Eight days to go. Soon, I’ll be a Mrs. So what is it that people do the week before their wedding? Why I’m so happy you asked, let me share! π
1. You head to the courthouse to get a marriage license, where walking through a metal detector will never be more exciting. After a minor belt buckle issue and a tiny little cringe as the security guard picked up my camera by just the strap, Tommy and I passed our first test. Now where the heck do we go, we thought as we stood in the courthouse lobby, looking like Marriage Tourists. “Marriage license?” asked the man sitting in the information booth. Hmmph, how did he know, I wondered … am I smiling too big? Is happiness not allowed in here? “County Clerk’s office … that way!” We raised our right hands, recited a few words, signed a very-official-looking piece of paper, and answered an extremely important question from a slightly embarrassed but really nice lady … “Are you related?” Baaahahaha, Tommy and I laughed to ourselves as I politely responded, “Have you ever had anyone say yes to that question?” Well actually, yes, she explained … if you’re first cousins in the State of Wisconsin, you actually can marry, as long as the woman is older than 55, or you have proof that one person is infertile. Infertility and a mound of paperwork will get cousins hitched. I shall not judge, but … ick.
2. You e-mail your reception site coordinator approximately 483 times, and then lay awake at night, hoping none of your incredibly-important-life-or-death messages (especially the one that said you need 193 chairs instead of 194) accidentally went to her junk mail.
3. You pick up your wedding rings and drool over how much more gorgeous your already-beautiful engagement ring looks next to a sparkly new wedding band. Then, you ask your fiancΓ© every night as you’re falling asleep if you can try on your wedding bands “just one more time.”
4. You meet with your pastor and graduate from premarital counseling. I cannot express enough how helpful these sessions were β our pastor has been a family friend for years, but during our last session, I laughed so hard I cried β our pastor knew our relationship so well, I joked he had studied us. Not so, he said … “With marriage, the only thing that changes is the name and the address.”
5. You head to Michael’s to pick up a few last-minute decorations and details that hopefully at least 10 or 11 of your 200 guests will notice.
6. You go to your favorite bridal store to buy a ring bearer’s pillow and pray the sweet ladies working there forget you didn’t buy your dress from them 12 months back.
7. You visit to the best bakery in the world and pick out the head table’s cheesecake. On the 20-minute ride home, you ask your fiancΓ© 37 times why you didn’t buy a piece to go. “Do you want to go back?” he asks as he’s stuck in rush hour traffic again. “No,” you say matter-of-factly, but that’s one of the reasons you’re marrying him in the first place … he’s the type of guy who actually WOULD go back if a $4 slice of cheesecake makes you happy.
8. You have your trial hair session, which takes exactly one hour to do and five minutes to take out. “Tommy just can’t see my hair before Saturday!” I said as my mom looked on. “But it looks so pretty … leave it in,” she pleaded. No way, mom … out with these bobby pins!
9. You try on your wedding dress and do a little happy dance when it fits perfectly, so you decide you can …
10. Make a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies and eat two for dinner because hey, getting married is incredibly stressful and dang it, you deserve it.
That’s the top 10, at least. I could probably do 20, but let’s get back to some pictures for a moment …
I have something super precious to show you today! You’re about to meet the sweetest, tiniest, happiest one-year-old girl this blog has ever seen. π Her name is Eve. And her parents love her times one billion β I’m not sure it’s possible for a family to be any more adorable. Like, oh my goodness they belong in a magazine. Possibly a Kohl’s ad. Wait, better than a Kohl’s ad … a Baby Gap ad. I photographed Eve just a few days after she was born last year, and I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to have return clients. While Dad was off fetching the best-prop-ever, Mom and I had a great little talk about her transition from the corporate world to motherhood. Her love for her little girl is an absolute inspiration. And Dad β well, he just cracks me up. So head-over-heels for his little girl … nervous about all the things good daddies worry about.
To be totally and entirely honest, the reason this session was so successful (in my opinion … lots of smiles, adorable outfits, great location) … is entirely because Eve’s parents knew exactly what they wanted. Eve’s mom was quite familiar with my website and even pointed out a photo or two that she remembered … “You know how you photographed so-and-so like this? That’s what I want.” LOVE that! Thank you, Rachel!
The next picture is precious because when Eve’s parents got married several years back, they took their photos at this location … which also happens to be Eve’s grandparents’ farm. Now, instead of just the two of them, there are three. β€
Remember that cool prop I mentioned? It’s totally Grandpa’s wheelbarrow. π The best part about this is … no one else I photograph will have these photos. It’s entirely unique to Eve, because once again, her parents rock.
This was the last shot of the session, and I was AMAZED this little sweetheart was still smiling.
Eve’s facial expression in this photo makes me laugh out loud …
Thank you, R+H+E! Happy decorating with these precious memories. π
Comments