Tips for Brides: A Wedding Blog Series

As wedding photographers, Ryan and I get an inside look at weddings. We hear about the bride's vision for the wedding and then we get to see it come to life on the wedding day. We hear the stories of what went wrong during planning and how budget and priorities got shifted. We hear what parts of planning couples enjoy and what parts they dread. And since wedding planning is (hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime experience, we want to do what we can to help make the process more enjoyable!

Of course, we also want to make the disclaimer that we are not professional wedding planners. These tips are based on our experiences, both as a couple getting married, and as wedding photographers. We hope these tips are helpful for you!

Makeup: Splurge or Save?
How to be Inspired by Pinterest
Do I Really Need a Wedding Coordinator?
Because They Hired a Wedding Planner
Secret Jobs of a Wedding Planner
6 Things Wedding Guests Will Love
The Importance of the Stupid Wedding Decisions
10 Things That Should be on Your To Do List
Choosing Your Bridal Party
Taking Time Off
Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Two Marriage Tips to Avoid Fights

Two Marriage Tips to Avoid Fights

Ryan and I are certainly not pros at marriage, but we don't fight very often. I'm sure part of that is our personalities. Neither one of us enjoy confrontation, and we're much more likely to give each other the cold shoulder or a single snarky remark than to hurl insults at each other. But there are two things that I've found us saying that saves us from a lot of arguments.

Westover Plantation Garden Party Wedding

Westover Plantation Garden Party Wedding

Every year I take on a few weddings as a second shooter for other photographers, and this colorful garden party wedding day in Charles City, VA with Chelsea of Bit of Ivory Photography was gorgeous from start to finish!

Pots of lavender sat on each table under the shade of the tent, filling the air with its soft sweet smell. At each seat, a hand-lettered place mat marked each guest's name. Just one of the thoughtful touches the bride worked into the wedding day. Coral and white striped ribbon and mint green menu cards balanced the purple tones for a colorful garden party palette. The menu cards promised a delicious southern affair with fried chicken, mac and cheese, and buttermilk biscuits, while miniature pies stacked in small brown boxes waited on antique white tables in a corner of the tented space.

Next to the large white tent was a collection of vintage furniture and a variety of handcrafted lawn games, sure to be a big hit during cocktail hour.

Chalkboard signs greeted guests at the entrance and marked the path to the front of the historic plantation house where the ceremony would take place. And clear glass dispensers of lemonade offered guests a refreshing drink before the vows would be exchanged. From the guests' first arrival to the end of the night, every detail had been thoughtfully planned. This day was more than the joining of two people in marriage. It was truly a joyous celebration for all their loved ones.

Monday Musings

Dear Girl Scouts, I heard a rumor that you're thinking of offering cookies more often than once a year. Let me just go ahead and tell you what a horrible idea that is. Your cookies are delicious but they're more expensive than just about every other cookie at the grocery store. If you're always available, people will choose something else. Your marketing technique is scarcity and it works for you. So don't change it.

Dear Instagram Stories, Are you ruining our memories? Are we going to all be upset in a year that we covered our photos and videos with text and sparkly filters and emojis? I mean, Darcy looks adorable with panda bear ears, but I can't do that for all of his photos.

Dear Sweet Potato Chips, You are so delicious. Why can't you also be healthier than regular chips so I can eat you every day?

Dear Wood Laminate, I am so disappointed that we were wooed by your charms and your promises of durability. I guess we should have assumed that with a gigantic fish tank and a hot water heater just a sheet of drywall away, you were eventually bound to get waterlogged.

Ryan Quote of the Week: 
So that's only for Christmas trash can.
 

Photo from the CGP Stock Store

Julia & Tyler - Virginia Beach Engagement Session

The brick turned to gravel and the gravel turned to sand. She looked up as they walked, admiring the beauty of the building's design. He nervously told her every detail of the wind turbines' mechanics. They wandered down to the edge of the water and he turned to her, took both of her hands in his, and knelt in the sand.

Nearly 5 months later, as the last rays of gold lit up the tree line, they held hands, weaving their way through the tall grass towards the water's edge. To their spot. The place where last December, he had asked and she had said yes.

Francis Land House Engagement Session Virginia Beach-117.jpg
Francis Land House Engagement Session Virginia Beach-110.jpg

We started the engagement session at the Francis Land House and then drove to Pleasure House Point where Julia & Tyler got engaged just as the sun was setting. Talk about a perfect engagement session!

Julia & Tyler, Ryan and I are so excited for your wedding day! You picked such a great weekend to get married (we almost share an anniversary)! We'll see you in July!

Life Right Now - Darcy 6 Months

I started the Life Right Now series to help me remember some of the little moments of our lives. The kinds of things that don't even make it to Instagram (because we all know there's a LOT that doesn't make it to Instagram!) The kinds of things that would slip through the cracks of our memories if we didn't record them. The kinds of things that I never want to forget, no matter how small they might seem.

Life right now is feeding Darcy new baby foods and being surprised that he likes green beans so much. He gobbles them up!

Life right now is laying on the blanket next to him and watching in amazement at everything he does. And wondering how much longer it's going to be before he's crawling everywhere.

Life right now is balancing engagement sessions and evening yoga classes with quiet nights at home.

Life right now is snuggling Darcy close while he winds down before every nap, because it's the only time he wants to be still.

Life right now is leaving our sweet little boy in nursery and then being distracted through the entire service because I can't stop thinking about him.

Life right now is ordering just about everything on Amazon Prime because we don't have time to go anywhere but the grocery store.

Life right now is attacking Darcy's little cheeks with kisses because it makes him laugh.

Life right now is wanting to give my baby an unplugged childhood, but struggling with unplugging as a mama.