This wedding is what couples who want intimate wedding's dream of! Big Bear was the perfect location for their intimate ceremony in the woods, surrounded by their closest friends and family. Brady and Anja, thank you for letting Taylor and I capture your wedding day. We are amazed with the beauty in your relationship, your family, and of course all of your wedding details!

Jay and Bree celebrated their FIFTEENTH wedding anniversary this year! And what better way to celebrate, than a vow renewal!? I am so thankful that they asked me to join them with their friends and family to capture their joy, as they spoke the sweetest (and funniest) vows to each other; sharing all their best memories over their last 15 years together. Their two boys are the cutest, and I am so thankful to have met this sweet family! Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives, and documenting this special time for you, Jay and Bree! (and congratulations on your newest addition arriving soon)  (;  I am so excited for you!

I know you hear this all the time, but honestly I wish I didn't have so many cute clothes until we knew what size she would be at what times. We had tons of adorable newborn outfits that she never even got to wear, or wore once because they didn't fit her long and were the wrong style for the wrong time of the year (short sleeves in winter... not good for a cold baby)!
​Another thing to remember is that newborns spit up A LOT and have tons of poopy blowouts, so you go through TONS of clothes!
We were changing her clothes 4- 5 times a day for the first month. So having easy jammies and onesies is KEY!
Beats those dressy outfits any day, especially when you are home anyway the first couple of weeks! When you do buy clothes, buy them from nice thrift stores or garage sales, you can really find some hidden gems and save tons of money!

Instead of carrying her all the way to the "diaper changing station" (her dresser) every 2-3 hours, I really wish we would have just kept a stash of diapers and some wipes at the bottom of the bed and changed her right there. Not only does getting up and down wake the baby, but it wakes you up more, making it harder to fall back asleep.  We do this now at 4 months old, since 2 or 3 months old, and it is LIFE SAVING and SLEEP SAVING!

Let them nap in brighter rooms than what they sleep in at night, and always with some noise, it will train them to sleep anytime and anywhere. My girl can sleep in a noisy room, right in my arms for hours now or she can sleep in her pack n play in the middle of family talking. So many other ways she naps, and she sleeps SO much, I really think it has to do with starting that from day 1!

Bake casseroles/frozen foods and stock up on non-perishables and water bottles while you can. Before the baby is born is the perfect time to get things done around the house. But one thing we forgot, was getting basic essentials. For us, we don't live near a store thats less than 15 minutes away, so going out with a newborn was not ideal, and neither of us felt up for going out after days of no sleep in the hospital. Get it done while you can or have your family ready to pick things up for you if you can!

You can never have enough of either.. 

Use that stuff on EVERYTHING. Use it at every diaper change to avoid getting diaper rashes. Use it on their face when it looks dry. Use it on any cuts/scrapes they get. Use it on your own hands when they get too dry. 
Breastmilk is also very healing. You can just leave a little leftover on their lips when they are done eating. It will keep their lips from getting chapped and dried out!

1. Get Away from the Adjectives!
Instead of using words like, "beautiful, perfect, exciting" (any basic adjectives), try using non adjective words to describe their wedding or engagement session, and talk more about feelings/relatable moments.
For Example, this is not a strong sentence to include in the blog, "Their wedding day was very beautiful, and full of so much joy"! Instead try, "Jordan and Mandy anxiously awaited each other all day, at the beautiful Serendipity Garden. When he first laid eyes on her you could feel the joy we saw in his eyes, as tears filled their eyes and streamed down Mandy's cheek."

2. Space out your best shots!
If you keep all of your favorites at the beginning, someone might lose interest in the rest of the blog post. If you keep them at the end you might not draw their attention in long enough to see those favorite shots! But if you space them out, then you will keep them interested and in love from beginning to end!

3. Be as consistent as you can be!
This one is extra tricky, because it's so hard to keep up! But the more consistent you are, the better you won't get behind.. because we all know what happens when we get behind.. it never gets done! So the more you stay on it, the more your clients see, the more you have to share when someone visits your website, and the more content you can keep up to date!

1. Your wedding day is just that.... ONE DAY. What matters most is that on your special day, you are committing to a LIFETIME together. My point with this is... don't let the stresses of a "perfect" wedding day get to you so much that it gives you stress, lack of sleep, or problems in your relationship! What matters the most is that your wedding day will be uniquely yours, it will be the day you committed to forever with each other, surrounded by the people who care most about you! Let that be your mindset as you plan and prepare for your wedding day, and don't let the little things overwhelm you! The day flies by, the marriage is forever!

2. Your bridal party might drive you crazy. Give your bridesmaids and groomsmen PLENTY of time to get alterations, and have your maid of honor be the one to stay on top of everyone for you! Also, make time for just yourself on your wedding morning. As soon as your bridal party is there, you will be in non-stop commotion, and you will want some peace and quiet!

3. Trust your gut. If any vendors, family members, friends, or anyone else gives you advice that you don't agree with, or don't want to take, then don't! Don't do something you don't want to do just because someone says it's a good idea. It's your wedding day, and whatever dreams you have or don't have, are what matter! Choose to let bad advice in one ear and out the other! In the end, do what makes you and your fiance' happy, and ignore the rest!! You will be happier in the end!