babies, babies, babies!

Eeeeek!  This was my second pregnancy announcement of the year, & it happened to be another one of my best friends again!  This announcement was a little different than the last one I did.  The parents wanted to capture the moment of surprising their daughter, Shelbi, with the big news, then have their little mermaid help announce it to the whole world!  Watching the parents explain to Shelbi that she was going to be having a little baby brother or sister soon was so sweet.  Shelbi was happy about the new addition, but I honestly think this water loving princess was more excited to put her mermaid gear on & get in the water!  She's too funny!  I can only imagine how excited she will be during the summer time to teach the little one how to swim in years to come.

Love this one!

How cute is she!?

Engagement | Jason & Brooke

In May I had the honor of photographing my very first military themed session!  Eeeeek!  Not sure who was more excited, the bride-to-be, Brooke, or myself!  We each had ideas, while Jason went along with whatever we wanted to do.  Smart man ;)  Brooke knew exactly where she wanted their engagement pictures taken at from the very beginning, & that was at the Henry River Mill Village - which is where quite a bit of The Hunger Games were filmed at!  It's such a quiet & pretty area.  Other than having to deal with the crazy humidity (gotta love living in the South!) & getting soaked from the pouring rain at the very end, our session went great!

LOVE this next one!

Kensi

Before Kensi turned one in May, we had ourselves a little photo shoot.  Her mom brought an adorable cake for her to play with - which she did not want to have anything to do with, ha!  Instead of eating it, she decided to walk on it & squish it with her little feet & the letters!  It was so cute & funny!  She is such a gorgeous little girl!  

Kensi, how do you really feel about the cake?

Oliver

Lately I have photographed adorable kids with the most gorgeous blue eyes - Oliver is one of them!  I have known Oliver's mother, Nicole, since middle school.  When she asked me to take pictures of Oliver for his first birthday, I was so excited!  Nicole wanted to do a Mickey Mouse theme.  She made the fabric banner you see in the background.  She did such a good job!  Oliver isn't crazy over cake, but Nicole still brought a cupcake for him to play with.  After sticking his little fingers in the icing a few times, he was done with it!  It was so funny!

How cute is this face!?

Engagement | Trent & Savannah

Last month I met up with Savannah & Trent to shoot their engagement session!  I was super excited because this couple is so easy to photograph.  Savannah is absolutely beautiful & is willing to do anything!  She always comes to each session with ideas, which I love!  Trent is handsome & so easy going!  It works out perfectly :) The location they chose was gorgeous.  Beautiful place with beautiful views!  We took a ton of pictures - it was so hard to narrow down!

Ah, that golden evening lighting has me like #emojihearteyes

Can you imagine how gorgeous she will be on her wedding day!?

These last few pictures fit Savannah to a T!  They were all her idea!  And the chalkboard sign she is holding?  She drew the antlers herself!  We also used another sign that she hand drew & wrote their wedding date.  It was like something you would buy at Hobby Lobby (because you know they have the cutest stuff)!  Absolutely beautiful.  I told her I may get her to make some pieces for our home, ha!

tis the season to get married!

At every wedding I attend, help with, or photograph, I always go back in time to the day my husband & I got married.  I am sure that is what every girl that has ever been/is married does though?  When you think back, you don't think about the stress, the struggles, or the tears that lead up to that special day.  You think about all the happy moments that was made on that day!  You think about your first dance with the man you just said "I do" to, the laughs you shared with your girls while getting ready, or something funny that your ring bearer did.  True story - our adorable little ring bearer decided to stop halfway while walking & sit down in the middle of the aisle!  I could see what was going on from a distance.  I was laughing so hard & so was everyone else!  I remember seeing my future husband squat down, speak the little boys name, & then watch him run to my groom.  It was the cutest & funniest thing ever!  It definitely helped ease some of my nerves, ha!

As a bride, you want everything to be picture perfect.  Yes, people will remember some of the gorgeous details you worked oh so hard on, but what they will remember the most is how happy you two were.  They will remember watching you two laugh and smile at each other all evening long.

This Saturday is my first wedding of the year.  I look forward to the first kiss once they have said their "I do's", their first dance, & getting the newlyweds away from everyone else to take special pictures of just the two of them.  I get nervous & excited, just like the bride & groom!  Even when I have been a second shooter for another photographer, I feel the same way.  I may not be the best photographer in the world, but I strive to be the very best that I can be - for myself but most importantly for YOU! 

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