Crazy Like You

March 14th, 2020 was a gloomy day in Ben Hur, Texas with rain chances coming and going…basically a typical Texas day in the spring. This was anything but a typical day however! This was the day Matthew and Jennifer would say, “I Do,” in front of family and friends.

Matthew and Jennifer met a couple of years ago through a mutual friend. There was a near instant connection between them. Their first date was dinner at Jennifer’s favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, followed by dancing. Eventually Matthew knew what he needed to do. Propose.

One night they had some family visiting from out of state and everyone went out to dinner. Afterwards, Jennifer and Matthew went on a walk to the Waco Suspension Bridge. At some point, Jennifer turns around to look at Matthew and he is on one knee with a ring. Of course, she said…”YES!”

She said, “YES!” Matthew wrote, “Well it happened! After keeping this in for I don't even know how long! I got the chance to ask my best friend to spend the rest of our days together and she said yes! I'm so excited to see what the future holds for us! I love you.”

As they continued to grow as a couple during this engagement, they continued dating and getting to know each other even more. Their perfect date night includes dinner followed by watching a movie from the $5 bin at Wal-Mart at home snuggled up on the couch. They have developed a strong relationship that is wild and suspenseful, yet loving and beautiful. Their life together can be compared to the movie Starsky and Hutch - Matthew gets into trouble and Jennifer gets him out of it!

Jennifer loves the way Matthew smiles at her and their son with his amazing blue eyes. Matthew is an amazing father to their son. Matthew loves Jennifer’s hair, eyes and how Jennifer makes him feel so loved.

Jennifer and Matthew’s Engagement Session

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Craven

Mr. and Mrs. Craven - March 14, 2020

Vendor Credits

Venue: family property near Ben Hur, Texas

Coordinator: Shannon Craven

Cake: Vickie Roberts

All dresses: David’s Bridal

Groomsmen and Groom Attire: Ritchie’s Western Wear

Officiant: John Clyne

Invitations: Smith Family Photography

I Like Your Last Name

“Dates got you to a place where you wanted to marry each other. If you want to stay married, then keep dating your spouse. ❤️ ”

— Andy Traub

If you’ve had a family session with Smith Family Photography you know that I ALWAYS try to get a few shots in of mom and dad together, with no children. Why? Well, most couples don’t have their portraits taken. They have family portraits taken and generally they focus on the children. After all, the children are drastically changing year after year and parents want that documented that they often simply forget about THEIR portrait.

When I ask parents if they’d like a portrait together they usually look at each other with a, “What to you think?,” look and they both shrug their shoulders. So I make them pose together and try my best to keep the kids occupied for a few seconds to get a few poses in. Afterwards I ask them how long it’s been since they’ve had their photo taken together they almost always tell me that they haven’t had one professionally taken together since their wedding. SINCE THEIR WEDDING!! Definitely time to have that updated!

For this reason I decided to offer Date Night Sessions. We began offering these sessions in July of 2019 and quickly booked three of the four sessions for the year!

The first couple that took advantage of this offer was the Schmedthorst Family. They were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this past summer and really wanted portraits of just the two of them to showcases the love they have for one another. Twenty-five years…that is amazing!

I have had many sessions with the Schmedthorst Family over the years. They take advantage of our mini sessions throughout the year to document the growth and changes of their children so I was extremely happy when they decided to book a session just for the two of them to celebrate such an amazing day.

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At this time there is still one remaining Date Night Session. If you’re interested in learning more, please send me a message and we’ll get your Date Night Session on the calendar.