LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK.

That was the theme of Sarah + Christin's beautiful wedding at The Mill Top in Noblesville. It was such a wonderful and laid back day with a wonderful backdrop of an old flour mill converted into a venue. The staff at the Mill Top were absolutely incredible. So attentive and helpful. Someone was always there when I had a question and no one ever complained. I will photograph there over and over.

Not to mention, the brides were so relaxed even when things got a little hectic. It just made the day amazing to be a part of. To witness it. It was a day full of love and excitement. You could see the pride, joy, and love pouring out of them. It was like a halo. A glow. Shimmering for all of the world to see.

EQUAL PARTS EXCITED & TERRIFIED.

Either way I felt like I was going to crap my pants. For the entire two weeks up until my very first bridal show. I was so excited to finally have my brand, face, and work in front of dozens of potential brides but I was terrified because I had two weeks to prepare and I had nothing for a booth except some foam mounted prints, brochures, and business cards. And I didn't have a butt ton of money to spend on a big fancy booth. Especially considering how much the space itself cost. But I did have one thing.

A BRAIN CHILD.

I had this insane idea to turn an 8x8 square of black pipe and drape with a banquet table and two chairs into a beautiful booth. The idea was to make it homey. Make you want to come in, have a cup of tea, and sit around and chat. Kind of like my humble booth abode. And with some hard work, a lot of love, good friends and family, and a little magic my brain child came to life.

I have the best team ever!

RED LIPSTICK, PIN CURLS, & A VINTAGE CAR...

They're all I really need you know. I love me some vintage fashion. If I could go back to any time period for fashion alone it would definitely be the 1940's. Red lipstick, pin curls, pencil skirts, and girls with curves. Plus the vintage car?! Yes. Please. 

Kim + Andy's quirky vintage wedding at the Fountain Square Theatre was nothing short of spectacular last weekend! I loved every single thing about it. Not to mention Andy's 1967 Dodge Dart that he has had since he was 17! Yes! It was all SPECTACULAR!

LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO THE COOLEST COUPLE EVER.

Mackenzie + Casey were such a wicked awesome couple. They won a complimentary engagement session at an open house I participated in back in May. I'm so glad they did because they were beyond awesome and fun! And because we did their engagement session and they thought I was totally awesome, I'll be photographing their wedding in September 2015. They were super fun, awesome, sweet, and totally up for anything. My kind of couple. We spent several hours at sunset walking around the open fields and historic downtown area of Pendleton. It was a blast and we got some awesome pictures.

"INVEST IN PEOPLE WHO INVEST IN YOU."

I once read that on Pinterest (yes! I'm a Pinterest addict!) and I felt like it applied to my life pretty well. Being a wedding photographer + mom + wife + daughter makes my life pretty crazy. I have a tendency to let friendships fall off to the side and I'm left wondering if people even still like me at all. But then people like Robert + Scott show up in my life at unexpected times and I'm reminded that when people invest in me, it's best to invest back in them. 

On Friday you saw some sweet engagement photos I took of Robert + Scott a little over a week before they met at the end of an aisle at the Historic Union Station in Downtown Indianapolis to commit to each other for life. When they approached me just after the gay marriage ban was lifted in Indiana they told me about how they rushed downtown to get married while it was still legal and now they were going to finally have a wedding after over seven years of partnership. And that's when I knew they were going to invest in me. So I invested in them. I've been friends with Robert + Scott for almost five years and it was beyond an honor to photograph their day and witness their union. It was incredibly sweet and I enjoyed every second of being surrounded by love, friendship, and good times. Although I always feel like I've developed a friendship with all of my clients, I don't always get to photograph weddings for people I've had friendships with for years. I loved it. 

WORKING FOR FRIENDS IS NEVER REALLY WORKING

At least, in my opinion it's not. When I help out friends or family with photography services I never feel like I'm truly working. That's not to say that I'm not being paid or working equally as hard. It just doesn't feel like real work.

When I was approached by Robert + Scott to photograph their wedding we only had a mere 90 days until the affair was to take place. And since they had just gotten married when the gay marriage ban was lifted in Indiana they felt like it was silly to do a full blown engagement session. There wasn't much time until the wedding, they'd been partners for 7 years, and they were technically already married (even if Indiana didn't choose to recognize it). But it's so hard for me to see clients go without engagement photos. Trust me, I believe your wedding photos are beyond important. I mean I AM a wedding photographer afterall. But when you look back at your wedding photos it's just going to remind you of that specific day, not necessarily the love and passion you've had for each other every day leading up to that point. I think engagement photos are so special because they're photos of the way you look and dress on an every day basis and it's just the two of you, being you.

Anyways, now that I'm off my soap box we decided to tack on a small engagement session at the last minute. I came over one weeknight after they both got home from work and we took some sweet photos of the two of them at their Historic Irvington house that they have turned into a home. In my opinion, the location was special because it's a place that's been all theirs. And that to me made it perfect.

OH, THIS SWEET COUPLE...

Julie + John were the sweetest couple who spent their day surrounded by close family and friends while they joined their two families together. We spent a lovely day at Ado salon and then celebrated at their ceremony and reception location of The Lodge at The Willows Riverwalk in Broad Ripple. 

I knew it would be a lovely day when it was coordinated by Sarah Cooper of Cooper Events. So when Sarah contacted me needing a photographer for Julie + John's wedding merely 7 weeks prior I was happy to help photograph it and so glad I was available!

HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS...

The place you least exepect to find someone to spend the rest of your life with has to be high school. I mean with all of the peer pressure, stress of getting into college, and body changes it's no wonder that the "high school sweetheart" is slowly becoming more and more uncommon. Let's not forget college too! With more and more students going to college and having access to college all across the world it's no wonder that flames that seemd to burn so strong in high school seem to fizzle out before we even reach our twenties.

But not Jane and Sean...

"I LOVE HER + THAT'S THE BEGINNING + END OF EVERYTHING." - F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

When Megan + I sat down together for the first time over some delicious Panera Bread she brought along her fianceé Greg and her best best bestest friend Alison. Sitting there across the table from them I listened to Megan + Alison discuss the concepts and details of hers + Greg's day. Megan explained to me that after seeing the remake of The Great Gatsby movie she decided then that her wedding just had to be a Gatsby affair. 

We sat and discussed her wedding for hours and bonded over a mutual love for Captain America and a bold, upbeat attitude. Needless to say, once I booked the wedding I gained not only a client, but a friend. Two friends to be exact, because Alison was just as awesome as Megan!

Being with Megan on her wedding day was no different feeling. It was wonderful to be there with her and Greg as they tied the knot at the Anderson Paramount Theatre, an old theater that was opened nearly 84 years ago. The marquee outside, all lit up, made happy like a giddy school girl.

OH, THESE TWO...

Let me tell you a little story about Alli + Rob. This past January I photographed Laura + Jon's wedding at The Mavris Arts + Event Center. It was a lovely winter day with tons of awesome people including a wicked fun bridal party. So I was trying t to carry Laura's huge poofy dress up to the third floor of the Mavris so I could hang it up for the dress photo. Here's where Alli came in. Bridesmaid of the year, she jumps up and offers to help me carry the dress and place it where I needed to for the dress photo. Then she so casually says,

"I'm getting married this December and I haven't gotten a photographer yet. I can't wait to see their photos cause I might book with you!" 

Awesome. No pressure. 

No really. It turned out wonderfully. She saw my same day slideshow. Saw Laura + Jon's wedding photos on Facebook and of course she was able to see me in action throughout the day. Soon after the wedding we sat down for some lunch at Panera and got her day all scheduled out. We booked an engagement session for a lovely evening in May. The weather turned beautiful and the sunset was just gorgeous. I really enjoyed working with them and had so much fun getting to know Alli's fiancé, Rob. I'm really looking forward to their wedding this December. I know it will be a fun time and knowing that my bride, Laura, will be there will make it so much more fun!

DID SOMEONE SAY WINE? 

I'm pretty sure someone said wine? Ohh, it's a wine themed wedding you say? Complete with wine barrels, beautiful florals, and a wine mixing ceremony? Oh, and it's at the Mavris Arts + Events center in downtown Indianapolis? AND it's an amazing couple one of which is the brother-in-law of an AMAZING photographer? Why yes, of course, I'll be there. 

When Chelsea approached me back in February 2013 for her May 2014, vineyard themed wedding at the Mavris I was absolutely stoked. Champagne, burgundy, + touches of olive green colors, one of my favorite venues (that I wanted to get married at myself!), awesome vendors, and wine themed. It's like there were little angels shining down on me that day when she decided she wanted me to be the one to document her day. I was definitely honored to say the least.

Photographing their day was an absolute blast. It rained that day, but no one cared. Everyone had the best disposition. The day was definitely full of love, happy tears, laughter, and a good time had by all. 

SUMMER.... SUMMER... SUMMER...

So the last time I posted a legitimate blog post was the Vintage Country Vineyard styled shoot and before that it was Andy + Kim's engagement session. And that was back in April!! So what happened?! I was on a perfect blogging streak. Getting blog posts taken care of. Writing up a storm. And then... all of the sudden... I stopped. What happened? Well I'll tell you what happened.

Love is Love. And we're glad you're here.

This Fountain Square engagement session with Sarah + Christin was so amazingly fun. They're a super sweet couple. We walked all around Fountain Square, fighting for the light, looking for that epic sunset in an urban jungle!

OH MY GOODNESS. THESE PEOPLE.

These people are quite possibly the best people I've ever met. When I had a styled shoot to arrange and I needed models this lovely couple stepped up to the plate. 

Alison and Zach have been married for three years and although they had wedding photos from a dear friend they were married on a budget. Alison told me her story about two college kids so in love they just wanted to be married. Once I heard her story I knew they were the perfect couple for the styled shoot. Definitely the most deserving couple. And the best part was that Alison's real life maid of honor is my bride, Megan! So we of course had to get Megan involved in the styled shoot! It was a lovely day and such an honor for me to make more memories for this lovely couple.

Props, Props, Props.

I love me a good session with props. I just love having stuff for my couples to interact with. Things to set a scene. To tell a story. Of course an engagement session can be very lovely without props. But I do love me a good set of props. And Kim + Andy's vintage picnic themed engagement session was no exception! Kim thought of everything down to bringing food! The session was lovely and I enjoyed spending time with them on a wonderful day in April when the Indiana weather had finally decided to give us a break from the cold, long, hard, winter we had been having.

Kim + Andy were so great to work with. They really interacted with each other and despite the awkwardness of people staring at you while you set up a picnic completely for photos they busted out some pretty adorable amazingness.

AN OPEN LETTER TO MY HUSBAND ON HIS BIRTHDAY...

Dear Husby,

Once again it's five days after our anniversary and your birthday has come around. And although you're one year closer to that dreaded age that means we're not in our 20's anymore, there is one word I could use to describe how I feel today on your day of birth.

LUCKY.

Lucky. Fortuitous. Serendipitous. Whatever word you use, that is how I feel knowing I have had one more year to spend with you. 

BECKETT SAYS HAPPY EASTER!

Beckett decided to don his best bunny attire to wish everyone a Happy Easter! He hopes everyone gets awesome Easter baskets with fun toys and candy. He's hoping for a bath toy and some puffs! 

Enjoy these cute photos of Beckett I took for Easter!

FIVE YEARS.

Five. Freaking. Years.

To some people it's only five years. It doesn't seem like that long in the grand scheme of life but to me five years is quite a milestone. Ever since I realized this year was Matthew's and my five year anniversary it's been hard to fully grasp on to the fact that I have somehow convinced someone to stay with me and put up with my crap for this long.

To me, five years seems like such an achievement. Aside from the fact that this has officially been my longest relationship, outlasting the five year on-and-off relationship I had with my ex-boyfriend that preceded Matthew. Five steady years seems a little crazy to me. I mean, so much can happen in five years. Heck, so much can happen in one year, let alone multiply that by five! (And I still don't know why he puts up with me!)

Let's also not forget that in the last year, so much has happened to us. It's hard to believe we had four other ones preceding this one. I'm not so eloquent with words. There's a reason I tell my stories through photos instead of writing them. Below is a collage of several snapshot (the ones I could readily find) taken of us last year including some milestones we experienced along the way.

THEME WEDDINGS!

Oh how a I love a good theme wedding! I especially love a good theme wedding when it's tastefully done! Courtney + Nick both have a love for scuba diving. Plus they're both trained lifeguards. Because of this they decided to have a nautical themed wedding at Courtney's church, St. Luke's United Methodist Church and their reception at The Mansion at Oak Hill. But what I love is that they found a way to do natuical and beach without making it cheesy or kitchy. Which are two things that can be easily done in a theme wedding.

As you probably have seen with the bombardment of their engagement photos on my Facebook and Blog, my dear friends Courtney + Nick were married a few weekends ago surrounded by their amazing family and friends. It was wonderful to witness these two finally tying the knot. Although I love to watch all of my clients join their lives together but because I am lucky enough to call these two friends, it was extra special. 

BABIES! BABIES EVERYWHERE!

You know how when you buy something new you suddenly start noticing tons of people have the same thing? Or when you finally are introduced to something new you finally notice you've been surrounded by said object all your life and you just never noticed?

Well the same thing goes for babies. 

Once you get pregnant and have a baby all the sudden there are babies EV-ER-Y-WHERE! All of your friends are having babies. The friends you have that already have children, suddenly their kids' photos show up in your Facebook newsfeed more, there seems to be an increase in cute babies at the local store. Your Pinterest is flooded with newborn and kid photos.

THERE. ARE. LITERALLY. BABIES. EVERYWHERE!

So it was no surprise that once I found out I was pregnant with Beckett several of my past clients were also pregnant with their first children. Loretta + Blake had their first little one this year. Paige + Emilio. And of course, Amanda + Tony. 

Amanda + Tony are unique clients in that they live in Ohio but drive here to Indy for me to photograph them on a regular basis. So when I was running a special it was no surpise that I had an inbox from Amanda wanting me to photograph her maternity photos. 

Of course I was super pumped because she wanted to do winter maternity photos in the snow so I was just in a winter photographer wonderland. It was so much fun photographing these two. And although being bogged down with work and taking care of my own child I didn't deliver their photos until the weekend they had little Adalyn the end result was still incredible.