I’m beginning this post where I left off in my last post, just beginning the wedding ceremony of Tiffany and Trevor.

James had the important job of photographing from his hidden spot in the choir loft, and he got some really great face shots while I shot the stage from the floor.

One benefit of having a second-shooter:

This picture above just makes me happy. I can just hear them thinking, “We’re almost husband and wife!!”

Reason #417 why I love Tiffany and Trevor: their kiss was immediately followed by a high-five.

I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts that Tiffany and Trevor, having lived in Denton all their lives, have connections, one of which is with Frenchy’s Lawn and Tree Service. Frenchy’s is a business local to Denton that places messages on their signature orange vans all across town. This day he gave a shout-out to the newly minted Mr. and Mrs.

Annnnnnnd reception. Marines were ALL OVER this wedding. All Marines. All the time. Everywhere you looked there were swords and uniforms.

Annnnnd for the bouquet toss . . . I love putting Tiffany’s reactions from these next photos with the girls actions in the next-next photos.

(Don’t worry, guys. It’s still Tiffany that Trevor is kissing, she just changed into her reception dress.)

Well, Mr. and Mrs. Sewell, I guess this is where I’ll end my post of your glorious wedding.

Thank you.

Thank you for letting me be a part.

And thank y’all for being such a big part of growing Jillian Zamora Photography into what it is today.

The end of this blogpost almost feels like the end of an era — the Tiffany-and-Trevor-wedding-mania has been the life-blood of Jillian Zamora Photography for so long now. Their (first) engagement shoot was the very first post on this blog. I would be sad, but Tiffany has already told me she’s started a list of all the photo shoots she’s planning on having me do for them in the future. And I’m entirely okay with that.

Y’all all know Tiffany and Trevor. Rememberrrrr? How about now?

These two have been faithful supporters of Jillian Zamora Photography for almost a year now, and I couldn’t have been happier to document their beautiful, beautiful love on that lovely Friday in May.

Tiffany started her wedding day off at Soho Salon in Denton.


The wedding party got ready at the reception venue, The Milestone. This was my first wedding to shoot there, but I cannot rave enough about how great this venue was to shoot in — everything was so beautiful, the place let in an incredible amount of natural light, and gave plenty of variety in shooting locations. Not to mention that the staff was so on top of everything and great to work with.

 

One of Tiffany’s wedding presents to Trevor was this pocket-watch.

Not long after the dress was on, Trevor sent the boys to deliver a message from him to his bride-to-be.

If time allows, I typically take photos of the groom with each individual groomsmen (likewise with the bride and each bridesmaid) and I tell them that I want to take a photo that embodies their relationship with each other. I particularly enjoyed this series of Trevor with his brother Nathan. It was a thumb war and Nathan won both times . . . obviously . . .

. . . and THIS series of Tiffany’s older brother Ben “beating up” Trevor.

I’m fully convinced that all of these guys were pros. I mean, just look at them.

Trevor recently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps and will soon attend flight school. I was so glad that there was enough time allotted in the wedding day schedule to get some shots of Trevor in his marine blues.

Then it was the girls’ turn, and were they ready to work it out.

And, well, this was just really funny.

After we finished up with Tiffany and her lovely bridesmaids, Tiffany and Trevor did their “first look” that I blogged about in my last post. Because they did a first look we were able to move from that moment into time they had set aside for bride-groom portraits that would have otherwise been squeezed into the time between their ceremony and reception. I couldn’t be more pleased with the shots we got.

Tiffany. You could stop traffic. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have before. You should seriously be careful with a face like that.

Y’all are just killing me. Killing me with those model faces.

And this next photo was an accident of sorts, believe it or not. I told them “at ease” while I gathered the rest of the wedding party and they leaned back on the couch to rest. I looked back, saw the light and told them “DON’T. MOVE.”

We even had time to take all the immediate family portraits at before heading over to First Baptist Denton to wait until time for the ceremony. I love this candid shot of Tiffany with her parents.

One last mother-daughter moment in the dressing room and then it was off to First Baptist Denton for the ceremony.

Because these two had allotted so much time to wedding day photos, I’m having to blog two separate posts to do the day justice. Look back on the blog soon for the second post of Tiffany and Trevor’s wedding day.

A “first look” is when a bride and groom opt to see each other on the wedding day before the bride walks down the aisle. The motive for brides and grooms choosing a first look varies from person to person — whether it be the idea of seeing each other for the first time in a more intimate setting than in front of every guest at the ceremony to more time for photos together  to not being willing to sacrifice even a moment of their reception to go take photos.

I’ve written about a first look before. But I can’t help but wonder if people don’t really take my vouching for it seriously or think that I have some ulterior motive (ruining wedding days for my own conniving photographic purposes) in suggesting them, when in reality I just want my couples to have the smoothest and most memorable wedding day experience possible, and I want them to know their options.

Tiffany and Trevor had decided at our initial consultation that they didn’t want anything to do with a first look. But a few weeks before their wedding I got a skype video call from both of them: “We’ve decided to do a first look.”

I asked them if they wouldn’t mind sharing on the blog what made them change their minds.

They aren’t paid actors.

They’re just a bride and a groom who volunteered to share their personal experiences with a first look on their wedding day.

Tiffany: “I’m the stereotypical girl who has been dreaming about her wedding day since the day she was born. There was never any question that Trevor and I would have a classic, traditional, Cinderella wedding.”

Trevor: “At first I really didn’t like the idea of a first look. It just seemed like it would ruin the moment for me. I was really excited about the moment when the doors opened and, standing at the alter, I would peer down the aisle and my bride’s smiling face.”

Tiffany: “Throughout the planning of our wedding, I pretty much pushed off the question of how we were going to fit all of our pictures into the allotted thirty minutes between the ceremony and reception. It wasn’t until the week of the wedding when Trevor mentioned a first look again. We talked about it together, talked to friends who had done it, and talked to Jillian. She told us how the tradition came from arranged marriages where if the groom saw the bride before the wedding, there might be a chance of him running away! Trevor and I both knew that wasn’t going to happen for us! Photography was really at the top of our priority list for our wedding. We wanted to get as many pictures as possible! A first look was really the best way for us to do that! ”

Trevor: “After months of flat out refusing to even entertain the idea of a first look, I came to my senses. We decided to go with the first look – and never regretted it for even a second.”

Tiffany: “When it got down to the day of, I was a little nervous (as I’m sure most brides are before they see their groom). However, I truly believe that my nervousness was the buildup of excitement in preparation for Trevor. When I saw him standing at the bottom of the staircase waiting for me, I could not get down those stairs fast enough!”

Trevor: “We absolutely loved our first look!! For starters, we got AMAZING pictures! But there were other benefits that we never expected. The week of the wedding is so crazy, there is so much that had to get done for the wedding that we almost never saw each other. By the day of the wedding, I realized that I had seen my fiance less in the week immediately preceding our wedding than I had at any point in the year before. It was kind of sad!

The first look gave us the opportunity to slow down and enjoy each others company for a few minutes. It was like a little oasis of calm in the middle of what was otherwise a crazy, hectic day. ”

Trevor: “I am happy to report that the first look did nothing to take away from the moment that I so anxiously looked forward to. It was still more sweet and giddy and excited than I could have ever imagined!  The time that Tiffany and I spent together during the first look make up some of my most cherished memories from our wedding day.”

Tiffany: “What is most important on your wedding day is being with the one you love, the one you are promising your love and life to. Whether that is during a first look or when the doors open to the church, this day is about you and the love of your life! Because pictures are what you get to keep for a lifetime and the day goes by so incredibly fast, I highly suggest a first look.  It was so nice to share a little time with Trevor just the two of us (and Jillian, of course) and enjoy each other’s company.

In the end, I am extremely happy we chose to do a first look! I love the memorable time we shared during the first look and the pictures that were taken! I also was extremely happy because Trevor still had a priceless look on his face when the doors to the church opened. ”

I would like to end this post by saying that I want all of my brides and grooms to be happy with their wedding day decisions. I write about first looks because in my personal experiences as a bride, that was what made me and my groom happiest. I want to share that experience with my clients so that they can make informed wedding day decisions, and I do this in hopes that they too will look back on their wedding day happy as little larks. Whether they’re happy that they chose a first look, or whether they’re happy that they decided to wait and see each other during the ceremony. I just want people to be happy.

Check back tomorrow for the full blog-post of Tiffany and Trevor’s Denton wedding — and a look at the great bride-groom portraits we got immediately following the first look!

Dear blog readers —

Brace yourselves. For the sassiest pregnant woman you’ve ever seen.

With that said, meet Kelly.

Kelly and her husband, Nick, met me at The Milestone for the very first maternity shoot I’ve done. Excitement!

Kelly, we would all really appreciate it if you’d leave some fabulousness for the rest of the world. Thankssssss.

And Nick’s working it right along with her. Good job, guys. Teamwork fierceness.

Kelly, it’s just that you’re gorgeous. I think that a lot of it has to do with how your eyes sparkle and you laugh a lot. Even when Nick is telling you to put your belly away.

Kelly was telling me that at this point, they’ve narrowed down the list of potential baby names to four. One thing they can agree on though is that the baby is, in fact, a boy.

Again with the fierceness, you two! Did y’all take classes or something?

Here it comes again. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

Also, if you can’t handle any more sassiness, you may have to shield your eyes for this next picture . . .

Dear Nick and Kelly, I think y’all are great. And especially great together. And I suspect the greatness will be exponentially greater with “boy” added to the White family soon. Hopefully he’s been listening from the womb when y’all go to that fierceness class of y’all’s.

Thank you for letting me document this sweet season for you.

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