
Whether by accident or on purpose, wedding photos can either end up looking absolutely amazing or just plain nuts. We’ve all been there for that random request on someone’s big day to try out this pose or that stance, but in the end we’re stuck wondering, “WTF, whose idea was that?” (for better or for worse). Check out these 22 crazy and creative wedding photos to learn what you adore and what you’ll avoid when you say, “I do.”
1. Alaskan Ice Cave: As avid outdoors people, this couple kayaked out and climbed the side of a mountain to get these epic ice cave shots. Props to photog Chris Beck for kayaking and climbing along for the ride! (via The Knot)
2. Bad Influences: Sipping from the bottle, shotgunning a brew and stuffing our tops aren’t necessarily things we want little eyes taking note of. But they do make a pretty funny picture! (via Maria Vincencio)
3. Don’t Fight It: While we hope no one ever has to endure the agony of this for real, it’s a super creative way to play off the old stereotype that women drag men down the aisle. (via Reilly Images)
4. T-Rex Attack: If you haven’t heard, wedding attack photos are the trendiest thing in event photography lately. Pick your villain and start running! (via Bored Panda)
5. Where’s Waldo?: Everyone loves a good mystery. It took us a few minutes to realize why this pic was categorized as so humorous. But then we spotted him. (via Geeky Hostess)
6. Bold Bride: She’s got the power, and now everyone knows it. (via Secret Wedding Blog)
7. Everybody’s Happy: Having trouble deciding on a theme or color palette for your big day? Let the guests choose! You’ll get a photo filled with everything from knights, to peasants, to large, hairy animals. (via Gammon + Chips)
8. Check Your Dress: Newsflash: bridesmaids with tucked-in dresses is also a pretty popular trend right now (don’t ask us why). It’s every girl’s worst bathroom nightmare in real life. (via Secret Wedding Blog)
9. WTF: There really are no words to describe this photo op except, “WTF?” (via Secret Giggle)
10. Off The Dock: Thankfully this happened after the ceremony, and not before. Those happy lovebirds are so wrapped up in each other they seriously don’t even notice what’s going on. (via Del Sol Photography)
11. Ambulance Arrival: This would be sad if the bride and groom had actually been hurt on the way to their wedding. But in reality, they were totally fine…just looking for an epic entrance. (via Osa’s Eye)
12. Always Right: At least they’re honest :) (via Style Me Pretty)
13. Wildfire Wedding: The sunset in the background looks questionable, but that’s probably because it’s not a sunset at all. It’s a wildfire. These two were warned of wildfires in the area at the start of their wedding, but decided to rush through their vows and take advantage of the backdrop while they could. (via Buzz Feed)
14. Portrait Remake: Seurat would be so proud of this wedding party remake of his classic, La Grande Jatte. (via Stuff Happens)
15. Stern Warning: Looks like the beginning of a truly beautiful, happy relationship. (via Huffington Post)
16. Horse or Woman: We can’t help but laugh out loud at this catch. She’s literally half-horse, half-woman. (via Eastern Oregon Wedding Blog)
17. For Mature Audiences Only: What a creative way to incorporate young ones into a wedding day photo sesh. (via Buzz Feed)
18. Goofy Groomsmen: Believe your eyes. This is nine different groomsmen, each one snapped with a more epic facial expression than the one before him. A must-frame memory, for sure. (via Buzz Feed)
19. Shark Week: We couldn’t help but share one more attack photo with you. It just looks so real! (via Esser Photography)
20. No Pants Party: Surprise! This groom and his groomsmen decided to give everyone a good laugh at the last minute before the photographer took the shot. Bold move, boys. (via Jason + Gina)
21. Tornado Backdrop: Holy epic! That has to be the best photobomb we’ve ever seen. +10 to that tornado. (via Buzzfeed)
22. Good Times in Action: Skip the stills and go for a gif. This ultra creative wedding photo captures the life and laughs among this colorful wedding party perfectly. (via JLB Wedding)
What’s the craziest or most creative wedding photo you’ve ever seen? Share a link with us below or on Facebook.
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures