{I.Love.You.Mom}

My mom

She is strong & stubborn

Hard on the exterior

& a total softy on the inside

She is funny & loud

She has a sharp tongue and can cut you with one word

& she can drive you completely crazy 

{which she does most of the time lol}

She taught me how to love horses

& that there's nothing more peaceful than being on the back of a horse on a quiet trail

She loves selflessly & wholeheartedly

She is the glue that holds our family together

She still puts band-aids on our bumps & bruises

Gives loving and honest advice when it's needed

Sometimes knocks us back down to reality when our heads get too big for our shoulders

& has the best hugs when life is just a little too harsh on us

She is not perfect, but she is {Ours}

Mom,

We do not say it enough

Or show it enough just how much we love you

Thank you for the courage you have shown me & for the strength you have given me

Not everyone is as lucky as us to have such a loving mom

Happy Mother's Day today & everyday

Love,

Sissy ;)

{Weddings Weddings Weddings!}

The first wedding that I ever shot I can remember the groom making a funny, yet true statement about his bride-to-be having their house engulfed in wedding spreadsheets all over the walls for months.

Now on the cusp of my own 6 month countdown to becoming Mrs. Jeremy Combes, I realize exactly what that groom meant. Prioritization is the {KEY} to a smooth wedding planning process.

{Don't want to have just a signing book? DO A SIGNING BOARD!}

When i say smooth I do not mean stress free

Through my own experience in this wedding planning journey

I've accepted that people go crazy when they know a wedding is in the future

Something will ultimately not go your way

& compromises will have to be made

But at the end of each day leading up to the 

{Big Day}

You have to remember that despite all the stress

You still get to marry your best friend 

& as long as you stay true to the pieces of your wedding that describe 

Each of your personalities

 & the love between you Two

Then nothing else is necessarily worth picking a fight over

Or pulling your hair out 

  Or possibly crying {lol}

{Love my Save-The-Dates?! Handmade by Lonnie Peterson of "Gifted By Design" -Check her out on Facebook}

{Tips for smooth wedding planning}

#1- Get the big pieces done ASAP

- Set your date

     - Find your venue

 - Get a caterer

& last, but never least...

                         - GET A PHOTOGRAPHER!

Many think that booking a photographer is easy

{It isn't}

Especially in areas like Washington where it rains 9 months out of the year

Most weddings are set for the summertime

{June-August}

Almost all great photographers are booked at least a year in advance by a bride+groom for their wedding date. If you wait till less than 6 months from your wedding date, you may run into not being able to find a photographer

#2 Tip- Don't just let one of your friends capture your wedding for you if they aren't professional!

One of the problems brides run into is waiting too long to find a photographer

This can cause you to be unprepared for the cost of a decent photographer

Or be in-able to book one

The quicker you book them the more time you can give yourself to budget that cost

It almost hurts me physically when I hear of brides who don't get a professional photographer for their wedding day

With all the elements and thought that go into capturing such beautiful moments as a wedding

You want to have confidence that your photos are going to come out breathtaking

If you can- Don't sacrifice quality due to cost!

{Can't afford real flowers? Get creative! Don't just go for fake- make your own out of Burlap!!!!}

{Personalization of the little things on your wedding day will stick out the most- Like your napkins!}

#3 Tip- GET CREATIVE!!!

Make a Pinterest account and {PIN} ideas to your hearts desire!

Once you start the creative juices flowing you can start to see all the great ways 

that you can hand-make many wedding pieces yourself and save a penny or two!

And with all those extra pennies- you can get that photographer you were hoping for! ;)

Cheers!

Blue June~

{Austin Powell}

In the last year

Fitness has became a real part of my Life

Very rarely do you come across others

-who can-

Push You. Train You. & Motivate You.

to better yourself

& better your body

Austin Powell is one of those people

I've never wanted to hit someone

Punch someone & sometimes cry

In pain towards someone

As much as I have towards him

But at the same time

he empowers you

Makes you want to 

Go Harder & be Stronger

I'd like to think that if I could have one wish for the World

it would be that every Soul on this Earth

was blessed enough to know their Passion

Sometimes our passions are the very things that 

{Save Us} 

So be Inspired

Stay Hungry & Stay Foolish

Find that one thing you cannot live without

that thing that calms you in a storm

helps you find your focus in the midst of the Chaos

& when you find it- Take it with all of you

& let it be the force that drives you!

"Sometimes the {Smallest} step in the right direction 

ends up being the BIGGEST step of your {Life}

Tip Toe if you must, but take the step"

Love,

   Blue June Photography