Engagement Portraits, Richmond, VA

We had the pleasure of photographing Lauren and Justin at the Virginia Power Boat Association. Even though it was chilly and windy, the background along the water made a beautiful portrait backdrop. There was even time for some play on the swings and a log.

Lauren and Justin met each other in college. After four years of college and dating, they both went in opposite directions.

After two years of being apart, Justin was transferred to the same area as Lauren lived. He didn't hesitate to give her a call and ask her for a date. It was as if they had never been away from each other.

A year later he popped the question. We look forward to photographing their wedding story in August 2010.

When Did the Tradition of Wedding Cakes Begin? Article 2 of 2

The color of white became very prevalent during the Victorian Age. White denoted purity and a bride dressed in white stood out among the wedding guests. It was at this time, too, that white-iced wedding cakes became popular and had more meaning.

During this period of time it was very difficult to find the ingredients for icing, much less the refined sugar that made the icing really white. The richer the families, the whiter the icing on the wedding cake.

Sugar was in very short supply during World War II in Great Britiain. Wedding cakes became smaller, or, for the poorer families, fake cakes were created out of plastic of Paris.

Multi-tierred cakes that are so common today were reserved only for English royalty. The only problem was that the pillars we see holding today's layered cakes had not been created. This meant that the first layer of the wedding cake was real, but the following layers were made of spun sugar so that the top layers would not collapse onto the bottom layers. The three-tiered cake is believed to be inspired by the steeple of Saint Bride's Church, London, England.

The tradition of the couple cutting the wedding cake still exists today. The custom was originally given to the bride so that she could cut the cake to give a piece to each of the wedding guests. It symbolized her first task as a new wife. As the guest lists grew, it became more and more difficult for the bride to cut the cake for everyone.

Later on the bride and groom cut the cake together symbolizing unity, their shared future, and their lives coming together as one. It was also a symbol of the groom's willingness to help out in the future. Feeding the cake to each other showed joint commitment to provide for one another.

Another old English wedding cake tradition was to throw a plate of wedding cake out the window the first time the bride visited her family's home. If the plate broke, she could expect many years of wedded bliss. But, if the plate didn't break it was a symbol of a grim future.

The tradition of not cutting the top layer started in the 19th century when cakes were made for christenings. Since there was no birth control during this period of time, it was considered the duty of the bride/wife to bear children. For this reason, the top layer was not cut so that it would be available for the christening that was sure to follow the wedding.

Today's wedding cakes or cupcakes have no limits. Even though many of the yesteryear traditions still remain, wedding cakes can be made to tower high above the couple, be brightly colored, have various types of icing, be shaped in designs that are only limited to the imagination of the creator, contain flowers or crystals. Contemporary wedding cakes often reflect the inviduality of the couple, their hobbies, or their lifestyle.

It is unclear as to where the act of smashing the wedding cake into each other's faces began. One thought is that it was started by a bridegroom who secretly held hostility towards his wife. He thought it would be funny to publicly embarrass her in front of the guests. Many think it is a sign of disrespect for each other, especially when one understands that the tradition of cutting the cake was created as a symbol of sharing, feeding, and taking care of each other.

Cake photos used in this article were created by Cakes by Graham (http://www.cakesbygraham.com/) and A Cake to Remember (http://www.acaketoremember.com/), respectively.

Contact Miller Photography Inc. for all your wedding and other photography needs. View our website at http://www.miller-photo.com/, or go to our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/MillerPhotographyInc. Email or call us with any questions (Millerphoto@cs.com, 804-994-2169)

When Did the Tradition of the Wedding Cake Start? Article 1 of 2

The yummy and beautifully-designed wedding cakes that you see at each wedding today have been part of the celebration of marriage since the Roman Empire. (The Roman Empire dated between 502 BC to 29 BC.) The first wedding cakes were made of thin wheat or barley (waffer-like). The groom would eat a little bit of this cake and then crumble some over the bride's head to ensure fertility. The breaking of the cake over the bride's head was also seen as the groom's dominance over the bride.

As wedding cakes evolved through history, they became larger and larger and more elaborate--way too big and messy to crumble over the bride's head. There may have been some very small cases of this tradition still existing in Scotland during the 19th century, when oatcakes were broken over the bride's head. 

In medieval England there were reports of flour-based cakes without sweetners being used at weddings. Sometimes these "cakes" were just a pile of sweetened buns stacked up in front of the couple. The couple would then stretch to kiss over them. If they were successful, then it was thought they would have many children.

During the 17th century and continuing into the 19th century, the "cake" could have been actually a pie--called the bride's pie. The main ingredient in this sweet, minced or mutton pie was a ring. It was believed that the single woman who found the glass ring in the pie would be married next. These pies were seen more in the less affluented weddings.

Also, during the 17th century, some traditions thought it was good luck to give cake as gifts to the guests. The cake given to unmarried people was to be put under their pillows. This would give them dreams about their future spouses. Later on in the 18th century cake giving was expanded. This time the cake was pushed through the wedding couples' rings. The crumbs of the cake were distributed to the guests to put under their pillows. This particular tradition stopped when brides became superstitious about taking off their rings after the ceremony and possibly breaking the "bond" the ring represented.

Read more about the tradition of wedding cakes in our next blog, beginning with the Victorian Age and continuing to modern day, like the modern-day cake photos on this blog. These cakes were baked and decorated by http://www.acaketoremember.com/ and http://www.cakesbygraham.com/, respectively.

Also for more photos and portraits, visit our website at http://www.miller-photo.com/. We are on Facebook, too, at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Richmond-VA/Miller-Photography-Inc/172936215623

Wedding Traditions - Something Old, Something New....

We have found that most of our brides still follow this tradition, even to the point of the last minute before walking the aisle, asking friends and family to find items for her to wear quickly.

Something old, something new

Something borrowed, something blue

And a silver sixpence in her shoe

 

Since this tradition has so many aspects of being English, many sources believe that this tradition began during the Victorian Age. All the items in the poem are meant to bring good luck to the bride during her marriage.

 

A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain between 1551 to 1967. This coin is put in the bride's left shoe. This is to represent wealth and financial security during the marriage. Since sixpences can somethings be hard to find now, wedding retailers sell "modern" sixpences for bride's to wear.

 

"Something old" represents the bride's past and the continuation into the future. The item can be something antique, an heirloom item, or an object that is sentimentall to the bride.

 

"Something new" represents hope for the bride's future life with her groom. Items such as a new lipstick, new jewelry, or a new haircut are some items to use for good luck. 

 

"Something borrowed" usually comes from a family member or friend who has experienced many years of happiness in their marriage. This good fortune is meant to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item reminds the bride that she can count on this family member or friend in the future. This item will be returned to the owner after the wedding day.

 

Wearing something blue has long since been believed to be the color symbolizing love, modesty, and fidelty. Prior to the 19th century, brides' gowns were often blue. They followed the proverbs of "Marry in blue; lover be true." In Christianity, the Virgin Mary is often depicted in blue.

 

For other wedding traditions, check our entries on our blog. For other wedding photos or portraits, go to our website at: http://www.miller-photo.com/. You can, also, communicate with us on our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Richmond-VA/Miller-Photography-Inc/172936215623

Wedding Photography, Richmond, VA -- The Tradition of the Garter

As I have been researching the traditions of weddings, I am amazed at how early some of the traditions we see at weddings began and still exist. The tradition of the bride's garter started around the 13th century in France.

Fortunately, the modern translation of this tradition is really tame compared to what the poor brides of past centuries had to go through. In the 13th century it was thought to be good luck for guests to have a piece of the bride's clothing. Guests would literally destory the bride's gown tearing off pieces. If you have ever been a bride and are wearing the gown of your dream, you can only imagine how it would make you feel if people are tearing your dream gown to pieces. Yesteryear's bride would start throwing things back at the guests, including the wedding garter.

Soon it became tradition for the bride to toss the garter to the men. The only problem was that some men at weddings would get really impatient and drink too much. They tried to get the garter off the bride before it was time to toss it. How do you think this made the bride and her groom feel? After awhile, in order to protect the bride, the groom started taking off the bride's garter and tossing to the men.

Some traditions have the garter being auctioned off instead of being tossed. The proceeds would go to the couple to cover their honeymoon expenses.

Modern North American garter tradition has the bride wearing two garters on her right leg--one for a keepsake and the other to toss. The groom removes the garter from the bride's leg and tosses it to all the single men.

For more wedding photos and portraits, view our website at http://www.miller-photo.com/.

We are, also, on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Richmond-VA/Miller-Photography-Inc/172936215623

Senior Portraits, Richmond, VA

It's hard to believe that another school year is about to finish up. Soon the Class of 2010 will walk the aisles, accept their diplomas, and start on a new life of either college or full-time employment.

Soon it will be time for the Class of 2011 to take a step forward to become seniors!! It isn't too early for these juniors to start thinking about having their senior portraits done. Do you want the same typical senior look of school photographers, or would you like to be unique and have your portraits done at special locations that mean something to you? Do you want a senior photographer who takes time to make sure you look your best?

We have been photographing senior portraits for many, many years. Take a look at our website, http://www.miller-photo.com/. Our summer appointments fill up quickly, so call us early to assure your date/time.

Also, view some of our senior portraits on our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Richmond-VA/Miller-Photography-Inc/172936215623

Baby Portraits, Richmond, VA

Sometimes it would be wonderful to be four months old, just like this little one we photographed this past weekend. To have all your needs met and not to have any worries to think about. What a dream!

We always enjoy photographing babies and children. In this case, it was especially enjoyable, because this baby's mom and dad were one of our wedding couples that we photographed three years ago.

This is one of the wonderful things about photographing. You have the honor of watching families grow and being able to capture these precious memories.

Please note that these two images are uncropped versions. The cropped versions that the parents purchased showed more baby than black background.

For more family, children or baby portraits, go to our website, http://www.miller-photo.com/.

You can also communicate with us through Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Richmond-VA/Miller-Photography-Inc/172936215623