Tamara and Josh were ready to be married after some really long stretches apart…4 years to be exact! They had met when Josh was in Canada for a work project and were able to spend a few weeks together before he was sent somewhere new. Despite the challenge of trying to foster a relationship over a border, they decided to give it a go. While Tamara continued living in Canada, Josh was moved to Colorado, then North Dakota and finally on to Texas.

They weren’t convinced a big white wedding was what they wanted, with their families being scattered across two countries, and the thought of trying to overcome the obstacle of putting everyone in the same place without putting anyone out, it felt insurmountable. On top of all of that was a time crunch placed on them in relation to Tamara’s U.S. Visa. Since Tamara is a Canadian citizen and Josh is a U.S. citizen, once Tamara received her Visa, they had to be married within 90 days! Legal paperwork has a tendency to dampen romance, but that didn’t stop them from planning a wedding day on their terms.

On a warm Friday in June, Tamara got her hair done, donned a lovely white dress, and armed with a bouquet (a posy with hydrangea and anemones that I was pretty obsessed with), she and Josh headed down to the Galveston County Courthouse and got hitched in a private ceremony! It wasn’t necessarily the original plan, they had even discussed inviting a few people including Tamara’s sister who lives in Houston, but when push comes to shove, you really only need the two of you to have a wedding and that DOES NOT make it any less special than if there were 100. In the end they really only wanted three things: they wanted it to be meaningful, they wanted it to FEEL like a wedding day, and they wanted photos.

When I was first chatting with Tamara they already had their eye on a highly recommended JoP and they were definitely going to be “done up” for their day. When we started discussing their photography goals, she was so open to any ideas I had. She knew they definitely wanted photos at the Ashbel Smith Building at the UTMB campus since making repairs to the building is what brought Josh to Texas in the first place. As a civil engineer he was tasked with fixing damages left from Hurricane Ike back in 2008! Ironically, Tamara was in Houston visiting her sister when Hurricane Ike hit (before Josh was even in the picture) so their individual connection to that storm has come together in a unique way. To pay homage to that, we made sure to get a few photos that incorporated a Hurricane Ike waterline marker.

My favorite thing about elopements, is that nearly all the time is spent on couple portraits. On a classic wedding day I try to get 45 minutes and I’m lucky if I get that whole amount. But with an elopement I get allllllllll the time. When we were making all the photos at the Ashbel Smith building, they were sharing all the little intricacies of the building and we pretty much found spots in every corner to use. When we ventured out into the local neighborhood the light was perfect, glowy, summer light and my heart was just exploding. Before long we left the hospital district in favor of one of my absolute favorite spots on Galveston Island, Beachtown. Tamara had actually requested some time for photos here, and I was happy to oblige. The highlight was when we got to the water and the sun was setting, our normally hazy white summer sky was awash with color and clouds, giving us an awesome background!

And I definitely would be remiss if I didn’t include a snippet of advice directly from Tamara herself, about planning your marriage day. She says, “Do what’s right for you. Every person is different so don’t try to make your weeding like someone else’s, make it your own.”

EVENT VENDORS

Locations / Ashbel Smith Building, Beachtown
Dress Designer / Calvin Klein
Bridal Shoes / Nine West
Beach Shoes / Carlos by Carlos Santana
Jewelry / Stella and Dot
Hair / Southern Roots Salon
Nails / Jamberry Nails
Bridal Bouquet / H.E.B. Central Market
Officiant / Jim Schweitzer