Snow Day Across the Carolina's | yah Photography / February 15, 2014 by Kelli Conley

As most of the world knows, we had a crazy storm sweep through the south which caused a large accumulation of snow. This has been the most snow we have seen in our almost seven years of living out here. We got to drive in it, play in it, sled in it, and most importantly photograph in it! There were also so many stages to this snow that I have now maxed out my iCloud storage on my phone with the amount of pictures and video I took, plus all the images I shot on my cameras. Below is just a small taste of what it was like over the past couple days with the snow!

Snow Day Across the Carolina's | yah Photography / February 15, 2014 by Kelli Conley

Should My Wedding Have a Grand Exit and if so, When? / February 10, 2014 by Kelli Conley

You have probably heard the words grand exit, and if not know that it refers to the bride and groom exiting their wedding with all their guests sending them off in one form or another. Grand exits can be a ton of fun and allow the bride and groom to be creative and incorporate their theme into another part of the wedding day. There is a long list of the different types of things couples use for their grand exits, i.e. sparklers, bird seed, bubbles, glow sticks, etc. and each bride gets more and more creative. Although the sendoff of the bride and groom is a huge part of the wedding day, most couples do not realize that we can actually work to incorporate the grand exit at any time of the day. We actually prefer that they be sometime earlier in the day, in order to provide you with better images, and get your guests out of their seats and involved in this big part of your day. Below are three examples of different times in the day that you could possibly have your grand exit.

1) Right after the Ceremony

This works really well if you have a separate ceremony and reception venue. The couple can exit into a getaway vehicle and drive around the block while the guests head to the reception and you family and bridal party get ready for the formal pictures.

2) During the Reception

This works as a great segway into a group dance. For example, the DJ announces for everyone to get up and help to perform a "fake" grand exit for the bride and groom. Everyone will want to be a part of it, and it allows for the couple to take their time and play around while walking through the line of all their guests. Then the DJ will put on a song like We are Family, or the Cupid Shuffle to get everyone to move from the grand exit line to the dance floor. It works every time!

3) At the End of the Night

This one works well for weddings that are shorter and a majority of your guests are still in attendance. Sometimes when the party last a little longer and the bar has been open the whole night, it tends to be a little harder to get all the guests to cooperate; but either way we end up with great memories to end the beautiful night.

Should My Wedding Have a Grand Exit and if so, When? / February 10, 2014 by Kelli Conley

1) Right after the Ceremony

2) During the Reception

3) At the End of the Night

How To Include More of You in the Details of Your Wedding Day / February 3, 2014 by Kelli Conley

Over the last year I have realized a couple different things. #1 My brides are awesome and #2 this is their first time at this so they are not sure what to do. Five years ago I was in the same boat. It's not like there is a class on how to be a bride or how to plan a wedding. Most of the time you have a year to six months to plan it and have no idea where to even start. Therefore most brides look to the wedding vendors for advice on a variety of topics for their big day. So I have decided to put together all of the questions I get asked by posting a tip or the top few things about that question or topic on the blog.
Let's start everything off with a little tip that goes a long way. When it comes to the wedding day, brides are so quick to look at the latest trend that they often forget to look at what makes them who they are. Incorporate things that mean something to you, or about the two of you and your relationship into the wedding. Whether it is a DIY item or not incorporate it into the wedding because YOU want it, not because it is the latest trend. Once you decide on what those little details are going to be, make sure you let your photographer know. I absolutely LOVE to capture details, and they mean even more if they have significance and meaning to you as a couple.

A couple examples of this are seen in the pictures below with descriptions as to the reasoning behind each one. Leave us a comment below about how you incorporated yourself into the details of your wedding day!

1) Incorporate pictures into your centerpieces:

This couple worked to add a little bit of themselves into each table with a picture of the two of them at the age of the table number. This was a great conversation piece for the guests, and they bounced from table to table to see the couple at each age.

2) Incorporate your hobbies

This bride loves quilting and everyone knows how much she enjoys it. So her mom helped her work day and night to get these bunting/pennants sewn, in order to hang above the guests as a fun reflection of her in their wedding reception hall.

3) Add pieces that mean something to you into your bouquet

This happened to be her something borrowed, but it was meant so much more. Her father carried this locket around for years with the picture of her and her sister in it. Something this small could have been missed but I made sure to ask the questions that prompted her to tell me about it that day so I could capture it.

Everything about this bride was something awesomely vintage from her childhood or family. She incorporated a variety of vintage broaches and handkerchiefs that belonged to her family into each of her bouquets. Which made for a beautiful and fun detail for everyone to talk about during the wedding.

This bride and her sister had a special bond, so she incorporated the Claddagh symbol pin into each of their bouquets.