Corey & Annie // Serenbe Georgia Wedding

I almost have no words for how perfect this was. 

From the full of character getting ready houses, to the impeccable style of every little detail, to the sprawling fields & towering forest- & those are only the visuals. 

More notably, Corey & Annie fully immersed themselves in the gravity of the day. The tender notes written, worshipping while exchanging vows, the intimacy of holding one another at dusk when we stole away to the horse field- they dwelled in each moment as it came. 

It was an honor to bear witness to this beautiful union. I hope you feel it all as you scroll through their story. 

Jordan & Lauren // Skyline Loft Chicago Wedding

Lauren & Jordan's summer wedding in Chicago was one for the books. From the sprawling lawns of a suburb mansion, to the streets of Michigan Ave, to ending the evening in a loft overlooking the city skyline- it was incredible! Chicago is one of my favorite cities & shooting here was a dream. 

Jordan & Lauren's deep appreciation for one another was so special to see & I had a blast dancing with their friends!

Thanks for letting me be a part of your day, you two! <3 

Ps. Shout out to Shannon Smith Jackson for being an epic 2nd shooter & catching so many great moments throughout the day!

Cameron & Kelsey // Driftwood Beach Engagement

I'm gonna keep this one short & sweet. 

I've known Cameron & Kelsey for years now, I've gotten to photograph them several times for various modeling situations (because they are so hott, duh), but getting to photograph them together for THEIR OWN engagements was a dream come true. 

Ever since I found out about this driftwood beach about 3 years ago, I've wanted to shoot there, but knew I needed a couple who was down for anything (and for the 6 hour drive, eek!). When I pitched the idea to Kels & Cam, Kels shrieked with excitement & I knew we were in for a fun time. 

On a rainy July day, we road tripped north, hiked a mile to the beach, & ran around like giddy children taking photos for hours. It was legitimately so much fun & worth every single mosquito bite that plagued my body for the next week and half. We shot until there wasn't a drop of light left in the sky & my camera would no longer focus which you will be able to very clearly tell by the end of blog. ;)

To say I am a million trillion percent obsessed with these photos is an understatement. And to say that I love Cameron & Kelsey with my whole heart is also an understatement. 

Well I guess I didn't keep this short & sweet at all, but enjoy the photos, all thousand of them because narrowing it down was basically impossible. <3 

Neal & Michaela // Santa Barbara, California Greenhouse Wedding

Driving up the winding road to the Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm in Santa Barbara, I could see the greenhouses, the cactus fields, & the coastal cliffs. My heart was exploding with excitement & I thought "there could not be a more magical day". 

Turns out my gut was right- it was perfect beyond perfect. 

Michaela & Neal treated us like family & their friends did the same with no exception. Left & right I was offered food, wine, & hugs. I even ended the evening on the dance floor sandwiched between Michaela & one of her bridesmaids talking about how sad we were to leave each other because we'd had so much fun. 

Neal & Michaela share a sweet love & so intentionally created the most beautifully designed & special day. There really are no words, so here is about a million images to tell the story for you. Enjoy!

Ps. HUGE shout out to Jamie English for being the most epic second shooter, assistant, & friend I could have asked for on this day. She's so talented! This day was also made most epic by coordinator/event planner extraordinaire Tyler Speier & videography master John Burman. It was a dream team on all accounts! 

Elliot & Melissa // Atlanta Urban Loft Wedding

Elliot & Melissa's wedding day was one for the books. The location was to die for- an actual dream come true for my minimalistic, warehousey loft loving heart. And the people, oh my, the people.  From the moment Melissa & I first spoke on the phone during our consult, we instantly connected. Meeting her on the wedding day was no different- she ran up to me, giant smile on her face & gave me the sweetest hug. It was as if we'd been friends for years. 

Melissa's energy & kindness was infectious. Her friends were amazing & it hardly felt like work getting to spend the day with them. Elliot & Melissa wed a few days before they would celebrate their 12th anniversary together. High school sweethearts, through & through- Melissa asked Elliot to homecoming & the love never stopped. 

It was a honor to stand alongside such joyful & kind couple as they entered into a new level of life together. Thank you so much for having me Elliot & Melissa. I love these images & I hope they live long in your hearts as well. 

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!! 

Aaron & Laura Leigh // Wedding

I'm so excited to share this insanely beautiful Southern wedding with you today! Laura Leigh & Aaron wed back in mid-November on a perfectly overcast day in Mobile, Alabama. I lived in Alabama for 5 years during my college days, but never made it down to Mobile- I'm certainly glad this wedding gave me the opportunity! I was so charmed by the town- it's quaint streets, local bars, & incredibly kind people. We sure got a dose of true Southern hospitality when we arrived at our Airbnb after driving 9 long hours & couldn't get inside. Our next door neighbor noticed our dilemma & without hesitation welcomed us into his & his wifes' home to change & freshen up for the rehearsal dinner! The hospitality was unreal! 

Back to Aaron & Laura.... there is SO much to say about these two. They have a "made for movies" story on how they met on an airplane & continued that thread of romanticism throughout their relationship with surprise flights across the world to profess love, etc. I mean, you can't make this stuff up, people. Well you can, but I'm not. :) Being avid romantics, these two do love in a grand way & their wedding certainly reflected that. From start to finish, everything was beautiful, every little detail planned out! I could keep talking, but I'm gonna let the large (probably too large) quantity of images below do the storytelling.

 Last thing I'll say is if you're wondering why it appears Aaron & Laura are hanging out the broken window of their get-a-way limo, it's because they totally are. In one of the strangest, funniest turn of events, they somehow managed to release the emergency exit latch on the window & as they pressed their faces to the glass to wave goodbye, the entire window fell to the ground & shattered. And I mean the entire window of a stretch Hummer limo. It was quite the sight, but everyone took it in stride & it made for one heck of an exit! 

PS. Shout out to Jeannie Albers for being a mega bomb second shooter! 

Matt & Ashleigh // Elopement

It's hard to even know what to say about this elopement/wedding because it was such an all around lovely experience. All I know for sure is that this will go down on my most favorite weddings lists.

Matt & Ash wanted to do things a bit differently. A big, traditional wedding wasn't for them so they decided to take their nuptials to the mountains. We drove up the windy roads of Lookout Mountain together, they held hands as we walked to the edge of Sunset Rock. After snapping a few pictures, Matt looks at Ashleigh and says "Babe, you ready to do this?". They settle onto the furthest point of the rock. Matt's dad is the officiant. Ashleigh is beaming. Fifteen of their closest friends & family gather around. Then & there they exchange vows & see the last 10 years of their journey together come to fruition. 

It was that simple & that significant all at the same time. 

It was truly a beautiful day to be a part of. Nothing could have made it more perfect. The weather, the location, the people, the love, the story, the hearts. All of it was glorious & I am so so so happy I was there. 

Matt & Ash, I love you guys lots. Can't wait to know you for many more years to come! <3

#EuropeVibesOnly // Travel

Exciting news my friends- I am going on a European adventure!! Starting today, I will be making my way around the beautiful continent for 6 whole weeks, eating delicious foods, experiencing new things, taking in the sites, & of course, snapping a couple of photos. Ok, let's be honest, it's gonna be a whooollllle lot more than a couple. ;) During this time I am going to focus on becoming more bold in my photo work. I have a fun project planned & I'm already excited to share it with ya'll upon my return! 

There are a few different legs to my trip as I will be traveling with 3 different groups of people over the course of my 6 weeks. But I am SO so so happy to be starting the trip off with a bang by traveling alongside some of the loveliest ladies & closest friends I know. These ladies are none other than the beauty & brains behind two seriously killer photography companies- Shannon Smith of Vine and Light Photography & Casey Elia of Urban South Photo. You can see their sexy faces in the photos below. Shannon is the cutie in the black dress & Casey is the stunner in white. (Sidenote: I'm the tall one. haha!) 

I couldn't be more thrilled to adventure with these dear ones. They are women after my own heart & like me, are in a season where they crave adventure & seek the Light. We have all agreed that the motto of our trip is YES. We say YES to being bold, YES to seeing the world in new ways, YES to growth, YES to revelation, YES to expanded boundaries & YES to greater capacities to love. We are ready & so thrilled to be jumping head first into the YESES of the unknown together. 

Follow along & adventure with us! As expected, our Instagrams will be frequently updated with the most recent happenings! : Jesse, Casey, & Shannon.

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GIVEAWAY DETAILS  ||  Win a YES banner from @SecretHolidayCo

We’re inviting you to follow along with us on our travels and we think this YES banner pretty much sums up our mantra this summer and encompasses the spirit of adventure we’re chasing after. So, we want to give this baby away to one lucky friend at the end of our trip!

To enter: (Note: all instructions below are for Instagram.)

1. Be sure you are following all three of us on Instagram. (Jesse, Casey, & Shannon.)

2. Comment on this photo and invite a friend to follow along with our adventures, too. Get that word out!

3. You can enter by commenting each #eurovibesonly photo any of us post throughout our trip. Each comment with a new friend counts as another entry towards winning.

4. Be awesome - but then again, you’re already doing that.

PS. Huge thanks to the wonderful Step Velez of Rags and Grace for snapping these group shots of us!