Jordan + Ashley

These two people. Where to begin?

A little over three years ago, Ashley moved into the apartment next to us. We would say hello’s in passing (well, as she would tell you, I would excitedly say “HELLO!” and if she couldn’t get away from me quick enough, she would say hello back. Haha!), but we didn’t have any real conversations at first. Then one day, she locked herself out of her apartment and didn’t have her phone… so she knocked on my door and asked to use mine to call someone to let her in. That’s when it all began! Eventually, she took Brent and I to dinner to to thank us for watching her cat while she was away for the weekend and we all hit it off. Through the last few years, our friendship has grown in a way I never expected. We are both so different and yet so similar at the same time, which means that we really understand one another, but we also butt heads at times and can be pretty stubborn when we’re …overly emotional. :) We’ve fought for our friendship, taken the time to learn how to communicate well with each other, and I can honestly say she knows me better than most people. I can hardly put into words how thankful I am for her. She is strong and persistent and caring and thoughtful. She is an incredible person who rises above the most difficult and heartbreaking circumstances. She is the best nurse and despite how exhausting and overwhelming her work can be, she always has room to care for the people she loves. I could go on and on… but I will just say that before Jordan, I had a hard time imagining that anyone could measure up.

But then I met Jordan. Things started off slowly, but ask anyone who knows her and they’ll tell you that no one has ever made her smile the way that he does. He is hard-working, patient, intentional, and the way he loves everything about her (and I mean everything, even the tough stuff!)… well, I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it. No surprise there. It’s been almost a year now and seeing their relationship grow to where it is today has been a joy. It’s strong, adoring, fun-loving, supportive, devoted, grounded, and really - they are FOR one another. In everything. And it’s an added bonus that Jordan felt like a friend to us from the moment we met him.

So, finally, I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to two of our dearest friends, because they are ENGAGED and we couldn’t be any more thrilled about it! I’m giggling to myself right now because we took these photos back in November and little did Ashley know that Jordan would soon be down on one knee, asking her to do life together as husband and wife. WOOHOO!

Jordan and Ashley,
Brent and I treasure your friendship and we love you both SO much.
We are proud of you and cannot wait to see what’s in store in the many years to come.

❤️

Matt + Alexis | engaged

I seriously love the memories I have from this session with Matt and Alexis and I’ll tell you why. First of all, they are so much fun to be around and it’s a testament to who they are that they were SUCH troopers on one of the first very cold days that we had in the fall. To top it off, it was also SO WINDY that day. So windy. The kind of “windy” that has you nervous as you’re driving because it feels like your car might lift off into the sky! But they showed up, embraced the weather, and we had so much fun with it! The other thing I’d like to note is that clients often go into wonky, less-than-ideal weather thinking that it will negatively impact their session and the final images - but actually, it makes everything better. I will say that the wind we had on this particular day was… a bit much. (Haha!) But even still, I LOVE wind because it creates natural movement, like making your dress a little extra flowy or elevating your newly realized model status with a gentle tuck of hair away from your face.

All of that to say, weather is sometimes wonky and life is sometimes wonky. BUT, when we embrace it and make the best of what we’re facing, the result is almost always so much better than we could have imagined!

Happy Monday!

Casey + Aislyn | married

1) Favorite moment?
I can’t choose just one?! I loved the moments between Casey and his dad, especially as he was getting ready for the day. I also really loved right after Casey and Aislyn were announced as husband and wife - their walk down the aisle was full of applause and smiles and congratulations. It was like something out of a movie!

2) Favorite detail? 
The Chubbies shorts on the fellas. It was such a great (and practical) gift for the groomsmen and as you’ll see, these guys modeled them well. :) AND THAT FOG. It certainly wasn’t a planned detail, but it was absolutely magical!

3) When did you cry? 
Definitely when Aislyn and her dad had their first look! Aislyn and I are both only children and we have similarly close relationships with our parents, so as I was witnessing those special moments she shared with both her mom and her dad throughout the day, I was flooded with memories of similar moments that I had during my own wedding and how much I treasure them.

4) M.V.P of the day? 
I’m not sure how well this question is working out because it is SO difficult to narrow it down and when I think back to this day, every person that we interacted with was kind and helpful and awesome. So, I guess I’m not really answering this other than to say that it is clear to me how very well loved each of my couples are by their people and that’s something really darn wonderful!

George + Madison | engaged

Oh my, I want to tell you so many things about these two humans (and their pup, Rutger!) but as soon as I begin to type, I realize how redundant I must sound when I’m talking about the people that I get to work with. They’re warm, welcoming, kind, thoughtful, fun, and seriously some of the very best people I could ever hope to meet. ALL OF THEM. And it’s crazy for me to think about how fortunate I am to know so many incredible people and even just attempt to capture that incredible-ness. WOOHOO! I’m overflowing with gratitude.

Anyway… these photos make me smile SO BIG and I’m hoping they’ll do the same for you.

Happy ALMOST-Wednesday!

Adam + Steph | engaged

Well, it’s the first snow of the season and I’m doing a little happy dance AND reminiscing on one of my FAVORITE snowy days from earlier this year. A favorite because SNOW. I love snow. But also because I got to spend it with Adam + Steph, who happen to be getting married in just a little over a month from now!

I. Can’t. Wait.

Also, while I love the snow… I’m thinking of YOU if you have to venture out there and hoping your travels are safe!