We moved our family to Fort Worth, Texas in 2022. 

But we didn’t become true Texans until we got our family photos taken in the bluebonnets.

Nevermind getting the Texas drivers lisence first. Apparently bluebonnet family photos and an authentic pair of cowboy boots is a right of passage to becoming a true Texan. 

That and a good Dr. Pepper. 

Roadside Bluebonnets 

Every time we’d get on the highway, we’d see wildflowers and bluebonnets for miles and miles – I had never seen anything like it before! Especially driving down through Ennis on our way to Galveston. I fell in love with those flowers and even more so when I started seeing moms pull over just to plop their toddler down in some blubebonnets and get a few photos before piling back into their minivan and driving off.

My youngest had just turned a year old when we moved here. I have my own fair share of roadside bluebonnets photos of my kiddos running through the fields and they will forever live in my heart (and all 3,000 pics of them in my phone, lol).

I always hoped that one day, I’d like to have real family photos taken by a DFW premier photographer. I thought I had time until I realized that my little one year old I moved here with is about to turn six this year.

I looked at my husband in January and said… “we need to find a photographer, STAT”. The blubebonnet season was approaching soon and I didn’t want to miss another year. 

Introducing Heaven and Honey Photography 

I started researching DFW premiere family photographers and signed up for everyone’s email list. Which honestly was a terrible choice because I got dozens of emails. LOL We used a few photographers later in the year and they were kind and provided good photos, but we didn’t fall in love until we met Candice from Heaven and Honey. 

I reached out to Candice in response to one of her marketing emails because the name of her business is what initially drew me in. We set up a time to chat and connected a few days later.

When I had my first call with Candice about our upcoming photoshoot, I was super honest with her about the things I was nervous about when it came to taking pictures. We’ve done a few other shoots and I always feel so awkward – none of us know how to pose, I’m usually uncomfortable in my own skin (hello back injury resulting in +60 pounds), when I’m trying to pose and in my mind I think I look good but when I see the picture its terrible, and my kids love to get extra feral the moment they are in front of a camera. Who raised these wild turkeys?! I don’t know why I can be so awkward, so I apologized ahead of time.

Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me?

Candice was super kind about it all and very supportive. She chuckled when I told her my fears because even though it felt like a super big deal to me, her response was reassuring, “GIRL, I GOT YOU! This is normal, I know exactly how to help, this is going to be amazing” and I chose to believe her because there was a kindness and playfulness in her voice that made me feel like I AM capable of this.

She was amazing during our shoot and did REALLY well with our kids – who were focused on picking the bluebonnets (such little thugs) and NOT listening to anything we told them. 🤦‍♀️ 

She told the kids she had a delicious surprise for them if they could make it through the photoshoot (the biggest round lollipops that were as big as their heads) and was so playful the kids were like… “OKAY she’s much more entertaining than these bugs I’m finding in the grass rn” I hope she doesn’t slap me for saying this, but she made herself look silly so that I didn’t FEEL silly. And with my experience using other photographers, that is ✨GOLD✨ Because I didn’t have to over-compensate the entire time. And in my opinion, isn’t that what every Mom wants? 

And I think that shows in our photos. We look comfortable – and happy! Like we were having the best time of our lives playing in the bluebonnets because we actually were. That was real.

3 things that are super important to Heaven and Honey Photography 

There are three things that Candice is very particular about: clothing, location, and time of day. Together, they make ALL the difference in how your photos turn out. And take it from me: trust her. She knows what shes doing. 

Here was my experience in choosing those things. 

The Process of Choosing a Date 

One of the requests that Candice made when it came to booking a date is that instead of giving her a single date, we give her a date range. 

For example, instead of March 13th, we would give her March 10th – 17th. 

The reason for this is March and April are the rainier season here in North Texas. We all know how Texas weather is… the forecast can say that its absolutely going to rain one day but when that day finally arrives, the sun is shining and there isn’t a cloud in sight. 

So instead of having to rebook your photoshoot, Candice askes for a range of dates and then picks the best day with the most promising weather. But don’t let that concern you, even though we gave a range of dates to her, she still let us know three days ahead of time that our shoot was going to be on a particular day. It’s not like she texted us and said.. “Hey can you meet in a few hours?” and then we’d have to get a family of four photo ready at the drop of a hat. We had MORE than enough lead time to know the best way to plan and ended up with phenomenal weather. 

The Process of Choosing a Time

I can only give you my experience with our bluebonnet shoot, I am not sure if the same thing applies to every shoot. But Candice asked if I would be okay with shooting during the “golden hour” when the sun is just starting to go down. Our shoot was at 6:30pm on April 8. 

My children at five and seven year olds who both no longer have naps and their bedtime is typically 8pm (on a good day). I knew they would be fine with doing something late, but just in case I made sure their day was super easy going and had lots of downtime to rest. 

We had more than enough time to get ready during the day and we all arrived on time with no kicking and screaming and everyone still had their shoes on – a serious mom win! Our kids did fine with the time. 

We’ve taken photos before at 10am in the morning – which means getting ready started at 7am. But the time we arrived at the photo place, I was on edge and everyone was upset. I actually REALLY appreciated having a later time for a photoshoot. It made the whole process so much easier on me. 

But if your kiddos are still younger and have daily naps, or is in bed long before the golden hour, def work things out with Candice to see what she recommends. She is a Mom and TOTALLY understands taking the best care of our children while still getting great photos. 

The sunlight coming through the trees was perfect and the end results of our photos are stunning. It truly was the “dream pictures” I had always hoped for in the bluebonnets. 

The Process of Choosing Outfits 

Once you book a shoot with Candice, she provides helpful information to choosing outfits and styling your family on her website. I’m stressed about getting myself dressed on any given day let alone coordinating my entire family. 

Candes writes, 

“When styling your family, think coordinating, not matching. Choose outfits based on a shared color palette rather than identical pieces. Here are my top tips: Start with Mom… Build a Color Palette… Think Timeless, Not Trendy” 

She also shares things to avoid, helpful links to curated outfits for you to shop (here’s her linktree and amazon storefront), and something called Style and Select.

All Heaven and Honey clients have full access to Style and Select which is an outfit styling service. 

Here’s how it works: 

“You click on the link and enter the code given in your email, fill out a questionnaire and then the service does its magic. The results page will show you photo-approved clothing pieces for each family member that coordinate beautifully. The service is completely free to use – and you are not obligated to use this service, but is available to you if you need help with shopping and coordinating outfits.”

Such a great perk! 

Candice’s top 3 favorite locations for bluebonnet shoots

As a DFW premier photographer, Candice knows where all the local gems are. So when I say it will do you well to trust her with location – I certainly mean it! I had the chutzpah to ask her where some of her favorite bluebonnet fields were and with her permission to open that “gate” to the public, she gave me the exact locations to share with you! 

So if you’re reading this when bluebonnets are out-of-season, bookmark this blog to save the locations for next year. 

Location #1: 427-599 Hanover drive Grapevine, Texas 76051, lots of big open fields with the sun setting behind the trees 

Location #2: Cottonwood Creek Park, 4051 N Story rd., 3925 Bear Creek Ln, Irving, TX 75038

Location #3: 100 Danny Hartz Way, Flower Mound, Texas 75028

Editing time + receiving your final photos 

The amount of time between your photoshoot and the day you get your final photos back is approximately two weeks. During the busy holidays, you can (sometimes) expect three weeks. But clients are well informed ahead of time if it gets bumped to 3 weeks so that there aren’t any surprises. 

When your photos are ready, Candice will send you a link directly to your gallery to view them! And it’s SO EXCITING! I gasped as soon as I saw the email come through and our entire family huddled around my phone and obnoxiously AWWWWWW’ed at every single one. LOL 

In the same email that she delivers your gallery link is a reminder to download your photos because they DO have an expiration link. So certainly download them for safekeepings. 

When you’re ready to print, she also gives some recommendations on who to print with and some discount codes to use (win!). 

10/10 will do again

If you’re looking for a photographer who understands working with families and all the chaos they can sometimes bring with little kids, Heaven and Honey Photography is well worth considering. 

Candice brought a level of ease and direction that changes the entire experience and it really shows in the final images. Nothing felt forced and nothing looked overdone – it just felt like us, on a really good day, playing in the bluebonnets together as true Texans. 

Thank you, Candice!