It's 11:34... Moment in time memories

     As they say, it is not about the wedding...it is about the marriage. This is an undeniable truth. However, you've played dress up as a little girl (or boy), spent the years going on bad dates and watched every rom com that featured a white dress and a veil (or you haven't and that's just ducky too). You've found your person, planned (and paid for) the wedding and lived to see the day! You want to remember this day forever. Pictures are wonderful, and a good photographer can provide photos you will treasure for a lifetime, but you want strong memories too...the "I can still smell it", take me back kind of memories. How?
     My favorite piece of advice for those heading in to the big day is fantastically simple...designate someone to occasionally tell you the time. Not obsessively or on the half hour, but three or four times throughout the day. This helps you acknowledge the passing time of a whirlwind of a day and lets you assign a who/what/where to a moment. I employed this technique on my own wedding day and have a smattering of random hilarious memories to accompany those of the "walking down the aisle" variety. These memories add something special to your day; something that cannot be captured with a camera and I guarantee these will become some of the best anecdotes as time goes on...
        My maid of honor singing to herself (half made up) while making faces in the mirror at the salon
        The smell of a microwave burrito the wedding party "had" to make while getting ready
        Our DJ's teenage daughter killing it with her music set...and looking so serious as she worked
        My new (slightly toasted) husband, dancing on a chair as my mom looked on in horror
     I love my photos, but I will happily carry these "moment in time" memories forever. I hope you do too...