Remembering your wedding day

Before we got married, I had many people share with me: "The whole [wedding] day is a blur. It's hard to remember specific moments." After shooting several weddings with a fast day-of timeline, I understand how that can happen.

For Dean & I, it was a quick day. We got married at noon & started getting ready on the early early side (around 6 am). But by the time the reception was wrapping up, we were like, "Really?? It's ending already?"

That's why it's amazing to have images like the one above, shot by our incredible photographers The Pinwheel Collective. Photos that capture what you were doing, where you were looking, who you were with, that help bring you back to that special day.

Joy. That's what I was feeling in the image above. It was taken right after our paper airplane send-off as were headed toward our getaway car.

Don't move or the eyeliner will smudge.

Also: my sister rocks & I'm so grateful she's here to help!

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Yay it fits!!! Regardless of how many fittings, there is still a slight thought in your mind that your dress will not zip/button/close all the way. I've never seen this be the case buuut it can creep into your head.

Let's do this thing! I was soo ready to get married. Also, we were somewhat behind schedule - & our pastor had back-to-back weddings to officiate that day!!! (It all worked out in the end. We somehow made up some time!)

Beyond excited to see my soon-to-be hubby!!! This was taken during our first look. It was free-zing cold outside to me (bare arms!) & it was so great to see his handsome face.

Love. With a huge capital L! And loved :) Having the time together, just the two of us, before the ceremony was thebomb.com.

Fancy. We were asked to give serious expressions, which makes me think of aristocraticness. And still. really. cold.

I want to eat this cookie now!! And someone grab me another! For reals, when your friends, family & even photographer encourages you to eat throughout the morning/afternoon leading up to your wedding, do it. These were made my super talented mother-in-law. She even used our wedding colors (mint + fuschia!).

A little jittery & so blessed to have those incredible women beside me! We huddled up for a group prayer right before the ceremony began.

Somebody get her a tourniquet!!! What you can't see in this photo is Chelsea's big ole' scraped up knee. As were walking down the stairs of the barn trap door (yep, super old school!), Chels was carrying my train. When I came to the bottom & stepped onto the ground, she lost her footing and fell, scraping her knee in the process.

Praise be to God! Our incredible wedding planner Sami was just a few feet away & ran over to help stop the bleeding. Chels was such a trooper about it the whole time!

This is it. I'm getting MARRIED to DEAN!!!

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So happy I could cry.

So happy I can't stop smiling.

Why is it so windy right now?! We had decided to include 3 cords as part of our ceremony. Braiding when it's not windy - no problem! Braiding while the wind is trying to blow the cords away - mucho difficult!

We're MARRIED!!!!

Sister SANDWICH!!! It's one of our fave things to do with Chels :)

I love dancing with my husband :)

Yay! Small Group ladies!!!

No you DIDN'T! Eating our first piece of cake got a little messy ... then we accidentally dropped the rest of that piece on the ground :(

Here we go!!!

Whether your wedding day includes a short ceremony or a long dance-the-night-away reception, having beautiful images allows you to look back and remember the small snippets that took place during the day. The stories within your wedding story that you can cherish now & share in the years to come.


happy 2-0-1-4!

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It's here - 2-0-1-4!

And I couldn't be more excited for this. Now. Not just what's up ahead months from now. But Wednesday, another day that the Lord has so gloriously made & given us the opportunity to live it to the fullest for His glory.

How was 2013 for you, friend? Did you set goals & achieve them? Were you making positive changes in your life? Maybe some scary ones like moving, starting a new job or trying something completely foreign to you.

As I sit typing this, I'm reflecting on the highlights of past 12 months which included getting engaged, switching jobs, starting LMP, shooting my first 3 weddings (Fatima & Marlin, Bekah & Steve, Lara & Dan!), planning our rustic barn wedding, marrying my handsome hubby in Winchester, traveling to St. Lucia, moving into a new home & turning 26, to name a few.

Instead of posting my monthly goals for today, I wanted to share about what I'm using to help dream big this year: PowerSheets a la Lara Casey. Y'all, if you haven't visited her site before, go mosey on over there now! She is an incredible source of business, wedding & spiritual inspiration as she challenges so many to make. things. happen.

And I've still got quite a bit of dreaming, reflecting & praying to do as I walk through the PowerSheets. That I would be led by the Holy Spirit & walk in the Lord's footsteps.

Here's to this new year! 

"May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart  
be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Joy to the world!

Taken by the awesome Pinwheel Collective

Taken by the awesome Pinwheel Collective

One verse that has been on my mind through these past few days leading up to Christmas is a beautiful scripture from Isaiah 9:6. It says:

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, came down to earth to be born to a virgin & her carpenter husband, live a perfect, sinless life in a small town growing in wisdom & stature with God & men (Luke 2:52) & spend the last 3 years of his life teaching 12 men, serving others, healing the sick, sharing the truth & hope for all mankind.

It is this time of year that we rejoice & celebrate that our Savior, long awaited by many in the Old Testament was born. "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” // Luke 2:11-12

It is through His perfect love that we rejoice with that hope for eternity. "I am the way, the truth & the life; no man comes to the Father except through me. // John 14:6

It is through placing our trust for salvation & forgiveness for our sins in our Savior that can know the fullest meaning of Christmas. "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."  // I John 4:9

From our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas!

Bekah + Steve: sneak peek

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One of the greatest joys & privileges is to shoot the wedding of a very close friend. Bekah, or B as I call her, & I worked together for just under 2 years & y'all, we had some wonderful memories together!

Like the time when we were working a weekend BBQ event & a storm came through. Let's just say the tent we were under started to blow away, trying to take us with it!

Or the time we spent our lunchbreak hunting for an illusive rope swing through the woods of Northern Virginia. And yes, we did find it!

This girl - she is a spunky linedancing queen who will sporadically break out into beautiful acapella singing & has a huge heart for the Lord. Her now hubby Steve is an amazing man who truly loves her & is constantly looking for ways to shine Christ's light by serving others.

Dean & I were beyond blessed to capture their gorgeous fall barn wedding in Luray in late September. SO much more of their family-filled DIY day to come!

Read all about their exciting engagement story here & check out their snowy day photo session here & here.

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Earlier this month, I was hardcore dreaming of a White Birthday. And that's exactly what I got!

Dean & I started off the morning with a it's-starting-to-snow-so-shoot-faster-so-we-can-all-get-warm-again engagement shoot with Sabrina & David. We had planned to cut down our very own Christmas tree at a nearby farm. Insert excited squeal here! But all of the snow we accumulated throughout the morning & afternoon was actually *too* much to make the trip out out to the farm.

Instead, we spent a cozy afternoon in our new home, enjoying pumpcakes (pumpkin. pancakes!), snuggling under the covers to watch Home Alone. And don't you worry you pretty little Christmas socks off - we *did* get to cut down that tree the next weekend. YAY!

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Part of Dean's gift to me was a bouquet of roses with reasons he loved me on them. So pretty to look at AND read :)

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To my Hubby, who can somehow manage to make me laugh even on the crummiest of days, gives me the world's squeeziest hugs, patiently waits when it's hard for me to open up about something & rocks a pretty awesome spoon on his nose, you are the real deal. The past 18 months have been the best adventure together & I cannot wait for a million more. Thank you for pointing me to the Lord & being a man I truly look up to.

Happy weekend! May it be a little bit snowy & a whole lotta bright :)