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This morning during my workout I found a 1 hour workout motivational speech and music on Spotify. Not at all what I normally listen to, but I thought, "hey, why not try something new?" It started alright, got me pumped up and ready to crush my workout. But then they started saying things that I HIGHLY disagreed with! "To be successful you need to want it so bad that you sacrifice everything. You need to not sleep, you need to forget to eat, etc." NOOOOOOOOOO They have it so backwards! To be successful, you need to take care of yourself. To be productive, you need to get enough sleep. To have enough energy you need to fuel your body with good food. Don't ever sacrifice what's essential t reach your idea of success, or the world's idea of success. Because what happens when you reach it? You are left feeling so unfulfilled and empty. So what is essential? Food. Sleep. Relationships. Fresh air. Jesus. Success can never be reached. It's not something you just achieve one day. Because you will always be left wanting more. So take care of yourself. Give yourself grace if you have days that you don't get any work done (me yesterday). Also I'm curious, what do you listen to when you workout? cause I'm sick of the same playlist every single time...
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Your elopement day doesn't need to be the day you get legally married. Wait what? That's right, marriage laws and legalities can be STRESSFULL. Especially when you are trying to elope in a different country... Even every state, province, and territory has different marriage laws that you need to follow and that gets very confusing! So imagine this: You and your hunny taking a backpacking trip to say your vows on the top of a mountain. Or taking a canoe trip to a remote island with no one around but you. Or saying I do at the bottom of a powerful waterfall. Or jumping out of a plane to signify jumping into your new life together. And then when you are home, you take care of all the government technicalities to be legally recognized as a married couple. Seems pretty epic right? Would you sign your papers a different day than your wedding or elopement day? Or do you think it all needs to happen on the same day?
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Liv Hettinga Photography has started sponsoring a child in Uganda!! This beautiful girls name is Hellen, she is 9 years old and in grade 4. God's love is so strong for her and now so is mine. If you've been following me for a while, you know I strongly believe in giving back! Not only does it help others, but it brings joy and freedom. Everytime you book with me, 10% is donated to missionaries and organizations working around the world to spread the love of Jesus and end poverty. And now your bookings will also go towards sponsoring Hellen! The reason I share this is because I believe that when we rise up together we can make a huge impact in the world. I hope you will partner with me in sponsoring this beautiful girl. And maybe start sponsoring a child of your own. @food4thehungry does AMAZING work partnering with communities and guiding them out of poverty. They lead and teach communities how to thrive on their own. A child sponsorship helps provide food, education, clean water, and medical care to the child and their family. Do you sponsor a child already? I'd love to know! If not, are you considering it? Do you have any questions about it?
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Volkswagen bus. Rowing over the still lake. Running around barefoot. Swinging in the trees. Golden light on your faces. These are all things that made this shoot so special! And after over a year I finally managed to get it up on the blog! So go click the link in my bio to check out this gorgeous boho inspired elopement shoot! I promise you won’t want to miss it! (This is probably my favourite shoot I’ve ever done!) And don’t forget to let me know what you think!
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To the bride who would rather go barefoot on your wedding day. DOOOO ITTTTT If you don’t like wearing shoes, you don’t have to! People are always going to be telling you what you have to do and what you can’t do at your wedding, but ultimately it’s up to none but YOU. Remember that this is YOUR day, and don’t let anyone else tell you how to spend it. I’ve had quite a few brides go barefoot for their entire wedding day and they have had no regrets! It’s always fun to get your feet a little dirty. I think it’s so beautiful that our feet tell the stories of the places we’ve been. And BONUS, your feet won’t be in pain from wearing a brand new pair of heels all day! I myself do not know how to walk in heels, so I do not expect you to have to do it. Who else dreams of having a barefoot wedding? I know that I want one 🙋♀️🙋♀️
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I'm not the one who runs my business. God is. Every morning before I start working I spend time with God, reading His Word and talking to Him. I pray for my business and the work I am about to do. I invite God into my work, and I give Him the controls. Because I know that I can't do this on my own. I ask God to run my business for me. To equip me with the work I need to do. And guess what, God is the best marketer out there. He is the most creative. He is the best manager and the best teacher. Praying for my business is by far the BEST investment I have made for it. How do you invite God into your business?
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Anyone else think Instagram seems like a highlight reel of everyone only sharing the best things about themselves?? This causes lots of comparison which is so harmful. SO I'm going to share a few facts about myself that maybe aren't the best things about me, but they make me who I am, and I still love myself for them. But first, who I am and what I do: My name is Liv and I am a wedding and elopement photographer based in Western Canada. Okay, here are the facts: 1. I'm probably the most indecisive person you'll ever meet. Ask anyone who knows me. I do NOT know how to make a decision for the life of me 😂😂. I overthink it way too much and have to lay out the pros and cons for every option. 2. I've always been someone to save up my money for big important things. But this has caused for me to appear quite "cheap" sometimes. I'd rather watch a movie at home than pay $15 at the theater. I'd rather make my own food than go out to eat. I buy almost all my clothes second hand. And if someone offers me something for free I'm ALL over it!! 3. I think I have a real chocolate addiction. Like my parents have literally had to hide chocolate from me when they bought some or else I'd eat it all 😂😂. But it's sooooo good! 4. I'm directionally challenged. I get lost all the time! I cannot do directions. Google maps is my hero. 5. I feel like I have the body of an 80 year old sometimes. I have a bad knee that hurts whenever I do something crazy on it like go for a run or a hike (but I still do these things anyway and just pay for it afterwards 😅). And I think my hips are misaligned. And my wrists hurt a ton if I use them for something. 6. I'm almost always late. It takes a lot of effort and planning for me to show up on time. (Don't worry, I've never been late to a wedding.) I do struggle to show up on time. But I also feel like the more I say I'm always late, the more often I am late. So maybe I should stop saying that??? Now it's YOUR turn! Do you relate to any of these facts?? What's one thing about you that maybe you don't want to shout from the rooftops? Let's change the way people show up on Instagram! Because none of us are perfect.
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YOU HAVE INFLUENCE!! yes. YOU. stop saying "no, not me." i'm talking about YOU. YOUUUU reading this. No matter how many followers you have or how many people you know, you have influence on the people around you. The people you interact with (or don't, cause you know, covid 🤷), and the people following you on social media. They are looking to YOU. But what you need to think about, is how are you going to use this influence? Are you going to be an influencer for good? Or are you being an influencer for bad? For worry, stress, or anger? This is a decision you need to make (and I recommend choosing to be an influencer for good). What are you sharing with the world? Is it good or bad? Are you sharing hope or hopelessness? Courage or fear? Motivation or stress? Are you standing up for what you believe in? Speaking up for those who don't have a voice? Sharing your heart with the world? Or are you holding back in fear of what people will think of you? Worrying what they will say? People are looking to you, so what are you going to do? Use the influence that you have for good! Spread joy. Give love. Share peace. Use it as an opportunity to make a difference in the world. Comment a "👊" if this inspired you and you're going to spread some good today!
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LISTEN UP 2021 BRIDES!! I have officially opened up bookings for the 2021 wedding season. And I'm STOKEDDD!! If you are getting married in 2021 please reach out! Whether it be to book me as your photographer and wedding day hype girl, or just to ask questions. I would love to chat with YOU. Need a little push? Hear from one of my past brides: “Liv was very easy to work with, and became a part of the gang from the beginning of the wedding day. She constantly made sure that the photos were what we wanted, not anyone else. Liv captured the real emotions we felt that day, and for a lot of the session took candid photos of just my husband and me spending time together on our day. We completely recommend using Liv! Looking through her photos made us feel like we were living the day all over again.” -Alixx + Caleb If you want all the deets of what the Liv Hettinga Photography Experience is like, to see my portfolio, learn more about me, check out pricing, or you are ready to book, then head on over to my website! The link is in my bio fam!
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What you need to elope part 2! I already talked about what you need to legally elope in Saskatchewan 2 posts ago (if ya missed it check it out). So now I'm sharing 3 of the things that I think you need to have your perfect elopement! 1. A photographer 2. A location special to you 3. Something to make it unique and special and all about YOU! Even though you aren't having the big huge wedding, I can promise you are still going to want to remember the day you got married! Most couples who elope prioritise photography and end up spending a majority of their budget on that. Now I'm not just saying this because I'm a photographer. The reason I started photography was because I LOVE moments! And I want to help people preserve their special moments and create memories that fit in the palm of your hand. Second, one of the best things about eloping is that you can go anywhere you want to exchange your vows! Think about the places that are most important to you and your hunny. Do you have a favourite lake? Do you love exploring the forest? Want to go in the middle of a field? The prairies are FULL of hidden beauties all over! And lastly, there are no rules to eloping! You can do anything you want and that's pretty cool! What it all comes down to is that you get to marry the love of your life and celebrate the beginning of your journey together! Whatever it is you want, just do it! You deserve it! I'm curious, did this post help you understand a little more about how to actually elope? Should I do a round 3 with beautiful locations in Sask to elope? Let me know! And share this post with anyone you know trying to plan their elopement right now, or save for later!
