A lot of times when I meet with a potential client, I’ll find that a bride has picked out her dress (and even her shoes and other accessories) before almost anything else.  And why not?  A woman’s wedding dress is often the most personal part of her wedding planning.  It’s something that many women keep forever, passing down to their daughters and even their granddaughters.  Even if the dress isn’t worn again, often the fabric from the dress is made into christening gowns for babies and grandbabies.  Very few things hold the symbolism and meaning that a woman’s wedding dress does.

As a photographer I always try to get lots of photos of the dress and the accessories that go with it – both on and off the bride.   Very few women will wear a dress like this again in their lives and I think it deserves to be properly documented!

First of all, yes I did have to look up the proper spelling of boutonnieres! When I worked in a flower shop, we simply called them “bouts” (pronounced “boots”), which is much easier to write and say. Regardless of how you say or spell the word, I think in some ways boutonnieres are even more interesting than bouquets. A bout represents the entire “feel” of the bride’s bouquet, in a tiny, pinnable, floral package.  They create a beautiful splash of color against the plain black of a grooms tux.  I am really in awe of florists who can create good boutonnieres.  (Oh, and sometimes, some grooms prefer an homage to their favorite athlete – and a pocket square instead!)

There is as much scope for variety in cakes as there are in bouquets; colors, styles, flavors, decorations, displays.  There are brides cakes which can be elegant or whimsical, decorated with flowers or fruit or sugar, and include different layers of flavors and fillings (my favorite to date was the almond cake with amaretto filling).  There are event cupcake wedding cakes.  Then there’s the Southern tradition of the groom’s cake, which are often chocolate and usually represent some element of the groom’s interests or hobbies (in the South that often means football or a college – or college football to combine the best of both worlds).  And each cake represents the incredible talent and skill of the baker who made it.  Even better than that, cakes of today aren’t just pretty showpieces.  Today’s bakers and chefs are committed to making cakes that taste as good as they look.  I wish there was some way to share the flavors of these cakes with you, but you’ll just have to imagine them for yourself!

I love flowers of all kinds and colors and shapes.  I love bright spring colors, I love roses, I love lilies, I love exotic orchids, and I love the simplicity of daisies.  If I could fill my home with fresh flowers every day, I would.  Unfortunately I have neither the budget or the green thumb neccesary to grow all the variety of flowers I’d love to have around.  Maybe that’s one reason that I enjoy photographing weddings so much – I get to experience the most gorgeous flowers arranged by some of the most talented florists ever.   But enough about me.   Let’s take a look my favorites, out of the huge variety of bouquets I’ve gotten to photograph in the last year or so.