pregnant! // jamie & david.

when my good friend, jamie (who is a fantastic photographer, do yourself a favor and click her name), contacted me about doing her maternity (or maybe.. just maybe.. i harassed her into letting me do them), i knew it'd be SO MUCH FUN to work together. i also knew that jamie and i were on the same wavelength about the kind of maternity portraits she wanted. she just let me have the control of the shoot, because she *trusted* my vision. i knew there'd be nothing cheesy, no naked bellies, no pets, no sheets flying in the wind.. just real and honest portraits of this beautiful mama and her wonderful husband (if they choose to come, which for the record: david, you're so awesome. thanks for indulging me in all of my strange requests, i love your awesome nature!)...my favorite kind.

maternity is such a special time for parents, be it the first or fifth baby.

to me, as a photographer, they give me a chance to show the mama-to-be that they're still so beautiful. to remind them that what they're doing is extraordinary. that to create another human and to love them beyond measure is one of the biggest gifts the Lord has given us. to focus on someone who normally diverts her attention to everyone else in their family.

that's why i love maternity pictures. and jamie? you embody everything i just mentioned.

thank you for letting me make pictures of ya'll during this special season. (he'll come soon, Jamie!)

engaged // jessica & tyler // davidson, north carolina.

so, i've known jessica since we were in second grade. back when we used to buy bath and body works (juniper breeze, freesia, SUN RIPENED RASPBERRY, anyone?!) for each other anytime one of us had a birthday. girls, you know what i'm talking about. anyway, so when i re-connected with her last august for our mutual friend nicole's wedding, i had a inkling she was on the verge of getting engaged. a couple of weeks later, tyler popped the question!

i'm so thankful that they've entrusted me to document this special season of their lives... and i'm so thankful we were ABLE to get together to do these! it took flexibility on both of our parts to make this happen, and i'm so glad it did. we were originally going to do these in boston, but apparently mother nature had other plans and it just didn't work out. but i'm so PUMPED for their wedding in boone this october. hello, weddings in the mountains? yes please.

married // caroline & sam // dairy barn, fort mill, sc // pt. 2

(you can see part 1 right here..) we had touch and go weather all day. at the end of the ceremony, after we got done with their pictures, the dark clouds parted and a giant double rainbow brushed across the sky. they climbed the silo and just held each other, with all their friends and family looking on. it was absolutely beautiful.

there were so many wonderful moments during their day that i can't even remember half of them. it was just a priceless collection of moments that truly reminded me of how a wedding day is supposed to go: drama-free, light-hearted and truly about the couple and their union. in fact, my favorite moment was a sweet time after they did communion, exchanged vows and were announced as husband and wife: the entire crowd erupted in applause and cheered for them. they have a giant and awesome network of loving family and friends (who have since totally embraced me. i'm lookin' at you, shannon!)

my words are failing me, so i'll end with this: sam, the second you turned to me and said "you're not just our photographer, you're our friend." - that's when it all made sense. the day fell together into beautiful pieces and my heart swelled with love for you and your bride. thank you to you both for embracing me, my weirdness, my pup, and wanting to love me and be my friend. i'm so grateful for you! 

(huge thank you erica serrano for shooting alongside me. you're the absolute best.)

married // caroline & sam // dairy barn, fort mill, sc // pt. 1

"i never would've imagined that i would've ended up with someone like him,

and he came out of nowhere, but he fit me perfectly."

whewwww. let me catch my breath.

i really don't know if i'm ready to write this post. .... but here goes.

________

they fell in love over a mutual liking of gilmore girls (no judgement, sam) and an old black dining table. then he asked her out over a bowl of soup he brought her when she was sick.

caroline and sam are some of the greatest loveliest sweetest kindest BEST people i've had a privilege of knowing and becoming close with. they're young and in love and incredible and have this playfulness with each other that i've never seen before.

alongside a brief initial writeup, she sent me their proposal video, and I DIED and knew i wanted to shoot their wedding. so i crossed my fingers and emailed her back.  we instantly clicked and once i met her, i just wanted to be her friend. or her older sister. or both. {click here if you want to swoooon.}

caroline is the kind of person who is cool without even realizing it. she's sweet and has a gentle spirit and this quirky style and the most creative mind i've seen in a really long time. she's wise beyond her years and her entire personality is like one big hug. i know i sound crazy, but i just love this girl. and sam? sam is the kind of guy that makes you feel immediately welcome, even if it's with a barrage of sarcastic comments. he's a big bear whose also sweet and gentle and man, does he loves caroline. i met him and immediately liked him because he made me feel like way more than just some photographer. he made me feel like a long-lost friend.

their wedding was a blend of tradition and handmade details with vintage finds. caroline looked stunning in her bhldn dress and thrifted or made almost every detail. it was all set up by family and friends. her brother made the beautiful farm tables used in the reception hall and caroline HAND PAINTED the backdrop for the ceremony. it's a quote from her favorite book, anne of green gables (which sam also gave to her as her wedding present, an old and worn copy). her flowers were by the wonderfully talented kelly perry of philosophy flowers and all of the hand lettering is done by evane corder (she's crazyyyy good!) .. she even had her friends play & sing during the wedding (including her and sam's first dance, "caroline" originally by noah gunderson, sung by stephen of jude moses).

i'll leave you with this quote (which is the wording from their backdrop) for part one of their gorgeous wedding, which you can also see on ruffled right here.

"i don't want sunbursts and marble halls. i just want you! sunbursts and marble halls may be all very well but there is more scope for imagination without them. and as for the waiting ... that doesn't matter. we'll just be happy, waiting and working for each other and dreaming. oh, dreams will be very sweet now. they walked home together in the dusk, king and queen of the bridal realm of love."