Happy Fri-YAY! I am hitting you with some advice today! Here we go!! I love engagement sessions – it’s no secret! I feel like they are SO important to the wedding experience and..basically..they are just fun! Some times couples won’t want to do them because they don’t think they need them or don’t think they will like them, but NEVER have I had a couple leave an engagement session regretting that they did it. NEVER! If anything, the guys end up telling me how it was actually fun or they actually didn’t hate it (those are huge compliments coming from a groom), and the girls are just so happy they have these pictures of them with their fiancé!

Owning your own business is such a wonderful blessing! It gives you so much freedom, joy, and pride! I love being able to be home with kids all day, then go out and work with such great clients in the evenings (or on the weekends because…WEDDINGS). But…let’s be honest…being a stay at home mom can lead to lonely days. Owning your own business and being your only employee can also lead to many lonely days. I spend a lot of time in front of my computer screen. A lot of nights are spent at photo sessions and many Saturdays are spent at weddings instead of out with friends, at family birthday parties, or wherever else. I don’t regret those things one bit, so please do not read that the wrong way, it is just the truth. As with any job, you have to make some sacrifices. I still make lots of time for my kids and family, but you get what I am saying, right?

You guys…wedding season is literally right around the corner and, I don’t know about you, but I am getting so anxious!! A good anxious! I don’t think I will ever NOT feel that way, and I hope I always do. Right before any session I get that nervous/excited feeling, just because every session is different, every client is different, and I am excited to see the beautiful images we are about to take! Also, I just love getting to know my clients more!

I am so excited for y’all to see the pictures of this couple! Brittany contacted me a couple months ago about taking her maternity pictures and we immediately set a date & started talking about outfits and locations. We went back in forth on some ideas and decided on two local spots – one being Josh’s parents’ land. This property is GORGEOUS!! The drive way is about a mile long (so you start wondering if you are really just driving into endless woods), but then it opens up to huge fields! I can just picture little kids running around those fields at grandma & grandpa’s house.

When I became a photographer, I did it because I wanted to capture the joyful, beautiful moments in people’s lives for them so that they could hold on to those memories forever! Those pictures could be something that they hang on their walls, put in their family albums, or pass down to their kids and grandkids so that everyone can remember. That is what you want from your pictures, too, right? Well, choosing the person to take those photos for you means thinking through a few things and doing a little research. Now, you may have someone very close to you that is a photographer and you love their work so – BAM – it is a no-brainer for you. However, some people don’t have that. OR maybe you like multiple photographers – GASP! Is that even allowed!?! Of course it is!! I have a lot of photographers that I love and I would absolutely use quite a few of them! So how do you decide who you should choose or what even to look for? Here are 4 things I think you should think about when searching for you photographer.

Happy Monday!!! I hope you are snuggled up on your couch with a blanket and a cup of coffee while reading this…mainly because that is most likely what we all WANT to be doing on a Monday. However, if you are reading this while at work or wherever else, I am just as excited that you stopped by! I had every intention of blogging Shannon & Will’s wedding last week. I really did. But then life happened!! My husband and both kids were sick most of the week and weekend! Nurse mommy to the rescue! Then, I got to spend some great time with lots of friends, so I call that a win! I still need to catch up on all of the housework that accumulated over the past few days…as well as do some online grocery shopping (ClickList all the way!!). But first, I want to share this beautiful wedding with all of you!

If 2016 showed us anything, it is that we made the ABSOLUTE right decision staying in the wedding business!! I still take pictures of families and seniors – both of which I LOVE as well!! But we just LOVED all of our couples this past year! Their weddings were all so different and so beautiful. We gained so many wonderful friends and even gained NEW brides for 2017 from some of these weddings! We have already booked DOUBLE the amount of weddings for 2017 and that just warms my heart! With one wedding already in the books for this year, we know it is going to be a great year!

This year is already starting off with so many exciting weddings being booked, one of which is for these two! Melissa had me hooked from her very first email to me, when she said, “We are getting married on a farm (my fiancé is a farmer)!” I immediately was hoping I had her date open and we could meet up to talk details!! Turns out, we clicked instantly! We hung out for over an hour in a coffee shop, talking like old friends, going over all the details, and discussing possible vendor choices. It was so fun! She and Cody already had ideas for locations on the farm they wanted to use and, of course, incorporating their sweet dog!

The moment this family session started, I knew I couldn’t wait for them to be on the blog. The Flagg’s aren’t new to my site or my blog. I have been photographing them since Brooklyn was born. We have done newborn pictures, multiple family sessions, and birthday pictures. They are so special to me and I LOVE working with them!!

It is officially engagement time!! The winter usually calls for a break in weddings, which is interesting because my wedding date was in January, but it is booming for engagements. There will be quite a few e-sessions on the blog in the coming months and I love it! Engagement sessions are complimentary with all of my wedding packages because they are such a great way to get to know couples. I get to chat with them about how they met, hear the groom’s side of everything, see how they interact, and help them get a feel for how pictures will go on their wedding day. Wedding day portrait time is usually 30 minutes or less, so getting the hang of it during engagement pictures is SO helpful. My clients who do engagements seem to be able to jump right in to it on their wedding day. Megan & Cameron did not really need any practice though…these two were naturals from the start!