Weddings
Bellies & Babies
Engagements
Families & Kids
Posted on July 27, 2011
I love weddings. I love this job. The fact that I get to be hand picked by a couple, spend one of the most important days of their lives with them, capture the memories that they never want to forget AND I get paid for it, well, it’s truly a blessing. The reception is probably my favorite part of the entire day. I have SO much fun working my way around the floor and getting some of my favorite shots of the day. In particular, the first dance is my favorite moment. It’s pretty much the only 3-4 minutes out of the couple’s entire day that they have some semblance of privacy. They’re alone in their own world, and they are able to take a few moments to just breathe. It’s in those few moments that their smiles are the biggest, their tears may flow, and their love for each other shines the brightest. And I get to stand back and capture it all in my lens. Its so lovely.
It’s moments like those that I’m going to miss the most.
As I was driving home from a shoot the other day, I was stressing about what was next on my to do list. And what came next, and next and what I couldn’t get to for a while. Then it hit me. This…peace. I practically heard God say “That’s enough.” It was as if I had been playing tug of war with myself and I just…dropped the rope. And the biggest sense of relief came over me. Not something I could ignore.
For a few moments, I thought I was being told to stop completely. To be done with LilyBelle Photography. But, I realized that was creating a pang in my chest. I love what I do. I love the rewards and I love how it makes me feel. I don’t think I could just…stop. But I realized that I was being told to cut back. And the biggest stress for me is editing weddings. It takes up SO much of my time. I told a friend of mine earlier today, “I spend 75% of my day in front of this computer. And the other 25% is spent trying to get my kids settled with food/diapers/clothes/naps/whatever so that I CAN work.” Its true. I’ve been so completely stressed since the beginning of this year. This has been the most stressful year of my life. On top of that, I don’t do anything fun with my girls. The only time we go anywhere is if my husband is around and he pulls me away from the computer so we can have family time. Have I mentioned that I haven’t even taken their yearly pics yet this year? I’ve been so focused on work, I haven’t made much time for them. I’m missing precious time with these girls, and I’m never going to get that time back. I had to think about what was most important in life. In MY life.
So, as of now, I will not be booking any more weddings until my girls are in school full time. Obviously, those of you who are booked and those who are practically booked (Joy & Kimberly) are set in stone and I’m looking forward to these last weddings with an air of excitement and a lighter heart. I’m also going to be able to second for Jenni O’Connor from Lion’s Roar Media when she needs me to. So, if you’d like me to photograph your wedding, give her a call and book me as your second photographer!
Meanwhile, starting next year I’ll be taking more sessions and concentrating on my photography on a smaller scale. And yes, I’ll be back. Once these beautiful girls are both in school full time, I’ll be able to devote more time to my work and I’ll be eager to get back and work those dance floors the only way I know how… with my lens. 
Thank you all for your understanding!
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