Love Flashback Awards | 2013

Hello everyone!

We have been working VERY hard these past few days to get ready for our 2nd annual contest! We are so super excited! Last year this contest was SO much fun, and everyone worked so hard at it. This year our contest has been a little bit different!
Last year we had about 10 entries which included wedding day photography as well as engagements. We only had 10 because that is all the weddings and engagements that we did the WHOLE year!
So now, we have grown from doing 6 weddings in 2012 to a whopping 17 in 2013! While that might not sound like a lot to some, it has really made a difference to us!

While preparing for the contest, I have had such a good time perusing through all of the wonderful memories 2013 weddings have given us. Take a look for yourself:

I will always remember Traci and Shannon's day as the most perfect winter wedding. What are the chances that there would be a sunny and 65 degree day in January??  It was PERFECT for their outdoor wedding. Traci put so much work into every handmade detail, and her love for Shannon was so evident in every photo. :)

Lance and I were skeptical about booking Marcie and Tyler's wedding, since we had a VERY important wedding of our own the weekend after, but I am SO glad we did! This was one of the most fun and relaxing weddings we went to, and it was the first one I cried at. I totally boohooed behind the camera while Marcie danced with her sweet grandfather. It was timeless.

No amount of rain could have rained on their parade! Although, the April showers did their best on this day it was an absolutely gorgeous wedding. Lance and I both grew up with Morgan and her family, and it was so much fun to be around all of our friends all day long. Not to mention, it is so much fun to photograph a couple who are so GORGEOUS together, right? : )

Aimee and Landon's Old State House wedding was just to breathtaking for words. The weather was perfect, the venue was perfect, the stringed orchestra was perfect, and their sweet love for each other was perfect as well. We felt so honored to play a small part in this perfect couple's sweet day.

Ok, THIS couple knows how to have a GREAT time! They were both so energetic and in love all day long, it just made everyone around smile! Their reception was by far the most fun we attended all year long. It was complete with fried chicken, and several dance challenges going on. It was a BLAST!

Kim and Tony's wedding was our 2nd wedding at The Barn at Twin Oaks, and we have joked that every time we come it rains. This was the case not their wedding day, but the skies parted and the ground dried just in time for some wonderful first look photos as well as an outdoor ceremony! The whole day was just gorgeous.

The main thing I remember about this adorable Mt. Nebo wedding is that Jennifer's dress was GORGEOUS! It was the most beautiful dress I have ever seen in my life, and it still tops at number one 7 months later. :) Jen and Wesley's cute country-chic wedding was so sweet, as was their love for each other!

I don't know why but Sam and Colton's wedding seemed like just yesterday. Maybe it is because it was so full of people we love, as well as it being so full of Sam and Colton's love for each other. This September day was definitely a hot one, but everything about every detail was so beautiful, it made up for it!

Andrea and Ethan's down to earth country wedding was so gorgeous! I loved the cotton accents every where and we ALWAYS love shooting at the Pointe Remove Lodge. Andrea and Ethan's wedding party was so fun, as is the ADORABLE couple. Their engagement shoot from June is still one of my favorites to date.

We hadn't met Gail before we showed up to their wedding day, and boy were we in for a surprise. She is one of the most jaw-dropping gorgeous people you will ever meet. She was so laid back, as was her wedding party, and her sweet husband. This day at The Barn was one for the history books.

It was so fun to see The Barn's transformation within just a few days from Gail and Brian's wedding to Lindsy and Keith's. They really can do anything. Lindsy and Keith are a wonderful couple who had so many great moments during their wedding day. One thing that I will always remember is the poor bridesmaid who got attacked by fire-ants right before she had to get dressed. She sobered up with Benadryl and went on! Now THAT is dedication! I hope everyone has a friend like that! :P

Emma and Brett's wedding was.to.die.for. Especially the light blue antique car they brought along! I loved all of the fall colors, especially their bouquets. Emma and Brett's first look really sticks out in my mind as one of the sweetest all year.

Taylor and Dalton are one of those couples that every one calls "so-stinkin-cute". They are so infatuated with each other and it was so apparent on this day, surrounded by so many good friends and family. I was so impressed with all of the hard work Taylor and Dalton put into their wedding. Each and every detail was personalized by them.

Wow. Audra and Isaac's wedding was amazing. Audra and her family put so much work into making their day so, "them" and it truly paid off. The day was threatened by rain, but it held out all day long, making for some richly colored "cloudy" pictures. Lance and I were convinced that we like cloudy days for photos better than super sunny, after this adorable wedding.

Brittney and Jake had the PERFECT fall day for their wedding. It wasn't too cold but it wasn't hot anymore and the fall leaves were RIGHT at their peek. Their wedding was at the beautiful College of the Ozarks campus, and all of their details were so adorable.

Brittanie and Taylor just happened to plan their wedding during Arkansas ice-apocalypse of 2013.  We did manage to get there for their beautiful day and I'm so glad that we did! It is very rare that anyone in Arkansas gets to have "snowy" wedding photos, and these two were blessed enough to have them! :)

Catie and Seth's "Winter Wonderland" wedding was our last wedding of the year. They totally transformed their home church to create an amazing winter woodland in their ceremony cite and their reception hall. It was amazing!!

Well, I hope you enjoyed reminiscing with me through our 17 weddings of 2013!
Now for the exciting part: Starting tomorrow we are having our 2nd annual Love Flashback Awards contest. This is our way of saying thank you to all of our wonderful couples who made our year amazing. Without YOU we wouldn't be where we are!

Here's what you do:
Tomorrow we will post these pictures on Facebook. The photo with the most likes and shares (they will be added together) by 5pm on Sunday will receive a FREE 20 page lay flat album and a 16x20 canvas wall hanging.
MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE WHO LIKES AND SHARES YOUR PHOTO LIKES OUR PHOTOGRAPHY PAGE OR THEIR VOTE WILL NOT COUNT!

We are so excited about GIVING away free stuff, so GOOD LUCK! :D

Happy, Happy Tuesday!

Brittanie | Taylor {Wedding Day}

Hello everyone!

December is just whizzing by for us, as I'm sure it is for all of you! I'm excited about my two week Christmas Vacation from school so I can get the blog all caught up! I have had several posts brewing on the back burner for several weeks now, and Brittanie and Taylor's wedding is one of them! :)

Brittanie and Taylor just happened to get married during the ice/snowpocalypse that we had in Arkansas a few weekends ago. It was a bumpy ride the few days before their wedding and Lance and I were not sure we were even going to get to make it to their Jacksonville wedding! It all turned out just fine and they even got to have snowy pictures!

Here are a few details about their day:

Wedding Dress: Davids Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal
Flowers: Double R Florist
Cakes: Patti Cakes Bakery
Tuxes: Men's Warehouse
Ceremony and Reception Venue: McArthur Assembly of God

Here are a few shots of Brittanie's gorgeous bridals that we shot at The Old State House in Little Rock.

Brittanie and Taylor's day was one of the most relaxing and stress free wedding's we have ever been to. Even with all of the disappointments that came with the snow, the two of them were just so happy to be getting married, and it kinda rubbed off on everyone else. :)

It's almost sad to be finished taking pictures of them. We get kind of attached to couples that we have several sessions with! Can't wait for one year anniversary pictures! (haha)

Happy, HAPPY Friday!

Into the Lens: What in the World is a First Look?

The title of this blog post pretty much tells you right away what it's going to be about. So whether you are wondering what a "First Look" is, or if you are a bride and groom thinking about having one, this blog post is for you. :)

(Keep in mind that a First Look is not a brand new concept that we made up. Photographers have been calling this event this name for years. I'm not sure who came up with the idea or even the name, but I am giving them full credit...whoever they are.) 

We have a section on our Wedding Contract that asks the bride and groom to circle "yes" or "no" if they are going to have a First Look at their wedding. Most of the time we do not get any questions about what this is. I'm not sure if the bride already knows what it is (which is most likely because it is a popular idea) or if they just Googled it on their own before they mailed us their contract. The reason I wanted to talk about this today was mainly because there are a lot of people who are on the fence about it. I wanted our customers (and future customers) to know how we feel and how it typically works with us.  

Q: What is a First Look? 

A: The First Look is an event that a bride and groom can schedule into their Wedding Day photography. It typically is one of the first things that we photograph on a couples wedding day. When the groom gets to see his bride for the first time in her wedding dress, on their wedding day, that is what we call THE FIRST LOOK *cue dramatic music*. :P When the bride and groom choose to have this event on their wedding day, they find a special location (usually near but not at the ceremony site) that is appropriate for pictures. More often than not the groom is waiting at that location and we give the signal for the bride to come walking up to him (there are many different creative ways how the First Look can go). The groom is usually very, very excited to see his bride and we let them have several minutes alone to soak in the magnitude and importance of their special day, while we silently snap pictures from a distance. That, my friends is a First Look. 

Q: What are the positives and negatives about having a First Look? 

A: I'm going to try my hardest not to show an bias during this answer, and I think after you read both sides you will understand why it is hard for me. 

Pros:  

1) The number one best part about having a First Look is that it relieves most of the nerves that most bride and groom's experience not their wedding day. I know from first hand experience how much pressure there is to plan the perfect wedding and how much time and thought you put into it. Especially into finding the wedding dress of your dreams. I know how nervous I was about Lance seeing me for the first time, and if I would have had to think about that as well as everyone else seeing me for the first time as I walk down the aisle, I would have definitely passed out. 

2)You get special "alone" time with your almost spouse right before the craziness (or during the already craziness) of the day. 

3) After you see each other you can take full bridal party pictures and even have your family come early to take care of family group pictures all before the ceremony starts. This takes care of the griping wedding reception guests that are saying "Where are they at? I'm hungry! I want some cake! I have to leave soon, so they better get here!" 

4) You get to have amazing portraits of you and your husband only on YOUR wedding day.
5) There are too many more positives, and I don't have room for them all on one blog post :) 

Because Kim and Tony had their first look about two hours before their ceremony we were able to get some cute bridal party shots before the ceremony even began. 

Cons: 

1) You do not get to experience the full effect of the "seeing each other for the first time as she walks down the aisle" tradition. Which typically that moment when the bride walks down the aisle is going to be special, so the groom's reaction is going to be the same regardless if he has seen you already. 

Ok, ok...so maybe I didn't succeed in being un-biased. Oh well. I have been through my own first look on my wedding day, and have seen many other satisfied bride and grooms after their First Look, so I think my biased-ness is appropriate. As a disclaimer: We do not have ANY hard feelings about people who want their wedding day to be more traditional and choose to not have a first look. We will come up with other creative ways to make your wedding day just as perfect. 

If I have persuaded you to have a First Look on your wedding day, I'm going to go ahead and throw some tips out there, free of charge. ;) 

When you are planning your First Look think about these two things: 

1) Your location: It should be fairly close to the ceremony site, it needs to be in a shaded area if it is outside and it should be private. We typically allow no other people to be at the First Look location, unless the bride and groom want other people there. 

2) How do you want your future spouse to see you for the first time? I would suggest to look on Pinterest or different wedding blogs for some fun and creative ideas. You can also take a look at some of our weddings on our photography page for some more super-cute ideas! 

Tip for the groom: 

Your fiancé has thought about, spent several thousands of dollars and has even possibly tried several diets to make herself look perfect for you on your wedding day. All you have to do is to act like she is the most beautiful person you have ever seen in your whole entire life. Hug her, kiss her, make her feel like you cannot wait to be married to such a beautiful woman, and that you cannot believe you are lucky/blessed enough to be chosen. :) 

This is one of my all time favorite pictures because Anthony was SO excited to see his bride. This was not posed at all! haha! 

Alright, so I hope you now know what a First look is, some pros and cons and how to make it be 100% perfect on the MOST important day of your lives. Honestly, when it's all said and done, the most important thing is that you are starting your "happily ever after" on your wedding day. No matter what happens, it will be perfect. 

Happy, Happy Tuesday Everyone!

P.S. If you are reading this and are one of our past clients (or even if you're not a past client) tell about your thoughts of your First Look in the comments section down below!  

Aimee {Old State House Bridals}

Back in April, Lance had the privilege of taking Aimee's (now Mrs. Sanders) bridals at their GORGEOUS wedding venue. We were SO excited when we learned that Landon and Aimee were getting married in May at the Old State House in Little Rock, AR. Since we were not in "blogger world" at the time of their engagements, here's a peek at the beautiful couple:

 Told you they were beautiful! :) 

Aimee's dress was absolutely amazing and her make-up & hair were perfection. I hope you enjoy her bridals as much as we enjoyed taking them!

Aimee's dress: Low's Bridal in Brinkley, AR
Venue: Old State House- Little Rock, AR & The Marriott in Downtown LR
Hair: Manda Standridge of Russellville, AR
Make-up: Manda Standridge

Up next on the blog: Aimee and Landon's gorgeous wedding on May 18, 2013 at the beautiful Old State House! :)

Happy, Happy Wednesday!