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Last weekend was Thunder Beach here in Panama City. It is a very interesting event for the locals because we get to see all kinds of bikes enter our cities. They do come with a lot of noise but behind the loud are some really nice people. I was lucky enough to be a part of some Thunder Beacher’s wedding. They decided to hold it a little earlier in the evening so that they could get back to Thunder Beach. It was so neat to see the whole crew show up on their bikes and walk down the beach to cheer on their friends. A simple wedding with some very sweet people.

It seems the preception for beach portraits and clothes is to wear all white.  Another idea is to have all family members wear the same exact color.  While I do take pictures of families in those types of clothes I am here tell you all white or all matching is not the only way to go.  There are some who truly enjoy their family dressed all the same and I have no problem with that at all.  Truly, whatever makes the family happy is what I want the family to do.

This segment of Consder This is for those that have no idea what to wear and want some suggestions.

#1 Stick with clothing that is simple in both patterns, color and shape.  Anything too outrageous and it takes away from the person or other familly members.

#2 If you are open to color suggestion then I recommend color.  Our beaches are white and the water and sky are blue so I suggest having something aside from those colors in your wardrobe.  I know that is not what is considered the norm but I promise it looks amazing on camera.  Vibrant colors such as pinks, greens and even orange look great as do muted tones like pale green or yelow.

#3 Comfortabe clothes make for happy people.  If you aren’t comfortable in your outfit it shows in your pictures.  For us women if we choose something that hugs around the middle and that makes us a little self conscious then I suggest you don’t wear it.  Choose something that you feel comfortable standing and sitting in.  For kids make sure you try on their clothes prior to the session.  Kids can be picky especially if something itches or they feel like something is too tight.  I remember being one of those kids.

#4 Coordinate the family.  To make your family cohesive try to coordinate the colors.  This is a great alternative to having every family member wearing the same colors.

Ultimately, you should think about this image being hung on your wall for years to come and think of what colors you want to see your family in.  Even think about the room you will hang it in.  If I were having my portrait taken I would have each family member in a different color but in the same family (pales, bolds, etc) but if all matching is perfect for your family then go with it and love it.

Kate and Brandon were troopers with me. We took a walk in downtown Panama City and right off the bat I could tell Brandon was the strong silent type and Kate was going to be the giggly smiley one. Interesting…that is how my hubby and I are. Several times I would ask Brandon to look at me and I swear he was channeling a little Blue Steel from Zoolander. Kate always had a super fantastic smile. I warned her for her wedding day to make sure to relax her face as it would probably hurt that night from all the smiles. My photographer gave me the same warning. I am a smileaholic.

They I think were trying to be serious in this next one.  Every time I would ask for a serious face I would get giggles.  Perfect for me…I like giggles.  The both of your are stunning. I adore this one. 

I send out a wedding questionnaire to my couples so that I can get to know them and what their plans are for the wedding.  Nancy wrote her theme would be vintage lace and antique silver with slight hints of pink. She said the surroundings were so beautiful out at Wild Heron that she didn’t want to distract from that.  With that one sentence I knew her wedding would be my dream.

I show up and find the set up for the ceremony around a gazebo.  Each chair had a mixture of lace and pale ribbons flowing down the back.  At the reception site near the boat house there were several tables scattered around the grounds with very simple and elegant center pieces…baby’s breath and an antique key.  I found the flowers and saw several different tussy mussies for grandmothers and mothers.   I debated on having these for my own wedding simple because of the awesome tussy mussy holder which is usually and antiqued silver.  They were gorgeous.  All around the site where sprinkles of lace, baby’s breath, antique keys and little hints of pink.  Gorgeous.  Then I saw Nancy’s amazing dress.  So light and lacey.  A perfect fit for the day.   She had every detailed planned and everything flowed so well.

While Nancy was finishing up her beauty time I met Chris who was slightly anxious but not because he was getting married more because he was ready to see his bride.  It was a good thing they opted for the First Look.  I found a spot that was a little out of the way where they could see each other for the first time.  It is so wonderful to witness first looks and see the bride and groom’s nerves become replaced with joy.

Thanks Nancy and Chris for being so wonderful.  The details were so wonderful but most importantly I really enjoyed watching you two get married.

The little ring bearers were so adorable.  The youngest just decided to sprint down the aisle to mommy and daddy.
The flower girls and mini-gentlemen escorts that held their flower baskets as they sprinkled petals.
Nancy and Chris didn’t want tradition.  That is why the opted for the first look.  She didn’t have something new, something borrowed and something blue.  The flowers were hung at different heights.  They also decided to face the crowd for their ceremony.  I loved this last detail as it made my job super easy.  Not to mention they got to see all of their guests as they said their I Do’s…brilliant. Look at her killer dress.  So gorgeous.

WEDDING DETAILS

Details are one of the most time consuming tasks a couple faces during the planning of their wedding.  Some let a coordinator handle all the planning, others decide to just keep it simple and the third group provides a playground of details for a photographer like me.  I personally love details because it makes my job so much fun.  At the other end I do appreciate a very simple wedding since I focus all of my time on the couple.

If you are planning a wedding and you love all of your details let me remind you some that couples tend overlook.

• The hanger on the dress.  You have paid excellent money for a very nice dress and you ask me to take a picture of it hanging up then I suggest you bring a non plastic hanger.  Just a subtle change like bringing a wooden one will make this little detail much cleaner.

While the first picture was very nice the hanger was just one little detail that could have been improved.  The second picture shows the extreme with a personalized hanger.

• Wedding stationary.  The invitation including the envelope, RSVP card, maps, programs, etc can be a nice detail for me to photography.  You have to remember to bring it.  If you spent a good deal of time designing them then it would be nice to have me photograph them.

• Sentimental items.  If you have items in your wedding that belong to a family member or have significance please let me know.   Sometimes there are items in a wedding that I wouldn’t suspect are of special importance so it is nice to know the meaning behind everything.

Leave a comment

 If you have an detail at your wedding that you wish you would’ve done differently please leave a comment and let us know.  Other couples would love to learn from your advice.

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I am probably going to embarrass Colleen a little by starting with saying that I swore I was about to shoot Britney Spears’ wedding when I first met her.  She is adorable.  Just a shout out to Ty…you are pretty cute too!!  It was just the two of them on a very sunny afternoon on the beach.  She had some TOM’s shoes, an adorable orange and purple bouquet…oh…and did I mention her dress was from Ebay?

I thought for sure she bought a couture gown just for her beach wedding.  She shopped for a while looking for just the perfect dress on all the popular websites for one of kind dresses while trying to keep to a budget.  It came down to this adorable dress on Ebay and I swear I wanted to buy it from her and use it in a vow renewal I will have one day…some day.