Itzel & Salvador//Engagement

I know the weather is starting to warm up & it’s finally SPRING..but I couldn’t forget to post these wintery engagement photos that I did of Itzel & Salvador back in January!!! Itzel messaged me and asked if we could do their photos at Max Patch, which I’m always excited/eager to do!! Except, the only times I had ever been there were in April, August & October. This was my first time up there in the winter..and boy did it surprise us!!!

The second we started driving up the mountain, we started seeing all this SNOW. And when we got to Max Patch & walked to the top, there was literally feet & feet of snow!! These two were such troopers and trekked through all the snow and ice and mud to get these photos. I’d say it was well worth it :) These two were extremely kind & I had so much fun getting to know them during our session. Plus, they are literally the MOST attractive couple ever. Salvador also pulled off this cowboy hat better than anyone! It was such a fun & adventurous day with these two!!

Sydney+Nathan//SC Summer Wedding

I know it’s the middle of winter & currently 30 degrees outside as I write this, but I have gotten SO BEHIND on blogging and felt the need to share this warm, summery, July day from Nathan & Sydney’s wedding with you guys!

These two got married at the same venue I had my wedding 4 years ago, which is always so special to photograph there! A few months before their wedding, they emailed me in a panic, because they had gotten into some not so good drama with their wedding photographer & were in need of a new one. I hate that they had to go through all of that, but I’m SO thankful it gave me the opportunity to meet them + shoot their wedding!! They welcomed me in & made me feel just like family. It was literally the dreamiest summer day and every detail of their wedding was STUNNING. My friend Lexi, who did all the florals, created this enormous hanging flower installation at the reception, which was a show stopper for sure!!

I loved everything about this wedding & can’t WAIT for summer to be here, along with all my summer weddings!!!!

Hope+Barrett//Greenville, SC Wedding

I don’t even think I have the right words to describe what these two (and their wedding day) mean to me!! I’ve known Hope for as LONG as I can remember & she is truly like a little sister to me. She is a friend to all, extremely caring, absolutely hilarious, and loyal to the end. The first time she brought Barrett around our friend group, he immediately stole our hearts and we knew he was the one for her. He loves her DEEPLY and is probably the most genuine person I know.

Hope works at an Orthodontist office and her boss (who’s Barrett’s cousin) set them up. They dated for a few months & then during the middle of quarantine, Barrett calls me and says he wants to propose to Hope at the place where they had their first kiss, which was at a bench in Falls Park. It was pouring rain that day but that didn’t stop us. I hid in the bushes as Barrett got down on one knee and got to photograph Hope’s reaction.

It’s been SO special to be a part of their lives & some milestone moments in their relationship, including their sweet wedding. These two love the Lord, each other, their family & friends SO fiercely. It was so evident on their wedding day, as so many family members and friends rallied around them and celebrated their marriage. They got married at the Southern Bleachery in Greenville & it was SUCH a fun day, full of some of my favorite people. Hope & Barrett, I truly love you guys and will forever be here to love, support, & cheer you guys on. xoxo

Vow Renewal

I told Brian & Jennie this day will forever go down as one of my favorites to photograph. It was the most genuine, intimate, and beautiful ceremonies ever. These two love Jesus with their whole heart, and it flows into how they love each other, their family, and those around them.

I’ve known this family for a loooong time. I’ve photographed them year after year. Babysat their girls when they were tiny. And I’ve always admired them. But now that I’m married, I look up to them even more, for how intentionally they pursue each other and value their marriage. They always set aside time (even in the craziness of raising 5 daughters) to invest in their marriage. They’re always speaking so highly of the other. They’re always respectful of each other. And their love is a tangible example of the Father’s love.

It was beautiful to witness a 20 year vow renewal. I’m always photographing weddings, which are sweet and so emotional. But there is something powerful about a love that’s withstood 20 years. A lot has come against it, a lot has tested it. Yet, they’ve continued to pursue Jesus and each other, and the love they have at 20 years is stronger than any love I’ve seen on a wedding day. Witnessing these two rededicate their love to each other was so special, something unexplainable.

I hope these photos tell a story of how good and beautiful a Godly marriage can be. These two prove that and embody the faithful love of the Lord. Thanks for being someone we can look up to and learn from. I love guys and your family forever.

How to Plan a Wedding in LESS than 5 months

In the wedding industry, you hear a lot about couples who have a year long engagement & wedding planning process. While it is true that venues oftentimes book out months & even years out, it IS possible to get married within a shorter time span! Especially right now with how the COVID stuff is affecting the wedding industry, people now more than ever are rearranging or planning weddings in just a few months. One of my January brides planned her beautiful, large wedding in 4 moths and it was amazing, so I just had to pick her brain on HOW she did it! Whether you’re intentionally wanting to have a shorter engagement or COVID has forced you to rearrange plans, hopefully her insight and tips on how to plan a wedding in 5 months or LESS will help if you’re in this situation!

1.    Decide on a hard timeline and have a 3rd party reinforce it. 

Ben and I vacillated about when we were going to get married for a little bit, but when we decided on January, it was go-time. Ben proposed September 6th and we didn’t decide until the end of September that we would have our wedding in January. The next step we took was working on invitations. We knew that this was going to be a big event and that we were going to have to remember a lot of different people from a lot of areas and time periods in our lives. Because of this, we started our invitation list ASAP, which was a good decision because it was a long and (somewhat) tedious process. Being a perfectionist, I was very particular about how I wanted our wedding theme to come across and I felt that the invitation was a big part of that. After spending about 2 days looking at invitation styles, my mom sat me down and said, “Look, you’re going to decide what invitations to send out tonight or I’m going to decide them for you.” That may seem harsh, but it is what I needed to hear at the time. Having my mom there to reinforce the timeline when I was getting bogged down in details was vital in our wedding planning process. 

2.     Make your priorities and be less particular about the rest.

This one is HARD. Like I said, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I wanted so many details to be perfect: the photography, the flowers, the food, the cake, the list goes on. But, since you have a limited time frame, you have to pick your top 1-3 things and be okay with everything else being great but not “perfect.” What are the things that you will look back on and either be thrilled with or regret? Is it the dress? The venue? For me it was the photography  and the flowers. After that, I found things for the rest of the categories that I liked but maybe didn’t love. 

3.     Utilize friends and family for everything that you can.

When you plan a wedding with a short time frame many vendors are already booked for your day, which can make it difficult, especially if you have a certain budget or vision. However, having friends who are willing to help out can negate this problem. Ben and I were tremendously blessed in this way with our wedding. The wedding cake, venue, dress, meal, favors, directing, ceremony, hair, makeup, photography, and decorating were ALL done by friends and family. Considering the fact that most of Ben’s family live in Alaska, it was quite a feat! Additionally, most of the services were provided for only the cost of materials. The people who helped us out were thrilled to be a part of our day and we were thrilled to have them, so it was a win-win situation! If you have church, gym, or school friends who have any talents that they’d be willing to share, consider asking them; you may be surprised at the difference it can make!