Renewed: Richard & Kristina

This day represents why I do what I do. This celebration, rich with purpose, emotion, beauty and life, lights a fire in my creative heart and brought a soul-weighty responsibility to every frame I worked over. This day was about reconciliation. About redemption. About life-altering, all-encompassing LOVE. I wish there was a better word for the commitment expressed here... perhaps you can figure out what that word should be when scrolling through these pictures.

Kristina and Ricky are beloved friends of mine, and I bore witness to the deep valleys that brought them to this day. The sheer fact that they chose to soldier through the pain, instead of run away from it, is awe-inspiring. But the fact that they emerged from the other side with an even deeper sense of trust, care and tenderness for one another?! There is no human expression to accurately describe that, but GRACE. The pure, unmerited favor of God is clearly entangled in this love story, and it was nothing short of miraculous to watch it all unfold.

So, this day. Kristina and I spent hours planning every last detail, and of course it all came out beautifully. But what shone through, past the romantic florals and soft pastel tones, past the moody candlelight and wispy fabrics, was the incredible display of God's goodness and fierce love for this marriage. Kristina and Ricky - surrounded by their family and friends, who loved them through the mess, and stood up for their marriage in seasons of despair - were able to proclaim Holy Victory over a covenant that was so very close to destruction.

What absolute beauty. A picture of heaven on earth. A physical representation of us being reunited to God, despite our earthly sin and rebellion. He desires us and wants us, even though we wound him deeply. Christ covers all.

And on this day, Christ truly covered all.

Once Upon A Dream

You know those dreams you have that sound crazy when you first speak them to yourself, and then they somehow become reality? This session embodied that kind of dream for me. I started imagining a Disney-themed forest-y engagement session last year and when Juliana and Levi chose me as their wedding photographer several months ago, that small voice in my head prodded me to make that dream a reality!

Juliana and Levi already chose the forests of Point Defiance for their engagement session, so we made this styled session happen on the same afternoon as the rest of their portraits! The ancient mossy trees were the perfect setting for this modernized spin on the famous scene from Sleeping Beauty.

We studied the scene on YouTube as we set up shots, and did our best to mimic some of the iconic frames of the film, so I included a few of the original screen shots below.

I found the gray tulle skirt online and Juliana completed the rest of the outfit with things she already had in her closet. In fact, we weren't going to have an under layer until she brought this white top with her and we realized it would compliment Briar Rose's look perfectly!

We kept the props simple and foraged some greens for her basket. I love how Juliana's hat gave her character some bohemian dimension - I like to think that the Aurora of today would have worn a wide-brimmed hat as she picked berries!

The weather was finicky throughout our time together and we had to pause for a few minutes to let a torrential rain cloud pass over us! Though once the rain passed, the sun streamed through the trees and every wet branch glistened in the fresh warmth. The light couldn't have been dreamier for their woodland dancing!

A doe even came out of the forest and graced us with her presence for a few minutes. I caught her in a couple of frames and you can just barely see her in the background of the first image below. Juliana voiced aloud her wish to see a deer before our shoot even began, so it felt extra special to be in the presence of such elegant natural beauty.

All in all, our time together was pure magic!

What Disney-inspired shoot would you like to see... or even be a part of? I would love to do something like this again, so please reach out if you have big dreams! I want to make them a reality!

Engaged: Abe & Sydney

Every engagement session is a wonderful time for me to build relationships with the couple I'm working with. I get to know their gifts, their quirks and what makes their relationship uniquely beautiful. This adorable couple and I got to carpool on a mini road trip together up to the mountains and we got to spend more time talking than at a typical session. Two hours in the car with people you don't know very well definitely gives you the opportunity to make connections and become friends!

By the time we got up to the perfectly snowy spot, we were quite comfortable with each other and had a blast tromping around in the soft powder! The snow was coming down fast and fluffy, which gave that extra special wintry touch we were hoping for! Our time together was filled with just the right balance of sweetness and playfulness, as you will see below! I am so excited for Abe and Sydney to join together as husband and wife this summer - they're on track for a loving, sacrificial marriage!