We are a little behind in our blogging, but a little ahead on our editing so guess what? There's a brand new slide show up on the website, check it out! Such an awesome wedding and just really a special couple, too. I think you can see the happiness in their faces here. :) Thanks so much for letting us be part of your day!!
~Valeen
I was going to send Kasey a note and tease her that I still haven't gotten any pics of her downhill mountain bike racing and covered with mud...which of course would just be so much fun to blog! And then she called me to tell me that the race didn't go so good and she might have broken her hand!! Oh No!!! MRI today, so keep your fingers crossed she's ok.
But are you ready for this? She got outfitted with a brace from the doctor already, wanted it in black so she can still shoot the wedding this weekend!! The girl rocks!! Now where can I get a little Nikon sticker to put on it? :)
I received this email and wanted to share it... this is why I love my job so much. :)
It's been 3 years since our wedding and I still view the slideshow on the website on our anniversary. It's a beautiful slideshow. Your pictures are wonderful. It's such a great thing to take a few minutes to look back on and remember the feeling of that day after three years of marriage and a new baby girl. Your slide show really captures the memory of the day.
Best,
Erin
Thank you Erin, for making my day!
Uh oh.
Sorry, but someone's gotta say it. Guess that's going to be me today.
Dear Wedding Guest,
Yay! Your friend, cousin, co-worker, or anyone else that you might be close to just got engaged and you know you'll be invited! Now here's some things that you might want to think about.
That couple thought long and hard about who to invite. Weddings are expensive. Some were 'have-to's' and some were 'want-to's'. Either way, you made the list and that's a big deal. They spent time a lot of time on those 'save the date' cards you got too, so mark it on the calendar, ok? The invitation comes and there's this little card in there that wants to know if you're coming or not. It's called an RSVP and it's important. It means that you need to let them know YES or NO. Unless it's a 'Regrets Only' invitation, then you would let them know only if you are NOT going. There is a date on that card and that's important too, the couple needs to let the venue know how many meals to prepare. Keep in mind, these meals are not cheap, ok? Please do not wait until the bride, groom, mom etc have to call you to find out, they have a lot to do and that is just not a nice thing to do to them, it's really stressful too.
So now what do you wear? Here's a thought... unless it's a pig roast out on the farm, please DO NOT show up in a t-shirt and jeans. (Yes, we've seen that at some amazing high end venues) Something classy would be nice, but if that's asking too much, clean and well fitting would be the good. Oh, and if you know that the couple have selected a certain color and you show up in a "I can wear it again" bridesmaids dress in that same color from another cousin's wedding, it's not cool, ok?
Now, here's comes the amazing part. Show up on time. You had the save the date. You got the invitation. You got directions. You probably have a computer and can use Mapquest and Google to find out how to get there and how long it might take. My guess is you have a GPS too. Use it. There is really no good excuse to show up halfway through the ceremony. Traffic is another story, but it doesn't happen that often and if you think it might be bad, leave early. If you don't want to go to the ceremony, we'll see you at the reception.
We love guests, we really do!! And we are more than happy to make sure you get that shot you want, that you will treasure forever but we really want you to think about something. Your friends spent a lot of money to hire professional photographers to capture their day and when you stand in the middle of the aisle taking a picture with your camera phone of the bride as she starts to walk down that aisle, hoping to see her beloved waiting for her, do you really think she wants that view blocked? Do you really think that they are going to love the shot I get of your behinds right in front of the camera?
Open bar? That is courtesy of the bridal couple and/or their family and they are paying for every single drink poured. It doesn't mean that it's an "all you can drink buffet" of alcohol. We can't even begin to tell you of the horror stories we've heard... don't think your drunken state goes unnoticed, from the broken windows (seriously), the spilled drinks, the obnoxious behavior, some things that can't even be written here....it's all becomes a reflection of the bridal couple and sometimes, it costs them even more money for damages. If you know any of the fabulous wedding coordinators that put their heart and soul into making sure everything is perfect, they can tell you stories I can't begin to tell you here.
We are observers at a wedding, we stay in the background, we document the day, it's our job and we love it. You might not even know that we are there, but we are and we see more than you can imagine.
Thanks for reading my extra long rant today. Now that I got that off my mind, I can focus on some awesome raves and the incredible weddings I'll be posting soon.
~Val
Just a little pic to remind myself that summer will be here sometime! This was taken in April, almost two months ago! Remember those 3 days that were in the 90's and we really thought it was a preview of things to come? Well, probably still is, but just not today. :)
Off to help out on a wedding for a friend today and then Cara and Kevin are getting married tomorrow, so it'll be a busy weekend. Gotta run, have fun!!
I love red and I just LOVE red shoes!! Here's a sneak peek at our wedding from Saturday... Amy and Joe.. you guys rock! Bet you can tell from this photo what kind of day we had and how much fun their wedding was! More to come!
~Valeen
All set to shoot a great wedding tomorrow with Krista and my newest 2nd...um... make that 3rd shooter, Camryn Holt who has come all the way up from Tennessee for this!! Okay, well maybe she was here for something else too, but how can you beat having a blast shooting a wedding with us?? :) You can see her work at www.camrynholt.com too. It's been a crazy busy week with appointments, editing weddings and e-sessions and designing some albums too. But ya know what? I still LOVE my job!!
Stacy and Peter's slide show is up... but it's still on 'secret link' until I get a chance to review and release it...so if you know where that is, take a peek and let me know what you think. Of course if you don't know where that is, I'll have it ready on Monday (if not before.) :) That's Peter in the picture with his 'mustache'!
Krista and Tim's album is done and ordered too! If you want to see that...click here. Krista and Timothy's Wedding Album They love it and Katelyn is totally mesmerized watching it, which is so cute! She can watch it over and over again!! Of course it just goes to prove that little girls start dreaming of being Cinderella at their own wedding at a very young age. (Images are by Sue Cunningham, the photographer for the wedding and the one who got me into "the business") :)
Oh, and I gotta report that Kasey came in 1st place on the downhill mountain bike race she did last weekend!! Woohooo!! That girl is nuts!! She said that she was covered with mud, so she didn't get pictures!! What the??? Gonna have to fix that next time... lol She's hanging with family and friends in Newport this weekend, have fun!!
Catch ya later!
~Valeen
