Just the other day I was pinning around on Pinterest and I saw the image below:

I stopped in my tracks because I realized that was one of OUR images! This picture from Katie and Jed's Panama City Beach wedding this summer has been getting lots of action on Pinterest, probably because it is such a cool idea!

This particular wedding band was customized with the brand of the groom's cattle ranch and some custom scrolling to look like tooled leather. The ring was made custom from Reads Jewelers in Fort Worth, Texas.

When you're starting to plan your wedding day, one of the first things you should sit down and figure out is your 'beauty schedule' for the day. If you don't know where to start, here's some of our thoughts on making sure hair and makeup enhance your timeline instead of make it more hectic!

1. Plan for all hair/makeup to be complete 2-3 hours prior to the ceremony start time.
If you're having makeup done off-site, plan 3 hours. If you're having the makeup artist on location, plan for everyone to be finished 2 hours before.

2. Plan 1.5 hours per person.
Some might need more, some might need less, but this is good average to start with. 1 hour is NOT enough time and will end up putting you behind schedule. Start counting backwards from the time you need everyone to be ready and go from there. Yes, you might have to start on hair/makeup early in the day. See the next tip for a solution!

3. Choose a salon/beauty professional who works with a team.
This is especially important if you have a large group of ladies who need their hair and makeup done. Choosing to work with an entire salon or a group of beauty artists helps things move faster as they can work on multiple ladies at one time.

4. Bride's finishing touches are last.
When an on-location makeup artist is at the wedding, we like to have the bride's finishing touches photographed to include in the wedding album. Having the bride ready to go, except perhaps eyelash application and lipstick, lets us get those photos we love!

5. Consider keeping a beauty artist around until after the ceremony.
It's becoming more common to have a hairstyle or makeup switch done during cocktail hour, along with any necessary touchups.

Bonus Tip:
Not related to making appointments, but super important! Plan time for makeup touchups during the day. Pack a small kit with powder, concealer, and lipstick and pass it to your most responsible bridesmaid. For a 6:30 ceremony start time, your makeup will probably have been completed at 4:30. If you stay at your reception until 10:30, that means your makeup will have been on for 6 hours. A few touchups will keep you looking just as beautiful as ever!

A little glance from a bride to groom, a special toast from a dear friend, or those little details that take the evening to another level are all moments we fall in love with.

Every once and awhile, something happens that causes us to lower our cameras and be a part of the moment that is happening in front of us. One of those moments happened at Valerie and Jeff's recent wedding.

A father/daughter dance is always special to watch and usually gets a few tears gently falling down a smiling face. When Valerie and her father took the floor, it was magical. As they glided around the floor (just like a fairytale princess) everyone stopped what they were doing, and just watched. No cell phone photos were taken, conversation ceased, and everyone just watched. Cat and I lowered our cameras and joined the guests watching Valerie and her father dance in perfect rhythm. It was a beautiful moment coupled with a beautiful song. The song was Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman.

Afterwards, we grabbed Valerie and told her how enamored we were with her first dance with her father. This is when that special dance turned in to one of our favorite moments. She shared the story of the significance of the song choice to us. We asked Valerie to tell us in her own words so that we could pass this along.

From Our Bride, Valerie:

My little brother, John, spent the first week of February 2008 in a drug-induced coma in Dell Children's Hospital following a serious motocross racing accident. On that Tuesday, the doctors encouraged my parents to get out of the hospital for a bit while John underwent another MRI to evaluate the swelling on his brain. My parents-who jokingly attribute their 28 years of marriage to NEVER shopping together-ended up in a bookstore not far from the hospital. Daddy picked up a book, began reading, and a box of Kleenex later, they left with the book, Cinderella; The Love of a Daddy and His Princess. I was a sophomore at A&M at the time, and on one of my 3 trips to Austin that week, Daddy handed me what I would later call "my Cinderella book."

The book is based on the lyrics of Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella," and as the summary on the back explains, it "celebrates childhood, fatherhood, love and life, and compels us to hand our own Cinderella her glass slippers and let her go with no regrets." The entire book is absolutely beautiful, but my favorite part of the book is on one of the very last pages where my daddy concluded his inscription with:

"... [this book] expresses my feelings for you in words I couldn't have otherwise come up with.
Love, Daddy
P.S. Hope you enjoy the CD"

From the first time I listened to the CD enclosed in the back of the book, I knew "Cinderella" would be the song that Daddy and I would dance to at my wedding. I wasn't the kind of girl who had her wedding planned years ahead of time, but that was one detail that I was certain of. I'm so blessed to know exactly what Chapman means when he sings about taking the time to dance with his daughter, his Cinderella. I have a daddy who took the time to dance with me-"dancing" that took many forms. He took time to twirl my jump rope, taught me how to dance by letting me stand on his boots, and indulged my semi-ridiculous (ok, mostly ridiculous) ideas like re-painting the interior of his deer stand to make it a playhouse.

Though something very small, this book brought joy to our family during one of the scariest weeks we've ever experienced-a week that made us re-focus on what's truly important. So, when I married my Prince Charming in June, Daddy and I danced to our song, and it was just as I had always imagined it. And the fact that my remarkable little brother-a college student who at the age of 20 already has his commercial pilot's license-was there to give a toast reminded me once again, that miracles really do happen.

So I will dance with Cinderella
while she is here in my arms
'cause I know something the prince never knew

Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'cause all too soon the clock
Will strike midnight
And she'll be gone"

Click here to listen to this beautiful song.

When Valerie shared that with us, we were once again reminded how blessed we are to be able to share such special moments with our couples. Luckily both her dad and brother were able to dance with her at her wedding.

Thank you Valerie for inviting us in to your life and sharing such special moments with us. You are one of a kind!