Your wedding day is something you’ve been dreaming of since you were a little girl. You imagine falling in love with THAT guy, The One, the man who makes your heart melt and knees go weak. Once you’re lucky enough to find him, next comes the ring, the venue, the date, the dress. You plan every last detail until you arrive at the day of your dreams. Perfect, right?
Well…
Rest assured there will be those last minute surprises and uncontrollable variables that could throw a (small) wrench in your plans. How do you handle unforeseen circumstances? We met a bride recently whose story seemed to be a particularly good example of listening to your “inner bride”.
Meghann and Eric did just that: they fell in love, they got engaged, and began planning out one of the most exciting days of their lives. After all was said and done there was one thing that just wasn’t a part of the “picture-perfect” fairytale Meghann had been imagining.
Here’s their story:
“I met Eric eleven years ago and knew he was the one as soon as I laid eyes on him. Ten years ago we started dating, and for the last two and half years we have been planning our dream wedding. I knew I would need time to create the wedding weekend I had always envisioned. I had found the perfect location, I picked the perfect date (in my opinion, Fall is the most picturesque time of year!). I had the perfect groom, and everything was falling into place. I planned every little thing down to an obnoxiously detailed timeline of photos: who, what, where and when! I was familiar with every inch of my gorgeous venue and daydreamed about the photos that would come out of our perfect autumn wedding day. For me the photos were the most important thing- after the vows were said, the cake was cut, and the dancing was done, our wedding photos would be our keepsakes from the day.
The weather had been beautiful for over a month and I was praying it would continue. But by the Monday before our wedding, our sunny forecast had changed. Every day the chance of rain and storm-like conditions increased and my heart sank lower. Now, reflecting back, it was our dream day and everything worked out as it should have. But, the only disappointment I felt was that the gloomy sky and rain had prevented the pictures that I had always envisioned.
We do have gorgeous pictures of our day- our ceremony, our bridal party, our family and our fun reception. However, we didn’t get a collection of artistic photographs of only us. In the few pictures we did have, the sky was gloomy and it was obvious that the rain was pouring down. In the end, we didn’t get that bridal portrait that you typically see sitting on the mantle. I was upset, but I began thinking… why couldn’t we have a separate bridal session? It would give me an excuse to put that dress I love back on and spend an hour with my new husband at our beautiful venue on another gorgeous fall day!
Knowing that the leaves were falling and the days were getting shorter, I contacted Melissa Grimes-Guy Photography whose studio is near The Oaks in Easton, MD. Within a week we were back at The Oaks on a chilly (but sunny!) afternoon. We spent a stress-free afternoon shooting beautiful photos around our venue and capturing everything I had been dreaming of. The light was amazing and my new husband and I enjoyed the time together just being newlyweds in love.
My advice to any bride would be to remember that no matter how much planning you put in, there will be hiccups- and that is okay! I’d definitely recommend a separate bridal session. I know many brides who do sessions beforehand, however, having the session AFTER the fact was an opportunity to include my husband. And the bottom line is that I LOVE my photos and will treasure them for a lifetime.
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