Ray & Melissa // Salt Lake City Wedding

In the beginning of the year, I partnered with Honey Jewelry Co. for a wedding photography giveaway.( Sidenote: If you haven't seen Honey's rings yet, you need to go do that immediately. They are my absolute favorite jeweler & I could not recommend them any higher. If you need a ring, they are gonna make you the best possible version of that ring. Trust me, just do it!)

This was my first time participating in such a large giveaway & I was a bit nervous not knowing what to expect. The fact that it turned out to be such an incredible experience is beyond me. From the moment I showed up at Melissa's parents doorstep, she & Ray greeted me with bear hugs & laughter. 

Since their actual wedding day was pretty tight schedule wise & it was really important to them to get great portraits, Ray & Mel, opted to spend the whole day before with me. To say this was an honor is an understatement. My gosh, it was a great day. We took our time, got ready in her parents bathroom, had a sweet first look in her favorite neighbors yard, ran across the street to take photos with a donkey, & they even treated me to their favorite food truck meals before we set out to the Salt Flats. This was the highlight for me because we had hours in the car to talk about life, share our stories, listen to music, & just simply become friends. To top it all off, we were racing the sun, ended up parking on the side of the interstate, climbing over bushes, water, & railroad tracks to find the most perfect little pocket of Salt Flat where all the magic happened.

The following day they wed & dance partied into the evening with friends & family. Ray & Melissa touched my heart with the story of their love & gave me hope in places that had long felt hopeless. The tenderness in Ray's touch as he holds Melissa's face. The admiration in Melissa's gaze when she's looking into Ray's eyes. The way they make each other laugh. All of it. I loved getting to witness these little nuances of their love. 

Thank you thank you, both for the incredible hospitality, kindness, & openness with which you shared yourselves with me. I loved every minute of my time in Utah with you both & your families. Can't wait to come visit! ;)

Okay okay, enough of my sappiness, here are the photos!! 

Jason & Nat // ADVENTURE SESSIONS // Engagement

You know it's gonna be a good one when you meet prospective clients for a consult & you end up talking for over 2 hours about life & ya'lls mutual affinity for the Orlando Magic & Taylor Swift!  That's exactly how it went with Jason & Nat. We clicked instantly & I knew we were in for some fun! 

Jason & Nat really wanted to do an ADVENTURE SESSION for their engagements which was so so exciting to me. We started the day walking around their neighborhood with their sweet dog, Charlie. Then we found ourselves in an alleyway doing the "Nae Nae" & having a dance party for the camera. Afterwards we headed out to Wekiva Springs to do some hiking & adventuring. We had planned to end the day with a peaceful canoe trip, but to our dismay, the canoe rental closed early that day. So there we were standing on the edge of the river where we had planned to launch our canoes, the sun was quickly setting, & Nat looks over at me & said "you know we brought a change of clothes in case you wanted us to get in the water?" 

I didn't even try to hide my excitement. They ran towards the water & we played until the sun went down. The images from this portion are definitely my favorite from the day. Oftentimes the best moments can't be planned. So much good comes from going with the flow & embracing whatever adventure is in front of you at the time. I'm so happy Jason & Nat were down for the moment that day! 

Can't wait for their wedding in April! 

Kurt & Megan // ADVENTURE Sessions // Engagement

I could not be more excited to introduce DREAMTOWN's newest offering- "The ADVENTURE Sessions". This is something I've been incorporating into my sessions for a while now, but figured it was time to make it official! 

What is an "ADVENTURE Session" you ask? Welllll, it's pretty straight forward: you + me + your significant other (or family or best friends or anyone you choose!) go on an adventure & I document the whole thing! 

Now, don't be thrown by the word "Adventure". An Adventure can be anything. It can be as extreme as cliff jumping or as chill as reading the morning newspaper in your favorite chair. There is no such thing as a good or bad adventure- if you love doing it, if it makes you come alive, or feel at home, well then, it's an adventure worth taking! 

There is something special that happens when a person gets into their element with the people they love. Something clicks & the magic happens. It's my favorite thing- to simply share in those moments, to catch a glimpse of the heart behind the relationship I'm capturing. 

My desire is to go so much farther than just giving you a pretty photo of yourself. I want to give you a collection of moments preserved. I want you to look through your images and think "wow, that is so 'us'." Whatever "us" might be. I absolutely love & live for those moments in a session when my clients forget I'm even there because they are having so much fun together. I see it an honor to be let in & trusted with those moments. 

So, lovely people, if this resonates with you in any way, contact me! 

I can't wait to take adventures with you.

// 

For the "ADVENTURE Sessions" debut, I couldn't think of more perfect people to feature than Kurt & Megan. These two are dear dear friends of mine who I am so grateful to do life with. I couldn't be more thrilled they were brought together & am ecstatic to celebrate their marriage in a few short months. 

The entire day of shooting, I couldn't stop smiling. Megan looks at Kurt like he is the greatest thing in the world & Kurt treats Megan like a queen. The love they have for one another is truly beautiful & I was blessed to share in that with them. Plus we had so much fun running around the beach, eating delicious ice cream, & even braving the FREEEEZING cold January water for a quick surf. This session goes down as one of my favorites! 

Kurt & Megs, I love you both so much, ya'll are incredible people & friends. I'm so happy to be on this journey with you & cannot wait to see the goodness that unfolds within your marriage!