{three}

Katie’s facebook status the day after she married Chris pretty much sums up their love.

I was so happy to see these 2 finally say their vows, as I know EVERYONE was! Such a happy happy day and such happy people. Thank you Chris and Katie. Thank you for letting me tell your story.  Here is just a sneak peek of some of your day. enjoy!

A lot of brides ask my opinion on seeing their groom before the wedding. Apart from the stress that is eases, these first 3 pictures are the reason I suggest a first look.

I love Senior sessions, and let me tell you why. I wish that when I was looking for a photographer I had found someone who wanted to capture who I was at 18. Not just pose me behind a plastic 2005 with all my high school paraphernalia laying around me. Dont get me wrong…there are a lot of seniors out there who still prefer that! and my photos said a lot about me. They said: “this girl was a majorette, and played tennis, and should have never worn her hair parted in the middle.” But what I love about senior sessions is that they dont HAVE to be that. There are no rules!! I think there are a new generation of photographers who want to capture peoples true personalities while making them feel beautiful or handsome! I think thats AWESOME!

I was invited to travel for this shoot, to lovely Fairhope, AL.  It was a great weekend filled with photos, great seafood, and adventure! I loved being bombarded with new scenery! Everywhere we went there was potential. I love that feeling.

Anyway, Taylor was the epitome of prepared for this shoot. She had a vision. I love that too! He mom and grandmother were so sweet, and I loved working with you guys! Thanks for letting me capture you, Taylor in such awesome surroundings at this milestone in your life I hope Senior year at Deshler is your best!!  Here is a sneek peek. enjoy!

I haven’t done a playlist in a while, so here are some of the songs I cant get out of my head right now. Yes, I realize there is enough Florence + The Machine to equal the length of an EP. But trust me…they are THAT good. As usual, if you have any new music to share with me BRING IT ON!

also, don’t hate on my Glee playlist.

So this has been a pretty big couple of months for me. This is the first month I have had 4 weddings in a row. CRAZY! I also am moving into an amazing house with two awesome roommates! So you know what that means:

I tried not to go overboard. tried being the key word.

So in all the packing insanity, I am having to let go of a few memories that just dont make sense to hold on to any longer:

ridiculous, i know. I have wanted to throw them out for several years now (ps, there are still more in the attic..yikes) but when it came down to actually tossing them, it was more emotional than I thought it would be. Those ugly pieces of plastic and metal= 10 years of blood, sweat, and tears. Like I legitimately I perspired, bled, and cried a lot. A lot of bodily fluid was lost to earn these, ya know?

Anyway, I have decided to remove the plaques and chunk the rest. (although, I think I may turn some into candle holders. I will post pictures later) I also thought about doing some kind of conceptual shoot with them…anyone have any ideas?

On an unrelated note my great friend Julia Sanford started blogging! I am stoked about it because she is extremely witty especially when it come to the written typed word. To read “Shades of {Gray}” click here!  You will not be disappointed. seriously.

Have a great week!

Let me tell you why I loved this wedding.

- It was very DIY (if you know me at all, you know that I have the attitude of “if I could make it, why would I buy it!??” So I was in love with all the amazing little details that they added.

-It was one of the hottest days of the Summer so far. Thankfully the entire bridal party didnt hate me TOO much for dragging them into the heat.

-So many people were there. From Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and even California!  So no one took the day for granted. Every moment was savored.

-Also I must mention that I love love loved having my great friend and fellow photographer/designer Maggie Crisler second shooting. It really helped having her by my side for this one because we did ALL the photos after the ceremony. She really helped me speed the process along. Thanks Maggie! (p.s. if you need invitations SHE IS TOTALLY YOUR GIRL! She is a design genius! Check out her design work on FB

Mary Anne and Stephen, your love is obvious. Its beautiful. Thank you for letting me share in this day. Here are just a few! enjoy!

Venue: Tennessee Valley Country Club

Hair/Makeup: Hannah Nichols at New Identities

happy friday!!!

Crissy and Brandon were married a couple of weeks ago in Meridianville, AL. I am so so glad the rain held off till the very end of the reception! It was a beautiful day filled with love and fun and if you ask me, thats what a wedding day should be filled with!!  I am so so glad I got the chance to get to know the two of them and share this day with them! Thanks guys. Your love is beautiful.

I met this couple for the first time last Tuesday.  Mary Anne and Stephen live/go to school in Bowling Green, KY. There are so so many things I love about this couple. When I asked Mary Anne to tell me how Stephen had proposed he said “No! Its lame…” I protested so she told me anyway. During a Christmas with her family, he asked permission while Mary Anne was napping. When she woke up he asked if she wanted to take a walk…when they got outside (after having been snowed in for days) they didnt get far because of the cold. But when they walked back inside before going back up to the apartment, he asked her if she would spend the rest of her life with him. I love their story. Nothing fancy, nothing outrageous, but definitely NOT LAME. I get the feeling from the way she told the story, that if he had asked her any other way it would not have been as perfect. Thanks for showing me a great time in Bowling Green guys! Can’t wait for Friday! here is a preview enjoy!

Leah holds a special place in my heart. We were in a discipleship group together for about a year. In that group we  would study, share our hearts, and just live life together. This girl knows my brokenness, shares my joys, encourages me, and holds me accountable. I could go on for days about how I love the concept of discipleship…but this is not a post about that. This is a post about how Leah met the love of her life and has decided to spend the rest of her life with him.

The first time I met Tony, he and Leah were not together… but I knew that they would be again. They had decided to take some time to really focus on who they were as individuals in Christ, apart from each other. This was a hard decision for both of them. Tony is Leah’s best friend. He makes her laugh. She thinks he is the most beautiful man on earth. She believes in him. She  still giggles when she talks about him. Now, I haven’t had any late night conversations with Tony about his feelings for Leah, but when I am with them together I can see how much  he appreciates her talents, her silliness, and her intelligence. The way he looks at her is the way every girl dreams their soul mate will look at them. I cannot wait for this wedding!!!!!! AHHHH!  ok so now that I have written a novel, here are some photos to enjoy!

I had the privilege to photograph miss Kinsley during the mini sessions last month. Let me tell you, chasing her around wore me out!!! So much energy in that tiny body The camera loves her but thats no surprise…that girl has some good genes! haha! enjoy!

I have known Brad and Jennifer since I was a little 4th grader at First Baptist Sheffield. I am pretty sure if there had been whos who of the youth group they would have won most likely to be together forever. Youth kids are SO cool when you are younger than them. Well, they got married, had two handsome boys and Brad works with the youth at FBC now…who knew!?  I love this family and I am so happy they were able to participate in this fundraiser. Thanks again guys!!!  enjoy!

Ok, so I know. I have not blogged in weeks. After my last set of mini sessions on May 8th, I had some MAJOR difficulties. My hard drive crashed. A photographers worst nightmare. This is only a couple of weeks after my great friend and mentor Tera of Armosa Studios had FOUR hard drives crash. (I am beginning to think its contagious..) To read her thoughts on the matter click here. There are no words to describe the terror I felt when my computer refused to turn on.  The worst part is it REALLY CAN happen to anyone.  I am so thankful to all my clients who had photos lost in the crazy shuffle. They have shown me so much grace through this whole thing. thank you thank you thank you!!! This has been a MAJOR learning experience for me as a brand new business owner. Even though it has been…well to be honest, a terrible month, I feel like this was something I needed to go through.

Anyway, so now you know where I have been this past may I will leave you with a photo. My cousin and his wife added a new addition to their family. Little Ellie. The most precious puppy I have ever seen.