If I Could Write a Letter to Me

I planned my wedding for years. Before I met John. Before I even liked boys. My best friend says she remembers the first time I came to her house and casually asked her what she thought her wedding dress would look like. We were in sixth grade.

Needless to say, I thought I was prepared.

But I was wrong. Looking back, it's actually kind of funny. Kind of.

So if I could go back, I'd tell myself these 10 things so things would go a little...smoother.

1. Don't stuff your face with gourmet foods that you've steered clear of for months at the rehearsal dinner. Don't drink any wine cause it will sneak up on you. Pace yourself, hun. Resist the urge and eat light.

2. Remember to bring your shampoo and retainer to Mom & Dad's house so you don't have to go home at 5:30 on the morning of your wedding, trying to make sure John doesn't see you.

3. Take your anxiety pill even though you think it will make you nauseous. Cause, honestly, you're gonna be nauseous anyway without it, so you might as well try it.

4. Stand up for yourself if you think your makeup is overdone. Otherwise, you'll be paranoid about it for the next month while you wait to see if your pictures turn out okay. 

5. Even though your vows are finished, go ahead and put pen to paper a few days before the wedding so you're not running around like a chicken without her head trying to find a damn pen Saturday afternoon.

6. Put your keys in your purse. This is KEY (haha) to making sure the getaway vehicle is at the reception for you to...um...getaway in it? Also, having the getaway vehicle at the reception will allow your entire wedding party to be at the party, instead of running around the parking lot for an hour trying to find a car that isn't there.

7. Let everyone in the wedding party know the exact plans and what their roles should be. DO NOT follow people's advice and just "let it happen." Be your normal control-freak self and get it done right the first time.

8. Eat more cake. Can't stress it enough.

9. Have tossing bouquet near the dance floor. Or a bridesmaid bouquet. Or anything?

10. Pack a bag for Sunday morning. Bring make-up. Bring pants. Bring a bra. Bring a bag to put your dress in so when you leave the nicest hotel in Little Rock, you don't look like a freaking hobo.

And Kati, just remember. Even if none of this happens, it's going to be okay. Because at the end of the evening, you'll leave your amazing, perfect wedding with your HUSBAND. And even if you happen to get a little sick on the way to the hotel (huh?) he still loves you very, very much. You're a lucky girl.And you never have to do this again. You'll be happy about that, surprisingly. Believe me.

Bridal Portraits

Hello! The new Mrs. Mallory here :) John and I had the most wonderful wedding and I can't wait to share details and photos! Our honeymoon to Costa Rica was to die for and I have tons of pictures from that for all of you too! Just have to sort a few things at home first (where do I put all my new plates?) and get settled into this new normal first.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my bridal portraits in the mean-time. My wonderful, talented friend Garrett Houston took these photos for me and he was amazing! So down-to-earth and fun to be around. We edited them together and I love them all! Hope you enjoy.

More things to come in the next few weeks. Bear with me as I get my life back on track!

On Being Thankful

photo by Taylor Lord Photography

I went to lunch today with my sweet fiance. Towards the end of our pizza pie, conversation led to all of the wedding preparations, and how close we're getting (10 days, if you're counting). Out of nowhere, John started saying some really sweet things to me, and ask he spoke, the thought crossed my mind that this is something I want to remember. I contemplated writing it in my neglected personal journal, but instead decided to share this {semi} personal thing with anyone reading this.

The conversation started simply and ended simply. Basically, a friend of John's (we'll call him Bill) was over at the house last night (I had gone to bed so I wasn't around for this conversation). John and Bill went out to the shed, where John has been working on a structure for us to put seating assignments on. While out there, Bill commented how he hadn't done a single thing for his own wedding, and how his now-wife planned the entire thing and he just showed up. Apparently, this struck a cord with John, who agreed that, although he might be an inch more involved than Bill had been, he really wasn't being very involved either.

This is where it got interesting. From out of nowhere, John started getting a bit emotional. Not crying, but I could tell that what he was saying, he really meant. He said the whole conversation with Bill got him thinking about how much really goes into wedding planning, and how much I've done to get this wedding planned.

It was the first time I felt like he really thought about how many hours I've slaved to attempt to pull this whole thing off. And it felt so good to hear his words of appreciation, of gratitude and of thanks. He sincerely looked into my eyes and told me how much he loved me, how proud he was of me, and how he could not wait to marry me. Y'all, I almost cried on that pizza patio.

It's amazing how just a little acknowledgement can mean so much.

So, John, if you're reading this, please know that I am so thankful for you too. Thank you for:

• taking care of my flat tire: helping me plug the flat, driving me around to doctors appointments, taking me to get the flat patched, calling numerous auto-repair places when the tire was deemed unrepairable, finding a replacement tire, finding the cheapest place for me to take my car, and for taking me there.
• making the bed most days
• cleaning the whole house before the housecleaners came on Tuesday morning
• waking up at 6:00 this morning to work on wedding things
• thinking of cute ways to make the seating chart look its best
• taking me for ice-cream
• giving me hugs at the end of a long day
• running at 5:00 in the morning so I can get to work on time (even though you have nowhere to be until noon)
• telling me I'm doing a good job to keep me motivated
• doing it all while you're taking summer school classes, with a looming test and paper

And finally, thank you for asking me to marry you. I cannot wait for the moment I see you on our wedding day, I cannot wait to read my vows to you and to hear yours, and I cannot wait for our pastor to pronounce us man and wife. I love you!

Scatter, ScatterBrain!

**Tomorrow marks the one-month countdown until the big day and I feel like my mind is racing in 100 different directions at any given time of the day. Life is SO crazy right now and I'm beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed! I'm trying to keep calm and plan on, and to remember that this is the only time in my entire life that I will be a month away from marrying the man of my dreams -- so I need to embrace this time and enjoy it!

**Last weekend, we were able to escape to Hot Springs for the weekend to have some summer fun on the lake. It was such a relief to get away from it all and just focus on having some fun in the sun! We saw some beautiful sunsets, ate plenty of goodness and got some much-needed R&R.

**Work has been pretty hectic this past week. Just a tad bit crazy, but with my senioritis wedding-itis I'm having a hard time focusing on a single thing...especially when there are 50 other single things waiting on me when I get home! Last night, for example, I came home and worked at my computer for 5 hours on part of our rehearsal dinner slideshow. John and I each picked a song to play during pictures of us growing up, and I did my section first since I had everything I needed already. Y'all, I did good (not to toot my own horn or anything.... hah!) but I'm totally getting overly-emotional about the simplest things! I'm becoming my own mother :)

**This weekend, John and I are going to stay home and crunch down on some wedding things: like getting John's ring engraved (see below!). He's going to have it engraved with the same phrase that is found on each of his own parents' rings, which I find extremely sweet and romantic. They have been married for 28 years so let's hope it brings us luck and love in our own marriage.

I'm also going to get some wedding stuff done this weekend (cross my fingers, that is!) One thing I need to do is get a "here comes the bride sign" (see examples below). Since our little flower girl and ring bearer are so young, we thought that having them walk together while carrying a sign together would be 1) easier on them and 2) the cutest thing ever. And so far, my Etsy scouting for a sign have turned up empty (bah!) so I'm thinking I may have to resort to making one myself (just another thing on the list!)

**In other news, my camera lens finally came in (yahooooo!) and I'm so excited! Have I played with it yet? Nope. I'm so bad. But when I have a spare minute, I have it and it's ready to go!

**Like today's pictures? They're all taken and edited with Instagram (read about my Instagram obsession here). Follow me @katiwessinger to see my pics as I take them!

**I realize I never showed you the "after" of this bathroom makeover. I'm sorry y'all! Please forgive me and be patient. I've gotten all scatterbrained!

That's all the word-vomit I can handle right now. Peace out!

My New Nephew, Gus!

Meet my new nephew, Gus-Gus! Yeah, so what if he's a puppy...he's my sister's BABY so I love him like my own :) He is only 10 weeks right now and still small enough to hold. Since he's supposed to be a 50+ pounder, we thought it'd be good to go ahead and document his little puppy phase. Introducing, Mr. Gus-Gus!

Lens Pro To Go + 24-70mm/2.8L Lens

Today I wanted to just write a quick review on an amazing company, Lens Pro To Go. This past weekend, I rented a lens from them for the second time and just thought others might gain some useful knowledge from my past experiences with this company.

The first time I rented from Lens Pro To Go, I rented a Canon 35mm/1.4L. To recap, I had a few questions while ordering the lens so I gave their customer service a call. To my surprise, the phone was picked up on the second or third ring by the nicest man, who was able to clearly answer all my questions and even share some insight into how the lens would work on my Canon 60D. He ordered the lens for me over the phone and it arrived promptly that Friday. I was pumped to finally get my hands on this professional lens, but quickly noticed a few less than wonderful qualities. For some reason, the edges of my images were blurring dramatically with this new lens (see images below)

I quickly turned to my trusted photography source, Clickin' Moms (don't laugh...it really is pretty amazing!) and posted a few of my images for some of the women to review. Immediately, they told me I had gotten a bum lens and that I should call the company and request a replacement.

After giving Lens Pro To Go a call, I was again amazed by how wonderful their staff is! They soothed my worries, and let me know that they would be shipping a replacement lens overnight to insure I had it in time for my first photo shoot Saturday morning. They said that the lens had suffered from a bit of jostling during shippment, but that it rarely happened (and I think they were a little upset that it was only my first time renting!) To hear it was not my fault (I'd only had the sucker for 15 minutes!) and that I was operating the camera correctly was such a relief! Here are some of my favorite images from that weekend with the 35mm:

By the way, this lens is totally on my wish-list!

{I also shot a boudoir session that weekend and the 35mm did amazing! I totally want to do more of those so if you know of anyone who is interested, send them my way!}

So this time, when I decided to try out a new 24-70/2.8L lens for a birthday party I shot this weekend, I knew exactly where to turn: Lens Pro To Go! I tried ordering the lens online but was having some problems with my shipping address working, so I turned to my trusty phone once more. A great guy answered the phone, double-checked my order, and went ahead and ordered the lens for me over the phone. Easy as pie! I was told it would arrive Friday morning, and at 10:30 that day, it was in my arms. Hooray!

One thing about this lens: it's HEAVY! Much heavier than any other lenses I've used. But that bulk was a good thing! It's professional, people.

Moving on. I took the lens home and shot with it all weekend. MAN it was a dream! Here are some of my best pictures from this weekend (some of which you've already seen):

The main things I like about this lens? For one, it's got a zoom, which is really useful when taking pictures of moving things that don't follow commands well (i.e. kids and dogs). Also, it works really well as a macro lens (which means close-up), like the picture of the present with the gift tag. Love that about it!

Unfortunately, I had to send in the lens yesterday -- but at least it was easy (seriously, all you have to do is put the lens in its original box, stick a sticker on it (which Lens Pro To Go includes when they mail it to you) and drop it off at a UPS store. Easy as pie!

Since my heart was so heavy about losing this lens, I did the only logical thing I could think of.

I bought one. 

Used (3 months old) and for about $400 cheaper than it is here, I bought my very own L-glass lens. i.am.so.pumped.and.i.want.it.now! But I'll have to wait a few days as it's currently in the mail on its way.

So why did I buy this lens? Honestly, I want the 35mm/1.4 more. But this lens is so versitle. It's a great replacement to my "ish" kit lens and I know I can use it for some great wide-angle shots until I can pool enough money for the 35mm. But one of the main reasons I bought it is that it'll be PERFECT for our honeymoon! I'll be able to zoom in on monkeys and zoom out to show whole landscapes, all with one lens. Which means less baggage and weight to carry around and more time to just capture what I see!

Anyway, I guess I got a little off topic about the whole Lens Pro To Go theme, but U-turning it back to that, they're a great company and I couldn't recommend them more. And they didn't even pay me to say that. Although they could. Anytime. :)

Peace. I'm out.

Party Like It's 2009

This weekend I was asked to photograph one of my favorite little boy's birthday party. You may remember this family from last year when I took their Christmas family photos. Anyway, Jack turned THREE this weekend (how is he already that big?!?) and his mama threw him a little backyard shindig. And it was darn-near perfection! Everyone just chilled out in the backyard; the kids played, the adults mingled and cake was eaten by all. Hope you enjoy this HUGE share! I had too much trouble picking my favorites!

Happy Birthday, little man! And Jackie, thanks for giving me this fun opportunity!