It’s that time again. It’s time to look back at some of the best photos from 2016. Everyday we’ll be taking a look at a new category. Voting is open till 10am and the winners will be announced Monday. The winning entries will each receive a 16×20 print.

Today’s category: Random

Sometimes it’s the unexpected moment that stand out the most to me from a wedding day. The things you don’t plan for, the tiny details that bubble up to the surface and make your day that much more unique. Here are a few of my favorites from this past year

1.  Run!
(This little man made a run for it. Thought he could get out of the group photo. He was wrong.)

2. Pits
(The best part about getting married is when your sister rubs in your deodorant for you.)

3. Fall
(Sometimes brides fall on the dance floor. Sometimes I take photos of it.)

4. Aunts
(When your Aunts wear this to your rehearsal dinner.  You know you have a great family.)

5. Head
(I LOVE this photo.  Who gets married in a museum full of stuff like this?  Get married where YOU want to.  Tony & Rebecca sure did.)

6. Young & Old
(Sometimes the people watching the dancing are more interesting than the people dancing.)

7. $100
(That moment when during your family photos your grandfather remembers he wanted to give you 100 dollars.)

8. Powder Room
(Sometimes I wait outside the bathroom for the bride to walk out so I can get an awkward photo of her. That’s not creepy right?)

9. Drops
(Erin truly was a beautiful bride. Stunning.)

10. 2075
(Sarah’s grandparents have been married for 59 years. When I mentioned to her and Thomas that they won’t reach that milestone till the year 2075, she closed her eyes in amazement, and Thomas wiped his brow.)

Niki & Jeremy were so, so chill on their wedding day.  Even the threat of rain didn’t phase them.  These two wanted nothing more than to hang out, get married, and maybe have a little fun at the reception.

Hey, if you are looking for a pretty great place to get married… Wildcatter Ranch in Graham, TX is your jam.

Niki’s “something old” was her grandmother’s wedding ring. She passed away just shy of 50 years of marriage. Could this ring be any simpler?

Nothing about it says “look at me”.

All it really says is “Don’t bother looking. I’m taken. I’m committed.

‘Til death do us part.”

This is what people pay me for.

Jeremy and his son were getting ready together.  I loved how inclusive both Jeremy and Niki were to him the whole day.

I love when a First Look goes from the first reaction being a smile to everyone tearing up within 4 seconds.

One of my favorite family photo moments ever.  Of COURSE her grandfather said “hang on a minute” after their picture and gave Niki a 100 dollar bill. :)  Because that’s what grandfathers do.

Their reception was what every wedding reception should be: laughter, dancing, family, & friends.

Did I mention fireworks?

And… what do you do if it’s raining when you are done with the party and need to walk back to your cabin?

You put a trash bag over your wedding dress.

Thank you for being so relaxed.

Thank you for not stressing about rain.

Thank you for including your son every step of the way.

Thank you for leaving in a trash bag.

The day you get married is really unlike any other day of your marriage. It’s packed full of moment after moment after moment of memories. There are huge swings of emotion and sometimes the most unexpected thing will end up being the highlight of your day. I’m often asked “What’s your favorite part of a wedding?” The reality is, I don’t have just one answer for that. It really depends from wedding to wedding. I can say, that having shot over 400 weddings, a few trends have emerged and I’ve seen some patterns bubble up that I always look forward to documenting and being present for. I’ll be writing about one of these per month and I thought I would kick it off with one you might not expect.

My favorite moment of a wedding day is…. Family Photos!

That’s right, baby. I LOVE family formals. (I even wrote about how to have great formals a few years ago.) These are your people. This is your tribe. These images are so full of history and depth it’s impossible to not love them. This is your chance to laugh and cry with those who have known you the longest. It’s the time all your people look their best and these photos are the ones that will be put in frames and looked at for years and years to come. These are the images that end up on the kitchen counter, in the hallway, and above the fireplace. The thing is, sometimes in all of our planning and prepping for the day, they get overlooked. They become an item in your 76-Things-To-Do-On-Your-Wedding-Day-Checklist.

[ ] 4:30 Bridesmaid Photos
[ ] 4:45 Family Photos
[ ] 5:00 Reception

Just realize that that little block of your wedding day is one that many couples are not present for. I mean, they are there. They show up. They smile, pose, and hug. But, really, they are looking towards the next moment. The reception, the ceremony, the alcohol at the reception. :) They are not fully present and aware of how special these moments can be.

Need proof? Take a look.
This is typically what you think of when you hear family photos.  Bride with parents.  Check. :)

But, you’ll quickly realize there is so much more happening.

1st family photo where all the kids are married.

That super tender moment you have with your dad.

A mother who has raised 4 boys into grown men.

Sometimes things get a bit more fun.
Example: A photo of what this family typically looks like. ;)

Siblings are the best!

Sometimes the photos are not even about you.
That moment when a grandkid spits up on your grandparents.

I LOVE to pull the bride or grooms brother/sister and their family aside.  It typically takes about 30 seconds and BAM!  They get a new photo to hang on their wall.

How about one of your parents. Who NEVER get dressed up. Who NEVER get photographed. Here they are, looking good and in love.

Or how about that picture with your grandparents who have been married 57 years and you have not even been married 57 minutes?

Let’s fast forward to 2020.

Six years from now when you go home for Christmas and you have a three your old little girl, she will be at PaPa & NaNa’s house looking at the tree. She will stare at all the gifts under it and then she’ll notice a photo hanging on the wall of her mom in a white dress. She will look at it for a while, then she will ask her NaNa about the photo. And then your mother will tell her all about how beautiful her mother was on her wedding and how wonderful the day was.

And THAT moment, in the future, will be magic. And it will all be possible because you took a few moments on your wedding day to be photographed with the people who love you the most.
Because you enjoyed this, I know you’ll want to see more in this series. Click here for more words and pretty pictures.

ok people, time to get your vote on. the couple with the winning image will get a fancy big 16×20 print. pick your favorite image. you can only vote once, the voting is open for 2 days. winners will be announced january 21.

vote at the bottom of this post.

ready set. go!

here are the entries.

rachael & daniel’s wedding really was about having fun with all their friends.  i love this shot of them leaving.

christa & jeff were super super flirty flirty and affectionate.  i love this one from their first look.

audrey & cody really seamed to soak up every moment of their day. i love that audrey is laughing even though the horse just ate part of her bouquet.

lindsey & brandon had fun all day.  (this is the part where brandon had extra fun.)

lisa & mike were so so sweet to each other.  mike is a huge guy with such a tender heart.  i loved this moment alone they had.

tiffany & chris had the perfect sunset wedding. chris rarely took his eyes off her.

this shot of stephenie and jared leaving the ceremony is one of my all time favorites.

christen & brandon may have been my most “romantic” couple.  i love this shot peaking through the leaves during their first look at elmwood gardens.

cassie and kinsey may have laughed more together on their wedding day than any couple i ever photographed.  (that is a great sign for their marriage.)
rory is basically the man every father wants his daughter to bring home one day.  during his first look he kept talking about how gorgeous lisa is.
(huge bonus points for him wanting to see every detail of her dress.)

stephenie and jared had the most chill wedding i’ve seen in a while.  i love couples that understand that this day is about so much more than the million tiny details that can make up a wedding.  stephenie and jared get that and that’s part of the reason why i love them so much.  having said that…. they had an amazingly pinterest-able wedding at wildcatter ranch in graham, tx.

a bit of goodness from their first look.

i LOVE these shots we snagged in the kitchen as they are waiting to enter the reception.