Let’s talk about weather for a second. And I don’t mean small talk!

If you follow me on Instagram (if not, stop reading now and go follow me! I’ll wait,) then you probably saw my “teaser” photo of this styled session with this caption, “Wedding planning and a little stressed? Indoor venue? Outdoor? Scared to death to choose! Listen, I HEAR YA! Last week after months of planning, the 3rd styled session at Ramage Farms was rained on. Like an actual wedding, it was rained on… not rained out. It has rained EVERY SINGLE session I’ve ever organized. What I’ve learned? To take amazing photos in the rain. #needed #thankful⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s been almost 5 years since the only hurricane that has EVER hit Texas came down (ok, exaggerating a little;) on my very own wedding day. My outdoor wedding, at that. Don’t worry, this story has a happy ending We moved inside JUST in time and was literally surrounded by family and friends as Chase and I exchanged vows. No microphone needed because everyone was so close. It was beautiful. It was perfect. It was not planned. And it taught me a very, very valuable lesson; life may not go the way you plan no matter how much you plan or obsess over it. It may not look like other people’s story. But if you are in God’s will, he will make better than you could have ever dreamed for yourself. You just have to keep going and do it. If I could do my wedding day over again, I would change only one thing; I’d tell myself to stop. Slow down. Don’t worry. It’s going to be better than you imagined. As photographer, I have a session built into the wedding schedule in which all my brides get to stop, slow down, and soak in the moment.”

I meant every word of that caption. I’ve hosted 3 styled session. All 3 were rained on. The first one we had to reschedule because it was unsafe to drive. When we rescheduled, it rained again! But not enough to stop the show. Let me stop here and say that I am so grateful for my brides and my team for ALWAYS being so flexible. Flexibility is the KEY when it comes to hiring your vendors. And I can tell you, I work with the BEST! Planning a styled session is like planning a small wedding in which no one actually comes.

Why do styled sessions? Well, this started when the owner of Bella Roo and I were discussing that we both wanted to update our websites. From that conversation,  the seasonal styled session were born. Personally, my favorite part of organizing them is working with the vendors. I can tell my brides FIRST HAND that the vendors who are apart of these session are the best. Seriously, I am pretty specific about the theme I want and they help me brainstorm to come up with the best solutions. They ALWAYS follow through and with an amazing attitude. If you are getting married in the Texarkana area (or beyond,) I highly recommend the following:

Venue: Ramage Farms
Coordination/Decor: Bella Roo
Rentals: Dot’s Rentals
Flowers: Sticks & Stones
Video: Brandi K Films
Cake: Sweet Rose Bakery
Hair/MUA: Lauren Starkey
Dress/Accessories & Tux: Traditions Bridal & Formal
Calligraphy: Stone House Decor
Video: Brandi K Films
Invite/Menu: EM Designs

Thank you, Texarkana Wedding Vendors! Y’all really are amazing!