Wedding Wednesday: 10 Tips To Make Your Wedding Day Run Smoother by Asheville, NC Wedding and Portrait Photographer

As some of you may have noticed, lately, I have been starting some new series on here and today I am adding a new series: Wedding Wednesdays! From the moment I saw Cinderella and watched Her and the Prince get married, I have been completely smitten with all things wedding! I don't know everything about weddings , but after 3 years of shooting weddings I have slowly figured out some things that you should and shouldn't do on your wedding day! I don't know about you...but I am all about doing something that will simplify my life and make it easier, read on below if you want to find out 10 Tips to make your wedding day run smoother! 

1.) Stay hydrated....it sounds like a simple thing, but you would be amazed at how many brides forget to drink water and then go stand out in the hot sun at a Spring/Summer wedding and nearly pass out. Drinking water will not only help you stay hydrated, but it will also help your skin look fresher in photos. 

2.) Allot more time for getting your hair and makeup done and pictures than you might think you would need too.  Things always take longer than you think they will and it is better to allow some wiggle room than to plan you timeline so tightly that if one thing runs behind it messes up the timeline for the rest of the day. Also, consider doing a trial run before your wedding day with your hairstylist and makeup artist just to make sure that you are all on the same page and it will also help you to have a time estimate of how long it may take you on your big day to get ready. 

3.) Try to keep the room where the photographer will be taking your getting ready photos as free of clutter as possible. A good way to do this is to pick a spot in the room that is out of the way where everyone can put their stuff.  Doing this will ensure that when you get back those photos of your putting on your wedding dress there won't be purses, empty garment bags, etc... in the background.

4.) When it comes to picking out a room to get ready in, try to pick a room that has lots of natural light and at least several windows. The natural light will mean that your photographer can take some beautiful getting ready photos without having to turn on any yellow bulbed lamps or fluorescent lights and the windows will make a great place for the photographer to position you so that the natural light from the window can light your face and features without majorly blowing out the details of your dress. 

5.) Consider doing "first look photos!" I know that in the South this typically goes against what is considered traditional, but doing first look photos will mean that after your wedding ceremony instead of having to do bridal party pictures, pictures of you and the groom with your families, and individual pictures of you and the groom as a couple....you will only have to do the latter two. Some brides ask me "what is a first look?" A first look is when prior to the wedding you find a private spot to take pictures of the bride and groom together where they will see each other for the first time. Typically what I will do is find a spot, position the bride so that her back will be facing the groom as he walks in, make the groom close his eyes and lead him to his bride and then once he is standing in front of her open his eyes! This private time between the bride and groom makes for some very magical, intimate moments! It is a great time for the two of you to relax prior to the ceremony and just have some private time away from prying eyes ;) Another benefit of doing first look photos is it ensures that you will be able to get to your reception and guests sooner rather than later. I could go on and on about the benefits of doing first look photos, but suffice it to say that if you do them your photographer will love you and your guests will love you too because they will get to see more of you at the reception! 

6.) Actually take a few minutes at your reception to sit down and eat and enjoy just hanging out with your family/friends! When you get to your reception it is very likely that you will be busy talking to your guests, so talk to your maid of honor (or matron) or wedding coordinator about having plates of food set aside for you and the groom. You spent all that time taste testing and picking out the menu for your wedding, it is only right that you get to sample some of the fruits of your labor!

7.) Consider having a technology free wedding or at least technology free ceremony! Now before your ready to say "Off with her head," over this, hear me out: in our social media, technologically drenched world I know that this might be a foreign concept to some, but having a wedding where people aren't constantly worried about getting that next shot to post on instagram can be a breath of fresh air. As a photographer it is so hard for me when I am doing a wedding and during what should be special, intimate moments I am having to fight for a spot to take pictures with guests who are holding up camera's, cellphones, or all photographer's dreaded item....the IPAD duh duh duh! I totally understand that when guests go to a wedding they are all dressed up and excited about the event taking place, so taking a snapshot or few throughout the wedding is a given, but it would also be nice for them to just sit in the moment and enjoy the wedding as it is happening and leave the real picture taking and capturing of moments up to the photographer.

8.) Make a list prior to the wedding of family members that you want to make sure to get a photo with at your wedding! It is so incredible for me on a wedding day when I know beforehand which family members I need to prioritize getting a photo of the bride and groom with. Having this list will mean that the formal family photo time that might take around 45 mins. could be shortened down to 20-30 minutes just by being organized. 

9.) Hire a makeup artist to do your makeup and possibly even your bridesmaids makeup! A professional makeup artist will know the best ways to bring out the your beautiful features and what makeup products will photograph the best! 

10.) My last tip may seem like a no-brainer to some, but my last tip for your wedding day is to just relax and take it all in! Is it fun to have a beautiful wedding day full of diy decor and blog worthy moments?! sure.... but really at the end of the day what matters so much more than that is just enjoying the day where you are making a commitment to the person you love more than anyone else in the world! 

Book Review Monday: Julie Andrews Autobiography, Home, Review by Asheville, NC Wedding and Portrait Photographer

I want to start doing some new series of posts on here, but since I get bored easily and have several different strong interests I thought I would make Mondays "Music Mondays and Book Review Mondays." Two of my great loves are music and reading!! 

I also love thrift shopping and recently while at Goodwill with my mom, I picked up a brand new copy of Julie Andrews autobiography "Home."  (enjoy the fancy photo below I took of the book one day when I was reading and enjoying my favorite snack of spicy peanuts :)

I was born and raised on "The Sound of Music," and "Mary Poppins!" At the age of six when most girls were requesting to watch princess movies and cartoons, I would sit and watch as Julie Andrews enchantedly danced her way across the screen and sang her way into my heart! I typically don't read a lot of autobiographies, I usually am more into historical fiction novels, but I knew an autobiography by my childhood hero wouldn't disappoint! 

Home is a recounting of Julie Andrews earlier years! I was amazed to find out that she had quite the rough childhood. Her parents divorced when she and her younger brother were at a young age and she was passed back and forth between the two of them throughout her childhood, though she spent the vast majority of her time with her mother and alcoholic, abusive stepfather. Julie expressed an interest in music and singing from a young age and was essentially raised in show business, by her show business momager...picture "Dance Moms," except with the backdrop of post World War Two England as the setting and minus some of the mom fights (though Julie's mother and stepfather had their fair share of fights). 

She was classically trained by Madame Stiles-Allen and though she didn't choose a career in opera as her teacher wished for her too, I think it was her firm foundation in the classics that helped her bring such force and vivacity to characters such as Eliza Doolittle, Maria von Trapp, and Mary Poppins. 

In Home, Julie, discusses at length starring in some of her first Broadway plays and I most especially enjoyed where she talked about acting in the modern adaption of Pygmalion (aka My Fair Lady) with the dynamo actor, Rex Harrison. The book concludes right before Julie Andrews began work on "Mary Poppins," and the only thing I would've changed about the book was possibly just having it include a little more on her work on Mary Poppins or even having it go all the way to the point of her being cast as Maria Von Trapp. 

I loved reading Home because it helped me to see that even with the rough upbringing she had, Julie Andrews charming personality and resilience still managed to shine through in the hard situations she was put in.  If you were already a Julie Andrews fan before reading this book, you will love her even more after reading Home! She is every bit as talented, hardworking, funny, endearing, and loveable as you would imagine her to be! 

Your Hand in Mine, a Birthday Post for My Hubby by Asheville, NC Wedding and Portrait Photographer

Maybe I am one of those overly sentimental people that thinks that every moment is special, but today really is one of the days that is most special in my mind. I collect moments in my hand, clinging tightly to them and some of those most vivid moments in my mind are from the times that Stephen and I have spent together. 

Today is not just any day, today is my husband's birthday! Ever year since I have had this blog, I have wrote my husband a birthday post on it because Stephen's birthday is something worth noting in my book! Stephen burst into my life like a bright light making me laugh and helping me to see the sunny part of each day...no matter what that day might have been like. I was talking to Stephen last night on the phone just about how life is so much better when he is beside me and I truly meant it. Babe, you are the bright spot to each of my days, composer of beautiful music, guy that fixes my computer when I've screwed it up for what seems like the millionth time, sunny side up egg maker, my own personal comedian, my toaster at night when my feet are cold and you are roasting, #1 cuddlebuddy (besides Will and Sammy), the calm to my worry, you are the best part of me. 

When Stephen and I were dating we listened to a lot of music by "This Will Destroy You," and "Explosions in The Sky," and in particular we listened to the songs off of this album.  One of the songs we listened to was called "Your Hand in Mine," and I think it's so fitting for how I feel about Stephen.  I can face any storm that may come, anything that may be thrown my way, as long as his hand is in mine. Happy Birthday Sweetheart! 

Living in the NOW by Asheville, NC Wedding and Portrait Photographer

Lately I've been thinking a lot about seasons and just the passing of time and how I handle it. 

Right now my hubby and I have been apart due to him being away working, I have been very fortunate to be able to live with my parents during this time, but I would be lying if I said that being apart from my sweet husband and best friend is easy. It is hard and somedays I have to just fight to not let myself slip into the gloom of missing him. 

Last time Stephen went and worked in Canada for the winter season, I did not handle it well....I honestly pretty much hibernated for the 3 months that he was away.  I occasionally ventured out to take pictures and eat dinner with my family, but other than that I kept to myself and isolated myself far more than I truly should have. This time around I resolved to acknowledge my feelings of missing him and occasionally let myself have a cry over it, but I really have tried to be stronger and to use this time to work on myself, my health, spending time with my family, honing my photography skills and business, and growing closer to God. 

I don't want to be a person that is so caught up in what will happen in the future, that I miss out on what is happening in the NOW. Tonight as the snow was pouring outside I sat down with my parents and watched the movie "The Spectacular Now." The movie is pretty depressing honestly lol....it is basically a story about a high school boy that at the age of 18 is an alcoholic and has been numbing himself to being present in the now and feeling the emotions and experiencing life as it happens. At the end of the movie, he finally realizes what he has been doing and stops drinking and starts living in the moment. 

I am a planner by nature and I love to think about the things that are going to happen in the future! Leading up to before I met Stephen, I didn't date anyone, but I also spent a lot of time thinking about my potential husband....oh could this guy be my husband or could that guy over there be my husband...that I missed out on just being present and happy with where God had me at in my life at that point in time. When I stopped relying on my own timing to meet a husband and started trusting in God's timing, THAT that was the exact moment that God chose to bring Stephen into my life. God's timing is so much better than my timing and I can only trust that the season He has me in right now is preparing me for the season that is to come. 

So with a heart set on living in the NOW and being happy with whatever season God has me currently in, I sign off for the night! 

Pursuit 31 North Carolina Beach Retreat by Asheville, NC Wedding and Portrait Photographer

Wow! Where to begin when it comes to Pursuit 31 and what it has meant to meet the past several years?! I started pursuing photography as a hobby when I was around 15 and then after Stephen and I got married in 2010 I started my business. When I first started my business I knew I loved taking pictures and photography, but I was clueless about how to run a business, what sort of gear I needed to buy, what editing programs were the best programs to use and so on. In Spring 2011 another photographer added me to the big Pursuit 31 group and things have took off from there! Pursuit 31 is a Facebook group for Christian women photographers who are striving to honor and pursue God's will not just in their personal life, but also in their business as well.  I honestly at this point can't imagine my life without Pursuit 31! Ask me who my best friends are and I will start listing off women that I have met because of Pursuit 31. I know it sounds a little crazy to say that I have 4000 friends who are all over the world and who just so happen to share the same passion as me for photography and God, but it's honestly the truth. P31 is one of the rare places where I have seen women who truly have hearts to serve others and God and the cattiness/cliques, etc... that can usually be associated with a group of girls is just not present, it is SO refreshing!

Stephen and I are very fortunate every year in the Fall to lead worship at the annual Pursuit 31 Conference in Rome, GA at the Winshape Retreat Center and Karen's belief in us and our abilities has meant so much to me over the past two years! If you are interested in attending the conference this year, you can find out more info. about that here: Pursuit 31 Conference.

For the past two years I have been the regional leader for the Pursuit 31 North Carolina Group and this past weekend in Topsail Island the P31 North Carolina ladies got together for our first ever retreat in a beautiful house by the sea. The theme of our weekend and styled shoot (which you will see more images from later next week) was "Gatsby by The Sea." What amazed me so much over the weekend was how God took a group of relative strangers and unified us within two short days. We came into the weekend as strangers and left as friends! One of the things that God kept speaking through all of us over the weekend was using our gifts for His Kingdom, not letting the labels that others have placed on us and that we have placed on ourselves dictate how we live our lives now....all that matters now is who GOD says we are, and also not living our life or making our business decisions based out of a place of fear. I am a HUGE fan of the She Reads Truth Devotion Plans and I am currently reading through the "She Reads Truth Women in the Bible, Part 3," and one of the most recent things I read from that plan was,"You story is not your sin, your story is His Grace!" I think that perfectly sums up our weekend and what God was whispering into our hearts....on our own we will never be enough, we are flawed, we make mistakes and fall short, but with God we are more than enough!

HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to Betty Grantham and Lee Johnson who came and donated their time and made all of the meals for us during the retreat! These two made delicious meals, decorated and themed each meal, and loved on all of us as if we were their children!! Also huge thank you to Triple Threat Cupcakes for providing the amazing beach-themed cupcakes, I had one of the banana pudding ones and it was SOOOOOO good!