They Said “Just Create.” So I Did.

The greatest gift a couple can give their photographer is trust.

Not the polite kind — not the “we trust you” that still comes with a list of must-have shots and a Pinterest board to match. I mean the real kind. The kind where two people look at you on their wedding day and say, without reservation: we are here, we are present, and we believe in what you see.

Grace and Xavier gave me that.

From the moment we started working together, they made it clear: they were not hiring me to execute a vision they had already prescribed. They were hiring me to create — to move through their day with intention and an artist’s eye, to find the frames they had not thought to plan for, to tell a story that could only be told by someone who was fully, freely present in it.

So that is what I did.

And what unfolded at The Montclair Wedding Venue in Colleyville, Texas on July 11th — with its subtle nods to 7/11 woven through the details, its palette of black and white and blush and green, and its energy that moved effortlessly between modern elegance and pure playful joy.

The Venue: The Montclair Wedding Venue in Colleyville, Texas

There are venues that provide a backdrop. Then there are venues that participate in the story.

The Montclair is the second kind.

Located in Colleyville, Texas — a quiet, upscale community nestled between Grapevine and Hurst in the heart of the DFW Metroplex — The Montclair is one of North Texas’s most beautifully designed wedding venues. The property carries a distinct European character. Light stone. Arched windows. Ivy-draped exteriors that photograph with a romantic, almost timeless quality. Marble accents and crystal chandeliers inside that elevate every interior frame without requiring a single additional decoration.

As a photographer, The Montclair operates on multiple levels simultaneously. The exterior is extraordinary for portraits — that stone facade and ivy-covered terrace catch light beautifully at every hour. The chapel is intimate and architectural, with natural light that creates the kind of ceremony photographs that feel editorial rather than documentary. The reception ballroom, with its high ceilings and chandelier glow, holds design elements with elegance and amplifies them without competing.

The venue is also genuinely flexible. It holds a European garden party as naturally as it holds a modern black-and-white formal. It accommodates intimate micro-weddings and larger celebrations with equal grace. And it has a built-in romance — a sense that the space was designed by someone who understood that the building itself should feel like part of the love story.

For DFW couples who want elevated, European-inspired elegance without the travel, The Montclair is one of the most compelling options in all of North Texas.

A complete venue guide to The Montclair is coming soon to the blog. In the meantime, our Dallas and suburbs wedding venue guide is a great place to start your DFW venue search.

The Details: Black, White, Blush & the Nods to 7/11

Grace and Xavier’s wedding palette was precise and sophisticated. Black, white, and blush pink formed the foundation — a combination that is classic without being predictable.

Against The Montclair’s stone and marble interiors, this palette was extraordinary. The contrast between the black and white formality and the softness of the blush created visual tension that made every frame feel intentional. The green grounded it all in something organic and alive.

And then there was 7/11.

Grace and Xavier married on July 11th — and they allowed that date to live in their details in the most playful, entirely them way. Subtle nods to 7/11 woven through the day. Not a theme that overtook the elegance of everything around it, but a signature that made the day distinctly, specifically theirs. A couple who did not take their wedding so seriously that they forgot to have fun with it.

That balance — between the modern elegance of the design and the playful, energetic vibe they brought to every moment — is precisely what made this wedding extraordinary to document.

On the Gift of Creative Trust

Grace and Xavier gave me something that I want every couple reading this to understand the value of.

When a couple fully trusts their photographer — when they immerse themselves in their day without managing the camera — the photographs transform. They become less about documentation and more about art. They stop being a record of what happened and start being a window into what it felt like to be there.

This is the specific thing that separates wedding photography as legacy from wedding photography as service. Legacy images require presence. They require a couple who has chosen to be so fully in their own day that the camera becomes invisible. When that happens, the photographer becomes invisible too. And the photographs that result are the ones that people look at twenty years later and feel the room again.

Grace and Xavier’s images do that. Completely.

If you are planning your wedding and you are reading this wondering how to get images like these — the answer is simpler than you might think. Choose a photographer you trust. Then trust them. Fully, completely, without reservation.

The rest takes care of itself.

The Montclair Wedding Photos

Planning Your Montclair Wedding in Colleyville

If Grace and Xavier’s wedding has you looking more closely at The Montclair as your venue, here is what we want you to know from a photographer’s perspective.

First, the exterior is the venue’s most underutilized portrait location. Most portraits at The Montclair happen on the ivy-covered terrace — and for good reason, because it is beautiful. However, the full exterior of the property offer portrait opportunities that many couples rarely explore.

Second, the chapel light is best in the morning and early afternoon. As a result, if you are considering a late afternoon ceremony, discuss natural light strategy with your photographer in advance. The interior of the chapel is beautifully designed for photography — but like all interior spaces, it rewards intentional timing.

Third, the ballroom rewards layered design. The Montclair’s reception space has the bones to hold almost any aesthetic. Additionally, the chandeliers and architectural details do a significant amount of visual work on their own. This means your design investment goes further here than at a more neutral venue — because the space itself is already contributing to the photograph.

a warm and sincere thanks to the creative team…

Venue: The Montclair; Colleyville, TX

Photographer: Kyrsten Ashlay Photography

Florist: Blossom & Vine

Cake: BakerMama Cakes

DJ: It’s Your Night Entertainment

Hair + Makeup: 2Girls1Brush Beauty

Day of Coordinator + Rentals: World Fare Events

Looking for a Montclair Wedding Photographer in Colleyville?

The Montclair is a venue we photograph with genuine enthusiasm every time a couple chooses it. The light, the architecture, the flexibility of the space — all of it rewards a photographer who approaches each wedding with an artist’s eye rather than a shot list.

If you are getting married at The Montclair and are still searching for your photographer and filmmaker, we would love to be part of your day. We bring both photography and film to every wedding. Because your love deserves to be seen and felt — documented not as a record, but as a legacy.

We are currently booking 2027 weddings.

Check your date with us →

Timeless photos & films, crafted with heart. Where every moment becomes art.