Bride and groom raised on chairs above the crowd in the ballroom at Cohen House
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Elegant wedding at Cohen House @ Rice University, Houston

ByPhilip Thomas

Happy Friday, everyone! Here we go with a wonderfully happy, funny couple I had the pleasure of photographing a couple of weeks ago in Houston.

This is a curated set of my favorite clicks from the day. I met so many amazing people at this celebration, and it was an honor to have the couple’s trust and go out there to document their wedding day. As always, front and center is my ability to deliver unique images that tell their story while avoiding typical wedding photo clichés. This is why I love photographing weddings; for me, they’re uncontrolled in terms of the photography.

Of course, there is a timeline, and things are in place, with lots of organization from the families’ and wedding planners’ points of view. But the beauty of documentary wedding photography is you go in with a blank slate each time. Special thanks to top-notch pros, second photographer Deji Osinulu, and wedding planner Anne Cross.

Vendors:
Wedding Ceremony + Reception: Cohen House @ Rice Univesity, Houston
Wedding Planner: Blue Poppy Events / Anne Cross
Caterer: Cohen House
Cake: HEB
Florists: Dream Bouquet / Rebekah Cunningham
DJ: DJ Chaney / Clayton Cheeney
Photography: Philip Thomas

Gear used for folks who ask:
Leica M11 with 21mm Super-Elmar, M11P + Voigtlander 35mm f1.2
Leica SL3 + 90mm Cron
Nikon D780 + 200-500 f5.6

  • Black and white shot of a stylist working on a bride’s hair while an older woman looks on
  • Bride seated by orange-framed French doors while two people stand at a makeup table
  • Bride smiling and holding a makeup brush beside a bright window
  • Soft, out-of-focus black and white detail with a window grid behind
  • Woman walking down a staircase past framed pictures, black and white
  • Black and white framed abstract artwork on a wall below a high window
  • Bride’s clasped hands in front of her white dress, black and white close-up
  • Groom in a suit seen from behind, looking out at a tree-lined street
  • Bride from behind adjusting her veil, lace dress with a keyhole back
  • Smiling mother of the bride in a purple top, with the bride’s shoulder at the frame edge
  • Close-up of the waist and sash detail on the wedding dress, black and white
  • View through a doorway to sunlit trees outside
  • Lace edge of the veil catching dappled light, black and white
  • Smiling bride in a lace dress and veil, framed by sunlit greenery
  • Bride in her veil on a dim porch while the groom collects her train, black and white
  • Groom in a sage jacket measuring the height of his bride with a ruler
  • Bride and groom sitting close together on a staircase, both smiling
  • Couple on a staircase photographed from above, her dress spread beside him, black and white
  • The bride hugging the ring bearer beside a stair railing, flowers at left
  • Alternative Wedding dress hanging in front of an arched stained-glass window, a child and adult below
  • Dining room tables with a small child in the foreground, black and white
  • Bridesmaids dancing with raised arms in a wood-paneled room, black and white
  • Bride and a bridesmaid in a sage dress laughing and dancing in a paneled room
  • Bride and groom standing together against dark wood paneling and framed pictures, black and white
  • Sunlit garden seen through a window, a figure in silhouette at right
  • Father walking the bride toward the ceremony along a brick wall, guests looking on at Cohen House at Rice University
  • Bride in her veil hugging the groom, string lights glowing behind
  • Cohen House Oak tree against a blue sky
  • Low oak branches over the ceremony space, sunlight coming through
  • Bride’s veil and dress in low light with soft points of light behind
  • Bride laughing and covering her face with a microphone during vows, groom holding a red book
  • Bride smiling at the microphone while the groom holds a red book beside her
  • Newlyweds happiness
  • Newlyweds walking hand in hand past the fountain while guests cheer
  • Older woman and groom sitting close together in a dim room, black and white
  • White tablecloth and a black chair at an empty table, a child’s face at the left edge, black and white
  • Guests gathered low on a tiled floor, a woman in a floral dress standing beside them
  • Bride laughing on a sofa with a young woman, holding hands, black and white
  • Bride with guests holding drinks by tall windows, black and white
  • Wide view of the ballroom with guests gathered around the couple on the dance floor at Cohen House
  • Guests standing near an arched doorway in the reception room, black and white
  • Hands clinking shot glasses together in a toast, black and white
  • Bride tipping her head back to drink from a glass, black and white
  • Bride and guests laughing with glasses in hand
  • Man in a white shirt laughing by the balcony railing while a woman in black watches
  • Groom lifted in a chair, bride reaching toward him with a napkin in the hora
  • Bride and groom raised on chairs above the crowd in the ballroom at Cohen House
  • Kids dancing
  • Bride dancing in her lace dress while guests clap, black and white
  • Boy smiling at the camera with a younger child in front of him
  • Child laughing as he is lifted up under the ballroom ceiling lights, black and white
  • Bride and groom dancing with their arms raised among guests
  • Woman laughing and dancing with a drink in her hand
  • Bride hugging a guest on the dance floor, others dancing behind them
  • Groom covering his face with his hand, black and white
  • Woman laughing with both hands over her face, with groom beside her, black and white
  • Groom in an open-collared shirt dipping the bride as guests watch

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