Meagan & Joe had such a fantastic wedding day at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock, AR.

They had such a great time during their First Look; we are gonna jump straight to those photos. :)

I love when couples have a chance to just sit and talk before their day gets rolling.  Joe said “I can’t believe people get married without seeing each other.”  Meagan kept going on and on about how he helps calm her down.  And now that she had seen him, she finally was able to settle down a bit.

Pop.

Most brides know it’s coming… most forget.  I love the giggle they always let out right after.

Reception was at the Little Rock Club.   30 floors up. :)

After the toast when the party was about to start, the guys took off their jackets to reveal theses amazing shirts.  They are their “Party Shirts.”

And party we did.

Meagan & Joe, thank you for sharing your day with me.
Joe, thank you for your service.
Meagan, thank you for sharing your husband with our country.

Danielle & I like to kiss.  We do it a lot.  What can I say?  You should try it. A lot. (When you are married.)

The best thing about my job is the people.  I love how different and unique each couple is.  Sure some of them get married at the same place and others have dresses that look similar.  Most of the dudes wear black but the reality is those “details” make up so little of the day, I rarely even think about them when I’m remembering a couple.

Lauren & Brent had flair.
Angela & Spencer were super lovey-dovey.
Jennifer & Brian were determined.
Ashley & Blake loved to laugh.

That is what I remember.  Not the tiny details that you picked out and I photographed.  Not the dress that someone spent an hour steaming right before you walked down the aisle.  Can I be super honest?  Sometimes I even forget what your “colors” were. (GASP!)

When I think back on Krystle & Kevin’s day, I know the only thing I’ll be able to remember is how much fun they had at their reception.   The whole day was pretty “normal”.  Girl gets fancy, walks down aisle, boy says yes, people clap, off to reception, people eat…. But then… POW!  Like a punch in the face, their reception took off and there was no stopping it.  I should have seen it coming…

Sometime during “dinner,” this couple just decided to jump out onto the dance floor.  All alone.  51 years of marriage strong.

People mingled and talked for a little bit longer then… around 9:21 CMB DJs started and didn’t stop until their 11:30 getaway.  Casey was a machine and the crowd loved it & kept wanting more.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  CMB DJs are the best around.  It’s not even close.  In honor of the best reception I’ve been to in a long time, I’m only posting dance floor photos.  Give it up for Krystle, Kevin, & their amazing group of family and friends.

Some of you are wondering… How do you keep the dance floor packed for 2 solid hours?  It’s easy…

I Gotta Feeling Sexy And I Know It Love Shack Twist and Shout Stayin’ Alive Lose Yourself To Dance When the Right One Comes Along One More Night The Humpty Dance Yeah Walk This Way Jump Around Blurred Lines Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough Get Lucky Ice Ice Baby Hollaback Girl Don’t Stop Believin’ Friends In Low Places One Woman Just Dance I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) Paper Planes Teach Me How To Dougie In Da Club Thrift Shop Funky Cold Medina Knockin On Heaven’s Door Cheese Burger Paradise Shout Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Another One Bites The Dust Aggie War Hymn Stanky Legg We Can’t Stop Baby Got Back When the Right One Comes Along Goodnight Moon

This is how you photo bomb.

Aggie War Hymn.

So technically this next image was not on the dance floor.  But come on… How could I not include it. ;)

Thank you guys for a great day and a heck of a party.

One more thing… If you don’t call and book CMB DJs right now, you’ll only have yourself to blame. 903-724-3192

If I had to pick a couple to get a bit of rain on their wedding day Lauren & Alex would be my 1st choice.  :)

Lauren totally has a go with the flow mindset and Alex played a few years of college baseball so he’s also accustom to rain delays.  I loved every minute of their day and I hope these images can give you a small glimpse of how amazing these two people are.

Lauren has a few nieces and nephews so there were plenty of great little people moments.  This may have been my favorite of the day though.  Everyone was getting ready and there were about 10 ladies in the room.  They start to look for one of the flower girls and can’t find her.  Turns out she was hiding in the corner eating candy.  Once she realized she had been busted, she stayed in the corner, finished eating, then ran out smiling.

I loved the small touches of personality they sprinkled throughout their day.  Alex had some cufflinks that made from MLB baseballs.  Lauren’s hairpiece had once belonged to her grandmother.  And the bouquet had photos of her with her mom who she recently lost to cancer.

This is the part of the wedding where Lauren’s niece tried to steal her shoes.

Such a great First Look.  Anticipation, followed by joy, then jumping and screaming, and ending with a hug.

Lauren’s nieces completed the flowergirl hat trick.  One was literally only up there for 2 seconds. (I somehow pulled off a photo.)  Another managed to fall and cry a bit. And the third was a tiny princess always ready to pose and smile.

It had been overcast most of the day and then finally 20 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start it really started looking bad.  We all ran outside in hopes of getting this wedding done and keeping everyone dry.

As Lauren was about to walk down the aisle…  The drops started coming.  Totally in stride, her father reaches over, grabs an umbrella and they keep going.  Lauren’s heart was bursting with laughter all the way down the aisle.

I don’t think I’ve seen two people smile and laugh so much during their ceremony.

Alex jumped the gun and got busted for stealing first and then got to kiss her again.  Officially.

On the the party.  Hey look, it’s Angela & Spencer.

This little man’s go-to dance floor move.

I really can’t believe Alex’s mom didn’t make us all buy tickets to the gun show.

That tender moment when you leave a little cake on his face and decide to suck it off in front of everyone.

If you can catch a bouquet while holding a small child, you make the blog.

I loved their last dance all alone.  Just perfect.

BOOM Mug Machine Goodnesss!!!!

Ok guys, let me be straight with you.  Your wedding day was the perfect example of what marriage holds in store for you.

There will be days filled with dancing & laughter.
There will be days when everything just seems perfect.
There will also be days when the storms come.

They always do.

Great marriages are not ones that avoid the storms or ignore them.  They are the ones that look at the rain, grab an umbrella, and march forward with their commitment to one another.

It was an honor to capture the very first storm your two weathered as husband and wife.

It’s ok to admit it.  You want your wedding to be awesome.  You want the Best. Wedding. Ever.  That’s why you plan.  That’s why you read.  That’s why you stress out a bit.  Because you want everything to be just perfect.  You want to plan it, and prep it, and maybe even package it up a bit too much. :)

May I share a little secret with you?

The things that will make your wedding awesome, the things you will remember and look back on and laugh about, are typically not the things you plan.  They are not the things you pin on Pinterest.  They are the natural organic moments that happen when all of your friends and family come together to watch you begin your marriage.

I was reminded of that this past weekend when Thy & Jonathan were married.  I’ll be sharing “fancy” wedding images later but they had so many amazing unplanned moments that I wanted to share those first.

1. That moment when your grandkids spit up during family formals.

2. That moment when the ring bearer stops and talks to everyone along the way down the aisle and finally just has to be pulled because he won’t go down the aisle and the bride is on her way down. :)

3. That moment when Matt Dallas, star of Kyle XY shows up and dances with you at your reception.



4. That moment when your cousins go around with shots and make people stuff cash in your honeymoon fund jar to take one.
Screaming in your face until you do. (Try finding a Pinterest board for that.)

Your wedding probably is not gonna have all these moments.  But it will have it’s own crazy antics.  The more you try and plan out every detail the more likely you are to end up frustrated somewhere along the way.

If you really want to plan for something here are my suggestions:
Plan and prepare for your marriage.
Plan to love your spouse and to stay committed till death do you part.
Plan to spend that day laughing with and loving those around you.
And plan to look back on the amazing photo AlexM took for you. (Click here to book) ;)