Hello and Happy Valentine’s day!!

I want to thank all you married couples out there for believing in love. For believing in each other.

This weekend at mass, the priest gave an amazing homily about things not being possible until you actually believe they are possible.

Believe God will take care of you and He will.

Believe you can climb a mountain and you will.

Believe you will be true and faithful to your spouse and you will.

After the homily, the priest asked all the married couples to renew their wedding vows right then and there. The elderly couple sitting in front of me reached out to hold each other’s hand. All the married men in the church spoke together, promising their love and everlasting commitment to their wives. Then all the married women in the church spoke together and promised their love and everlasting commitment to their husbands. It was all I could do to keep the tears from streaming down my cheeks.

I felt so overwhelmed (in a good way) to be surrounded by so many people who believe in love. Who believe in their spouses. I see this kind of love and commitment at every wedding I photograph (and yes, I tend to tear up during their vows, too), but to hear a hundred couples renewing their vows – after having been married anywhere from a month to 50+ years – is really an awesome experience to witness.

So thank you again to all you married couples for believing in love. For believing in each other. You make Valentine’s Day ‘love’ly. :-)

I love it when a couple makes their wedding about them and what they like.

I’ve seen cakes switched out for cupcakes. I’ve seen an iPod replace a DJ. I’ve seen a dessert reception instead of a full meal reception. A couple seated in the middle of their reception instead of up on a stage. Unity sand instead of candles. Quilt squares instead of a guestbook. An absence of aisle decorations. A photobooth at the reception. No desire to shove cake up each others’ noses. The list goes on…

My point is, if you are planning your own wedding (or having someone plan it for you), make sure you make decisions based on what you like. Not what your aunt or cousin or sister or soon-to-be-mother-in-law thinks is best. It’s your wedding. Your day. You don’t have to have an 8-tier cake. You don’t have to have a limo. Unless that’s what you really want, then by all means, do what you want!! It’s your party!! :-)

If you’re looking for some visual inspiration, here are some blogs that are dedicated to all things weddings:

Snippet and Ink – Ruffled – Flights of Fancy – 100 Layer Cake – Wedding Chicks

What are your favorite wedding blogs? What are you doing to make your wedding more personal? What’s your tradition?

Let me start off by saying I am not a wedding planner. I think it would be a fun job, but I feel my strengths are greatest in the photography-related parts of weddings. That being said, this timeline is my personal estimation of how much time I like to schedule for photos on the day of the wedding. Keep in mind that every photographer is different with how they prefer to shoot. Some like to spend four hours taking photos of just the wedding party. I don’t. :-)

This is the basic timeline that I give all my brides who opt to do the first look – we start from here and if there is anything that we think will take more or less time, we make adjustments as necessary:

T-4 hours: getting ready + candids + details (dress, special jewelry, flowers, SHOES)

T-3 hours: couple’s first look and portraits

T-2 hours: wedding party portraits

T-1 hour 30 minutes: family portraits

T-1 hour: candids + details (time for you and all those involved with photos to grab a snack/touch up makeup/cool down before the wedding)

After the ceremony, I just tag along for the ride and let the rest of the day unfold!

Here are a few variables that tend to shift the schedule:

Location – How far is the getting ready location from the ceremony? How far is the ceremony from the reception? Is there an additional location where you’d like to take photos? Significant drive time will need to be included in the schedule to keep everyone on time.

Lighting – What time of day is the ceremony? With this schedule, a 3:00 ceremony would put the first look and portraits at noon… not ideal outdoor lighting conditions.

‘Fashionably late’ relatives – To keep your friends and family from showing up late, tell them they need to be there for photos earlier than planned. You’d rather have them there early instead of waiting on them to finish up the group photos.

Extended family members – More people means allowing more time for family photos either before or after the ceremony.

Small children – Naps are crucial! Especially if you want flower girls and ring bearers to be in the photos as well as be cooperative. :-)

Again, every wedding is unique and every wedding should have its own timeline – this is simply a suggestion meant to be adjusted to your specific needs. Also, make sure to check with YOUR photographer to see how they prefer to schedule photos. Every photographer does things his/her own way because they know what works for them.

If you know me, you know that I love having coffee dates. With old friends, new friends, photographer friends – anyone who likes coffee. Within the past week, I’ve had four coffee dates.

Now, I try to schedule these coffee dates in places that don’t have metered parking. Except today. I was craving my usual German chocolate cake white mocha from Bully Blends. I only had a dime and a nickel for the parking meter – I actually had to go inside and pay for my order with cash so I could get more coins to go back outside and get myself an hours worth of parking.

I really should know better. I can’t talk photography AND drink coffee in less than an hour!

So Amy and I are chatting, having a good time and we realize it’s past our metered hour. We walk outside, and this, my friends, is why I need to carry more change in my purse…

I love getting to know couples during their engagement session – it allows me to see a glimpse of their personalities and how truly in love they are. From John and Rachel’s session on Saturday, this is what I learned:

They love to run, hike and dig in the dirt (he’s a geophysicist, she’s a paleontologist).

The dinosaurs at Dinosaur Park are not the most accurate depictions of the ‘real deals.’ (Believe me, Rachel taught me all about how the T-Rex’s tail does NOT drag on the ground. :-))

Despite the historically incorrect figures, Dinosaur Park in Rapid City is where John and Rachel got engaged, making it the perfect location for a few engagement photos! :-)

As we’re walking down the hill, I stop for a couple more photos and Rachel announced that this was the very spot where John proposed.

Can I get a collective “awwwww?!”

I don’t know if it was my jokes, or how special John makes her feel, but Rachel was full of giggles and I LOVED it! :-)

A quick outfit/scenery change – don’t these two look great in anything and everything?!

Rachel – I was serious about your boots – they are sooo cute! It’s probably dangerous that we wear the same size shoe.

And last but not least… the ring!

John + Rachel – thanks so much for braving the ‘Indiana winter’ weather.

Also, a special shout-out to Shangri La: The Hideaway Boutique for the adorable outfits Rachel was wearing!