I have been around weddings. A LOT of weddings. From dropping petals as a flower girl, (and yes, I can remember being embarrassed when the bride and groom kissed!) to bridesmaid, bride, cake baker, directing, photographer and as a bride. Through all of this I have noticed a thing or two. Or three. Or eleven. Most of the time brides are stressed and worried over every little detail. And believe me, if you think you won't be THAT bride, then think again. You will be exactly that bride. You have worked hard up until this day to have everything just the way you want it, because let's be real, if you're not hoping this will be the only time your doing this, then you might want to reconsider your options. 
So here you are, you have worked tirelessly, for months or even a year or more, to pick just the right flowers, colors, dress, shoes, food, church, and reception hall. You have probably begged and pleaded for the groom to finalize his guest list, pick his groomsmen, pick his tux and to pahleese, tell his Uncle Ernie, that he can NOT bring his hunting dog as his +1. You have reached this big day with anticipation and full of glee. (The emotion, not the TV show.)  
These are just the tips I have come up with. But I can tell you none of them will hurt you or taste bad. I am sure as time goes on I will add to this list. But, here is what I have compiled so far. 

1. Do Not, I repeat DO NOT, have your bachelorette and bachelor party the night before your wedding. This is a sure fire way to have dark circles under your eyes, a sickly pallor to your skin, and basically feel like crap on your wedding day. It will also mean you are tired, over emotional, grumpy and not a pleasant person to be around. Yes, I mean you. I have seen too many brides end up in tears because they snapped at their mother, the maid of honor is ready to mutiny, and she's about to make the preacher cuss!
2. Do get a good nights sleep the night before. Allow yourself  rest. You have a big day ahead of you, that will be all about you. You want to be rested and relaxed to enjoy the festivities and be able to remember the day for year to come. 
3. Do Not expect everything to fall into place exactly as you planned. No matter how many times you tell someone something and how you want it done. Life happens. There will be a bow forgotten here, a ribbon forgotten there, and there may be a candle left unlit. If at the end of the day, the rings are on and the marriage license signed, then guess what the goal was achieved.
4. Do expect hiccups. You will probably forget something at home. A bridesmaid may lose an earring. And gee whiz, if you are having kids in or at your wedding. expect tears, a little whining, maybe a tantrum. The ring bearers will swing the pillows and pick their noses. I know this from my wedding. They may lift your train, step on it, or call out to mom and dad.  I had one flower girl that would not go down the aisle, and wouldn't do pictures without her pacifier. If this kind of thing is going to bother you, then don't have children in your wedding. PERIOD. Because it WILL happen. You may not see it, but it will happen. 
5. Do Not expect to do everything that day. You will not have time to make sure the decorations are perfect, the bridesmaids are dressed, the cake is ready, and that the napkins are stacked in alternating colors exactly 1/3 of in inch on diameter, and center spaced on the cake table. 
6. Do Have a runner. A friend who is not in the wedding and has no other responsibility than to check on things for you. Someone you can send to check on things or find things, or carry a message to your planner or director. 
7. Do Not wait until the rehearsal to tell friends who the maid of honor is or who is standing right next to the bride. Prepare people in plenty of time to explain your motives and avoid hurt feelings and tears at the rehearsal dinner, temper flares before the wedding and just a general atmosphere of hurt feelings. 
8. Do remember that your friends and family love you. They are trying hard to make this a special day for you and may be tired and a little stressed, too. Cut them some slack and they may cut you some too. 
9. Do have an emergency bag. Safety pins, acetaminophen, clear nail polish, garment tape, and crazy glue; whatever you can imaging you or one of your bridesmaids would need, because you may need it!
10. Do talk to your photographer weeks in advance. Give them a timeline of the events, they need almost just as much information about the timeline as the event planner/director. If the photographer doesn't know when things are happening, you can't expect to have it captured in an image. Most photographers have a really good idea  of how weddings progress and what happens when, but if you don't tell them that you are going to take time to visit with friends in a reception line before taking pictures, they may be setting up for wedding party shots instead of getting you in the reception line with your guests. More in a later blog
11. Do breathe , relax, and enjoy your day. The ultimate goal is to marry your true love and spend the rest of your life together. If at the end of the day you are Mrs. Prince Charming, then the goal was met. It doesn't matter, that the flower girl ate the petals, lost the basket, and vomited in front of the church. Ok, I made that one up, but I can imagine it happening!

 I always thought the opposite was true! But, the more I think about it, Coco had right. Being slightly underdressed means you are probably more comfortable. And comfort is key when posing for pictures.
Picking your outfit for pictures is often a daunting task. Pinterest and polyvore are full of searchable tips and ideas. There are some good suggestions all over the internet.
I am going to try to give you my best tips and suggestions.
1. Think about the look you want your portraits to have. If your standing in a hay field with your favorite horse, you may not want to wear an evening gown. Do you want some casual shots or do you want more formal posed shots? This is the time to remind you that you CAN be TOO underdressed. Arm holes that are too big or necklines too low may show more skin than you want in pictures that are going to hang on Grandma's parlor wall. Also, if you don't want to look like you just came from the playground for family portraits, then don't wear your playground clothes. 
2.  Wear comfortable clothes that fit well. Too tight? It's just going to make you look like you've gained a few pounds. After she sees the picture, Grandma may call and ask if the wedding needs to be moved up a month or two. Too big, kind of the same thing. You won't have a shape to your body that you will be happy with.  You will appreciate comfort when the photographer  is having you get up and down of the ground and turn half around to shoot different poses.
3. Avoid big allover prints and multiple prints. Well most of the time. You could temper a print dress with a solid color blazer. But, as a general rule you want the focus on you and your face or the faces of everyone in the picture. Not on the big paisley print mumu that Grandma bought you for your bridal shower. (Yes, my Grandma did that. To me. But, that's a story for another day.)
4. Colors should coordinate. Look at the color wheel. I'm not going to get too in depth here, but colors should be beside each other, directly opposite from each other, or on the triangle. I like the one below because it shows multiple shades and tones. 

5. Coordinate your styles. One dressed for a run in the park with one dressed for dinner at the governor's mansion will look a little strange.
6.  Less is more. More and more flashy jewelry will distract from the actual subject of the photo; you! Really, if your doing your engagement shoot, keep other jewelry simple. Some poses will probably be "all about the ring" and you don't want to change the focus. You don't want jewelry to be a distraction in other types of portraits either. 

Those are just my suggestions. I have a Pinterest board to help with this as well. 

So I have spent hours and hours on this website and still have to tweak and twist it! It really has been an undertaking to try to start a business. I will say I have had some nice encounters with people though. When I called the State office about business licensing and tax ID's, I got some of the nicest people! Shocking  since it was a state department! Much better than dealing with the DMV, that's for sure!
This is more of a diary posting at this point, but maybe one day someone will find some solace from me sharing my experiences. Trying to balance the work that still needs to be done on the business end, with trying to finish post processing on a wedding, and entertain a 6 year old nephew who is spending the day has been fun, maybe?  

My tips when trying to start a photography business: Allow plenty of time. You can't do everything in a day, a week, or even a month. Take one thing at a time. (I need to use my own advice here). 
1. Find out about the legal stuff. Call your state business licensing office. They can walk you through it all. North Carolina requires a business registration and tax ID. They also require a "privilege" license for photographers that is renewed each year.
2. Develop a system for tracking expenses, invoicing, and tracking receipts at the beginning before you have your first paying customer. 
3. Develop a system for cataloging and tracking photos. 
4. Have a backup  of all your files (external hard drives).  I have had too many times when the PC crashes and I think I am not going to be able to retrieve data. I have learned my lesson.
5. Make sure you have a pricing structure set, and do a lot of  research about your policies and how you want to run your business. While your policies can change and be added to, you don't want to make it all up as you go along. I have found a lot of good information about what to include by reading other blogs, participating in discussion on FaceBook groups and looking at others' photography contracts. 
During all this I have been building my portfolio, shooting, shooting, shooting. 
​Here are some shots I have had a lot of fun with over the past couple of months.
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So Mr Mostly Prince Charming and I rode the bikes up to the Blue Ridge Parkway today. Some friends went with us and I was able to have fun with my camera! Mabry Mill is a beautiful location for taking lots of pictures! We were expecting and hoping for more vibrant fall colors, but I think with all the rain the past couple of weeks, the colors were a bit muted. It was a cool crisp fall day, however. Sunny and clear. Perfect for riding. 

It was a busy day at the mill, and getting shots without other visitors in them took a lot of patience! Some may show up hidden behind bushes and trees! My advice for shooting in crowded areas:
1. Be patient, don't get in a hurry. Realize those folks are enjoying their day as well. Many folks are nice and try to stay out of the way when they see a camera. But others, are focused on what they are doing and don't notice you and your camera. It's okay.
2. Ajdust your timing. Go early to avoid crowds or go late when people are leaving. Those are often better lighting situations anyway for morning light and evening light. 
3. Posistion yourself. Take time to walk around and scope out what the best shootting positions. When you are in a busy, highly photographed spot like Mabry Mill, try shooting somewhere different. Look for opportunities to position yourself where crowds are to the side and can be cropped out!
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So, here we are! At this point for Blog post #1, you probably know me already. But, just in case you stumbled along my website by accident, or maybe semi on purpose, I'll give you a brief peak into who I am in a nutshell. I have been a nurse for nearly 18 years, just finished my bachelor's degree, and am applying to graduate school. I have been married to a wonderful guy for 16 years. We have two dogs, and like to spoil them. We spend free time on two wheels, you may have seen the pictures of our motorcycles in Nature Landscapes and Fun gallery. 

I love to cook, and LOVE photography. There is something therapeutic to me to stand in the kitchen and know I have made something good. I thrive on feeding people. There is also a sense of peace when I get to see a beautiful picture that I took or learn something new with my camera. Both are a continuous learning process. 

Shooting photos was for fun, but now I really want to make a go of a business. Extra income to pay student loans, another profession where I can love what I am doing.  
 
My Blog posts will probably be about my photography journey, tips and tricks,  new recipes, and what ever else my brain comes up with! Join me on my journey!

My first tip for new photographers:  When shooting in a public garden, always ask about the timing of sprinklers! Otherwise you end up cussing like a drunk sailor as you run to save your equipment! At least if you me, that's what you do! Not a pretty site, I'm sure!