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Why I Changed My Mind about a First Look | Advice from a Bride

Why I Changed My Mind about a First Look | Advice from a Bride

Today I'm introducing one of my 2016 brides, Kayla, whose wedding at Maymont in October was one of my favorites! We chatted about having a first look and she told me it wasn't something she wanted - but after considering who she was marrying, she changed her mind. This is such a sweet story and I'm so glad she is sharing it with us today!

Josh and I met in the spring of 2014 on Match.com. I think that’s an important place to start, not as an advertisement (though obviously I have no complaints about my results there) but because where and how we met has a lot to do with the kind of people we both are. Online dating is a great way for shy, nervous introverts to meet and get to know each other before having to face the pressures of interacting with a stranger in real life.

But where I warm up almost immediately after meeting someone I like, Josh stays pretty shy. He is funny, thoughtful, caring, interesting, and extremely knowledgeable about dozens of topics, and probably the smartest person I know, but he is much more introverted than I am. And where I would love to tell you a million things about myself, Josh is more hesitant with his personality, his thoughts, and his feelings. Learning to balance my talkative, overshare nature with his much more private one has been one of the great joys and challenges of our relationship. Nothing challenges those differences more than a wedding...

Our Winter Getaway | Personal

Our Winter Getaway | Personal

Before getting married, I had never before realized the importance of taking vacations. Nathan and I love to travel, but in the past few years we've focused more on doing things with our free time to help (like heading to Africa twice last year!) than taking a cruise or laying out on the beach. We love travel but we also love doing things that matter, so last year when we sat in the middle of a snowstorm on the Dulles runway for our fifth anniversary as we headed to Africa together, it felt right.

This year we didn't have such a grand opportunity, but with year number 6 (oh how the time flies!) coming up we decided at the last minute to take an impromptu trip to see our favorite places in Hampton Roads and Richmond. After an engagement session Friday (eek, can't wait to share!) we headed up to Williamsburg and had a very cozy, lazy night in while we talked and recovered from the week.

The next morning, we got up and headed to our favorite place {besides Portland, of course)...

Maymont Fall Wedding | Richmond Wedding Photographer | Josh + Kayla

Maymont Fall Wedding | Richmond Wedding Photographer | Josh + Kayla

A wedding day hurricane is not something I would wish on anyone, but if there was a bride who could handle the bad weather it was Kayla. We talked a few days before her wedding and she calmly told me that their backup plan (get married and party anyway!) would be intimate and meaningful just the same. When Hurricane Matthew blew back out to sea we knew the wedding was on in full force, but watching her maintain joy and excitement in a difficult situation is just a small testament of the person she is. And with Josh as her encourager, biggest supporter, and best friend, these two could take on anything with each other by their sides.

Kayla was the epitome of a bride creating a beautiful wedding day that also completely fit her and Josh's personalities. Seeing each other before the wedding for a first look was a decision Kayla made when she realized that her sweet, introverted husband-to-be would love the chance to have a moment of calm before the nerves set in. Her selflessness was evident the moment she made that decision, and it continued on from there...