Women are made to be loved, not understood.
Oscar Wilde

Such a cool break from the norm this morning. Stephanie will tell you all about who she is below in her guest blog - BUT when I had the chance to hand this blog post over to the sweet friend in the photos I couldn't say no. Such a cool perspective! I can definitely say this wedding will be amazing - but before we get Stephanie down the aisle, take a minute to read through her thoughts about planning her wedding.

Where do I begin y’all?! Well let me tell you just a little bit about myself. Born in Georgia, raised in Texas, and I’ve called Arkansas home for the past five years. I studied Hospitality and Hotel/Restaurant Management at the University of Arkansas where I met the love of my life and my dream internship turned into my dream job!

Going on my fourth year as an Event Planner working with the amazing Amy Bates of Bates Events and along side the so very talented Amanda Reed of Bates~Reed Brides. Yep, that’s right, I am an Event Planner, planning my own wedding, in the same town that I have attended and coordinated countless weddings.

Naturally, I have all the same worries as a normal bride. As an event planner, there comes a whole new can of worry worms! Thankfully, I am blessed to work with an amazing team of vendors who handle all the worries for you. If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it’s to trust your wedding vendors. They do this every day for a living. So when I hired Miles Witt Boyer as our wedding photographer, the trust factor was already there. I would sit here and tell you what I looked for in a wedding photographer, but the truth is I didn’t have to look! I CAN tell you however that what I’ve seen day-in and day-out from Miles Witt Boyer as a fellow wedding vendor and what I see in his work now as a Bride. Below are the three most important things Collin and I considered when choosing our wedding photographer:

#1: It’s important that you like your photographer’s style of photography. If you don’t like their style, then you will never love your photos. What I love most about Miles is that he tailors his photography style for each and every couple he shoots and tailors his photography style for each and every photo he takes. Every photo I have seen from him is flawless. There hasn’t been one I don’t like.

#2: You need to like them personally and be comfortable with your photographer. You are hiring someone to follow you and your fiancé around during engagement photos, during your bridals, and one of the most important days of you and your fiancé’s life. The last thing that you want is to be uncomfortable or dislike who is taking your photos. It will have a huge impact on how your photos turn out. And don't forget, they aren't just another vendor at this point... they are just as much friends, and therefore, guests. You'll know this is the case when they bust out the wobble at your reception.

#3: You get what you pay for. I mean this in more ways than one. If you are going to cut costs on some aspects of your wedding, don’t let your photographer be one of them. You are paying for more than just pictures. You’re paying for their time, their expertise, and their ability to photograph your big day! You may have to put a few extra pennies down to get the quality you want, but oh my, is it worth it! These are pictures you’ll have for a LIFETIME, and you only have one shot to get them right.

I was SUPER nervous when it came time for our engagement session. More nervous than my fiancé! I have watched so many couples come before me being photographed on their big day. Sometimes even helping the photographer coordinate their first look, or fix the train on the bride’s dress for the photo.

Now it was my turn to be in front of the lens with my fiancé, and guess what? You know how dreamy and blissful everyone looks in their photos? That’s all true, except for the first 20 minutes of the shoot. Maybe I am just super awkward, but it took me a few minutes to get comfortable being up close and personal in public with my fiancé and having someone photograph it. Miles did such a great job of making us feel comfortable and posing us just enough, but not too much so that each shot looked and felt natural. After the first twenty minutes, Collin and I got so used to just being ourselves and in each other’s faces that by the time we looked up the shoot had ended! It felt so effortless during the shoot.

Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly planned for this session. My future mother-in-law found this beautiful vintage two-seater bike and I just had to have it in our engagement photos! Shoutout to my fiancé, Collin, for going along with the bike idea, and to Miles, for accepting my cheesy idea and making it beautiful. With that came the idea of adding some floral by Jules Design Event Florals and we also included Collin’s great grandfather’s 1954 candy apple red Chevrolet truck.

Coordinating all of that, with three outfit changes, in multiple locations all packed into a two-hour session? Miles Witt Boyer. It was truly as easy as showing up. Once we arrived, Miles did all of the work. Literally even carrying our bike across a waterfall for a shot. Because of my job, I am so used to taking control and coordinating every detail, but during this shoot I just let go. I didn’t have to do a thing and for that I am thankful.

Collin and I walked away already on the edge of our seats to see the pictures! We have already been blown away and it’s not even our wedding day yet. Collin and I can’t wait for the big day and love knowing that our wedding photos will be the least of our worries because we hired Miles Witt Boyer.