So one of the many many perks of being married is you get to inherit a lot of “stuff”.  One of the items that made it’s way into our house was a wood cutout of my wife when she was a high school cheerleader. Take a look.

Super awesome right?  Anyway, I have no idea where the wallet size photos that she got 15 years ago went.  Even the mighty 8×10 prints have gone missing.  The only thing that stood the test of time was this 12 inch tall cut out.  I can’t even begin to guess what her dad “overpaid” for this thing?  29.99?  49.99?  Did he drop 74.99 on this?  I don’t know and I don’t care, and the reality is he does not know or care either.  I’m just glad we have it.  It’s a tangible thing we can pick up and hold, our kids love to look at it and it’s one of our most valuable family heirlooms.  (That might be a stretch but you get the point.)

The same is true of your wedding album.  Today everyone Facebooks and tweets photos left and right and it may seem silly to get a big giant book that tells the story of your day, but the reality is hard drives crash, prints come and go, and how would you feel if all your awesome wedding photos were only on MySpace. :)  Yeah, exactly.  A nice wedding album will last a super long time.  It’s something you and your kids will eventually look at and something that will get passed down.  How awesome would it be to have a wedding album from your grandparents wedding?

The thing is, you don’t have to just take my word for it.  A few months ago I photographed another wedding photographer’s wedding.  Megan is super computer savvy and takes more photos in 1 week than you might in 3 months so “digital files” are something she knows how to deal with.  But she also knows that just having a “disc” is not enough.  In the end she wanted an album.  I’m super glad Megan & Mitch got one and it’s heading out the door to them today but before it left I thought I’d share a few images with you and let you take peek inside.  Enjoy.

You can take a look at her whole album below.

So some of my favorite people in the world had a gender reveal party for their baby a few days ago. (The baby is still in her tummy or that would be extra awkward.)

Anyway, Brent & Vanessa McKellar are some of the most creative people I know so when she mentioned having The Mug Machine at her party I knew it would be a smash hit.  Don’t believe me?  Take a look:

Yes we did.

These two are getting married on 1-1-12.  I can’t wait to shoot their wedding.

Vanessa’s parents.  Great with pillow.

Vanessa & Erika.  Yes ladies, that’s Erika of Erika & Phil fame.

Family photo.

Our lovely host.  Who for some reason decided to point a sword at Vanessa’s womb.

So want to find out what she’s having?  Take a look at the little video she put together below.

Jessica & Justice had a super fun and super casual wedding this past weekend at The Reserve in Longview.  I’ve got too many photos to blog so no blabbing from me, let’s get to the images.

You can see Justice change from nervous to super happy during their First Look.

I jumped down into what used to be a pond/lake.  It was dry, empty, and sad, but it made for a cool photo.

YOu know it’s the summer of 2011 when everyone is thankful it’s only 91.

Raise your hand if you ever had Glamour Shots done.  (I should start offering those to my clients, I’m totally leaving money on the table.)

A few more quirky portraits.

CMB DJs owned the reception and this kid owned Michael Jackson, the whole wedding stopped to watch him dance.

So we all grew up knowing that the guy is the one who rescues the girl.

Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, they all needed a guy to help them climb out of their problem.  Then somewhere along the way everyone decided that women do not need to be rescued.  They are capable of rescuing themselves.  Women can do anything men can do.  Better.  The irony of this way of thinking became super clear to me when my sister-in-law asked me to “help her move.”  One of the things she could not move was a giant, heavy framed poster you may recognize.

Ladies I’m here to let you in on a secret.  We need to be rescued just as much as you do.  Your fiance’ may not tell you this because he’s still trying to impress you.  But, somewhere along the way, you will realize that he is just as insecure and doubtful of himself as you are.  The longer Danielle & I are married, the more willing we are to open up about our fears and shortcomings.  This is not something that happens instantly when you get engaged or married.  This is something that takes years of practice and work.  AND, as men it’s something that we resist.  It’s super hard for us to admit our faults.  It’s scary to tell you that we are nervous about commitment. We are told by society never to look you in the eye and say “I do not have everything under control.”

But, as scary as it is for me to open up about my shortcomings to Danielle, it’s even scarier for me to hide them.  I LOVE that talking to her is safe.  I love knowing that she likes me regardless of my failures.  This has happened because time and time again when I have opened up, she has never recoiled or pushed me away.  She has never made fun of me in public.  I know that everyone around could be pointing at me and laughing and she would stand and defend me to the end.

My advice to you ladies is this: if you want your guy to open up, if you want your guy to “talk” to you, then become his number one cheerleader.  Never criticize him in public.  Never “compare” him to another man.  The more you stand by him publicly, the more likely he is to open up to you privately.  You both need to be rescued and the sooner you work on rescuing him, the sooner he’ll be ready to rescue you. :)

Two awesome people got married.  They invited lots of friends.  They gave away shoes.