ashley&brandon {happily ever after}

Yesterday was Ashley & Brandon's one year wedding anniversary & they took a few minutes to chat with me about their first year of marriage. They were such a joy to work with & I am so incredibly happy they chose me to document their special day! It's couples like them that make me absolutely love my job. 

Tell me about your wedding:

1. What was your most memorable moment?
Ashley: My most vivid memories still bring a huge smile to my face & we have perfect photos of them so I get to relive those memories over & over again! Doing a First Look was one of our best decisions for our wedding day. I was feeling overwhelmed & emotional & just couldn't wait to see Brandon. I loved peaking around the rose bushes to see my incredible husband waiting for me. He turned around & we both just gasped & embraced, & I felt an instant relief of any nervous feelings & was just filled with love & happiness. 
Brandon: One of the coolest moments for me was the crepuscular ray breaking out of the clouds as we said our vows & shared our first kiss as a newly married husband & wife! That sign made it even more obvious that this marriage is meant to be.

2. What were the inspirations for your wedding? themes? Why did you pick this time of year? 
I love the newness & freshness of spring, so that’s exactly what I wanted our wedding to portray. The soft green grass & the blooming flowers have always made my heart sing! We knew that we wanted an outdoor wedding & kept our fingers crossed for a beautiful day with no rain! I started with colors that I liked (coral, peach, & sage green) & added a little lace, some burlap, a few googlings of “Shabby Chic Wedding Ideas” & watched it come together with some DIY projects & help from my mom & friends!

3. Was there anything that was not worth fussing over? In other words, did you have a bridezilla/groomzilla moment over something that was insignificant?
Ashley: My biggest “Oh No!” moment was right before the wedding started & realized that the flower girl hair wreaths were left in the Bridal Suite. I started running (barefoot!) back to the suite to grab them. I didn’t listen to my darling Maid of Honor who told me that there were stickers in the grass & she had to come over & save me. It was a humbling moment for me as I watched my best friend pick stickers out of my feet, knowing that I should have just listened! After the hair wreaths were delivered, I got to simply relax for a few minutes with the women I hold most dear. 
Brandon: I didn’t really have any moments of frustration or anything. I was a little nervous about the music coming together but I realized that people weren’t coming for the music, so it was all good. I wouldn’t change anything about our day!

4. Any advice for those planning now?
Ashley: Pick the things that are most important to you & enjoy focusing on that! For me, that was the photographer, a unique wedding ceremony, & the dress that I found on Pinterest & spent so long hunting down! Other things like the cake, flowers, music, & venue all fell into place & was beautiful & perfect & mostly stress free!
Brandon: Remember that this is YOUR choice & YOUR day. There will be a lot of outside opinions but what you & your fiancé want is what truly matters. 

Tell me about married life!

1. What have been the easiest & hardest parts about adjusting to married life? 
Easiest has been having fun together! We get to spend so much time together & we like so many of the same things. We have a good flow going on!

We are working on having solid & awesome communication! Things run so smoothly when we are able to communicate efficiently & effectively!

2. What's been the most surprising thing you've learned about each other?
Ashley: I have learned that Brandon can actually wake up early! As long as I have known him, he went to bed super late and&liked to stay in bed through the morning! He is actually up before me now for work & it’s kind of crazy! We love having him come home by 4:30pm every day so he says the early mornings are worth it!
Brandon: Well… I wanted to say something but Ashley wouldn't let me! Haha but really, Ashley is an open book & I knew a lot of her little quirks before I married her. Ask me again in 5 years!

3. What do you guys do to spend time together? 
We love being outside! We have a fabulous backyard with a patio & plenty of room to garden & relax in the hammock! We enjoy going for walks, listening to music, tending to our newly set up 75 gallon fish aquarium, & cooking & eating together.

4. What did you do, or will you do, to celebrate your one year anniversary?
We just recently moved to Austin, Texas, so we are enjoying getting acquainted to our new city! We found a quaint sushi spot & celebrated an early anniversary dinner with plans to have a family dinner on our day of celebration!

5. Any plans for the future? Or, rather, what would you like to have done/seen/experience in the next five years?
We will grow stronger in love, commitment, & respect for each other. This first year marks so many beginnings & we look forward to all of our experiences together. Life is our adventure, & we are so glad to walk in this together. We have many plans & it starts by living in the now, every day.