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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A. Hedges Photography Wedding Blog Series ~ Pt 3 ~ Cultural Traditions and Details

Yesterday we heard from DJ, Mike Cestaro, of Total Entertainment of Albany,  and today we will hear from the bride of the wedding we worked at together.
Chris and Karla Connelly's wedding was held at the Century House last September. Check out all of their wedding photos HERE!!
They incorporated so many details and traditions into their wedding and you know me, I'm a details girl, so this wedding was totally my style! I asked Karla to talk about planning her wedding and how she was able to include so many amazing details in her special day and stay so organized.



Karla said, "I was not at all organized :-). I had so many people telling me how to do it and what to do.  


I have always had things that I have loved. To me these things were most important to incorporate in to the most important day of our life. 


Most of the things that we had in the wedding was something I was drawn to. The flowers we had were made from a picture of an arrangement that a Patient of mine in their hospital room. It was only Tiffany at Lark Street Flower Market who saw my vision. She was amazing and when we met she was wearing a Dahlia in her hair and I loved it! She made the flower clips that I bought all the girls to wear in their hair. The first gift Chris bought me was a Callagdah ring with a green stone and the Irish Trinity on the sides. 

 (Flower  hair clip on the left with Karla's Callagdah ring)



The cake topper was found by accident at an Irish Fest that Chris's family and I went to. It was the same symbol that I had put on the invitations. The Holy Trinity incased in a heart. The heart symbolizing love and the Trinity meaning many things from our religion to three entities that are all interconnected. I found the symbol online and below it were the words: "Le gra go deo" meaning "with love forever" How perfect! 






On the RSVP cards I put a Welsh Love Spoon which means " a shared everlasting love will grow with good luck and good fortune". In Scotland, Wales men would make a spoon to show their love and intentions.



I have always felt more connected to my Scottish heritage and Chris, well, he is all around Irish. There have made us the family oriented people we are, and we wanted all who meant the world to us to share our day. Most of the big parts of our relationship revolved around these nationalities and I couldn't help but include them ... I have always loved bagpipers, well that and a man in a kilt is so sexy to me!! When I first asked Chris, he shot me down about wearing one. After practically begging, he said I had to ask his guys and if they said yes then he would agree... boy did that backfire on him!! They looked amazing and it fit so well in to everything and it all fell together.






My Grandmother who fell sick right before the wedding used to make amazing wedding cakes that would be solid white with some flowers for color. She is why I decided on a solid white, elegant cake. She also gave me a locket that she always wore that had a purple flower on it. I am so blessed to have had Amy take a picture of it. 








Chris and his friends learned loss very early in life they had a friend pass in a accident. I have heard about Christopher Lee Roberts from the day I met my Chris. He and his friends have kept this man in there hearts always. CL, as his father calls him, is a great part of the life of the man I love. He was always remembered by his Yellow and Black Motorcycle. The reason we had so many in our wedding party was because we could not break up this union of brothers. I instantly decided that we would have CL at the wedding and that is why we went with the yellow flower and black fern in memory of CL. Dancing at the wedding with his parents is a memory that I will never forget. 




I think that so many brides get swept away in the glitz and glam and if thats what they want then great for them. To me, my life is about all that is around me, things that hold sentimental value, from the flowers to the symbols of love and making everyone feel our love was the most important. These things were my inspiration.
One thing I can say for sure is to make sure you have talked to your photographer about what shots you want and what to pay particular interest to. I was very lucky to have found Amy she stayed all night was personable and not intrusive. She got some shots that I will always cherish I have not one complaint. I have some friends who still have complaints with their photographer who was only there for 4 hours. How can one person capture the most important day of your life in 4 hours, they cant. If brides are looking for a place to splurge its in a photographer who will be there from the beginning to the end like Amy!!"


Karla added this note to me at the end of her submission...




"Amy, On a serious note, you really captured all the wonderfulness of that day and it was fated like chris and I were that you took our photographs! Thank you so much!!
Thank you for seeing the little parts that were the most valuable to us !!"




And at the end of the night, when a groomsman in a kilt wants a photo with the photographer...who am I to say no?!
Still smiling after a long day!! I love my job :-)




Stop on by again tomorrow to hear wedding planning from a florists point of view and more hair and makeup styling advice!!



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