My favorite cousin got married at the end of April and I was fortunate enough to be able to fly out and attend their temple sealing at the Salt Lake City Temple!  Sean and Brittany are totally adorable together!  I’m super excited to have her join our family!  She fits right in I promise you that, she’s a great sport and I’m pretty sure that’s a requirement!  :)  Sean has always been seeking love.  He’s totally a romantic at heart so I know he’ll treat Brittany with all the respect and love she deserves!  I’m proud that I can say that about him.  He’s really a great catch!  Here’s my take from their special day!

I’m pretty sure in Utah seeing each other before the wedding is pretty common.  We actually met up the day before their sealing to take couple pictures around temple square.  What a great idea because I’m pretty sure the weather the next day wasn’t nearly as good…..it was FREEZING!

While we are here I’m going to put in my little plug for a “FIRST LOOK”…..I can’t stress enough how smoother these make your day!  They can be just as special and intimate as the ceremony and you can still get ready all day without seeing each other!  When we set up a first look we have control of the background, we have control of where we can move to take our shots (which means we will be able to capture his real first expression close up!), you have your nerves calmed down, you can be more intimate and hug, talk, kiss and we can capture those raw emotions that you won’t have at the altar!  Other reasons include less time taking pictures after the ceremony to allow you time to get to your guests more quickly before they depart, more time for the most important pictures of the day…..COUPLE PICTURES!!!!  :)  All in all time after time when our couples choose to do a first look the day is much smoother which result in better photos and you being more relaxed!  Let’s top this all off with the tradition behind not seeing each other beforehand…..back in the days when your parents arranged who you would marry there was cause for concern that the groom would see the bride and not find her attractive and therefor run off before the ceremony.  Well I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sure I was attracted to my husband before I met him!!!!  So just ask yourself if you really want to hang on to that tradition?

Aren’t they just too cute together!

Couldn’t go without the classic temple shot!

Here’s my take on the hand shot with the temple door knobs.

These are my favorites!  I just loved those pink blooms!!!  I may just have to plant some of those in my yard!!!!

I’ll leave you with the portraits for now…..stay tuned for some more details and party shots!

Enjoy!

-erika