8 Years!! It's our anniversary!! || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

Today, I celebrate EIGHT years of marriage with Michael! I cannot believe it's been eight years!! We sat down and wrote a few things we've learned about each other over the last ten years together- we argued a bit, and laughed some too! 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT MICHAEL: 

-Michael is organized about one thing in life, and that's about finances.  He hasn't quite figured out how to fold his shirts so they all fit in his drawer, but he can have our budget exported into a color-coded, tabbed, formulated excel spreadsheet that turns red when I spend too much money at Target.  

-It doesn't matter what time Michael wakes up, he HAS to eat breakfast food first.  It could be 1pm- we've been lazy all morning and then scrambled to get out the door, he will never order anything to eat but breakfast first.  I think he's the person most excited that McDonalds now serves all day breakfast.  

-Michael is obsessed with storms and watching the weather. I've never met someone that refuses to fly in an airplane, or ride a roller coaster... yet wants to go chase tornados or will drive 4 hours to be in the heart of a big hurricane.  He is constantly checking the radar and can, more times than not, tell you within 15 minutes when it's going to start raining.  It comes in super handy when I'm trying to decide if we need to reschedule a photoshoot or not! 

-While we were writing this, I learned that Michael is a little more of a long-winded writer than I am... haha! See below... ;) 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT ASHLEY: 

- Ashley views our home and that state it is in as a reflection of her. I haven’t totally figured it out, but I imagine it’s a lot like the mirror she uses to look at herself in the morning when she’s figuring out what she should wear. All too often, my wife is the only one looking into this mirror of ours and this can be a source of frustration for her. There is some leeway, in terms of how much mess and clutter she allows before she has to drop everything she’s doing and rectify the situation. I have learned, albeit slowly, to recognize when this moment has arrived so that I can be sure to provide assistance and lend a helping hand. This lesson has been a challenge for me. In fact, we hit this line this evening, the night before our anniversary while we were supposed to be writing this blog together. I failed to recognize the moment when it approached, even when she told me straight to my face (one of those moments of selective hearing she will probably write about… I digress). About 15 minutes into the cleaning spree and I realized the error of my ways and got to work helping her out. Better late than never!

-There is a difference between my clean and her clean. Growing up I always did chores around my house. My dad is a bit of a clean freak. So is my sister. And so was my dad’s mother (Nanny to me). I honestly thought I had a pretty high standard of cleanliness. I have learned over the years that it pales in comparison to Ashley. Her attention to detail is impeccable and impressive. Even when she seemingly doesn’t have the time

- My wife is the hardest worker I know. Sometimes it boggles my mind to see the number of different hats she takes off and puts on throughout each day. The modern day has seen a shift away from what used to be the normal roles in a marriage. To be successful in a two income household, there must be a blending of these roles. I will absolutely admit that my wife is much better at this blend than I am. I’m so proud of her as a wife, mother and provider for our family. I consider it the blessing of my life to have her share my last name.

Cultivating a relationship takes consistent, regular investment and effort! We are certainly not experts yet, but we're working on it! We actually created a secret page on the website (you can find it in the footnotes of my new website) that covers some ideas on how you can cultivate & cherish your relationships! 

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia.  Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, FarmVille, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas.  Available for travel world-wide.  Currently booking a limited number of weddings for 2016 & 2017.  Contact us today for additional information! 

A little more into the rebrand || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

Initially, rebranding was something I never thought I would invest in, or need, because I personally knew how to do all of those things! I designed and created my last brand, from the business cards to my website. The thing is, as my business grew and I got busier, I then wasn't able to commit the time to putting everything together, making sure everything was cohesive, and my brand wasn't representing ME, it was just representing what I knew how to create.  

Working with Ashlee Proffitt was great because she laid the process out so well. My first homework assignment was to create a Pinterest board, highlighting colors, rooms, photos, clothing, etc. that I was drawn to and represented me.  From there, she gave me detailed worksheets, outlining my ideal client, my mission statement, what I wanted my brand to convey and how I wanted people to feel as they visiting my site and saw my branding.  This was all done before the intensive 3-week rebranding process with her began, so I had time to ask others for advice and to think about each thing in more detail.  

Once our month began, Ashlee first created an inspiration board.  This was so fun to see what she choose from my Pinterest board, and I already started to see how she was bringing things together that I wasn't sure could be pieced together! I was so thankful she was bringing cohesiveness to everything already! 

Then we began the rough-draft logo creation.  She sent over a few ideas, and from there we starting perfecting it! Once she sent over the water color options, I was head over heels in love. It perfectly captured the feeling I was hoping for! 

My favorite week was working on my client experience! I'm someone that has big ideas, but never the time to follow through. By sitting down and working though each touch point I have with my clients, we brainstormed how we can make it even better and Ashlee created some of the most amazing pieces for me!! She incorporated my love of polka dots and stripes and champagne! ;) I can't wait to spoil & send my brides their Welcome Packets packed full with information to help them plan the perfect day!! 

The last part of the process was my website. And oh my goodness I am IN LOVE!! This is something I never would have been able to do on my own!! This is the first interaction people have with me and my business, and I wanted it to be professional, yet show my heart and personality.  

I am so excited and am already seeing a difference in reaching my ideal clients, everything reflecting me, and my brand across the board being more cohesive!! If you're on the fence about rebranding, I would totally recommend it and say go for it!! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Farmville, Richmond and surrounding areas. Ashley is firm believer in chasing your dreams and doing what you love. Because of this, she has been serving couples for over five years.  

Passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust, and lasting friendships to create memories you will cherish forever.  Ashley is currently booking limited weddings for 2016 & 2017. Contact us today for additional information! 

Following your Calling || A Motherhood & Business Series

     I know it wasn't meant to be offensive, the comment about believing in God's calling to be a stay-at-home Mom, but it insinuated that, by working and owning my own business, I wasn't following God's will. We've heard the comments a million times. You know the ones...

      "How nice that you get to be out of the house and let someone else raise your family." 

     "It must be nice to work just to have extra spending money!"

     "Aren't you concerned about missing your kids milestones?" 

     "It's sad that she loves her job more than her kids..." 

     It seems there's this competition between the moms that stay at home and mom's that work. Why can't we just agree that both are important and freaking hard.  As women, we all wear dozens of "hats" and are constantly balancing different things at once.  

     We each have different gifts, callings and passions, but not a single one of those things makes us a better or worse Mom than the next.  There are some mom's that would give anything to be able to be at home with their kids. Instead, they go to a job every day that they hate and they feel like a failure because they aren't able to be home. Guys- Mom guilt is bad enough- WHY are we adding to that by acting like working moms or stay-at-home moms are any better than the other? 

     I am so passionate about chasing your dreams, and following what you're passionate about. For us, working is helping to pay off our burdensome student loans, AND it's also something that I love to do. I LOVE being able to serve couples and brides, by providing encouragement and advice to them along the sometimes stressful ride of planning a wedding. I also love my family, being a Mom and being actively present.  And guess what-- I can do both. It might be difficult, I may be struggling my way to find balance, and trust me, there are many many hard days- but don't we all have crappy, frustrating days? EVERYONE else has struggles, crappy, frustrating days, and your life isn't any easier or harder than theirs.  

My point is that you totally can have a family and still chase your dreams! How can I sit here and tell my daughter that she can do whatever she wants when she grows up, yet expect her to drop all her dreams once she has her own family? I refuse to do that. If your dream is to stay at home with your kids, then that is awesome! If your dream is to have a family and continue to follow other passions that God has laid on your heart- then good for you! From today on, let's agree to be moms of encouragement & stop looking down on each other for pursuing our passions!! 

     Encourage a Momma this week- I guarantee you they have had a difficult day and need it. It can be a simple text, giving a big hug, writing out a card about what you admire about them, or taking them out for coffee! Let's stop adding to each others guilt but celebrate each other in our talents and what we're called to do! 

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Bedford, Roanoke, Richmond & surrounding areas. Available for travel worldwide.  

Ashley is passionate about Motherhood and in chasing your dreams and doing what you love. Currently booking a limited number of weddings for 2016 and 2017. Contact us today for additional information! 

Our Intentional Summer || motherhood in business series

I'm nervous, but excited to begin a new series today chatting about motherhood and small-business ownership.  This is something I am super passionate about, as I have totally struggled with the balance of needing to do it all, be it all, and be the best at both.  I'm the first to admit that I don't have all the answers, and I definitely don't have a perfect plan, but it's absolutely something that needs to be discussed more.  

My word for this year was balance.  This process was verbal personal and involved me discovering the meaning balance in family/work life, in my client workflow and experience.  After a year of hustle and going as fast as I could, a year of bringing balance back into my life is truly needed.  Without balance, you will easily get overwhelmed, overworked, and forget why you are passionate about what you are doing.  

Wedding Photography means missing a lot of evenings and weekends, which is difficult when Emerson is in pre-school 5 full days during the week.  Last year, in my 'year of hustle' I was missing SO much time with her- it felt like she was at school with her teachers, or with a sitter for a wedding, with Michael when I was out at a session. Even when I was home, I was trying to catch up, and would be on my laptop.  It was exhausting and I totally got burnt out.  After a few good crys, talks, and prayers, I knew that something seriously needed to change.  

In comparison to last year, I have made some big changes, and it has helped so much in my marriage, time I get with Emerson, my client relationships, and my mental health! I started outsourcing some editing for weddings (if you haven't looked into this yet- you totally need to!) Having set office hours, scheduled days off & unplugged evenings. Summer is different, because it's supposed to be more fun... so, here's what balance is currently looking like for us this summer: 

-Skipping school at least one day a week. On these days I wake up before anyone else to answer emails and get some client work done.  Then I spend the rest of the morning with Emerson, we head to the pool, go to the museum, or go to a movie together. This one-on-one time is crucial for me and it's always so much fun.  Now, each week, I am so tempted to have an extra work day to catch up, but every single time I've kept her home from school, it's been such an important time together.  

-During the summer, Emerson's school goes on a field trip once a week.  Because I work from home, I block off these field trip days to go on these field trips with her! Again, I will wake up an hour or two earlier than anyone else to get work done for the day, and then finish up work that afternoon when Em is having her quiet time. 

-Scheduling days off on non-wedding weekends.  Oh guys! A Saturday without a wedding can feel like such a treat, being able to sleep in a little, wake up slowly, drink my coffee while it's still warm and stay in our jammies. We can run errands, or head to the pool. It really is such a nice, relaxing time!! I end up feeling way refreshed and more encouraged to pour into my creative side and my clients.   

One of the most important things I am still trying to get through my own head is to give grace. GIVE YOURSELF GRACE. I don't have to be a perfect Mom. I want people to know that I do not have it all together. Moms shouldn't be expected to do everything perfectly.  Give some grace, encourage each other, rewash that load of laundry for the 3rd time this week, and know that the world's expectations of motherhood and business ownership is stupid.  

Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Farmville, Roanoke, and surrounding areas.  Available for travel worldwide.  Currently booking limited weddings for 2016 and 2017.  Contact us today for additional information, or just to say hi!  

Thanks to Kelsey Schwenk for the family photos! 

Pop the Bubbly! It's launch day!!

POP THE BUBBLY!! It's launch day!! I am so excited for my brand refresh and website launch. It's been a few months of nailing down exactly who I am, what I love, and what I want my clients to know about me and my business! Talk about soul-searching! I am so thrilled it is done and ready to share with everyone!! After having a DIY website I pieced together on my own the past 5 years, this has been needed for a long time coming!! 

I could not have done ANY of this without the amazing Ashlee Proffitt! I have no idea how she did it, but she took all of my jumbled up brain and designed exactly what I wanted (even if I didn't know what I wanted!!) Her process, vision, communication and encouragement were exactly what I needed during this undertaking! 

I seriously have the greatest support team ever. Thanks to Michael for seriously being the most patient person ever. Thanks for your encouragement, editing skills, and ability to know what I'm trying to write when I don't even know! Miranda, for staying up late writing & editing with me- and for the bottle of Cab to celebrate!! And to Kelsey, Micah & Jenny for calming me down when I was stressed, helping me make decisions & answering my millions of questions through this process!! 

Thank you so much for joining me today! I was so excited to share my new site, blog and brand, I decided to publish it all early! I'm going to be sharing my inspiration and individual brand pieces soon!!  The good news about that is I'm going to be announcing my online launch party soon- with some amazing giveaways!! Sooooooo, take a look around the new site. There are so many amazing details Ashlee pieced together- I want to know all your favorite parts!! 

Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, Farmville, and surrounding areas.  Available for travel worldwide. Currently booking a limited number of weddings for 2016 and 2017.  Contact me today for additional information!