Planoly: Getting my Time Back || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

Okay, I know I am late to the game here and so many other people have been using Planoly for years, but I honestly didn’t think I really needed to schedule my social media posts- because I could just pop on and post each day. But, as I’m planning for maternity leave, I wanted to make sure that my business accounts were still being active and I wasn’t having to think about it- because having a newborn takes up all the brainpower. But oh my goodness am I kicking myself now for how long it took me to try this!

I had no idea the time I was spending each day trying to pause my workflow to pick out a photo and a caption and post it to Instagram. And then, it’s just WAY too easy to get lost in scrolling or checking out a story or two, which we all know turns into 15.  But with Planoly, I can sit down and batch schedule a bunch of posts at one time and not have to think about it any more.  It takes me less than an hour on Planoly now to schedule a full month of posts so I can focus on my important tasks during my office hours instead of breaking up my day and spending about 30 minutes or more of my office hour time to post something.

So, maybe you’re like me and dragging your feet on trying out something else new- but trust me with this- you need to at least try it! It’s super user friendly, you can answer comments within the app, see it planned out on the calendar, and even see the number of likes and comments you get on each post at a quick glance so you’re able to know what posts get more engagements than the others.  

Do you use Planoly or something that helps you get so much time back??

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!

Sign up for Planoly here!

Garden Wedding at Trivium Estate || Lynchburg Wedding Photographer

Mike & Haley's wedding was seriously such a dream! The day really was so perfect- everything from the weather- her hair, floral crown & dress, their ceremony, and their celebration with friends and family! All week we were watching the weather so intently- it was calling for a chilly, rainy day, but oh my goodness- Saturday was GORGEOUS!! This couple buried the bourbon and I'm now 100% a believer that it works! Every single couple should do this for their wedding day! 

Haley has a little bit of a hippie heart & I was so excited to see her dreams come to life with her wedding! Her floral crown and natural waves meshed perfectly with her gorgeous dress- and her bare feet for her day! Their pergola wedding was beautiful and seemed so intimate and fitting for her garden wedding dream! 

We took some amazing portraits up at the Pergola, and then headed down to the pond around sunset- it was gorgeous- I am obsessed!! 

Congrats Mike & Haley!! I'm so excited for you guys as you start your life together!! 

Thank you to the amazing vendors that made this wedding such a gorgeous success! 

Venue: The Trivium Estate in Forest, Virginia

Bridal Gown: Celebration Bridal in Lynchburg, Virginia

Bridesmaids Dresses: David's Bridal

Hair & Makeup: DIY by the bride

Florist: Bloom by Doyle's in Lynchburg, Virginia 

Groom & Groomsmen: Men's Warehouse 

Catering: Charley's Restaurant and Catering in Lynchburg, Virginia 

Cake: Angela Hudson Cakes in Lynchburg, Virginia

Bartender: Tabby Bennett  in Lynchburg, Virginia 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is passionate about capturing moments as they authentically happen to ensure a successful session that gives you time to enjoy each other and savor the wedding day moments.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Stress-free Wedding Series || Getting Ready

I'm so excited to be continuing my 'stress-free wedding series' today! This is a topic I am super passionate about, and I truly spend extra time with each of my couples in the planning period of their big day to ensure they feel confident and at ease on their wedding day! When a bride is stressed out, it truly can affect her entire day, which always shows up in the photos. I never want a bride to look back at her wedding photos and just see how stressed out she was! This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life- don't you want to remember that joy and happiness forever?! 

Today, I want to talk about the getting ready portion of the day! This part can really make or break how a bride feels for the rest of the day, so in my opinion, this is the most important part of the day to truly get right! 

1- Do a trial run of your hair and make-up, and take special note of how long each took during your trial run! If you only budget for 30 minutes to do your make-up, but it your makeup artist really needs 45 minutes, you are going to be starting out the day feeling rushed and behind.  Allow for extra time during this time of day, so you can truly relax and enjoy the moments with your bridesmaids! 

2- Have your Mom and Bridesmaids come over and get you fully dressed into your wedding dress. Once again, I've seen brides allow for 5 minutes to step into their dress, but it ended up taking 15 minutes to get everything on and secured.  Along these same lines, make sure that your girls practice your dress bustle as well! These are little things that really can take up too much time if not planned accordingly.  

3- As your packing up the week before your wedding make sure to create a box/bag for your wedding day details that your wedding photographer is going to need. Things that are included in this are your invitations, jewelry, shoes, garter, all sets of rings, and anything else your photographer mentions or you think is special, like your Grandfathers Bible.  

4- Set expectations on who YOU want in the bridal room and what their duties are going to be.  When everyone feels like they can pop in and say hi, you will feel constantly interrupted and not really able to enjoy getting ready and the morning with your closest friends and family members.  If you have envisioned your Mom zipping you up in your dress, make sure that you communicate to her that you want her there so she doesn't disappear to check on something just before you're stepping into your dress! 

5- Remember, sometimes things don't happen exactly as we planned and you may be running a little late.  Your photographer and planner should help you with creating buffer times and being able to make necessary adjustments. Trust the vendors that you hand-picked to know what they are doing! You're going to be getting married in just a few hours- so enjoy this time! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographerbased in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is passionate about capturing moments as they authentically happen to ensure a successful session that gives you time to enjoy each other and savor the wedding day moments.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Office Hours || Why having set office hours are so important for small businesses

What is it about owning your own business that makes us think we should work ALL the time? Always be on call-- someone has a question, and feel guilty about sitting down at the end of the night to catch up on the last This is Us, etc. Maybe it's just me, but I have a feeling I'm not the only one that feels so guilty for unplugging and not living and breathing my business.  

What ends up happening, is I am constantly in 'work brain' and feel that constant pulling of my to-do list back to my desk. But then I feel guilty for missing out of spending down-time with Emerson & Michael. The laundry and housework starts building up, which also takes space in my brain, I have the hardest time being productive in a messy environment, and I'm not able to give anything in my life the full attention that it needs.  

We should, in no way, ever feel guilty about our work hours having a beginning and ending time.  In order to do something really well, we have to be able to get other things done as well.  Trust me, I've tried doing this 'work until all the list is crossed off' thing, and let me tell you, there is ALWAYS more to be added to that list.  (Now, there will be busier seasons, where your office hours may be extended, and that's okay- but that should not be you're entire life!) 

I didn't come to this conclusion the easy way. Let me tell you, I never come to conclusions the easy way. It seems I always have to learn the hard way.  ;) But, I'm tired of being burnt out, anxious, and stressed because I don't have enough time. One of my main desires is to do less and be more present and intentional with my time and my family, and working ALL the time is not the way to accomplish that.  

I've started having set and hard boundaries with my business- which will look different for different seasons- but I will only be working on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am until 12pm, when Emerson is at school.  With her switching schools, she is going from 5 full days to 3 half days, and I am going to be using her school time as my work time, and her home time, and the time we can do things together, read about fairies, make dinner together, and even fold that pile of laundry that has been sitting in the clean basket for way too long.  At this season in my business, I am expecting to actually be more productive by limited my working hours so I can truly focus on one thing at a time.  I am still able to answer emails, edit, and blog without being a slave to my to-do list.  My clients are given my cell phone number, so if it's urgent, they know how to get ahold of me.  

One of the key benefits to owning my own business is that I get to set up my work hours- I am not having to answer to someone else who wants me in front of my computer for the sake of my salary.  I'm saying goodbye to the guilt of that and knowing that I will be blessed by putting my family first- even though I do love this job so much- my family comes first.  If you struggle with this as well, I hope this helps put some perspective on things and you're able to unplug and enjoy your family as well. 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is a firm believer in chasing your dreams and doing what you love! Ashley is passionate about capturing moments as they authentically happen to ensure a successful session that gives you time to enjoy each other and savor the wedding day moments.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Central Virginia Wedding Photographer || Lauren's Bridal Portraits

I love when a bride choose to do bridal portraits.  It's the perfect way to see everything all together, and helps you decide before your actual wedding day if you want to make any changes to your hair or makeup! Bridal Portraits are a lot more laid back than the photos I get of just the bride on the wedding day, and I'm able to get a ton of variety with images and your wedding details.  

Lauren made such a gorgeous bride, and we had such a great time out at The Trivium Estate for her bridal portraits! I loved her the gorgeous neckline and fit of her dress! It was so perfect for her! She wanted a relaxed, country feel for her wedding day, so she choose to wear boots instead of heels, which sure makes walking all around the grounds at The Trivium a lot easier! 

Venue: The Trivium Estate

Bridal Gown:  TBD

Hair: TBD

Makeup: TBD

Shoes: TBD

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is passionate about capturing moments as they authentically happen to ensure a successful session that gives you time to enjoy each other and savor the wedding day moments.  Contact me today for additional information!