Special thanks to Charissa Cowart Carnall for being my guest blogger!!
When it comes to planning for the big day, everything has to be perfect, the ring, the dress, the location, and of course the guy you’re marrying! I realized that finding the right guy and knowing he’s “the one” happens when you “just know,” same with the dress, and the church… but the wedding photographer? Of course! There’s a click that happens between the bride and every vendor involved in her special day.
So it might surprise you that Myrick and I had never met in person prior to my Bridal Portraits (which I drove 7 hours for from south Alabama to Nashville, TN for). Myrick and I found each other on Twitter because we shared the same last name – Cowart. At the time, I had just become engaged and was beginning the search for the perfect wedding photographer, but it took me a few weeks of casual twitter-conversation with Myrick before I even knew he was a photographer.
After seeing his website and then speaking with him on the phone I knew he was the one! It was the constant contact on Twitter though that gave me the “click”. When a business trip took me to Nashville we decided to also schedule my bridal portraits to save on extra travel. That bridal portrait session sealed the deal for me; I was stoked to have Myrick (my long lost cousin – or so we think) part of my very special day! And you can see why!
My dress was a very important part of the day. I am an aspiring fashion designer, and my wedding dress was the first full apparel that I designed, so capturing it in high fashion form was critical. It’s obvious that Myrick did just that!
Two Rivers Mansion Bridal Shoot
This photo from the bridal portraits is so special. It’s the photo I chose as my portrait to display at the reception. Myrick says I was a trooper during this shoot…we had chosen to photograph outside a gorgeous mansion in Nashville and believe it or not it decided to snow that day! In the middle of March! It made the day, and the photos, magical!
Special Photo Credit of Beautiful Cake in bottom left – Dr. Jayne Sells
I also designed my shoes and the cake, all of which included the same brooches that were also placed on the bridesmaids’ dresses and my dress.
The picture of the rings is also special to my heart; those are my engagement ring and my grandmother’s wedding band. My grandmother was one of my best friends, she passed away when I was 9 years old and she had always dreamed of making my wedding gown. You see my grandmother was a seamstress, she spent countless hours making dresses for my cousin and me, she was the chosen seamstress for Mardi Gras costumes every year, and she always talked about the day when she would make my wedding dress. Well, she wasn’t here to do that, but I still had her wedding band and a handkerchief that belonged to her with her first initial monogrammed on the front, she was just as much a part of my wedding day as anyone else.
Myrick did a superb job of capturing my personality and the personality of my groom and our wedding party precisely! It’s amazing how quick he was able to catch my silly, sassy, girly personality and truly pull that out through the lens.
Ah, the ‘first look’ photos. It was very important to my fiancé and I that we not see each other the day of the wedding. He had heard me talk about my dress and my hair for months but would not let me show him pictures, or drawings, or even describe it. Not only was he seeing me for the first time in this moment, he was seeing me in my dream dress. The moment was breathtaking and priceless; and these pictures tell the story perfectly.
My wedding day was the most FUN day of my life! I laughed the whole way down the aisle in the recessional, our driver honked the horn the whole drive to the reception, my husband and I along with our 400 guests danced the night away at the reception! Every second, every moment of our day was exceptional! From our first dance to mom and I showing off our ‘blingin’ shoes, to the cotton candy! It was perfect!
Words cannot express what happens to my heart when I see this picture. I can’t tell you how huge our support network is. Friends, family, church family, they have all been there for us, encouraging us, giving us words of wisdom and prayers of success from the moment we began dating 5 years ago.
When Kevin got down on one knee on January 24th, 2009 and asked for my hand in marriage, washed my feet and promised to serve me the way Christ served the church for the rest of our lives together, I said “Yes!” and we rejoiced. Immediately after, he walked me into a room of 100 of our closest friends and family who were waiting to rejoice with us. From that moment on, the words of encouragement, the thoughts of approval have flooded our home and congratulation cards began pouring in. I ran into mothers telling me they hope their daughters marry a guy like Kevin, things you can only wish others would say about your spouse, those are the things that were said to me and to my husband Kevin.
So, this picture says it all – The looks of approval and the arms stretched upward in a shout of celebration for us completely sums up our life together then, now, and forever. Our fairytale is just beginning.
by Myrick
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