Autumn & Troy | Wildcat Den Portraits

A u t u m n +  T r o y

www.crystalbroussardphotography.com

I'm so thrilled that I get to see this family every year around August. Michelle first brought her daughter to me when she was just a baby & I have been blessed to have been their photographer every year since. Michelle has been one of my most loyal clients to date, a gift I truly appreciate having in my list of clients every year. Quite possibly one of the most kind & giving souls I've been lucky enough to meet through this business & I'm always thankful that she's chosen to stick by me & continue allowing me to photograph her beautiful children every year. She has raised one of the sweetest most beautiful little girls I've ever met, I just love when Autumn hops out of the car & her tiny little voice says "Hi Crystal!" She makes my heart melt every time I photograph her, because she has SUCH a beautiful personality. & now with addition of Troy, it seems this family is going to have their hands full because he's already breaking hearts & he's only one! What an absolutely adorable little boy!

Once again & as always, I am SO beyond thankful that you've chosen me to photograph your family once again. Maybe next time we can convince mom & dad to join the photographs too? Hmm?!

Without further ado, here's a sneak peek from tonight's portraits.

xoxo

Crystal Broussard

Kim & Derek | Watchtower Lodge Wedding | Rock Island, IL

K i m  +  D e r e k
8.16.15

www.crystalbroussardphotography.com

Here's the bride I think EVERYONE has been waiting for. I've received so many comments on Kim & Derek's engagement portraits, I believe it's one of the most mentioned engagement sessions of my career. Kim, you have no idea how many people have commented on how beautiful you are & while I always agree that you are just an absolutely stunning individual, you are just as beautiful on the inside. I'm not sure what has made you so humble, but whatever it was... be thankful for it.

As a wedding photographer I have come to see a lot of different dynamics in couples that I never really began to grasp until I was a single mother. One of the things I did not know that I would find relatable on this wedding was the fact that Kim had also been a single mother before meeting Derek. If you have never been in this predicament, you may not know just how difficult it is to not only just live your every day life but to find someone willing to selflessly be a part of it with the extra responsibility you bring to the table. But if there's anything that you can tell from looking at the two of them, it's that Derek is absolutely in love with everything about this girl.

This one of the sweetest weddings I've photographed, from the couple down to the decor, everything seemed so romantic & whimsical. Not only that but this was a wedding that some of the most heart felt speeches I've ever heard photographing a wedding. I left the wedding Sunday & wrote a post on my personal facebook account about Derek's father who had made a speech that night. I've heard a lot of great speeches, but this was a truly touching speech. He spoke about being in the hospital, as he had been battling cancer last year, and talked about realizing what is important in life & how truly blessed he had been to have a family like his. Suffice to say, it was an eye opening speech.

& really, it's weddings like this one that remind me to focus on what is important. Seeing two people who genuinely love & respect one another is the kind of relationship we should all aspire to have or to work towards.

Thank you again so much for choosing Crystal Broussard Photography & allowing me to be a part of your day! Enjoy your sneak peek!

xoxo
Crystal Broussard

Gracie & AJ | Galena, IL Wedding

G r a c i e  +  A J
8.15.15

www.crystalbroussardphotography.com

Imagine your photographer canceling your wedding on you just a few weeks before your wedding. That's what happened to Gracie & AJ. One of my past brides (& super supporters) referred me to Gracie who had been frantically searching for a photographer to replace the one who had canceled on her. Thankfully for this couple, I was able to re-arrange my weekend to fit in their wedding, so we can also thank Breanne & Trevor for moving their engagement portraits to Friday.

When I arrived in Galena I had not met Gracie or AJ which is only the second time in my history of photographing weddings that I was meeting the couple for the first time on their wedding day. This sort of meeting can be stressful, you have no idea how to prepare for them because.... you have no idea what type of people they are. You don't know if they're more laid back, if they're fun, if they're more traditional, etc. You basically have a very short amount of time to figure out what is going to work for them & what isn't.

What I couldn't have prepared for is the amount of gratitude shown by not just Gracie & AJ but by their families and everyone involved in the wedding party. In fact, this was one of the most easy-going & friendly wedding parties I've photographed. I say that of course because a couple of the bridesmaids stated, & I quote, "You're doing a great job! You're so fun & pretty!" So they obviously gained major points with me, actually I asked if they'd like to work as my entourage because I could totally use that kind of pep talk every weekend.

On top of having a great wedding party, their wedding officiant was probably one of the funniest officiants I've heard at a ceremony. I even thought, man this is the type of wedding officiant that could make a viral video on youtube - so hey, to those with video, just food for thought!

In any case, what I learned in the very short amount of time that I was able to get to know Gracie & AJ is that they're very easy going, incredibly grateful & so clearly in tune to one another. Gracie is very compassionate & selfless, I don't know how many times she asked to check on AJ to make sure he was doing okay. That sort of nurturing personality is infectious & honestly is something that we could all learn from.

I'm so grateful to have been able to provide you with portraits on your wedding day.

I was only there for four hours & one of the members of the wedding party had this to say:

"Her options for a replacement photographer were to either have a great photographer for a few hours or a mediocre photographer all day..... & I'm so happy she chose to have you for a few hours."

It's phrases like this, that make me appreciate what I do that much more.

Thank you again so much!

xoxo

Crystal Broussard