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Kelly Hornberger Photography bio picture

Kelly Hornberger Photography

Hey y’all, my name is Kelly.  I am a crazy wife, mom of 3 amazing little boys: Jake, Brock + Holt (all three years a part in total) and photographer because that is what I LOVE to do in my free time.  I am so excited that you visited me here.  You have found my online journal that I keep up to date for you with the fun stuff I do and never call work, because it is such a joy for me.  To get to document your special days and moments for a world of lifetimes to come.
I am a blessed girl.
Please keep coming back and check out what is happening all around here. I love getting to show what I have been up to. Feel free to contact me or leave me a comment with your thoughts and ideas. I am all about capturing your special moments. I have a style that uses lots of color, texture and light, so check it out and see if you like it.

wedding photography -the gajan’s-

As Taylor’s dad walked her down the aisle Joe could not contain his emotions.  It was beautiful to watch as his bride walked toward him looking oh so radiant.  Taylor has the most effortless peace about her.  She was so calm aside her dad.  Joe was beautifully thrilled.  He hugged her father out of total thanks and “I will take amazing care of her” and then grabbed her arm, pulled her in towards him and the rest of the vows flowed out their mouths to eachother.  It was perfect.  Claire and I were so blessed to be a part of these two families for the day.  I cannot express how amazing of a couple I think these two are.  It is going to be amazing to watch the impact they make.

Some of Taylor & Joe’s memories from the day:

Q. What was your favorite part about the wedding?

A. The whole day was my favorite part! But I will say that I had a sense of God’s peace and presence throughout the day. I wasn’t nervous, stressed, or much of any kind of emotion until I started walking down the aisle. It was comforting to know that God was with me throughout the whole day. Somthing that helped me keep my cool was meeting Joe right before the ceremony. We didn’t see each other though so the surprise was still there. But it calmed any last minute nerves I was having and as we prayed, it centered our hearts on the commitment we were about to make!

Q. What was one quirky of crazy thing that happened on your wedding day?
A. This really didn’t happen on our wedding day but still something that is memorable and crazy about our wedding: Since our wedding was on Thanksgiving weekend, I found out on Thanksgiving (2 days before my wedding) that we didn’t have a place to rehearse our ceremony the next day! After long conversations and some helpful advice from our wedding day coordinator, we were able to have it at a nearby venue…that was still under construction! So needless to say our closest family and friends were quite surprised when they pulled up to practice for the ceremony! The place was filled with piles of rocks, dirt, and boards and we just practice right in the middle of all of it! It was a blessing in disguise though because we were surprised with how beautiful the ceremony site looked on our actual wedding day!

Q. What was the most special moment on your wedding day?
A. Of course marrying Joe and seeing his face down the aise is something I never will forget but something that is special to me was my father/daughter dance with my dad. I am somewhat of a daddy’s girl, the youngest daughter of 3, and was already filled with so many emotions from that day. So dancing with my dad who financially and emotionally supported us through the whole wedding process was something I was so grateful for. It brought back a lot of memories of our relationship and how much he has done for me and it was a big moment that I had always dreamed about. It made me realize how much I loved him (and my mom)and for the wonderful example they lead for Joe and I.

Q. Did you do anything yourself?
A. I tried to do some fun things that made it unique to us. I made the bird toppers for the cake! (They were way too expensive on Etsy!) We also bought every center piece at Hob Lob (as the KHP crew like to call it) and other little shops/flea markets. I made little flowers to go on my shoes to give it a pop of color. Then I made clutch bags for my bridesmaids with flowers on them and my aunt made all of the jewelry. I worked with a family/friend who did our invitations, save the dates and place settings. We worked hard to make it unique to us and even had little games for guests to fill out about us as a couple, while they were waiting for dinner. We made our “Just Married” sign. But the best hand made thing of all was by my talented father in law, who hand drew our “wedding tree” for guests to “leaf their fingerprint.” It is something we will treasure forever!

Q. Anything you would like to add about your special day?
A. Another cool thing we did was instead of giving guests party favors,we had 2 organizations that were close to our hearts and had guests write prayers or encouraging words to the organization they wanted. For every note that was put into the box, we donated a certain amount of money. It was something I wanted to do because I feel like some party favors are left at the table or just placed in a box whenever they get home, so I wanted to use our money towards something that could make an impact. We sent all of the notes to the 2 organizations and was a good way to get the guests involved and still honor them for coming to join us for our special day!

Q. What was the one thing you were most excited about your registry? Did you get it and did it live up to the hype?
A. Well I can tell you what Joe’s was: a waffle maker!! After much debate, I let him keep it on (not knowing if we would get it) but we did!! And I must say, I was wrong (yes I just admitted I was wrong!) He makes the BEST waffles right before church on Sunday mornings!!! So I admit now that that is the best thing we registered for!

Q. Where will you be as a couple in five years? Hopes, dreams, kids, etc.?
A. Man that is a hard one, we plan on moving out of Texas for at least a year. Just to travel and try something new together! I don’t know about kids in 5 years but I definitely know we will have a cute great dane named either Dexter or Guster (still being debated;) and a little dauchund (name not decided yet)! As of now, it’s too hard to plan. We will just see where God takes us and hopefully be serving Him every step of the way!

Q. What do you look forward to the most about being married?
A. Finally being together! No more long distance relationships or who is going to drive where or what time we have to leave at night! It is great to come home to my husband, who usually cooks a wonderful dinner, and just truly live life together as God intended it! Living together, laughing about nothing, fighting over what shows to watch, sharing our hearts with one another, growing and learning about each other’s strengths and weaknesses..sounds fun right?!?!

red and brown invitationswedding bootsbride getting ready at homewedding dress and baby shoesbride and dad momentgroom getting readygroom getting pinnednote for bridebride getting readynotes on bride's shoesapplying lipstickbride reading letterred and yellow bouquetpaisley groomred groomsmenred bridesmaidsbride waiting on groomgroom walking momwaiting bridedad walking in momflower girlswalking down aisledad giving away bridewedding vowsold town weddingwalking back down aislered and brown bridal partyfall bridal partyjust marriedjust married detailkissing bride and groomleaf sign infirst dancedancingpartyreceptionget awaylast kisssparkler bride and groom

In the words of the bride: -vendor love-

Venue: Texas Old Town
Planner: Clearly Classy Events
Wedding dress: Maggie Sotterro
Flowers: Blumen Meisters
Grooms suit: Al’s Formal Wear
Bridesmaids: Eden Bridals
Cake: Sherri’s Sweet Shoppe
DJ: Altared Weddings

wedding photography -the halls-

What do you get when you add two of the best personalities and grade school love? FOREVER!
It was such a magical day as Whitney and Josh tied the knot. Whitney, family and friends took care of the details and brightened the fall with fun accents such as sunflowers and sunflower seeds with remnants of Gruene Hall (their fave vacation spot and where Josh popped the question).  The wedding and reception were held at Chaplewood United Methodist Church and everyone was so delighted to be there and watch as two become one! It was a fantastic time as guests celebrated true love and there was a full on cake smash…you have to love a little food fight at a wedding.

Some of Whitney & Josh’s memories from the special day:

Q. What was your favorite part about the wedding?
A. Whitney - Marrying my best friend and watching his initial reaction when I first came through the door
Josh - Getting to share one of the most special moments of my life with my closest friends and my family

Q. What was one quirky or crazy thing that happened on your wedding day?
A. Whitney
- I couldn’t get my shoes on. I was wearing Toms, and they were so stiff that I couldn’t get them on. It took Sara and Kayla 5 minutes just to tug and pull and push them on to my feet, and of course I couldn’t sit down because I was already in my dress by then. It was hilarious and we couldn’t stop laughing, so Sara and Kayla kept laughing while pushing the shoes, which made it take even longer! Finally got them on though! Josh - As I got out of the car when I arrived at the church, the button to my jacket broke off. We didn’t have time to fix it, so one of my groomsmen, Jason, gave me his jacket and ran home to grab his backup! He got back a few minutes early, so we all ate some pre-game pizza to get ready.

Q. What was the most special moment on your wedding day?
A. Whitney – The car ride from the reception to the hotel. It was so surreal and I couldn’t stop smiling. It was so fun to just be like “oh my gosh, we’re married!”
Josh
– Our first dance together to our song, “Green Eyes” by Coldplay. I love dancing with my wife!

Q. Did you do anything yourself?
A.
Strung together wooden letters to spell “Bride” “Groom” “Welcome” and “Family” (bought at Michaels), Made the seating chart on antique windows using chalkboard spray paint (Heights Antiques)

Q. Where will you be as a couple in five years? Hopes, dreams, kids, etc.?
A.
2 kids, finishing up decorating our starter home (with a bar set up for Josh to work behind, and a craft room for Whitney!), planning a family ski trip to Colorado and a summer vacation to a white, sandy beach somewhere.

Q. What do you look forward to most about being married?
A.
Whitney – Getting to enjoy my daily routine with my awesome husband, and having someone around to do the heavy lifting! Mostly though, getting to start our new family :) Josh – Getting to wake up everyday next to my wife.

Q. What was the one thing you were most excited about your registry? Did you get it and did it live up to the hype?
A. Whitney
– The Sodastream. I love bubbly water, and I can make it in 30 seconds with my Sodastream!
Josh – Bartending equipment! I love making drinks for friends, and I got everything I wanted, including my fancy Blendtec blender!

whitney+josh-407whitney+josh-14whitney+josh-43whitney+josh-74whitney+josh-483

sunflowerbridewhitney+josh-326weddingtomsweddingtomsdresswhitney+josh-270whitney+josh-245programswhitney+josh-308navygroomsmenwhitney+josh-421whitney+josh-460whitney+josh-213brideislewhitney+josh-266dadandbridewhitney+josh-747whitney+josh-779whitney+josh-355sunflowerringwhitney+josh-369 copysunflowertablewhitney+josh-811whitney+josh-839whitney+josh-882whitney+josh-1029whitney+josh-1061bridegroomwhitney+josh-406

getting ready at the tremont hotelbride reflectionjumping flowergirlsgetting readylazarobagdley mischkagreen bouquetgoing to the weddingflowergirls watching bridenavy bridesmaidslazaro bridegreen wedding invitesdog ringbearergalveston park weddingoutdoor chandelier detailgroom getting readygroom reading brides lettergoorm reading journalrunning flowergirlnavy and green weddinggalveston groomsmengreen groomsmengreen groompraying groomsmencute flowergirlshorse drawn carriageanxious groombride & flowergirlanxious bridehorse drawn carriage bridehappy groomwalking in brideproud father of the bridepraying coupleoutdoor galveston ceremonygalveston weddingbride and groomgalveston receptiongreen and navy wedding partybride and groom in carriagewedding dogreception1st dancegroom dancing with kidsreception dancingcrowd surfingsinging guysdancing bride and groomthe getawayjust married carriage

getting ready at the tremont hotelbride reflectionjumping flowergirlsgetting readylazarobagdley mischkagreen bouquetgoing to the weddingflowergirls watching bridenavy bridesmaidslazaro bridegreen wedding invitesdog ringbearergalveston park weddingoutdoor chandelier detailgroom getting readygroom reading brides lettergoorm reading journalrunning flowergirlnavy and green weddinggalveston groomsmengreen groomsmengreen groompraying groomsmencute flowergirlshorse drawn carriageanxious groombride & flowergirlanxious bridehorse drawn carriage bridehappy groomwalking in brideproud father of the bridepraying coupleoutdoor galveston ceremonygalveston weddingbride and groomgalveston receptiongreen and navy wedding partybride and groom in carriagewedding dogreception1st dancegroom dancing with kidsreception dancingcrowd surfingsinging guysdancing bride and groomthe getawayjust married carriage

getting ready at the tremont hotelbride reflectionjumping flowergirlsgetting readylazarobagdley mischkagreen bouquetgoing to the weddingflowergirls watching bridenavy bridesmaidslazaro bridegreen wedding invitesdog ringbearergalveston park weddingoutdoor chandelier detailgroom getting readygroom reading brides lettergoorm reading journalrunning flowergirlnavy and green weddinggalveston groomsmengreen groomsmengreen groompraying groomsmencute flowergirlshorse drawn carriageanxious groombride & flowergirlanxious bridehorse drawn carriage bridehappy groomwalking in brideproud father of the bridepraying coupleoutdoor galveston ceremonygalveston weddingbride and groomgalveston receptiongreen and navy wedding partybride and groom in carriagewedding dogreception1st dancegroom dancing with kidsreception dancingcrowd surfingsinging guysdancing bride and groomthe getawayjust married carriage

In the words of the bride: -vendor love-

Venue: Chapelwood United Methodist
Wedding dress: David’s Bridal
Brides shoes: Toms
Hair/Make-up: Hair by Liz
Flowers: Frank Jeffers
Linens: Distinctive Details
Grooms suit: Banana Republic
Catering: Ral’s Fine Catering
DJ: Elliott Donnelly
Second Shooter: Thompson Poole Photography

wedding photography -the ford’s-

The whole day was magical.  The light was filtering through the clouds better than I could have ever even imagined.  Amanda was glowing surrounded by all her beautiful bridesmaids.  Nathan was so anxious to get to have Amanda finally standing with him.
The fairtale began with Amanda and her adorable flowergirls riding in on a horse drawn carriage.  Like something out of Cinderella.
Then Amanda got out.  The joy in the air was undeniable.  These two were getting married after many years of dating and courtship…and the timing was PERFECT.
There were not many dry eyes in the park that day.  Everyone was so overjoyed for Amanda and Nathan to tie the knot.

The evening continued on with some AMAZING dancing by both young and old.  The party went late into the night with some of their closest friends…they just could not stop dancing…it was AWESOME!  The traditions came out, including The Front Porch Song sung by all the “men”, the shirts coming off by all the “men” as well…lots of laughter, smiles.  The whole day was perfect.

Some of Amanda & Nathan’s memories from the day:

Q. What was your favorite part about the wedding?

A. Ceremony: Just relishing the moment of hearing Loren tell our story and having such a rich story with Nathan that we just looked at each other in deep understanding of the meaning of this day.
Reception: As one of our favorite songs played, we rounded the corner right after the bridal party to a beautiful room full of our most loved friends and family, through a line of them clapping and cheering for us. We felt such love and celebration for our marriage. Very memorable!
Nathan: Seeing Amanda on the carriage for the first time from across the park. Coming into the reception was pretty great as well.

Q. What was one quirky of crazy thing that happened on your wedding day?
A. During 1 of the dance offs some very unexpected people ended up doing “the worm”. Some of the little kids were keeping the party going and entertaining us all. It was just crazy because our friends love to dance and it was just an opportunity for us to have fun. I laughed so hard that night.
Nathan: I was standing up to get a drink right as the booty music started. It was perfect timing, so I just started dancing and got the party kicked off. Everyone thought that was planned, but it was just random timing.

Q. What was the most special moment on your wedding day?
A. Amanda: The most special moment was when I took my dad’s arm to walk down the aisle and looked up at Nathan. I had to hold back tears when I looked at him because of the way he was looking at me.. like Christ sees me. The emotions of the years we have had together so far and all the years to come just hit me and I just wanted to soak in that moment. I will never forget it.
Nathan: It was the first time I saw Amanda from across the park in the carriage. She looked amazing and I felt very far out of my league.

Q. Did you do anything yourself?
A. We did most of the decorations ourselves. It was alot of work but well worth it.
I loved looking around at my wedding at all the details and seeing all the thought come together. It made it more special and personalized for us.
Wedding: We made the aisle arrangements (minus the flowers), chandelier, programs,and dog banner
Reception: Manzanita branches and mossy letters for the check in table. Chalkboards for the menu, a little questionairre, mossy decorations. We put together large crepe myrtle trees for all entrances of the reception facility. My mom had great ideas.
I glittered and made the bride/groom signs and “Just Married” sign.
Candy bar: Amanda Kimball worked wonders. I gave her the candy and she did the rest. Very talented!
Photo booth: A couple of friends and I cut out our own homeade photo booth props, which I loved! They were so cute and well worth the work.

Q. What was the one thing you were most excited about your registry? Did you get it and did it live up to the hype?
A. I really wanted my Pottery Barn dishes and items that last a lifetime. The thing I liked most about the registry was having an excuse to get my favorite people together for the wedding showers. :)

Q. Where will you be as a couple in five years? Hopes, dreams, kids, etc.?
A. Definitely have kids, but other than that who knows? We are open to so many different things. I guess we will be wherever God takes us from here. It’s kind of exciting to see what happens.

Q. What do you look forward to the most about being married?
A. Nathan and Amanda: Just living together and enjoying the little things in life. Having new adventures together.  I know I can look forward to Nathan making me laugh hysterically everyday.

tremont bridegetting ready at the tremont hotelbride reflectionjumping flowergirlsgetting readylazarobagdley mischkagreen bouquetgoing to the weddingflowergirls watching bridenavy bridesmaidslazaro bridegreen wedding invitesdog ringbearergalveston park weddingoutdoor chandelier detailgroom getting readygroom reading brides lettergoorm reading journalrunning flowergirlnavy and green weddinggalveston groomsmengreen groomsmengreen groompraying groomsmencute flowergirlshorse drawn carriageanxious groombride & flowergirlanxious bridehorse drawn carriage bridehappy groomwalking in brideproud father of the bridepraying coupleoutdoor galveston ceremonygalveston weddingbride and groomgalveston receptiongreen and navy wedding partybride and groom in carriagewedding dogreception1st dancegroom dancing with kidsreception dancingcrowd surfingsinging guysdancing bride and groomthe getawayjust married carriage

In the words of the bride: -vendor love-

Venue: Garten Verein, Galveston, TX
Wedding dress: Lazaro
Brides shoes: Badgley Mischka
Hair/Make-up: Lauren Noblin artistry
Flowers: Lary’s florist in Friendswood
Grooms suit: Alfani
Bridesmaids: BCBG
Catering: Abe’s Cajun Grill
DJ: LG Entertainment

-Happy 1 year Mr. & Mrs. Wilson-

And what a magical year it has been!!  Here’s to MANY, MANY more!!

happy 1st anniversary

One Year Later (claire)

FortheLove-3

This is a long one so grab a cup-o-joe and enjoy…

It’s crazy to think just one year ago I walked up to the Hornberger house with a useless resume in my hand. That day my life changed in a completely rock-your-world- life-is-crazy kind of way. I can still remember meeting Kelly for the first time and in about fifteen minutes she knew my life story drama and all. I don’t even think she looked at my resume as my shaky hand waived it in front of her. Looking back I have to think what it would be like to sit in her chair and listen to me. I think I would have thought, “who is this crazy I am going to let come in my house?” But, at the same time I was like, “who is this crazy that has three boys under three???” I now know it is because those Hornberger boys get super cute around 9 months I would want a whole army of them too!

As I reflect on this past year I can not believe how incredibly blessed I am to have stumbled upon the opportunity to work with Kelly. I can remember my first time shooting with her and I was talking technical lingo about f-stops and aperture and she just stared at me and was like, “uhhhh o.k. forget all that!” Just do it like this and reminded me that photography isn’t about techno mumbo jumbo but about what feels right. You can have all the gear in the world and that doesn’t make you a photographer but you have to make the subject feel gorgeous and she reminded me why I love photography! Because if it is a point and shoot, dslr camera or iphone it is more about creativity and heart and less about the camera and person behind it.

This year I got to see the Hornbergers in action. WOW! Kelly and Joe are two of the most selfless people I know they are like rocks that support everyone they come into contact with and they leave little time for sleep and themselves. They have been huge in helping me understand why it is I do what I do and they have such an encouraging home. I can honestly say I wasn’t on a super strong path with the man upstairs and they have been huge in encouraging to explore my faith and have a better understanding of how I can use my gifts to honor him and they did it in a non-judgemental pushy kind of way!

I have also gotten to witness real-fairy-tale-kind of love at the weddings we have been so lucky to be a part of. It has inspired me to remember that day a long long time ago that I married my prince charming and bring that spark and life back to my home. I think that is why we all love weddings because we get to be reminded of true love and celebrate it. But, I also just love the Kelly Hornberger family of clients. They are the sweetest nicest most genuine group of people you could imagine and I get so darn happy for them when they tie the knot! It has been such a pleasure serving them and documenting their special day!

This year I have also eaten more cake than I could possibly imagine and I LOVE CAKE but I might need to take on another work out activity if I am going to be a cake connoisseur.

I have been so inspired and got to do some amazing workshops with Zach and Jody, Melissa Jill, Ginny Corbett and these people have been huge in educating a little about my camera and again a lot about why I do what I do. The above photo was taken at For the Love workshop and I literally took about 80 photos during a week long retreat but it truly change my life in a way words can’t begin to explain! I mean I guess I could, but this post is already super long.

If you were to tell me a year ago where I would be today…I would have laughed but I would also be super excited. I can’t believe this is my reality! I know for a fact this year is going to top last year because some exciting things that Kelly and I have dreamed up and then made a reality are about to be unleashed. I know I am sure you are over the “big announcement” posts that people have started doing, so I won’t build it up too much but I will say I am already excited to write next year’s post and it’s only just begun.

the day after -callie & paul-

homemade hearts

“It would be an ordinary world, without your love.”

watters bridewedding cross stitchhandsome groomsweet bride and groomday after bridalhappy couplesitting bride and groomcardigan brideday after sessionhappy  wedding couple

wedding photography -the horton’s-

She wiped the lipstick off his lips after their first kiss in consideration.  Her facial expressions are beyond awesome…she shows all her emotion with her beautiful eyes.
She was giddy and joyful.
He could not stop beaming as she walked down the aisle.  He laughs, he smiles, he cannot stop looking at his beautiful bride.
He is in love with the love of his life.

They were both glowing…once the event got under way all tensions and anxiety drifted off with the breeze and all that was left was pure excitement and joy for this sweet couple.

The day was AMAZING.  The weather was PERFECT.  The setting was secluded and serene.  Rebekah and Chris looked and saved up for an entire year all the trinkets and antiques that they decorated the entire Barn at Piano Ridge with.
EVERYTHING you see was complete DIY, excluding the food, and music.
These two poured their heart and soul into their sweet day and the outcome was amazing.

Claire and I were so honored to get to be there and witness their vows, get to hang out with some new friends and polka with some awesomely unexpected polka dancers…who would have thought?!?

country wedding bridecountry wedding bride and sisterbeautiful brideDIY country weddinglooking out bridethe barn at piano bridgecute bridesmaidsbirdcage veilhandsome groomsuspender groomsmenwedding handsanxious bridemingling guestssign in platelemonade standhappy groomwalking in wedding partywalking in brideoutdoor wedding cermonyDIY wedding ceremonyputting on the ringsfirst kisshugging grandfatherspoon placesettingsbarn receptionDIY receptionlaughing bridal partyDIY centerpiecesmini potpiescute bridal partywedding detailsvintage weddingvintage bride and groomtoasts1st dancefirst dancereception dancingdancingfull moon