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  • Welcome to our blog!

    Ladies and Gents..we are happy to have you browsing around the epagaFOTO blog! If you didn't know, epagaFOTO has THREE photographers... Jessica Roark (owner of epagaFOTO) was lucky enough to bring on the talented Jesseca Hattey and Mary Beth as associate photographers. Together, we are committed to documenting the unique moments of life and challenge each other to new levels of creativity.

    This is the place we share our favorite creations, moments, opinions, and personal stories. Thanks for joining us.

    Weddings, Wedding Venues
    2011 Bride's Choice Awards | Best Wedding Photographers, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Florists, Wedding Planners & More

Undeniable natural beauty.

Marina showed up and I knew my talent would have nothing to do with making a beautiful picture.  Her classic look and clean style was a treat to document…try not to get lost in her eyes.  I dare you:)

Glam girl. Kelli takes the runway.

One thing I love about shooting senior sessions is that they inevitably become a fashion shoot….and I love fashion.  Each senior brings their own fashionista flare and my job is to tailor our shooting locations to fit their style and personality.  Fun right?  I love fashion so these sessions are a nice switch-up from shooting weddings.  Kelli came with some really cute outfits…and within five minutes of shooting I was wondering why she doesn’t do this as a side job.  Such a natural. this one:)

that’s right…work it, girl.
one of my faves.
such a look of confidence.  this may be my actual fave (for real). Love those earrings.
there’s a story here.  Right under the tracks was a cute  little mouse (p.s actually, Kelly was the one who thought it was cute…no mouse is cute in my book).  It kept coming in and out of hiding, which made for a moment of comedy.
Miss Kelli…I hope, more than anything, that you are affirmed in knowing just how beautiful you are.  I know you’ve had a lot of things brewing in life..but that joy-filled smile of yours will get you all the places you’ll ever need to go.  Enjoy these pictures…I sure enjoyed taking them.

Allyson Cheney - October 19, 2011 - 1:39 am

this girl is gorgeous for sure!!! love her bold style and the confidence she portrays. i feel like i know her just looking at these images. that is a credit to both her and to you!! amazing work.

Totally hipster. Totally Kate.

Check this lady out…she’s such a hipster (in the coolest way possible). Kate is wicked smart and has a laugh that fills all the empty spaces.  We shot all around mid-town at some of my favorite spots.  Lovin’ Kate in that blazer….

and yes, those are little blue horses  if you’re wondering.

Allyson Cheney - October 19, 2011 - 1:41 am

omg. lovin’ that pony print dresses. geesh. these seniors and their style! i cringe when i think about what i wore in my senior photos. ha!

Backyard wedding takes it up a notch. Amber + Trevor.

Amber and Trevor are runners…legit runners…like, they run marathons.  And not just one so they can say they’ve run a marathon, but multiple marathons.  I envy such people.  They started the day out writing each other a special letter on the numbers they wore on their first marathon.  I loved it.  So very sweet, personal, and creative…

Their wedding letters weren’t the only lovely, creative wedding element.  As you’ll see, the wedding day was chalked full of personal, creative bits.  For starters, Amber and Trevor were married in her parent’s backyard with the reception tented in the front yard.  With the help of wedding planner, Kim Ho, the wedding day was a beautifully executed family event.

sweet bridesmaids taking in the moment with Amber:)
Amber has two sisters…one pictured below. I have two sisters too…I love seeing sisters loving on each other.
Sisters!
I should take a moment to give mad props to Rosemary Clyde with Final Touch Studio’s on the gorgeous flower display. 
Amber’s gift to her dad.  He’ll treasure this and these moments always. 
One heck of a backyard wedding…
Amber’ dad reminded me so much of my dad.  A strong, pillar of all great things…strong enough to show a tender moment.  This is one of my favorite moments from their day.
sisters watching with joy.
I love this moment with the grandparents, receiving a flower from Amber and Trevor. You can see this was a proud moment for each of them.
It’s official!
Watching these little girls play amidst the sun rays brought me back to my  little girl days.  Ahhhh to be a kid.
And this I had to leave in for comical measures.  Picking a wedgie, unashamed.  Again, ahhh….to be a kid:)
Each guest would impress their thumb on the “wedding tree”, signing underneath.  A new take on the wedding guestbook.  Love it…
I’ve seen a lot of toasts in my day, but these were among the most entertaining….
Amber’s younger sisters rocked out a full-on lip-synching, full choreographed “speech”.  I’ve never been so impressed. Being the oldest of three girls, I can so relate to this sort of “sister activity”.:)
Truly, dad’s little girl…
This guy made this face in every picture I took.  He deserved to be on the blog for that reason alone. 
Is it me, or does this guy look like shades of Bradley Cooper?
These guys were friends of Amber’s dad.  They stole the show. Keep looking and you’ll see why…
teach me how to dougie…teach me, teach me how to dougie…
On my wedding day my dad wore a fake mullet at my reception.  Amber’s dad took his shirt of to rock the man muscles.  
Amber and her sisters respond to dad’s “lack of clothing”///
And then this happened…apparently dad started a trend because this guy decided he need to disrobe as well:)
and then there was this guy.  Not sure what he’s doing, but apparently he’s done it 7 times.
what a great way to end the night….

Jessica Vestal - October 19, 2011 - 12:11 am

I have absolutely loved looking through your blog the past couple of days, but this particular one – made me smile, made me laugh, gave me chills – the most perfect wedding. Jessica, you are so fantastic at what you do – your pictures tell a great love story!

admin - October 19, 2011 - 12:16 am

Ahhhh Jess….thanks so much! I love to hear that:) Hows the little babe? Probably not so little anymore! Hope to you guys are great:)

Allyson Cheney - October 19, 2011 - 1:50 am

this is one of those weddings that makes me want to get married again (i mean, to the same amazing guy, of course). what a gorgeous ceremony, with so much personal detail and style. again, i felt like i was there (and kinda wish i was!). i recognize a couple of familiar faces in this post, one being one of the (ahem) older gentlemen breaking it down on the dance floor. =)

Julia - October 19, 2011 - 10:25 pm

gosh… this is exactly what I want for my wedding!!.. why can’t we have an AWESOME back yard like this?!?

p.s. the pictures are beautiful as always!!

Jesseca - October 29, 2011 - 4:30 pm

WOW. This post is AMAZING! I love every image! What an amazing wedding and an awesome job Jess, truly spectacular. That wedding looks so cute, fun and that reception looks like it was a total blast. Wow. You rock as always.

Taking it personal.

If possible…and it’s usually always possible…I try to photograph engagement sessions in a way that documents each couples personality, style, or story (or all 3 if I’m shooting on all cylinders).  A pretty picture is even prettier when it means something.  Taylor and Lauren had a lot of great pictures from their engagement session, but my favorites were the one’s we took at the location of their first date AND at the place of their engagement. Could there be a more perfect place to shoot their engagement session?  So here we are, shooting in the Houston’s bar…in the exact locations where such great moments took place.

I just photographed Lauren and Taylor’s wedding last weekend…such a fantastic couple, these two.  I feel good, knowing we’ve documenting such rich and important moments together…wedding pictures soon to come (well, maybe not soon…knowing me, but they WILL come).

Allyson Cheney - October 19, 2011 - 1:50 am

i loved seeing these images, especially after shooting their big day with you this past weekend! it added that much more back story to what i witnessed already. beautifully done, as per usual….