Monday Musings | My Dream Couples

I’m excited, and honestly a little nervous, to begin my new blog series today! As I mentioned last week, I want to begin sharing more my world with you this year. My hopes, dreams, fears, and advice – every Monday in a little snippet that I’ve named - Monday Musings.

Every Monday, I will be kick-starting the week with a few words, a quote, maybe even an image. Every Monday Musings post will be different and I am genuinely excited to share more of my heart on my blog… Opening up a little, offering you a small glimpse into my world, each and every week.

Last month, I had the pleasure of tuning in to Showit Live for Justin and Mary‘s workshop and Mary recalled a Pinterest quote that truly struck a cord in my heart. I want a marriage more beautiful than my wedding. Nine words that describe not only how I feel about my own wedding day, but how I want every one of my brides to feel about theirs as well.

For months I have been thinking more about ‘The Natalie Franke Bride‘ – Her personality, her wedding style, her outlook on life and love. And something in this quote reflected the exact way that I imagined my ideal couple would feel.

My couples want a beautiful wedding, gorgeous details and a breathtaking venue where they exchange the promises that seal their destiny forever. But they also want something more. They want a marriage; strong and resilient, compassionate and unconditionally loving. My couples can’t wait to spend forever with their best friend.

So much of my brand is a reflection of the couples that inspire me and the love stories that maintain my self-proclaimed status as a hopeless romantic! My goal each year isn’t to shoot more weddings than the year before, but rather to continue to shoot the right weddings… The weddings that bring tears to my eyes, for the couples who love one another with their entire hearts, who couldn’t imagine having any other photographer to document their special day.

I believe that one of the reasons I have become so close with so many of my brides is that we share a similar outlook on life and love. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ll listen to a bride talk about her future husband and I think… “That’s exactly how I feel about Huey”.

In this first Monday Musings post, I want introduce you to ‘The Natalie Franke Bride‘ –

My dream bride wants a marriage more beautiful than her wedding.

She dreamed of her husband as a little girl and found a man who surpasses him in every way. A man who isn’t perfect, but is perfect for her. A future husband who encourages her to follow her dreams, to be a better person, who inspires her to persevere through all of life’s challenges. He carries her heart, always.

My dream bride will never forget the look in his eyes, the tremble of his hands, when he proposed. She imagines her wedding day with tear-stained cheeks, as she says ‘I do’, surrounded by the ones that she loves the most.

She doesn’t fear the future because she knows that she has a foundation to build her life around. Her best friend, her soul mate, is the puzzle piece that was missing all along. She loves the way he treats her, the way he holds her hand, how their fingers so perfectly intertwine. She adores his silly antics, his softer side that he shares with no one in the world… except for her.

When life hands her challenges, she knows that he will be there with open arms and encouraging words. And in his moments of weakness, she too will remind him of the strength that has held them together over the years.

As her hair turns grey, she will look back together on the life that they have created. She will flip through the images of their wedding album, smiling as she remembers her flowing gown, her tear-stained cheeks, the day that she became his wife. And in this moment she will realize that her wedding day was only the beginning.

She has a marriage, a life, which is far more beautiful than any single day could ever be. And the beauty lies not only in the accomplishments that they share, but in the challenges and struggles that they have overcome together.

My dream bride is unbelievably excited for her wedding.
What excites her even more, however, is the promise of spending forever with her best friend.