Mike & Sharon

I've known Mike and Sharon for about 5 years now and they are truly two of my favorite people, very dear friends... and are two people destined to be together.
I have gotten to know them, their kids, and their friends and family very well over the last couple of years, and I feel so fortunate to have them in my life, so you can imagine my excitement to get to capture this day (long-in-the-making) for them!

The blending of two families can be a very beautiful thing, but what do you call it then when the two families have already been beautifully blended? I think this is what made the day so incredibly special. To get to see how loved Mike is by Sharon's kids, Mick and Melissa. To see how cherished Sharon is by Mike's son Trav, and his wife Tonicha. To witness the love Sharon's mother-in-law has for Mike. Both having gone through so much life and many hardships individually, it is pretty wonderful to see God finally bring these two together. And the support and love that they have surrounding them, amongst both their friends and family, is so evident in their lives, and it was so perfectly reflected throughout this entire day.

They couldn't have chosen a more perfect venue to embark on this new chapter of their lives together at! The Rogue River Lodge in Trail, OR is a hidden gem. Located right on the Rogue River, it is so peaceful and beautiful, you can't help but feel the Lord's presence there.

Reflecting back on this day, there were so many special moments. Everyone important to them poured so much love into preparing for this day... the florals, decor, hair and makeup, BBQing and camping the whole weekend, etc, etc. It was truly a labor of love. 

Some fun pics from rehearsal day:

Some of my favorite moments from their wedding day include: Their first look (so intimate and sweet!), Sharon's mom walking down the aisle waving to everyone with tears in her eyes during the ceremony, the ceremony itself (it was perfectly them), Mike and Sharon dancing with all of their kids (it was a beautiful family moment!), Mike and Sharon personally handing out champagne to all of their guests before toasts, Sharon's parents sharing a very special anniversary dance, the boats going down the river hooting and hollering celebrating with us throughout the day, and so much more.

Mike and Sharon, I hope you guys know how much you mean to me and how truly special it was for me to capture this day for you. I admire you both as individuals, and adore the love you two share. It is raw, it is tender, enduring, special, and so beautiful.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Farrell, I love you guys!

Sweet Little Higgi Fam

I've spent the last 4 days in Warsaw, Indiana and couldn't have wrapped up the trip any better than with a little morning family photoshoot with this sweet family before church.

Ben has become a good friend of mine in the last year, and his parents are just the sweetest! They have a beautiful lake house on Winona Lake and after spending some time there over the weekend, I witnessed all of the cute little details that give their home so much character, the relaxing lakeside vibes, and all of the love in that household... but I noticed not many family photos in the house. Knowing just how family-orientated they are, I took it upon myself to make sure we got some family photos before I left. I also rarely ever get to do family portrait sessions anymore, so it was so much fun!

Even Ben's brother, Diamond, made it into some shots ;) ...Naturally.

Also-- Indiana is so beautiful in the fall! What a treat it was to get to spend an early October weekend there.

Denver Girls Trip

Road Trip to Banff, Alberta

I am so fortunate to have such awesome, talented assistants who also share the same passion for outdoor exploring and epic adventures that I do. So that when we book a wedding in the middle of nowhere Idaho (Bonners Ferry), we make a little road trip adventure out of it for good measure... throw a little camping, hiking, and boating in there - WORTH IT.
I'll never turn down a road trip, especially if it involves driving through the gorge.

Ellie is my full-time assistant this year and I absolutely adore her. She has a sweet, quiet, kinder spirit but is such a badass undercover. She shows up with all of the camping gear and all of the outdoor skills. Katelyn has been with me for a couple of years working part time, and she is always full of joy and can rap any song you ask her to. I can always count on her to show up with good vibes all around, every time.

We drove a straight 12 hours from Portland, OR to Banff National Park in Alberta, BC with  stopping only a handful of times for potty breaks and snacks. Go us! Our jaws literally dropped as we turned around the first corner and witnessed the majestic mountains, as we approached Banff National Park on the last home stretch. But the sun was setting, and we were trying to avoid setting up camp in the pitch black, so we only stopped for a few photo opportunities and opted for just a few photos out the window as we trekked on.

We spent 2.5 days hiking around and exploring the National Park, making sure to see all of the good spots. Peyto Lake, Two Jack Lake, Lake Louise, Lake Moraine, The Historic Cave and Basin, and the Upper Hot Springs were some of our classic favorites, just to name a few. We also had a lovely rooftop dinner, enjoyed some beers in a downtown dive on a rainy afternoon, and enjoyed making coffee and eggs in the morning once we finally got our mini camping stove working back at our Two Jack Lake camp site.

Our 3rd day, we packed up and drove another 5 hours to Bonners Ferry, Idaho. We filmed a lovely backyard wedding all day the following day and stayed in the cutest, little, small town, family owned lodge (Log Inn at Bonners Ferry) for 2 nights. Seriously the cutest. I would go back to middle of no where, Bonners Ferry, Idaho, again just so I could stay there again. So, so darling. Shout out Katelyn, too, for keeping us fit on our trip and giving us personal workouts in our little lodge room.

Since neither of my girls had ever spent time in one of my favorite places on Earth, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, I saved a day to pit-stop and explore the town on our way back home. We made friends with some kind gentleman with a boat, and gave Ellie her first time (ever in her life) experience on a boat. There were a lot of firsts on this trip :) We shopped downtown that evening, had a fabulous dinner, and went back to what we thought was going to be another lodge hotel, but found out we were basically back to camping in our "glorified camping" 2 bunk hut situation. It was actually so cute that I didn't care. It even had an adorable little porch swing. No complaints.

We saw so many beautiful places and had so many different experiences in a matter of only 5 days. After spending 120 hours straight with you girls, and at least 30 hours of those being in a car with you, I can honestly say I still love you both dearly ;) 
Katelyn and Ellie, Thank you for always doing stellar work for me, but more importantly, for always be willing and excited to enjoy life with me.

Until next time Banff... we love you.

Nick & Christina

Can everyone just get married at Tsillan Cellars and have epic dance parties like this?!

Christina and Nick's STUNNING Chelan, WA wedding was one of my favorites to date. The details were flawless, dainty but not over-done, the venue was magical, the planning was perfect, and this couple is the definition of couple goals. The way they love is so genuine, and intentional. And can we talk about how gorgeous they are? Please have so many beautiful children you two....

I love how they made a weekend getaway out of their wedding, and got to enjoy time on their lake front property rentals with their family and closest friends all weekend long. It made for a relaxed, laid-back, and incredibly enjoyable setting. What a wonderful way to get married!

Nick and Christina, I cannot thank you enough for choosing me to capture this day for you. It was truly the best day ever, thank you for making me feel so included and truly like a friend, not just the videographer ;) I loved every minute of your day and was completely honored to get to document it all for you. Congratulations, I just love you two!

And because I can never contain myself from snapping a few photos, even while filming a wedding day, here are just a couple stills from their day:
(Nick cracks me up in the group bridal party shots, I had to include those, ha!)

Venue: Tsillan Cellars  // https://tsillancellars.com/
Wedding Coordinator: Ellie Haisch  // http://www.elliehaischevents.com/ 
Florals: Fleur de Lis - Owner Lynn Tuttle  // http://lakechelanflowers.com/ 
Photography: Jenn Tai // https://weddingsbyjenn.com/
Videography: RP Imagery // www.rpimagery.com
Catering: Sorrento's  // https://tsillancellars.com/dining/ 
Makeup: Linda Crase  // https://www.facebook.com/lindacrasemakeup.1/ 
Hair: Sarah at Londons Hair Salon , Tacoma WA
Dress: Dolce Bleu - Pronovias  // http://www.dolcebleu.com/
Men's Suits: Men's Warehouse  // https://www.menswearhouse.com/
Welcome Sign/bar signs: Hey Halle, Portland Oregon, Paige Thammavong  // http://www.heyhalle.com/
DJ: Cam Smith

Freels Family

It was so much fun adventuring up in the mountains with these three. I captured Jeni and Griff's wedding last summer, so it was especially fun to get to catch up with them on our mini road-trip up the mountain, with their new tiny addition, Vaughn having stare downs with me in the backseat.. He means business, he is a very serious baby... but literally the cutest ever! I just love him. For 35 degree weather, he was a little trooper. And even smiled for me a couple of times!

I truly treasure being able to capture not just one, but many milestones in so many wonderful people's lives. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage. Honestly, the best part of this job - when clients become friends, and I get to be included in all the most precious moments of their lives :)

Baylee and Tyler

 I met Baylee in 2009 when our moms set us up for a senior session, me being a new photographer and Baylee being a senior in high school. Our moms both worked together at the time... so, thanks moms! Fast forward a couple years later and Baylee is starting a photography business of her own and we get to collaborate on a few things and learn from each other, which it's always good to have friends in the industry. Collaboration, not competition! Fast forward another couple years later, and I am transitioning into wedding videography as Baylee is really starting to kill the wedding photography game. We've gotten to capture a few weddings together now, and it is so fun! Her as the photographer, me as the videographer. Brides.... we work really well together, FYI ;)

When she first told me that she met this Canadian guy on Tinder, he came down to meet her, and they really hit it off, I thought "that's sweet, but it'll never work." Living in two different countries right off the bat and trying to start a long distance relationship? No way. When they got engaged, I was happy for them, but still hesitant. It's not until I finally got to meet Tyler that it all finally made sense. They are truly the perfect combination of similarities and contrasts. They are so alike in that they are genuine, driven, intentional, energetic, hard working, and love to be around their friends. Yet, they are different in smaller ways that balance each other out perfectly. Baylee is whimsical minded while Tyler is a little more logical, haha. I actually love this about them! I feel like Tyler brings Baylee back to Earth sometimes but Baylee gets Tyler thinking more spontaneously. Besides all of this, how hot of a couple are they?! I mean, come on. They make THEE most beautiful couple.

Their wedding day was absolutely perfect. Baylee got ready at her mom's house with some of her closest friends, and then we drove out to the gorge where her and Tyler shared their first look. They wanted their wedding day to be intimate and magical. Well, they certainly got that. On a March afternoon in Oregon, they were absolutely blessed with a beautiful, sunny day. That, in itself, is magic. The said their vows on the most stunning cliffside with their immediate family and closest friends. It was very intimate.
Baylee and Tyler, your wedding day was perfect. Laid back, intimate, fun, romantic, spontaneous, filled with so much laughter and love... I already know your wedding day is just a hint of what the rest of your guys' lives together will be like. I'm excited to see what the future holds for you two.

Thank you for having me capture your day, it was truly an honor. I love you guys!

Also, it's always a treat to get to work with the fabulous Jessica Heron, who photographed the day. Check out her photos from their wedding day, below:

Generous Coffee // A Quest for the Best Cup of Coffee

Back in February, I joined a team in Honduras with the non-profit organization that is now family to me, Humanity and Hope United. While on this trip, Ben briefly mentioned this idea he had for a company, "Generous Coffee." Back then, it sounded like a nice idea -- but exactly that, just an idea. I wouldn't have imagined back then that a couple short months and a few unexpected connections later, I'd be a on road trip across the central american country with him and 2 others on a quest for a grower, a story, and the best cup of coffee.

First of all, who are these guys who mysteriously whisked me away right in the middle of wedding season? Ben Higgins: board member of H&H, one of the three founders of "Generous Coffee," lives in Denver, Colorado, funny, friendly, compassionate, heart of gold. Riley Fuller: president/founder of H&H, Ben's best friend, one of the three founders of "Generous Coffee," lives in Austin, Texas, caring, intentional, driven, heart of gold. Darwin Suazo: works for H&H, lives in El Progresso Honduras, absolutely hilarious, sweet, spontaneous, heart of gold. Truly, these guys are gems; I adore all three!

When invited on this trip, my mind was blown that they wanted me to capture it all. When I returned from this trip, my mind was even more blown by what I experienced on this trip, and most of all - the crazy ways in which God works if you truly surrender your heart to Him, and faithfully trust in His plan.

We were in such preliminary stages of Generous Coffee, that I had no idea what to expect, especially because it sounded like Ben and Riley didn't know either. Truthfully, I wasn't sure how much we would actually accomplish, but I was still excited for the experience! I myself am a planner and always have an itinerary of some sort while traveling. I knew I was in for a wild ride with these guys when into the first 40 minutes of the road trip, Riley (driving) looked back in the rearview mirror at Darwin and asked, "Hey, we are going the correct way... right man?" Darwin, dumbfounded, responded, "Um? I have no idea. Where are we even going?" Ben chimed in, "Do we even have GPS?" None of us had an international plan on our phones, no GPS, no maps, and apparently nobody knew where we were going. Jesus, take the wheel. 

I had a feeling that was a sign for how the whole trip was going to go, but honestly I trust these guys with my life and have so much fun with them, that I wasn't completely worried. But, in that moment, I may have been slightly concerned. Jesus really did take the wheel though for the whole trip! The order of events, the people we met, the views we witnessed, the amount of things we learned, it was all God, guiding us and completely present with us for the entire journey. 

Day One: Doing Business on a Mountain Top

We drove for a good three hours in order to meet up with coffee grower and producer, Cristian. He led us to one of his areas of production, literally on top of a mountain, Taulabe Mountain, with outrageous views, to show us where his coffee beans are dried with the natural air. This is when we just started finding out exactly how little we all actually knew about the coffee industry, haha. Cristian was very informative and educated us quite a bit, while also telling us a little about his story, his family business, and background in the coffee industry. He was also showing business developer and coffee expert, Habib, of Project Origin in Australia, around his farms... so even just listening to their conversations, we got so much insight into the coffee world! Right place, right time. We also got to meet Cristian's longest employee, who was the exact epitome of what we had in mind for a Generous Coffee story. Cow-skin cowboy hat and all, we even kind-of-kiddingly said that he should just be our company logo.

Day 2: Coffee Education from Cristian

After leaving the mountain, we checked into our cute hotel, and walked around the quiet town of Siguatepeque, Comayagua before ending the night at the only restaurant left open that late.

The next morning, we met up with Cristian again at his little coffee shop where his coffee is actually sold in town, Cafe Tio Juan, where I enjoyed the most delicious iced coffee I think I've ever had. Cafe Tio Juan is named after Cristian's younger brother, who tragically passed away trying to protect their family coffee from thieves in their fields in the middle of the night, a few years back.

It was a lovely little morning sipping Cristian's coffee, and the waitress serving us was so sweet! Before trekking onto our next adventure, we soaked in a few minutes standing in the geographical center of the Americas and of course had to take a squad photo. Kind of neat!

From there, we visited Cristian's farms and learned what a coffee plant actually looks like, haha. It was kind of wild how much we learned in that one day though. Between listening to him and coffee expert, Habib, and asking several questions, we definitely soaked in a tremendous amount of coffee knowledge in one day. As Ben said, "I think I learned more about coffee in one day than I have in my entire life." 

Day 2...Continued: Gracias Bound

The rest of this Day 2 was spent traveling into Gracias, one of the cutest little towns that I've truly ever seen. The architecture and stone streets were so beautiful, yet it still had a very small town feel. We had all afternoon and evening to kill so we checked into our adorable hotel, had a nice lunch talking about coffee since we felt like experts at this point, and then roamed around the town, cigars in hand, singing with locals and taking pics.

Just when I thought the day couldn't have gotten any better, we finally got to meet Carlos Javier, newly hired agronomist for the Hacienda Montecristo Coffee company, one of the largest coffee producers in Honduras. He gave us a warm welcome by treating us to one of the most delicious dinners in by far the LOVELIEST setting I've ever dined in. Strung lights, streaming river, delicately designed details everywhere, fresh mountain air, elegant wine, and divine food. Seriously, the evening was perfect. I remember sitting at the table sipping my wine, looking around me and just feeling all around blessed. It was a beautiful evening that I will remember forever.

Day 3: The Best Cup of Coffee, complete with a story.

Okay... just when I thought the entire trip couldn't get better at this point, the third day ended up being the absolute best. Cristian had educated us so much in the last few days, and we had been lucky to taste his delicious coffee and get to know him, but we were still in search of story.

We awoke the next morning to Carlos Javier taking us on a "2.5 hour drive" to meet a small coffee-growing family that his larger company outsources to. We drove about 10 minutes before turning onto a quite treacherous bumpy, rocky road and that's when I realized we were in for a 2.5 hour adventure, not just a drive, in order to get to this family.

Driving up the mountain with my hand out the window, I literally felt tears coming on because the views were just so magnificent, and quite literally, breathtaking. I, unable to control my photographer brain, may have politely asked Javier a couple times too many to please pull over for the several photo-ops ;)

About halfway up the mountain, after seeing these crazy views, small little homes built on side of the cliffs, and naturally a little boy randomly in a tree in the middle of nowhere, we stopped to let these 2 ladies and a small newborn into the back of the truck so they didn't have to continue walking. We were probably driving at least 30 minutes straight up hill before we approached their destination. I couldn't believe these people living on this mountain walk up and down that terrain on the daily, or weekly, as they have no other form of transportation. 

After a few other hiccups that included Riley falling out of the back of the truck and waters too high for our vehicles to pass, we hiked up the remainder of the mountain to the family's farm.

I'll never forget approaching their home. There are 4 main brothers that run this family coffee farm that has been in their family for over 100 years. Each brother has a rather large family of their own, a wife and several kids, that each live in their individual, very small, manmade homes. Coffee is their life. The men farm the coffee beans, the children pick them, the women process them into coffee. It is my understanding that the children have not ever seen the real world, much less have ever left the mountain that they live on. When we approached, the children scattered so fast and hid behind doors, their parents, anything that would hide them! They were so, so shy. After all, they had never really seen people outside of their family members.

We got to chat with the brothers, and I finally got the kiddos to warm up to me by snapping photos of their sweet faces and then showing them the back of the camera. They were the sweetest little children. The one particular little boy in the majority of my photos, in the red shirt (then later in the maroon/white striped shirt), holds a special little place in heart, as he followed me around all day, at a safe distance from me of course, so secretly, and so bashful. At one point, I noticed he had gone and changed his dirty shirt into a clean shirt and then he snuck over to their outdoor sink to rinse off his dirty face and arms. He seemed so intrigued by us, but I think I was more intrigued by his curious and sweet spirit. I caught sight of him at the wash basin, and every time I glanced over he would take turns hiding behind the pillar than doing more rinsing. I finally convinced him to give me a hug by the end of the day, and it melted my heart how he held onto me for a few lasting seconds.

After wandering around their farm a bit, my favorite part of the day came when we all sat in the eldest brother's dining area of his home, overlooking the view from the top of mountain, and sharing a cup of coffee together. His very own coffee. It was truly charming how his wife so eagerly prepared and served the coffee to us. It was even more touching to have the brother repeatedly telling us how much he couldn't believe we were interested in their coffee and interested in their story. He seemed radically humbled and I'll never forget the tiny tear I saw in his eye as he was smiling at Ben and Riley, thanking them over and over again.

In my mind, in that moment, the quest for the best cup of coffee had been accomplished. This family has a story. And it needs to be shared.

Day 3...Continued:  A treat from Ramon

Leaving the mountain that afternoon, my heart was completely exploding with love and adoration for this family. The endless labor and sacrifices that they make for their family coffee business is completely astounding. It sounds like Hacienda Montecristo has really helped this family out by giving them more demand for their supply, by outsourcing to them.

This is how perfectly God's plans work... None of that would have happened that day if Riley wouldn't have randomly met Ramon, family heir of Hacienda Montecristo, on an airplane to Honduras a few months prior. Like, what?!!! Talk about perfect place, perfect timing.

Although Ramon was out of the country at the time we were there, he still graciously invited us to his family property in Copan, where he had his employees and wait staff completely TREAT us to another fine meal and great tour of his family's gorgeous plantation. As soon as we arrived with Javier, these sweet little waiters (they had to be like 14 years old!) came out and offered us cocktails as our jaws dropped in awe of their beautiful home. So much history and so much beauty, their home is seriously unreal. Someone overheard Riley and Ben talking about how they should have saved their Honduran cigars from earlier to enjoy on this fancy porch we were now standing on, and sure enough - 5 minutes later - this little boy comes out with a platter of cigars for them. It was so sweet! We definitely felt completely treated. After another lovely meal and a DELICIOUS coffee cake desert, we started our personal tour of the plantation, learning all about their growing process, how many families work on the plantation, the history behind it, and we even got to experience the task of "cupping" coffee by these two sweet ladies who are in charge of that particular process.

Another educational experience for sure. It was also very interesting to literally go from one extreme to the other, having experienced the way that the small 4 brother families live to the fairytale sights of Hacienda Montecristo, in only a matter of hours. However, it did make my very happy that wealthy, successful people like this also have huge enough hearts to want to help smaller families in the same industry. Thanks, Ramon, for the special treat of a wonderful day!

We ended our 3 day adventure driving back to San Pedro Sula area in the pitch black of night in a dangerously heavy rain storm. Thank you, Riley, for keeping us alive on that scary drive.

We chatted life, reminisced about the people we met in those short few days, and talked about our excitement for the future. Personally, I believe Generous Coffee is going to change the world.

They brought me along to capture a small documentary / promo-type film for the new company... which will be coming soon. However, I didn't expect to take so many photos and I certainly didn't expect to blog about the trip either. 

I ended up wanting to document every moment especially so I could remember it for myself. Like I mentioned in the beginning of this extremely long blog post, God works in such crazy ways. The order of events, the people we met, the experiences we shared, I don't know that it would have A) been as effective or successful if it was any different, and B) deepened my faith and touched my heart the way it did.

Riley and Ben, thank you so much for including me on this wildly awesome adventure. I'm so proud of you guys and blessed to call you guys friends.

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Corey & Melissa

Corey and Melissa got married at the beautiful Holy Names and then celebrated at the Seattle Tennis Club on a gorgeous late August day. I have done several of Melissa's friends' weddings so at this point I feel like a friend of hers, myself, and was SO excited to capture everything for her!

All of the little details of the day were SO Melissa, and so lovely. Corey and his groomsmen were probably the funniest group of guys I've ever met, my tummy was literally hurting from laughing uncontrollably all day. Melissa gave sweet, personalized gifts to her bridesmaids that had them all in tears. We did an intimate first look out on the dock in the afternoon, and Corey's reaction was so cute. Their entire bridal party was so awesome and made photos so much fun, too! (... And I do not say that about every bridal party, haha)

They had their ceremony in a stunning church, Holy Names, followed by an exquisite cocktail hour out on the Seattle Tennis Club lawn, overlooking the water and the mountain. One of my favorite parts of the evening was when Corey's brother gave a heartfelt toast and even had Corey, the jokester who never shows any emotion, in some tears. "Eat, drink, and be merry" was exactly how I would describe the rest of their evening... delicious dinner with donuts for dessert, delightful drinks, so much dancing, laughter, tears, with a little bit of PBC-fight-watching mid reception.

Melissa and Corey, thank you so much for choosing me to capture your beautiful wedding day. It means a lot to me that you guys continue to recommend me to all of your friends, so it was even MORE of an honor to finally get to capture this day for YOU! Love you guys.

Venue- Seattle Tennis Club

Day of Coordinator- Julie Gauntt

Photographer/Videographer- RP Imagery

Makeup Artist- Clock Work Beauty (Holly Bowen and Brianna Dean)

Hairstylist- Ashley Ridley Smith

Officiant- Fr. William Heric

Florist- Juniper Flowers

Catering- Seattle Tennis Club

Bartenders and Services- Seattle Tennis Club

DJ- B.B. Santiful

Ceremony Music- Seattle String Trio

Dessert- Top Pot Doughnuts

Bridal Dress: La Belle Elaine's Bridal

Bridesmaid dresses- J. Crew Weddings

Men's attire- Wall Street Custom Tailoring

Transportation/Get Away Car: British Motor Coach

Scholl Family

Talk about a photogenic family...

I have been so excited to meet Drew, who is the 3rd partner with Riley and Ben for Generous Coffee. I finally got to meet not only him this weekend, but his sweet family as well. As the fellas had a Generous meeting Saturday, us ladies sat on their porch all afternoon drinking coffee, talking about life, and cuddling kitties. Literally, for hours. I adore his wife, Bobbi! She has to be thee sweetest person I've ever met. Their story is incredible, too.

When the youngest was just a baby, they moved their family to Papua New Guinea to be missionaries for a few years. The work they did there and their stories are incredible.

They now live in Warsaw, Indiana in one of the prettiest and coziest homes I've ever seen, on a large piece of land for their active kids to play all kinds of sports and run around with Gus, their pup, and chase their chickens around. So cute! Spending Saturday afternoon with them, I realized this family is true family GOALS... when I think of the kind of marriage and family I want someday, the type of place I want to live, the quiet afternoons I want to spend, the important things I want to focus on in life... it's all reflected perfectly in Drew and Bobbi's family. I adore each of them, so I casually asked Bobbi if they had plans the next morning before church and basically invited myself over to take family portraits of them ;)

SO GLAD she agreed! Is this not the most beautiful family...

Dustin & Anne

I knew when Anne first contacted me, her wedding would be the most intricate, detailed, and organized wedding. Being a wedding planner herself, she knew far ahead of time every detail and I loved it!

Their day started off with the girls drinking champagne in the cozy cottage on site, well the guys cracked some beers and played some pool.

I've never seen such amazing work on florals. They had a team of 10+ people hanging florals on every tree, branch, bike, you name it, allllll day before go-time. It was crazy to see it all come together and witness their craft.
Their wedding was unique because it was considered a "vow renewal," as they have already been married for a year. How fun, though, that they finally got a glorious wedding day to celebrate with all of their loved ones! And an extremely beautiful one, at that.
Every detail of the day was amazing, from the florals to the blown-up handwritten vows on canvas hanging from a tree, to the choreographed dance routine that Anne and her bridesmaids did at the reception (must watch in the video!). Their film was quite fun to put together as their dance party all evening was a riot, as well. These people know how to dance!
See for yourself at the end of their wedding film ;)

I also couldn't help but snap just a few (random) photos throughout the day, so here a couple still glimpses into their day, as well, below.

Anne and Dustin, thank you so much for choosing me to capture the essence of your vow renewal wedding day. It was beautiful, fun, and SO you guys! I adore you two, congratulations!

Florals: Designs by Courtney

Photographer: Kimberly Lind Photography

Videography: RP Imagery

DJ: Dylan with Otto-matic Mobile Music

Food Trucks: The Peach and the Pig, The Fishbasket and Lula Salads

Bartending Service: Bartenders Extraordinaire

Cake: The Cakewalk Shop

Venue: Woodland Meadow Farms

Dress: LaineeMeg Snohomish

Bridesmaids Dresses: Shop Revelry 

Chairs/Rentals/lighting: Cort Party Rentals

Planning: It’s all in the Details

Hair: Elisah Canfield

Makeup: Madelyn Henning

Honduras // July 2017

It was such a blessing for me to last minute be asked to come down to Honduras and film a promo film for a new company, Generous Coffee. The three awesome guys behind this company are Riley, Ben, and Drew, whom also happen to be founders and board members of the non-profit, Humanity and Hope United.

Currently we are in very pre-limary stages of Generous, so I knew that the 5 days I was going to be down there with the guys were going to be filled with new adventures for all of us, as we had no idea which coffee farms we were visiting, who we'd be meeting, where we'd be staying, etc.

I'm creating a whole separate blog post about our Generous road-trip and research that I'll share soon, but for now I wanted to share the days that I was in Honduras outside of the Generous trip. I didn't know that I was going to get to meet and spend time with a 26 person crew from Humanity and Hope that was down there at the same time, a group being led by Ben and his mom the previous week. IT WAS SUCH A PLEASANT SURPRISE! It was so wonderful getting to know the people on the team, whom were (for the most part) all new to H&H. I could already tell that they had built some very strong friendships amongst each other, and I was happy to get to be a part of it for the last 48 hours of their trip.

With that, I also got to spend time with them in the village of La Caroza and reunite with the cute kiddos that I met in February when I was there earlier this year. Loving on these sweet faces and seeing their smiles never gets old! It was fun to see how well the 26 person H&H team not only connected so well with each other, but also connected with and had already made such an impact with the families and children in the villages. 

One of my favorite stories from their week was how one little girl was unable to attend school one day because she didn't have any shoes to wear. An H&H team member, Sarah (whom I was so blessed to get to know, she has the biggest heart!), was the only one made aware of the situation at the time, by the girl's concerned friend, and immediately said, "Well, let's go get her shoes!" With Darwin's help, they went and bought some shoes, and the girl was able to attend school that day. I love so many things about this story. One, that the girl's friend was so concerned about her friend not being able to go to school. Two, that Sarah is such a humble soul that nobody on the team even knew about what happened until the end of the week. Three, that there was a moment shared at the end of the week that Sarah spoke with the two girls and told them how inspired she was by the strength of their friendship, and let them know that if they can be there for each other through something like that, then that kind of friendship will be a solid rock for them throughout their entire lives, in any kind of situation. Sarah's words and tears also brought tears to the girl without the shoes, and it was such a special moment that I'm so glad I got to capture. I included a series of a few photos of that moment, just because it was so touching to not only see how much the girls' friendship inspired Sarah, but how powerful Sarah's words of encouragement were to the two young girls.

We also spent a day in Remolino with the new "health squad" for H&H finding out health concerns and needs of the village in order to bring a health program/clinic/care system to them in the near future. Along with visiting household to household and doing some data analysis, we hung out more with the children, and witnessed again just how labor-intensive both the women's jobs are with the sheep and pigs and the men's jobs are in the fields. It is insanely inspiring to see how hard these people work for $7.50 US/day. Which to them, is a lot. 
I also loved getting to spend more time with Catherine and Androlla, two of the translators that live in Honduras, that also have huge hearts! They are such a blessing to H&H and the villagers absolutely adore them.

After the Generous trip, we also came back to spend a few hours in a new village, La Cuchilla, that H&H intends on working with in the future, who currently has zero electricity and no access to clean water. The village of 27 families lives in 20 small homes, and shares ONE well to manually get their water, and still must boil the water before it's even okay to drink. Can you imagine living in that heat and having to pull up your own water from a well and boil it before you can even drink a glass of water to quench your thirst? It was heart-breaking to witness first-hand and I'm thankful H&H has connected with these wonderful people to help their community prosper! I truly look forward to seeing these families again in the very near feature and can't wait to be a part of bringing hope and prosperous change into their lives. Just look at how joyful they are right now with so little... imagine the smiles on their faces once they can drink water without getting sick and find out there is opportunity for them to experience jobs and education.

Once again, I left Honduras completely humbled with a heart full joy, hope, and gratitude. A kind of joy that literally hurts my face from smiling so much, a kind of hope that inspires me to share their story and get more people involved, and a kind of gratitude that encourages me to invest all that I have into these people - their communities, their hearts, and their new opportunities.

Find out more about the vision of Humanity and Hope by clicking here.

Find out more about how you can get involved here:

INVEST WITH YOUR TIME // Come on a trip!

INVEST BY DONATION

Andrew & Hayley

I met Andrew through a mutual friend a few years back, and I got the pleasure of getting to meet his beautiful fiance, Hayley, on one of the happiest days of her life... when she became his fiance.

One of my favorite things about this particular proposal is that Andrew called me 6 months prior to make sure I was available. I can't believe he kept it a secret for that long! I can only imagine the anticipation though... now that's impressive.

Another favorite aspect of this proposal is that her ring was uniquely designed by including special different diamonds di-soldered from other important family members' wedding rings. So much meaning in one ring, that's pretty darn special! And how stunning is it?!!

Throughout the entire day, he took her around to places that were meaningful to them in an "amazing race" type fashion. Where they first met, had their first kiss, first became officially boyfriend and girlfriend, etc. Then ended in a special "someplace new" where I was hiding in the bushes waiting to capture the big moment :) Andrew acted as though he was taking photos of Hayley with Mt. Hood in the background, then for one of the photos he told her to turn around for another angle, and he was down on a knee. Such a sweet moment, the radiant smile and tears streaming down her face were priceless.

It was so wonderful to get to capture and be a part of this special day for these two! I'm beyond excited for you guys and can't wait to see what the future holds for you two. 

Congratulations Andrew and Hayley! xoxo

Brandi & Dustin

Quite literally obsessed with these two!
I am SO excited that they stumbled across my work (through mutual friends, thanks Nicole and Tonicha!) recently and last minute booked me for their San Francisco wedding this September.
I was even more excited when Brandi mentioned that she may be interested in an engagement photo session with me prior to September as well. Mainly excited because it's just such a great way to get to know a couple, get to know their love story and general vibe, and just connect with them. I casually mentioned a couple of my favorite locations to shoot, Rowena Crest being my favorite but also the furthest, and when Brandi agreed to that - I already knew I was going to love them. We all know how much I love adventure and the PNW.

During our photos, when I found out that they were 5 years apart and mentioned "Wow, I had no idea - Dustin, you're so well spoken and mature," I just about died when he looked over and smiled at Brandi, and said "Well, I had to be if I wanted to get her." Gosh, they are the cutest. They met a few years ago, both being super successful in their real estate careers... Although Dustin did mention as a young teenager, he know exactly who the babe was working a couple stores down in the Vancouver Mall... it just took nearly a decade later to meet her through real estate in their adult lives and win her over.

I truly had so much fun getting to know these two. They are such sweet, caring, humble individuals and then you put them together, and they are just serious "couple goals." Everything from the way that Dustin looks at Brandi, to the way she reaches for his hand, to their obvious connection and chemistry together, -- looking at them just makes one want to fall in love. Roses, wine, picnics in stranger's orchards, views of the gorge, it was all so lovely and I am so happy to have been able to capture just a tiny bit of their love story. Plus, it was very difficult to NOT capture a good photo of these two, aren't they just the most stunning couple?! Something out of a fairytale, I'm convinced. Brandi and Dustin, I adore you two, thanks for being so fun!

Sydney and Chad

Sydney and Chad had a beautiful, elegant wedding at the Foundry in Lake Oswego.

They started the day out by getting ready at the little hotel across the street, right on the water. The morning consisted of lots of girl time and many mimosas. 

Their ceremony was right out on the water, and as they said their "I-do's," several folks out on their boats cruising by were even celebrating with all of us, hooting and hollering for them. It was a sweet and intimate ceremony. Cocktail hour was one of my favorite parts of the day, there were so many sweet couples, delicious appetizers, and all around happy people on a lovely deck sipping cocktails. The rest of the evening was definitely one of the greatest dance parties I've ever seen at a wedding. Their friends certainly know how to get down on the dance floor!

Sydney and Chad, thank you so much for choosing me to capture your beautiful wedding day. It has been a priviledge getting to know you guys, and I wish you the happiest life together!

Venue: The Foundry

Catering: Devil's Food

DJ: Paradox Productions (Ryan)

Florals: Portland Flower Works (Erick Witcraft)

Officiant: Rev. Dee Richardson

Lighting: Greenlight Creative

Photography/Videography: RP Imagery

Hair & Makeup: Beauty and Blossom

Dress: Castle Couture (New Jersey)

Gabe & Madelyn

We started out Gabe and Madelyn's wedding day with Madelyn and her girls getting ready in her childhood bedroom that she grew up in... so cute... while they boys went out boating. It was a lovely, relaxing morning and my favorite part was her bridesmaids tearing up every 15 minutes. Sharing stories of the past, talking about the moments about to happen, Madelyn putting on her dress, so many tears.

There are so many favorites moments that I have from Gabe and Madelyn's wedding day. I'm just going to point out though that my favorite general theme of the entire day was FAMILY. I love how intertwined both Gabe and Madelyn's family and friends already are, but I guess that's what happens when you've been together for 7 years, since sophomore year of high school.

Gabe's family friends are already besties with Madelyn's family friends. Gabe's dad already treats Madelyn like the daughter he never had (truly... he only has 4 boys), Gabe makes Madelyn's mom laugh so hard (it's the cutest thing ever), and I love how both Gabe's dad and Madelyn's dad gave each other pats on the back and hugs continually throughout the whole day (see the photo of Gabe and Madelyn about to sign their marriage license and the dads hugging in the background as it's becoming official)! Truly though... the saying, "two families become one" was 100% in full effect already on their wedding day. So much family. So many tears. So many embraces.

From the beginning of the day until the end, EVERYBODY was embracing each other. Even throughout the entire evening of dancing.... and not even just the slow songs. Everyone constantly had their arms around each other, it was quite the celebration! Rightfully so, I took about 5x the amount of dancing photos that I normally take at a wedding.... and that's a lot. A favorite "embrace moment" was after the mother-son dance, the rest of Gabe's brothers came over and hugged their teary eyed mama, then Gabe's dad joined in, and then Madelyn, and then Madelyn's parents, pretty soon it was a 25 person embrace.

Gabe and Madelyn, I can honestly say your wedding day was the SMOOTHEST, most laid back, most joyful wedding I've ever captured. I truly believe your wedding day was a perfect reflection of the way you two love each other. It's raw, it's goofy, it's warm, it's devoted, affectionate, and knows no boundaries. I love your love ;) It was a pleasure being a part of your day.
MUCH LOVE.

Photography: RP Imagery

Catering: Famous Dave's

Bar: The Waitstaff

Cake: Rosycakes

DJ: Bust a Move

Flowers: Paige Beall

Rentals: Your Party and Event Center

Venue: Brickstone Ballroom

Rachel & Tyler

Rachel and Tyler got married on a beautiful July early evening at one of my favorite Seattle area venues, Trinity Tree Farm, in Issaquah, WA.

These two have an infectious kind of love that truly stems from friendship. Their officiant, and also friend, that married them had the kindest things to see about their commitment and friendship together. Rachel's mom spoke about their relationship being rooted in not only a solid friendship, but also Christ as well. Hearing from so many of their loved ones at the reception was a true testament to how treasured these two are by their friends and family.

Rachel had every detail of the day planned to perfection, and it was perfectly executed, as well! I've never seen a bride do it so well all on her own. Rachel, you are amazing!

Thank you guys for trusting me to capture this beautiful day for you guys, and all of the special moments that happened. It was a true honor! You two have such an admirable relationship, I can only imagine how blessed you will be in your marriage and journey together for the rest of your lifetime. Congratulations!

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT SOME OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER OF THEIR DAY, JAKE LAND:

Dane & Angie

Two of Western Washington University's most athletic alumnis and Bellingham's finest tied the knot and I couldn't have been more honored to capture their amazing day!

Dane was co-captain of our WWU Vikings Basketball team in 2014 while Angie was a star and co-captain of the volleyball team. These two are a dynamic duo to say the least, I can only imagine how athletic their kids will be ;)

Anyways, on to their BEAUTIFUL wedding day. Angie and Dane got married on Angie's parents property, where Angie grew up, and as she says "is the place who made her who she is today, where she learned to ride a bike and home of so many other firsts."  It sounds like their was a lot of hesitation in the beginning of wedding planning whether to host 200 guests on their home property or not, but I am so glad they went with it! It turned out so spectacular, and incredibly special. Their property, complete with pond, in Lynden, WA is beyond beautiful, and was truly the perfect setting for their wedding day.

Talk about beautiful... Dane and Angie. The couple that didn't want to have an engagement session because they are "not good" and uncomfortable in front of the camera? PLEASE. I forced them to have a mini photo session the night before their wedding, at their rehearsal, because I couldn't myself. They are too beautiful! Am I right, or am I right?

It was fun to see how everything came together so well. Their shop was transformed into this magical little country western atmosphere, complete with hay bails, cowhides, boots, and bourban. A special champagne bottle was popped, toasts were made, and the celebration carried on through the entire evening.

My favorite part of this wedding day was how much I felt God's presence through it all. From the relaxed morning Angie and her bridesmaids had getting ready, to the laid-back flow of the entire day, to the way Dane simply looks at Angie, to the examples of both of their parents' marriages, and in the way every single friend and family is in full support of their union. Specifically, my favorite "God moment" of the day was during the ceremony, when Dane and Angie quietly prayed together... in front of 200+ of their friends and family, but were completely in their own little world, in a perfect moment with God. It was so beautiful, I cried. Not uncommon for me though, ha. 

My other favorite moment of the day was when I dragged the two of them away from their party so I could capture more pretty sunset photos of them, and Dane simply asked if they could just sit on his tailgate. Angie let out a big sigh of relief, smiled and kissed her new husband. Professionally speaking... the truck wasn't my first choice, "not what I had in mind, Dane"... but how could you say no to that? They were so stoked to have a beer on his tailgate together, just the two of them, newly husband and wife. It was a neat moment, and actually some of my absolute favorite photos from the day. From this, I learned that it's not always about the perfect background, but the perfect moment. Noted. Thanks, Dane!

Dane and Angie, thank you for letting me capture one of the best days of your life! You are a truly beautiful couple, both inside and out. You compliment each other so well, and are the definition of "couple goals." I adore you guys, and can't wait to see what God has in store for your marriage!

Florals - Flowers by Jan Knutson

Catering - Back East BBQ

Dress - Lydia by Calla Blanche 

Suits - Macys

Coordinator - Janell Neevel

Cake & Cupcakes- Cathie Wright

DJ - GMB Entertainment - Linda Castro - DJ Little

Videographer - Dakota Buttrey

Appetizers - Kurly's French Fry Kart

Beverages - Walton Beverage & Sound Beverage

Rentals - Wander Event Rentals (peacock wicker chairs)

Table & Chairs - Bellingham Event Rentals

Hair & Makeup - Caroline Ashton - Lancome

Outhouses - Ideal Rent-All

Austin & Katie

I've known Austin since he was about 6 years old... running around Zion Lutheran Church's play area. I have this one image in my mind from our childhood of him sliding down the 5 foot slide and showing his friends "how it was done." Haha!
Anyways, seeing him as a young man now and watching him love Katie is probably my favorite new image. These two are MEANT for each other. Katie and Austin actually grew up around each other, their mothers being best friends, and Austin playing on Katie's brothers' little league teams, having sleepovers, and whatnot. They didn't actually date until Austin decided to ask her out one day when they reconnected in their college years. Anyways, you can watch their love story film to learn more about that... On to their magical wedding day!
Youngberg Hill Vineyards is one of the prettiest places I've shot at. Epic views! They wed with a glorious backdrop behind them, both a green valley and a beautiful floral cross. Their vows were so intimate, their mothers' tears were so sweet, and Katie's father's toast in particular was one for the books! The party was such a fun celebration, Katie and Austin are incredibly loved by all of their friends and family... it is so evident in the hugs and embraces and conversations between everyone! 

Katie and Austin, thank you for trusting me to capture your wedding day. I love the way you two love each other. It's sweet, tender, flirty, genuine, and STEADFAST. Your journey has only just begun! Love you guys. XO

Check out some of my favorite photos from their wedding day (by Baylee Dennis) below:

Venue- Youngberg Hill

Day of Coordinator- Stargazer Weddings

Florist- Roths Floral

Makeup Artist- Candace Smouse

Hairstylist- Larissa Hillman

Photographer- Baylee Dennis

Videographer - RP Imagery

Officiant- Jim Stump

Catering- Roths Catering

Bartenders and Services- Youngberg hill

Cake- Roths Bakery

Bridal dress- The White Dress

Bridesmaid dresses- Lulus

Men's attire- Men's Warehouse