Popular Vintage Looks & Trends for the 2015 Bride

I remember waking up at 7:00am sharp to join my Mom (who I affectionately call Melinda Ann) on her ritualistic Saturday morning garage sale hunting expedition.  The mornings usually started out warm and hungry, but usually "metamorphosized" into this hot misty day filled with old dictionaries, timeless classics, clothes that smelled of mothballs & cobwebs, and of course the rumble of my stomach. My Mom placated these many sites and sounds with buying me cereal burgers (soy burgers with a mystery mixture of meat and lard) and crinkled dollars. 

I look back on many of these Saturdays with love and bliss because these very Saturdays are what has shaped my love for all things vintage and my very style in photography.

This year has brought something special with it: Vintage. Many brides are setting out to do a lot of DIY weddings to save on the cost and also put their personal touch on their special day.  I'm all for this.  This inspires creativity. 

Below are some pictures that inspire my photography and are definitely shaping up to be the most popular "Vintage Trends for the 2015 Bride."  Check out my inspiration.

sources:  Found on bestfriendsforfrosting.com Found on styledandwed.com , Found on mignonnehandmade.com, https://www.pinterest.com/source/mignonnehandmade.com/, www.greenweddingshoes.com , Found on greylikesweddings.com, Found on celia-grace.com , Found on celia-grace.com

Now Booking for Weddings in 2015.

Over six years ago, I had a Nikon Coolpix point and shoot. I actually had the camera for about a year and a half before I started really using it.  That was right around the time that I decided to take my self seriously. That was also around the time that I sold my first pieces.   I remember walking down the country streets of Elgin, Oklahoma, taking pictures of old barns, dilapidated fences, and hay bales.  That was pretty much all I had in my sights.  Of course, there were my two young children, Briley and Phoenix.  I used them as my practice models.  They were all that I had too.

Now, flash-forward almost seven years later and I'm sitting here on my website, typing about my past experiences as a beginner photographer. It's laughable. It's amazing. It's really unbelievable that I'm actually selling my services.  I LOVE this love that I found over 8 years ago.  I love the fact that it is something that has grown on me and that I'm seeking to let it grow more. 

This is my first official promo under the new name and new website and I look forward to sharing more as I move forward through my love life with photography.

Sixty Years Together... A Time Spent With An Amazing Family

Last year, in Broken Arrow, OK, I photographed the 60th wedding anniversary of this Happy and beautiful family. Sandy Eaton, the daughter of the happy couple, hired me and with her siblings, spearheaded the event.  It was warm, happy, and brought tears to my eyes.

Three BIG Reasons Why I LOVE Weddings

I love weddings. I'm in the process of planning my wedding which the date is undetermined.  We are in NO HURRY.  Plus, planning a wedding, to me, is like when you enter the first stages of an awesome relationship: you want to stay inside of your little bubble and tell the world nothing until you're good and ready.  At least, that's how it is for me.  But, I digress.

1. Weddings showcase family love.

There's nothing more beautiful then watching a sister (below) help her older sister get dressed for her big day.  Sometimes there are tears. Most of time there are laughs. All-in-all each wedding I have shot has one thing in common.  Weddings bring families together.

What was  your greatest experience at your wedding?

2.  You capture the most candid shots.

It is in my personal opinion that when you shoot a wedding, you have the greatest opportunity to capture those candid shots.  Most of the time, brides (and grooms) are so concerned with keeping up with the schedule that they forget that I'm even there. Most weddings are around 6-8 hours.  So, that's 6-8 hours of the most beautiful opportunities.

3.  You capture those very first moments between man and wife.

It's really a beautiful thing.  Just a few hours ago, they were boyfriend and girlfriend.  They were engaged.  Now, they are husband and wife.  They now share families.  When they hold hands, it means something to the world because they are both sharing this new life together.  It is something I have never seen with any other form of photography.