wedding photographer

The Editing Mug | Mug Series Monday

The Editing Mug | Mug Series Monday

This is probably the mug that most people would expect me to have...all about editing and photography wrapped up in an adorable hand-lettered mug. I love it, but not for all the reasons most people would expect. The first reason I love it is because it was a gift from one of my sweetest brides (you can see her Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden wedding here) on the day of her wedding. That gesture meant the world to me...on the most special day of her life, Kayla went above and beyond to give ME a gift when I was really there just for HER.

Secondly, this is a reminder of all the behind the scenes work that goes into being a photographer. If you have ever worked in a small business you know that your online presence only tells a tiny portion of the story. What we post on social media, the things we blog about...those are all the highlights of our work and take up a very small part of our time compared to the rest of what we do...

Oh, the Places I Hope to Go! // Monday Musings

I wrote a few weeks ago about some of the things I learned from the last workshop I went to. It was a wonderful experience, and the biggest positive (if I could choose just one) was the encouragement and support of the ladies who spoke to us and with us about our business visions, dreams, and goals.

One big thing I heard over and over again was to just say out loud some of my hopes for what the next few years will bring. And one big thing kept coming to my mind - I love to travel! I grew up quite literally on the other side of the world, and when I meet someone who asks me where I'm from, I never quite know how to answer. I've lived in southern China, northwest China, Roanoke (Virginia), West Virginia, Blacksburg (Virginia), and now Hampton Roads.

On top of that, I've spent months in Thailand, a summer in South Africa, and visited countless other places, from the United Kingdom to Tokyo to Hong Kong (where my sister was born). I've driven all over the United States, and finally got to check New York and Seattle off my bucket list last year alone.

What's the point of all this? Well, as much as I love local weddings, I would LOVE to travel for a few weddings next year! There's almost nothing as scary and exciting as saying your dreams out loud, for fear of not achieving them, but keeping them to myself sure won't get me anywhere :) So without further ado, here are some places I would love to travel for weddings. And if you happen to be getting married here (or somewhere else across the country or the world!), I would love to be there for your big day.
United States: Portland, Oregon; anywhere in California; New York City; anywhere in Texas; Denver, Colorado; Charleston, South Carolina
International: Jamaica; Cayman Islands; Ireland; Spain, Peru

We all know that we miss 100% of the shots we don't take. So here I am, taking my shot at travel in the years to come :)

My Wedding Photography Travel Bucket List