It would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to love Audrey & Cody more. They are the type of people I love to photograph. They love each other oogles and oogles and they care more about their marriage than their wedding. 2 minutes into our shoot Cody & Audrey busted out the awkward prom pose. + 10 random points for them. 15 minutes into our shoot Cody picked up an cicada bug and put it on his nose. +25 random awkward points for them. :) I stopped keeping score soon after that because I knew I would not be able to count high enough. Enjoy their images. Also, be sure and stick around till the end and see the awesome save the date video they made.

I’m sure no one reading this ever fights with each other.  I’m sure all you lovely engaged people can’t imagine fighting over anything.  (Except who loves each other more.)  Trust me though, the day will come when one of you does something wrong.  It may start out over how you fold the towels.  The next thing you know you are screaming at each other about who brought the worst in-laws to the family.  Conflict is normal.  How you handle it though can have a HUGE impact in what your marriage is like.

Not long after we were married Danielle and I found out something about each other.

We don’t always agree. (Shocking right.)

At first we had “normal” fights.  The kind where you say things you don’t mean and do your best to win.  Little by little we realized this may not be the best way to resolve conflict.  Over the years, we have practiced fighting and are now actually pretty good at it.  I have learned not to spout every thought that pops into my head.  Danielle has learned to be brave and say the things she is thinking.  Most importantly, we have realized that neither one of us is “out to get” the other.  Disagreements in marriage SHOULD happen.  They show that you are still capable of forming your own thoughts from time to time.  If you are in a relationship that NEVER has conflict, then more than likely, you are in a shallow relationship.

Listen.  Marriage is hard.  Really, really hard.  I know right now you may be neck deep in guest lists, mason jars, and overwhelmed with the amount of options your florist is providing you.  The thing to keep in mind is that you are starting a marriage.  Marriage is a constant balance of being yourself and being whatever your spouse needs you to be.  The longer we are married, the more we understand when to give and when to take.  We have learned that disagreements are normal.  How we handle them though will determine how long we stay married.  AND… the longer we stay married, the more we can argue about who loves each other the most.  :)

 4 AWESOME books on how to resolve conflict.

How to Fight Fair in Your Marriage and Win (Kindle)

The Book of Romance: What Solomon Says About Love, Sex, and Intimacy

Sacred Marriage

From Anger to Intimacy: How Forgiveness Can Transform Your Marriage

Buy them.  Read them.  Become a better fighter.

Ruth & Steve had a super chilled wedding at the Vista on Seward Hill in Austin, TX.  The whole day was about them, their friends, and having fun.  We started the day at the Aloft Hotel.  An uber cool spot to get ready.

On to the Vista for their First Look.
Did I mention The Mug Machine was also there in full force?

Ruth & Steve had plenty of “coverage” at their wedding.  Here I am shooting them along with the guys from Altered Weddings.  (The super talented video crew they had there)

So after having over 3,600 people vote these are the winning images you have chosen.  A few of these categories were super close and decide by only a few votes.

Here are the winning images!

The following images did NOT win, but they were my personal favorites from each category so I wanted to give them a little shout out not he blog as well.

Thanks again to everyone who voted and all you 2012 couple better bring your A game because I already have some serious entries for next year’s contest. :)

These were all great looking and good tasting cakes. (Not that I eat 2 or 3 slices at each wedding.)

Voting runs for about 24 hours. All the winners will be announced tomorrow morning!!!)