Creative Ways to Remember Loved Ones On Your Wedding Day

One of the happiest moments of my life was my wedding day. The hustle and bustle of getting those last minute errands and the fun of getting together with family to finish details(piping glitter on 200+ pine cones is not an easy feat alone). I loved inviting all the people that were important in Marcus and my lives.
It was as exciting as it was also hard knowing that my grandma Gertie wouldn't be there to see me marry the man of my dreams, the man she had always prayed would be good to me. It still makes me sad that she passed before she could give her boop of approval for my groom, but on the wedding day I choose a small way to commemorate her.
I have formed a couple of creative ways to incorporate the loved ones that could only be there in spirit.

Flowers - each individual flower holds a special meaning and beauty; picking a flower that shares the same symbolic mean of your loved one can be a beautiful reminder of of who they were when they were living.
Picture Frames - having a section just of your loved ones invites your guests to glimpse the beautiful memories you both shared together. 
A Token - A token can be something small that you wear on your wedding day. I used one for my own day; I had a couple of my grandma's broaches in my broach bouquet.  A little piece from them helps make your loved ones seem more present. Besides jewelry, your grooms has options of cufflinks or a watch of a late loved one.
DIY - keeping someone close to your heart by making something out of their old wardrobe.  I saw a most recent example from my last bride; MOB crafted this beautiful white purse for the bride out of her grandmother's wedding dress. An example for your groom would be to make a bow tie out of an old shirt.
Moment of Silence -with all the events and activities building up to the ceremony,  it can be a calming and sweet moment to just be still and meditate on those who helped format you to get to this big moment in your life.   Tradition - incorporating a tradition from your loved ones can be PASSED down through your family ; it can look like walking get down the aisle to a song you and your mom shared or getting married in the same church as your parents or reading your grandmother's / grandfather's favorite passage they read at their own .
Video Clip - this clip can be played during your first dance the couldn't make or a speech that will never be said. A video really shows who they are and hearing their voice makes it feel like they are right there with you.  A different version of this can be a photo slide show with their favorite song. It is a lovely tribute to their memory.

I loved looking down at my bouquet and admiring the blue flower brooch my grandma would wear; it reminded me of her shining personality. Her brooch helped me feel like I honored her memory by keeping her close to my heart. <3

3 Tips to ROCK Your Engagement Shoot!

I am going to share with you a recipe that if done correctly your engagement session will go off without a hitch for both you and your photographer.

Be Comfortable : When you are uncomfortable in front of the camera, it shows BEHIND the camera. To help your session be pleasant, here are a couple of things that I promise will help. Choose your location of the E-session. If it is someplace that is familiar it will help you feel right at home. In some cases that may be your home, back yard, park nearby. If you both enjoy that location as a couple it will make it that much more special looking back at your photos. Choose clothing you know won’t make you self-conscious. We all have those pair of jeans that are not as forgiving around the midsection or you are constantly pulling up with every new pose. During your session, the last thing you want to be doing is constantly adjusting to feel more comfortable. On the same thought as clothing, let’s also address shoes. If you love your heels (a common love affair I share) make sure to pack a pair of flats to help walk from spot to spot. Know what works in your location! Heels are horrible in grassy fields, but in pictures you will work it! If you come prepared your feet won’t be killing you be the end of your session.

Be Confident: The best way to be confident is to be yourself. An Engagement session is all about you and your fiance, there is no one that has the same love story  as you two. Know that when worse comes to worse you will have each other! If all else fails have confidence in your love.

Have Fun: Stepping into a session can be a little awkward at first when you’re letting a stranger take over. Take a deep breath and give the reigns over to the photographer. The moment this is done you will be able to fully enjoy your time with your fiancé. For a lifestyle photographer, it is so important to capture a couple’s natural reactions. Another way to achieve a good time is going into your session with a good attitude and determination of having fun as a couple. Now, I know this sounds really obvious, but when you purpose in your heart to have a fun time, you will! This goes for your fiancé too.

One last tip to help your session run more smoothly, arrive on time. Being respecctful of your photographer's time is important and will help you both to start off on the right foot.

I hope that even in a small way this helps you to get ready for your photos! 

Importance of a Personal Attendant | Minneapolis & St Paul Wedding Photographer | For the Bride

As the wedding day draws closer, I hope you are envisioning all the good moments, your groom's face the moment he lays his eyes on you the first time, being able to say your vows in front of your loved ones,seeing all your months of preparation come to life. 
Your mind my be consumed with excitement for the great moments; One thing you don't want to focus on is the possibility of the bad moments on your weddings day.( people getting lost, No one wants to even think that there may be a disaster around the corner on what is supposta be one of the best days of your life!
If there is one thing that many people in the wedding industry understand there is always one thing that goes wrong on a wedding day!  So why not plan for it! 

I advise having a friend who will be your human fire extinguisher. This person is the one person that people will go to with problems, question, ANYTHING. They will be the one that puts out all the fires before they spread! This will help the bride to truly relax on the big day, which is how it is supposed to be! It helps knowing that no matter what happens someone else will take care of it.

Who should it be? I advise to have it be someone other than close family and someone in your wedding party. These people shouldn't be torn away from enjoying the day with you and your groom! They have already invested so much time and effort into both of you. Have a relaxing day where everyone can soak up every moment.  This could be a personal attendant, cousin,  close friend, someone from your church. Trust me it will be Well Worth it in the end.

One photographer that I love always says " If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  -Jasmine Star  Plan on being prepared! So when you look back on your wedding day you will hopefully remember the best day of your life! 


Just for the fun of it,  whoever you decide to be the person to extinguish all the wedding day fires, I found some cute gift ideas for them of fire extinguisher themed. Here are some cufflinks (here) for guys and rings and necklaces (here) for female attendants! This will help everybody know their job! ;) And keep you enjoying your day!