We Bought a House! | Personal

We Bought a House! | Personal

Sometimes when big things are happening in my life I like to bring you all along for the journey...and sometimes it feels so big and scary and unreal that I forget to mention it until it's all said and done. This latest announcement feels like the latter, and I can't believe I am working on this from our new home! So how did we even get here? There's a story for that...

Nathan and I bought a condo when we were first married - in fact, the closing happened only a few days after my college graduation. I had not yet turned 20 and I was signing a 30-year mortgage, which was (and is!) absolutely terrifying. We lived in that house for 5 years before selling it and while I won't go into details on here (ask me in person!) we were very badly burned in the process. We loved our home and our neighborhood, but we ended our time there in a very miserable way...

Best of Weddings 2017 | Business

Best of Weddings 2017 | Business

Where did 2017 go?! It felt like just yesterday that I was staring a new year in the face, and all of a sudden here I am, doing the exact same thing, marveling at how time flies and how incredible one year can truly be.

I will probably say this each year, but 2017 may have been the best year so far. With every wedding season my confidence increases, my skills have grown, and my couples are still as amazing as ever. This year I spent about half my time in Hampton Roads, in venues like the Williamsburg Winery, Two Rivers Country Club, Saude Creek Vineyards, and more. I also ended up doing a lot of traveling, from the Plantation on Sunnybrook in Roanoke to the Kimpton Lorien Hotel in Alexandria, the beautiful area of Asheville, and even all the way up to Reading Country Club in Pennsylvania.

June was by far the craziest month of the year with 4 weddings in 3 weeks, and a double header weekend that had me shooting a wedding in Williamsburg on Friday and one near Philadelphia the very next day. To top it all off, just when I thought I would get some rest, we welcomed home our little baby girl. I know that isn't a wedding highlight per se, but it absolutely rocked my world...

Best of Ring Shots 2017 | Business

Best of Ring Shots 2017 | Business

Every year I try to challenge myself in at least one area, knowing that if I am not actively trying to get better it will never happen. This was the year of the ring shot, and I tried my best both to become more creative (even at weddings with limited time) and more consistent, finding a style that I love.

While this is an area I always want to work to improve, I am proud of my work as I look back on the last year. There were times when I had ZERO time to showcase the ring well, yet in the back of my head I knew I would be disappointed if I didn't give it my all. Ring shots are NOT the most important images of the day, but wedding rings represent such an important covenant I think it's incredibly important to have at least a few stunning images of this symbol.

So here, in all their sparkly glory, are the rings that made 2017 so great, whether during engagement sessions or weddings. Get ready for some major bling!