Sarah DeShaw Photography Blog » Blog

We are anxiously waiting for an official close date which will likely be within the next week! I’m going to be taking a little break from the blog to enjoy company coming in town and to finish packing up the place. Have a lovely weekend! I hope to update you with the happy news of being home owners very soon!Xo!
Sarah DeShaw

Hey hey! I hope everyone had a nice weekend!

On Friday we were honored to have our work featured on one of our fav wedding blogs, Style Me Pretty Georgia! Head over to their blog to check out Sarah and Hunter’s feature.Xo!
Sarah DeShaw

Check out how I made this lovely DIY concoction over on my friend Gina’s blog today at: hello there home.Happy Friday!
Sarah DeShaw

Thank you to everyone who entered our contest yesterday! Our winner is Amber Housley. Congrats Amber, I know this is going to be amazing for you!

Today we have a guest post from a past bride, Mattye Woodcock, who scheduled a lovely Bridesmaids weekend photo shoot.

“As soon as you get engaged, you are introduced to a world of questions from friends, family and even strangers. You know the drill- we’ve all asked or been asked… “How did he propose?” “Do you have a date set?” “What colors are you using” “How many bridesmaids?” “Where are you honeymooning?” “How many people are you inviting?” And of course, “What are you doing for your bachelorette party?!”

Having witnessed a few bachelorette parties in my day, I knew the standard drill. A night or weekend locally or out of town spent at dinner, dancing and other spontaneously chosen late night establishments. While plenty of brides have grand parties of this sort, I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to follow that exact pattern for my own bachelorette celebration. Considering my options, my gut told me that some laid back quality time with dear friends would be a perfect way to say “so long” to my singleness. Not to mention, I’m of the school of thought that if you are one that loves to “live on the wild side” that your “final wild night” should not happen right before you marry, but rather right before you meet the person you’re going to marry. I mean nothing screams, “I’ve found the one my heart loves for all of time and that I’m choosing to pledge my faithfulness to” like a night of debauchery where one could assume by your activities that not only are you the most single person on earth but that you have every intention to stay that way, right? Yah, no, I don’t think so either. Needless to say, I was aiming for something full of fun but lacking some of the typical activities we see, and, just to be clear, the only striptease I was gearing up for was the one on the wedding night.

Now that I knew the type of event I wanted, I needed to figure out where it should happen, and it didn’t take me long to find just the spot. Knowing we were having a destination wedding in Saint Simons Island, I was so excited to share this special place with all of our wedding guests and I wanted to give my bridesmaids a sneak peek of our beachfront haven. So a few friends and I packed up and road tripped our way for a Girls Getaway in late September. In our eagerness to arrive, I even received an early wedding present from the kind officer who did not give us that speeding ticket we deserved…really, he said it was a wedding present…I guess I’d better get going on that thank you note!

About a month before our trip, Sarah and I were talking about wedding photos and I mentioned my Girls Weekend in SSI and before we knew it the idea for a photo shoot had been born! There were so many reasons this was going to be a great idea. It gave Sarah an opportunity to get to know some of my bridesmaids before the wedding day, which always makes for a smoother, more fun day! Not to mention, how often do you get the chance to photograph a Girls Weekend? I mean, sure, you could plan it, but taking advantage of already having booked a fabulous wedding photographer just made it so easy and fun. The older we get, the harder it is to plan time with just girlfriends so I knew getting these photos would be a memory that would gain value over time. Looking back, I am SO glad we planned it because we had the best time with this shoot! It was like we reverted to ourselves as high schoolers. We carefully planned and coordinated our outfits, giving each other opinions, swapping accessories and helping with hair and makeup! It was so fun to get ready together and be carefree in front of the camera. Unlike many pre-wedding activities, this was low pressure and light hearted which was the perfect feel for our weekend away.
Since the wedding, these pictures have become even more special to me and represent more that just that Girls Weekend. While getting married is exciting and one of the best decisions of my life, it is still a transition that brought life change- for the good- but still change. Looking back at these photos with my girlfriends reminds me of many dear friendships throughout my life, and the sweet simplicity of girls just being girls together. What started as a spontaneous idea for a photo shoot has turned into a beautiful documentation of one of the biggest transitions in my life: the girl I grew up to be as a “miss,” the great journey to “Mrs.”, and the dear friendships that I would carry from one stage of life to the next.” -Mattye Woodcock

Mattye was so sweet to ask me to be in a couple photos tooHappy Thursday!

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday!

It’s the grand finale giveaway day! Today I’m giving away the Strengths Finder 2.0 Book (which includes a code in the back to take the test to find out what your strengths are) AND a strengths coaching session with my strengths coach, Gina Towson to one lucky blog reader. To enter please leave a comment below listing at least one thing you feel you’re strong at. This contest ends tomorrow morning at 7:30 am EST and will be announced on the blog tomorrow. I will use a random number generator to find the winner.

The person who developed this test set out thinking he would find that the most successful people would have the same strengths. What he found, though, was that wasn’t the case at all. The most successful (and happy) people didn’t have the same strengths, but they lived in their personal set of strengths. Another important concept of strengths is that you can get exponentially better at your natural strengths with the same amount of effort as you could get just a little bit better at things you aren’t that good at. So, instead of being concerned with being well-rounded, capitalize on what you’re good at (and outsource the rest)! Makes sense, right?
When I met Gina I was at a place where I needed some direction. I knew I was good at the skill of taking pictures, but that didn’t help define my role as a businessperson and the direction I should go with my company and personal pursuit of happiness. When I got my strengths back I was really surprised at the answers. In fact, I realized I wasn’t really using any of them consistently in my days which helped me understand why I was beginning to feel unmotivated and disconnected. Over time, though, I was able to see how true my strengths were for me. My coaching with Gina helped me see how to incorperate my strengths into my days, see my strengths around my skills and personality, and dream about how I could live a more strengths based life.

To give you a glimpse into what strengths meant for me here are my top 5 strengths (which I found through taking the strengths finder test) and a few personalized key concepts Gina walked me through:

1) Competition- I rise to the occasion, so I am only as good or successful as the people I surround myself with. So, I need to choose who I spend my time with considering this. Also, tracking my progress motivates me. When I’m feeling unmotivated I need to be around someone who challenges me.

2) Futuristic- I can imagine what could be quickly and in great detail. This strength explained why I get so fired up to dream. Previously, I didn’t understand that this isn’t something everyone can do. Because of this, I learned I need to paint a picture of what my ideas are in full detail rather than giving people a snippet and being disappointed that they aren’t along for the ride, which was a habit I had gotten into.

3) Relator- I prefer to go deep and I bond by relating with people. I don’t care for casual pleasantries, but would rather truly know people and be truly known. This explained a lot for me on the “why” of who I feel I connect to relationally and how I can pursue relationships that will be meaningful to me.

4) Strategic- I can evaluate quickly what I feel is the best solution or way. This explains why creative problem solving and thinking laterally keeps me up at night from excitement and makes me want to shoot out of bed in the morning. I just love it and still want to pursue more of this in my days.

5) Significance- I need to see and know I am leaving my mark on the world, and this motivates me. Seeing this as a strength enabled me to embrace this about myself.

Here is Gina doin’ her thing!
Knowing my strengths has really empowered me to begin to make things happen in my life and business, so whether or not you win this contest I hope you will still buy the book and be curious enough to pursue getting a personal strengths coach.

Xo!
Sarah DeShaw