Sweat ran down her face as the hot July sun beat down and she struggled to take deep breaths in her very fitted dress. Visibly struggling, it was clear she couldn’t keep posing for photos.

I set my camera down and handed her a bottle of water as she looked longingly at the cool lake water lapping on the shore.

“Let’s pause. Take a moment just the two of you,” I said as I stepped away.

She fell into his arms and let out all of her stress and frustrations about the day – the person who was best at making her feel better.

She glanced at the lake again, this time a look of determination in her eyes. She loosened her dress, hiked it up and slipped off her shoes. The sand brushed over her feet and she walked down the beach and right into the lake.

The happiness and relief she felt in that moment was tangible as she splashed around letting the wedding stress wash away.

I had a list of poses and ideas in mind to use during this part of the wedding day timeline schedule for bride and groom photos.

Those planned photos didn’t happen. But this was so much better. She was happy and spending her day feeling free to enjoy it how she wanted to, not how she thought it was supposed to go and that was the most important thing.

Your wedding day isn’t going to go as planned. As long as you have a good attitude and let your joy win out over the stress or frustrations, your day is going to be amazing. And all of your friends and family will feed off your excitement and have the best time!