Emily Dean Photography » Lifestyle & Family Photographer | Based in Birmingham, Alabama

Have you ever wondered why a bridal party carries flowers, or why there even is a bridal party?  Are you ever curious as to why a bride wears a veil or why it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before she walks down the aisle?

There are tons of different traditions that surround a wedding day & most of us have no idea why we do the things we do.  Our only reason is “because it’s tradition!”  Well, I’m a sentimental sucker, so I love, love, LOVE traditions, but I want to know WHY it’s a tradition.  I want to know why it’s deemed important by “them” so that I can decide if it’s important to ME!  Don’t you??

I’ve decided to uncover the mystery & do a little research to find out the ‘why’ behind some of my favorite wedding traditions.  I’d love to hear what your favorite traditions are so that I can add them to my list, so be sure to leave a comment and let me know!  I’ll devote a different blog post to each tradition, so be on the lookout for more.

Today I want to know why the bridal party carries flowers.  Flowers are probably my most favorite detail of a wedding day & while I don’t really need a reason to love flowers, I’d still like to know how it all started.  It turns out that back in the day, people only bathed once a year.  That’s right.  Once.  Per.  YEAR!!  Holy body odor, batman!  So, the bride & bridesmaids carried bouquets of fragrant flowers and the groom & groomsmen wore boutonnieres as a way to mask their stinkiness with the lovely scent of flowers.  Yikes.  I’m gonna go ahead and assume that probably didn’t work very well, but I’m grateful for the effort none the less since it sparked the beginning of one of my favorite wedding day traditions!

All I have to say is Praise the Lord for indoor plumbing!  Can I get an Amen?!

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I’m a book hoarder.

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I love to read, but I can’t bring myself to join the e-book revolution.  It’s just not the same as holding an actual book in your hands and turning the pages…seeing your progress in pages turned as you read, so I prefer books…my own books.  I like to own them.  I can’t even bring myself to check them out from the library.  I like to see all of the books I’ve read.  I want to have access to them…I mean, what if I want to read them again?!  So I buy & I hoard.

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My favorite types of books to read are chick lit.  I love funny books, romantic books & mysteries.  Once, I decided that I needed to be more intellectual & cultured in my book reading, so I bought a few Jane Austen classics…starting with, of course, Emma.  That was about a year ago.  I still haven’t finished.

I’ve also tried, on several occasions, to read a variety of non-fiction books, but I’m always bored to tears & they can never keep my attention, so I stick to fiction.  Easy, quick, girly, beach-book fiction.

My absolute favorite books are Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.  You may have seen them in stores.  They are the “number books.”  ‘One for the Money,’ ‘Two for the Dough,’ ‘Three to get Deadly,’ and so on.  She is up to #19 now and I’m anxiously awaiting the release of #20!  I’ve read the entire series 3 times.  They are the only books I’ve ever read more than once…they are THAT good.  Comedy, romance & mystery all rolled into one hilarious story.  Winner!  If you like to read, you should definitely check them out…you won’t be disappointed!

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What are your favorite books?  I’d love some new recommendations!!

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Daylight Savings is such a bittersweet time for me.  On the 1 hand, the sun stays out a whole hour longer and in photographer land, this is GOLDEN!  An extra hour of shooting time? Yes, please!  However, on the other hand, I lose an ENTIRE HOUR OF SLEEP.  No bueno, people.  NO.  BUENO.  If you’ve ever browsed around my website, you know that I am not a fan of early mornings, so daylight savings time hurts…it hurts, bad.

Spring forward?  Spring forward, flat on my face!

For about a week, I can’t stop thinking “it’s 8:00…but REALLY it’s only 7:00” {stretch, yawn, roll over & close eyes for a few more minutes}.  Don’t lie, you know you do it, too.

Regardless of my morning grumpiness, I ultimately love this time of year.  I adore the extra hour of sunlight each evening.  I’m much happier and more productive during the Spring & Summer, so it’s good…really good.

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Happy Monday, y’all!

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Being a 2nd shooter is something that I absolutely love to do.  It allows me the freedom to be creative without the pressure of being the primary photographer (aka the one responsible for getting THE shot 😉 ).  It also allows me the opportunity to practice & improve my skills while learning from another talented professional.

I’m so grateful to Catherine Mayo Photography for believing in me & taking me under her wing when I was just starting out.  I love working with her & she always has the most wonderful brides!

Julie & Brent were married last June at Southside Baptist Church in Birmingham & hosted a gorgeous reception at Rucker Place.  I was so honored to have the opportunity to work alongside Catherine to capture some beauty from their day.

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Loneliness is a thief and a liar.  It will steal your joy & tell you that no one cares…but that’s not true.  Somebody always cares & there is always a way out of the dark.  Sometimes you just need some company, a good long laugh & a new project.

When my mom called me last week, I knew she was feeling lonely…& if I’m being totally honest, so was I.  So, I packed a bag & headed down to beautiful 30A, Florida for a little rescue mission & some good QT with my mama.

On Saturday, I was fall-out-in-the-floor-shocked slightly surprised when she announced that she wanted to go get an iPhone.  For all of you that know her, I know exactly what you’re thinking…”WHAT THE WHAT?!”  For years & years she has suffered from technophobia (I totally thought I just made that word up, but I googled it and it’s real!)  I was extremely proud of her for wanting to conquer that fear, so I looked it up online and found out that she could get a brand new iPhone for only 99 cents!

After only a brief hesitation in the store, she bit the bullet and went for it.  I spent the rest of the day teaching her how to make calls & send text messages and I’m proud to say that she graduated in no time & is now surfing the net & watching “the YouTubes” (as she calls it) like a pro.  I’m so PROUD OF HER!!  Yay mama!!!!!

After a weekend of beach walks, Seaside window shopping, disney princess movies, an iPhone intensive & belly laughs with an old friend, I think we are both feeling refreshed and ready for a new day.

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