Discovering the Perfect Wedding Venue: 3 Enchanting Chapels Near Oklahoma City

Planning your wedding involves many decisions, but one of the most crucial is choosing the perfect venue. In and around Oklahoma City, you'll find a variety of enchanting wedding chapels, each offering its own unique blend of beauty and charm. Whether you dream of exchanging vows surrounded by lush gardens or prefer the elegance of a glass chapel, these venues promise to make your special day truly unforgettable.

(Click the names to go to their websites)

1. Glass Chapel: Where Nature Meets Elegance

Located in Broken Arrow, just outside Tulsa, the Glass Chapel has been a beacon of elegance since 1996. Nestled among seventeen acres of wooded beauty, this venue offers a serene escape without leaving the convenience of town. Its namesake comes from the grand, floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the chapel with natural light, creating a breathtaking atmosphere for your ceremony. Marble floors, a vaulted wood ceiling, and customizable outdoor options like a beautiful gazebo ensure every detail matches your vision. The Glass Chapel's commitment to exceptional customer service ensures that every aspect of your day, from planning to cleanup, is handled with care and professionalism.

2. Thunderbird Chapel: A Natural Sanctuary in Norman

Thunderbird Chapel, nestled in Norman, offers couples a blend of natural beauty and architectural elegance. The chapel's soaring wood arches and walls of glass create a picturesque setting both inside and out. Surrounded by native walnut and cottonwood trees, the chapel's courtyard and patio enhance the outdoor experience, perfect for capturing stunning wedding photos. Inside, the ambiance is set with candlelit options and a grand aisle that highlights the bride's entrance. Thunderbird Chapel's reception hall complements its ceremony space with cathedral ceilings and large windows, providing a seamless transition from vows to celebration. They also offer very affordable catering packages, ensuring that your guests enjoy delicious food along with the beautiful ambiance.

3. Coles Garden: History and Modern Charm in Oklahoma City

Founded in 2001 and located in the heart of Oklahoma City, Coles Garden offers a blend of historical glamour and modern amenities. Spanning thirteen acres, this venue features manicured gardens, an indoor chapel, and a versatile reception space. Original gates from Napoleon Bonaparte’s chateau add a touch of history to its picturesque setting, making it a unique backdrop for your wedding day. Coles Garden's open vendor policy allows you to customize every detail, ensuring your wedding reflects your personal style and vision. The large covered patio, adorned with bistro lights and a double-sided fireplace, provides a charming ambiance for your reception. With three stunning chandeliers illuminating the indoor reception space and options to choose from gold or mahogany chiavari chairs, Coles Garden offers a perfect blend of elegance and versatility.

Choosing Your Perfect Venue

Whether you envision a romantic garden ceremony, an intimate glass chapel affair, or a blend of historical charm and modern elegance, these wedding chapels offer something truly special. Each venue caters to different tastes and preferences, ensuring that your wedding day is as unique as your love story. As you explore your options, consider what speaks to your heart and aligns with your wedding vision. With their enchanting settings and attentive service, these chapels are ready to help you create memories that will last a lifetime.

Start Your Journey

Begin your wedding planning journey by scheduling visits to these breathtaking venues. Experience firsthand the beauty and ambiance that each chapel offers, and envision how they can bring your dream wedding to life. Whether you choose the Glass Chapel in Broken Arrow, Thunderbird Chapel in Norman, or Coles Garden in Oklahoma City, you're sure to find a venue that resonates with your style and leaves you saying "I do" in a setting that feels just right.

Looking for more tips? Feel free to email us at info@everythingphotographyokc.com with any questions and we’d love to help however we can!

Capturing Timeless Moments: Secrets to Creating Beautiful Wedding Portraits

Your wedding day is a celebration of love, joy, and the beginning of a new chapter in your life. As you plan for this special occasion, one aspect that holds immense significance is your wedding portraits. These photographs will forever serve as a visual reminder of the cherished moments and emotions you experienced on your big day. In this blog post, we'll explore the secrets to creating stunning wedding portraits that capture the essence of your love story and leave you with cherished memories for a lifetime.

1. Connection and Emotion:

At the heart of a great wedding portrait lies a genuine connection between the couple. The photographer's role is to capture those intimate moments that reflect the love, joy, and tenderness shared between you and your partner. Natural smiles, gentle embraces, and authentic expressions are the ingredients that bring out the true emotions and make your portraits come alive.

2. Composition and Framing:

The composition of a wedding portrait is key to its impact. A skilled photographer carefully considers the placement of the couple within the frame, utilizing principles such as symmetry, leading lines, and the rule of thirds. These techniques create a visually pleasing image that draws the viewer's attention to the couple while maintaining balance and harmony. Additionally, the background and surroundings should complement the couple without overpowering them, ensuring they remain the focal point of the portrait.

3. Lighting and Exposure:

Proper lighting sets the stage for a remarkable wedding portrait. Whether it's natural light or skillfully controlled artificial lighting, the photographer uses it to enhance your features, create depth, and set the desired mood. Balancing exposure ensures that every detail is captured accurately while keeping the couple as the primary focus. Skillful manipulation of light can create dramatic effects or evoke a soft and romantic ambiance, adding depth and dimension to your portraits.

4. Location and Background:

Choosing the right location and background for your wedding portraits is essential. Consider places that hold sentimental value or locations that match your style and wedding theme. Whether it's a picturesque outdoor landscape, an elegant indoor venue, or a place with personal significance, the setting should provide a meaningful backdrop that complements your love story and enhances the overall aesthetic of the portraits.

5. Posing and Direction:

A skilled photographer knows how to guide you through poses that appear natural and flattering. They provide gentle prompts and suggestions while ensuring you feel comfortable and at ease. Paying attention to small details, such as hand placement, body positioning, and facial expressions, helps create a relaxed atmosphere, allowing your genuine personalities to shine through. Remember, the best poses capture your authentic selves and reflect your unique connection.

6. Attention to Details:

Incorporating meaningful details into your wedding portraits adds depth and context to the story they tell. From the intricate lacework on your gown to the delicate bouquet you hold, capturing these elements thoughtfully brings out the beauty and significance of your wedding day. These details serve as precious reminders of the thought and care put into every aspect of your celebration.

In the end your wedding portraits are a testament to the love, joy, and commitment you share with your partner. By focusing on connection, composition, lighting, location, posing, and attention to details, your wedding photographer can create breathtaking portraits that will stand the test of time. These timeless images will serve as a cherished reminder of the love and emotions experienced on your wedding day, allowing you to relive those precious moments again and again.

So, trust your photographer to capture the essence of your love story and create beautiful portraits that will be treasured for generations to come.

Testimonials

As any business owner, I love getting reviews! It’s not only good for feedback on your performance, but great for SEO reasons! As a wedding photographer that TRULY values marriage, I love hearing from my couples that I have created something that they will enjoy forever!

Here are a few testimonies from past couples that I would like to share with you!

“Rob and Ciara met all my expectations for our wedding. They were professional, laid back and easy going. They fit in so well with our crowd and worked so well with our vendors. We got our pictures within a month of our wedding. We still get compliments from our wedding on our photographers. We plan to use them for future photos down the line!”

— Hayley Lovelace

“Rob and Ciara did such an amazing job for our engagement and wedding photos/video. They cued into what was important to us and made us feel incredibly comfortable. We had never taken professional photos and they made it so easy! Thankful we chose them to capture our memories for us. Would highly recommend!”

— Tia Smith

“They did an awesome job. I was very nervous to get pictures and they made it fun and gave lots of directions. And they were super quick to get my photos to me.”

— Lieana Frazier

“Hands down the BEST photographers I know!! You guys are INCREDIBLE!!!!.”

— Alexsis Atherton

Getting To Know Oklahoma Wedding Vendors

Planning your wedding is hard enough without hiring a bunch of vendors that you don’t know. With this series, we introduce you to 21 Wedding Vendors in Oklahoma in a long-form sit-down conversation with me Rob Jacobs. Join us EVERY MONDAY for the rest of 2021 to get to know your local wedding vendors!

Vendor #1 DJ Jax Steel

Vendor #2 The Rustic Rose Barn

Vendor #3 Sam’s Tasty Treats

Vendor #4 Beauty By Brittany Osornio

Vendor #5 Mastered Moments By Maliah

Vendor #6 Simply Nerdy Events

To Look or Not To Look?

It's all falling in place, you have your venue, your caterer, floral, photographer and your DJ. A lot of stress is now off your shoulders and now you are planning what your big day’s schedule will actually look like. You are smart so you’re working with your vendors and wedding coordinators to make it as efficient and streamlined as possible. Then here comes a very important question. “Do you plan on doing a first look?” 

For many years in the past it was considered “bad luck” to see the bride before the ceremony, but as many traditions do, this idea has shifted. 

If you are one of the many people who have zero idea what a first look is, it is a small piece of time the couple arranges to see each other before the beginning of the wedding ceremony. 

This usually is done in a beautiful, and romantic way so the couple can have a moment alone before being tossed into the crowd of people who are there to celebrate their union.

Of course as with everything there are PROs and CONs, and a first look is not for every couple even if it is an intimate moment to have captured by your photographer and videographer. 

PRO

It can help ease the nerves of both the Bride and the Groom.

Suspense builds for both the groom and bride as they ready for their day. She wonders if he is going to be impressed by all of her beauty. Meanwhile he wonders if he is going to be able to measure up to her vision and even more he wonders if he will cry when he sees her. 

It can be horribly nerve racking waiting for each others response. This can be reason alone for some couples to do a first look, to get all of those nerves and wiggles out before the walk down the aisle ever begins. 

CON

You will have to get ready a bit earlier than normal. 

In a “normal” wedding the bride may not finish getting ready until 20 minutes beforehand and the groom probably won’t START getting ready until then. 

When planning on doing a first look the bride and groom will want to be done getting ready about 30 minutes to an hour or so before the ceremony. That way there is no rush for the bride and groom to finish their first look with each other. 

PRO

With a first look, you can get the portrait session out of the way early.

For wedding photographers, we love the portrait sessions. It is probably our favorite part of the day, posing and taking the photos that everyone will print off and have on their fireplaces or walls of their homes. 

Doing a first look can open the possibility of doing your wedding portraits before the ceremony instead of afterwards. If a bride and groom do their first look an hour before the ceremony that can leave 30 minutes or so of time for the photographer to take those photos before getting them back for the ceremony.

(This probably won’t stop the photographer from stealing you away for another 15 minutes for those sunset photos as well though!)

CON

Lighting isn't always the best in the most ideal spots for first looks.

Logistically the best place to take photos is somewhere where the light is not too harsh, but is bright enough that your photographer won’t have to crank their iso up too high. For some venues the best/ most romantic place to have a first look is in direct sunlight or a beautiful, but dimly lit hallway. 

Whatever photographer you hire, will know how to handle these situations to make the best of them, but there will usually be a little give and take that has to happen. 

To finish on a strong note our last PRO 

PRO

It captures a strong moment of intimacy together.

 Many men, even the strong ones, tear up and burst with emotions at the sight of their woman dressed in white looking as beautiful as an angle.

These memories are never forgotten, especially if they are captured in photos and on video.

If you are interested in booking photographers, videographers or both for your wedding, follow the social media links below and send us a message on facebook or instagram, or send us a message on the Contact tab.

3 Great Nature Spots to Take Engagement Photos In Oklahoma City

You are engaged and now you are looking for where to have your Engagement Photos taken. You want somewhere local, but you want somewhere with beautiful nature. 

If you are in Oklahoma City, or the surrounding areas this post has you covered!

Here in OKC we are blessed to have many beautiful nature filled parks carved out all over the city. When couples come to us to book their engagement shoots many places come to mind, but a few stand out above the rest.

In our list of 3 Great Nature Spots to Take Engagement Photos In Oklahoma City we will provide you with the pros, the cons, and some great spots from these locations to kick off your engagement shoot.

Martin Nature Park

First on our list is going to be Martin Nature Park just south of the John Kilpatrick Turnpike and right off of Memorial Road. 

The pros of this place are pretty obvious -

PROs

This location has a lot to offer. From a large pond, and wide open fields to more dense forestry and wooden structures. 

This location is great for those that are more uncomfortable posing for photos with large groups around. In the times we have been here there have only been a few handful of people walking around the trails, and no one has come within 50ft of us.

CONs

Martin Nature Park is in fact a nature park! While that itself is not a con, the wildlife that comes along with it like ticks, mosquitoes, and snakes in the summertime is. (At least for our purpose)

Oftentimes when we have had shoots here we have found ticks on ourselves afterward.

 If this is a place you’d like to choose for your engagement photos, make sure to use A LOT of bug repellent and consider wearing long pants.

PHOTO SPOT

As you enter the Nature Park you will find on one side of the parking lot an entrance to different trails you can walk, and on the other an open field. 

The open field is a great location to take photos on a slightly overcast day or if you would like to use high speed sync in your photos and retain some of the details from the sky. There are also a couple different wooden structures with benched for posing if you’d like.

Will Rogers Gardens

Next on our list is a location right off of Highway 74 (and if you are an avid disc golf player you will know this one).

PROs

This Place is B-E-A-UTIFUL! If you have not had a chance to walk through the Will Rogers Gardens, then we definitely suggest you do! 

With the perfectly trimmed shrubbery, the gorgeous statues and fountains, and the tiny fairy houses you can spot all over the place, it is a must-visit spot!

CONs

Will Rogers Garden is a well-known place of beauty. With that comes a flood of people. We have done photo shoots at Will Rogers Gardens in the summer, spring, fall, and winter, and there always seems to be other people here having photos done as well.

 If you are on the more shy side of the social spectrum then you may want to steer clear of this location, but if not it is definitely worth it!

PHOTO SPOT

It is quite hard to choose just one location in the Will Rogers Gardens to highlight but if we had to choose we one select one of the many gazebos that are around the gardens. They make for great shade and skin tones when shooting in harsh lighting and are absolutely beautiful.

Myriad Gardens

The Myriad Gardens in downtown OKC is an easy one to find. It is right outside Devon Tower, and if you do not know what that is, it’s the tallest building in the OKC Skyline so it's not hard to find!

PROs

The Garden is full of life, the variations of flowers and trees keep this place from ever making a boring backdrop. 

As well due to being planted in the middle of the city, you can choose to have a building pocking up in the background or tuck yourself away in one of the many dense coves and be completely surrounded by greenery.

CONs

Typically busy. Being right next to Scissortail Park and downtown OKC it’s not surprising to find this place can be busy. 

Though you may have to wait for the occasional pedestrian to pass by or have others stop to watch your photo session momentarily, this place is a great spot for photography. 

PHOTO SPOT

 Here we like to get a mix of the manmade with the beauty of nature. It makes for a nice blend of worlds. There are a lot of trails and sidewalks to take photos on, but our favorite is one that bends slightly as it goes downhill. It creates some nice interest in the background with lines that lead straight towards the couple. 

Those are three of our favorite places in Oklahoma City to take photos with engaged couples. If you have a place here in Oklahoma City that you would like to take photos with your love, send us a message on Facebook by clicking the icon down below!