I just love weddings! Plain and simple. It seems almost everybody loves weddings and many people have their favorite parts which are their favorites for very different reasons. Weddings are incredibly emotional and bring out so many emotions in each of us.

I recently photographed a wedding in Groesbeck, Texas and as I worked through the images I felt an array of emotions which compelled me to write this list...The Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Weddings!

1. LOVE! I love weddings because there is so much love and happiness all around! The bride and groom are happy. They are filled with a tremendous amount of love. The family and friends are also happy - happy for their loved ones that will soon be united in marriage. At this wedding, the venue changed slightly due to flooding in the area. The wedding was supposed to be outside, however the grounds were very soggy and the weather on March 19th was pretty windy and chilly as well. This caused the wedding to move inside a small building. To some this might have caused the bride to become upset, however Courtney had a carefree attitude and was determined to make the small room absolutely beautiful for her wedding day. When I showed up the day before to look at the venue, she was super calm and just told me, "When you get here tomorrow this room is going to look so different...it's going to be crowded, but it will be beautiful." When I showed up on the wedding day and saw the small room, I was honestly shocked! I NEVER would have imagined it would have looked so amazing! Love kept her calm.

The Visitor's Center at the Historic Old Fort Parker site in Groesbeck, Texas was a wedding venue.  The wedding had to be moved indoors due to recent flooding on the grounds. — The Visitor's Center at the Historic Old Fort Parker site in Groesbeck, Texas was a wedding venue. The wedding had to be moved indoors due to recent flooding on the grounds.

2. THE DRESS! I love seeing the bride's dress at a wedding! There are so many beautiful dresses out there that and bride's look absolutely stunning in them! Courtney wasn't any different! The look on the groom's face when he sees his bride in the dress is priceless. Many people don't notice this since they are all looking at the bride as well. Seriously, how can you not look at her as she's coming down the aisle?

3. DYNAMICS! I'm a people watcher. Everywhere I go, I watch people. I am intrigued by the way they interact with one another. As a photographer I get to watch people and photograph them interacting with one another. I can honestly say that in two years of photographing families, I have yet to find two that are the same. They might look the same at the surface, but their mannerisms and behaviors towards one another are completely different. This isn't a bad thing at all! Imagine how boring this world would be if we were all the same? This wedding was not only a union of a couple, but a union of a young family. Courtney has two children that Dustin married as well. Watching him interact with those young boys melted my heart. They are so lucky to have a man in their lives that cares for them that much. It is obvious just how much those young boys are loved by their parents, family, and friends.

4. KIDS' REACTIONS! Look at the photograph above. The look on the boy's face says SO much! Again, I'm a people watcher so I love watching facial expressions. This image cracks me up because the young man looks like he is telling the world, "This is MY mom and I will ALWAYS be here for her!" His mouth is clenched and his eyes are almost glaring at me. Either he really dislikes me (which I doubt because everyone adores me (: ) or he's giving the world a secret message that he protects his mom. I'm pretty sure she feels the same way about him too!

5. THERE'S ALWAYS ONE IN EVERY CROWD! At every wedding that I have attended, there is always one guest that is the entertainer. I LOVE watching them! They just have a fun attitude that draws attention. Well, this wedding there were TWO entertainers! Courtney is a lucky lady because she both of them as dads!

When Courtney danced with her dad, they had an upbeat song which was fun to watch them dance too.

Two fathers, both with big personalities!

I am sure you have your own top 5 reasons why you love weddings and I'd love to hear about them! Feel free to comment below.

Let me begin by saying that I LOVE maternity photo sessions! There is an unexplainable energy that gives you a certain "high" to be around. The mom is glowing. The dad is so proud. They are both so excited, maybe a little scared, but definitely looking forward to the unknown. There is so much love surrounding these two people and the little baby that they created through that love.

With that being said, I always wonder to myself, "I wonder if this beautiful couple is ready for reality?" The reality that everything is not as cute and cuddly as we often perceive it to be. That got me thinking about this blog post - advice for new parents that I wish I could tell them.

As I began working through Trevor and Jezebel's images from their maternity session, I could hear my small children in the background and I thought to myself, "Kids, just give me a few more minutes..." Thoughts like this prompted me to look up some one line pieces of advice for new parents and I stumbled upon an article that had some great - and extremely accurate - pieces of advice that I'd like to share.

Here are some of my favorites:

1. When people ask if your child sleeps through the night, just lie and say yes. It helps you avoid all that sleep advice. -Nancy

SO TRUE! I wish I would have known about this "trick" before I had children!

2. It’s okay to mourn your old life and think, “Dear God what have we done!” -Lindsey

Again, SO TRUE! I have thought this several times, although I have never vocalized it until now. There are times that I miss it just being in the bed by myself...without kids. I miss laying in the bed, snuggled up under the covers, eating all the chocolate my stomach could handle, and watching movies. Those quiet times are gone for now...not gone forever however. I love having kids crawl into the bed with me, but there are times I think I'd love to watch a movie without interruptions a little bit more. Which leads me to number three.

3. You’re not a bad mom if you don’t love every single stage of child-rearing. -Susan

There are parts of raising children that I do not enjoy. Potty training is a PERFECT example! And in the middle of the potty training stage, remember...

4. This too shall pass. -Bree

Even during those times of success, there will be setbacks. It's easy to become frustrated, but remember...this too shall pass. It is just one stage in the child's life. There are plenty of other stages that you will enjoy more than you ever imagined!

5. Ask yourself whether what you are upset about will be important in five years or even in five minutes. -Nancy

I try to remind myself of this often when something happens, such as spilling a 6 ounce bottle of expressed breastmilk! At that moment my world just ended as I knew it. Then the next thing happens and I don't even remember spilling that liquid gold. Learn to let the little things go and give it the "Test of Five" before you act on it.

And last, but not least....

6. You’ll never look back and wish you held your baby less. -Christine

Never believe any of those comments about spoiling your baby by holding them too much. Soon enough they won't want to cuddle and it's true, you will never look back and wish you held your child less. You will wish you held them even more.

Trevor and Jezebel, I sincerely wish you the best for your growing family. The love you two share is just going to grow more and more each day as you guide your baby girl through this crazy thing we call life. There will be difficult times. There will be times that you feel like crying - and that is okay - CRY! But I promise you, the laughter and love that you are going to experience is SO going to be worth every second of it. I'm looking forward to capturing memories for your growing family in the years to come.

To read the complete article with 21 words of advice for new parents, check out: http://coolmompicks.com/blog/2013/08/26/best-parenting-advice-for-new-parents/

What are some words of advice that you'd like to give to the soon-to-be-parents? Feel free to leave a comment below.

I Love Weddings! Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Weddings

Advice for New Parents - What I Wish I Could Say to My Expecting Clients