Wedding welcome dinner with puppies!
Azalea & Sam
Austin, TX
One of the most joyful parts of photographing Azalea and Sam’s wedding weekend was documenting their welcome dinner - an intimate, love-filled evening held at their home in Northwest Austin. With friends and family traveling in from all over, the night before the wedding was a chance to gather everyone under one roof to kick off the celebrations in a way that felt relaxed, personal, and entirely them.
This wasn’t just a warm-up to the big day. It was a special event on its own, filled with laughter, wine, and the most adorable puppies! Getting to celebrate with all their loved ones, including their dogs, made this moment extremely meaningful for the bride and groom.
Portraits with pups and parents
Before guests arrived, we carved out time for a sweet portrait session with just Azalea, Sam, and their four adorable dogs (Crouton, Fig, Bean, and Cinnamon). The proud puppy grandparents (Azalea’s parents) also joined for a handful of shots. This quiet pre-party shoot was filled with joy and a bit of playful chaos, as the pups brought so much energy to the frame. Azalea wore a unique floral dress as a nod to her name, and the nature filled hills surrounding their home made it feel like a whimsical prelude to their Zilker Botanical Garden wedding the next day (check out their wedding here).
Since Azalea and Sam chose not to do a separate engagement session, this welcome dinner shoot became our opportunity to capture portraits of just the two of them - candid, cozy, and completely true to their dynamic.
A night to remember
As the evening went on, their home buzzed with conversation and excitement. There were no formal events or big announcements, just a lot of presence, community, and gratitude. We even gathered everyone for one big group photo, a sweet marker of this rare moment in time when so many people came together for something special.
The magic of multi-day storytelling
As a wedding photographer, I always feel honored to be invited into these layered, multifaceted celebrations. Photographing a wedding weekend (not just the wedding day) gives space for so many more of the in-between moments that truly define what the experience felt like.
Between the quiet anticipation of the night before, the conversations over wine, and seeing guests light up when they walk into a space filled with love, these are the kinds of memories that matter. When couples bring me along for the full weekend, especially for destination weddings, it gives us the opportunity to build a fuller, richer story of your celebration.
Whether you’re planning a destination wedding or a hometown celebration, don’t overlook the beauty of the events that happen around the main event. They’re often just as meaningful and always worth remembering. We’d be happy to capture them for you.