You are in for a real treat today. We are bringing you some gorgeous Dallas wedding photography from Sara and Rocky Photography sent to us via Two Bright Lights. They are a husband and wife duo based out of Dallas Texas and bring a fun original approach to shooting weddings. We are happy to have these two awesome photographers! Because we know how much our readers like seeing the wedding and reading all about how the wedding was brought together, we asked Tamara a few questions….take it away, Tamara!

How did you and your husband meet?

We met at Sky Ranch Camps where we both work full-time. He had been working at our Oklahoma camp and transferred down to our Texas camp in December of 2009. It was almost immediately that we became interested in one another. could barely handle those big blue eyes.

How long have you been together?

He asked me on our first date on April 13, 2010, we got engaged on October 28, 2010 and were married on February 12, 2011. It all happened in 10 months, but we just knew it was right! And pre-dating, we eyed one another for quite a while

How did he propose?

The proposal was perfect – it was low key and it was the day that we could start planning for the rest of our lives together!  Mike picked me up late one night after Bible study and took me to our favorite spot – my old cul-de-sac where we spent our summer nights talking, dancing, looking at the gorgeous East Texas stars, and falling in love. I was wearing a baggy A&M sweatshirt, slippers, and my hair was in a messy pony tail – definitely not the most picturesque moment. We took a walk and ended up in the cul-de-sac that was lined in candles, the whole street was glowing. I knew what was happening, but tried to keep my cool even though my heart was about to burst! We danced for a few minutes and from there he proceeded to bath me in undeserved compliments and got down on one knee to ask me to spend the rest of my life with him! I said yes and we celebrated God for what He was doing.

What sold you on your wedding venue?

It was a combination of things that sold us. Because our engagement was short, our options immediately were limited. I loved the empty palette at Off The Grid because it already has a unique feel, but it also allowed you to run with your own style. It also worked out well for us because we wanted to have the ceremony and reception at the same place

We also love the vintage touches throughout the centerpieces and the curtain….tell us more!

Mike (my now husband) made fun of me throughout the whole engagement process because I threw the word ‘vintage’ out so much. I love old, unique things though – they tell a story. I knew that’s the style I wanted to go ahead with so I headed to Trade Days in Canton and bargained my way through the shops gathering random bottles and really anything that sparked my eye. The more random, the better. The backdrop at the ceremony was my favorite part of the decorations. With our venue, we had to create something to hide what was behind it. I brainstormed with my matron of honor and we came up with the idea of gathering different materials all in the white/ivory scheme and hanging them from rope. She lives in Northern California where she shopped the flea markets and found the most amazing fabrics – everything from an old wedding dress to lace curtains. We used muslin as the filler because it’s inexpensive and helped thicken it so you couldn’t see straight through it. We spent a weekend cutting the fabric, tying it to rope, and prepping it for the big day. It was the perfect backdrop – very “me” and I got to spend great time with my matron of honor creating it. We’ve been contacted multiple times about people re-creating it or borrowing it so it’s been fun to help inspire others!

We love the shoes….tell us more about those?

For some reason, I wanted my shoes to POP! I’m not a heels girls, I’m an everyday supporter of flats, so I wasn’t going to change that for my wedding day. I wanted comfort and color. Red had nothing to do with my wedding, but I’ll wear red flats with just about any outfit and people kept telling me “it’s your day, do what you want!” So I did and I wear them on a regular basis now which always makes for a fun story to tell people they were my wedding shoes.

How did you choose your wedding color palette?

Oh man, wedding blogs saved me! Purple is my favorite color so that was a no brainer. I wanted softer colors though to bring out the “spring” in the wedding. Getting married in February is hard because it’s kind of winter, but spring is right around the corner. I found a picture of a bouquet on a blog that I instantly fell in love with and used that as my inspiration.

Your dress is gorgeous, where did you get it and how did you know it was “the one”?

I got my dress in Tyler, TX at a boutique called Brides & Belles. I had no idea what kind of dress I wanted so I literally tried on every style possible the first time I went. I tried dresses on for hours and left that night in love with what I thought would soon become “the dress”. I headed to Dallas to check out options in the big city, but all I could think about that day was that dress. It was confirmed after shopping around that I knew exactly which dress I was going to walk down the aisle in…called them immediately to reserve it and didn’t look back once.

What song did you dance to for your first dance as husband and wife?

We danced to Ingrid Michaelson’s version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. Romantic and was the perfect length.

What was your “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”?

I took a piece of lace from my mom’s wedding dress and wrapped it around my bridal bouquet so be my “something old”. She was excited to have a piece of her walking down the aisle with me. My mother-in-law let me borrow her mother’s pearl necklace to be my “something borrowed”. Can’t go wrong with classy pearls. I chose undergarments to be my “something blue”.

What was your favorite part of your big day?

My favorite part of my big day…oh man, that’s hard! I would say my favorite part was feeling so calm and READY to marry Mike. Things didn’t go perfectly that day – one of the groomsmen forgot his pants so he was wearing jeans in half the pre-wedding pictures, ha! – but no matter what  happened, at the end of the day I was going to become the Mrs. Michael McGuire. I kept my eyes on that and got to soak up the day and enjoy each moment, laugh at the kinks, savor all the friends and family around me. The moment I caught eyes with my man at the end of the aisle, saw his heart melting smile…I’ll never forget it!

Do you have any advice for brides that are in the planning process?

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in creating the perfect day, getting wrapped up in all the details, but I think going into it with a realistic expectation that it’s more important to put effort and time into investing in your marriage than into planning your wedding day. It’s one day that is amazing and the best day of my life, but I had to often take steps back. It is so fun to make decisions and to make it a day that reflects you and your fiance well, but the day comes and goes so quickly. It becomes a memory in the matter of hours – granted it was the best day of our lives, but it helped us so much to take a step back from planning and see how we could invest in one another and our future marriage no matter what!

Thank you, Sara & Rocky, for sharing this amazing wedding with us!  Stop their site and check out more fabulous weddings! Please let them know that GSS sent you!  And Tamara & Mike, we wish you a lifetime of love, laugher, and happiness!  May every day be better than the last!

If you have an engagement, wedding, day after, or anniversary session that you would like featured- Please send it to us at submissions@groomsoldseparately.com.  We HEART submissions!