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Mack Commandeers the Blog: Another Birthday Post

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 6:00 am Posted in Uncategorized

27. You might forget that’s the actual number, but it’s how many years you’ve been on this planet now. It’s one of those off-number birthdays that sometimes you don’t feel like celebrating– where you may not feel very special, or that any big celebration needs to be made of it. So maybe the NUMBER 27 isn’t worth celebrating. But you know what? YOU are.

You’re incredible– you’re hilarious, talented, beautiful, loving, and my BEST FRIEND. You’re considerate and kind, a mentor to total strangers, a source of entertainment for the masses… I’d sit around and celebrate you EVERY day, but today I have a special occasion, and I hope you feel ridiculously loved today. I hope the kids and I can show you how much you mean to us, I hope blog readers come out of the woodwork to tell you how fabulous you are (hint, hint, internet!), and I hope this day can shape up to be exactly the day you’d want it to be.

So while you may not remember whether you’re 27 or 28, I hope that in a few years, you can remember that your twenty-somethings were kindof amazing, and people loved you. Happy birthday, sweetheart!

by Mack McGowan

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May 6, 2013 - 12:25 pm

amy - I am a couple days late it looks like. but Chelsea happy happy birthday!! what an amazing and talented person you are. you are great at making people feel special and I hope you felt and feel extra special all week for your birthday!
have a great day!

May 7, 2013 - 6:35 am

bobbileigh - Happy Birthday Chelsea, hope you have an amazing day, you deserve it. Mack, this blog is so sweet!

May 7, 2013 - 7:37 am

Geanna Chisholm - Happy, happy birthday to a sweet and entertaining lady!!! What a PERFECT blog post Mack. Chelsea – you are loved!

May 7, 2013 - 8:24 am

Monica - What a sweet message to your wife, Mack!!
Happy birthday, Chelsea!!! I hope your day is filled with blessings, love, and FUN!!!!

May 7, 2013 - 8:28 am

Bethe @ Texas Lovely - Happy birthday hot mama! PS–an important rule for next time you forget your ag: when in doubt, always round down. Same goes with weight and the cost of a cute new dress.

May 7, 2013 - 9:25 am

Claire - Happy birthday Chelsea!

May 7, 2013 - 9:27 am

Carrie - Yep! Happy Birthday!!!

May 7, 2013 - 9:27 am

Jennifer - Happy Birthday Chelsea. I’ve been following you guys for a long time. Your work is inspiring and it’s nice to see that your relationship is also inspiring. I’ve been married to my hubby for 7 years and we work together sometimes. It’s awesome to have your partner in business be your partner in life too. Have a great birthday week.

May 7, 2013 - 9:28 am

Tara - Happy Birthday, Chelsea! You are amazing! I’m in awe of your photography, the way you live life, and your relationship with your amazing husband. Thank you for sharing it with all of us!

May 7, 2013 - 9:29 am

Vicky - I have never met you but been following your blog for about a year and have been in contact with you for a school assignment. I know from the few interactions we have had that Mack is right on with his description!! I hope you have a wonderful, happy birthday and that the sun is shining down on you today!

May 7, 2013 - 9:32 am

Ambo - Happy Birthday my dear friend! I hope its the most amazing day!

May 7, 2013 - 9:58 am

Toi - I hope you have the happiest birthday ever! You deserve it. Thanks for being someone to look up to. :)

May 7, 2013 - 10:00 am

Trish B. - well isn’t Mack just the cat’s meow… Happy birthday, sweet girl! You absolutely deserve to be celebrated.

May 7, 2013 - 10:05 am

Angie - Awwwww, so sweet!!! Happy birthday dear Chelsea! I hope it’s absolutely wonderful :)

May 7, 2013 - 10:17 am

Adria - You ARE fabulous! You deserve every bit of the success you’ve achieved and so much more. Happy birthday!!

May 7, 2013 - 10:33 am

ann - Hope you have a fabulous day! Happy Birthday!

May 7, 2013 - 10:37 am

melissa - Hope you have a wonderful birthday!!!!! I have followed your work and it just brightens my day. I hope that all the birthday wishes brighten your day just as much.

May 7, 2013 - 10:40 am

Jenn Aviles - Mack is right! Who cares about the number! Celebrate YOU! Happy birthday, Chelsea!

And good job, Mack! Love the blog post!

May 7, 2013 - 10:44 am

Carley Cannon - Happy Happy Birthday! I hope you have the BEST day!

May 7, 2013 - 11:15 am

Rikki - Happy Happy Birthday!!

May 7, 2013 - 11:18 am

Amber B. - Happy Birthday to an amazing and funny gal!! You are great!! I’m so happy I met you for my maternity photos!! It was a pretty crazy morning lol! But it was worth the wait to see the after pics!! Enjoy your day girl!!

May 7, 2013 - 3:07 pm

MaryAnn - I’m sorry, but 27 is important. That’s the next birthday for my eldest and I already thought 1986 was one awesome year. Now, I have another reason to think it was so. :)

May 7, 2013 - 6:05 pm

Kevin - Happy birthday!!! Looking forward to hanging out with you guys soon!!!

May 7, 2013 - 7:17 pm

Will - When we met y’all I never knew we’d get to live life with you guys and celebrate the big wins and see you grow creatively and become a woman that is comfortable in herself and the work that she creates and yet still take on challenge after challenge and SUCCEED doing it.

You have been there to capture Bethe and I through some huge chapters and changes in our lives.

We will cherish the moments that you’ve captured for a lifetime and our children’s children will get to see them thanks to you.

I hope today that you celebrate the woman that you are, an inspiration to mom’s (err my wife) that starting a business is hard, it’s a risk, but you gotta have the balls to take it head-on and laugh in its face as you run by. Chelsea McGowan #FTW

May 7, 2013 - 8:57 pm

Mandaroo - Happy happy birthday! I hope it was wonderful!!

Nathan & Roberta Got Married!

Monday, May 6, 2013 6:00 am Posted in weddings

Could this weekend possibly have been any more glorious? Wow, the sunshine and cool breeze are HEAVENLY! My birthday is this week, and I can’t recall ever having had more gorgeous weather for my birthday since we moved to Texas. I know it looks like there’s another round of storms coming through, so we’d better enjoy it while it lasts!

Nathan & Roberta were married Saturday at Prince Victorian Estate in Fort Worth in a simple sweet ceremony, followed by a party that focused entirely on catching up with their guests from all over the country. The bride & groom were so grateful for the friends & family that came to celebrate this special day with them… they took wonderful care of people all night!

We’ll be sharing more of our favorites from this event here on the blog Thursday morning, but until then, here’s a little peek at our favorites!

Happy Honeymoon, Mr & Mrs Davis!:)Can’t wait to hear all about your trip!!

by Chelsea

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May 6, 2013 - 10:16 am

Nadia D. - These are BEAUTIFUL! The colors are stunning…I can’t wait to see more! xoxo

May 6, 2013 - 10:49 am

Stacey Boyd - Gorgeous – congrats!!

Taylor & Kirby (and Rory!) : Maternity

Friday, May 3, 2013 6:00 am Posted in Celebration Sessions, family, Maternity

When I posted an Instagram from Taylor & Kirby’s maternity session a few nights ago, I mentioned how PROUD it makes me to be shooting these portraits. We take a very limited number of non-wedding-related portrait sessions every year, but we NEVER pass up the opportunity continue to Celebrate LIFE with our McG Wedding alums! I’ve been photographing Taylor even before her senior portraits, and seeing the gorgeous woman, wife, and now mother she’s become just fills my heart up with the happies. Taylor & Kirby are a precious couple, and they’re going to be such fabulous parents for little Miss Rory in just a few weeks!

We shot this mini-session around Morgan Mill, which is so gorgeous right now. Texas weather might FEEL bipolar this year, but when the sun peeks out, we’ve had unbelievable color & light. It almost makes the blustery cold days worth it!:)

Enjoy a couple of my favorite images from our short session with the Stubbs…

Rory Lynn… isn’t that just the CUTEST name?

Taylor, pregnant looks good on you.:)

You guys, congratulations! You’re so close to one finish line, and gearing up to start another race. We can’t WAIT to meet Rory and watch her grow up… she’s going to be one loved little girl!:)

by Chelsea

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May 3, 2013 - 6:08 am

Kendall - Love love love the foreheads together photo. So pretty!

Tiffany & Michael : Engagement

Thursday, May 2, 2013 6:00 am Posted in Engagements

Moving across the country as a school-aged child pretty much robs you of the ability to have “life long” friends… I mean, at least it did before cell-phones & Facebook. Most of the important friendships I rely on daily now are relatively new… 3-5 years old. That is, with the exception of this one.:)

Tiffany and I have been friends since I was 12 or 13 years old, which squarely makes her my oldest (or, oldest-and-still-relevant-to-my-life) friend. I’ve had the pleasure to get to know Michael over the last year or so, and it’s easy to see he’s just IT. I mean, over nearly 15 years of friendship, you grow to know a person. You see the relationships that work and the ones that don’t. So when someone fits, it’s easy to tell. Michael adores Tiffany with his whole EVERYTHING, and it honestly gets me a little choked up to watch them interact. They’re by turns silly & sincere, but always absolutely mindful of the other. This engagement & wedding is one I’m especially honored to be able to capture, and I hope I’m able to convey even just a fraction of how FUN this couple really is.

We started this engagement session at Brewed gastropub in Fort Worth which is such an awesome little spot. Mack and I haven’t been there to eat yet, but I hear we need to fix that ASAP. Because the restaurant is closed on Mondays, we had the place mostly to ourselves… bonus!:)

Michael never had to be prompted to engage in PDA with his bride-to-be. In fact, I’m worried I may have to beg him to stop kissing her for a minute on the wedding day.;)*kidding… I’d never do that.*

After a mid-session dinner break at Pappadeaux (mmmmm… Cajun food!), we hit Trinity Park for part 2 of our session. Of course, it’s MayFest, so the place is blocked off like crazy. It’s a good thing none of us mind a little walk!

This next set is just so THEM. Crazy big silly faces, but also completely schmaltzy in love with each other.

Congratulations, dear friends. We’re SO excited for you, and thrilled that we’re the ones who get to preserve all this for you!

by Chelsea

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May 2, 2013 - 8:10 am

Micro - Great Photos! Tiffany looks amazing and I look like trouble…….. well played.

May 2, 2013 - 8:18 am

Tiffany - These are awesome!! Thank you guys so much. I only wish you had been here to hear Michael’s comments about each photo. Comments ranged from “my cajun food baby” to discussions about his inability to effectively pull off a serious face.

May 2, 2013 - 9:28 am

Bethany D - Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. These are lovely. I’m so happy for you, Tiffany!

May 2, 2013 - 10:58 am

megB - SO COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH THIS SESSION!!! In this case, I’m happy not to be in Tiffany’s shoes (although – those coral J.Crew flats are adorable!) – I could NEVER pick my favorites from this session. I do extra-love last photo – looks like a canvas contender, I think ;)

May 2, 2013 - 12:28 pm

amy - great session, they are beautiful together!!! Congrats to them both!!!

May 2, 2013 - 3:12 pm

Arden Prucha - I love these! GREAT JOB. Much better than my Brewed session at 4:30pm… in all business. :)

May 3, 2013 - 6:05 am

Kendall - How cute are they? Love the yummy light in the outdoor shots and you know I am 100% partial to the silly faces photo. That’s a couple after my goofy-faced heart.

Elizabeth : Celebration

Wednesday, May 1, 2013 6:00 am Posted in Celebration Sessions

We’re always SO honored when another photographer commissions us to photograph them. We know how picky WE are when it comes to choosing artists for our own portraits (sometimes cripplingly picky!), and knowing that a fellow artist would trust us to capture them in an image is such a blessing. When Elizabeth contacted us to get sassy new headshots for her website & branding, we were excited to work with her!

Elizabeth is the artist behind Liza Jane Photography, out of Hamilton, TX. She does absolutely beautiful work, and we had a blast talking shop and sharing locations during her session last week.

Enjoy a few of our favorites!

Elizabeth, you’re beautiful! But more important than that, you’re an absolute blast to be around, and your clients are lucky to have you. I hope we’ll get to work together again sometime!:)

by Chelsea

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May 1, 2013 - 6:04 am

Mad - She’s a smart AND pretty lady! I love those maroon double doors!