Hanh-N-Sam - Austin Wedding Photographer /  by Melanie Grizzel

Hanh and Sam met in high school in all of those nerdy science classes and clubs. They dated for more than 10 years, through college and moving to New York for Hahn's medical school. Sam works on the floor of the New York stock exchange.

Hanh is Vietnamese and Sam, is not. To satisfy family tradition they held a Vietnamese service at 9am on the Saturday morning.
The tradition is, Sam and his family and friends, all those who wish to join Hahn's family walk to Hanh's house with all of their gifts and a feast to present to her family. Everyone fills the tiny living room separated in the middle, and Hanh and Sam marry in the middle of the room.


They feasted and communed for while in the afternoon then changed into a more America attire and rejoined their families in the early evening for a more America style wedding reception.
The beautiful cupcake display was provided by Sweetish Hill.



The reception was held at the very lovely Casa Blanca with delicious Vietnamese inspired fair from Pink Avocado.


They were amazing. I am madly in love with the 2 of them, we had such a great time together in such a short amount of time. I wish they lived here so we could continue to watch their lives grow together, but alas i guess we'll just have to go home to New York to see them. bummer ;)
Thank you both for letting us be a part of your wonderful wedding, Congratulations!
---mel

Don't Settle - Austin Wedding Photographer /  by Melanie Grizzel

When it comes to your wedding photography, don't settle for the cheaper photographer.
Wedding photography prices may seem arbitrary but they're not. You really do get what you pay for.

Ask yourself, "Why is it so cheap? What will I be missing out on?"
Chances are the cheaper photographer isn't going to live up to your level of expectations.
If you go with the cheaper photographer you'll likely be missing out on something you value, performance, talent, professionalism, customer service, timeliness, experience or genuine concern for YOUR wedding.

Find a photographer that you love. The relationship you have with your photographer will show in your photos. Cut corners on something that doesn't last as long as your wedding photos.

Speak with a friend about her wedding, what does she value most about her wedding now? Chances are, it's her photographs because they capture the memory and make it last long beyond your wedding day.


7.9.10 Faith /  by Melanie Grizzel

Faith is our next door neighbor's daughter. I made arrangements with our good friend Meg, that we would trade 2 year old portraits of faith for a lifetime of babysitting. I win!
Faith was what you call a blue baby, she had a hole in her heart when she was born and Meg and Corby were warned that their first daughter would be whisked away moments after her birth to have open heart surgery. It turned out that she was in a better shape than they thought, they were able to take her home and fatten her up and get her ready for her operation at 3 months old. The doctors explained, they'll notice it in her color. It was true, she was always pale and bluish in the beginning, after her surgery she was decidedly more pink and healthy looking. A few short months after her heart operation she had plastic surgery to correct a cleft lip. In the future, around 16,  she'll have another operation to enlarge the vein going to her heart  and she may choose to have another operation for the scaring near the cleft lip site, but it's virtually unnoticeable. But young woman are their own worst critics, she may still find fault with her scarring. Today she is an exuberant, beautiful, screaming red head with a temper to match. She is the apple of everyone's eye. She's my neighbor.
As always you can view more images on facebook.
Thanks for looking.
---mel






She-N-He

Austin Family Photography

7.7.10 Carly's Bridal Session /  by Melanie Grizzel

Carly and Chad were married on July 4th @ Mandola Estate Winery in Driftwood.
I have been excited for this wedding for over a year. I am wild for Carly + Chad and Carly's mom Donna. We have had a lot of fun during this year of planning. Carly started out, shall we say, skeptical, she may have had a couple bad experiences with wedding photographers and she was convinced we were all the same. She learned fast, after her girlfriend, at the expo, told her "if she wasn't a photographer, she would be your friend." We found out later that I could be a photographer and we could still be friends. Thank you Carly and Chad for your trust, and your friendship.
Our journey together began during their engagements session in October 09. click here to view. After that Carly decided she would like to add a bridal session, I think she always wanted one, she's a natural, anyway, in front of the camera. She chose the delicious and classic Laguna Gloria as a backdrop for our session. I couldn't be more pleased with how the session came out, so beautiful. Thanks to Donna and Larry for all of your help on that shoot. 
Carly and Chad tied the knot at the Mandola Estates on the 4th of July. The ceremony and reception were beautiful but my favorite part was the surprise fireworks display, they did a great job, and it was  a thrill for the Bradshaws'. 
Steve was walking around the gardens shooting some exterior shots for the our album when he was told by a patron that he "looked like a professional," and might he take a few shots of him with his girlfriend. Seconds after Steve took his camera the man knelt before his girlfriend and proposed. Steve unwavered by the man's surprise proposal shot the entire scene. It was exciting for her, for sure, but Steve had a really good time with it too.
Congratulations Carly and Chad, I'll post your wedding pictures in a few weeks when I have them ready. Congratulations mystery couple, we wish you all ever happiness on your new journeys. 
As always you can find more images from Carly's Bridal on facebook.
Thanks for looking.
All the best.
---mel





She-N-He
Austin Wedding Photography and Design 

7.2.10 Bek + Donnie Married! /  by Melanie Grizzel

Bek + Donnie were married at Kindred Oaks at the end of of May. I LOVE Kindred Oaks, did I mention? Elaine is sucking a calming soul, such a pleasure work with on your most special day, and look at those views! for more view have a look at Maegen + Daniel's wedding, also at Kindred Oaks. 
Bek is a referral from a photographer friend of ours Hannah Day. As Hannah was a member of the wedding party she was far too busy orchestrating the day to also photograph the wedding. I was honored to have been asked to capture their moments for them.
Donnie is hearing impaired and Bek is a sign language interpreter. They're a match made in heaven. During the service they employed 2 interpreters, one male and one female to interpret each roll. They quietly and personally signed their vows, which were not translated for their guests. It was an amazing experience, it was best described by Donnie's best man, he is also hearing. He says it's amazing standing in a parking lot with a group of Donnie's hearing impaired friends and they're partying down, but all you can hear is quiet first pumps and occasional hand slaps. 
Congratulations to you both, we wish you both the happiest life together.
As always you can see a lot more images on facebook.
Thanks for having a look.
---mel





She-N-He
Austin Wedding Photography and Design

6.29.10 The RIGHT photographer /  by Melanie Grizzel

You'll know it when you feel it.

This weekend, we photographed Hahn and Sam's wedding. They came in from New York, they wanted to come home and marry where they met and fell in love. I spoke with Hahn over the phone before we met, we also did some chatting over instant messenger. We met once, 8 months ago, give or take. She has been in her second year of medical school in New York, so her time is extremely limited. I met her again on Wednesday before the wedding to discuss final details of her traditional Vietnamese ceremony. 
I have a baby, Bishop, he is 1.5 years old. He often accompanies me to meetings, that Wednesday was no exception. I was taking notes while chatting with Hahn and Sam and the baby wanted to be feisty, so Hahn just grabbed him right out of my arms and started playing with him (she has a 5 month old nephew herself.) I thought that was the coolest thing in the world. I want people to be so comfortable with me, and me with them, that they wouldn't think twice about going into my frigidaire and grabbing a snack or a soda. Or grabbing my baby to entertain him. We actually chatted about this exchange at her wedding I told her how much I loved it that she felt comfortable enough with me to do that and Sam told her after our meeting, "dude, you grabbed a white girl's baby." Sam is caucasian, Texas born and raised and Hahn is Vietnamese raised primarily in Australia, these types of comments flowed all day. Apparently in her family, which is extensive, it's perfectly acceptable to grab someone's baby, I felt like family. I was honored. 
We arrived at her ceremony site 45 minutes early to scope it out, and meet all of her family. What an amazing group of people, Steve and I kept saying, "Have you met Hahn's sister? She is the sweetest!" "Have you met Sam's mom? She is out of this world!" Their wedding was broken up into 2 sections of the day, the traditional morning ceremony and the modern evening reception. At the ceremony in the morning, I wept like a baby, I know how important this was to the whole family that their families join in this cultural service and I was truly moved.  The evening went off without a hitch, pictures, cupcakes, dancing, sparklers, amazing. At the end of the evening, Hahn ran through her line of sparklers, like she'd been training for it, her entire life. At the end, by the car,  she grabbed me and hugged me and told me she loved me. And I love her, this is the kind of relationship we should have if that's your thing, if it's not, then I'm probably not the photographer for you. 
Click < here> for another story about finding the RIGHT photographer.
Congratulations to all of you who have found the RIGHT photographer. It's a painstaking process, but it's worth the effort.
She-N-He
Austin Wedding Photography and Design

6.25.10 Blog Stalkers. /  by Melanie Grizzel

Yesterday, I met a couple @ the Weddings Unveiled event. Of their couple, the bride, said she had been blog stalking us. Fun. You never know if there is anyone out there taking any notice and sometimes the blog feels silly and narcissistic. Then you meet someone who loves to read your blog. I love it. Sadly we were already booked for her wedding date, but maybe she'll plan her wedding and reception for the same day ;) You know who you are. 

She-N-He has huge news: Amanda, one of our beloved brides, has just become a Bee. She is really excited and we're thrilled for her. She'll be blogging all about her wedding plans and details from now until her wedding in January 2011. She posted recently about her "Priority Number 1: Photography." please have a look.
Thanks for keeping up with us.
All the Best.
---mel
She-N-He 
Austin Wedding Photography and Design

6.24.10 The Littles /  by Melanie Grizzel

Kelly and Eric were married in May at the Inn at Pearl Street. Totally lovely couple, so positive, the rain narrowly missed blowing the top off their plans and they barely noticed. Which was a ushered along by their unfaltering day of coordinator, One Fine Day Weddings, even without a planned indoor space for all of the guests, Suzanne was light on her feet and collected, seriously one of the finest coordinators I've worked with. You'll have a happy life together, no doubt. I'm so happy for you both.
As usual, you can find more images on Facebook.
See you next time.
---mel






She-N-He 

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

7.16.10 Matt Senior /  by Melanie Grizzel

Matt is friends with all of the seniors we've photographed this year. It's like their facebook pages are a roadmap. He's amazing, super cute, polite, plays the trumpet, and oh did I mention he's a brilliant genius? He was offered an academic scholarship to about a million schools, it sounds as though he spent his entire senior year bouncing around from school to school just to decide which school was for him. In the end Rice won, though he is planning (possibly) graduate school at MIT. He's planning a career in engineering. Did I mention how completely impressed I was a the group of seniors from this year. You guys knock my socks off.
1 last thing, he was super cute ;)
Thanks for looking, as always you can view more images on facebook.
---mel






She-N-He

Austin Senior Portrait Photographer

6.12.10 Juanita + John 5.22.10 /  by Melanie Grizzel

I felt a special kinship with Juanita and John from the moment we met. They met at work and I love that, that's how Steve and I met. We discovered after our 45 minute meeting that we were only one degree apart, we have friends in common. Nice.
It was our first time to the Terrace Club, what an amazing view and the dance floor was on fire. They did a great job of making everything so beautiful, Hunter is fantastic and a real trooper. Anyone would be lucky to work with them, it was also our first time to work with Elite Events Austin, Courtney is fire-cracker, she was fantastic with everyone, everything ran smoothly considering there was quite a lot to contend with but she was able to keep her cool and get things rolling as if nothing ever happened! Good job Courtney, it was a pleasure to work with you and the Terrace Club and ATXDJ fantastic job as always, but most of all Juanita and John we were so honored to be with you on your most blessed. Congratulations!
As always you can fine more images on facebook.





She-N-He 
Austin Wedding Photography and Design

6.8.10 My House /  by Melanie Grizzel

I love my house. I love the way it feels in the early morning, the rooms are dark but the light from the kitchen illuminates the dining and living areas, it's quiet, it just seems to be getting ready for her day. I love later in the morning, the light just pours in from all angles and there is a peek through in the dining area that shares the light generously with the living room. All of the rooms are painted a different color thus sending a new message every step from the bedrooms to the kitchen. We've lived here for 4 years so far and this feeling never seems to fade. I walk from the office to the kitchen, on the way for a cup of coffee and I often think "I am IN LOVE with my house." 

I have always been a mover, my whole life, we would pick up and move from place to place, state to state, school to school. 7 schools, I think, before I wrapped up Elementary. Same system after that, but many different dwellings in between. My New York life wasn't any different the shortest amount of time I stayed in a house in New York was 8 days. I moved in with a friend and our sublet, essentially recalled it at the drop of a hat. My longest in New York was 3.5 years and I was aching to move on. But here, this house, I could stay here forever. 
We've planted plants and flowers and this year put in a tree, we can't stay forever, but we can make it even better for the next family who lives here. So they have the same deep affection for our tiny, little oasis. We've started our family here and Bishop as he grows get to experience this house. The galley kitchen goes to the dining room on one side and living room on the other side. Bishop is walking/running now and  sometimes I think the layout was for Chase. When we move forward in our lives and find a new house, bigger, in a better neighborhood, all of the trimming. Bishop will always remember this house is the house he came home too when he was a baby and we planted our tree in his honor. When he's 40 he can swing by his first house and see his tree. 
Don't get me wrong our house is modest in her square footage, but it would make our NYC friends blush from the excess. The house is situated on a mature tree lined street in an otherwise scary neighborhood and we will have to leave our house when our first is ready for classes. But for now, it holds a romance, that is palpable. It's our own little secret Eden. 
The sun is trying to peek through the clouds and the house is starting to flood with light, I have to get back to reality and doing some editing before our house is alive with the full energy of the day.
Have a wonderful day.
---mel

5.26.10 Engagement Albums in Action /  by Melanie Grizzel

Steve and I got married 4 years ago and we had all of the traditional things, cake cutting pictures, bouquet toss and a sign-in book. After 4 years of marriage when I meet someone new and we chat about wedding pictures our wedding album always comes out and I could sit and chat about our wedding and wedding photography for hours. You know what piece of wedding memorabilia that may see the light of day but once a year, at best? Our sign-in book. Our guests all dutifully signed our sign-in book and for some reason we only pull it out on our anniversary. We love all of our guests comments and when we do pull it out to reread all of their hand written notes they are all joyful memories. It's just not something we think of everyday. We wanted to make it more desirable piece of nostalgia for our couples so, we added a new product to our line up last year. The engagement/Custom designed sign-in book. We started making them last year so we just recently started seeing them in action at our weddings.
We've taken a few shots and wanted to share with you the joy that is our newest addition.
Enjoy.
Thanks for looking.
See you soon.
---mel




She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

Kate + Ryan Married! /  by Melanie Grizzel

Location: Casa Blanca 
DJ: ATXDJ ( did i mention how much I loved their music?! he had everything, including a little known song by Melanie. I highly recommend.)
I first met Kate early last year, we were out of her budget and she was ready to move on. However, she was convinced we were right and months later she called and asked frantically if the date was still available. Luckily it was, it turns out they were able to shift funds around here and there and were able to afford a high priority for them. I sure was glad they did.

They have been together for quite a while. Spending time away from each other while Kate teaches elementary school here in Austin and Ryan alternated semesters of college with internships for NASA. They finally made it to the same city and then living together, now they're married and blissful.

Their wedding was so joyous, we were thrilled to be there.
Thank you for working so hard to choose us.
Congratulations!
As always you can see more images on facebook.

---mel




She-N-He
Austin Wedding Photography and Design

5-17-10 Maegan + Daniel Married! /  by Melanie Grizzel

I met Maegan for the first time during a bridal expo 2009, and then we chatted by phone several times and at great length. I get her and know what she likes, I know Daniel is scared of the camera. Maybe not scared, just doesn't care much for it. Maegan LOVES the camera. Our first assignment together was her bridal session. Her dress is a classic piece, with a clean vintage feel, absolutely stunning. She was looking for a Film Noir, movie classic look. We put together a style sheet and shot it at Hacienda del Lago. click < here>to view it.
After those portraits, I could hardly wait to photograph Maegan and Daniel's Big Day. Their wedding was beautiful. The sunset at, Kindred Oaks in Georgetown, was perfect that day. Her colors in various shades of purple were spot on (and trendy.) Good eye. Plus the flowers fromZuzu's Petals were a perfect compliment to their wedding with their happy spring time gerbera daisies. It was a pleasure to work with them, their friends and beautiful family.
Thank you for letting us be a part of your day.
Congratulations!
As always you can view more images on facebook.
In other news... We completely updated every single picture in our favorite section on our website.
Please have a look! www.she-n-he.com 
We are going to be making an appearance @ the Weddings Unveiled show this weekend.
Sunday May 16th, 2010 3:00-5:00
800 Ramble Creek Drive
Pflugerville, Tx 78660
We hope to see you there!
take good care.
---mel






She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

5.11.10 Senior Lisa /  by Melanie Grizzel

I may have said it before, but I'll say it again, I just love shooting Seniors. There is so much life and excitement about the next phase of their lives and I feel privileged to be there during that brief cross-road. Plus their really open minded about what is great, they just want to look good-deal ;)
I'm a little bit bummed that Seniors are finished for this season, we'll have to wait until next season Novemberish I guess. Our seniors have been a little slow to get started. We've have had a real difficulty figuring out how to advertise to high-school seniors. We got lucky this year 1 senior found us and sent all of her friends. Thank you Gracie ;) If you find this and you know a senior who is in need of their shots, send them this way.
Thank You.
As always you can find more images on facebook. 
See you soon.
---mel






She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

5.8.10 People Magazine /  by Melanie Grizzel

About 4 weeks ago I was contract to go to Dallas for People Magazine for a story about Brandon Henry. I love working with People, the stories are always really meaty and relevant. So I kind of had a grasp on his story, his girlfriend 7-8 month pregnant went to Italy on vacation delivered their baby and came home and lied about being pregnant still then came upw ith some story to throw him off. 
Well he finally go down to the bottom of the story went ot Italy found his baby in a convent there and went through all of the rigamarole to claim his baby and bring him home... If you want to read the full 3 page story, buy extra groceries and read it while you wait to be checked out. 
I inititally went in concerend for him and how he would be able to cope with this, but quickly learned that he is a remarkably equipped man and a great father. It makes me excited for their futures. He has a big supportive family and you just know everything is going to be wonderful for them. We wish them all the best in the world and congratulations, Dad!
As always you can view a few more images on facebook. become a fan.
---mel






She-N-He

Austin Wedding Photography and Design

4.28.10 Christy + Kai Married! /  by Melanie Grizzel

Christy and Kai threw an intimate wedding in their barn in Driftwood. They had plenty of time to create the perfect setting for their big day. Molding and forming a little day by day, I remember a conversation with Christy just a week before the wedding and she was rushing to get back to painting the barn. All their hard work paid off, the room was impeccable. They incorporated small details to marry their families. For example, Christy gathered wedding pictures from both her and Kai's family and tied them to rope and hung them through-out. They were a huge hit, all night guests made their way to the pictures to find themselves and family members. I have spoken with brides recently who were interested in using photographs for decor, you could consider this personal touch. 
Congratulations to you both we wish you all the best.
as always you can see more images on facebook.
Thanks for looking.
---mel





She-N-He
Austin Wedding Photography and Design

4.26.10 Maegan's Bridal session /  by Melanie Grizzel

We shot Maegan's Bridal quite a long while ago and I was in love with the results since them.
She was looking for something a little film noir. So we did a lot of research to find the right imagery to make it come across well. Here was out idea board. I think our results were outstanding, and man does she wear that dress? What a beauty!
Their wedding was this weekend and as always we are a couple of weddings away still so we'll have something to post soon.
So in the mean time, a little to whet your whistle.
plus a note about our location!! This is Hacienda del Lago.  Just look at this place?! The place is amazing and picturesque but they also have the greatest staff I've had the pleasure of working with. For this particular shoot we were running later than we planned,  trying to get all of these awesome shots in and Tom the owner handed us a key and let us stay as long as we needed. You see?! the best staff in 4 counties. I'm a big fan. Thank you guys.
As always you can see more on facebook. 
Thanks for looking.
---mel





She-N-He
Austin Wedding Photography and Design