If you’ve been following this blog for the past year, you might remember Michelle & Ryan’s engagement session & wedding. To know these two is to love them. They are absolutely the most beautiful people inside & out. After working with them on their wedding I knew they were going to be “lifers” ( or so I hoped anyway… :) so when Michelle called to set up a session for their new baby boy, I added them to my schedule the very next week. We had such great luck shooting in their light-filled home on the wedding day that we decided to go round 2 with this session. They are so smitten with baby Fisher & he fits perfectly in their arms. Here’s a little glimpse into their sweet family…

Welcome to the world, Fisher. You are very loved :)

So…I’m about a week behind on blog posts thanks to life throwing me a little curve ball. All of that shooting in fields finally caught up with me in the form of a gnarly tick bite. Who knew shooting in fields was such a risk? And who the heck knew something the size of a pea could do so much damage?? My leg looked like someone had beaten it with a baseball bat & the doc has me on 25 days of antibiotics to prevent Lyme disease. Soooo..I think its safe to say I’ll be investing in some organic tick repellent before heading out to shoot in another field! To all of my photo-friends reading this…save yourself the trouble & invest in some garlic-based repellent. I’ve done the research & it works. Apparently ticks don’t like garlic :)

Anyway, I’m back with 7 blog posts in the queue. Lots of prettiness coming up, so get ready for a barrage of blogging this week. Starting with the original post I wrote for Bea & Dwayne. I adored this wedding…. so here we go:

Life is a game of chance. I often wonder if seemingly random connections..are actually, in fact…random. How I found that telling stories with a simple snap of the shutter meant more to me than words on a page? How my career in photography has connected me with people I will never lose touch with. People who inspire me, support me and truly appreciate the value of a moment. Truth is…I don’t believe in random. I believe every decision we make takes us to a new place in life. And as long as we take the time to connect with one another…the moments will just keep getting richer.

So, am I surprised that a couple living half way across the globe chose me to photograph their wedding in a gorgeous hotel 10 minutes from my studio?

*Nope.

Is it a coincidence that Dwayne’s mother shares MY mom’s name ( the only 2 women I’ve ever known named Wilma )

*I think not.

Did my heart skip a beat when I got my first inquiry from a bride named Bea…who happens to share my grandmothers name?

*You betcha :)

And when I showed up to the Proximity’s beautiful light-filled room, it all just felt right. Bea is one of the warmest people I’ve ever met. We’ve signed our emails with x’s and o’s from the very beginning & I feel blessed to have been there to watch her marry Dwayne. They have such a tremendous love for one another. During the ceremony, Bea’s mom read a poem she had written for her in Spanish & even without knowing exactly what she was saying…I just knew. It was one of the most moving moments of the day & there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. I loved all of the light, airy details Bea chose & the streams of sunlight pouring in through the windows during their first dance capped off a truly magical day. Thanks to Bea, Dwayne & their families for letting us share in their joy. Here are a few highlights:

Venue- The Proximity Hotel
Dress- Nicollette by Christos
Flowers- Botanica
Cake- the amazing Robin of Maxie B’s
Cake Topper- Tops the Cake
Day of Coordination: Cara with a Southern Soiree

Katie’s shot:

Katie’s shot:

Katie’s shot:

I’m a list-maker. Always have been. I think it comes from juggling a zillion hours of writing courses in college. One of my favorite journalism professors gave homework assignments in list format, and I was that crazy student who actually loved adding little check marks beside each task. If it wasn’t on the list, it probably wasn’t going to get done…so yeah…I’ve spent the better part of a decade drowning in lists. But through the years only ONE list stands out to me. I made it the first day I signed the lease on my studio, sitting in the floor of the place I would call home for the next 3 years..wondering what the heck I had gotten myself into. I had just signed away three years of my life & all I could think about was making a list of goals. ( welcome to my only Type-A tendency! Thankfully after running this place for the past few years, I’ve mellowed out a bit ;)

Now this list wasn’t just a “get furniture, make studio pretty” list. It was serious business. It was reaching into the big dream pocket & pulling out the BIG ones. Like “shoot out of the country” ( check! ), “win first place in a photo competition” ( check! ) and “get featured on Style Me Pretty”… ( as of Tuesday…check! ) From the minute Style Me Pretty hit the web, it was the place to be for brides looking for inspiration & the place all wedding pros wanted to see their work featured. So thanks to Abby, Shawna, Erin & the rest of the crew at Style Me Pretty, my goal list is complete. And thanks to my sweet couple Beatriz & Dwayne for creating such an airy, chic wedding day that perfectly suited them. Their full blog post is coming up next, but in the meantime, head over to Style Me Pretty to get a little taste of what’s to come.

I’m off to make a new goal list :)

And while I’m in a news-sharing mood…I’m thrilled to announce you can find me in SMP’s Little Black Book of preferred vendors here: