Spring Couples Session

Noah and Allie vibes? This Southern Indiana couples session was magic. Sunset, at Spring time, in an open field? Never a bad idea! These are two of my most favorite people in the world to photograph because they just let it be and really play together! Planning your own session? Take a tip from this couple and just have fun with it! You don’t have to pick an epic mountain top location either! We decided to ride around and pick a couple random spots and it turned out absolutely perfect!

SOuthern Indiana Engagament

The amount of locations for your engagement session are endless but there is nothing better than sunset in your own backyard! I will truly never tire of views like this! I’ve known Payton since she was a little girl because she is best friends with my sister! Getting to capture all her most important memories is something I am so thankful for! We started off in one location and hopped around a couple of times, all in Southern Indiana. The best part? Baby Sloane!! Got check out how absolutely perfect this family is!

Make it stand out

Running around with these two on their family farm was pure magic!

Kentucky Elopement

When I tell you Alexis & Corey’s Elopement was absolute perfection, I freaking mean it!!! Started the day getting ready at Dant Crossings Bed & Breakfast which is the absolute cutest place to stay in New Haven, Kentucky! Hair & Makeup by Affinity Hair, Dress by Lulus and Suit from Express. After an intimate emotional first look with both Corey and his son we did some photos at Dant before heading to our next spot!

Next up, we headed to Bernheim Forest in Cermont, Kentucky! Literally one of my favorite parks in the Louisville, KY area! Alexis & Corey we absolute troopers in toughing out the little bit of rain we got upon arriving!

How stunning are these two!? If I could share every image taken during their day I absolutely would! Portraits followed by the sweetest lakeside ceremony with a few of their closest family and friends! Is a ceremony really complete without a confetti exit!??

BRB starting a petition for more couples who do their wedding day their way! With hats, leather jackets, tennis shoes and whatever the hell else they want! And of course ending this with more of them because how could I not?

Golden Hour Maternity

Obsessed with this dreamy lakeside maternity session! The location chose was Mount Saint Francis in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. Typically a very popular spot for sessions (and for obvious reasons) but we got lucky and were the only ones in the park this day! This hazy sunset + this beautiful couple were a match made in Heaven!

Bernheim Forest Engagement Session

My favorite part about engagement sessions is getting to know the couple before their wedding day! Spending the day, exploring, with Alexis and Corey was an absolute joy! If you’ve ever been to Bernheim Forest you’ll understand why these two chose to use it for both this couples session and for their intimate wedding! Not only is it beautiful here year round (I mean this is winter!!!) but there is also a huge variety for different scenery!

My main advice for planning your engagement session it to just be yourself! You can’t beat feeling comfortable and confident in both your environment and your attire. The proof is in the pudding with this session! Obsessed with the cute cozy style both of these two share. You can truly feel how relaxed they are with each other from start to finish!

Rainy Spring Engagement

Terra & Nicks engagement session was unreal! Beckley Creek Park of The Parklands in Louisville, KY is so gorgeous all year! You really never know what it’s going to look like here with the field pictured above looking different all the time. We got so lucky with these beautiful white flowers! Add in Terra stunning white dress and them being the absolute cutest and we got magic! Peep below to see more of these two on their stormy session!

Unique groom attire

Not feeling the more popular blue, black or grey suit options for your wedding attire? The best part about planning a wedding or elopement is being able to completely customize it to your style. Get married where you want, do whatever you want and WEAR whatever you want! Comfy and casual? Wool, velvet or tweed? Bright colors, layers and patterns? Check out some of my grooms who decided to switch it up on their wedding day!

Favorite Wedding Day Tips

Wedding Day Tips

I have photographed over a hundred weddings & elopements over the years and have learned a ton about what to do and what not to do to make a wedding day flow stress free! These are some of my favorite tips that I like to share with my couples before their big day from start to finish and hopefully they're helpful to you as well!

Before The Wedding

As if you don't already have a plate full of things to do, I'm gonna tell you to add a few more(and maybe remove a few things too). Doing these things before the wedding will make your day go so much smoother!

No Spray Tans in the days leading up to your wedding. I know this can be tempting because who doesn't want to have a nice tan on their wedding day, but if not done correctly you could be looking orange in your photos. If you're dead set on a spray tan, get it at least 3 days before and have it done by a professional!

Make a Getting Ready Playlist- You can do this in the days leading up to your wedding day or even month in advance! Seriously one of my favorite tips because having the right music for the getting ready portion will help set the vibe for the entire day! No time for this? Ask one of your bridal party members to make one or just search Spotify for Wedding Day Playlists.

Timeline & Family Formals- Hopefully your timeline is finished at least a couple weeks before your wedding day. When making your timeline (or your photographer or wedding coordinator are) Make sure to remember these few tips. Whoever will be helping you into your wedding attire will need to be dressed and ready before you are scheduled to get ready. This might mean a few changes in the schedule for hair and makeup so Mom isn't in the salon chair when it's time to get into your dress. Make a list for family formals so nobody gets forgotten! After making your list, reach out to close family to look it over if you'd like to make sure you didn't leave anything out. All this planning will help the family formal portion go so much quicker! Then, once you're pretty sure it's perfect, reach out to the family members who will be included and let them know to stay back after the ceremony so they can get in the photos and assign someone who is close to you to help keep them there! This might sound excessive but trust me, someone will forget and we don't want to waste time standing there when we could be getting to the reception!

Details- Put all your detail items in a bag/box on the days leading up to your wedding to keep them close and leave nothing forgotten. Do one for you and one for your significant other. This would include things like jewelry, your invitation, garter, shoes, tie, perfume/cologne etc. When your photographer first arrives, they'll more than likely want to photograph these things and you're going to want to relax instead of searching around!

Let Your Photographer Know- I don't ask my couples for a shot list before the wedding because I typically know exactly what is going to happen and what I need to capture. The first kiss? Yep I'll get it! Parent Dances? Of course! BUT sometimes things are planned or wanted that may not be standard. Let your photographer know these things before the wedding day or you might forget them too! Things like sentimental items hidden on your attire or bouquet. Maybe surprises you have planned for your significant other, bridal party or wedding guests. Any family situations they should be aware of or group shots you want with friends at the reception? Make a list in your notes app and send it over a week or so before the wedding if possible so your photog knows to get these things!

GETTING READY // THE MORNING OF

Attire- No matter what you've decided to get ready in, avoid wearing a bra or any garments that leave indents on the morning of. These may show up once you've gotten into your dress! Remove all hair ties and watches before you arrive to your getting ready location as these can be hard to remember to do, leave indents and are very unflattering in photos! If you've chosen matching sets for you and your bridal party to get ready in, and you want photos of y'all together in them, make sure every girl will be done with hair & makeup by that scheduled time otherwise you could be left waiting for them to finish or taking the photos while some people aren't completely ready!

Keep a clean space- This will not only look better in photos but will make it much easier to pack up and go when its time. It will also be much less stressful when moving around or looking for anything!

Stay Hydrated- This is a whole day tip but start the day off right by staying hydrated! Keep plenty of water and snacks in the room with you and available to your bridal party all day!

Florals- Find out when your flowers will be delivered and ask where they'll be delivering them too. If pictures are scheduled to start at the park at 2:00 but your florals are delivered to the ceremony locations it can be a big issue. These small details will set your wedding timeline back and leave you feeling rushed or you will be left without the flowers in photos. I'm sure you paid a good amount for them so we definitely want to include them as much as possible. This goes for both guys and girls. Boutonnieres can be hard to put on when they are made heavy as well so having the florist help if possible or getting a few people who know how to do it when the time comes will help tremendously with time and stress!

Dressed- Dress for your environment. Yes even on your wedding day!! If your having a hiking elopement wear boots. If its raining bring an umbrella. If its going to behold wear a fur coat and/or warm leggings under your dress. If you're planning to take pictures in a park and its a long walk, don't have your girls walking in heels in the grass, have them wear comfy shoes and slip on their fancy ones when you get to your spot. I know this sounds silly but this is great info for not just you and your fiancé but your bridal party, family and guests too! Being comfortable is right up there with being fashionable on your wedding day. If you get stressed feeling cold or wet or hot or uncomfy at all in any capacity, it will 100% make you miserable dealing with it all day at your wedding. These little things will have you saying "I'm done with photos" and then regretting it later when you only have a few pictures of you and your fiancé together!

The Ceremony

Take your time walking down the isle, smile and keep your head up! This goes for anyone walking down the isle on your wedding day. It's so easy to forget this and often times ends up looking like your bridal party doesn't want to be there (which I know is not the case) so just a quick reminder when lining up is great!

Put tape down where you want/need people to stand. This will help keep everyone centered with the backdrop and not have you worried about being in the wrong spot during the ceremony.

When swapping the rings, hold it from the bottom so your hand doesn't hide the ring in photos. Another tricky one to remember but will be greatly beneficial when you get your photos back if you remember!

Ask officiant to step out of the way before the first kiss happens so they aren't behind you during this big moment! Take your time during the kiss too, no rush! Kiss a few times if you want and enjoy the moment!

Plan your walk back down the isle together! Do you want to just hold hands and walk? Great! Smile and look at each other while you do? Perfect! A kiss at the end or a twirl or a dip? Literally anything you want!

My most favorite tip of all? Your wedding day is not meant to be perfect! Don’t try and micromanage the day. Relax!!! No need to sweat the small stuff. If everything goes perfect that's great, but it's the silly things that that give you more to look back on! I wish I would've had this advice on my wedding day. My husband threw up immediately after our ceremony (maybe shots of scotch during our vows in 90 degree weather wasn't my best idea lol) and he almost pulled me into the waterfall on accident when he slipped. I didn't get mad but I'd be lying if I said it didnt get to me a little at the time! Looking back, those are two of my favorite memories from our wedding and I wouldn't change a thing (except maybe we should've just fell into the water!) Something will probably go "wrong" on your day too. Just roll with it and have fun!

3 Reasons you should consider an elopement

If you’re feeling stressed or pressured into having a certain type of wedding you might be thinking that eloping sounds like the better option. Your wedding day is supposed to be about you and your fiancé. It’s your chance to focus on each other and the love you share together. Marry your best friend in a way that really showcases you both as individuals and as a couple. Here are three of my favorite reasons an elopement might be the best option for your wedding day!

INTIMATE

A traditional wedding is busy. Busy with events and catering to guests. This means at a big wedding you will spend very little time with your fiancé and sometimes no time actually alone together at all! A great reason to choose to elope is that elopements are just the two of you (or very few guests) making the timeline for the day super relaxed. This will give you the opportunity to spend the entire day together doing exactly what you want when you want! You call the shots so you won't be stressed with keeping family and friends happy. Keeping it super intimate is also super romantic (maybe just my opinion but also maybe absolute fact). With a small or nonexistent guest list it will be easier to stay within your budget and really splurge on the things most important to you. It's easier to be authentic when you're only having to worry about your wants and not the wants of 300 other people. Your location options just opened up too since an elopement can be done just about anywhere! Elope on a beach on the East Coast or at a park right in your small town, whatever feels right. Eloping is all about valuing experiences over stuff and with an elopement, the adventure possibilities are endless!

LESS STRESS

Anxious being the center of attention? Get overwhelmed planning every tiny detail for an event? A smaller guest list definitely equals less stress! If you decided to include some people in your elopement it will be those closest to you and removes a lot of that family drama of inviting “family friends” you’ve never even met. You can always plan a reception for a later date if a big celebration with family & friends is important to you and then it will be a more relaxed environment since you’ll already be married! Financially, elopements are far less expensive on average and let’s be honest, the price tag can be a bit overwhelming when catering 200+ people. With an elopement, you can focus more on the special moments with your significant other without feeling like there’s other things you need to do or rushing to get to the next event. Stress will take away all the fun in planning for your special day. The entire planning process for an elopement is much more stress free and you’ll get to do things completely authentic to who the two of you are!

Epic Photos

Last but definitely not least, elopements definitely have some of the most amazing photo opportunities! No matter how you decide to do your elopement, you’re sure to have plenty of time for pictures. Big weddings can keep you pretty busy between day of events and keeping your guests from waiting. Eloping gives you the opportunity to focus on just the two of you and you’ll be captured more intimately together. Also, did I mention locations? Since you won’t be spending a fortune on a large guest count and huge venue, you’ll have more money to travel to an awesome location. Or, skip the travel and find a super cool location local to you! You don’t have to travel out west for amazing views! Since the day of timeline will be relaxed, you can plan all your “events” around the sun, making for awesome photos and no hangry guests waiting for you to be finished with pictures!

Overall there’s no one way to do it and only you can decide what will be best for your day! Whether you keep it small or go big, if you’re doing it for you, it’s sure to be absolutely perfect!

Eco Friendly Wedding

Zero Waste said it best "The average US wedding produces a massive 400 pounds of garbage and 63 tons of CO2. If your guest list is over 100, your carbon footprint could be much, much higher, and in most cases, the waste generated won’t be biodegradable. That means your decorations, single-use cutlery, and plastic cups will still be here when your great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren are thinking about their wedding decor!"

You don’t have to go to the extreme to have a more sustainable wedding. Even just being conscious of the waste you could produce is a huge step in the right direction! One of my favorite ways to avoid waste is to keep your guest list small! This is a tough one, I know. it can be hard to cut your list down but doing so can make drastic changes in helping reduce excess on your wedding day! Excess waste also equals wasted money. Going green on your wedding day is all about keeping things local, using more natural materials, and intentional planning! Check out some of the ways below that you can make changes!

Venue

Picking an Eco-Friendly Venue is one of the first steps to making your wedding more environmentally friendly! A venue that can host both your ceremony and reception in the same location will help cut back on travel for your guests. If you do plan to have two different venues for your big day, consider having a shuttle to bring your guests to and from locations! This is a great option if your venue has limited parking as well! Also having a wedding local when possible to avoid air travel. You don’t have to give up your destination wedding to have a sustainable wedding though. If travel is unavoidable, you can check out sites like My Climate to view how to offset your travel carbon footprint!

Does your venue offer rentals? Take advantage of what your venue has to offer and cut out consumption by renting when you can! I’ll talk more about decor next but when looking for a venue, try looking for one with natural decor like one outside in Nature! Not only will natural decor save you some money but it will also help avoid waste. Get married outside with gorgeous natural scenery in places like a Vineyard, Forest, Mountain, Greenhouse, etc. All of these would all make for stunning locations for your vows but also need little to no decor to be absolutely perfect for your wedding day. Just remember to abide by the Leave No Trace principles when enjoying the outdoors! If you decide to go with a more standard venue than just out in nature, ask about recycling/composting. If this is something they offer, great! If not, they may be able to recommend a local company to help!

Decor

Rent when you can or buy secondhand! There are a lot of venues that offer rentals for everything you will need but if not there are also a lot of great rental companies that can help you out! Renting can be a bit more expensive but it is a great option to save space before/after the wedding, avoid the stress of having to get rid of items and save you so much time in the long run. Buying secondhand is another great option when you can’t rent! There are so many Facebook groups where past brides go to sell their wedding decor. Thrift shops are also amazing to find unique pieces to really make your wedding decor pop!

Donate, reuse or sell your decor! Once the wedding is over, don’t just trash your decor. Be intentional when buying your wedding decor! You can really cut costs and avoid over buying if you’re intentional with your wedding purchases. If it’s pieces you love, you can incorporate some of it into your home decor! This is such a cool idea that I’m seeing so much more often lately and how awesome to have a mirror or picture frame from your wedding, in your home, to view all the time! For everything you can’t use in your home, sell to another bride or donate to a local thrift store after the wedding!

Florals

Arguably one of the most beautiful ways to add detail to your wedding day! There are fortunately many ways to get the most out of your flower arrangements while also helping to protect the environment. First off, avoid floral foam in your designs. Thankfully, most florists have already moved away from this practice but be sure to double check with your florist to be safe though. Floral foam contains a lot of chemicals and is often not biodegradable! Moving your ceremony florals to use in your reception decor is another trend I’ve seen many couples do lately! Also, decorate your tables with your bridesmaids bouquets! Find a florist that is locally sourced, this will reduce the need to transport! Choose seasonal, locally grown flowers! Once the wedding is over consider donating your florals to a local nursing home or hospital!

Get Creative! Dried floral arrangements & bouquets are becoming increasingly popular and I can see why! Not only can you keep them in your home after to avoid waste but they look absolutely stunning! Want to skip flowers altogether for your centerpieces? Potted plants, like succulents can be taken home by guests after the wedding. Books, Fruit/Veggies(compost after the wedding), or Lanterns are just a few options for flowerless designs. Don’t be afraid to incorporate whatever you and your fiancés interests are into your day!

Invitations

It's becoming more and more popular to save a little money and use e-services for invites, save the dates and thank you's! In today's online world, this is a great option to cut costs and help out a little environmentally. Creating a wedding website and let your guests RSVP there makes it quick and easy for them and also helps you keep track of everyones answers all in one place without worrying about things getting lost in the mail or someone forgetting to fill everything out before sending it back!

If your not wanting to use the internet for all your paper goods needs (I don't blame you at all, they're one of my favorite wedding details!) there are some amazing options when picking who to go through to have your invites made! Paper Culture offers recycled paper invitation suites that are stunning! They also plant a tree with every purchase and you can get 20%off by signing up for their email list! You could also go the seedling route and order through a company like Greenfield Paper Company , their plantable seed paper can planted in the ground and gives a beautiful texture to your wedding invites!

Registry

It can be easy to get carried away when adding to your registry! Try and be intentional about what you put on your list. Do you really need/want it? Or are you just trying to fill the list. Now a days more and more couples are ditching the coffee pot requests and registering for experiences over stuff! This is an awesome idea and those memories or jet skiing on your honeymoon are sure to outlive a new decorative bowl.

One of my favorite wedding registry ideas I’ve seen is to have your guests donate to a charity. There are so many amazing charities, pick one close to your heart for your guests to make contributions to!

Feeding Your Guests

Choosing a plated meal may seem more expensive but it actually helps cut down on cost and waste to preorder exactly what your guests will eat the day of. This option also helps insure your guests eat around the same time and they can sit and relax at their table instead of waiting in long lines for the buffet. If you decide to do a buffet, consider reaching out about donating leftovers to a local soup kitchen or getting to go boxes so your guests can take some food home with them. Composting food leftover is also a great option if none of the above works for your day of needs!

Try avoiding disposable dinnerware if you can by renting plates & silverware or buying mix-matched plates from a thrift shop or previous bride. This will not only help cut waste but also look beautiful on your tablescape the day of. If you’re unable to rent or reuse, biodegradable is always an option!

Wedding Favors

Rethink your wedding favors by ditching them all together, picking something local made, or doing an edible good! So often favors are not taken home or thrown out (by you or your guests). This is not only environmentally wasteful but financially as well. Things like cookies or other snacks will usually be eaten up or can be donated if you have leftovers. Putting them in a mason jar is a great idea as well because they can take the jar home as well and reuse! One of my favorite favors I've snagged while photographing a wedding was flower seed packets! This is a cost friendly option and so cute for a spring or summer wedding! You could also so succulents or other potted plants and they can double as tables cape decor!

Vendors

Short and Sweet with this one. Be Thoughtful About Who You Hire

Hire vendors that care about the environment and who’s ideas align with yours. Vendors that share similar views as you will make wedding planning so much easier. Don’t be afraid to ask your vendors lots of questions before hiring!

Exit Alternatives

Skip the Confetti & rice tosses. They may look great in photos but there are other, easy switch, alternatives that are even more beautiful! If you still want a dramatic send-off before your reception, go down the natural route with dried flowers or dissolvable confetti! You can use any of your favorite flowers, dried, or even use leaves or herbs! All these are biodegradable and you can use a whole punch on the leaves to make them more easily tossable. You can find dried flowers for tosses on Etsy or Amazon! The Confetti Bar has a ton of options for dissolvable confetti in every color you could need!

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Donate

The biggest takeaway I hope you have from all this is, reduce when you can, reuse when you can, recycle when you can, and donate what you can!

Reusing things from your wedding day in the future puts your money to good use but you can also incorporate things you already have or borrow from family members. Jewelry worn by your grandmother is sure to be more special than a necklace bought from the Mall. Repurposing minimizes what you have to buy and makes your wedding day that much more unique!

Purchase products from organizations that give back. Donate leftover items to thrift stores or shelters. Incorporate your grandmothers jewelry instead of buying new. And Recycle everything you can instead of just throwing it away! Of course some of this may not all be possible for you but making some small changes can go a long way!