hey remember when we were all in high school and we had a prom.  yeah that was fun right?  that prom didn’t just drop in at your high school.  there were a group of students (mostly girls) who made that night happen.  they slaved away for months to make it happen.

so, knowing that a prom takes a committee of people.  why on earth would you think you could plan a prom/church service/vacation/family reunion all on your own.

i am a pretty good photographer.  wait, scratch that.  i’m the best photographer ever.  but what i am not very good at is being a wedding planner or coordinator.  guess what?  your mom, aunt, bff, or cousin who is a sophomore in college is probably not the best either.  that’s why i always love it when brides hire a professional to help them plan and run their day.  it’s some of the best money you can spend when planning a wedding.

good planner make your life easier.  they are worth the money you pay them and then some.  maybe you don’t think you need one.  maybe you think you can handle planning this all on your own.  maybe you are right.  but i think a little help might be just what you need.

i asked super planner extraordinaire taryn coffey of event & company to maybe point out some signs that you may need a planner.  here is what she had to say.

So I’m sure it’s crossed your mind if you don’t have a wedding planner already- “Do I need a wedding planner?” It crossed my mind when I started planned my wedding, but I didn’t act on it, then…it was too late, which is the case SO many times.  So, here are some signs that you might need a wedding planner…

1. You already have full time job and so does your fiancé.

2. You don’t have time to research, read blogs, look for inspiration, and email all day every day.

3. You’re planning a wedding at a place that you nor any of your willing-to-help family members live.

4. You’re relying on another vendor (PHOTOGRAPHER) to handle your wedding day- one who is NOT a wedding planner.

5. Your fiancé is getting mad at you for not spending enough time with him and spending too much time looking at/obsessing over wedding stuff (ok, you might still do this even when you have a wedding planner, but it’s a legit reason).

6. You’ve booked your venue and date, but it’s been a few months and you haven’t done anything else beyond that.

7. You have no clue about what amount to budget for things.

8. You’ve developed ulcers from the stress associated with wedding planning.

9. Family tensions are starting to develop because of the wedding (WARNING: often occurs with female family members!).

10. Panic sets in when you start thinking about your wedding day.

Of course, there are many, many more reasons! Ultimately, you DESERVE to not be stressed about your wedding. You DESERVE to enjoy your wedding day!  Let a planner handle all of your stresses-you deserve to have fun planning your wedding! (And to be as happy as the bride in all the lovely photos Alex takes!)

seriously ladies.
call her: 903.521.9050
email her: Taryn@EastTexasEventandCo.com
make it happen.

I think Carrie & Aaron laughed more than any couple I have photographed in a while.  They just seem totally at home with each other so I am thrilled that  they are willing to share a little part of how their first year of marriage went.  Here are a few images from their wedding last year and then we will dive into what they have to say about being married for 365 days. (and counting)

What do you miss most about the single life? 
Being able to make plans or choosing to have no plans at all without checking with someone first.

GIve us your best cheapo/fun married date idea.
Cooking a fun meal and watching movies at home, going to random small county festivals whenever we see one, taking short weekend vacations just to get out of town.

What have you liked most about your first year being married?
Knowing that whatever kind of day I have had, I will get to come home to my husband/wife and everything will be ok.

What’s been the hardest part about being married?
Learning and accepting the other person’s living habits.

What surpassed you the most? (Either good or bad.)
We both knew that marriage takes work and that is certainly true. However, I think we were both surprised at how much easier and fun life is when you have a constant partner. Even a Tuesday night trip to
the grocery store can feel like a date when you are with someone who simply makes you happy.

What have you fought about most and why?
Deciding who will be responsible for what on a daily basis. We had not really thought about that before getting married and we have had to really work on determining who is in charge of each task in order to
make things go.

What was the biggest thing you were nervous about? How has it turned out?
We both knew that living together 24/7 would be a major adjustment and it has been. When we were dating, I did not notice that Aaron leaves little whiskers all over the sink when he shaves and Aaron did not
realize that I was “psychotic” about the house being spotless when there is even a chance of company coming over. We both have had to learn that we can get annoyed with these little things or just accept them.

Do you have any advice for couples about to take the plunge?
Do whatever you can to really prepare for marriage. We have truly benefited from taking a VOW class prior to getting married. The class gave us the chance to talk about things that we would never had addressed on
our own. It is easy to stress out about whether the tablecloths are the right shade of blue or if the bridesmaids all really like their dresses (they won’t) but try to stay focused on what really matters.

Thanks again you two for sharing some of your awesomeness with the inter webs.  And seriously people.  Take their advice.  Get on the WeVowNow website and take a class.

Jessica & Austin are the exact type of couple I love to photograph. They are giddy about each other and are more excited about getting married than they are planning their wedding. :)  We started their session at Dona Maria, a little mexican food place near Austin’s place.  They eat their pretty much every day and the staff knows them by name.  If you know where this place is, you have to try it.  And, if you see them there, just smile and wave. (Don’t be creepy.)

We then headed off into the city.  Starting at the spot where Austin proposed.

Random awkward photo holding hands with President Bush?  Yes please.

The graffiti brought out the thug in Austin.

Thanks for a great morning.  You two were a blast.

10 years ago i tricked danielle into becoming my wife.  i seriously doubt anyone on earth has had a better decade than i have.  there is no one else i would rather be on this wild ride with.  thank you for choosing me these past  3,653 days. i love you.

So marriage can be a really strange thing.  You get engaged and spend months planning this wedding where everyone is involved and giving you advice.  Then, once you are married, people just kinda forget about you and assume that you totally know what’s going on.  One thing I would love to change is how nebulous and unknown that 1st year can be for couples.  There are tons one great recourses and books out there on the topic, but let’s be honest, if you are on a wedding blog that means you are in full creeper mode right now.  Let’s seize this moment and learn a little from Becca & Brad who totally got married 1 year ago.  Take a peek at some of their images and then keep scrolling to hear what they have to say about the first year of their marriage.

1. What do you miss most about the single life?
Sharing everything. You no longer are just thinking about yourself in decisions.

2. GIve us your best cheapo/fun married date idea.
$5 fillets grilled on the grill from wal-mart (actually pretty good) and a $5 matinee show .

3. What have you liked most about your first year being married?
That through hard times and the good, your no longer having to do things alone!

4. What’s been the hardest part about being married?
Getting through the financial struggles…us both having good jobs at the same time to pay off our debts.

5. What surprised you the most? (Either good or bad.)
We have grown closer to the Lord together and have now finished a book learning about the other person’s love language so even though things are great now…we maintain meeting the other persons needs. If you both focus on the others needs, your both loved and happy. It’s an excellent book.
(7 bucks on Amazon.  Go buy it.)

6. What have you fought about most and why?
Every fuss usually originates from stress about money! I brought debt into this relationship due to college loans and neither of us seem to get our perfect jobs at the same time.

7. What was the biggest thing you were nervous about? How has it turned out?
To be honest …nothing, we were friends first and nothing has really changed for us after marriage!

8. Do you have any advice for couples about to take the plunge?
Best advice…put God first (the couple is never doing things alone) and always be always honest about how you feel. It may cause a fuss at the moment but getting through those, learning everything about the other person, and always being honest sets your future up for success and will keep you from having things build up. Those explosions are never good for anyone. Most of all love your partner and meet their needs.

Thank you two for begin brave, opening up, and letting us peek into your life.