10/26/2026
Alright, Magnolians. Sit down. As a vendor in this industry, I think itβs only right I review my own wedding day.
First and foremost, I love being there for everyoneβs day and creating the magic. But I have always wondered what it truly felt like to be on the other side of it all. To be the bride standing in front of a big crowd. To plan every detail. To worry about my dress, my food count, the weather, and all the little things I have so often helped so many brides worry about.
And now that Iβve experienced it, I think I have an entirely new appreciation for what my brides put into their wedding days. Itβs one thing to help make someoneβs day beautiful, but itβs another thing entirely to be the person who has dreamed about it, worried over it, prayed over it, and then finally gets to stand in the middle of it all and watch it come to life.
Iβll start with my venue, Serendipity Barn
I met Amy while photographing a wedding at her barn. Much like myself, she operates down to earth and is ready and willing to help with everything, right down to the candles you set on your table, to provide you with the ultimate wedding experience.
Her package included almost all decor. I could have brought absolutely nothing and still had a beautiful, stunning, and in-trend wedding.
But it doesnβt stop there. Amy helped set up, she talked with me when I was worried about food, and she truly, truly was my saving grace when it came to knowledge and planning. There is something so comforting about having someone in your corner who has done this a hundred times but still treats your day like itβs the most important one sheβs ever been part of.
I tell anyone who will listen about how amazing she is. And after being on the other side of things, I can tell you that having a venue owner who genuinely cares about you and not just your booking is worth its weight in gold.
My dress came from Blye's Bridal Loft
I connected with Heather months ago. She was amazing to work with, and her assistant at the time helped me pick out my dress. Since Iβve known Heather, I have seen her at several weddings. I have even seen her repair dresses on the spot for her brides.
I really canβt recommend her enough for an authentic, true-to-you bridal experience.
This was my first real wedding dress. My first time getting to experience all those little things Iβve watched other women experience through my camera. And I donβt think I realized how much that would mean to me until I was standing there in my own dress.
Thereβs something really special about having someone help you find something that makes you feel like a bride, but still makes you feel like yourself. Heather and her team understand that.
I catered from Los Amores Restaurant, where I received SO many compliments.
I eat there anytime I can, but what really sold me was their affordable price point for weddings. The owners truly care about the craftsmanship and flavor of the food they are providing.
And as someone who has watched brides stress themselves sick over food counts, catering prices, and whether everyone will have enough to eat, I cannot tell you how much of a relief it was to have good food that didnβt require me to sell a kidney.
Good food, good people, and happy guests. What more could you ask for?
Next is Chelle Chelle's Sweets
This should come as absolutely no surprise, as I often work with her, but she really brought it home on my cheesecake cookies and cake.
On my deathbed, I would like to be buried with a strawberry cheesecake cookie. Iβm so serious.
But beyond the cookies, thereβs something really sweet about having people youβve worked alongside for so long become part of your own memories. Iβve photographed her beautiful work for other peopleβs milestones, and this time it was sitting on my own wedding table.
I think thatβs pretty special.
And last, Moments In Detail.
I was on the search for a photographer for a while who would allow me to edit my own pictures due to my own insecurities (posture, etc.), and Jessica reached out to me.
In this industry, it is so taboo to recommend someone who isnβt yourself. I have never really understood that. There is room for all of us, and there is something beautiful about being able to recognize someone elseβs talent without feeling like it takes away from your own.
But I can, without a doubt, recommend Jessica should I be booked to someone!
She did a great job capturing the emotion and honoring a brideβs wishes. Thatβs what we all want, right? π₯Ή
As a photographer, I know how much trust it takes to hand someone your memories. As a bride, I now know what it feels like to be waiting to see the moments you were too busy living to notice.
I spend so much of my life behind a camera making sure everyone else has something to look back on. This time, I got to be in the pictures. I got to be the one who was present, who cried, who laughed, and who didnβt have to worry about capturing it all.
And that means more to me than I can really explain.
And extra last, my boss (Jenny Norton Schamber), for bringing Jade.
I would ride that horse into battle and come out unscathed.
She is everything I have ever dreamed of having in a horse companion. She is sure-footed and kind, and I know that she clocks when things are important to me. I can feel how much she loves me.
Animals have this incredible capacity to love and protect without ever asking us for anything in return. And to know she loves me and would protect me is all I need to keep myself going some days.
I know to some people sheβs just a horse. But to me, she is so much more than that.
Iβve spent so much of my life loving horses, dreaming of having that once-in-a-lifetime bond with one, and somehow I ended up with her. She has given me something I didnβt even know I needed as much as I did.
And on a day that meant so much to me, I got to share it with her.
With Corbin by my side and Jade beneath me, I was delivered to my husband by two beings who love me more than anything.
My son, who has grown up right before my eyes, and this horse who has become such a big piece of my heart. I donβt think there could have been a more meaningful way for me to arrive.
There are moments in life you wish you could bottle up and keep forever. That was one of mine.
I am grateful for so much, but the inclusion of Jade really, really made my day complete.
And I guess I want to end this by saying something that being on the other side of the wedding industry has taught me.
The people you choose to be part of your wedding matter.
Not just because of what they provide, but because of how they make you feel while theyβre providing it.
I have spent years being the person who fixes things, who reassures the bride, who steps in when something goes wrong, and who does everything in my power to make sure someone else gets to enjoy their day.
And for once, I was the bride who needed those people.
I needed the reassurance. I needed the help. I needed someone to tell me it was going to be okay. And every single one of these people showed up for me in their own way.
I think thatβs what Iβll carry with me the most when I walk into my next wedding with a camera in my hand.
Because now I know what it feels like to be on the other side of that lens. I know how much love, money, time, worry, and hope goes into a single day.
And I know how much it means when the people youβve trusted with that day treat it like it matters just as much to them.
Yesterday wasnβt perfect because every little detail went according to plan. It was perfect because I was surrounded by people who cared enough to make it beautiful.
And after years of helping other people make their memories, I finally got to make some of my own.
What a gift that was. π
