I’m Emily Burgess, owner of Hill Country Bride. You’ve probably already gathered that if you have made it here to my blog page. However, since this is my first blog post, I thought it proper to introduce myself. If we were sitting together over coffee I’d probably be drinking a toffee-nut misto, or perhaps a chai.  I would be sitting with my legs crossed. I notice this about myself because I hear it causes spider veins. And yet, here I sit, legs crossed. I might be wearing a blue and white striped dress with a navy blue blazer and nude wedges, which happens to be the outfit that comes to my mind when I think of my favorite outfits lately. But since we aren’t in a coffee shop together, I’m sitting on my couch with my old faithful grumpy black cat, Rowdy, in my favorite band shirt, a white Switchfoot tee, and wondering who you are. Who are you Reader?

Writing my first blog post on this site feels a little awkward. But then again, aren’t a lot firsts a little awkward? First day of work, first time driving, first kiss… Need I say more!  I have long judged those who obsess over their Facebook, or share their lives to a world they will probably never meet. But here I am, hoping that I’m not that person, and that maybe, someday, I’ll get to meet you!

For starters I would like to tell you about how I got into weddings. The first wedding I ever attended was for a complete stranger. It’s true!  I was working for a photographer at the time, Phillips Mitchell, in a little town of Lexington, Kentucky. I was interning for him. He invited me to come help at his wedding that weekend, you know, carrying around his lights and being his second hands. I was about to be a sophomore in high school, just shy of 16. We were traveling in his Red Honda CRV when he pulled out of the back seat an enormous Canon camera that resembled a nuclear weapon, and said something to the effect of, “Get comfortable with that, you’re going to be shooting with it today.” Excitement and fear rushed through me. The rest of the day was a whirlwind. I remember it well.  The wedding was in this beautiful Cathedral and the bride wore a lace fitted dress with low bun. She was so beautiful. My job with this camera was to practice shooting the details. It was such fun! I fell in love with elegant ribbons playfully decorating bottled bubbles, the classic font on the program cards, the velvet texture of the flower bouquets, and the time-standing-still expression in the Bride’s eyes.

That look. So unique. So once-in-a-lifetime. It is a look reserved for a Bride who is truly in love. Her eyes glitter and smile all by themselves. You can see through those eyes that she feels like the most beautiful and special person in the world. In that moment when the doors are opened, and she emerges to see her groom, she takes a look at him. She often smiles shyly.  And then, almost every bride I have ever seen does this next… she looks down. Maybe she is looking to make sure her feet are still touching the ground. Such a feminine reaction. To feel so beautiful and to look at the man you are in love with, and when you feel his gaze, to have a little blushing moment. I imagine this is where they get the term “blushing bride”.

And that, my new friend, is how I fell in love with weddings. Because, not only are the fonts and flowers so pretty and fun, but even more so the people. What an amazing job, to be a part of the biggest day of someone’s life! I might be the one to fluff out their dress before they walk down the aisle. That dress will become a family heirloom, a symbol of pure love that generations will remember. How can you get more special than that?

I must stop for now. But just know, I could go on for pages and pages. And trust me, many more pages are soon to come!