to use ANY artificial light. You can see below why it was not needed. It was a beautiful, bright Sunday morning celebration. The day was so mellow, and we had plenty of time to do lots of portraits, so enjoy the long-ish post. Congrats to you both!

Cece’s Bridals

Amelia — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:58:15 +0000

I had a great time not too long ago photographing Cece’s bridal portraits. Many thanks to the coordinator extraordinaire Aimee Villa of Lizze Belle Events for sending Cece my way. Here are just a few highlights. You’ll notice about half of the images are of Cece in her vintage fur stall (which was her grandmother’s). She looked SO beautiful in it!
Mostly shot with my Canon 35mm 1.4, I love how it creates such an organic sharpness. In other words, I don’t have to rely on Photoshop filters after the fact;) It’s just a fantastic lens. Enjoy…

Why use a Wedding Coordinator?

Amelia — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:39:02 +0000

When I got married, I started the planning process all by myself. I am a rather creative and very resourceful person, and thought I could handle putting together all the details of my wedding myself. Within a couple months, the details and to-do-lists became so overwhelming that I decided I needed some professional help. Immediately after hiring my coordinator, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I had so much more time to actually enjoy the planning process. Although hiring a coordinator was not included in my original budget, what I spent on my coordinator actually paid for itself in the discounts she was able to get me from other vendors, not to mention the time she freed up for me was priceless. So, in short, speaking bride to bride, I say, “Don’t hesitate or delay….hire a coordinator as soon as you start planning your wedding.” It is one the most important vendors you will hire. My only regret was that I thought I could do it all myself and in the end wasted time and money trying to do so.

“Calm Before the Storm”

Here is the unbelievably talented and so very professional Keely Thorne. In a planning session with her assistant the day of the wedding.

Eight years after I got married, I am on the other side of the equation. I have recently had the pleasure of getting to know some amazingly talented coordinators in Austin, Dallas, and Houston and I can honestly say, they make my job as a photographer so much easier. The difference between a wedding that is professionally coordinated and one that is not is NIGHT AND DAY! There is no reason you should be bogged down with extra work and worries on one of the most important days of your life. As far as photography is concerned, having a coordinator allows me to plan how photography will fit into your day, allowing me to get all the fantastic images you want without being obtrusive or taking up too much time. It frees me up to focus (no pun intended) on the job I have at hand. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve stood around a cake table and the couple turns to me and asks, “How do we do this?” I try to explain and at the same time take their photos. It’s not an ideal situation. It’s not that I don’t mind helping out, in fact I enjoy helping out when I can, but it’s not good when it interferes with my job of taking photographs. As a professional photographer, coordinators make ALL vendors jobs so much easier. They also come up with the prettiest details for me to photograph, which is way more fun for me

In short, I am now offering incentives to brides if they book me and are using a professional coordinator.

Here are just a few coordinators that I have had the pleasure of knowing, and I believe they are amongst some of the best (in alphabetical order):

BZ Events (Becky Brock and Cortney Zeiky)

Keely Thorne Events

Lizze Belle Events (Aimee Villa)

Lucie’s Events (Wendee Robbins Sawran)

Of course, Austin is such an amazing area to get married; there are plenty more extremely talented coordinators, too. You can find them at NEAWP and AWEC.

Michelle and Lance

Amelia — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:18:17 +0000

I photographed Michelle and Lance’s wedding at the Dallas Botanical Garden and the Park Cities Club. They were actually referred to me by previous clients of mine, Emily and Ryan. One nice thing about being a photographer is that it takes me to such a variety of places and I get to befriend all types of people. From the more eclectic to traditional, I love them all. Michelle and Lance’s wedding was definitely on the classic side. The garden ceremony was a small and intimate, yet the dancing they did at the reception felt like a party of 500! Congrats to you both. Thanks for choosing me to be a part of your day.

Love this reflection.

This has to be some of the most amazing lighting I’ve ever captured. I know it’s not flare, but I’ve always been attracted to things that are more subtle.

A serene candid moment between the couple right after the ceremony.

Brought along a few light toys for a little photo booth action. No props needed for this one. Okay, the amazing fabric does help.

It’s always weird, but fun, to see pics of me taking pics…this one I was totally scared of falling flat on my behind.

Anne and Gabe

Amelia — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:26:35 +0000

Anne and Gabe live in Montana, but decided to come back to their native land of Texas to get married. Their ceremony was held on Anne’s family ranch near Concan (about 4 hours from Austin). The moment I saw the huge tree and ranch house where they would have their ceremony, I knew this would be a uniquely beautiful day. The house was built in the 30’s, and it alone was a dream for me to photograph, especially with all it’s historic charm. We all know vintage is quite the trend in weddings (and fashion in general), but like I mentioned in my first post about Anne and Gabe, this was all “As Real as It Gets.” All the vintage you see here is 100% real. It’s something I admire so much in my clients, their ability to incorporate unique elements into their wedding, as well as maintaining a sense of being totally authentic.

Vendors:
Dress- Elizabeth Fillmore (Saks Fifth Avenue)
Flowers- Village Greenery and Flowers (Houston)
Cakes- House Pasture Cattle Company and Three Brothers Bakery (Houston)
Band- Blues Specialists (Continental Club’s house band)
Thanks so much to talented Tony Ku for assisting me on this wedding with me.

How gorgeous were Anne’s shoes?!

I say this whole-heartedly…these were some of the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever seen at a wedding.

I loved how unique and yet natural Anne’s hair looked. Stunning.

This one’s an inside joke…

One of my favorites.

Tony snapped this one of us as we walked down to the river.

I was so concerned about watching where I stepped (as to not drop all my gear) and then I looked up for a quick moment…

Gabe is a forester in Montana. Hence, the awesome groom’s cake.

Anne and Gabe had a rockin’ old-school blues band.

Congrats to Mary-Kristen and David.

Amelia — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:07:03 +0000

Mary-Kristen and David had an amazingly grand wedding in Houston. Coordinated by Keely Thorne, this wedding was nothing short of fantastic in every way. There were over 500 guests at this wedding, so there were many talented professionals to help make the day such a success. Here are just a few listed below.

Florist – Susie Miller

Lounge Furniture – Events in Bloom

Cakes – Marlene Romero

Linens – The Linen House

Band – Sha’On

Ceremony – Chapelwood United Methodist Church

Reception – Houston Country Club

I must also send out a special thanks to friends and fellow photographers Heather Banks and Bonnie Berry for helping me photograph this wedding. Your assistance was VERY much appreciated!

Mary-Kristen’s gorgeous dress by Vera Wang.

Keely was definitely one of the most hands-on and helpful coordinators I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.

Mary-Kristen and David decided to see each other before the ceremony, so here is David waiting for their first glance.

One of my personal favorites.

A little champagne on the bus to kick start the party.

A quite moment between Mary-Kristen and David.

Fun props (boas, guitars, silly glasses, mics…) were provided for the guests. They were an absolute hit.