(Voting lasts fro about 24 hours. The winner will receive a 16×20 image. Winners will be announced on Monday.)

Just like yesterday voting runs for about 24 hours so hop on it. (Winners will be announced February 13th)

What have you liked most about your first year being married?
Building a home And life together

Give us your best cheapo/fun married date idea.
Going swimming on the lake

What’s been the hardest part about being married?
Learning each other, what not to do and say

What surpassed you the most?  (Either good or bad.)
The love we have for each other.

What have you fought about most and why?
Little things (what way to put the toilet paper on the holder)

So if I remember right, you guys don’t Facebook.  Why is that?
We stay in touch with friends other ways and everyone else doesn’t matter.

Do you have any advice for couples about to take the plunge?
Have fun with each other laugh and love through everything.

Parts are parts? 

Do you remember the commercial where the disgruntled, messy chickens were flying down the road in an old beat up car? They wanted to become Foster Farm chickens…you know…the excellent chickens. Those goofy birds finally got it – you can fluff them up all you want but they are still messy, skinny ole birds!!

Flowers are not just flowers! They have so many variables to them, so many grades. I remember when guys would come into the flower shop asking for a dozen long stem roses. Little did they know, a long stem rose is really only a second grade rose. Roses come in many lengths and with each come different head sizes. The longer the rose stem, the bigger, fuller and prettier a rose head can be. For example, a rose can be purchased in 40, 50, 60, 70 and even 80 centimeters. The “long stem” rose is about a 50 cm rose so you can see there are usually three sizes that are bigger and fuller. The other grading system is medium, long, fancy and extra fancy. So, you can see the “long stem” rose isn’t really such a big deal!! I usually explain this to my brides by making another comparison – take for example jeans. You can buy a pair from Walmart for say $15.00 and you can buy  a pair of Miss Me for $100.00 (yes, I know there are a lot that are even more expensive) Now, they are both jeans….both have two legs, both are denim, both have pockets, both have a zipper, both can be worn to the movies but you sure wouldn’t say they are the same!! Well, the same can be said for flowers ….just because someone says…I can make a bridal bouquet of all red roses for $100.00 doesn’t mean there is going to be any comparison to a spectacular high grade rose. On the surface it’s easy to be fooled but get the two in front of you and I assure you, you’ll pick the better one! The problem lies in a bride and her mom picking out that one of a kind bouquet not knowing the right questions to ask. You see, a florist never says, “Well, it will be made with 36 Ecuadorian, 70 to 80 cm all white roses. The variety will be Polar Star.” They just say, “It will be an all white rose bouquet.”  Then they can show up with whatever they want much to your chagrin! Now, you might say “I don’t even want roses” well, ALL flowers are selected and graded. There are florist grade and supermarket grade. There are always variables to each and every flower.

That leads me on another topic….colors are not just colors! Red is not just red, there is red to the orange side and red to the blue side! For example, tomatoes and blood red – you can imagine there are lots of shades of red in between. White can be to the yellow side or green, purple can be to the pink or blue sides! All the colors are not the  same….all the varieties are not the same…all the qualities are not the same….Parts are not parts in chickens or flowers!

Fake flowers are just that….FAKE!

To many times a bride gets her hopes up on a particular flower that maybe she saw in a local craft shop. She’ll come in with a few plastic or silk flowers and think we can provide her with them in real flowers only to be disappointed. In the days of Google images, it’s so easy to see if the flowers you prefer come in the colors you want. Check it out…it’s a great tool!

Magazines and blogs are giving brides unrealistic visions of color! To many times the editor or blogger is enhancing the color to “make it prettier” or more with today’s trend. Some (of course not AlexM…lol) photographers are “color correcting” and this changes the color as well as the expectation of the bride.

Brides….did you know that the groom has responsibility in paying for some of the flowers? Grooms and/or their parents are responsible to pay for the brides bouquet, the portrait bouquet, all the men’s boutonnieres and the mother’s and grandmother’s corsages or posy’s. Ask the florist to separate  the flower totals and make two copies of the contract so one can be presented to the groom. It will take you out of the equation and give credence to asking them to pay for their part.

When consulting with a florist, make sure you find one that has pictures of their own work and will guide you through the decision making process. I do my best to make sure to capture each and every brides vision of their day as each is as unique and special as every bride. So much of the time I see a bride come in for her last meeting with me and she’s exhausted and “just can’t wait for it to be over with!” Remember to ask for help, hire the very best professionals, let go of a few of the decisions and take time to relax and enjoy the best day of your life!

Wishing you a happily ever after!
Barbara | La Tee Da

Didn’t I tell you she was awesome?
Still wanna see more?  Take a look at all the “La Tee Da Weddings” I’ve photographed the past few years.

This means…..

This November we are at DisneyWorld & last year the kids got coal in their Christmas stockings.

Things were a little slow but hey, at least I had two kick butt sessions.  Thanks you guys for being awesome!

If something looks nice it’s because one of these wedding vendors made it happen.

Cakes: Adalante Catering
DJ/Uplighting: CMB DJs
Flowers: La Tee Da Flowers
Venue: Villa di Felicita
Videographer: Video Magic

Here is a little peek at their wedding album.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

This awesome!

Happy Anniversaries to Bethany & Nathaniel, Jennifer & Jeb, Courtney & Jonathan, and Julia & Robert!!

I’ve taken a photo similar to this one before but just could not resist doing it again.

Lots of laughing and smiling at their First Look.

If you love this bouquet from La Tee Da Flowers raise your hand.  (Look at all those hands.)

AMAZING cake from Frosted Art.

More amazing florals from La Tee Da.

I love this shot of Aaron laughing at Carrie as she gets hairsprayed to death.

Big shout out to Casey from CMB DJs for all the great music.

Yes the McKellars are pregnant.  Yes one of them is starting to show.

La Te Da Flowers?  Yes please.
She also has this fantastic head piece that she’ll be wearing for her reception.  Find it and more like it here on Etsy.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to take a quick peek back at my favorite image from each wedding.  Here they are for your viewing pleasure.

I love what La Tee Da Flowers did for the bridesmaids.

Their First Look (and wedding) was filled with so much laughter.  I love cheerful weddings.

I asked them to sit on the couch “like they normally would”.  This is what Will came up with.

Am I allowed to like photos that are out of focus?

The night ended in typical wedding fashion.  With the bride singing karaoke.

The girls and their socks.

Major props to La Te Da Flowers for all the centerpieces and florals at this wedding.

The girls without sock.  (But with cool shoes.)

Love how they decorated the arch at the Villa di Felicita.  Can’t wait for a bride to do all three arches!!!

The Village Bakery in Tyler doing what they do.  Tasty too, not that I had a piece.
About as “formal” as they get.
DJ Goldman made sure everyone danced for about 4 hours.  It was epic.

Vanessa & Brent McKellar were also their doing their video thing.  (Hit the bottom of this post to see their wedding trailer.)

Q: How do you end such a great wedding?
A: Crowd surfing.

You two were so much fun to shoot.  I had a blast spending the day with you and can’t wait to get you more photos.  Maybe your trailer from Vanessa & Brent McKellar can keep you satisfied for a little bit longer.

Ashley & Chase’s Trailer | Tyler, TX from Vanessa McKellar Productions on Vimeo.

Part 1.

Part 2:  Last year I asked one of my brides who broke off her engagement if she would be willing to share what that process was like and everything that it involved.  She was kind and brave enough to say yes.  It is still one of the most viewed pages on my website and  was the top Google result for broken engagement for a while last year.  Regardless of how great your engagement  or relationship is you should take the time to read what Kristin had to share.  (Read her story here.)

Brandi happy with her son in The Mug Machine.

Brandi less happy with her son in The Mug Machine.

I showed up about 5 hours before the wedding and La Tee Da Flowers had already been there, made everything purdy.  Brides, when picking a florist, make sure they arrive with plenty of time to spare.  I’ve worked with some who show up 1 hour before the ceremony.  (Not cool.)

First Look time.

Brandi’s son then crashed the First Look party.  (In a good way.)

Brandi’s son then crashed.  (In a good way.)

The reception went on FOR-EV-ER.  (In a good way.)

Brandi checking a song request with CMB DJs

Much more to come later this week.

First off, let me just say I’m a huge fan of kids.  (Danielle & I made 4)  However, sometimes kids and weddings don’t mix so well, so here are a few tips to help ease the process.

1.  They Are In Charge

As much as possible work with THEIR schedule.  If you are having younger kids (Ages 1-4) in your wedding, do your best to let the day before and day of your wedding be as “normal” as possible.  Don’t try and keep them up till 9:45 at the rehearsal dinner and expect them smiling for photos at 8:00AM.  Most of this will fall on the parents.  But, let the parents know that you are aware that the little people have their own time table and you are willing to work with them.

2. Don’t Dress Them Up Too Soon

Every little girl can’t wait to put her dress on and every little boy can’t wait to take his suit off.  That’s just the reality.  The problem is the minute you put her dress on is the minute everyone starts expecting her to “act” like a princess.  The girl is 2, she’s going to drool, sit, and spit up on the dress.  Wait till the last minute to put it on.  The same is true of the boys.  If grown men don’t enjoy a suit, tie, vest, and pointy shoes, why do we think a 4 year old boy will.

3.  Entertain Them

Have an iPod or little DVD player in the dressing room.  This will keep them sitting still and quite.  (Two things you’ll want.)  Stickers, and coloring books are also a hit.  It’s also a great Idea to have a surprise toy waiting for them in their seat near the front if you want them to stick around.

4.  Shoot Them First

Plan on getting them dressed and walking them out to be photographed.  The last thing you want is to have them dressed and 2 hours go by before they are in any photos.  (They will look drastically different than what you imagined.)  If a kid does not want to be photographed there is NOTHING anyone can do to change their mind.  The best approach is to let them sit a few out and maybe try again later in the day.

5. Practice Does NOT Make Perfect

More than likely they will do great at your rehearsal.  The problem is the wedding day is slightly different.  The rehearsal is smaller, more intimate, and they probably know 65% of the people there.  The wedding is a HUGE production with 1,000,000 eyeballs staring straight at them.  Walking down the aisle with everyone staring at you makes the bride nervous.  It has the same affect on lots of kids.  If possible have a parent or grandparent near the front so the kids have someone to walk towards.  I’ve even see the groom meet them half way down and escort them the rest of the way.

6. Chillax

There are 350 people at your wedding.  Most of them know and understand that kids act like…. kids.  If they cry and fuss and don’t want to go down the aisle; it’s OK, you can still get married.  (Our ring bearer spiked the pillow like a football when he got to the front.)  If they insist on looking like an airplane during formals; it’s OK, you can still get married.

Kids really are a blast at weddings and they do and say some of the funniest things.  Nothing makes a little girl feel quite as special as getting all dressed up and having her picture taken while people tell her she’s beautiful.  That is after all why you’re getting married right?

Also celebrating it’s 1 year anniversary is The Mug Machine.  She was but a twinkle in my eye last year and now my baby is all grown up and walking.  Seriously though, a big big HUGE thank you to Erin & Chris.  I called Erin about 1 week before her wedding and said something like this.

“Hey I have this big white thing and a box full of strange hats, can I bring it to your wedding and take pictures of people?”  I can’t really show you what it would look like since I have never done it before.  You trust me though right? ”

Thankfully Erin & Chris’ cool meter was dialed to 11 and they were up for it.  Here are a few of my favorites from their wedding.