Steve & Elisabeth//Anniversary

Its not very often that I get asked to shoot anniversary photos (which that should totally change), but let me tell you, they’re slowly becoming one of my favorite things!!! There’s something that’s unquietly special about photographing a bride and groom, moments after they’ve been pronounced husband and wife. There’s a newness and excitement that’s extremely magical on a wedding day. However, I think there is something so beautiful about photographing a couple thats been together for years and years. There is a oneness and a closeness that couples who have been married for a while have, that newly married couples don’t have yet. To witness that unity between husband and wife is SO beautiful and it makes me excited for the years that are to come for my husband and me.

Elisabeth & Steve were naturals in front of the camera and I had so much fun hanging out and making new friends! This year, they celebrated their 10th anniversary, which is amazing and should be celebrated JUST as much (if not more) as recently married couples! I also welcome any other anniversary sessions that are to come in future ;)

Bradley Wedding//Florence, SC

OH MY GOODNESS. This wedding. My first one of 2019 & the BEST way to start off a new year in my business. Not only are these two really good friends of mine, but they are also THE most attractive couple on the planet and they made my job SO easy.

Chase & Emily met about 7 years ago, but didn’t start hanging until about 2 years after that. Emily has 7 brothers, and Chase conveniently became friends with them and started hanging around their family more. One night, one of Emily’s brothers was on a first date in Charleston. Jokingly, Emily suggested that they go and crash his date, to which Chase & her other brother were all about! When they got home that night, Emily remembers Chase telling her how much he enjoyed spending time with her. And that was the start of their relationship.

They dated off and on for a few years, but all the while, God was working on their behalf. I love what Emily said about their dating relationship: “Its not the story I hoped for when I imagined how I would meet my prince charming as a girl. But it is a story full of grace, patience, forgiveness, growth and love. I'm glad that no matter how many times I freaked and pushed him away or vice versa he always came back. We always stayed friends.”

I think this is such a raw and real example of marriage, and our relationship with Jesus. Its not always perfect. It doesn’t always look like a romantic fairytale. Its not always rainbows and butterflies. But marriage is forever. Our relationship with Jesus is forever. They are eternal relationships that are full of grace & endurance. Goodness and hardships. Beauty and brokenness. But no matter what, Jesus is there. Our spouses are there. Arms open in love. Oftentimes, closeness comes through hardships. The harder the times, the closer you grow together. What a hopeful thing that is.

Emily & Chase, I couldn’t be more excited for yall and for your future together!! And on a real note, for all the beautiful babies yall will make one day ;) Marriage is amazing, and Im glad yall get to experience it together!!

A few fun facts about their wedding:

-Emily gave Chase a portrait that one of my previous brides PAINTED of them from one of their engagement photos and it was the BEST gift ever!

-Chase’s dad did the ceremony & it was the absolute sweetest, most genuine ceremonies.

-At the reception, Chase surprised Emily by singing and playing ‘You Are The Best Thing’ to her in front of everyone and OMG there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

3 Marriage Tips from Tighten The Knot Marriage Conference

I get to witness a lot of wonderful weddings. Months of planning, dreaming, and getting ready for the day two people become husband and wife. SO much goes into planning a wedding. But how much time & energy goes into preparing for marriage? Its easy to fix our eyes & attention on the wedding day, rather than on the many years that follow.

Whatever you feed will grow, and whatever you starve will die. I absolutely love photographing weddings, but I love watching my couple’s grow in their relationship with each other as the years go on. But this doesn’t happen by accident. No one has a healthy marriage by default. It takes work, intentionality, and time. You have to feed your marriage good things in order for it to grow.

My husband and I attended our first ever marriage conference last weekend at Newspring Church called Tighten the Knot, and let me tell you, it was knock- your- socks- off amazing. We got to hear from Clayton King, Jefferson Bethke, Chelsea Smith, Jim & Nancy (who have been married 50 years!), and Derwin Gray. We were drinking in everything that was taught & all the wisdom that was poured into us. So I figured I’d share the top 3 things that I learned and found the most valuable, and hopefully this will encourage and challenge someone out there on how to make your marriage an even healthier one.

#1: Express the feelings I want to experience. Marriage is two selfish people in a covenant together. If all I’m doing is expecting my husband to give, serve, and love me, I will find myself absolutely drained and empty. Yet, if I give, serve, and love my husband, I will find myself fulfilled and satisfied. Sometimes, when I am having a crummy day and really need some encouragement in my life, usually if I go and encourage someone else, I find myself feeling encouraged in return. Proverbs 11:25 says, “…whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Jesus also says it is better to GIVE than to receive. So start giving more to your marriage, to your spouse. And in return, you’ll find joy. If you both have this mindset, both your needs will be met.

#2: Establish rhythms into our marriage & lifestyle. Jefferson Bethke did this session and I’m not even going to do the paraphrase justice because it was one of the BEST sermons I’ve ever heard but I’m gonna try anyway. Rhythm is something that the Lord has designed for us to live in, for blessing in purpose in our lives. However, our culture is very good at trying to remove rhythms or meaning from everything. Especially in marriages and families. He talked about the lifestyle of Amish & Jewish families, and how well they implement purpose, rhythm and identity into their daily lives. He said the retention rate of kids who grow up in Amish homes is 95-97%, while the retention rate for kids who grow up in Western/Christian homes is only 20%. What are the Amish doing right?! They have a high value of the table. Gathering together around the table as a family & couple helps anchor them to their homes & in their identity. They have daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms that have purpose and that propel their marriages and family forward. They aren’t just living life, meaningless and visionless. They value time together, time in the Word, and time growing their marriages and families. He mentioned how well businesses are run, and how they have weekly meetings, monthly goals, and yearly recaps. They are run by vision and establishing habits and rhythms that produce success. Don’t let the business down the street run better than your marriage. Resist the culture and be a part of God’s rhythm, story and purpose. Do weekly date nights & Sabbaths, quarterly getaways, or yearly holidays that will make your marriage healthy.

#3: Thoughts & words are small things that have a big impact. Little things can become big things. Like our thoughts & words. First, our thoughts can build and build until they blow up. Its crazy how I can think about all the negative things my husband does or doesn’t do, and the second he walks through the door after work, I’m already mad at him. Yet, we have the power to fix our thoughts on positive things. For every negative thought, there are probably 34 positive thoughts you can think about your spouse. Fill your thoughts with THOSE things. Also, vocalize your expectations. So many times we have these expectations in our minds, never voice them, and then are disappointed when they dont happen or our spouse doesn’t do them. Voicing them will eliminate so much disappointment in our marriages. Second, our words either kill or give life. Negative words don’t ever bring change. Nagging never makes our spouse jump for joy. There is so much power in the tongue. My husband always tells me that my words cary so much weight to them. He says that his friend could tell him something, and I could tell him the same thing, but it would matter more coming from me than one else. Thats really humbling and slightly scary to hear. Our words have power, whether good or bad. What is in your heart comes out your mouth. Fill your heart & mind with truth from God’s word that will flow out of you into your marriage.

I was challenged, encouraged, and ready to go and implement some of these things in my life and marriage. Newspring gave everyone a little booklet, packed full of date night ideas, conversation starters, an outline for goals and dreams, and challenges to do for your spouse daily. REALLY thankful to Newspring for hosting and all the speakers and volunteers who made it a success. They will be putting on another one in March of 2020! Id definitely recommend every couple do something like this, at least every year. Maybe it can become one of your yearly habits ;)

Todd Wedding//Greenville,SC

Some weddings, I just feel really really blessed to be a part of, I feel like God ordained just because He knew id love the couple, and I walk away from with tears in my eyes out of gratitude. THIS was one of those weddings for me.

Darby & Jimmy are some of the most fun, Jesus loving, hard working, smart and genuine people. They both come from really awesome families, are both in the medical field, and both have a heart for medical missions. I remember we were walking through the woods on Darby’s parent’s property during their engagement session as they were telling me all about themselves and I thought, “wow these are some pretty incredible people". That thought was continually confirmed over the next few months leading up to their wedding day.

Darby pulled me aside the morning of their wedding and told me that she and Jimmy met on this day, exactly 1000 days ago! They waited a long time for this day, and it was well worth it.

Watching the love these two have for each other, the Lord, their family and friends was truly beautiful. I remember I was taking photos of Darby by herself after the ceremony, and Jimmy couldn’t stop complimenting her. Their day was all about glorifying God and loving on their friends and family. Photographing their wedding was refreshing to my soul and made me extra thankful that God allowed me to meet these two and be a part of their special day.

The Best of 2018

I got in my car after my last wedding of 2018. I couldn’t have imagined a better end to the year. I pulled out of the parking lot, but the road was blurred in front of me. Tears filled my eyes. Grateful. So very grateful for this year. 

2018 was my second year of full time business. My first year, I got married, moved to a totally new place, and basically started my business all over again. It wasn’t easy. But I worked as hard as I could to make new friends, build a new clientele, and get my work out there. So, heading into 2018, I prayed and asked the Lord to give me at least 10 weddings. I felt like that was a big number. I had no clue if Id reach that goal, but I set it and asked the Lord anyway. 

Little did I know He would blow that number out of the water, giving me more than double what I asked for. Not only did He bless me with more than I asked for, but He also gave me THE best couples to work with. To meet. To get to know. To hang out with. I’ve met some phenomenal people this year. Been a part of some extremely special moments. Got to witness the start of many lives together. And for that, I’m beyond grateful. Totally undeserving. But grateful. 

I got to photograph a couple all the way from North Dakota who got married at Chimney Rock, travel to Montana for an engagement session, shoot some of our best friend’s proposal, got a styled shoot featured, was able to shoot in a few of my dream locations like Craggy Gardens and Lady Luck Flower Farm, and partnered with some wonderfully talented creatives. Never thought all of this would happen this year. But God is way bigger than my little plans. 

To all my 2018 brides and grooms, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, for trusting me with such a significant part of your lives. These images mean the world to me, because they remind me of how greatly you’ve blessed my life this year. God used YOU to show me His faithfulness, His love for me, and His blessing on my business. The highlight of my year was being a part of these moments with you. So much love for you all. 

Here are some of my favorite memories of 2018. It will be hard for 2019 to beat this.