"June 28th, 2014 the journey of a lifetime began. I remember this date specifically because it is the day a charmingly outgoing young man approached me at the gym. After some flirting and conversation, he asked for my number and went on with his work out. I remember leaving that night thinking I would never see or talk to this guy again. What a “player” he must be to hit on me at the gym. Little did I know the same man would get down on one knee and ask me to be his wife a little over a year later. Throughout out the beginning of our journey, there were many times I tried to find a reason for it not to work but what some believe as fate, kept bringing us back together; running into each other, hanging out with the same group of friends, obvious signs we could not ignore. Maybe it was fate, but I believe it was God’s plan showing through. I had found the love of my life, the man you read about in fairy tales, and dream about as a little girl, in Joey. And the best part, he wanted to marry ME! Joey is selfless in every way, gives me butterflies with every kiss, and makes me laugh until I physically can’t laugh anymore but then somehow makes me laugh again.
Once I came back down to reality after all the excitement, all the crazy wedding plans began. I found “THE DRESS”. Bridesmaids dresses and the guys suits were done. We were booking the venue, food, reception hall, and the pictures. I thought I was doing everything right; finding the best prices and asking around for opinions of the people I had chosen to help with the big day. I made extra sure about the photographer because pictures are so important to us. We take pictures of EVERYTHING!!! What I soon learned was that other people's opinions are great but they are not your own. What some thought was a great experience, I saw very differently. The day of the wedding, we spent more time looking for the photographer than we did taking pictures. When the photographer did come around, she was yelling at everyone and even had me crying at one point in the day. The pictures we did take were very posed and I did not feel like we were getting any meaningful shots. But I told myself it would be okay because at least the pictures would turn out good. I was wrong again. Once we received the pictures, most were blurry, had shadows over the picture, or the photographer's equipment was in the background. There were so many special moments missed, such as; Joey seeing me for the first time or my daddy and grandaddy seeing me. Sadly, I will never get these moments back. With our one year anniversary approaching, I would still look back at our wedding and emotions would take over. Not the butterfly happy emotions but the disappointed and bitter emotions. I struggled to get past how one person had affected so much of the day.
We decided to retake pictures in my dress and try to recapture some of those special moments missed. This time I did not care about the price, I wanted the best and I fully believe we got the BEST with Emily Hatch. From the first e-mail, I knew this time would be better. She asked questions about the set up of pictures, the time of day we would want, and things we were interested in. We sent pictures back and forth to give her a clear idea of what we wanted and hoped for. With the first photographer, I did not know what to expect, so I did not realize how much she did not get to know us as people or a couple, or care about what WE wanted captured. Emily cared and wanted us to get exactly what we invisioned. It was finally time to retake our pictures. I was so nervous on the way there. I felt confident the pictures would be great because I had already talked to Emily so much about it and had seen her work before, but with the last experience, I wanted it to be perfect. AND IT WAS!!!!! She immediately had us laughing at one another and in the moment. Real emotion was captured with each click of the camera. I remembered our wedding day in a positive light for the first time, with each picture she showed us. No, it wasn’t the real day and no it wasn’t him seeing me for the first time, but it was picture after picture of the love we share for one another and the happiness we bring to each other. Literal tears filled my eyes, knowing that because of Emily and her passion for photography and capturing moments, I would now be able to look at a wedding picture and smile, laugh, and remember it as I should.
My advice, ALWAYS talk to the photographer for yourself. Allow him/her to get to know you and see if your ideas are the same. NEVER let the price determine who you choose for such a special and important job. Photographers will work with you if you really want them. Emily was a complete joy to work with. Contacting her was always easy and she replied quickly each time. The price was by all means doable and WORTH IT!!! She not only wanted to take great pictures but meaningful and emotional pictures as well. My love for Joey and His love for me can be seen so evidently. That’s all you can ask for."
