If you could have seen me on the other side of the computer when the email hit my inbox, you would have seen and heard me squeal like a little girl. It was an email that I had been waiting for for a loooooooooong time. I mean. Long. Time. Precisely since 2005 when I discovered a beautifully stunning wedding magazine called Grace Ormonde Wedding Style.
At the time when I first saw the magazine, I was shooting weddings as a videographer, and the photographers I was working with on one wedding mentioned the magazine and how established, elite and luxurious it was. Only the best of the best photographers were featured in that magazine with their high standards. I then went to the magazine racks to look for it to be inspired, and once I picked it up and held it in my hands, I knew it was definitely in a class all its own. Kind of like that store you walk in and are afraid to touch anything as each item sits on its own throne. Every page dripped in luxury and diamonds and designer dresses and cakes that were shipped from who knows where just to be showcased for one grand night. At the time, I was a girl with a dream of leaving video behind and switching to photography. My heart longed to see my photography published in magazines. My heart longed to capture a moment and freeze it to be displayed on walls and passed down through generations. But could I do it? Could I really believe in myself enough to move forward with this crazy dream of becoming a professional photographer?
Once I finally made the decision to pursue my interest in photography, I held the magazine in my hand and set a personal goal:
“One day…. I have no clue how it will happen, but I’ll see my name in Grace Ormonde Wedding Style.”
Yet…. as that girl with a dream in 2005, it felt like that IM-POSS-IBLE goal. As I was starting out, I didn’t know how I would ever get to “that” level to even earn a glance from their editors, let alone get the kind of high end weddings that would qualify. But, 7 years later, that once impossible goal has now has become…. possible.
(SIDE NOTE: Mind you, before you get all “grass is greener on the other side” on me, let me emphasize, 7 years of HARD work. Late nights. Bustin my butt. Sacrificing almost everything. Ignoring critics. Realizing it’s running a business more than fun photography stuff. Being exhausted by traveling. Stressing when equipment breaks. Taxes dues. Bookkeeping. Customer service. Editing editing editing. Album design and more editing. And the list goes on….)
Stephen and I have been blessed over the years to be able to book some amazing weddings with event designers who put a lot of thought into every detail of the decor. When Stephen and I shot Jobria & Josh’s wedding at The Breakers in Palm Beach, FL, we just knew the details of the decor would be a great fit for Wedding Style. Then to get word that they were interested in publishing our cake shot from their wedding in their next issue, it just made my whole career!
I just want to share my squeal with you to remind you, all things ARE possible. Dream big! Whatever your dreams are, keep moving toward them and working hard. You just never know which dream will turn into reality.
The cover above and spread below we are featured on inside. Our cake photo is the top right cake.
