I’ve been in the wedding industry for some time now. Even all these years later, I still love shooting them- especially those moments that are so distinctly about that specific couple, their close friends and their families… Those little moments that literally could never be repeated in the exact same way, with the exact same emotion, and the exact same lighting at any other wedding. GAH! I live for them. And my eyes tear up in those moments.

Here’s the thing though. While it’s no surprise how much websites like Pinterest or Instagram have affected the wedding scape (this has been going on for some time now and there’s no way its stopping), the reality is that many real weddings are starting to look the same in some aspects. Everyone’s doing the same type of color scheme, the same floral layout, the same “ideas” of matching robes and having living, breathing llamas for photo ops – all because the internet told them it was a “thing” now, the latest must-have trend.

So my advice for you, if you’re still in the wedding planning stage, is this:

Whenever you’re deciding on a specific style for the wedding, or whenever you’re planning on replicating an idea (like smoke bombs), I really challenge you to ask yourself, “What meaning does this have for me? How does this make me feel about my special day?” Just because you think an idea looks cute on a blog post of someone else’s wedding doesn’t mean it necessarily represents you and your day.

Not much of a writer and don’t want to write a card for your partner for them to read before the ceremony? Forget that then! A photo of the shoes doesn’t mean much to you? Scratch it! Not really into the cake-cutting idea? Whack a piñata instead! (That’s what one of my couples from last year did.)

When it boils down to it, the wedding day is about the love between you and your partner, and the love you share with your loved ones, and every choice you make stylistically or schedule-wise reflects that. When you make decisions that are true to you, that come from the heart, it shows. So embrace it from beginning to end, make it your own, and celebrate! You can’t ever go wrong that way.

Happy planning, my peeps!!!!