Bride to Bride

Recently, I asked my awesome BRIDES to share a little of their day.. what made it special and memorable. From their perspective…

Vandi B.

Q1. My advice to other brides:  When someone offers to help you..take it!!!  You don’t have to be in complete control! 🙂  And most importantly-HAVE FUN!

Q2. My best decision ever was to not let things stress me out on the day of the wedding.. I could worry for months, but on that day whatever happened..happened!

Q3. I wish I had timed the relhearsal better..haha we had to wait forever for everyone to get off work/travel/find the location/etc. haha We should have started later!

Q4. My favorite moment was EVERY Moment.. cheesy.. yes, but I LOVED MY WEDDING!

Q5. My favorite vendor:  I was extremely happy with the choices I made.  Bukchorn Lodge was amazing as well as their food, my photos are beautiful and I will forever cherish them ;), however one of the best decisions I made.. was having wedding planners. (3 wonderful ones)!

Q6. I remember vividly.. how hot it was in mid October.. haha Honestly, the first moment Derrick and I got to see each other.  I definitely think every bride should do the first look..it was the ONLY privacy we had the entire day and dancing with my Dad!

Janie C.

Q1. My advice to other brides– Don’t get too wrapped up in the wedding! It’s just one day in the start of the really important journey of your marriage.

Q2. Best decision ever– about the wedding? Having a candy bar! Oh, and really good food at your reception. Don’t skimp on the food!

Q3. Wish I did better/different– Well, I initially wanted a very small wedding, but it grew until I had a guest list that was actually too many people for my venue. So, I ended up with people being crammed into the church for our ceremony and had the reception at the church which was just too small for the number of people I had. So, I would have finalized the guest list (or at least finalized how many people to invite) before deciding on the venue.

Q4. My favorite moment was- I have 2. 1) Walking down the aisle and seeing the look on my husband’s face. I will never forget it. 2) Kent making a joke during our vows! We had a good laugh and it took away some of my nervousness. It also made me realize again how lucky I am to have a man with a good sense of humor.

Q5. I remember vividly… Saying “I Do” and having our first kiss as husband and wife.

Margie C.

Q1.)     1.  My advice, don’t sweat the small stuff!  NOBODY knows how things are supposed to go at the ceremony/reception!!  ENJOY the day!!  🙂   BE HAPPY!

2.  Exfoliate your skin… skincare should be a top priority as a bride!

3.  Remember, to keep your look timeless and not trendy… if you google “Priscilla Presley wedding pictures”, you will understand why!  😉

4.  Have your dress fitted to you, don’t try to fit into your dress!

5.  Be prepared when things don’t go as planned…. because there will unplanned things!

6.  You can invest money in centerpieces, flowers, venues, cake, and etc and trust me, its overwhelming and sometime crazy!  Just remember, when the cake has been cut, the guest leave, and time continues on… you want something to be remaining of your special day… that’s why photography is important.  Preserving your wedding in photography is everlasting, it needs to be captured with elegance and charm… that’s where Chris comes in to make everything complete.   She gets “it” about weddings!

Q2. )    I will NEVER regret doing my “first look photos” before the wedding ceremony, and I HIGHLY recommend it!.  Yeah, it might be breaking tradition to see each other before the ceremony… but that was then, this is now!  I can promise you, your wedding day will be over in the blink of an eye, but after the ceremony TIME WILL FLY BY, and standing around to pose for pictures wasn’t what I had in mind to do after just being married… I wanted to CELEBRATE at our reception, to share our new life with family and friends, in the PRESENT time, not an hour after they had to sit and wait for us to come around!!  🙂   Having the “first look” was sweet, perfect, and oh so smooth, we were done before the ceremony…That meant no rushing or chaos!    …Besides, after seeing my soon-to-be-husband, I felt calm… I knew I could tackle the day!

Q3.)   What I wish I would have done different….  I unexpectedly had the worst case of cotton-mouth known to man that appeared right when I was to say my vows!  No signs of dry mouth walking down the aisle… but when the preacher said, “Repeat after me”… my mouth immediately became the sahara desert!  I had no control and nervousness kicked in because my salivary glands were temporarily disconnected!   …my advice, place 1 small white tic-tac in your mouth when you are coming down the aisle!  Its small, you can’t “chew” on it like gum,  so no one will know, and it will keep you from having dry mouth (remember,no bright colors, nobody wants orange teeth from an orange tic-tac)!

Q4.)  My favorite moment was actually seeing my Granny during my “first look photos”….let me explain…  If I would have chosen not to do my “first look photos” with Mike, then we wouldn’t have gone “together” next door to see my Granny (who was very ill at the time of our wedding).  Looking back and seeing how happy we were, and seeing her with us bring tears and smile to my face.  A smile because she was so glad to see us, and tears because she is no longer with us.  She passed away almost a year after our wedding. Chris was understanding and respectful when Mike and I were with her, it was special moment… Chris was aware of that, and I respect those values in a person, and even more in a photographer.   Always, I will have her next to me, dressed in my white dress and veil.

Q5.)  My favorite vendor(s)– I have three favorite vendors, one would have to be Old Kentucky Chocolates.  I did caramel apples as my favors at the reception, and they were a hit!  Everyone was amazed with them!  OKC has a special representative that deals strictly with brides, so this lady knew her stuff, and was very helpful to an un-sure bride like myself!  She was great, and we had a easy communication!  The other, Heather at Expressions.  Heather at Expressions is amazing!  She is knowledgeable, sweet, creative, and down-to-earth!  She knew the flowers in season, had fabulous recommendations, and worked with my budget!  Can anyone ask for a better florist?      Last but not least, Chris Cornwell Photographer… where do I begin?  She has the warmest heart, sweetest personality, and takes the best photos a bride could ask for!  No stone is unturned when it comes to her talent… it’s a gift, a gift that forever I will have to cherish.  Memories of my wedding, captured by her, that I can share many years from now!  🙂

Q6.)  I remember vividly… I remember vividly how during the ceremony, I looked out into the pews… and saw them full.  It made me grateful that everyone took time to come witness our vows, our new life.

I remember vividly… I remember vividly looking up from my dinnerplate at the reception, pausing to see people laugh, eat, and dance… That moment made me realize how blessed I was to share this special day with the people I love!

I remember vividly… I remember vividly how I felt when I first saw Mike, my future husband for the first time, and I remember feeling like I could breath and take everything into consideration because this day I planned relentless for, was finally here… I felt excited, wonderful, thankful and blessed…. and I get to relive those feelings of joy every time I look at our photos of our wedding by Chris Cornwell Photographer.  Thank you Chris!

p.s.  I have cried happy and sad tears typing this…. its from my heart, and I hope it shows!    Love ya!

Jessica C.

Q1.My advice to other Brides: On your Wedding day DONT STRESS over something not being down or set up the way you wanted it! Only you will know that it didnt go the way you intended it!!!!

Q2. Best Decision ever was The First Look!!!! Doing Bride and Groom pics before Ceremony is great!!!

Q3. Things I would have done Differently/ Better…. Nothing comes to my mind????

Q4. My favorite moment was “Our First Look”.. So humbling or it was for me!!!! Words can’t decscribe that feeling of your Handsome Groom seeing you as his Wife!!! :))

Q5. My favorite Vendor was Signature Events because they did an awesome job of making my Wedding Day everything I had Dreamed of!!! I feel they went above and beyond as they always do!!!

Q6. I remember Vividly: My wedding ceremony!!! I was so nervous!!!