MEREDITH + RYAN ENGAGED!

Let me start off by saying that I am SO happy for these two. Meredith is a dear friend from college who has found a soul mate in Ryan. They are both CrossFit fanatics and they met at Meredith's brother's gym, CrossFit Brave. I love couples who love to sweat together! : ) We started out their engagement shoot with a holiday-inspired picnic at the North Carolina Museum of Art, which is such a great outside space. The architecture is so inspiring, and we had fun frolicking in the Rodin sculpture garden, especially. At the end of the session, we stopped at the Capitol in downtown Raleigh for some shots in Ryan's uniform. He was just deployed a week ago for about 10 months (thanks for your service, Ryan), which breaks my heart for Meredith, but I hope these moments bring her many smiles remembering snuggling up to her man!

Love this next series...

Such a cool wedding date!!!

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES! (well, not anymore...)

When I was a junior in college at UNC, I studied abroad in Sydney, Australia. During that time, I really grew into myself and discovered who I wanted to be. I even took my first darkroom class at the college of fine arts on UNSW's campus. I made some amazing lifelong friends (Americans and Australians!), and I can't speak enough good words about the whole experience. This blog post is meant to commemorate a very special thing. While in Australia, I formed a pretty tight-knit group of American friends, who I still keep in touch with today. We don't talk everyday, by any means, but once you share an experience like we did, it's kind of hard to break that special bond. ; ) In fact, I've had the extreme honor of shooting every single (yay puns!) one of these lovely ladies' weddings (from L-R): Bernadette, Nicole, Rachel, Susie and Claire. What a beautiful bunch -- look at us in 2005, we're babies!

I got married first! I was so happy that Nicole, Bernadette (Bean, as we affectionately called her in Oz) and Susie were able to attend my wedding on 06.4.11.

Nicole got married on 10.1.11 in Corolla, North Carolina. Here are Nicole, Claire and me with two close Australian friends on her wedding day:

Next up was Claire! She got married on 05.12.12 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Pictured are Nicole, Claire, Lizzie (who also studied in Oz!) and me:

Rachel was next on the list. She got married on 08.11.12 in Manhattan Beach, California. My husband and I traveled there a day early for the "beach day" to celebrate the bride and groom.

...and here's a photo of me in action on her wedding day!

Bean got hitched next in Baltimore, Maryland on 04.13.13. Here I am with the beautiful bride (thanks for the photo skillz, Steph!):

And last but certainly not least to get married was Susie. Her wedding was in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on 07.13.13. Here are a few iPhone snaps from her reception:

I'm extremely grateful to each of these ladies for their trust in me, generosity in having me, and of course, their huge hearts. Here's to the next big chapter(s) in our lives! Love y'all. : )

JAY: NEWBORN

Meet an adorable little boy at eight days old: Jay. He was such a sweetheart during his first photo shoot! I also thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the whole family, especially Jay's older sibling, Mac, who is such a proud brother! Leave them some love, y'all. : )

I heart baby lips.

Mac! Isn't he equally precious?

LOVE this black & white. So sweet.

Big brother Mac and little brother Jay. Heart melting.

CLAIRE + BLAKE - Artspace Wedding

You may remember this gorgeous couple from their rainy day engagement session. : ) Claire & Blake were married at All Saints Chapel in Raleigh, North Carolina, and had a SLAMMIN' celebration afterward at Artspace.

Just LOOK how much they love each other! It makes me so happy to see one of my friends find her match. Shooting this wedding was delightful, because everyone was SO sweet and SO on top of things. The day went flawlessly, and Claire & Blake make one beautiful couple!

Bride's dress: Paloma Blanca, purchased at Bridal Boutique of North Carolina Bride's shoes: Kate Spade Bridesmaids' dresses: After Six, purchased at Victoria's Bridal Couture Groom and groomsmen attire: Jos. A. Bank Makeup: Michelle Planté, friend of the bride Hair: Sadi Dorrier, sister-in-law of the bride Florals: Dogwood Tree Floral Designs Coordinator: Megan Barlow, friend of the bride Ceremony music: Arioso Strings Cake: Ashley Cakes DJ: Randy Bennett of Joe Bunn DJ Co. Caterer: Catering Works Invitations & Programs: emDotzee Designs

Fun fact: During college, Claire and I studied abroad together in Sydney, Australia, and we took a darkroom class together at the College of Fine Arts of UNSW. It was during this time that I discovered my love of photography, and Claire shared that experience with me. So, shooting her and Blake's wedding holds an extra special place in my heart. : )

Thanks a ton to Nathan Clendenin of Cana Collective for helping me document this happy day!

Penny is such a cute pup!

Claire got Blake a really nice Armani watch, and he made sure to set it to their wedding date... the 12th!

Beautiful.

These bridesmaids = gorgeous and fun!

Claire's grandfather officiated the ceremony, which made it extra meaningful for them.

This little boy was SO adorable riding on the trolley for pictures.

SO HAPPY!

There were AWESOME dancers in this crowd!

BETHANY + ROB - Caffe Luna Wedding

Bethany & Rob were married in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina in mid-October. I think October is my favorite month for many reasons. On this particular day, it was because the weather was so pleasant! Their ceremony was in the morning at Christ Church, and their midday reception was held at Caffe Luna - a cute, elegant Italian-Tuscan cafe. Congratulations Bethany and Rob - you two are a ton o' fun!

I wasn't allowed to photograph during the ceremony, but I did grab a couple quick frames during the processional and recessional.

Love the thumbs up. : )

Bethany's mom got teary-eyed during her and Rob's first dance. Awww. : )

Everyone got pretty emotional during toast time!

HANDS DOWN most funny picture from a cake-cutting. EVER.