Ben and Kristina’s Wedding at The Bella Donna Chapel by McKinney Wedding Photographers

On Saturday I had the privelage to photograph Ben and Kristina’s wedding in McKinney at the Bella Donna Chapel and their reception at the Grand Hotel. I just adore Kristina and Ben, they are just super cute together and totally in love and it shows. I knew from their engagement session this would be a fun wedding. And I was right 🙂 Kristina cracked me up when I first arrived and she was super excited about eating the sweet potatoes at dinner. She insisted I had to have some. We were lucky at the weather held out on us and didn’t rain but it was a nice soft light from the overcast clouds.

I really love the story of how Ben and Kristina met so wanted to share. This is in their own words. “It all started when Kristina was a freshman and Ben was a sophomore at Texas A&M in the spring of 2005. Ben was running for President of the Residence Hall Association, and Ben’s friend, who Kristina was in a freshman leadership organization (fondly called a “FLO” at A&M) with, introduced Kristina to Ben because Ben was in full campaign mode. Kristina thought Ben was just a crazy campaigner, and didn’t think too much of it. Just a few weeks later though, Kristina was the newly elected Whip of the Student Senate at A&M, and Ben was the RHA President. Kristina took her job pretty seriously, and set out to get to know all of the other student leaders on campus to improve Senate relations across campus…. which included Ben. Ben and Kristina had dinner to discuss RHA/Senate relations, and by the end of dinner, they were well on their way to being friends. Ben decided to run for Student Body President the next year, and Kristina involved on the campaign staff. The election didn’t go well, but Ben and Kristina’s friendship grew. Ben and Kristina remained good friends through the rest of college and then while Kristina was in law school and Ben was learning the ropes of politics in the real world. Finally, after 5 years of friendship and their friends joking that they’d end up married, Ben and Kristina started dating in May 2010. After a year of dating long distance, and putting too many miles on their cars, Kristina moved back to Dallas (where Ben was) to study for the bar exam and start work as an attorney. Ben and Kristina realized it was true love (probably because Ben knew to track down Kristina’s favorite oatmeal when her supply ran out during her bar studying frenzy), and Ben proposed on May 20, 2012.”

The ceremony at Bella Donna was super sweet and I start choking up from behind the camera as Kristina said her vows to Ben. Kristina started getting emotionally and I’m such a romantic that it jokes me up every time I see a bride get emotional and shed happy tears. The ceremony concluded and everyone gathered around to give these two their congrats and the biggest hugs. And see Ben and Kristina ring the bell. There is just something so magical and special about the ringing of church bells. Everyone then slowly departed towards the Grand Hotel for some really yummy food and lots and lots of dancing. Well moreso because I kicked everyone out of the chapel so we could get some really sweet, intimate photos of Ben and Kristina in the Chapel. Seriously my favorite photo of the night 🙂