Wedding Season + Newborn

I love weddings. There's nothing more beautiful than two people coming together and proclaiming their love for each other in one amazing day of celebration. I love being part of a wedding from start to finish. From the engagement party and bridal shower games to day of breakfast casseroles and ceremony "I do's". Brittany + Travis's engagement and wedding were no different. But unlike any other wedding I've been to, this was my first with a newborn.

When Brittany first asked me to be a bridesmaid the first thing I did was calculate the number of days from my due date to her wedding day. 25 Days. My next thought was, how am I going to know what size dress to order? Will my stomach be back to normal by then? Will my boobs be bigger? Ha! If I knew now that none of that was relevant. What I should have been asking myself was; Who do I know that's been in a wedding that has a newborn? What am I going to do about breastfeeding? How am I supposed partake in all-day-wedding-events that start at 9am and last until 10pm, with a newborn? What's the game plan for when people have been drinking and ask to hold my baby? If only I knew then what I know now.

Three Rules of attending a wedding + newborn

Have a helper, or two. My mom came with me to the brides house so that she could hold Vienna while I got my hair and makeup done, after that she tapped out and my husband came to the venue to help take care of her while we got dressed and took pictures. Then for the ceremony and party the three of us took care of her. It really does take a village!
Have a bottle ready. If you're breastfeeding, pump. If pumping stresses you out and you just can't, bring formula. It just so happened that Vienna got hungry 10 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start. It was so nice to not have to worry about trying to time her feedings, we knew odds were she would get hungry at some point while I was busy, and surprise, she did!
Don't have false expectations. Be loosey-goosey! Don't make any expectations like, were going to stay until the last dance, or, I'm only going to have one glass of wine. Jon and I talked before hand and agreed that we would just go with the flow! We knew it was going to be a long day of activities and as much as we both wanted to be a part of every little thing, we knew it was unrealistic to expect that of ourselves and of Vienna.

{Bonus Tip} I brought some yoga pants and a jacket to the wedding. Breastfeeding while wearing a bridesmaid dress was just ridiculous! I was uncomfortable, I couldn't move freely and therefore Vienna was uncomfortable. I finally gave up and changed into my mom-uniform and was instantly more at ease. I wish I would have just changed sooner!

On that note, Congratulations to the newlyweds, Travis and Brittany! Jon, Vienna and myself had such an amazing time on your special day!

Wedding / Event Coordinating: Brittany Johnson

Photography: Catie McGovern + Jamie Martin

Makeup: Brandy Maier

Hair: Brittany Moriatry

Wedding Couple: Travis + Brittany Johnson,

Family Pictures. Do's + Don'ts.

Our first family picture shoot was quite hectic to plan. Newborn photos are best if shot when your baby is one week old. We had scheduled pictures for exactly one week after she was born but the day before large fire started up lake from our home and smoke started to settle in our valley. For Vienna's safety we packed up our bags and headed over to Seattle for some blue sky and clean air. Sadly, leaving behind our amazing Photographer Kristi Bonney. Fast forward a week later and we finally got the go-ahead from family that the air was clear enough that we could come home. I was so excited to get home that I completely forgot that while I was in Seattle (close to some of the best shopping malls) I didn't have an outfit to wear! Once we got home I frantically looked for an outfit that I would feel comfortable in with this post-baby-body of mine. We eventually found something for Vienna and Jonny as well, and all of the pictures turned out exactly how I had pictured them!

So, with all of that being said here is some things I wish someone would have told me BEFORE we had our first family photo shoot.

{DO's}

• Pick out your outfit first, ahead of time. If these are newborn photos I'd suggest picking two or three outfits in the same color scheme just in case you put on your first choice outfit and don't feel comfortable in it. After you've found your outfit, pick out your kids and husbands.

• Send hubby on a coffee run and eat before the photographer gets there. Like right before. Pictures can end up taking a long time, a lot longer than you expect so cut down on melt down moments by checking "hangry" off the list.

• Wash your hair the night before, so you have enough time to get your people ready the morning / day of. Also, Jon went in for a haircut three days before the shoot instead of the day before or day of so that his hair looked more "normal + relaxed" and less "I just got my hair cut for pictures".

{DON'Ts}

• Expect everything to go perfectly. There are bound to be hiccups. There are bound to be shots that don't go as planned. And there is bound to be crying.

• Leave clothes to steam the day of! Get it done the day before.