I'm Kelsey, a Jesus-loving wife, mama, and photographer living in the Atlanta area. I specialize in all things wedding photography but take on a small number of maternity, lifestyle newborn, family, and senior sessions each year. On my blog you'll find my most recent work, random thoughts, and more pictures of my babies
than you ever wanted to see. :)
This weekend, I shot my first wedding of 2013, and I could not be more excited that wedding season is here and in full swing! In the last four days, I shot a bridal session, a wedding, and an engagement session. It’s so funny to me that despite the fact that this weekend was exhausting, my tank is totally full. This is just another reminder to me that I need to focus on the things that I am passionate about – weddings, engagement & bridal sessions, and the amazing couples that come with them! Here’s a peek at this weekend’s wedding! Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Gossage! Make sure you check back on Thursday to see the rest of their pictures. :)
Well, 24 has been pretty good to me so far. 24??? Is this real life? I had a great birthday on Tuesday, starting with my sweet husband bringing me breakfast in bed… I have to give Aaron props for this because the extent of his cooking skills is usually pouring cereal, and he greatly impressed me with his scrambled eggs. :) That morning, I went to Bible study at church, where we finished the last week of our semester long study. For lunch, I asked Aaron to borrow the youth group’s Wii so that we could play Mario Kart during his lunch break. Yes, I am an 8 year old boy and will always love Mario Kart, even though the Wii version can’t even touch N64’s. For dinner, we went to Outback, so I could get my favorite meal: seared ahi tuna with a wedge salad. Oh my, oh my… So delicious! Here’s the proud moment of my birthday… I actually went to the gym and ate fairly healthy! …Until that Double Doozie that I had for dessert. But still, I did A LOT better than I normally would have on my birthday, which means I’m actually becoming disciplined!
If you’ve never had the ahi tuna from Outback, you NEED to try it… So yummy!
Has anyone else noticed that Outback’s overhead lights are hung SO low? Aaron basically had to duck the whole dinner to see me.
After dinner, Aaron surprised me with a class at Painting with a Twist, which was so awesome! I’d never done anything like this in the past, and it was equal parts challenging, fun, and hilarious! My artistic abilities stop ABRUPTLY at photography, so I was pleasantly surprised with with we were able to produce. It’s a good thing the class teaches you to paint stroke by stroke, or we both would have been in big trouble. :)
My finished product… I was pretty impressed with myself!
The pensive artist… :)
Mine on the left, Aaron’s on the right.
Yeah… I think I’ll stick with photography. :)
Thanks to everyone who sent sweet birthday wishes my way! It was a great day. :)
I am not ashamed to admit that Say Yes to the Dress (yes, all of them) is one of my favorite shows on television. One of the main reasons I miss having cable. I love seeing all the brides trying on gorgeous gowns, but I LOVE the drama even more. I cannot even tell you how many times I’ve been watching and thought, “There’s no way this is actually happening. It HAS to be scripted!” People can be a little crazy and ridiculous. Probably the understatement of the year. Since it’s premeire in 2007, I have learned A LOT from the good, the bad, and the ugly on this show, and these things definitely helped me when I was picking out my wedding dress! Here are my top 10 tips:
1. Dress for your body type. If you’re 5 feet tall and weigh 100lbs, wearing a giant ball gown may not be the best choice for you. You want to look like you’re wearing your dress… Not that your dress is wearing you!
2. Don’t show TOO much skin. Obviously, you want to look fabulous on your wedding day, but there is a fine line between elegant/classy and “WOAH. That’s a lot of skin.” Not only can this make your guests feel uncomfortable, but you’ll probably end up feeling restricted in your movements all day. Besides, you don’t wanna steal the thunder from your honeymoon bikini. :)
3. Don’t bring an entourage. If people pleasing is an issue you face, bringing 12 people shopping with you is probably not the way to go.
4. Stick to your guns. This goes hand-in-hand with #3. At the end of the day, YOU’RE the one that’s going to be wearing the wedding dress, so make sure you absolutely love it! If you’re aiming to please everyone, you will end up frustrated and defeated.
5. Keep an open mind. If you go into a bridal salon with only one dress in your mind, what happens when it doesn’t have that WOW factor that you were hoping for when you put it on? This doesn’t mean that THE dress isn’t out there… It just means that you’ll probably need to try on a few different styles and silhouettes to find that perfect gown!
6. Take a break! You’ve been trying on gowns all morning, and you’re at a total of 20 “no”s. Instead of trying on more an more gowns, take a step back, and give yourself a break. Sometimes, a fresh perspective is just what you need, instead of exhausting and confusing yourself with more and more gowns.
7. Make a decision. Yes, sometimes taking a break is a great idea, but you also have to make a decision at some point! If you let yourself fall in love with every single dress, or don’t let yourself fall in love with one at all, you’re just adding more and more unnecessary stress to your life!
8. Less is more. A lot of brides want a dress that has lace, tulle, beading, chiffon, satin, with a one-shouldered, sweetheart neckline, and sheer overlay. I’m sure that dress exists somewhere out there, but it would be really hard to find (and probably weighs 45lbs.)! Instead of wanting every possible bridal element included in your dress, pick out a few that you love the most, and go with those!
9. Have fun! Wedding dress shopping can be the most stressful experience of your life, OR it can be a great memory you create with those who love you the most! Having a relaxed and positive attitude will go a long way, especially when you put on that dress that doesn’t flatter you as much as you would have liked. :)
10. Know and stick to your budget! After watching Say Yes to the Dress for over 6 years, this is what I’ve learned more than anything else! You’re not doing yourself ANY favors by trying on an $8000 Lazaro gown when your budget is $1500. Not only will you be tempted to go WAY over the budget you have set, but every other gown that is in your price range won’t satisfy you. Stay away from those dresses you can’t afford!
Erin Fetterhoff-I LOVE SYTTD! I may or may not have watched every episode on Netflix ;) Great tips! I will HAVE to remember these for my wedding!ReplyCancel
.jpg "2013-04-29_0002")
.jpg "2013-04-29_0003")
.jpg "2013-04-25_0001")
Annamarie - Ahhh love that top shot!!! Gorgeous..I love the film inspired look that your work has :)