Orlando wedding, engagement, family photographer | Root Photography Blog
The many adventures of a cute husband and wife photography team!
This photo was taken 6.5 years ago. Two months before we shot our first wedding, a year before he asked me to marry him, three before we hopped a plane and eloped. I was working at a little soap store, while Nate had recently started assisting a local wedding photographer.
Thank you, Brian Adams, for capturing the first chapter of the rest of my life.
Continuing with holiday week- On to Christmas! :)
We spent Christmas at Nate’s grandparent’s home in Indiana. I didn’t grow up visiting grandparents, so I find the idea completely wonderful. I always feel like I’m on some Lifetime holiday movie set when we go visit- From their dreamlike comfy living room rockers, Nate’s grandfather’s sweet comments, to his grandmother’s cookies baking in the oven! One of the best perks of marrying Nate was finally getting a dream grandma and grandpa out of the deal… Just like in the movies! :)
As I mentioned yesterday when I wrote about our 2011 holiday card, Huck received a couple hippos for Christmas. <3
Meet Girl, a real life “Tramp”- She showed up on their porch one day and now a neighbor feeds her. Nate was in love, and if I wasn’t worried about Girl eating all of our furniture and well, Huck… She probably would have come home with us!
Always gotta be the center of attention!
Favorite. :)
With Nate’s family, you literally never know what you’re getting for Christmas. Maybe it’s a box of books with a gift card at the bottom, maybe it’s an empty box with “This will have something in it soon” if your gift didn’t arrive in time. ;)
It’s tradition for Santa to bring everyone a Whitman’s chocolate candy. Nate got some Buckyballs for Christmas- Something I gave him a hard time about asking for because I thought they were pointless. Once he opened them, though, I think I played with them more than him. So addictive! :)
Nate’s sister and her adorable fella. :)
More personal posts :
*I* thought it was a brilliant beyond brilliant idea. I’ve loved the song “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” since I was old enough to wail it at the top of my lungs and drive my Mom up a wall.
When it came time to talk holiday card ideas, I had the song stuck in my head and started thinking of how adorable it’d be from Huck’s point of view. “Mom said a hippo would eat me up, but then, teacher said a hippo is a vegetarian!” and “There’s lots of room for him, in our two car garage- I’d feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage!” Adorable, right? Nate was worried not many people would know the song or understand, but I thought even then, it’s a darling thought- Huck wants a hippopotamus for Christmas, only a hippopotamus will do! I assured him it’s a Christmas classic and we’d be fine.
The reviews were mixed- I would say about 75% of it was completely positive, with some past brides leaving rave reviews via our Facebook page or the occasional happy text. A week later, my best friend Casi sent him a hippo dog toy (seriously, who knew they even made those?!) with a note to Huck saying, “I take things literally.” One bride wrote saying she didn’t quite “get” it at first, but then when listening to holiday music on the radio, heard the song. It wasn’t until we visited Nate’s family for the holidays that I realized some people don’t, in fact, know the song. I think it was Nate’s step mom who asked, “So, does Huck have like a thing for hippos or what? We’re confused.” My adorable mother-in-law, her parents, and sister had also never heard of the song, which resulted in me singing it for them repeatedly over Christmas.
Ah, well, it was worth a shot. I already have this year’s card planned out, and it’s a little more mainstream, so hopefully everyone will “get it.” :) I still couldn’t be happier with how it tuned out, hippo sticker on the envelope and all! :)
And for the record, yes… It’s a real song! Enjoy. :)