Why I Hate Exit Signs.....

You are waiting with anticipation as the beautiful music fills the air and the charming bridal party walks down the isle. Building up to that moment.... you know the one, where everyone stands, the doors open, and a proud father has the arm of the beautiful bride, and glowing, just above them, a HUGE RED EXIT SIGN.

He (yes, I believe exit signs are male) is also present when the bridal party enters the reception, in the hallway where the bride and groom share a private moment, in the sanctuary of beautiful old stone churches, and three of the little beasts were mounted above the wide archways of an outdoor pavilion. Outdoor, open air... that one has to be my personal favorite. I could feel him mocking me with his evil glowing red letters....

I understand the need for a quick evacuation in case of a fire, but seriously people, the exit is where you entered.. Is it that necessary? I am sure it is, and I joke but I really think I have removed hundreds of exit signs from wedding images. So I figured I would share my frustration with you and a few of my favorites.

Mr. & Mrs. Matson

Matt and Ashley were married Friday, April 30th in Dewitt, Michigan. The weather was perfect, and I loved the lighting inside this church! If only all churches could be so well lit.... Anyway, following their ceremony, we went to a park just down the road for some fun and beautiful shots outdoors.

I can tell you one thing about this couple, they will never be at a loss for laughter. The two were so playful and fun to work with, sometimes it was hard to get back to business! Congratulations Matt & Ashley.

Wedding Season Starts off with a Surgery!

I wish I could say wedding season started off with a bang, but this year it started off with a surgery...

Friday April 23rd at about 1am, I ended up in the ER with crazy back pain. After a bunch of tests including an ultrasound and an MRI, the doctors let me know that I would need to have my gall bladder removed. I had gall stones and inflammation. (Apparently your estrogen levels in pregnancy can make your gall bladder go crazy.. who knew?)

We went home from the ER Friday afternoon planning to schedule the surgery at a later date, so I would have plenty of time to recover between weddings. Things did not go as planned.

I started having a few complications Sunday morning, so the admitted me to the hospital, started IV antibiotics and scheduled a procedure for Monday and surgery for Tuesday. Thanks to many prayers, the blockage went away so I did not need a blockage removed, and had the surgery to remove my gall bladder Tuesday afternoon.

I came home Tuesday night (missing my 11 week old baby, 2 year old son, my husband and my very comfy bed), and shot a one year old's birthday session on Thursday. I knew if I could handle that, than the weekends weddings should be fine! Thankfully I felt pretty good Friday for our first wedding of the season, and after Saturday's wedding was pretty tired, but very glad to be healthy! Sunday I surprised my husband with a 30th birthday party and I am pretty sure that night I went to bed at 9pm...

At each wedding, I am always reminded of what an amazing husband I have, and how powerful God is. He really showed me how to rely on others, and revealed how loving, supportive, funny and talented my husband is. He also has been carrying everything over 10 pounds lately, so that is good too!

Anyway, I really appreciate all of your support, and I am excited to share in so many of your lives.

To prove I am in fact, still alive.... here is a shot from this week with our beautiful daughter Charlotte.