I hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed taking them, a big Congrats Tyler & Rachael! I can’t wait to shoot your beautiful wedding!

I’m excited to share with you this recent senior session.  Courtney is a beautiful girl, and she’s a country bumpkin thru and thru.  My kinda girl. We had a blast shooting on the farm. I put my Pandora Radio app on and Garth, George, and Waylon serenaded the whole thing.  YEE haw, here’s to country girls and graduating high school! Congrats Courtney!  Take life by the horns, anythings possible.

Here are just a couple from our shoot.  The location for was downtown Nashville, Tn.

Mamaw turned the big 8-0 this past month.  My aunt and family threw her a big surprise birthday party.  I knew it was just the deadline I needed to do what I always said I wanted to do.  Shoot a video of my Mamaw; telling stories, playin guitar, just capture her spirit the best I could.  I think I put it off for so long because it brought tears to my eyes just thinking about starting it.   But if I never got around to it, I would forever regret it when the opportunity to do so was gone.  So I spent a few days with her, following her around.  I threw together this piece in a week, start to finish.  To me this will never be good enough, there are so many moments with my Mamaw that collectively build her character.  Just to choose a few days of moments to present her to you, is bothersome to me.  I want to plea, ‘do you get it? do you get how special she is?’.   Oh, but maybe it’s just me.  Maybe that’s just it.  A spirit so beautiful as hers, isn’t meant to be perfectly captured by secondhand experience.  Moments are beautiful, they evoke.  But Mamaw is more than a moment. She’s a lifetime of moments, that myself and my cousins, are the fortunate ones to have shared.  This video is just a glimpse…and by gollie this video is not finished!  I can’t put an end to it, not yet.

So the weatherman called for snow this morning, not only snow, but 4+ inches of snow. Guess what?  Aint no snow in sight!  I am bummed! I was already fantasizing about sledding all day with my little girl on the farm.  So, instead I thought about finally blogging a Wedding that I’ve had under my belt for a while, that was shot on an ISLAND, in the sun and warmth at the end of summer.  I hope this blog warms up your little cold toes, sure did mine!

This beautiful wedding was held on the amazing island of Bald Head, NC.  I posted a previous post about the place, you can read it all here.  This wedding is especially close to me, because it is my best friend’s wedding!  (Now hold your horses, I know what you’re thinking…no I didn’t shoot the ceremony bc I was in it. But don’t you know I shot everything else because it was my best friend and she was absolutely stunning, how COULD I not?!) Jade and I met in 7th grade at Cheerleading tryouts.  It was best friends at first sight. Her twin sister (also my best friend, it’s like a trio) and herself had this long ponytail just like I did, and when we started talking we instantly bonded over cheering and the outdoors.  We all made the team, and were attached at the hip every since.  For years we were cheering side by side, diggin up worms and fishin on the farm, wading thru the creek, occasionally talking about boys and flipping around in the yard or trampoline.  When we occasionally talked about boys, of course we talked about marriage. Who would get married first, what he would be like, who would have the first baby…I think we were all in agreement that I would probably end up married first. But sure enough Jade was the first to get married.  Guess you never really can plan life, or even guess it.  I was honored to be a bridesmaid in Jade’s wedding, and was quite the sap when it came to watching it all unfold.  To finally see that moment come to life for her, of walking down the aisle, oh man! So sweet. To see what the dress looked like, and most of all who her husband was, such a pivotal moment in friendship!  I can gladly say that I love Adam.  He is perfect for Jade, and treats her like a queen!  Happy tears all around.

So without further ado, I present to you, Jade and Adam’s Bald Head Island, NC Wedding! Minus the ceremony

So here is what we got.  If you like, spread the word.  I need more work like this, it feeds my soul!

Details:

First look is a vintage dress that Mary Helen brought.  Second look is also styled by Mary Helen.  Last look, the Vintage Wedding Dress is a find by myself, and I paired it with some wildflowers I gathered to make a bouquet.  Last few frames I used my truck headlights to light her because the sky was so blue as it turned to dark, I had to capture it!

Arriving to Bald Head is just as cool as being on Bald Head.  Leave your car behind and catch a ferry to an island where you will only have golf carts and bicycles as means of transportation. That’s just awesome.  There is nothing more relaxing about not having to hop in a car, it’s a casual no biggie to just cruise down the lane to the market for a banana.  Which would seem so daunting if I were driving a car, it would ruin the island mood.  When I arrived to the Island it was dark, this was a bummer.  But I quickly realized it was ideal, because I knew it would feel like Christmas morning when I woke up…running to the window to peek out and see what was there.  On the golf cart ride to the beach house in the dark, we were swaying thru what seemed like a forrest-jungle for what seemed like quite a while.  I could only see what the dim lights from the cart were shining on, which was not much but woods and a excitingly scary curvy lane in the woods. It was hot, but pleasant. And I could smell the beach in the air.  I already loved the place and hadn’t even seen it yet.

I was right. It was awesome.  From the moment I woke up to…well to just about now at the airport, I was a giddy.  I couldn’t wait to see the beach so I took the bicycle the house provided and sniffed my way to the saltwater.  The sand, the fallen fences, the dunes, the sandpipers…were all waiting for me.  Ahh yeah.  I quickly laid my bike beside the rope that lined the beach access and ran straight to the water and just stood there.  Funny how in that moment you breath deeper and close your eyes almost involuntarily.  There is something about the ocean that makes me feel so small.  Yes, it is gigantic and that’s a given, but just materializing the realism of the ocean, right there, as I stand at the edge- it’s breathtaking.  I am thankful.

My overall rating for Bald Head is a solid 98% awesome.  It dropped 2 from perfect only because the mosquitos in the jungle/woods area were terrible and somebody should tell you that.  Before you ruin your swagger in your suit by looking like you have the plague.  There is a southern meets island meets nautical feel.  It’s family friendly, quaint, quiet, cottage meets beachy, casual and southern.  I loved it.

So I’ll leave you with a shot of my friend, Hannah.  She is stunning and I asked her if I could photograph her during the trip.  Oh, did I mention why I was even there?  Maybe I did…you’ll have to pardon my forgetfulness, I am on island speed.  I was there for my best friends wedding as a bridesmaid.  I was in the ceremony so I couldn’t shoot it, (my amazing cousin/friend Melissa did) but I did shoot just about everything else.  I couldn’t help myself.  So be on the lookout for that post.  Forreal. It will be pretty cool I think.

It’s about time to board the plane.  Thanks for keeping me company while I waited.  HAPPY SUNDAY!!!

The proposal story is adorable.  Brandon popped the question out in the soybean field while they were looking for arrowheads.  He planned on placing the ring on the arrowhead, but no arrowhead was found.  So he dropped a knee and asked her.  She said yes, and now here I am lucky enough to photograph the two at the same place for their engagements, and their wedding next summer.

Oh, did I mention they gave me a dozen eggs from their cage-free chickens? (who also make an appearance in the photos)…UH YEAH…AWESOME.  Now that’s a treat only a true country girl can cherish.  Who needs big time city when you got clients like this?  ;) I’ll take the country over the city anyday.

So enjoy the photos.  We sure did enjoy takin’ them.

Congrats Brandon & Ashley!

The ceremony was held in Springfield, Ky right outside of Bardstown.  One lane back road, pass the bend, straight over the wooden bridge (which I was pretty sure wasn’t gonna hold my Passat) and don’t forget to dodge the chickens.  Those were the directions I was given.  Not really but, it woulda worked.

Congrats to Annie and Josh!!!