Sal + Rachel

Oh hey, its been a little while. Do you hate me? Have you written me off? I sincerely hope not, but I understand if you’ve got a bit of a bad taste in your mouth about my absence. But. I’m. Back.

Not only am I ramping up my blogging, SEO, all things website, in my off season…I’m excited to reconnect with my inspiration, passions, and knowledge.

This session was delivered to Rachel and Sal today, and its no coincidence that I’m sitting looking out my window to over a foot of snow. Here in Colorado, we love our snow.

Ben + Lizzie

One thing I love in life: Strong Entrepreneurial Babes, an Lizzie is just that! She’s the owner/creator of both CraftBelly + Paper Girl Creative. She designed our beautiful wedding invitations and is a great friend of mine. I couldn’t be more honored to photograph her wedding in the upcoming months. With this pandemic spreading across the nation, we’re not sure what their wedding day looks like right now, but I can tell you that it will be loads of fun, full of love and laughs Lizzie + Ben, you’re solid gems and I’m so happy you found each other. Plus your doggos are cute too. :)

John + Beri

John + Beri’s Engagement Session in their quaint apartment was so romantic and intimate. Their pets even got involved

They're an amazing, honest, wholesome, and adventurous couple. They believe in vegan lifestyles, cruelty free products, and being the best versions of themselves that they can be. #yaaaaaaas  One amazing detail I learned about these two, is that John bought Beri's ring with Bitcoin! Its a stunning vintage yellow stunner.  A unique couple with an abundance of travel stories, advice on healthy living, and just two golden souls who are living their dream!

I cant wait for their outdoor wedding coming up this fall.  Until then, check out their amazing in-home engagement session. 

Jason + Carissa

Where do I start here? Maybe with a thank you.  

Thank You Carissa for being the one who's been taming my mermaid hair for years. Ya'll she's the best hair stylist in Denver so go check her out. My hair was a mess before she got her hands on it. She's a color wizard and a beautiful soul.

Jason: Thank you for loving this woman. You two fit together like stars in the sky, and I'm so honored to have captured your engagement session. Your Mexico destination wedding will be so amazing, maybe I'll just end up at the same resort around that time. lol. Kidding. Sort of.

These two took a leap of faith with me and went to a location that I've been a hundred times, but never photographed at. LOL - YUP A DOG PARK!  My four legged fur-baby and I walk this park frequently, and I had always admired the mountain views, the rolling hills, and the meadows of unique desert-like plants. So we met up here, and magic happened.

After a few initial poses and prompts, Jason and Carissa got really into it and we started playing around with Double Exposures. They threw out ideas left and right, and I loved the collaboration that happened. I absolutely love their gallery, and I'm so so so so so stoked to share it with you. 

Feast your eyes on this.
 

Nick + Nikki

Any one who makes up voices for their dog and talks for them - IS THE COOLEST HUMAN EVER. So on our drive out to the middle of no where, when Nick and Nikki (I know, I know, perfect name combo, huh?) talked for their doggie Aspen, I about lost it. I DO THAT ALL THE TIME! Glad I'm not the only one. 

These two are so much fun with their constant laughter, jokes, up-for-anything-attitude, and most of all their love for each other. Its a sassy kind of love. The down to earth type that you know will be comforting in the rough times, but it's the everyday happy-go-lucky passion that will fuel their lives.  I am so excited to capture their wedding day this winter. 

“I have fallen in love with someone that shares my sense of humor. Nothing is better than looking over at the one you love and know they’re smiling for the exact same reason. ”

— internet. (but it fit so perfectly with these two!)

Steve + Selena

You know how I'm constantly laughing, making jokes, being majorly sarcastic?  Take that and mold it into this couple x 2!  I honestly went home with a sore face from laughing so much. 

Selena and Steve have been together 6 years, and I can imagine all 6 were full of smiles and hugs. They are amazing snugglers, which makes for a perfect night at home on the couch, but also helps during their engagement session!  No prompts to get closer and kiss on each other a little! :) They made a quick stop in Breckenridge to view their wedding venue, hotels, and have their engagement session at Sapphire Point. Beautiful spot!  Then they went off to Telluride to complete a Colorado road trip. I love when I connect so much with couples. Subaru Car Camping, Dancing + (trying) to rap to Warren G "Regulators ... Mount up!", and just being one with the scenery. 

These two currently post up in Tampa, FL, but if Colorado is lucky enough they'll be residents by next year. Come on over to CO, my friends. We got some happy hours to catch! 

Enough of my wordy shenanigans. Here is this loving couple! I can't wait till your wedding. Just a few short months!

The Best of 2017

Years come and go. priorities advance and fall to the wayside. Goals get fueled and more defined.

Many moons ago I had an idea of taking my hobby of photography and making it into a career. Into a full time passion machine to pump out happiness for me and memories for my clients. That idea had been examined over many beers and many tearful conversations, always coming to a different conclusion of possibility.

This year, I snapped. “To hell with it!” I said. To hell with putting my dreams on hold, letting thoughts of failure overtake dreams of happiness. I said “yes.”

What happens when you say yes. If you do say yes to an idea, and now it's showtime. Now your job becomes both simple and difficult. You have officially entered into a contract with inspiration, and you must try to see it through, all the way to it's impossible-to-predict outcome. - Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert.

Among that happy path of saying YES, I found the rigid dichotomy of entrepreneurship and balance. The stress of paying bills and power of being my own boss. Of having all the time in the world, and no time at all.

You guys, why did I not do this earlier?

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. That's for damn sure. But it’s my dream, now paired with my soon to be husbands dreams on this road to whatever the future brings. His dreams and mine collide in a beautiful dance of give and take.

This year has been a doozy. An amazing ride. I’m so humbled to be where I am, writing this blog post, celebrating 365 days of the unknown. This year, I got to travel all around Colorado to some of the most beautiful venues, photograph 2 of my closest friends weddings, my future brother- and sister-in-laws wedding, and many rad coupes that have turned into friends.

I can’t wait to hustle and make some crazy moves in 2018. I get to be a bride and witness this wedding industry from your eyes. I get to be a wife and keep supporting Shea’s dreams in the medical field. I get to be a fur-baby mom to the cutest dog and monster-cat I know.  I get to decide how I live my days.

Keep your frequency high and do your work from a place of power and joy. - You Are a Badass, Jen Sincero. 

In 2018: I’m going to put boundaries on social media, screen time, and negative emotions. I’m going to embrace what my mind and body tell me and push them to the limits. Opening closed doors to new ways thinking and respecting the earth. Become a better friend and better listener. Become the best woman I can be, when I marry my best friend.

Bring it on 2018. I’m ready for ya. Let’s dance.

---

... To my rad friends of 2017, I laughed so hard on the plane to and from my hometown while compiling all these photos. What great memories you created and let me be an intimate part of. I truly hope we stay in touch. Let’s grab a drink, go on a hike, FaceTime, whatever.

Jon + Meaghan

Photography brings me in contact with some of the most amazing humans. I get to be an intimate part of their lives for just a second, a kaleidoscope of emotion that I am so fond of. I could just squeeze these two! They were champs by braving the cold and the wind for their photoshoot. I mean, wiiiiiiiiind.  If it wasn't such a bone-chilling hurricane of misery, I would have asked to stay out there all day with them.  But alas, Colorado wins again. 

In the end I can thank creativity, for having blessed me with a charmed, interesting, passionate existence. Because with out creativity and photography, I would have never met Meaghan and Jon and their adorable son Henry. And without all of this, we wouldn't have been on that mountain top. and I like mountain tops. 

Okay, I'll stop talking.

Lisa, Jeff, Ivy + Hashtag

What do you get when you have a man, a woman, two awesome dogs and the dream of having a Dino themed wedding? You get Lisa and Jeff.  

How rad, right?  

Their engagement session in Golden was like finding the prize at the bottom of the cereal box: THE BEST DAY EVER! Photo proof below. 

Scott + Felicia Engaged

My heart shines when couples know who they are and they let it shine. Felicia and Scott are 100% committed to their faith and that's what makes them them. Even the moment they met, faith was intertwined and made itself a huge part of their relationship. 

Picture this: Felicia and her girls were hanging out at a local bar in Georgia. When a mutual friend introduces Scott to Felicia, sparks begin to fly. One of the first questions Scott asked her, was inquiring about the bracelet she had on. It was from the Passion conference she had just attended. One that Scott had been to years previously.  After a clumsy move where Felicia ended up with a spilled beer down her blouse, a first date was set.  Numbers were exchanged.  

When you get beer spilled all over you, things will get damaged. Clothes, a purse, possibly a phone. And that's exactly what happened. Felicia's phone went on the fritz and Scott had been texting her for a few weeks (1 month according to Scott) with no reply! He'd been ghosted.  But when she fixed her phone, and reached out to him, he breathed a sigh of relief and they got together, for church service. Throughout dating, Scott would text her bible verses, and she was hooked. These two are meant to be together 

I just adore this love story. It's sassy and sweet and all things that make a relationship fun. I know they'll make the most beautiful bride and groom in their Atlanta wedding. And more importantly an amazing husband and wife. Congratulations in advance, and I can't wait to see your wedding photos!

Quinn + Catie ENGAGED

These two are adorably sweet and absolutely stunning! They came all the way from Nebraska to the mountains of Colorado to capture their love for their engagement session. Yes!

They created a little vacation out of their trip, staying in cabins in Lyons, then up near Golden, enjoying dinner in Boulder and of course meeting me at the top of North Table Mountain Trail to get some photos during sunset. 

I highly encourage couples to swish this idea around in their wedding planning. Some couples want a destination wedding, but costs can build up so quickly that it becomes too difficult. In that case, change the strategy and opt to have your engagement photos taken in your ideal destination! Colorado is that place for many people, and while I get to live here and enjoy the outdoors on a daily basis, I love to invite couples from out of state to let me show them a piece of my heart. 

Let me show you the beauty that Colorado is. Let me witness your love in a new environment where it can only grow and surpass your dreams.

Cheers to Quinn and Catie on their engagement and upcoming wedding in Nebraska. I wish you the most beautiful wedding, and an even more beautiful marriage. Oh, and GBR!

At Home with Alex and Amber

Alex and Amber have done things a little differently (HECK YES!). They're recently married, but never had a ceremony, huge dance party, or the hangover the next day. They instead, quietly and lovingly said their vows from the comfort of their own bed, and wanted an At Home session to capture this time in their lives. Just the two of them, and their adorable home.   Then of course we stepped outside for a bit, because we do live in Colorado, and it's insane outdoors. 

Amber and Alex have been on the move much of their relationship, so this space is finally one to call their own. A home to start their lives together. I can remember when Amber met Alex, and how she spoke of him with light in her eyes. She told me of how he was different, how they were different. I get it now after meeting Alex. Yes, these two are different. They speak frequently of the love they have for each other, wanting everyone to know the level of passion and respect they feel. Honestly, I left this session with tears in my eyes and a full heart. How the hell is this my JOB!? Jeze, I'm lucky.

It was seriously such a fun day & probably the cutest way to do an indoor engagement session. I definitely welcome more sessions like this in the future! Cheers to the newly weds. You two are some of my favorites.