Rachel + Jacob, the wedding

Hello! I'm alive! Please pardon the absence. I have so much to share with you. And those of you reading this that have daughters, will totally understand why I've been gone. It's been a tough week parenting wise with the pressure of softball playoffs, then the ending of softball playoffs, and then awards ceremony. Just STUFF. Just LIFE. I blog more on that later, but for now, the long awaited, JACOB + RACHEL SNEAK PEEK! This is one of my favorite WEDDINGS EVER!!!!

It really was. And for different reasons. I get to see EVERYTHING in the world detail wise, from one budget spectrum to the next, so details are beautiful and nice and yes, the style of the wedding, but more than that, this wedding's details were the style of the COUPLE. They weren't chosen simply because it was a wedding and given choices they picked what they wanted, they were thought about and chosen because they were wanted at the wedding.

• Jacob's suit. Yes. Tuxes are nice, but the bride gets to keep her dress, so why not let the groom invest in a nice suit? A wedding suit. I LOVED that Jacob bought a suit and that these outfits will last. They can dress up in them again. Show them to their grandkids. AND it fit him well because it was made and tailored for him. That was a huge plus! Guys, you know how they never seem to get your tux fitted just right.
• The guest book. Instead of opting for the traditional guest book, the couple bought a GORGEOUS book about Paris (honeymoon destination) and had guests sign it with sweet thoughts. It was placed in a corner of the reception and you could take your time instead of having people lined up behind you waiting to be seated and sign. GOSH! I stress when folks watch me write. I signed this one and it felt GREAT! Plus, I couldn't stop looking at it!!! Beautiful images! I'm sure if I had tried to find one about Jamaica (our honeymoon), it would have been filled with poverty pictures and waterfalls. sigh... Such a great idea for a non-traditional guest book.
• cake balls! OH, my GOSH! You can see the images below, but Rachel didn't want a cake. Instead, family made cake balls! They were AWESOME! I even had a head count to know how many I could bag before I was INSANELY greedy. I could have eaten these all night. I quickly had to pace myself.

I could go on and on, but I need to show you the photos. I just wanted to say, I really do LOVE all the weddings I photograph. I get invested in the couple and their love and I melt when they commit. But I also see a lot of couples stress at participating in an event that is orchestrated by someone else and not what they really wanted. I love BIG FAT TRADITIONAL weddings! I really do. Especially if the couple LOVES that for their day. Secretly inside I hope all couples will have a live band so I can dance, but the main point I'm trying to stress here...

It's your day, plan it your way. Let it reflect you and your relationship and how you want to celebrated that with your family and friends.

THAT is my favorite kind of wedding.

Onto the sneak peek! Of course there are more photos at their online wedding gallery. CLICK HERE. It is password protected. Use the bride and groom's last names, smushed together, lowercase.

Congratulations you two! I had a fabulous time!!!