We met mainly because of my sister Alex and where we were working, which was in the ER at St. Rita’s. I pursued him because I knew he wasn’t going to. Our mode of conversation was Snapchat because I didn’t have his number and he wasn’t on any other social media. I got his Snapchat and added him as a friend. I had swiped up on him when he posted a picture of his cat. Haha The first 3 days we talked about animals. And then he finally figured out I was interested in him so we moved the conversation more about each other. One night after work, he walked me out to my car and asked me out on a date. It was HANDS DOWN the best first date of my life. And I knew it was my last first date. Terner felt this way too. Fast forward almost 3 months, he proposed to me in front of my family and it everything I had dreamed of. Since then, we have spent the last 2 years wedding planning and enjoying each other.

Bridal preparations took place at the Crossroads Church. The ladies lounged in one of the classrooms munching on subway and other goodies as they all had their hair and makeup done.  Jenna wore a gorgeous pocketed, sleeveless, A-line satin gown. The neckline was a plunging V with a sheer modesty panel. The back dropped halfway down her back where a line of buttons ran all the way down the entire dress. The final touches were the beautiful beaded belt with a large bow on the back. Her hair was beautifully curled and swept up with a stunning jeweled hair piece and a cathedral length veil with lace edges. She wore strappy white heels, a gold bracelet, pearl necklace, and pearl drop earrings.

In just under a month I will get to spend the day with these two as they promise to spend the rest of their lives together!! In June Justin and Lauren took a little trip with me up to Marblehead Lighthouse State Park to explore and take some photos. It was a bit of a drive but 1000% worth it. This park is a place that Lauren spent time at during her childhood and I love nothing more than doing engagement sessions at places that are special to my clients. We could not have asked for a better day!

Ashley and her bridesmaids sipped on mimosas in SoSerene’s beautiful bridal suite as the prepped for Ashley’s big day. Ashley wore a stunning white with blush undertones, A-line gown with a sweetheart neckline and teeny tiny delicate beaded straps. The back dropped midway down her back where a sheer panel met a short line of buttons. Her hair was half down, the upper half was swept up into a romantic intricate braid. Her look was competed with a pair of white Vans sneakers, a gold heart necklace, and a cathedral length veil covered in pearls. Ashley a bundle of nerves would burst into tears anytime someone told her how beautiful she was. She asked us to tell her she was hideous instead. Always wanting to please I did not hesitate lol. The trick worked perfectly allowing her to laugh instead. She was EVERYTHING but hideous <3

I'll be honest... I was a little nervous the 24 hours leading up to this wedding. I typically don't listen to weather apps until the morning of and even then if it's calling for rain I am usually willing a break in the rain into the universe. However this wedding was 2 hours and 40 minutes away and they were calling for rain allll day. I spent all afternoon the day before strolling the streets of Indiana on Google map street view trying to find pretty covered areas! Thankfully though, the weather did shift for us, and we only had a few surprise pop ups we had to deal with!

The reception was held at The Saint Florian, an old school building that has been remodeled into a really neat venue. On the second floor they have a beautiful bridal suite where the ladies were getting ready while sipping mimosas in their matching navy robes. Brooklyn work a beautiful sleeveless, A-line gown with a gorgeous train and keyhole back. Her hair was pinned half up with a romantic braid along the side, completed with her mother's cathedral length veil and a greenery comb when the veil was not in. Her heels were stunning and covered in gems, and being a realist she had some gem covered sneakers to pop on after the ceremony [smart girl].

Although COVID separated people from their family and friends, it actually brought Wesley and Haylee together. When Ohio started initiating shutdowns due to COVID, the local farmers market had to get creative in order to save their season and livelihoods. Haylee's passion for supporting local agriculture, love for her friends, and now free time in her weekend schedule allowed her to step in and help Brown Bros. Farms and VanScoy Farms grow their businesses during the pandemic. She helped them on the weekends at the drive-thru farmers market and helped create content and promote their online advertising campaigns. What Haylee thought would be a short term gig, ended up continuing for the remainder of 2020 and is how their love story began.

The Proposal!! Wesley was nervous all week trying to keep Haylee out of the loop on his surprise proposal..... He suggested that they go out to dinner for Valentine's Day a week earlier since it would likely work out better for their busy schedules and not be as busy as actual Valentine's weekend. Haylee and Wes had discussed that he wouldn't propose on a holiday, so this made Haylee start to wonder if something was up... but she didn't let on that she had any hunches. Before they went to dinner, Wes suggested that they go visit his Grandad's farm that he was in the process of purchasing to see the property since Haylee had only been there a couple times. As they drove back the lane on the property, Wes had his grandmother's tree (an Eastern Redbud) decorated with hanging pictures of the two of them, string lights, and a bouquet of flowers. The ribbon he used to hang the pictures from the tree was purple to match the blooms that usually emerge in May, but since it was early February with nearly 6 inches of snow on the ground, he had to improvise. As they got out of the truck and approached the tree, Wes had a bible in his hand that he had engraved for Haylee with her new soon-to-be last name and the verse "I have found the one whom my soul loves" - Song of Solomon 3:4. He nervously got down on one knee and pulled the ring off the bookmark in the bible and proposed to the love of his life. Even though Haylee had a hunch that it was coming, she cried tears of joy, saying yes to the man of her dreams. It certainly was a picture perfect proposal and more than Haylee ever could of asked for.

Haylee + Wes chose such a gorgeous venue when they selected Little Creek Barn! Everything is stunning from the bridal suites, the ceremony space, to the lower level reception space lined with windows to view the amazing property! Haylee sprinkled sentimental elements like glitter throughout her day :) I love that she took the time to make sure that so many parts of her day held meaning.  Haylee wore a stunning sleeveless, fitted gown with a shear lace tattoo back that was completed with a gorgeous line of pearl buttons that ran from the nape of her neck halfway down her dress. The sweetheart neckline fit her perfectly and the long lace train was to die for.  Her hair was beautifully pinned up and finished with a delicate beaded comb and a jaw droppingly beautiful beaded cathedral length veil.

Can we talk about Haylee's shoes???? Um these babies are gorgeous. I've mentioned before that there are brides that grin and bare the pain of heels and others that say "um no thank you, I'll take comfort." Many times though flats can be a little lack luster. Not these from Kailee P!! Holy moly I'm in love AND it get's better! The flower girl's shoes match... how cute is that?!

Haylee chose navy and copper as her colors and her florist had to search high and low for these toffee colored roses to represent that copper color but finally found the perfect ones! The blue thistles are also special since they are Scotland’s national flower and that reminds Haylee of the time she spent there.

This is the bible Wesley had made for the proposal with her new name engraved on it.  

She wore beautiful drop earrings with a pearl on the bottom, her grandmother's pearl necklace, and a bracelet given to her by her mother. As I read the letter her mother gave her with the bracelet I can see she gets her sentimental ways honestly. In the letter her mother explained that the pearl bracelet belonged to Haylee's grandmother but that she had added a charm. The wing of the charm represented the wings that Haylee is growing as she starts her new life, the pearl, a rare and valuable treasure should remind her that her value can never be measured, and the blue drop represents the bittersweet tears that fall from her mother's eyes but as the precious metal wraps around the stone so do her arms around Haylee and she will never be alone.... ughhhhh you guys!! Stop making me cry over here!

The day before Halloween these two will tie the knot! I met up with this adorable couple while the spring trees were still in bloom. It was crazy windy but they rolled with it and rocked their session.  I loved that they incorporated Tyler's firefighting into a few of our downtown photos. These two are so sweet and I can't wait for their big day coming up soon!

Katrina and I met up in early Spring for her senior session and I fell in love with her vibe and look right away. From her blue eye makeup to her Vans t-shirt <3 What a cool girl!

This beauty is my neighbor!! She was like 10 when we moved in to this neighborhood... I can't believe she is a senior already, time sure does fly!

No, you aren't crazy... yes, you are seeing spring trees lol. I've been sitting on this couple's blog for a minute [or 10] Abby + Will are the SWEETEST! My Momma [aka my second shooter] and I drove up to meet these two at Wildwood Park in Toledo. I am such a fan of the Manor house, garden, and grounds so it was a quick "YES" when they asked if we could go to that location. The redbuds were perfectly in bloom and these two were all smiles and heart eyes. I am so excited to be joining them at another one of my favorite places, Nazareth Hall, for their ceremony right in the peak of fall color!!!

Hey friends... we are just a few weeks out from things getting CRAZY around here! Fall is typically the busiest time of year for photographers...but this year for me a little more so than normal! I will be at 7 weddings in 6 weeks followed by an 8th wedding after a week break! SOOOO I thought it is time to spam you guys with a few of the engagement sessions we took of these beautiful people I'll be spending my fall with <3 First up is Haylee + Wes. They will be getting married at the new + gorgeous venue Little Creek Barn. For their engagement session I took a little trip out to the family farm because farming is absolutely central to their careers, relationship, and how they actually met! Wes taught me the difference between straw and hay [total town girl here]. We had a sweet little visit from their fur babies and then danced under the gorgeous sunset! Isn't Haylee's dress to DIE for.... OMG I was soooo excited when I saw her in that thing [insert all the heart eyes]

Exactly a year before Carter entered this world  I was photographing his parents' wedding  <3 I seriously can't say enough how full my heart is when I get to photograph the little ones of my bridal couples!!

Jenna + Calvin are high school sweethearts. They met when Jenna was a freshman and Calvin was a sophomore. They have been dating for 6.5 years and engaged for 3. Seriously could they be any more perfect?

Bridal preparations took place in the bridal suite and dude cave on The Buckeye Barn property. Jenna and her girls sipped on mimosas in matching black jammies while they got their hair and make up done. The guys stood around looking dapper in their suits while enjoying beer and foosball. Jenna wore a beautiful fitted gown with a sweetheart neckline, sheer lace sides, delicate beaded straps, and a plunging open back that met a small line of buttons at her waist. Her hair was curled and beautifully pinned up with a beaded finger tip veil tucked underneath. She wore a simple bracelet, drop earrings, and jeweled sandals.

I photographed this family at the beginning of the year but I have a new slideshow maker that makes posting so much easier so here they are now! What a fun newborn session! Harlow is a super energetic, fun, sweet 3 year old and the best big sister! She may have stolen the show a little, but hey.. with that age you gotta roll with everything. Thank you Lauren and Aaron for sharing your sweet girls with me!

I photographed this beauty last fall but dang it she fell into the "fall burnout" abyss of not blogged clients. I AM SO SORRY!! Better late than never I say! PS if you are senior or anyone for that matter thinking about a fall session. Now is the time to get on the schedule! With 7 weddings in 6 weeks starting the last week of September my fall openings will be a little more restricted... or I could just be trying to squeeze everyone in and not sleeping... who knows 🤷‍♀️

This sweet little nugget belongs to the sweetest past bridal clients! What an absolute joy it was to see Mallory + Jacob again and to photograph this sweet thing.  Thanks for inviting me into your home!!

I could photograph these two everyday for ever and ever 💕 Veronica and Mark are one of my amazing past bridal clients and nothing makes me happier than documenting the growing families of my all my brides and grooms! Baby Rhylee is here now but I still had to show off this gorgeous couple that makes my job so so easy!

You guys... I swear I just photographed her senior pictures like yesterday!! When Jenna reach out to me about photographing her wedding I was SO excited! Like, I actually don't take July weddings anymore due to a crazy summer schedule, but I just knew I had to make an exception for these two 💕 In exactly one month I get the honor of photographing one of the biggest days of their lives and I am stoked! Thanks for choosing me you two! 😘

Caity's bridal preparations were nostalgic for me. 14 years ago this August I was doing the same thing, in the exact same place. Ebenezer is my childhood church and I spent A LOT of time in that building.  When my original wedding location got flooded 3 days prior to our wedding, Ebenezer graciously opened their doors for us to have our ceremony there.

When we arrived at the church, Brent, Caity's father, was hard at work setting up the elaborate back drop he had created for the ceremony, Wes and his guys were chilling in one of the nurseries, and Caity was munching away on some delicious smelling Subway with her girls. We got started right away on detail shots, hanging Caity's gown on a gorgeous set of doors her father had created for them to walk through. About 45 minutes before "dress on" time, Caity asked me, "Can I get my dress on now?" She was SO ready to get her day started! When the time finally came she slipped on her beautiful, cream and blush, lace, A-line gown.  Her gown was sleeveless with the most delicate beaded straps I've ever seen, the back dropped mid-way down her back where a line of buttons started. Caity wore her short curly hair down with a fingertip beaded veil. Now there are three types of brides in the shoe department, the ones that don't care if their feet are screaming 2 minutes into their day, the ones that pick middle of the road heels, but are still gonna be hurting in a bit, and the ones that are ALL about comfort. Whatever category you fit in... I'm here for it and respect all of you. Caity was in the comfort category and chose a pair of white Birkenstock sandals... you go girl, it's your day, you do you!

Dallas and I originally met in high school at a county fair through mutual friends where we exchanged numbers and began dating shortly after. After dating about a year, we broke things off and went our own ways. In college, Dallas reached back out to me often to see how I was doing--mostly on birthdays or holidays--and one year asked if I'd get coffee when back in town. Since I went away for college, we did not see each other much at all after high school. Well, winter break 2017 I agreed to get lunch with Dallas one random Monday. We spent three hours at the restaurant catching up. We planned another day to see each other, and a year and a half later, he proposed. The rest is history :-)

I love when the bride and groom get ready at the same place so we can pop in and see both.

The ladies, in their matching jammies, were getting ready in the beautiful newly renovated bridal suite while listening to music, sipping on mimosas and munching on snacks. When the time came, Brook slipped into her stunning sleeveless trumpet gown. The bodice was sheer lace on the back and sides and was covered in little white beads. The back plunged to her waist where a small row of buttons continued till the skirt. Brook wore simple pearl earrings and her hair half up. Her look was completed with a gorgeous bouquet from the talented Bartz Viviano crew.

The gentlemen were getting ready a floor below the ladies sipping on some beers. The groomsmen that came up to visit the ladies were very jealous of the "party" the ladies had with their music and food spread and decided to hang out a little longer up there. When it was time, Dallas in his custom made Brook face socks, put on his suit with the help of his brothers. This was hilarious 😆 after Dallas was dressed the rest of his crew decided they needed to recreate the classic bridesmaids fluffing the dress pictures, but with Dallas and his suit. Oh. My. Goodness. I love these guys they made the day so fun!

Several months ago my best friend of 27 years (gosh that number can't be real 😬) called me up and said "Hey... do you want to go on a vacation, just the 4 of us? We are thinking we might just get married on the trip."  UHHH, vacations are my FAVORITE thing and weddings are like my second FAVORITE thing... plus my bestie??? YES PLEASE!! We started making plans right away. However, just like most plans made in 2020, ours ended up changing too. Originally we were headed to Cancun. A month before we were supposed to head out the CDC put in place the policy of testing to get back home. None of us could risk being stuck in Mexico for 3 weeks (although if I had to quarantine that is the place I would choose!!) We ended up pushing their wedding date out a few months and changing our location to be states side. Turned out for other reasons that kept popping up this was the perfect timing and everything turned out beautifully. 

Bridal preparations started EARLY! We had decided on an early morning ceremony to catch the sunrise. This meant we needed to be out on the beach by 6:40 am!! I think we made it by 7:00 lol. Sarah wore a stunning flowy gown with a sheer lace bodice and lace up back, gold dangle earrings, and a gorgeous bracelet. Her hair was pinned up at the nape of her neck and finished with a vintage looking jeweled and feathered hair piece. For the ceremony she kept her feet bare and put on gold sandals for photos outside the hotel.

May 16th is a date that will forever be special to Sarah and Keith but it is also Sarah's late grandmother's birthday.  This is her grandmother's delicate ring that she wears all the time.

They could have had a really romantic story and been High School Sweethearts. Instead they were just goofy kids, that became friends after three long years of Travis’s corny jokes and Nicole’s impatient banter. They developed something deeper in late night talks on the swings at St. Charles, through prom dates senior year. After LCC graduation, Nicole and Travis took separate paths to separate colleges. But they kept their friendship alive by reconnecting on Christmas and summer breaks, with the occasional school year visit....Then it all changed in fall of 2017. Any true Ohioan remembers the game: the Buckeyes faced a heart wrenching loss to Oklahoma. Nicole, always pretending to be a sports fan, was at Little Bar watching the game. Travis, being a real fan, was at the same bar drinking his sorrows away. So, fate had it that they ran into each other. And just like that, Travis and Nicole found their way back to each other. Drunken nights out and long text conversations soon melted into calls and FaceTimes and regular weekend visits. And somewhere between the talking and laughing, real life and love started to happen. It’s a simple story really: Boy and Girl become friends, then Boy and Girl fall in love. So, no, they aren’t high school sweethearts. But their hearts stay young and their love continues to grow. And that’s the best kind of story in their book. Oh, and remember those late night talks on the swings at St. Charles? That’s where Travis proposed to Nicole. Where the next chapter of their lives together begin, in a story they will write together: Travis adding those corny jokes, and Nicole editing them out. It's a love story that practically writes itself, with the ending we were all rooting for.

Bridal preparations for the ladies took place between Beauty by Jill Salon and The Studio on High. I can't sing enough praises about both of these vendors! The Beauty by Jill team is always quick and professional. This time Jill even called me to make sure we were all set for our EARLY and tight timeline. The Studio on High is a new AMAZING space in Lima created by a photographer friend of mine. It is a gorgeous space with beautiful natural light that can be rented by the hour. When she announced she was opening this space a few months ago I knew it was going to be the perfect place for Nicole to get in her dress! Nicole wore a stunning flowy gown, with a intricately beaded, shear bodice with a high neck line. Her shoes and earrings were a beautiful dark green. She wore her hair pinned up at the nape of her neck, finished with two delicate hair pins and a beaded fingertip veil.