Mr. & Mrs. Jones (Albuquerque Wedding Photographer, New Mexico Wedding Photographer)

"GOOD MOOOOOORRRRRNNNING NEVERLAND!" *Ahem* Well, that felt nice to get out of my system.

Good morning, folks! I hope that everyone's been having a wonderful spring in spite of the unusual weather and rain here in the Duke City and surrounding areas. The weather is warm, the school season is drawing to a close for the young ones, and my lawn has NEVER looked greener! 2015 has been a spectacular year in the Blasing household so far, and the photo sessions have been off the hook (or "fantastic," you know, for the lay person).

This morning, I faced a bit of a conundrum. When I write a blog post, there are SO MANY things to write about sometimes. I've done some amazing family sessions and some super-fun weddings. Take Darla and Charles' wedding.

This is Darla and Charles, and I can't be the only one who thinks that Charles looks like the Governor from "The Walking Dead." In that dapper kind of way, minus the eyepatch. Darla looked amazing that day, all in white with hints of blue. It snowed in Santa Fe that morning and the winds were cold, but nothing brought that party down. And trust me, this bride and groom's family and group of friends know how to have a good time!

And then we have Veronica and Aaron's wedding.

This wedding was for the books for two reasons. First, this was the first backyard wedding I've ever shot, and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful place for it to happen. There were waterfalls and ponds, and the weather was perfect.

Second, I had no idea how efficiently five not-so-crafty people (myself included) could all create boutonnieres when you're an hour away from the ceremony and no one's dressed yet.

Maybe our wrapping skills still have a bit of room for improvement, but hey, your buddy Matt is here to help.

So between the weddings and all the family sessions, I had a hard time deciding on what to blog about today. But after much deliberation, I've decided I'm going to be blogging about Zanna and Jay Jones. And maybe a turkey.

Yep. I'm not sure what this turkey's name is, but every time I go to the gardens, I'm calling this guy "Zanna's turkey." As some of you may have seen from our Facebook posts, this guy followed us around EVERYWHERE until the turkey wranglers wrangled him up. But until they did, he followed her around fluffing his feathers like the dilophosaurus from Jurassic Park (no acid-spitting, thankfully).

So anyway, I wanted to blog about these two because they're the first wedding couple of the year who took advantage of the engagement session and have actually had their wedding. (My other weddings with engagement sessions aren't until later this summer and the two previous couples I displayed didn't do engagement sessions.) I not only want to show these two off, but I also want to show the benefits of actually having an engagement session!

First, we get to see genuine human interaction.

Don't get me wrong, I love to see genuine passion and romance in a couple. However, being a huge fan of humor and comedy, nothing makes me smile outwardly more than when I see a couple who are laughing, and I mean LAUGHING WITH THEIR BELLIES. I had posed Zanna and Jay here while I was setting up for a cute romantic shot. Spur of the moment, he whispered a joke into her ear, which birthed a laugh I was fortunate enough to capture right there in the moment.

And then we have the sweet photos.

It's photos like this that I always hope one of my couples will blow up and hang in their house. For my own wedding, Amy and I did something similar with both engagement AND wedding photos, putting them on 16x24 canvas and hanging them in our bedroom. Putting an image like this on your Save The Date or your wedding invitation is not only classy and creative, but it gives the recipient an image of the two of you to have in their home.

And finally, we get to do the creative drama shot.

The first time I captured this shot was for a couple whose wedding I will be photographing next month. It's become one of my favorite go-to shots because it's not only dramatic and artistic, but it looks AWESOME should they decide to throw it on a canvas. The colors are vibrant and there's a lot going on while maintaining a tranquil feel. After having shots like this from my own wedding photographer, I ALWAYS suggest something like this to all of my couples.

If you're booking a wedding with me, PLEASE get the package that includes the complimentary engagement session. Not only is it useful for invitations, but it's also a great time to get used to me and how I work, making it a lot easier when you know what to expect when I give direction on your wedding day.

Speaking of wedding day...

Zanna was absolutely radiant. She was an even more blushing bride when I showed her this one straight out of camera...

...because apparently (and Amy vouched for this one), women go nuts over jawlines. And Jay's jawline game is way strong.

Amy and I are SO glad they opted to do a first look. For those not in the know, a first look is where the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony all decked out in their wedding day garb. If the wedding has been well-planned and anticipated, I don't care how long you've been dating or if you have kids together. If you're like me and have done a first look, you get misty eyed, or "goosey and blubbery," as Bill Murray put it.

Not only is it amazing to see your husband or wife-to-be prior to saying "I do," but it keeps you from being a blubbering mess during the actual ceremony. If I hadn't seen Amy prior to our wedding, I would have been bawling throughout the whole thing. It happens, guys.

We love to see the tears and the emotion during the vows...

...as well as the humor.

We captured everything about their day, from the first kiss...

...to the first dance...

...to their happily ever after. 

Our sincerest congratulations to not only Zanna and Jay, but to all of our couples who have been married or will be getting married this year.

Well, that's it for me on this beautiful Thursday morning. I can't wait to chat with you again.

Best,

Matt