From joyous and funny to tender and heart-tugging, these moments from real Dallas weddings showcase the power of photography to capture the emotions of your big day.
Plus: What you can learn from each one.
Caroline Sheridan & Larkin Dobson
September 16, 2023
“There’s truly no feeling better than getting ready to marry the person you love most with the people who have loved and supported you through every stage by your side,” says Caroline Sheridan. Ahead of her wedding to Larkin Dobson, she enjoyed a morning of pampering with her bridesmaids at the Eseeola Lodge spa in Linville, North Carolina, followed by this carefree moment, which was caught on camera.
—Lydia Brooks
THE TAKEAWAY: Choose your photographer based on moments and feelings you want captured on your wedding day. “Michelle [Lyerly]’s style is so editorial and full of movement,” says the bride of her photographer. “She was excellent at capturing these little unposed moments.”
Dallas Wolford & Clayton Cook
October 14, 2023
From the minute wedding planner Leslie Ochs met Dallas Wolford and Clayton Cook, she knew they were going to make a splash. “Dallas is such a good time—I could picture her jumping in the pool at the reception, and I knew it would be such a vibe,” Leslie says. “Initially, we joked about it, and then as the wedding got closer, I told her, ‘I’m serious. You and Clayton will go out with a bang.’” Leslie collaborated at length with Lyndi Stucky of Lyndi Ruth Photography to make sure all the big surprises—and there were quite a few—were beautifully captured. “Leslie is always pushing the bar, and this couple was down for anything,” says Lyndi. “Jumping in the pool just felt like a natural grand finale.”
—Laura Kostelny; photography by Lyndi Ruth Photography
The Takeaway: Capturing the magic of wedding-day moments like these is a mix of preparation and improvisation. “I think shot lists can be limiting because you become more focused on recreating someone else’s wedding,” says Lyndi. “The best work happens when vendors work as a team—bouncing ideas off each other can lead to amazing results!”
Emma Gagnon & Tyler McCollum
May 15, 2023
Finding a “perfect final parenting pillar” for her happy modern family—which consists of daughter Charlee and Charlee’s father and bonus mom—was a responsibility Emma Gagnon didn’t take lightly. After meeting Tyler McCollum in December 2020, she waited eight months before introducing him to then-6-year-old Charlee, who told Emma after their first meeting, “I think he’s the one.” The following year, Tyler asked Charlee’s permission to propose, which she happily granted. Their close-knit relationship was highlighted in a first look they shared prior to Emma and Tyler’s May 2023 ceremony at The Mason Dallas. “I don’t know who was more nervous, Charlee or me,” Tyler remembers. “But she gave me a big hug and squeezed my neck really tight with both arms, and that helped calm my nerves for the day—kind of a ‘we got this’ moment.” The musical pair sat down at a nearby piano and played as their photographer snapped. Now that they’re officially family, Charlee says, “My mom and I are blessed forever.” —Jessica Otte; photography by Heather Thompson Photography
The Takeaway: Find special ways to involve the important people in your life. “I wanted Charlee to have a moment that made her feel important and included,” says Emma. “It still brings me to tears.”
Brooke Emily Owen & Carter O’Daniel
October 28, 2023
As Brooke Emily Owen and Carter O’Daniel’s wedding day neared, one key detail had yet to be ironed out: the song that would play during the father-daughter dance. Brooke says that after she and her dad, Todd, had considered “just about every traditional slow song,” her mom jokingly suggested “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” a song Todd had played to lighten Brooke’s mood before nerve-racking moments from the time she was young. “He would play it on the way to school if I had a test I was worried about, before cheer competitions or tryouts, theater auditions, and even as we were pulling on to the campus of the University of Alabama when he dropped me off for college,” Brooke says. “So it has always been ‘our song.’ ” After a fake-out slow start to Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable,” the record scratched, and the duo acted out the upbeat Charlie Daniels tune—complete with devil horns and a gold fiddle for Todd—to the delight of their guests. —J.O.; photography by John Cain Photography
The Takeaway: Choose wedding-day details based on emotional significance—not what you think you should do. “I don’t think anything else would have felt the same or meant as much as that moment did,” says Brooke.
Jordan Achtman& Graham Coombs
March 4, 2023
Like most couples, Graham Coombs and Jordan Achtman thought through every moment of their wedding day—from the details of their traditional Jewish ceremony in the Hotel Crescent Court’s courtyard garden to a multicolored wig bar that allowed guests to let loose at their Crescent Club reception. Even their choices of suit colors were intentionally considered. “We wanted suits that would complement our personalities,” Graham says. “Jordan loves plants, so the green suit was very appropriate.” But one touching moment prior to the ceremony was a complete surprise: when Graham’s then-5-year-old nephew, Micah, presented him with a drawing of the happy couple that he’d worked on with his older sister, Maeve. Calling the gesture “very special,” Graham adds, “My family lives in Massachusetts, so I don’t get to see them very often. But that makes the time we spend together that much more special.” —J.O.; photography by Jeff Brummett
The Takeaway: Amid all the activity of their wedding day, Graham admits, “Unfortunately, we don’t know where the drawing went.” Designate someone as the keeper of day-of mementos so precious keepsakes aren’t misplaced.
