Because They Hired a Wedding Planner

As wedding photographers, Ryan and I get an inside look at weddings. There's so much more that happens behind the scenes that guests and even the bride and groom never see! And that's a sign of a truly professional vendor team and an experienced wedding planner!

Whether it's full service planning or day of coordination, having a wedding coordinator present on the wedding day is invaluable. There's so much more set up, tear down, and logistics coordination than most couples realize! And every wedding day, some sort of issue pops up that requires some creative problem solving to keep things running smoothly.

I reached out to my Hampton Roads wedding planner friends and asked them to share some of their experiences.

-Because they had a planner, the veil that was left at the dress shop was delivered the morning of her wedding before her 11 am ceremony.

-When the bouquets arrived in the wrong color scheme, the planner created new bouquets at the last minute with flowers from the grocery store.

-Because they had a planner, the cake that was delivered to a venue with a similar name was picked up and brought to their reception.

-When the photo frames for the reception didn't have pictures inside, the planner ran to Walgreens to pick up the bride's photo order.

-Because they had a planner, important details that were left at home were picked up and brought to the wedding.

-When no boutonnieres were delivered, the planner pulled a few blooms from the table arrangements to put some together.

-Because they had a planner, late vendor deliveries and other inaccuracies could be carefully documented for the couple, who could later get a partial refund.

-When a bridesmaid's dress hadn't been altered properly, the planner sewed her into it so she could walk down the aisle and dance without worrying about it falling down.

-Because they had a planner, the wine that had been specifically ordered for the reception was purchased after the original delivery was off by a few cases.

-When the baker forgot to bring signs for the dessert table, the planner was able to check the decor stash she brought with her and find something that could be used to label the pies.

These are just a few of the things that wedding planners in Hampton Roads and their teams have experienced on the wedding day. They're willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that the bride and groom have the wedding day of their dreams! Hiring true professionals helps to prevent things like this from happening, but mix-ups do happen! That's why it's so important to have someone who can handle these challenges as they come up!

CGP brides, I highly recommend booking a wedding planner! It makes such a HUGE difference in how much you (and your family and bridal party) enjoy your wedding day, because it's the planner's job to take care of all those little details and any problems that arise.

Want to read more about wedding planners saving the day? Every Last Detail has a great blog post of 101 things that should be included in the job description of a wedding planner.

Want more Tips for Brides?
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

Images from a beautiful morning wedding with Antonia Christianson Events.

Monday Musings

Dear Car, Why is the smell of french fries so overpowering to you? My car never smells like anything else, but one ten minute trip home with french fries and it's all I can smell the next time I get in the car!

Dear Loungewear, Thank you for being an acceptable part of society.

Dear Trello, Thank you. Just thank you. You're one of the main reasons I have any brainpower left at the end of the day.

Dear Cornbread, I'm usually not a boxed mix kind of girl... but you're mighty fine.

Dear Shoe Designers, Why are most winter shoes suede? You know it rains in the winter too, right? 

Ryan Quote of the Week:
You can taste that they've been sitting in North Carolina for a while. 

Photo: CGP Stock

Jiney & Stephen: Ocean View Beach Engagement Session in Norfolk

The longer you're in a relationship with someone, the more you grow and change. Jiney & Stephen have been together for 9 years. And you can tell that they belong together. Because when you do that much growing alongside the same person, you either grow apart or you grow together. And without even realizing it, things that were yours or mine are now ours. You have traditions and inside jokes. You can read each other's expressions in a way that no one else in the world can. You are still two very different people, but at the same time, so much of each of you is the same.

How gorgeous is Jiney's blush dress? When she sent me a picture of it before the session, I got so excited!!! It was so romantic and flowy and so perfect for the beach at sunset!

Ryan and I are so excited for Stephen & Jiney's wedding this fall at the Historic Post Office with Sterling Dawn Events! It's going to be magical!

6 Way to Prepare for Postpartum While Pregnant

During pregnancy I had an extensive to do list, mostly to prepare for the birth, the baby, and my maternity leave from my business. But there were also a few things I did to make the postpartum process easier on myself. Here are 4 things I did to prepare and 2 that I wish I had put more of a focus on!

1. Buy flowy tops and maternity tops that will work after the baby is born. I wish I had put more of a focus on this! You have way more time to shop now than you will when you're trying to keep a newborn asleep in the stroller. I loved fitted maternity clothes that showed off my bump, so I was already in my third trimester when I started thinking about how I was going to dressy my body after baby. So shop now and stock up on flowy tops and anything that is flattering to the midsection. Also make sure you have plenty of comfy pants with loose waistbands - yoga pants, pjs, sweatpants... whatever you want to wear on days you don't need to leave the house. It's recommended to wait to buy nursing bras and you'll also need to go out and buy yourself a new pair of jeans after a month or so. And trust me, that's plenty of shopping for a new mama! (And enjoy shopping! I miss shopping leisurely now. I'm always on a time crunch!)

2. If you plan to breastfeed, find the nursing rooms and bathroom lounges at places you commonly visit. Since you're visiting the bathroom EVERYWHERE you go right now, make note of the department stores and retailers that have nursing rooms. You'll appreciate it later, because it's not something that can easily be Googled. (But if all else fails, you can also use a dressing room.) I also wanted to mention that we love our Milk Snob nursing cover, but it took us a few months to be ready to use a cover.

3. Download a baby app (and a contraction app while you're at it). The first two weeks at home with the baby will be one big blur. You'll have no sense of time and you won't remember even the simplest things. So having your phone tell you how long it's been since your baby ate will be very helpful when you can't figure how why he is crying. (Darcy is 6 months old and we're still using the app to make notes of what time he eats and sleeps!)

4. Stock the freezer. People will be so kind and bring you meals for the first couple weeks, but I don't think I needed to cook anything for the first 6 weeks of Darcy's life because we had stocked the freezer with easy crockpot or baked dish meals. And it was such a blessing! We also made a few batches of zucchini bread, muffins, and breakfast burritos that I could grab for breakfast and snacks. So whether you're making freezer meals in disposable pans or just stocking up from the freezer section of the grocery store, fill the freezer to the brim!

5. Read about babies, not just about birth. This can be an overwhelming task, believe me, I know. But you're going to be thankful that you did. Think about what kind of mama you think you want to be and read about that kind of parenting. (But also know that it might not work for your baby at all and that's okay too!) Also, find a good Facebook group or other support system that you can go to for help. You'll have lots of questions.

6. Streamline your beauty routine. Most days I don't wear makeup, but it's nice to have a quick system when I only have 5 minutes to put it on before running out the door. And if you can't buy the product at Walmart or Target, stock up. Because nobody has time to go to the store just to buy mascara.

Want to see other pregnancy-related posts?
Photographing Weddings While Pregnant
Photographing 3rd Trimester Weddings
Preparing for Postpartum While Pregnant

Monday Musings

Dear Closet, I know you're not quite finished and you're definitely not as custom as the ones on Pinterest, but I must say, you're pretty snazzy. If I got dressed in real clothes more often, I'm sure I'd appreciate you even more.

Dear Pesto, You have my heart.

Dear Cookbooks, Do you feel sad and neglected in the age of Pinterest and food blog? I think Phone Books host a support group for outdated life conveniences. Just saying.

Dear Canned Cat Food, I think you have just as much variety as the frozen food entrees for humans. I'm not sure what to think about that.

Dear Pride & Prejudice, After naming my baby Darcy, I'm not ever allowed to have a different favorite movie, am I?

Ryan Quotes of the Week: 
Baby otter: the ultimate bath toy
(And days later...)
I don't think you realize what otters bring to the table. 

When You Work With Us...

We recently shared something on our Facebook page. Something that explains what we mean when we say we go above and beyond for our clients. Something in response to the "Why do you charge more than so-and-so?"

I wanted to share those thoughts again here, where I have room to expand on them and show you what it truly means to be a CGP Couple.

1. Ryan and I are continually increasing our education, both in photography and in business. We are always researching and learning new techniques that will help us grow CGP. We are members of the Hampton Roads chapter of ILEA (International Live Events Association) which is a valuable way for us to learn more about the industry, both locally and nationally. And we've invested in education like a two day workshop, coaching sessions, and most recently a 6 week online course.

2. We take great care to protect our images. Our cameras record each photo we take to two memory cards inside our camera. And as soon as we get home from the wedding, we start backing them up to the cloud. We lost two hard drives just a few weeks ago (which contained all of our wedding work from 2015 to 2017), but it was all safely backed up to our cloud software.

3. We deliver our client's images via online gallery, so they can easily share them with their friends and family for FREE. Instead of being the only ones holding a coy of their wedding images and needing to make prints for their friends and family, our couples can enjoy being newlyweds and simply forward our image delivery email to their loved ones so they can help themselves!

4. We've been featured on 18 different wedding blogs. Our goal is to have every couple's wedding featured either online or in print. It's a wonderful surprise for our couples, who have put hours and hours of planning into their wedding days. And it also means that we never sit back and go into autopilot on the wedding day. We want to give each wedding our 100% best.

5. We limit the number of weddings we book, not so we can choose which weddings to photograph, but to give our very best to each couple. We believe the experience is just as important as the finished product. And we love building one on one relationships with our couples. We want to be able to remember their names and their stories and connect with them on social media. And we know that we can't do that if we shoot a wedding every weekend all summer long.

We believe that your wedding day deserves the utmost care. I've photographed over 50 weddings, and each wedding day is equally important to us. Your wedding isn't just another wedding on our list. It's YOUR one and only wedding day. When you work with us, you're getting the highest quality we can give you.