Heidi & Thomas // Wedding

Heidi has been a childhood friend of mine for years and years, so photographing her wedding was such a joy. I met Thomas at his brother Matt's wedding the summer of 2016 while photographing his wedding & had no idea that 2 years later I would be photographing he and Heidi's wedding! 

These two got married in Charleston on literally THE perfect day. It was sunny, not too hot, not too cold, and we got to watch the sun set over the marina. I was so excited when Heidi emailed me and said they wanted to do a first look. She said Thomas would be way more emotional if it was just the 2 of them, rather than in front of 140 people. So we met in a little alley way in downtown Charleston for their first look, and it was one of the sweetest I've ever witnessed. He cried and couldn't stop telling Heidi how beautiful she looked (I mean, could you blame him?!) 

I felt more like a friend than the photographer at their wedding, which always makes my job feel like the opposite of work. I even got on the dance floor for a little while with my sweet husband, which someone picked up my camera & documented (picture below)! I was thrilled to be a part of the Odom's wedding day and even more thrilled that they are now living within "lets grab dinner tonight" distance away. Love you two, and I pray for your marriage often. 

Venue: Charleston Yacht Club

Wedding Dress: BHLDN

Bridesmaid dresses: Lulus

Hair & Makeup: Margaret Ann Kennebeck

Florist: Lexi Woodward 

Baker: Lauren Crittendon

Micayla & Wade // Wedding

I am sitting on my back porch, fingers hovering the keys, a white page staring blank before me. I am trying find the words that will match the feelings I have in my heart for these two and their sweet wedding. Not sure if I can do it justice, but its worth a try. 

Micayla and Wade are some of the sweetest people you will ever meet. They both come from very large families, Micayla being the oldest of 9 and Wade being one of 11 (their family photos was the largest one I've ever taken..scroll down to see!) So, to say they love people really well is an understatement. As a photographer, I do lots of observing. Lots of watching. While I was photographing their wedding day, a few things I observed about these two was their selfless hearts, their kind spirits, and their genuine love for people. 

As a bride, its easy to get caught up in the idea that this day is all about you. Yet, the entire day, I watched Micayla selflessly serve others and put other's needs above her own. One of her sisters asked her to help with her makeup, and Micayla joyfully did it. Another asked her to fix her hair, and she joyfully did it. As she was running around getting ready she came over to me and asked if she could do anything for ME or if I needed anything. I was blown away the entire day at how she loved & served others, despite the fact that it was "her" wedding. 

Wade was kind to everyone he came in contact with that day. I was in the middle of photographing all the family photos and he looked over at me and said, "You're doing a great job Kathleen, we are super thankful for you!" Every word that I heard come out of his mouth was encouraging and kind & it was a true blessing to watch. 

Their love for their family & friends was extremely evident. I think they spoke to every single person that was at their wedding and genuinely loved on everyone that was there. I teared up watching the love that this family has for each other and how excited they were for the 2 families to become one. Micayla & Wade, your wedding refreshed my spirits and made me thankful that I get to be a part of special days like yours. The love you guys have for Jesus, each other, your family & friends challenged ME, because you love like Jesus. I am thrilled that you two get to experience the gift of marriage & I know many people will be impacted through it.

Much love to you guys. xoxo

J & J //Engagement

Its a crazy thing when you know two people your entire life, you grow up together and are basically like family, they get older & fall in love, get engaged, are now planning their wedding, and you get to photograph the entire process. This literally is the story between Jordan Leigh, Josiah & I. 

I grew up with Jordan Leigh & Josiah, as well as their entire families. I seriously can't remember a time without them in my life. All of our families were incredibly close growing up, to the point that we did EVERYTHING together. We saw them multiple times a week, went to church with them, would travel with them, have them over for dinner etc. Well..our little group of friends slowly started to fall in love. My sister and Josiah's brother, John Anthony, started crushing on each other, and at the time, we all thought it was so weird that best friends were falling in love. But years later, they are happily married & now we really ARE family. Then, Josiah started crushing on Jordan Leigh, and now years later, THEY are engaged and will be getting married in May!! My 16 year old feelings of "oh my gosh this is so crazy they are in love!" started kicking in while I was shooting their engagement photos, because it still hasn't hit me yet that they are getting married!!!!

Jordan Leigh is the sweetest human, extremely elegant, and artistically talented, especially at drawing & painting. She paints & sells these miniature portraits of people that are incredibly accurate and look identical to the person she's painting. You can find her work on Instagram @jordanleighstuckyart . She's also about to graduate with a degree in Visual Arts at the same university I went to, creating her senior show, planning a wedding, and getting ready to move, all within a few months. I did the SAME thing a little over a year ago, so I know she's up to her eyeballs in work and is probably slightly going insane, but she's doing an amazing job at it all & I can't WAIT to see her senior show. 

Josiah is hard working, crazy smart, and also very artistic. When we were younger, we'd go over to his house and see all these small figurines he had molded out of clay. They were always so intricately detailed & realistic. Josiah even used his gift of creativity to do something for Jordan Leigh that I have YET to see any other fiancé do. He had a crazy idea to not just design, but MAKE Jordan Leigh's engagement ring. Josiah called a local guy who does that work to see if it was possible to teach him how to make her ring. Josiah used a diamond that was formerly Jordan Leigh's great grandmother's, and after months of work, he literally hand crafted her engagement ring (photos of the ring below!) I love couples who have special stories behind certain aspects of their wedding day that makes it so much more personal and unique!

Jordan Leigh & Josiah, you both are like family to me and I am SO thankful for our friendship over the years. I could pee my pants over how excited I am for your wedding AND that y'all are moving to Greenville after your wedding!!! Extra bonus! Love you two and the countdown to May 26th is ON!

How to plan a wedding...budget style.

This is the time of year for wedding planning! Every week I get inquiries from brides who have recently gotten engaged and are starting the planning process. It's such an exciting season of life as a bride, but it can also become very stressful & expensive. According to The Knot, the average American wedding costs $30,000. That is just crazy to me! When I got engaged, there was no way my college student budget was going to allow me to have a $30,000 wedding. Plus, my sister had JUST gotten married 4 months before I got engaged, and my parents didn't have a lot of funds to dish out to me. So I had to make my wedding happen on a small budget. 

 I know, it might be weird to you that I'm posting a blog about how to save money on your wedding day when I am IN the wedding industry and make a living off people getting married. But I was also a bride just a few months ago, had a killer wedding, and pulled it off on a small budget. So, for all those brides getting married this year, I wanted to share a few tips on how I saved money and planned my wedding on a budget. 

• Splurge on what's important, save on what's not. Everyone has things they value and are willing to spend money on. For some, it might be that they have a LOVE for music & want a live band at their reception, and are willing to pay $3,000 to have one. Some might have a lot of friends and family that they want to attend their wedding, and are willing to pay $4,000 for a venue that will hold everyone. MY hope is that you value quality photos to remember your wedding day by, and splurge on a professional photographer ;) Whatever that may be for you, decide on what you value, splurge on that one thing, and then try to find more affordable alternatives for everything else. 

• Read your vendor's fine print. I got married at a beautiful venue that wasn't outrageously expensive. However, in their contract, booking them as my venue meant that I agreed to using their rental company for all my tables, chairs, and any additional needs. That rental company was not the most affordable option I could have used, but I agreed to the contract and had to use them. Make sure you are aware of all the fine print to keep you on budget & prevent any unexpected expenses. 

• Buy dried flowers & make bouquets yourself. As a photographer, I LOVE it when my brides use professional florists because large & creative bouquets add such a beautiful element to the photographs. I also have friends who are florists, and I am constantly advertising for them because they are true artists and I love photographing their work. However, using live flowers can get costly very quickly. So what I did on my wedding day was order a ton of dried flowers (from Curious Country Creations online), had a fun, bouquet building night with all my bridesmaids, but then had a professional florist make my bouquet with live flowers. This saved me some money, but then also provided the funds for me to splurge on my bouquet. I'd highly recommend this because professionally done bridal bouquets make for beautiful photos.  Another way to save money in this area would be to hire a professional to make all your bouquets, but then add a different element to the dinner tables, instead of large flower arrangements, which will save you a lot of money. (Bouquets below done by Lexi Woodward)

• Do as MUCH DIY stuff as possible. For my wedding, anything I could do myself (or could bribe my family members or close friends to do), I did. My sister has beautiful handwriting and she did all the hand lettering for my invitation. My other sister & I actually designed my invitation. My sister made our wedding cake. My dad and I made flower & candle holders out of wood for the table center pieces. I made a wedding music playlist on Spotify and had my uncle (who has tons of sound equipment) DJ the reception. I had these huge, wire, plant holders that were on the main wall of the venue that my best friend & I made by hand. My sisters & best friend raided the woods near our house the day before my wedding to gather greenery & vines to use as decorations for the reception. There are TONS of things you can do yourself. Sure, it might take time & some extra thought, but it can cut costs tremendously! I had so much fun creating unique elements for my wedding and made lasting memories with my family & friends in the process. (Below are some images from my wedding of things we made ourselves. Photos by Julie Mixon) 

• Have a pot-luck reception. I know this sounds crazy and kinda impossible. Yet, this is probably where I saved the MOST money on my wedding day. On average, caterers charge about $20-$30 per head at a wedding, and if you invite 200 guests, that is somewhere between $4,000- $6,000 you will spend, just on FOOD alone! Unreal. At my wedding, my parents provided the meat for everyone, and the rest of the food was brought in by our guests. We had a food sign up sheet online that people filled out, so we were aware of how much food would be provided. It sounds pretty ghetto, but seriously, it was the greatest idea. There was SUCH a variety of mouth- watering, home cooked dishes, breads, and desserts and we had more than enough to feed everyone! It was such a blessing and I tell all my brides to consider this on their wedding day if possible! 

There are so many things I'm glad I did on my wedding day, and other things I wished I would have done differently. I love any chance I get to help my brides (and brides in general), and I think one way is by sharing the good, the bad and the ugly. It also saddens me to watch so many people go into debt because of their wedding, or spend so much time, energy and money on their wedding, and neglect their future marriage. My heart for my couples is that they have thriving marriages, not just a killer wedding. These tips might not work for everyone, and I'm sure there are better/more affordable alternatives than these, but I hope these will help you has you begin your wedding day planning, in order for you to have a killer, affordable wedding AND a thriving marriage. xoxo

Small Business Owner *Spotlight*

Having my own business is never something I imagined for my life, but the Lord knows better. He has blessed me with a career I love and I can’t imagine doing anything else! There are so many beautiful aspects of having my own business, but there are equal amounts of hardships that come along with it. Having people in my field who are working just as hard and pushing through the hardships truly encourages me to keep going. A few of those people for me are Shana Wanco, Jeff Felton, and Randy Branch. These three all started small businesses in 2017 and are absolutely KILLING it. I love watching their growth while doing something they are passionate about. I thought it would be helpful, for other small business owners or people who are simply curious as to how running a business actually works, to hear from THEM about some of what they learned in 2017.

First off is Shana. We met in college where she was studying graphic design and I was studying photography. She immediately stood out to me because of her crazy talent and sweet spirit. I ended up photographing her engagement and wedding. She has also completely redesigned my logo and branding for my new website. If she wasn't already cool enough, she recently started her own business called Iris & Marie Letterpress, where she specializes in letterpress work. If you haven’t heard of or seen letterpress done before, you HAVE to follow her on Instagram @Irisandmariepress.She frequently posts videos of the process, which are absolutely mesmerizing. This is what Shana had to say about what she learned this past year:

"Okayyyyy so, 2017 was my taking off year! Super exciting, super scary. I quit my full time job in April & officially started my business in May. Being able to set my own schedule & say yes to the work that fits my style was & is still AMAZING! The biggest, hugest thing I've learned in 2017 is how important relationships are & putting yourself out there! Everyone knows that taking good photos of your work, being authentic & trying to keep your social media game up to par is key, but behind Instagram are tons of relationships! I love using Instagram as my main platform to market, but I've put a lot of time into making lasting vendor & client relationships that have turned into friendships. I go to dinner, schedule coffee dates with people, ask for advice & give advice. All of that usually doesn't even include talking about work! I've also put myself out there by attending styled shoots outside of the city I live in, reaching out to wedding planners & photographers outside of my state & messaging people on Instagram. Quitting my job has given me a tougher skin & allowed me to become more outgoing with people that I don't know. If I didn't know someone, I would NEVER go out of my way to speak to them, but now it's almost second nature. You never know what job you could gain if you just go & introduce yourself."

Second is Jeff. If you live in Florence, you most likely know him as one of the baristas at Lula's Coffee Company. He and his boss took a small dream they had years ago and turned it into a non-profit coffee shop that has not only impacted people within the Florence area, but also people around the world. Jeff recently quit his job at Lulas, but couldn't stay away from his love for coffee. Last year, he started his own coffee roasting business called Batch Nine Coffee Company, @batchninecoffee, which Lula’s now sells and brews in their shop. He is expanding his brand to other local coffee shops in Florence, as well as others across the states. Jeff really knows how to run a business, but is still learning more and more each day. This is some of what he says he's still learning:

"For all of the glamorous moments from small biz owners that you seen on Instagram, there are an uncountable number of tough moments that go on behind the scenes. Late nights, long days, tough spots, uncertainty, doubts, creative blocks. What I’ve learned most in 2017 and the first month of 2018 is how to embrace these “un-glamorous” things as the ebb and flow of starting/owning a small business.

You have to want to own your own business. And when I say you have to want it, I mean you have to WANT it. Lots of people have ideas for starting businesses and some of them actually get up the stomach to take steps and make it happen. But I understand now why a considerable amount of them tank pretty quickly - it’s because late nights, long days, doubts, tough spots, and creative blocks happen, and if doing what you’re doing isn’t engrained in the core of who you are, you’re not going to respond when it’s crying in the middle of the night.

I have learned that this is what I want to do, that this craft is one I want to perfect. How do I know? Because it hasn’t come without late nights, super long days, doubts, frustrations, and creative blocks, and yet I still keep moving forward.

Sometimes I have several orders to fill and they have to go out in the morning, which means a late night is inevitable. Creativity comes in spurts. Lots of times, I draw a blank on what to do next, how to drive sales, or even what to caption a picture. I’ve had multiple opportunities to throw in the towel, and sometimes it would seem to make sense to do so. I could have, but I just couldn’t, if you get my drift. It’s because deep in my guts, I know this is just the ebb and flow of it all, and I’m willing to grind it out when that’s all I can do. I’ve also learned that in those moments, patience and perseverance are all that works, but its worth it every time to keep moving forward!"

Third is Randy. I'm literally so excited because he and his beautiful fiance Samantha are getting married this year and I get to photograph their wedding!!! I did their engagement photos last fall and let me tell you, they were a dream to photograph. They were so natural in front of the camera and are a pretty attractive couple! Randy is a videographer, @randybranchmedia, who specializes in weddings, music videos, and promotional work. I've been so impressed with Randy, as he took a hobby and created a business out of it. He's constantly learning new things and always creating new work, which is one of the keys to growth and improving your craft. Here are some words from him about all that 2017 taught him:

"2017 was a transitional year for Randy Branch Media in that I learned the difference between JUST creating content and running a business. I've learned that it takes hard work, dedication, and most of all, patience. I've also found that networking is key. Building relationships with other creatives and business owners has encouraged me to learn, grow, and improve my craft. It's so rewarding doing what I'm passionate about on a daily basis, but that doesn't come without some struggles. It can certainly be difficult managing the business side of things when you just want to follow your passion and create content, but I've found a sense of fulfillment in owning my own business. My favorite thing about Randy Branch Media is the relationships that I'm building and in 2018, I want to see the development of more relationships, collaborations, and cross-promotions."

The farther I go in my business, the greater my love for it grows, as well as my appreciation for OTHER small business owners. I literally have SO much to learn, but the best way to learn is by doing. I am super thankful I get to grow, fail, and learn alongside some pretty talented people. I'm also thankful to the Lord for giving, growing, and completely blessing my business the way He has. I often get frustrated and impatient, but He is so faithful and has given me way more than I could ask or imagine. If you ever need wedding stationery/branding, coffee, or videography, hit up my friends!

Happy Friday y'all!! xoxo