Things Will Not Go As Planned

I remember that before my wedding I was absolutely sick over guests who I found out wouldn't be able to make it. I cried so many times when I received a "no" RSVP from someone I cared about. I remember thinking that if I didn't have this certain kind of food, or napkin, or flower, or whatever, it would all just be ruined. I remember spending way too much time thinking about if something went wrong. I found wedding planning to be incredibly stressful.

Well... 

Lots of people I invited couldn't come to the wedding, it was too far away for most of my friends. I left my iPod (the source of the ceremony music) sitting in my car for several hours (IN JUNE IN TEXAS) and the poor thing got overheated and couldn't play my music on time and my ceremony started like fifteen minutes late. I spent a couple hours creating a toss bouquet for the reception and forgot all about it and left without tossing it. My adorable navy blue pumps that I bought as my "something blue" were apparently very low quality and the blue started to peel off of the shoes. My wedding shoes were literally falling apart and looked like they had leprosy. Kyle and I didn't arrange for anyone to bring our car around so when we did our "exit" there was no car for us to get in to. 

Things WILL go wrong.

And it won't matter at all. 

All of this happened on my wedding day and none of it bothered me. It was an amazing day. I didn't cry or freak out or panic. I didn't sit and dwell on how it had all fallen apart. It was an awesome wedding. My friends, family, and I had a great time. Things went wrong, and none of it mattered.

The lesson here: STOP FREAKING OUT! This is supposed to be fun! Pick your battles, don't sweat the small stuff, soak up this awesome time in your life, and plan an amazing wedding. Plan your perfect day. Then when the plan falls apart know in your heart that it is STILL the perfect day. 

What to Wear for Your Engagement Session

It happens to all of my clients. They're pumped for their engagement session and then it hits them... what on earth do I WEAR?

Choosing clothes for an engagement session is a pretty big deal. You'll have the photos forever, probably use them on the Save the Dates or Invites, maybe display them at the ceremony, slap them all over social media. I get it - you gotta look adorable! Well, I'm here to tell you it's not so scary choosing outfits for your engagement session - I promise. Here are some tips to help you make sure you look your absolute best in your photos. 

1. BE COMFORTABLE - BE YOU

This should be obvious, but if you're not comfortable in what you're wearing you aren't going to LOOK comfortable. Don't wear something that is too tight, or bulges in a weird place when you sit. Get clothes that feel good and look good on YOU. Ask your friends what kind of cuts and colors flatter you most. You should be confident and feeling great about how you look. Your clothes should accurately represent you and your style.

2. PATTERNS ARE TOTALLY ALLOWED

I always get asked if it's ok to wear a pattern. Yes, it is! There are a couple of rules to follow though when choosing patterns for your session. First, your probably shouldn't both wear a pattern. It's not always a terrible idea, but I say each outfit should have one major pattern between the two of you. If the girl is wearing a polka dot dress, maybe the guy wears a solid colored button down. If the guy is wearing a plaid shirt, maybe the girl wears a solid color dress that matches one of the minor colors in the plaid. Second, go big or go home. Avoid things with really tiny plaids or houndstooth. Those patterns cause strange distortions in camera. Just trust me.

3. MIX IT UP

My engagement sessions are 90 minutes long. This provides for two or three wardrobe changes. I like to tell my clients to have one more formal outfit and one or two more casual outfits - all of which should represent your style. Changing clothes creates more diversity in your images and helps you get the most out of your session for the best images possible.

I'd love to dedicate a blog post to any other questions you might have. What things do you want answered before your session?