Kelly Hornberger Photography
Kelly Hornberger of Kelly Hornberger Photography, a Houston-based fine art wedding photographer with nearly 20 years in business, joins Kevin Cochran on the Texas Wedding Podcast to talk about building a team around service instead of just talent, and some of the wildest wedding stories the show has heard yet.
Kelly's path into photography started organically, an interior designer who quit after her first son was born, gifted her first camera by her husband Joe, and started shooting weddings for the college athletes they were walking through life with in ministry. Her team, now called KH Collective, has grown to about a dozen photographers built around one shared value: loving and serving people well, not just shooting beautifully. She and Kevin also look back at two real Texas weddings they shot together, full vendor credits included, and trade stories that range from a chandelier knocked down by a bouquet toss to a sewer line bursting mid first dance.
Follow Kelly Hornberger Photography on Instagram, and hear more from the people shaping the Texas wedding market on the Texas Wedding Podcast.
Belle Events planned one of the weddings discussed in this episode, so pair it with Rebecca Martens' episode to hear from the owner herself.
The Texas Wedding Podcast is hosted by Kevin Cochran of 718 Creative, a Texas wedding videographer.
Full Transcript (condensed)
A note on this episode: due to a recording issue, this episode's audio came through rougher than usual, Kevin has said so upfront on the show itself.
Meet Kelly Hornberger
Kelly Hornberger: I'm Kelly Hornberger. I don't like to define myself by "I'm a this or I'm a that." I'm just Kelly Hornberger. It'll be 20 years next year.
From Interior Design to a Camera Joe Bought Her
Kelly Hornberger: For Joe and me, it happened pretty organically. Joe was in ministry, and we did a lot with college athletes in the Houston area, right in that season of life where they're dating, getting engaged, getting married. We got to be part of that with them. At the same time, Joe bought me my first camera. I'd been an interior designer, but I quit because I didn't enjoy it, and once our first son was born I thought I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, then got bored. I'd taken film and photography classes alongside my interior design program, so when Joe got me that camera I fell in love with it. It was a no-brainer to start offering to shoot for the guys we were already walking through life with. That was a trust walk for them, and a trust walk for me to document it well, and that's when I knew why I wanted to do photos. I wanted them to feel loved and comfortable, like part of the family. That's still what I tell every new client today.
Why She Does This: Love and Serve
Kelly Hornberger: If you'd asked me five years ago, I'd have said I couldn't see myself doing anything but this. But the real reason behind it is loving and serving people well. You could do that through a lot of different things, photography just happens to be how I do it. That's also how the collective started. Glenn and Eric were the first ones, they were at a point where they didn't want to run the business side anymore but still loved shooting, so I brought them on. The only reason I felt comfortable putting my name behind them is that they saw it the exact same way I did, loving and serving the couple, not just capturing beautiful pictures. Everyone who's joined the team since has had that same heart.
We're about 12 people now, including Joe, who's still part of it even after all these years. The team started during COVID, so we've had it about six years now.
Building Toward New Things
Kelly Hornberger: We recently got into the product side of things, prints, albums, wall art, and we're building out a studio space in Houston this year where clients can come see everything we're capable of in person. It's so overwhelming getting hundreds or thousands of images back and not knowing what to do with them, so we want to make that whole experience feel as customer-service-driven as the wedding day itself.
A Real Weddings Recap: Molly & Isaac, and Audrey & Andrew
Kevin: This is Molly and Isaac's private residence wedding up in Dallas, Texas, planned to perfection by Whitney Bailey with Engaged Events. Photo and video was Kelly Hornberger and myself, 718 Creative. Floral was Grow Design. Tent was Sandone. Beauty was About Face Pros. Band was Emerald City Band. Lighting was Jacob Co Creative. Rentals were Imperial Floors, Posh Couture, Blink, Canvas Drapery, Bella Accento, and Nuage Designs. Stationery was Scribbles and Swirls. Catering was Blue Fire Total Catering. The cake was Fancy Cakes by Lauren.
Kelly Hornberger: Grow just did the most gorgeous job with that ceremony setup, and to see a tennis court turned into that is incredible. This dinner experience was unlike anything I'd seen, and it wasn't a small wedding either, at least 250, maybe 350 guests. Four courses, a new wine pairing with each one, sommeliers walking the tables explaining what people were drinking. It was perfection.
Kevin: And let's do one more. This was a four day celebration at Gasparilla Inn for Audrey and Andrew's wedding. Planning was a team effort for Belle Events, with Rebecca, Emily, and Megan leading the way. The venue was Gasparilla Inn on Gasparilla Island, Florida. Photo and video, again, Kelly Hornberger and 718 Creative. Floral was River Oaks Plant House. Beauty was Christopher Michael along with Lovely Kind Beauty. Stationery was Pappellary. Tent was Sperry Tents Naples. Lighting was Lightworks Productions. Rentals were Vivant Rentals, Treasury Rentals, BBJ, and Nuage. Music was Vanderbilt Strings and Gulf Coast Entertainment. The dress was CDN Bridal.
Kelly Hornberger: That was 11 events across three or four days, and Belle staffed it flawlessly, there was never a moment of panic. I shot a fourth day on top of the three we'd planned for. It was 12-hour days, up late editing and sending teasers, up early again the next morning. Dolphins showed up during the boat cruise out to the island, completely unplanned. The groom's first look with his daughter, peeking around the banister, was one of the sweetest things I've shot.
Stories From the Early Days
Kelly Hornberger: Joe was my second shooter for the first 12 years, and one wedding in particular is still the wedding for the books. One of the groomsmen used to be an EMT and decided the guys needed IVs before the day got going, no professional, just him. Blood went everywhere and Joe had to walk out of the room. Later, during groomsmen photos, one of the guys ran up late with a shotgun for a photo, Joe made him hand over every gun to check the barrels first, and a live shell fell out of the one the last guy brought. Then at the sparkler exit that night, the bride and groom kissed in the middle, and then just fell over and rolled toward us on the ground while everyone died laughing.
That's not even the only one. I had a groomsman plant a kiss right on my lips on the dance floor once, in front of the bride and groom, while I was making a silly face at him through the camera. A bride's bouquet toss once knocked a chandelier straight to the floor, thankfully not on anyone's head. And at an old hotel venue, a sewer line burst under the ballroom during the couple's first dance, the bride was barefoot, and seepage started coming up through the wood floor cracks while we tried to steer people away without interrupting the dance.
Connect with Kelly Kelly Hornberger Photography: https://kellyhornberger.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyhornberger_photo
Connect with Kevin // 718 Creative https://718creative.com | https://www.instagram.com/718.creative
Connect with the Podcast https://www.texasweddingpodcast.com | https://www.instagram.com/texasweddingpodcast
