So….you just got engaged! Congrats! You are super excited, telling your friends and family, enjoying the moment…then it hits you like a ton of bricks….AHHHH!!!! I have to plan a wedding! Did you know that more couples get engaged over the holidays than any other time of the year? So #1, you are not alone! #2 There are definitely a few things you need to do right away!:) #3…But don’t freak out!

Because this time of the year is the busiest wedding booking season for a lot of wedding vendors, its important for you to start thinking about what kind of wedding you would like to have. If you don’t stop to visualize and make a plan, you are going to be grasping at straws and in the end, your wedding will be less cohesive. If you start with an overall theme…your wedding will express exactly what you want it too.

In my 8 years of being in the wedding industry in photography, I have really seen some amazing weddings. Those couples have either started with a wedding planner or had a design plan in mind when they started the whole process.

I call this the 6 word rule.  EVERY time I meet  newly engaged couples, I ask them a few questions.  Usually, they haven’t really thought about the answers, and since I meet at the beginning of their wedding planning process, it helps them to define a plan in their mind.

2 important questions I ask are:

• Visually, how do you want your guests to perceive your wedding? Use 3 words to describe this.

Some ideas: romantic, colorful, bright, classic, elegant, creative, intimate, casual, different, unique, cozy, epic, formal, light, dim,

• After your guests leave and are walking to their car, they say to each other, ” Adam & Eve’s wedding was …..( fill in the blank with 3 words):

Some Ideas: Personal, Totally Them!, a Celebration, meaningful, crazy, crafty, family oriented, fun, a dance party, elegant, epic, classic, thoughtful, formal, casual, detailed, simple, relaxed, heartfelt, emotional, fabulous, easy, insightful, short, religious…you get the drift!

After you have selected your 6 words….bounce any and all ideas off these. This helps to eliminate some of the bazillion options available to your fingertip! Part of the battle is just eliminating what you DON’T want. This will help the things you do want to become more clear.

Example: Lets just say, my 6 words were: Creative, Romantic & Intimate and Personal, Simple and Heartfelt:

I might design my own altar and use lots of our personal love story for table names and invite inspiration. Like maybe using all the places we went on dates during the first part of our relationship….Alki, Golden Gardens, The Troll, Fremont, The Fry Museum….

I also would not get carried away with tons of decor, and make sure my wedding venue had great bones, and didn’t need alot…Like Swan’s Trail Farm or Herban Feast at Sodo Park.

After you have selected your words….Find a great website for wedding planning, like TheKnot, 100 layer cake or Once Wed (for great DIY projects!). Start a file with lots of bookmarks and just go to town! Its so important in the beginning to get some ideas going within your theme.

The next major step is to book a wedding venue. This will take some time and will determine your wedding date. All other wedding vendors depend on this date to know if they will be able to work with you. So take some time, find some venues you would like to see, and make some appointments. When visiting a wedding venue…make sure to bring a camera and take lots of pictures…and ask lots of questions!!! Bring a notebook and take lots of notes! Its hard to remember everything when visiting multiple venues, so depend on paper, not your brain!:) Wedding Brain is a lot like Pregnancy Brain…so don’t be too hard on yourself if you are a little forgetful and ditsy! You have a lot going on!:)

When looking at a venue…if you want great wedding pictures, you should look for a few good elements:

1. A place for indoor pictures with lots of natural light in case of rain.
   

   The Everett Station has tons of light...and an amazing staircase!

2. A large Bridal Suite for getting ready…and again, natural light is a plus!



3. Large spaces with a plain background….like the side of a building, a wall, alleys.
   

   I love the backs of buildings!

4. A field, trees, or a open area for outdoor group pictures.

5. Anything quirky or interesting….old rusty cars, tractors or train tracks.

Step #2 is to find a photographer! Photographers have limited amount of weddings they can shoot a season, so if you have your eye on one…your best bet is to email them asap! Find out if your date is available, and see if they are in your price range….a whole other blog about that is coming soon!:) You can always email me at kaylee@eylanderphotography.com :)

I hope this helps those of you who are in the beginning stages of planning your wedding! I know it can be overwhelming…stay focused on one task, mark it off your list, and try not to get frustrated! Remember…planning your wedding is supposed to be fun…and your engagement should be one of the most memorable times in your life! Take a deep breath and start enjoying every minute of it!

As most of you know, I have a love of traveling…and a love for shooting weddings! And I have a love for combining those two loves!:) I recently have shot a few weddings in California and have a wedding coming up in the ever amazing Kauai….in less than 2 weeks! Eek! I gotta say, I think this wedding will be one of the highlights of my photography career. I absolutely can not wait! I thought I might give you some ideas for my favorite destination wedding locations if you have just gotten engaged and want to plan a fabulous Destination wedding!

These are just some of my favorites {in no particular order….I love them all quite equally!}

1. Cayman Island

2. Fiji…um you could be like the fabulous Tori Spelling! :)

3. Santori, Greece. Especially if your favorite color is blue! Amazing!

4. Of Course, Hawaii!

***Copyright www.alohaislandweddings.com*** For more information about Weddings in Hawaii, visit their website! :)Its a great resource if planning a fabulous destination wedding!

5. Jamaica- This place would lend a relaxed, easy going feel to your wedding day!

6. Lake Como, Italy….So gorgeous that George Clooney has a house there….so I’ve heard.

7. Punta Cana. A beach that is so beautiful…its calling out for you to get married there….or just renew your vows!

8. The Hills of Scotland….and if you love green…this is the place!

9.  The Bahamas….How amazing would it be to get married on this lovely secluded beach??? so..amazing. :)

9. Any where in the Dominican Republic. So glorious!

If you or your BFF  have just gotten engaged and you are on your quest to find a modern, fun wedding photographer who loves to get sand between her toes…and would love to come capture your destination island or otherwise wedding….than please email me at info@eylanderphotography.com

I would love to hear all about your plans….and my passport is ready!

Photo Credit:

Cayman: Picture This

There is something about Seattle that is just so photogenic. If its not the Space Needle…in all of its futuristic glory, or the massively fun and massively disgusting gum wall. I don’t know whether to love it, or to hate it….but I do know that its colorful…and makes for a memorable image. :) There is the amazing purple and blue walls of color at EMP (one of my absolute favorite places to shoot!!!)…with its piped in music…makes for a fun session.

I used to think I was a city girl. Don’t get me wrong, I HEART Seattle….but I’m still a country girl at heart. I love to go to the city….but nothing is better than having my own parking spot…in my garage. I don’t think I will ever be able to give that up.  At least I know myself….

These guys know how to have a good time. I always say this…but one of my favorite things about my job is the fact that I get to hang out with couples that have that new, flirty love….that a lot of older couples lose over the years. If one thing I have learned during my 8 years of shooting weddings, is that it is so important to….always, always, always flirt with your spouse!  Never let a day go by without a pinch on the tush, or a bat of an eyelash…:)…to remind them of how thankful and lucky you are to have someone so special.

We hung out at the very first ever Starbucks and it was such a cool thing (thanks Heather and  Kenny for the Pumpkin Spice Latte!!:) They toss the cups…just like the Fish throwers over on Pike Place. :) So fun…and very crowded! Tis a popular place for foreigners and locals alike.

One of my favorite of the day…I would love this blown up and hanging over my couch…I might just have to go down and get my own version of this shot!

Um….these boots are about 2 seconds away from being ordered! I have had to keep telling myself that its Christmas in a few days…and I can wait just a little bit!

I think this last one is my fave of the whole day….Another one for the wall!

So…as you might have seen, I was delighted to bring my family on a trip to California for a little get away last week. We are just back…getting into the swing of the Christmas Season.

While we were there, I had a lot of time to reflect while standing in line….which was good. As I thought…I jotted a few thoughts down that I wanted share with you guys.

1. Face your fears…..you might be missing something amazing

So my daughter is 7 years old and loves Disneyland. Last year when we came, my husband and I let her have a free pass as far as going on all the big rides….all though she was tall enough. So my husband and I were going on rides by ourselves, while the other one did something fun with the kiddos. That worked out well, but this year we wanted Estelle to at least try each ride…to see if she really did like them or not. So….even though she was apprehensive, she agreed…after some bargaining….I swear that girl is going to be some kind of Lawyer! She knows how to negotiate deals!  So first comes Tower of Terror. I thought it was promising when a 6 year old little girl in front of us in line told us that its her favorite ride. Well…nope. She just did that one once, and was not going back…..we begged, pleaded and offered lots of Disneyland cash to spend……and she knew she wasn’t going to subject herself to that ride again. But Space Mountain was a different story. She had tried this ride last year and hated it. But….according to our agreement, she had to try it out again…and….you guessed it…she LOVED it! She decided after 1 ride that she was going to try to ride it at least 10 times. We were so excited and did it 12 times ( with the help of the lovely Fast Pass and Switch Pass…um…LOVE those!) Watching her 180 degree turn around reminded me that we all have fears in our lives that we need to face. Life gets scary….but we can’t let that hold us back…otherwise we will be missing out on some amazing things that we would really enjoy.

Translate that to:

a new job that might be more interesting and fuffilling than the boring one you hate right now

2. Sometimes you just have to wait your turn.

Embrace Patience. Put it on like a coat….intentionally. Breathe deep and just settle in and enjoy the surroundings of your life….cuz sometimes you just have to wait for things.

3.With proper planning, life can be a lot easier, and you can get more done

Just with some simple planning…we were able to do so much in a few days. I tend to be lax on the planning part of life, so I feel like sometimes I miss out on things.

4. Keep your eyes open, something interesting is probably happening right around you.

At the very tip top of California Screamin….at about 5pm was the most amazing sunset I had ever seen. As we were flying along at 80 mph, I yelled at my daughter….,” Estelle!!! Look at the Sunset!!!” as we went up and down along the track, everytime we went to the top, we caught another glimpse of that beautiful golden glowing sunset dotted with little tiny palm trees, all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

5.Be thankful, you are blessed.

In the middle of Disneyland…one evening when we had decided not to wait in a 30 minute line to go on the Nemo Submarine ride, my daughter started to get a tude….and I just thought to myself…this girl needs a little reality check! I just looked at her and said….,” Estelle….you are standing in the middle of Disneyland, for goodness sake! You are so lucky to be here….lets just be thankful for what we do have!” Don’t worry, when the park emptied due to the rain (yes, it does rain in Disneyland), we did dko the Nemo Submarine Ride. That reminded me

6. Love like a child, with your whole, trusting heart.

When my 3 year old Evan meets anyone….well most anyone. Meeting Woody, Goofy, Mickey and all the princesses was no different. He threw his arms around each of their necks and squeezed them as hard as he could. No reservations, no hesitations. Sometimes in our own relationships, we hold back. We protect ourselves for many reasons….for fear of getting hurt, offended, or rejected. But sometimes, we need to just trust and love

7. When it comes to taking a risk…go with it, and don’t look back.

8. It does a body good to have some good clean fun. You should try it today!

PS. I love, love LOVE Southern California. I love the Sunshine, the Beaches, the palm trees and I love to go there. If you are thinking about having a wedding, destination engagement session, or just a fun session on the beach….you just let me know! I would love to be a part of it!

Just a little tiny sneak peek from an Ruben & Lisa’s amazing wedding at The Grand 1401 in Fresno, California that I had the opportunity to shoot last week. I LOVED every single part of it…and there are so many more images to come!