Dana and Veronica's wedding on Friday evening was beautiful. I think it was everything they wanted it to be....everything they envisioned. It was a long day for me, with about 11 hours of shooting. I wish I had had more time to sit and visit with family I haven't seen for a long time. I said "hello" in passing to quite a few people, had one bite of food, and got in a dance with my dad and brother. While I said from the beginning that I wouldn't have wanted any other person to photograph my brother's big day, I sure wish I had been able to sit back and enjoy it. I know a lot of us put in some long, hard hours to make this day happen. I am so proud of Dana, though, for getting to this happy day. He certainly deserves it.
I also had a wedding to shoot Saturday afternoon/evening. It's been a while since I have done back-to-back weddings, and even though I had popped several Ibuprofen, my back was screaming at me the whole second wedding. This whole summer has really made me think about cutting back on the photography next year. And by that I mean......I'm not sure I'm going to do it at all anymore. It's fun and I enjoy the added income. I thoroughly enjoy giving my clients the gift of photography, BUT, it has taken its toll. I already have limited time with my kids, babysitters are becoming harder and harder to come by, and with Carter starting baseball next summer, I feel a little stretched thin. It's kind of bittersweet because I love my brides, I love the interactions we have throughout their big day, I love that so many of our friendships starts with an engagement shoot, and then years later, I am still photographing them and their children. It has created so many fun relationships, but it has also strained others. While I don't think I can completely hang up the hat, I do need to figure out a way to limit, in a big way, my availability from here on out. I don't know if that means only accepting a certain amount of bookings each month, or only doing family shoots, or only weddings, etc. I haven't made that decision yet, but it's something weighing heavily on my mind. All that extra play money is fine and great, but my kids only have one childhood. I only have this time with them once. I can't pay to get it back later. And with that, it sounds like my decision has been made.
Here are some previews of Dana and Veronica's wedding, as well as Brandon and Jessica's big day. I shot their engagement session earlier this year, and was so happy to be back for their big day. I heard from so many guests how excited they were to have me do more photos for them. It brings a big smile to my face to hear things like that.
(Dana/Veronica)
(Brandon/Jessica)
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