Andrew Fritz

An Adventure Elopement Styled Shoot

March 26, 2019 by Andrew Fritz

It’s always fun to indulge when creating a styled shoot. They explore the realm of what’s possible, not what’s reasonable or likely. For this Austin styled elopement we set out to create a classic small wedding ceremony in a country church, with a couple somewhat informally dressed. All the details: wedding bouquet, boutonniere and the brides head wreath stuck to the clean white pallet. We wanted to portray a more relaxed version of a wedding that was still classy, and one that ended with something special: a trip to a great honeymoon destination via a private bi-plane.

This styled shoot was a collaboration with Uptown Events and Travel and their spirit of adventure shows through.

Austin Styled Elopement

This tiny church is located in Kingsbury, Texas. Similar churches are dotted around east Austin including New Sweden Church in Manor. It felt right to have our couple start out at an old country church.

Austin Wedding Style - Styled Country Elopement - White Hydrangea Bridal Bouquet and details of brides funky jewelry.

Austin Wedding Style - Styled Country Elopement - Grooms guitar themed boutonniere with white rose.

A Classic Car Get-Away

Why a classic car? We love cars. It’s always fun to combine genres so we brought in some of our automotive photography to this styled wedding shoot.

A Secluded Evening Together

Continuing the theme of adventure, we imagined a secluded evening in a natural setting complete with a reflected sunset in a still lake, a camp fire and music.

Time for the Honeymoon

What is not to love about a beautiful couple paired with a great vintage style biplane?

Breaking the 4th wall for a minute, this part of the shoot was probably the most challenging. The biplane lives at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. We had about 2 hours total in the middle of a July afternoon, including setup and tear-down. And of course, it was a crystal clear and scorching hot Texas July day. Thanks to having a great team, everything went quick and smooth. If anything, we made way more great pictures than it makes sense to share.

The Team

The photos in this blog post were shot by #TeamBlue partners Josh Baker and Andrew Fritz. Coordination and much of the styling, including access to the Biplane was handled by Uptown Events & Travel. The biplane was provided by Austin Biplane. The Bridal Bouquet and other floral styling provided by Malleret Designs.

Andrew Fritz

Andrew is a wedding photographer that loves a good adventure.

http://AMadTrip.com

James and Nicole – Cathedral Oaks Engagement Photos

January 28, 2019 by Andrew Fritz

The wedding day is a pretty busy affair. There is a schedule to keep, guests to serve, and a whole mess of other logistics to manage (a good planner is your friend!). Photography is important, but it has to slot into the schedule. Engagement photo sessions don’t have any of those complications. They give us time to have a little fun and for everyone to let their hair down (or put it all the way up). That freedom let us make some really fun Cathedral Oaks engagement photos for Nicole and James.

Cathedral Oaks Engagement Photos

Sometimes our engagement photos take us far afield. We stayed closer to home for Nicole and James, specifically in Belton, TX. Their wedding was going to be at Cathedral Oaks and they loved the towering oak trees. As soon as their engagement photo session kicked off, I realized that Nicole and James are wacky fun.

They had a great chemistry and pretty much riffed off each other the entire session. James even got tackled by Nicole at one point…

Why yes, we will climb a tree and snuggle in it…

Engagement Photos Under the Stars

After spending sunset at Cathedral Oaks, we headed a little south to the the San Gabriel river in Jonah. This is a local fishing and swimming spot during the summer. The river flows over a flat limestone bed. Most places it is inches deep, and it runs still unless there has been recent rain. That means reflections. Add a dose of Texas stars and, well, see for yourself.

With a little bit of wading through ankle deep water (not to mention careful foot placement) you can get out into the center of the river. Mist was rising off the water thanks to the cooler fall temperatures.

Did I mention that Nicole and James like to have fun and are a little nerdy? We got along really well. 🙂

A little quick work with a drill and some battery powered Christmas lights gave us a light up light saber. Nicole borrowed one of my prop-pained blasters.

These aren’t the most elaborate cos-play photos (or even cos-play at all) I’ve ever made, but they are a lot of fun.

Andrew Fritz

Andrew is a wedding photographer that loves a good adventure.

http://AMadTrip.com

Chris and Samantha – A Chapel Dulcinea Elopement

November 5, 2018 by Andrew Fritz

One thing we love is being the photographer for multiple family member’s weddings. Chris is the little brother of one of our brides, Stacy from a few years back. As with other multi-wedding families, its amazing how different each wedding is. Samantha and Chris took advantage of Chapel Dulcinea‘s free wedding chapel for their Chapel Dulcinea elopement and they only wanted photography of their ceremony and formal portraits. We showed up to document the most important part of their wedding day.

Lest you think Chris and Samantha weren’t excited about pictures, remember their soaked engagement session from earlier in the year.

Chapel Dulcinea Wedding Ceremony

There is something really wonderful about being a part of a wedding service, even from the outside. Services like this are full of genuine emotions and touching moments. Their simplicity serves to highlight the couple and the lifelong commitment they are making to each other.

Formal Portraits at a Chapel Dulcinea Elopement

Formal wedding photos can be stressful if not handled right. Everyone has to be wrangled into one location, posed, etc. We always try to make them fun and fast so the wedding party can get on with enjoying their big day. In this case, it was easy. Everyone was in such high spirits and it shows through in the pictures.

Once we finished the pictures of all the guests, we took a little time to make portraits of Chris and Samantha.

We work fast, but we also try to make the couples portraits relaxing. They are a chance for the couple to have a few minutes together “off stage” between their service and reception.

Chapel Dulcinea’s location south-west of Austin puts it in the hill country. The chapel can face great sunsets if the weather cooperates. With the overcast skies there wasn’t a sunset. We chose to use the path leading to the chapel for a nice portrait of the couple.

Andrew Fritz

Andrew is a wedding photographer that loves a good adventure.

http://AMadTrip.com

Danny and Caitlin’s Downtown Georgetown Halloween Engagement

October 29, 2018 by Andrew Fritz

Danny and Cat’s downtown Georgetown Halloween engagement is a great example to what Georgetown has to offer. I had a hard time picking which engagement photos to include in this blog. There were a lot of favorites. The couple were bursting with great energy, and it showed in their photos. They lucked out this evening with a spectacular sunset, with amazing colors and the perfect amount of clouds.

The Old Church

Danny and Cat own (and started) Sincerely Yours 1848 (SY48) just off the Georgetown square. It’s a cute boutique shop with unique clothes and gifts. Immediately next door is one of Preservation Georgetown’s Grace Heritage Center, housed in he historic Grace Episcopal Church.

The historic church is right in the middle of downtown Georgetown, surrounded by buildings and cars. With a little judicious use of shooting angle and lens selection I kept out those distractions.

Union on 8th Engagement Photos

Our second stop was the front wall of Union on 8th. Union on 8th is an old automotive garage turned wedding venue. We’ve shot weddings there before and the inside is funky and cool. Today we just made use of their distressed blue doors and cool metal wall.

VFW Park

We strolled though the old residential district near downtown (stopping to take a few photos along the way) and eventually ended up at VFW park along the San Gabriel river. It provided wide open skies to take advantage of the glowing orange sunset.

Monument Cafe

After sunset at the park we strolled back towards the Georgetown square and made a stop at the historic Monument Cafe. It’s a super cool art deco style building with in neon lights and a nice beer garden seating area.

Georgetown Halloween Engagement – The Murder of a Pumpkin

Danny and Cat told me that Halloween was their favorite holiday so we ended up in the back courtyard of their shop with a selection of victims. They went to work and I photographed.

It was a fun evening strolling around the streets of Georgetown, lined with historic buildings in the cool autumn evening air.

Andrew Fritz

Andrew is a wedding photographer that loves a good adventure.

http://AMadTrip.com

Cheyenne and Wesley’s Sunset Wedding at TerrAdorna

September 17, 2018 by Andrew Fritz

Cheyenne and Wesley had a classy Texas style TerrAdorna wedding in Manor. As often happens in June, there were dramatic thunderstorms circling. Luckily they didn’t do anything more than provide a dramatic backdrop for the couple’s special day.

Getting Ready

TerrAdorna’s bridal prep-suite is one of the better rooms we have the privilege of working it. The bright windows and white walls accent the bride and her bridal party in beautiful light.

It’s also a nice area to do some quick bridal portraits if the groom is around outside or the weather isn’t cooperating (June in Tx = hot enough to melt steel).

Wedding Details

Wesley and Cheyenne had a lot of fun details at their Texas Style TerrAdorna wedding. From the bride’s boots to the Archer, Lana and (just a little creepy) Nick Cage masks, the wedding was full of personal touches.

Bride's dancing boots at TerrAdorna Wedding in Austin, Tx

Wes and Cheyenne - TerrAdorna Wedding - 014

Wes and Cheyenne - TerrAdorna Wedding - 002

Wes and Cheyenne - TerrAdorna Wedding - 017

Flower Table Decorations at TerrAdorna Wedding in Austin, Tx

Reception room setup at TerrAdorna in Austin, Tx

Light globe wedding reception decorations with flowers at TerrAdorna

Bridal accessories at TerrAdorna in Austin, Tx

Bridal Bouquet at TerrAdorna in Austin, Tx

Cheyenne and Wesley Wedding date Decoration at TerrAdorna in Austin, Tx

TerrAdorna Wedding Ceremony

TerrAdorna sits on a hill with a great west-north-west views. Their patio makes a beautiful location for a wedding ceremony with the oak trees and especially with a late afternoon thunderstorm in the distance. Whatever the weather, the deck is a great place for a ceremony or a Texas style happy hour.

One of the things we love about TerrAdorna weddings is the beautiful outside spaces. The big Texas skies provide a beautiful and dramatic backdrop for portraits.

Texas Style TerrAdorna Wedding Reception

We always love weddings at TerrAdorna. The weather is the big variable. Sometimes you come up double rainbow and other times dramatic stormy skies. Regardless the lower deck is always beautiful and the interior space pleasant. With the walls opened up guests can spread out onto the upper deck. Everyone feels right at home.

Andrew Fritz

Andrew is a wedding photographer that loves a good adventure.

http://AMadTrip.com

Claire and Eric’s Santa Clarita California Golden Hour Wedding

September 3, 2018 by Andrew Fritz

Claire and Eric’s wedding is the end of an era for us. Claire is the last of the three Christiansen sisters to get married and we’ve been there for all three. It’s truly been an honor and a privilege. Each of the three weddings has been unique and matched the couple perfectly. Clair and Eric had a golden hour wedding at his parents home in Santa Clarita. It was a great way to end the Christiansen trilogy.

If you want to see Claire’s sister’s weddings, here are the links: Katie and Adi | Alicia and Colin.

It’s hard to argue with light like this… Eric’s family home is a beautiful space and it is filled with golden light in the afternoon.

Getting Ready

Wedding dress hanging in under construction door.

Wedding dress against beautiful blue wall.

Brides shoes next to the under construction door.

You might wonder why a wedding dress is hanging in a uninstalled door. Claire and Eric’s wedding was being held at Eric’s family home and they built a new barn just for the event. Of course it happened that the barn wasn’t 100% finished yet. The walls were still open so the wedding had a rustic/real feel to it. You’ll see the unfinished walls in the reception photos.

Claire got ready at a nearby hotel and they were remodeling one of their floors. The construction team had built and set this door in the hall to block off the wing under construction. The congruence with the barn was too good to pass up. As a bonus, there was beautiful light streaming in from the windows by the elevators.

Claire’s twin sister Alicia (who’s wedding we photographed last year) works in the wedding industry now and handled Claire’s makeup.

Alicia sees her twin sister the bride in her wedding dress and cries.

One thing about the Christiansen woman, they are almost always laughing, smiling or crying with joy.

Claire and Eric - Santa Clarita Sunset Wedding - Sister looking on while bride gets ready.

We photographed Katie’s wedding back in 2015 in Beverly Hills.

To the Barn

The barn is new, built for the wedding and as happens with construction projects, it wasn’t finished totally on time. The unfinished interior didn’t dampen the festivities one bit. If anything it added a metric ton of character to the night.

It turns out that, when your husband to be gives you a sweet letter, people cry which can lead to makeup issues. A fan can fix that problem quick as Claire demonstrated.

Katie and Adi have their first daughter now and she is adorable. Katie even got her and the baby matching spiky shoes.

Katie's husband Adi waves to the women in his life.

Katie with her new daughter, one of the flower girls..

Katie and her daughter have matching spiky shoes.

The Details

Claire and Eric had simply beautiful decorations that matched the location perfectly.

Something pretty in a tree for the ceremony.

Bride and grooms vows before the ceremony.

Wedding location sign with Eric's Mini Cooper.

The Ceremony

Their ceremony was under a huge oak tree just before sunset.

Golden Hour Wedding Portraits

Groom being silly during wedding portraits.

Bride laughs during couples wedding portraits.

Bride and groom kiss during golden hour wedding portraits.

You never know what conditions you are going to get during a wedding, but it’s hard to do anything other than take great pictures with light like this. The California sun and dust in the sky caused everything to glow golden. Weddings like this define “Golden Hour.”

The Reception

After the ceremony and formal portraits we headed into the barn for the reception.

Claire got her sense of fashion from her dad. She exchanged her heals for these fabulous sequined sneakers. They match her dad’s blue velvet shoes marvelously.

Andrew Fritz

Andrew is a wedding photographer that loves a good adventure.

http://AMadTrip.com

Amber and Luke’s Gruene Estate Wedding in New Braunfels

August 27, 2018 by Andrew Fritz

We love when we get to photograph an entire family of kids getting married through the years. A few years back we had the pleasure of photographing Lauren (Amber’s sister) and Joe’s wedding at Bella Springs. Now it’s time for Amber and Luke Gruene Estate wedding.

Getting Ready for a Gruene Estate Wedding

Dad’s First Look

Amber chose to do something we are seeing more of: dad’s first look. It’s a new tradition (is a “new tradition” a thing?) we like. During the ceremony we are focused on the couple and their expressions as they see each other, regardless of if they had a first look themselves. This tradition creates a nice chance for a moment between dad and daughter.

Details

Amber and Luke had lots of fun country style details that matched Gruene Estate perfectly. Their center pieces were simple but beautiful. The groom’s cake was an entire story in an of itself.

That time when Amber got Luke’s truck stuck in the field… It’s always fun when wedding details tell the couple’s story.

Amber’s bouquet included an heirloom locket with pictures of her grandparents in it.

The Ceremony

One of my favorite things about Amber and Luke’s wedding was the classic truck they restored. They left the outside looking old which is awesome but restored the inside. Amber arrived in the truck which fit Gruene Estate perfectly.

The Reception

One of the nice things about a place like Gruene Estates is that everything is right there. After the ceremony and formals all the couple had to do was walk down the path together.

Amber and Luke’s reception was a laid back affair with people dancing, playing washers and sitting around a camp fire.

Nothing like some washers and corn-hole to pass the time.

A nice bonfire gave the Gruene Estate wedding reception nice ambiance.

The property is beautiful. After their Gruene Estate wedding, we had to do some blue hour portraits.

Andrew Fritz

Andrew is a wedding photographer that loves a good adventure.

http://AMadTrip.com

Sonie and Rahul’s 2 day Engagement Adventure

August 20, 2018 by Andrew Fritz

Sometimes Josh and Andrew like to tag team an engagement shoot. Josh kicked off their Austin engagement photos at the graffiti wall (the Hope Outdoor Gallery) and Enchanted Rock State Park. Andrew took over on day two with Austin Skyline engagement photos from the town lake board walk and sunset engagement photos from the Oasis on lake Travis.

Day 1

Josh kicked off Sonie and Rahul’s Austin engagement with engagement photos at the Graffiti park at Castle Hill. As luck would have it, someone has recently painted the word “Love” over and over along one section of the wall.

Appropriate.

Sonie and Rahul have a great casual (and goofy – in a super fun way) personality that didn’t take themselves to seriously.

After the crowds of the graffiti park, Josh headed to Enchanted rock for a little more solitude. Of course, their personality was still there shining through.

Josh stole a page from Andrew’s normal play book and make a star-trail with the couple in it. The really bright star is the setting crescent moon.

In case you are wondering, no, they didn’t have to sit there that long. This type of shot is made by setting up the camera and taking the photo of the subject (Sonie and Rahul) and then letting the camera take a time lapse from the same position. You put the two together digitally. Everything was shot at the same place and time, but it saves on sitting still for hours.

Day 2

Andrew took over for day 2. Things kicked off on the board walk on town lake. It’s always a busy spot, and it is quickly becoming an iconic part of Austin with it’s view of the growing Austin skyline.

Sonie and Rahul had their first date at the Oasis so they wanted to return there for engagement photos. Luckily the Oasis is super cool about allowing things like this. We picked an unoccupied balcony (we where there on a weekday which helps) and enjoyed the sunset.

Andrew Fritz

Andrew is a wedding photographer that loves a good adventure.

http://AMadTrip.com

Andrew Fritz

Austin Styled Elopement

A Classic Car Get-Away

A Secluded Evening Together

Time for the Honeymoon

The Team

Cathedral Oaks Engagement Photos

Engagement Photos Under the Stars

Chapel Dulcinea Wedding Ceremony

Formal Portraits at a Chapel Dulcinea Elopement

The Old Church

Union on 8th Engagement Photos

VFW Park

Monument Cafe

Georgetown Halloween Engagement – The Murder of a Pumpkin

Getting Ready

Wedding Details

TerrAdorna Wedding Ceremony

Texas Style TerrAdorna Wedding Reception

Getting Ready

To the Barn

The Details

The Ceremony

Golden Hour Wedding Portraits

The Reception

Getting Ready for a Gruene Estate Wedding

Dad’s First Look

Details

The Ceremony

The Reception

Day 1

Day 2

Footer

About AzulOx Visuals

Contact Us

Recent Blog Posts

Blog Categories