Love and Poetry

In keeping with tradition, Jay gave me a book of poetry for our anniversary. This is not because he's a Romeo romantic, but rather because I really love poetry.

I remember the first poet I fell in love with. I was in 6th grade--he had long been dead. Nevertheless, I was quite smitten with Edgar Alan Poe--and not just because of his famous "The Raven" bit. I still have my first anthology of his work that my mother bought for me in Russia--I know because the price sticker is in rubles.

Now, I'm not any good at writing poetry, but that doesn't stop me from trying my hand at a verse or two every now and then. But, most of the time I just stick to reading it...John Donne, Thomas Hardy, Emily Dickinson...and of course the Russian poets--Anna Akhmatova and Osip Mandelshtam (thanks college for exposing me to their talent).

This year Jay gave me Sylvia Plath's "Ariel." It's probably about as far from romantic stuff as you can get. In fact, it's downright depressing. Despite this fact, I'm quite amazed at her raw talent and deft use of the English language. Still, not exactly your snuggle-up with book.

Do you like poetry? Do you have any recommendations for next year?

How to Get Your Best Wedding Photos

I'm guessing that if you're reading this blog and planning a wedding, you place a high value on your wedding photos. After all, when it's all said and done, the only thing you're going to have left from your wedding is a used dress, tired feet, some frozen cake, and of course, your pictures.

So, I want to share some of the best tips I've learned for getting great wedding photos. This is also my "wish I'd known that" list when I was planning my wedding.

1. Choose a Professional Photographer

This should go without saying, but I'm including it here as the foundation for everything else. If you really do value your wedding photos, I highly recommend choosing a professional--if not me, someone else who has professional equipment and has experience shooting WEDDINGS. Also, choose a photographer whose style you like. If you don't like their style, you won't like your own wedding photos.

2. Give Yourself Some Time

This was one of my biggest regrets from my wedding--I didn't allot any time for photos outside of the church. HUGE mistake! While most of your photos will look more like this (ie, candid--which I LOVE):



The ones you'll probably want to hang on your walls may look more like this:



The truth is, you can't get those kind of shots unless you give yourself some time to take them (and a nice location doesn't hurt). How much time? As much as you can spare! Of course, you should be mindful of your guests, but you should also realize they probably expect to wait a bit for you.

I would recommend giving yourself at least 1 hour to take photos at a second location--in reality, you'll probably end up having less time as few things go as punctually as you planned. If you can spare more time, go for it!

3. Appoint a Wrangler

That's right, my brides--I may be from Texas, but I'm not kidding about this one. Find the friend, relative, or unlucky guest who has the loudest mouth and knows who is who and appoint that person to be your wrangler. Their main task is to make sure everyone who should be in a family photo is sitting in the pew ready to go when you are.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen brides having to wait on missing relatives--and that just cuts into your time for fun formals!

4. Communicate With Your Photographer

I want to know your expectations, and I want you to know how I work. That's why I include the engagement session with every package--I want to get a feel for how you and your fiancé interact, and I want you to be comfortable with me. If you've got some ideas for your wedding photos, I really want to hear them! If there's things you absolutely can't stand, let me know. I'm not really good at guessing that type of information, so you'll have to tell me about it.

5. HAVE FUN!

You've planned for months and you've covered every detail, now just enjoy your wedding day! Let everyone else sweat the small stuff! You will look gorgeous, rain or shine, trust me. I can fix little things in photoshop, but I can't create a belly-laugh-smile. If you have fun on your wedding day, your photos will be BEAUTIFUL. So relax and soak up the moments!