After having a 6 week-wedding streak, it’s hard not to end the year exhausted. For my yearly recap I counted everything up and in 2022 I photographed 19 weddings and 89 sessions!!!! Most of those between the months of March-November. Now that I’ve had some time to slow down, rest, and reflect, man, what a year it was.

I’m excited to share “the best of 2022” soon but for now, here’s the part of the journey that is necessary to create the magic you see all over Instagram, the blog, and in albums – the behind the scenes of wedding days.

Weddings are beautiful, but they take A LOT of work. There’s curating a team of vendors who all see your vision and can deliver on that. There’s creating timelines that take all of the vendors jobs into account. There’s the prepping to make sure we’ve asked all of the questions possible to have you make as few decisions on the day of. There’s the actual execution on the day of, with so many moving parts and people.

I’ve had people say to me before that they could never do weddings…but honestly, I thrive in fast-paced environments.

Thankfully the chaos is less when there is a really good vendor team (PLEASE invest in your coordinators!!!) but the thing with events is there will always be something – something you weren’t expecting, someone doing something they weren’t supposed to do, something in the wrong spot, etc.

Our job as wedding vendors is to make sure all of that stays in the back of the house so you and your guests are none the wiser.

I love problem solving and helping to keep the energy high and positive – there is nothing like the feeling of knowing you pulled it all off at the end of the night.

I love being the one you trust and know it will be taken care of. I love that trust overflowing to your family, so your mom’s first reactions are to ask what I think we should do. I love you sharing my excitement when I find THE perfect location with the BEST light. I love serving my couples and leaving the day feeling like I’m part of the family.

So this recap is dedicated to the version of me, my team, and co-workers, who are running around, trying not to be too sweaty, climbing and lifting, charming your guests, remembering the smallest details, figuring it out on the fly, and loving every second of it.

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your days!!!

My partner in crime, assistant, backup, the person who makes sure I get hors d’oeuvres and sweet tea…

My brother Weston has been helping me with weddings for the last few years when Evan, my previous go-to second shooter, moved (still sad about it!!!). I am so thankful that Weston is willing to help me out not only because my job would be incredibility hard without his assistance, but also because it’s given us a chance to spend so much more time together.

We have the best conversations driving back and forth to wedding days, we laugh when someone does something wild on the dance floor, and he keeps me grounded when things aren’t going as planned.

Here’s one of my favorite part within the behind-the-scenes series – Weston…doing things, hahah.

I can’t create this magic all on my own…it takes a full team.

This past year was full of working with new vendors and re-uniting with our favorites! It makes my heart so happy when couples really put care into curating a team of people who all have similar hearts for serving and executing on their vision. We’re all there with different jobs but the same goal, and when it works, it really works!!!

If you ever need recommendations, I am happy to share the talented coordinators, videographers, florists, makeup and hair artists, bakers, caterers, DJs and bands, rentals, musicians, venues, and more than we have the pleasure of spending our weekends with (only a few of them pictured below!!!).

And last but not least…IYKYK

I don’t always get to surprise couples at every wedding (there are multiple factors, including the timeline and if they can be pulled away from the dance floor for a moment!) but when I do, I absolutely LOVE seeing their faces.

Thank you to all of my couples for trusting me with you biggest moments. Thank you to my vendor friends for being the best teammates and confidants when things are crazy. Thank you to my brother, Weston, for helping an incredible amount. I couldn’t build this business or serve my couples without you!

My wedding season starts in just under a month and I cannot wait to create and capture more memories!!!