We are currently in route to NYC to fly to ITALY to photograph a beautiful wedding for a very special couple!! We’re taking Evy AND my sister, her husband and their baby boy! Crazy right?! The cutest part of this experience thus far has been getting Evy’s passport in the mail! She looks so cute and tiny!!!!! So as we were gearing up for this trip, I have been thinking a lot about destination weddings! We just photographed another destination wedding LAST weekend in Hatteras (very southern point of OBX!) and now we’re traveling across the ocean for another one!
So, if you’re a current bride or hope to be engaged and getting married within the next few years, this post may be helpful to you! Every bride needs to recognize what she loves and what she wants her wedding day to be like. Every woman is different and will have different preferences for her day …. same with the groom! Weddings aren’t one-size-fits-all, but a lot of times they are treated that way. The truth is, I’ve witnessed some weddings where the Bride and Groom are COMPLETELY overwhelmed, and I could tell that they were only having a massive wedding to appease their parents. I understand wanting to honor your parent’s wishes, but I also think that a Bride and Groom should have a wedding day that reflects their wishes and who they are!
For some, this may mean a destination wedding! After planning (and paying for) two weddings, my parents joked about how easy it would have been to just do a small destination wedding! It’s true, that would have been easier…. but Emy and I both wanted all of our friends and all of our family there!! So a destination wedding wasn’t the right fit for us!
So how do you know if it’s the right fit for you?! Here are FIVE characteristics that we often find in all of our destination couples! So, you may love a DESTINATION WEDDING IF……
So, if you’re starting to think about your wedding day and what that’s going to look like, take this all into consideration! Even if you’re not planning on having a destination wedding, you may realize after reading this that you want a more intimate wedding at home which is great to!! (You just have to deal with all of the friends and family that think they should be there! Yikes!)
Overall, as a bride, you need to do what feels right for the two of you and your personalities!! The good news is that even the weddings where the bride and groom were overwhelmed, it was still a BEAUTIFUL CELEBRATION and they had a magnificent time!!!
ERIN + KYLE – Les Mirandes Wedding, Montmoreau-Saint-Cybard, France Wedding
TYLER + KATIE – Newry, Maine Wedding at the Glenn House
DREW + BECCA – Sarasota, Florida Wedding at the Powel Crosley Estate
HAYDEN + GELI – Iceland Wedding
MAC + KATELYN – Charleston South Carolina Wedding – Legare Waring House
If you’ve ever walked into a photo session and silently panicked about where to shoot… If you’ve ever crossed your fingers hoping golden hour would save you… If you’ve ever opened Lightroom thinking, “I don’t even know how to fix this lighting…”
Three years ago, Michael and I helped launch a school that would completely reshape our family’s life, and the lives of so many others. This past weekend, we traveled to Austin, Texas, for the annual Acton Academy Owners Conference, and I left with so much to share.
I haven’t done one of these Where I Am updates in a few weeks, and honestly? It’s because life has felt full and fast…but also slow and sweet in ways I didn’t expect!
You know those images that just glow? The ones where the lighting feels effortless, the tones are dreamy, and everything looks polished—even if it was taken in a less-than-perfect spot?
This week’s Where I Am is short, sweet, and exactly what it’s meant to be: a quick check-in on life, faith, and business.
Some sessions are special because of the people. Some sessions are special because of the place. And then there are sessions like this one… where everything comes together to create something truly unforgettable.