One of my favorite parts of weddings is seeing the connection that brides & grooms have with their parents.  I love being able to capture the expression and little moments that they have with each other throughout the day.  I’ll be honest, with 3-6 bridesmaids, 3-6 groomsmen and all your “extra” friends, it’s very easy for parents to get pushed to the side on your wedding day.  That’s why I LOVE when I see a bride who seems able to juggle all of these dynamics on her wedding day.  From our first meeting, I felt like Jessica & her mom “clicked” when it came to her wedding.  I thought it would be fun to hear what the planning process was like from Jessica’s mom’s point of view.
(One last note:  I promise I didn’t ask her to rave about my photos, but I’m glad she did.)

Sept. 25, 2010 turned out to be one of the happiest days of my life.  That is the day my first born child and precious daughter joined her life in marriage to my new son-in-law.  My daughter and I planned her wedding day completely in less than 6 months. These were the sweetest 6 months we have ever spent together and I think forever marked a turning point in our relationship from not only mother and daughter, but also best friends.  I will tell you, there were moments of stress and disagreement.  But in the end, no matter how I felt, I just had to constantly remind myself that this was her day, not mine.  This was all about her.  Times have changed so much since I got married.  I will never forget when she came to me and said she wasn’t walking down the aisle to “Here Comes the Bride”.  I was in complete shock, I couldn’t believe it.  How in the world do you not walk down the aisle to that song?  How would anyone know when the bride was coming and when they should stand?  I just could not even fathom this idea.  But, this was her day, not mine.  I had 6 months to get used to it and by the end, I was completely ok with it and it turned out perfectly.  But then she came to me and said she was going to see her groom before the ceremony so we could take photographs before the wedding.  What?  No way!  This can not happen!  It’s bad luck!  Again, I could not fathom this and again, I relented and it turned out perfectly and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.  It saved so much time and our guests weren’t kept waiting at the reception.  Times have changed since we were getting married. I would just encourage all mothers who are planning a wedding with their daughter, to keep an open mind.  And above all remember, this day is all about her, even if we are paying the bill, this is her day.

Planning a wedding will definitely have its stressful moments.  They are just unavoidable. But we eliminated as much stress as we could by pretty much leaving everybody else and their opinions out of it.  Grandparents, fathers, siblings, cousins, friends, they all have their own opinions and want to share.  Really, it doesn’t matter what they think anyway, so why stress for one minute trying to make them happy.  This day is all about her.

Another thing I will say moms is when the wedding day comes, just enjoy the day.  Do not designate yourself to do absolutely anything other than cleanup after the whole thing is over with.  This is such a special day that you will never ever have again.  Delegate, delegate, delegate and do nothing yourself.  Don’t even bring a camera with you.  Which brings me to the absolute, without a doubt, most important thing you will need for this day… the photographer.  If you only splurge on one single thing for the whole wedding, it needs to be this.  Moms, again, keep an open mind.  I wasn’t convinced of this either in the beginning, but my daughter felt strongly about this from day one.   She had her photographer (AlexM) picked out before she was ever engagaged. I was, lets just say, a little skeptical.  I mean, everybody at the wedding will have camera phones right?  Why do I need a photographer?   That is, until I met Alex and saw some of his work.  In a matter of minutes I was as convinced as she was about it and that was that.  The best investment without a doubt.  I promise, you won’t regret it.

Also, as I look back, I just must share this.  I tortured myself for weeks over plastic or real dishes.  I wanted real everything, but daughter wanted plastic.  This turned out to be one of the best decisions we made for that day.  It is so much easier and less stressful.  Plastic all the way, and it is just as beautiful.

Our wedding was almost 5 months ago.  I miss it.  I want to do it again, but I just can’t.  Thank goodness I have all of my beautiful pictures from that day so I can relive it over and over again for many years to come.

Moms and daughters, as your planning your big day, have fun, don’t stress too much and just enjoy this time.  Your big day will be here and gone before you know it.  And you know what comes next moms……. grandchildren!  I know I can’t wait.    I hope your day will be as special as ours was :)

I can’t wait for Jennifer & Steven’s wedding at Ashton Gardens in Dallas.  These two were so much fun on their engagement session and I knew her bridal session would be a blast as well.  Here are just a few of the images we got.

Of course she was rockin’ some of Steven’s favorite kicks. (+5 cool points for her.)
She found this boquete on Etsy from a designer in Australia. (+10 cool points.)
She also managed to work her mom’s fur coat into the shoot. (+20 cool points for making mom feel loved.)

She topped off the session with a parasol she picked up in Italy. (+15 cool points.)

She ended the session with tons of great images and a grand total of 50 cool points.  Not bad at all.

2 exciting things are launching today.  One has to do with what you can wear to your wedding.  The other has to do with what my kids will watch while I’m gone shooting your wedding.  We’ll start with your wedding dress first.

I’ll be super honest with you, I only know 1 thing about Anthropologie, ladies love that website.  So, I figure the fact that they are launching a line of wedding gowns might be worth pointing out. :)  These dresses look amazing.  I can’t wait to shoot a bride in one of these things.  Here a just a few of them.

They also have bridesmaid dresses and things to put on your head as well as things to put your feet in!!! (They even have braziers for sale.)

Head over to the site to see everything they have to offer and to lose the next 1 hour of your day. :)

Also everyone in my house is super excited about the launch of a new show: “Jake and the Neverland Pirates.”  We love us some Peter Pan and this looks like it will totally take care of our Captain Hook fix.  If you have little people in your house, you should check out this show.  You can even get the first THREE episode for free on iTunes. (Click here.)

This past December I was able to shoot out at Stone Oak Ranch for the first time.  It’s a fantastic venue and knew right away that I wanted to run a little interview with them.  Rhonda was nice enough to answer a few of my questions.  They do a fantastic job taking care of their brides so if you are looking for a place to get married in the Murchison area then you have to consider them.

How did you guys get started, how long have you been doing this?

We got started when I couldn’t find my sister a place to get married. I joke I was having a mid-life crisis & needed a boyfriend, a motorcycle, or a new job. A new job won out & we opened in April 2010!!
What is your favorite part about your job?

The creativity is by far my favorite part. Every wedding is as unique as the bride & groom. I like to try new ideas & “think outside the box!”

What is the craziest thing that has ever happened at your venue? (This of course does not mean that you were responsible for the crazy.)

we are in the country & our neighbors have a bassett hound that likes to visit during weddings….we normally are on the lookout & catch him on the way over, but one time he slipped by us & joined in on the father-daughter dance.

What are some things brides should look for when looking for a venue?

A place that fits her & her fiances’ personality! Where do they feel comfortable, weddings should be fun, you are hosting one of the biggest parties of your life! Next, the not so fun part, is budget, the villa in Southern France may not work! Finally time of year, inside vs outside, inclement weather plans, packaging, most of all….be flexible.

What is something unique to your venue that you are extra proud of?

I love our outdoor chapel. The one thing I told everyone was “I’m not a gazebo girl…” my best friend’s husband came up with the design & built it for the ranch!

Anything else you wanna say?

Just remember no wedding is perfect and the things that “go wrong” will make the best stories on your anniversaries! Most of all, it’s truly about marrying the person you love & starting a new life together, ….even if the cake is not perfect, or it rains, you still have each other through the good & bad.

Also, here are about 3.2 million photos from a recent wedding I shot out there. :)

Here is all of their contact info.

Stone Oak Ranch
10204 CR 3807
Murchison, TX 75778
903.530.4201
http://www.stoneoakranch.com

Also, look for this spread from Kristi & Kiley’s wedding in the next issue of The Wedded Bliss.

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? :)