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Last year, winter and I were not friends.

My kids had a love/hate relationship with the snow. They loved to talk about how much fun it would to play in it, but they never lasted outside for more than five minutes. Bundling them in their snow gear took a full 30 minutes, so you can imagine how exhausting the preparation process was with little return on investment. We had a serious case of cabin fever for nearly three months!

I was also very pregnant with my son Max at the time and each snowfall only seemed to intensify the tired, aching state of the third trimester. I went into labor in the middle of the night in the middle of an ice storm, which made for an interesting ride to the hospital and also delayed my epidural – a huge strike against winter in my book! (Something to consider for anyone who goes into labor during inclement weather, check to see if the anaesthesiologist is at the hospital when you arrive. It will take them longer to drive in if they’re not so you’ll want to plan ahead!)

But this year, winter has felt different. Perhaps I’m feeling a bit nostalgic remembering bringing Max home from the hospital in the snow, or it’s that my children actually love playing outside, making all the bundling efforts worthwhile, but I’m appreciating all that winter has to offer. The more mild winter we are having has certainly helped as well! And while it’s still not my favorite season, let’s just say we’ve made amends and we’re friends again.

Southern Maryland winter photography

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A few months ago, I received a very heartfelt email from Lindsey, one of my 2014 brides. It had been a year since her wedding. Her email began, “I thought of you today and I wanted to thank you.” She then said her father-in-law had passed away since their wedding and she talked about how much more their wedding photographs had come to mean to them since his passing. She attached a handful of her favorites. (It was actually her email that prompted me to start this blog series.)

Here is what she had to say about the images she chose:

“We were so happy to have his father there with us for the wedding.  You caught a beautiful moment between Guli and his father after dancing.  Our family has come to cherish this photo … we have just celebrated our one-year anniversary and flew his father’s ashes to India to rest.  The wedding and the photos that you took have come to mean so much more to us than our union alone.”

It was a wonderful reminder that the purpose of the photos we take are both to document the memories created, and the people in them. For these are the images that will bring us comfort when they’re no longer with us.

To see more images from Lindsey and Guli’s wedding, please view their full blog post here.

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Maryland bride

 

 

 

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Where there are boys, you’ll generally find a bit of rowdiness, an abundant supply of energy, playful spirits, and dirt. There always seems to be dirt!

These boys jump in puddles, climb trees and build forts. These boys dream big.

But where there are boys, you’ll also find big hearts. And these hearts, well, they fiercely love their mommas!

This set of brothers is no exception. So of course, we had to capture one photograph at the end that includes their beautiful mom.

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For a late December day, Karen and Russell’s Breton Bay engagement session should have been cold and possibly even a little windy on the water. Instead, it was warm and sunny with temperatures in the 70s! Despite the unusual weather for this time of year, I still love the winter look and feel to these pictures. The genuine smiles and laughter are two more reasons I’m loving this session lately.

I can’t wait to see these two again for their gorgeous fall wedding in New York! As an added bonus, I’ll have the chance to work with Karen’s family again. I photographed her sister’s wedding a couple years ago, and it’s always an honor and so much fun to see past brides and families again!

Breton Bay Engagement

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Yesterday on the blog, I shared what planning your wedding looks like from a year up until 4 months from the big day. Today we’re talking about what happens after that through the wedding day.

planning your wedding

2-4 months

  • Order wedding cake
  • Order party favors
  • Order decorations
  • Hire wedding day transportation
  • Plan activities for out-of-town guests
  • Go on trials & book wedding day hair & makeup
  • Choose readers and any other participants needed for the ceremony
  • Get photography permit, if needed
  • Address invitations and mail them

1-2 months

  • Record RSVPs
  • Purchase ceremony & reception accessories
  • Select groomsmen’s wedding attire
  • Mail invitations for rehearsal dinner
  • Select something old, new, borrowed and blue

1 month

  • Finalize menu selection for wedding
  • Finalize ceremony details with officiant
  • Finalize rehearsal dinner details
  • Make a wedding day itinerary & give a copy to your wedding party & vendors
  • Determine reception seating chart and create place cards
  • Pick up wedding rings
  • Make musical selections

1 week

  • Give caterer and reception venue a final count of your guests
  • Pack for your honeymoon

1 day before

  • Drop decor off at ceremony & reception locations
  • Create envelopes with final payments for any vendors that need to paid on the wedding day

Wedding day

  • Make sure you have the wedding rings
  • Bring the marriage license, photo permit & special occasions permit, if needed
  • Relax and enjoy your day

These timeline suggestions have been pulled together from a variety of wedding sources, plus our own personal experience. Each wedding is different and will vary.

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