There is a moment when you know. There is a moment when you realize that something has changed. For some people, it is an abrupt realization. For others, like me, the realization is a process. It could be the day you notice that your occasional flirtation with Ben and Jerry has become a steady relationship. It could be the day you get a workout trying to button your favorite jeans, only to wish you hadn’t put them on. It could be the day you get up off the couch and realize your imprint doesn’t fade. But at the end of the day, no matter how you happen upon the truth, one thing is clear: You’re out of shape, and you’ve GOT to do something about it! This is the realization I came to last night.

You see, I am what you might call a binge gym-goer. I have these seasons of faithfulness to the gym. I get really excited about working out, I love the accomplishment I feel when I arrive and, despite my messy hair and sweaty face, I LOVE the way I feel when I leave. I trade in heels for tennis shoes, sunglasses for goggles and junk food for celery and carrot sticks. Then, at some point, life gets in the way. I’m out of town for an extended period of time. I get really busy with work. I keep telling myself I’ll make it to the gym tomorrow, but the gym knows what’s up. He knows not to expect me for a while. He knows I’ll be back next time I feel a little fat, but other than that I won’t visit. I won’t call. I’ll try not to think of him. He becomes my frenemy – the one I know can help me, but the one I least want to see.

Well, I’m here to tell you that this trend ends today. I am sick of being an unfaithful friend to the gym. My fitness level rivals that of a champion couch potato, and I’m tired of it. I’m ready to be fit again. I am working on putting together a workout schedule that I can actually live with and a nutritional plan that I can stick to. I would love to hear any advice or encouragement that you have to offer. Watch out, gym, because I’ve got my game face on, and I’m not playing around this time!

Well, I’ve been hinting at it for weeks, and the time has finally arrived for me to introduce you to the all new Lauren Wright Weddings! I have invested a lot of time, thought and energy in this project over the last few months as I worked with the Luxecetera team, and I could not be more excited about what we’ve created. When I graduated in May, I knew it was time to get to work refining my brand. I knew two things absolutely: 1) I am a wedding photographer, so I want my brand to be associated with all things wedding, and 2) I wanted my brand to be an accurate reflection of myself and my work. I am so excited to share this amazing new website with all of you. Please explore, check everything out, and then come back here and let me know what you think!

I want to make sure I give appropriate thanks where thanks is due. First and foremost, thanks to Ashley as Luxecetera for all of the time and hard work she’s put into this project. She really is amazing, and I can’t recommend her highly enough. Second, I’d like to thank the guys over at Flosites (and Lurie, specifically) for bringing the website to life. Without them, this would all just be a layered Photoshop document. And finally, I’d like to thank the AMAZINGLY talented Jamie Delaine for taking the photos in this post and on my new “About” page. I had so much fun wandering around her hometown with her. Jamie, you’re amazing and I love ya, girl!

Also, I wanted to share a few of the lessons that I’ve learned throughout the design process:

• Hire someone you trust, and then trust them. If you hire the right person, they will be able to help you navigate the ocean of ideas and possibilities in the design realm while helping you avoid fads and trends that will look dated in a few months. I hired Ashley at Luxecetera because I have loved her work for a long time, and I knew I could trust her instincts and talents. She helped me refine the direction of my brand and then put together a collection of design elements that helped communicate my vision. She’s amazing to work with, and I highly recommend her to any of you who are serious about having a cohesive brand & identity. Also, the whole Luxecetera team does an amazing job of educating their clients. If you have any interest in design, you need to check out their blog.
• Be patient. Great work takes time. I got my place on Ashley’s waiting list in April, we began the design process in May, put together a logo throughout the month of June and put together my custom website and blog in July. It has taken 4 and a half months for everything to come together, but it was WELL WORTH the wait!
• Take the time to figure out who you are as a business person, as an artist and as an individual. If you can’t communicate these things to your designer, he or she may be able to create a logo for you, but it won’t mean anything to you and you’ll get sick of it pretty quickly. Determining your direction is arguably the most important part of the design process, and you need to invest yourself in it.

So, like I said before, take some time to look around, then come back and let me know what you think!

Confession time: These might be some of my favorite engagement photos. No, really. I know I’m not supposed to have favorites, but I can’t help it. I love these Rebecca is one of my sorority sisters. I lived with her for a year when I was in college, and she was Christine’s maid of honor. She is one of the sweetest, most joyful people I’ve ever met, and she and Trey are so cute together. Every smile shared between them is genuine. Every kiss is a foot-popping kiss. They love to laugh and dance together. Long story short: they were a dream to photograph. I hope you enjoy their photos as much as I do!

Don’t you just love Rebecca’s plum colored dress?

Favorite!

Rebecca brought along her white dress specifically so that she could wear these bright red shoes. She’s a girl after my own heart! She told me all about her super cute wedding shoes, and I can’t wait to see them in September.

More favorites This house was absolutely beautiful. It looked empty, so we took the opportunity to shoot on the front porch.

When I first talked to Rebecca and Trey about where they wanted to do their engagement session, they mentioned that they were outdoorsy people, so I knew immediately that Serenbe would be the perfect location. Don’t you think so?

I don’t get to see sunsets this color very often, so I’m always really excited when I get to see one in Georgia.

Rebecca and Trey, you guys ROCK! I can’t wait to celebrate your wedding with you in September!