My friend Melissa Knight, an artist living and working here in Austin, Texas, has been creating these beautiful and unique custom wedding invitations.
Below you can see examples of two of her recent invites.

Her website address is www.batikbydesign.com or you can email her at melissa@batikbydesign.com

I was shooting for SXSWorld Magazine this year and had the good fortune to see many really wonderful shows. SXSW this year was the perfect
mix of music, friends and agreeable weather. Well, Saturday was cold, but it was actually kind of nice as it thinned the crowds a bit.
The photo below of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings was from her booty shaking set at Stubbs. The wonderful Raphael Saadiq and the legendary
Smokey Robinson were playing back to back at the Austin Music Hall. Seeing Smokey’s set and listening to his stories of his life at Motown was pure
pleasure. A slice of musical history.
In typical SXSW fashion, music crept out of every nook and cranny. The buskers pictured below were a
welcome respite from the ear damaging set I had just encountered at Emos.

This is a photo of our friend Lizzie holding her new goat – Cheeva.

We are currently in the process of changing over to a wordpress blog and updating our site a little. We will be back to full blogging power soon.

Amy and Andy were married at the Riverbend Chapel and then celebrated at Austin 71, both such beautiful locations.
The details of this wedding were flawless and I am very pleased to have been part of such a fabulous vendor list. Here it is:

florist: Verbena floral design, (LOVED that orange color)
cake and cupcakes: Simon Lee, (soooo good)
caterer: Word of Mouth, (no one better, both presentation and taste)
videographer: Crescent Video, (always a pleasure to work with, which is very important for us)
band: Fried Ice Cream, (WOW!)
transportation: Austin Trolley

Congratulations Amy and Andy!

Stella Alesi Photography in Austin, Texas. Austin photographers Stella Alesi and Brian Alesi are available for local and destination weddings, bridals, editorial work, portraiture and fine art photography.

It was a hot day in June when Alyson and Karsten were married at the Austin Club in downtown Austin, Texas, but to tell you the truth we hardly noticed the heat. We met the bride and groom, wedding party and family in the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel, where they all were staying, 2 hours before the ceremony. It served as a cool and attractive backdrop for the more formal of the wedding day photos. Then on to the Austin Club for ceremony and reception. It was a great night filled with wonderful music and crazy dancing. Two highlights for me were one, the Bruce Springsteen song their friend sang during the ceremony, and two, the Jayhawks song for the first dance.
Oh, and wasn’t Alyson’s dress just awesome?! I love the pleating at the bottom.

Here’s the list of vendors that help make this event so special:
coordinator: barbara’s brides
florist: verbena floral design
band: professor D
cake: sweet tempered

Stella Alesi Photography in Austin, Texas. Austin photographers Stella Alesi and Brian Alesi are available for local and destination weddings, bridals, editorial work, portraiture and fine art photography.

It was just about a month ago that Diana and Harrison were married at the Star Hill Ranch. As to be expected it was a hot day, but they planned well and the heat did not keep anyone from having a good time. For example, as the guests arrived they were greeted by a Jim Jim’s Water Ice cart, fruity flavored natural ices to keep everyone cool. The ceremony took place in one of the Star Hill Ranch’s many Texas styled buildings, while the cocktail hour was held outdoors on the green grass, as the sun was setting and the day cooling.

Erin Knipp of Rosehip Flora served as both florist and bridesmaid. I love how she included minature pomegranates in the brides bouquet, (I was told the pomegranate is a symbol of fertility). The many blue and white ceramic vases were from the bride’s own collection and were used for the ceremony and table arrangements. I also must mention the beautiful hair pin the bride gave as a bridesmaid gifts. It looked great on everyone.

Congratulations Diana and Harrison!

Stella Alesi Photography in Austin, Texas. Austin photographers Stella Alesi and Brian Alesi are available for local and destination weddings, bridals, editorial work, portraiture and fine art photography.

Allison and Ryan’s wedding ceremony was held at Saint Catherines of Siena Catholic Church, and the reception at the historical Green Pastures. I think from the photos below you can tell that a good time was had by all. Say Cheese photo booth created some outrageous moments, as did the Original Recipe Band. Oh and I can’t forget the beautiful flowers done by Craig Fuller of Photosynthesis.

Thanks for including us Allison and Ryan, you and your friends and family were an absolute pleasure to photograph.

Congratulations!

Stella Alesi Photography in Austin, Texas. Austin photographers Stella Alesi and Brian Alesi are available for local and destination weddings, bridals, editorial work, portraiture and fine art photography.

Stella and I finally got to meet the little boy with the big name. Our friends Jen and Jeff recently had their first child Karlo Von Balkan Bloom. This is my favorite baby name ever. I love my artist friends! I expect big things from this little guy whose mom is a painter and dad is a musician. Hopefully he won’t pull an Alex P. Keaton and go the other way on you two. Congratulations!

Stella Alesi Photography in Austin, Texas. Austin photographers Stella Alesi and Brian Alesi are available for local and destination weddings, bridals, editorial work, portraiture and fine art photography.

At some point during the evening George, the groom, approached me and asked me if I was enjoying the wedding. I said, “what is there not to like?” and I meant it.
Earlier that day there were thunderstorms, but by the time we arrived at Old Glory Ranch in Wimberley, the skies were already clearing. By the time the bride and her father made their way to the chapel in a horse and carriage the skies were sparkling blue.
Old Glory Ranch did a great job with the flowers, cupcakes and all the details, down to the donkeys greeting the guests at the cocktail hour.
To top it all off Erica and George were great swing dancers, such a delight to watch.

Congratulations Erica and George!

Stella Alesi Photography in Austin, Texas. Austin photographers Stella Alesi and Brian Alesi are available for local and destination weddings, bridals, editorial work, portraiture and fine art photography.

and soon to be baby Frances!

Stella Alesi Photography in Austin, Texas. Austin photographers Stella Alesi and Brian Alesi are available for local and destination weddings, bridals, editorial work, portraiture and fine art photography.