We were lucky to catch up with Tara Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
The wedding industry is a constantly changing and evolving world of beautiful moments and memories! I am a lover of all things classic, but as a creative I also have a deep appreciation for the new and exciting! Here are the top 10 trends I am seeing and loving as a Texas Hill Country Wedding Photographer this year!
1- Doing away with the bouquet and garter toss!! Hallelujah! Many of my brides are choosing this opportunity to honor their mother with a bouquet instead of tossing it to the single ladies! Moms do so much during the wedding planning process yet get very little recognition. Dad gets to walk his little girl down the aisle, and have his dance, the mother of the groom gets her dance… what about mom who has spent a year or better helping plan your wedding? This is a beautiful and heartfelt way to say “thanks mom!” I have even seen having your bridal bouquet dried, pressed and framed as a forever piece of art.
2- The addition of personality!!! I tell all my couples that the only rule is there are no rules! Your wedding can be however you want it to be (despite what your sweet Granny says). My favorite personality touches I have seen lately have been custom bar signs with signature drinks named after the couples beloved pets, a ceremony cross built by the bride’s dad and a rehearsal dinner dress made from the mother of the bride’s wedding dress!
3- Ring warming ceremonies! This one got me in the feels the first time I saw it and it is now a forever favorite!
4- Late night snacks and coffee carts (for obvious reasons)
5_ Bows bows bows
6- Color!
7- Outift changes
8- Live painters
9- Interactive seating charts / drink display walls
10- Private dinner between the bride and groom.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
After teaching kindergarten for 3 years, then resigning to be a stay at home mom I slowly lost my identity outside motherhood. I loved being a homemaker, but felt like there was something missing. I finally came to the realization that I had lost my creative identity and my joy for serving others in the role of motherhood and decided to seek it out! I love that I can incorporate my unique experiences as a teacher, mother, bride and wife and use that to bring out the very best in my clients! I absolutely LOVE what I do and adore the incredible people I have been blessed to serve. Photos not only preserve memories, but faces, moments, feelings and seasons of life that are so fleeting. This is why I do what I do. To have the honor of walking with people in some of the most important seasons of their life, documenting these precious moments for now and generations after to enjoy is such a joy to be experienced and something I am deeply honored to do.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Haha, yes I can! I knew from early on I wanted to be in the wedding industry, but how to break into an already saturated market with so much talent was so daunting! But, I knew I had to take a leap if I was ever going to get off the ground. First problem, how was I going to book a wedding if I have never shot a wedding? I needed content to show potential brides. My game plan was to set up a booth at the upcoming bridal show and figure it out! I had taken photos of a sweet senior before that was about my same size, so I asked if she might like to do some modeling for me. She met me in a wildflower field after school and had a friend help her with her hair and makeup. She changed into my old wedding dress in the back of her mom’s car and we took bridal photos that i used for my display!! I also had bought a $99 dress off of Amazon, made a fake bouquet from flowers I got at Hobby Lobby and took a friend of mine out! I still use her print to this day sometimes as a reminder of my humble beginnings. To my surprise, I met the sweetest girls at that bridal show and actually booked several weddings! That was the start of my wedding photography business!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn is probably something that a lot of creative entrepreneurs struggle with – Imposter Syndrome. That constant game of comparison killed my creativity and made my wins feel a little less triumphant because I wanted to experience the wins “those other photographers” were experiencing. I had to learn that my definition of success may not look like someone else’s. My definition of “fully booked” is different than others. The way I interact with my clients may be a different approach than others. But just because we are different doesn’t make any one of us wrong. Differences are what make the creative community so beautiful! We ARE all different and have beautiful, wonderful, unique things to offer to our clients. I am not for everyone and that is ok. But the people I am for- we do this thing so so well together!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tarawilliams.photography/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarawilliams.photography/
Image Credits
Tara Williams Photography