couple throwing popcorn inside movie theater

McGovern Centennial Gardens Engagement | Gabrielle and Steven

The owner & lead photographer here at Aly Matei Photography. I proudly serve outgoing couples who value lively & emotive experiences.

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McGovern Centennial Gardens Engagement

As a Houston wedding photographer, I absolutely love when couples choose McGovern Centennial Gardens engagement sessions in Houston, Texas! Gabrielle and Steven will be getting married there in November 2021, so it was the perfect choice! Engagement sessions are so important! They allow me to get to know the couple and before it is all over, we have become fast friends. Engagement sessions are also important because it provides me with the opportunity to work with the couple on posing so that on their wedding day, they feel like a pro in front of my camera. When Gabrielle and Steven asked if we could add a second location onto their session at a local movie theater, I was all in. I couldn’t wait to hear their love story and find out why the movie theater meant so much to them.

As we roamed the beautiful McGovern Centennial Gardens I learned a little more about these two lovebirds. Gabrielle and Steven met in high school and celebrated their ten year anniversary this past April. To say they are excited to finally get married is an understatement. This entire session I could feel the love and respect they share for each other. It was so inspiring! Gabrielle is an accountant and Steven is a manager for HEB. They have two dogs, one corgi named Hazel and one Chow Chow/German Shepherd mix named Bo. They can’t wait for their big day in November! Gabrielle is very excited about having nighttime portraits which is totally my jam!

The Proposal

When I asked Gabrielle and Steven to share their proposal story, Gabrielle shared the following:

“The movies (Edwards Greenway specifically) was always ‘our spot’ when we first started dating. It was our first date, our first kiss, and the first time we said I love you. On the day of the proposal, Steven said we should go see a movie. We drove to the top of the movie parking garage and that is where he proposed. I was COMPLETELY shocked! We got back into the car and he said that he hadn’t asked my parents for their permission, a HUGE deal to me! He said we would go pick up some food and ask them right now. We got to Escalante’s and my parents and a few of my closest friends and family members were all there to surprise me! As it turns out, they had all known for months! It was perfect in every way.”

Thus, it was only fitting that our second stop after this McGovern Centennial Gardens engagement session was at a Houston movie theater, Edwards Cinema. Let me tell you, we had a BLAST! Not only was there lots of laughter, there was popcorn, licorice and sodas. The only thing missing was the actual movie!

 

 

Gabrielle and Steven, thank you for entrusting Aly Matei Photography to capture your wedding day at McGovern Centennial Gardens. It is such an honor and I can’t wait to see you two become husband and wife!

 

To learn how you can become an AMP couple, click here

To see a Hermann Park engagement session, click here.

My philosophy is simple: your wedding day was meant to be EXPERIENCED and not just posing in front of a strangers camera the entire day. I want to capture the must-have portraits and document you truly loving every moment of your wedding day.

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The photographer for couples who know how to throw a damn good party!