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When Anne and David suggested we head over to The Lodge at St. Edward Park for their Washington engagement session, I was stoked to get to go somewhere new! The Lodge at St. Edward Park is an absolutely gorgeous restored building next to 326 acres of forest land. Originally built in the 1930s on nearby land, this historic building has a claim to fame as a historic seminary for 45 years.
Read MoreIf you’re new here, I have to let you know that I am a giant proponent for dog engagement sessions. Not only are they part of your family and should absolutely be included, but they can also give you a chance to feel more at ease in front of the camera! (and I get to smoosh their little face the entire time!) When I started chatting with Sam and Tyler, we knew we had to include their German Shepherd, Milo.
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but if you ask me, a wedding where the couple dresses their dog in a suit and tie is pretty hard to beat. At Hayley and Nathan’s wedding at The St. Vrain in Longmont, CO, their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Percy, walked the aisle in a black-tie getup. And while that was definitely a stand-out moment, this wedding day was bursting with memorable moments. So, let’s take a walk back through this incredible wedding day at one of my most frequented locations: the always stunning St. Vrain.
Read MoreIt’s not every year that we get winter in May, but it just so happened when it was time to photograph Callie and Ben for their Colorado engagement session. After a few conversations about the best location to go to accommodate their two dogs, Lexi and Smoky, we decided on The Trading Post Trail outside of the Red Rock Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. I absolutely love photographing at this location, as the trademark red rock formations are a photographer’s dream!
Read MoreIt is so fun to photograph in new locations in Chicago for engagement sessions, and when Lili and Jim suggested the Montrose Harbor, I was stoked! Not only is Montrose Harbor dog friendly, which is a must when you’re bringing your four-legged family member, but it also has some incredible views of the Chicago skyline. Located on the northern edge of Lincoln Park, Montrose Harbor is a short walk from Montrose Beach.
Read MoreThere is absolutely no better way to spend an engagement session at Guanella Pass then by bringing your dog and a picnic blanket- and of course going in the fall. Maggie and Jon knew they wanted those magic fall colors for our meetup, so we watched the weather and we were rewarded immensely by the verdant yellow colors. With Bear in tow, we were stoked to go on a short little journey and be able to not only see the trees this area is so famous for, but immerse ourselves in them!
Read More2020 was a monster of a year, but it did give me a chance to get to know Carrie and Eran just a bit better before their Mount Princeton Hot Springs wedding in Colorado! With a portion of Eran’s family traveling from overseas, they had to postpone till the next year while waiting for international travel restrictions to lift- which I totally get. These two have a whole weekend of wedding events planned, and having the whole family together for them will make for an unforgettable experience.
Read MoreEmma and Aaron are exactly the kind of adventurous but laid-back couple I can’t get enough of. These two spent the first year of their relationship traveling together to decide if they were “the one” (they were, of course!). Even though they’ve traveled all over, they chose to have their October 2020 wedding back home in Denver. But due to COVID restrictions, they had to adjust their original plan and postponed their bigger bash to September 2021. They didn’t want to cancel altogether, however, so, like many couples in the last two years, they opted for two weddings! And lucky me—I was invited to document both!
Read MoreColorado is the ideal destination to experience some fall colors, and it makes for the perfect location to take some fall colored photos together. Guanella Pass is an incredible example of a location just brimming with beautiful yellow and orange colors, and a great Colorado spot to capture some engagement photos, especially if you have a dog! Which Hayley and Nate do!
Read MoreIt was pretty easy to pick a location for Amanda and Brian’s engagement session, since their one requirement was it had to be dog friendly for their Golden Retriever Charles. We decided to meet up at the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, IL; home to the famous honeycomb sculpture and picturesque views of the city skyline. I absolutely love photographing at the Nature Boardwalk, as it is truly an urban oasis in the middle of a bigger city. Filled with ponds, and native landscaping, Lincoln Park Zoo’s South Pond has far surpassed its humble roots of mere decoration; into a thriving habitat.
Read MoreWhen talking with Sarah and Kris about their upcoming engagement session, we knew we wanted to photograph in Wicker Park, a super dog friendly neighborhood in Chicago, IL, and create some fun urban neighborhood pictures. Sarah and Kris have an absolutely perfect 8 month of Golden Retriever named Mac, that they like to take everywhere (obviously!). We started our session at The Royal Grocer, a dog friendly bar they frequent often with Mac, and afterwards basically were on the look out for some cool bricks! We eventually found ourselves on the doorstep of the The Charleston Bar Chicago.
Read MoreBrainard Lake Recreation Area in Boulder, Co is the absolute perfect place to take engagement pictures- especially if you have a beautiful Siberian Husky named Akira, and a love of dog kisses. Or at least Carla and John thought so! We decided to hike pass Brainard Lake, and focus on shooting at Long Lake. the lesser known sibling to Brainard, with just as beautiful views, and a few less people. This string of lakes (which also includes the incredible Lake Isabelle and Isabelle Glacier) are a part of the Indian Peaks Wilderness protected area in north central Colorado.
Read MoreHorsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins, Co provided the absolutely perfect place for Cristiana and Killian to celebrate their engagement. Dog friendly, and close to Denver, Colorado, Horsetooth Reservoir is surrounded on the eastern side by the Rocky Mountains, and is known as one of Colorado's most scenic outdoor paradises. This was my first visit, and I have to agree!
Read MoreI had the absolute pleasure of getting to not only travel up to Fort Robinson State Park in Crawford, Ne for this maternity session, but also to get to meet this sweet as can be couple. Jenna is the daughter of my favorite local small business owner, Laura Lee's Double L Country Store, and after hearing stories of this incredible woman, it was a blessing to get to put a face to those stories!
Read MoreI swear the Bernatowicz Family gets cuter and cuter every year, and I never stop looking forward to our family session at the Manhattan Beach Pier in Manhattan Beach. This has definitely become a yearly ritual, and watching Jackson grow up is my favorite part! This year, we loved dinosaurs. I can relate to this, so we spent a good portion of this session saying the dinosaur names, and well, running into the water; because who doesn’t love that?!
Read MoreWhen I heard that Alisha and Kyle were having a destination wedding in Sedona, Az at Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, I was the epitome of excited for so many reasons. The colors were amazing, and they based their entire wedding decor around the setting sunset of Sedona, Az; pairing fall colors heavily with greenery. But truly, the first reason being that Alisha and I grew up together, and watching people I know grow up into beautiful adult versions of their childhood selves is my favorite thing of being in the wedding industry.
Read MoreI’m not surprised to say that these two and their dog Snacks was featured on Rock n Roll Bride!
Words don’t even get close to describing how amazing Ali and Mike’s wedding at The Saguaro Palm Springs in Palm Springs, Ca was, but I’ll try and give it a shot! First off, this venue is rainbow colored- you heard me, rainbow. The carpeting, the windows, the poles, and all the fencing around this desert venue are painted different colors. You can only imagine how exciting this is for a photographer that loves color! On top of that, Palm Springs, Ca never fails to be awesome, with it’s ubiquitous palm trees and bright blue sky. Pair that with a couple who loves having fun, their dog name Snacks, and some tiki themed shoes; and you have a party waiting to happen.
Read MoreThese two beautiful humans and their dog were featured on Daily Dog Tag!
I had the pleasure of photographing these three on the Naperville Riverwalk for their engagement session in Illinois. While most of my engagement session blog posts are about my couples, this one will be a little bit puppy centric; as Lauren and Will are my kind of people, and that kind of people are dog people.
Read MoreI love this rustic ranch wedding, and love even more that Gina and Jordan were featured on Rustic Wedding Chic!
Gina and Jordan’s wedding at Triple S Ranch Napa in Napa, Ca (otherwise known as SSS Ranch Napa) was the definition of rustic, with vintage elements. Triple S Ranch is from 1860, and the tree they were married under was 175 years old! My favorite part of the wedding though had to be that Gina wore a necklace that had been passed down through generations in her family, being worn by every woman to get married. There is a picture of it below that documents all of the women family members! Gina and Jordan met when they were 8 years old through their families, and played together on the very same ranch that Jordan proposed on 20 years later! Gina says that, “We were maybe 8 when we first started having crushes on each other.”
It was such a blast getting to watch these two roam around Ojai Olive Oil in Ojai California, and by these two I definitely mean Abbie and Tucker, Rebekah and Jason’s pups! I’ve gotten to hang with them two other times for their engagement session, and an anniversary session; and I pretty much love them.
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