A Bayside Spring Wedding

Thirty days before Sally and Travis’s wedding we weren’t sure what life was going to look like come Memorial Day weekend. Would we still be under a Stay at Home order? Would Sally and Travis be able to have their family and friends join them for their celebration? All the unknown can be stressful, but Sally told me that she knew for certain that on May 23rd, no matter what, she was going to marry Travis. Yes, she was going to be sad if all their family and friends couldn’t join in for the celebration, but the marriage was the most important thing to her. If there is one thing I feel the time in quarantine has done, it’s that it has made us all see even more clearly what is truly important.

When the Stay at Home order was lifted, we all started to get a little hopeful that Sally and Travis would be able to have the wedding they’d long dreamed of. These two have been together since Sally asked Travis to be her knight during Mobile’s Mardi Gras season in 2016, but their families knew each other long before then. They’d planned this day for nearly a year. I prayed they’d get the beautiful celebration they’d imagined and I’m so happy to say that they did!

Sally’s favorite color is blue, which also happens to be my favorite color, so of course I was in love with her color palette! After exchanging vows in the little white chapel that is next door to Sally’s family home, she and Travis celebrated with friends at an outdoor reception at her parents’ house. It was such a beautiful setting! Who doesn’t want to be near the water on Memorial Day weekend?! Speaking of the water, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to see their grand exit!

I have so many favorite memories from this day! There was just so much love and joy for this sweet couple. Everything was perfectly coordinated by Brooke and Jeanne, the amazingly talented ladies behind Events Detailed. After so much uncertainty about whether this celebration would be able to happen, I was so happy that these two got both their dream wedding celebration and perfect weather to dance the night away under the stars. Congratulations to the newly Dr. and Mrs. Goodloe and cheers to many years of happiness!

Sally’s father planted this row of blue hydrangeas last year in anticipation of this day. They made the perfect background for portraits! Blue hydrangeas also happen to be one of my favorite blooms!

I love seeing past clients at weddings! How has it almost been a year since Ann and Joseph’s wedding?!

Loving this shot by my second photographer, Toni!

Second Photographer | Toni Goodie

Photographer’s Assistant | Alexis Williams

VENDORS

Planning + Design | Events Detailed, Brooke Guesnard + Jeanne Hunt

Videography | John Lestrade, Take Two Video Pro

Ceremony | Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Catering | Rob and Brady Berglin

Florist | Jubilee Flowers

Invitations + Calligraphy | Soiree Signatures

Graphic Design | Sally i Creations

Cake | Pollman’s

Hair Stylist | Adelaide Styling

Makeup Artist | You Need Blush, Courtney Matthews

Rentals | Port City Rentals

Band | Compozitionz

Second Line | Excelsior Band

Lighting | Willow Bridge Inc.

Bride’s Gown | Wedding Belles New Orleans, Amy Kueschel

Bridesmaid Dresses | Bella Bridesmaids, Amsale

Groom + Groomsmen Attire | Francia’s Formal Affair

A Magnolia Springs Engagement

Mary Catherine and I first met at a wedding! She was a bridesmaid in Sharon and Brandon’s wedding, as well as in Annie and Christopher’s wedding. I love working within the same friend circle for multiple weddings! It’s fun getting to know couples and their friends over all the different wedding days. By this point, I feel like she and I are old friends as well!

Several months ago, Mary Catherine contacted me about wedding photography. After already getting to know her at two previous weddings, you can imagine how sad I was to tell her I was already booked on her wedding date. Who would have ever thought that all these months later we’d be taking engagement pictures of her and Russell the day after they were supposed to get married?! These are crazy times for sure, but one bright spot has been the fact that the change of Mary Catherine and Russell’s wedding date led us to working together after all.

When Mary Catherine and Russell made the decision to postpone their wedding to later in the summer, she sent me an email asking if there was a chance I was available on her new date. Thankfully, that was one of the few dates that hadn’t been taken by the weddings I’d already rescheduled for my spring 2020 brides. I am so excited to be able to work with Mary Catherine and Russell, not only because I already know I will love working with their bridal party on wedding day, but because they’re just such a sweet couple.

A Location with Meaning

For their engagement session, Mary Catherine and Russell chose Magnolia Springs. Russell’s grandparents used to live in this sweet town and he and Mary Catherine frequently visit the area to kayak. It’s also the place where Russell proposed! I love that they chose a location that is special to them for these photos!

I’ve been to Magnolia Springs before, but was really only familiar with one area for photos. Russell and Mary Catherine showed me some of their favorite spots and I loved incorporating those into their session. At one point, when we were shooting near the water, something made a big splash just a few yards from where we were. I was standing on the ladder that connects the pier to the water, just one step from being in the water.

We turned to look at the splash and then it occurred to me that there were possibly alligators in the water. Random fact, I’m fascinated by alligators, but I definitely don’t want to be hanging out near the water if they’re close by! Thankfully, we saw no actual alligators and we continued on to our last location, where we discovered an amazing field and a hint of golden hour light. Such. A. Dream!

I love working with joyful couples! I know that wedding day with these two is going to be so much fun and it will be here before we know it! Enjoy some of my favorites from their Magnolia Springs engagement session!

A Bella Sera Gardens Spring Wedding

Cassidy and Noah weren’t able to have their large wedding celebration as they planned on their wedding day. Due to the uncertainty with the coronavirus and the limit on gatherings being lifted so close to their wedding day, they decided to go ahead with a small ceremony and reschedule the big celebration for another date. This would give guests time to make travel plans and, hopefully, time for the virus to get more under control. This has been the decision many spring 2020 brides have had to make.

I was so happy to be able to document this beautiful wedding ceremony for this sweet couple and their families. I arrived at Bella Sera Gardens an hour before the ceremony to take a few getting ready photos beforehand. Cassidy and Noah had planned to share a First Look initially, but when the celebration was shortened to an intimate ceremony with only their immediate families present, they decided to save the big reveal for the aisle. When Cassidy and her dad arrived at the outdoor chapel, the sun burst through the clouds and filled the space with warm rays. It was gorgeous!

After the ceremony, I had the luxury of taking couple portraits without having to race to get to a reception. We also got to use spots we likely wouldn’t have used had guests been present on the grounds. I’m definitely spoiled after having the entire space to ourselves! We were also fortunate to have everything timed perfectly with Golden Hour. The light at Bella Sera Gardens is BEYOND DREAMY during the hour or so before sunset. I’m still pinching myself over how gorgeous the golden glow was that night!

Cassidy and Noah are planning a big celebration with family and friends for later in the summer. I look forward to celebrating with them again on their second wedding date! I know it will be so much fun!

Cassidy and Noah shared a first dance after the ceremony. It was such a sweet moment!

Just look at this dreamy light! Yes, I was doing a happy dance in my mind!

VENDORS

Venue | Bella Sera Gardens

Videography | Rovy Lopez – RL Films

Bride’s Gown | Bliss Bridal – Fairhope, AL

Groom’s Suit | Dillard’s

Bridesmaid Gown | Azazie

A Spring Hill College Family Session

Things are far from back to normal around here, but after so much time of staying home, I’m thankful for the normalcy of a portrait session! I still think it’s important to be vigilant when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic and practice social distancing is definitely top of mind for me. However, that is something that can easily be done during an outdoor portrait session. After so much time away from my camera, it has been a joy to get back to photographing my sweet clients!

I always look forward to photographing the Wolf family! They have been clients for the past few years and it has been so fun to see their family grow. The last time they were in front of my camera, their youngest was just a newborn. It is so crazy how fast the last year has flow by! Little Lucy recently celebrated her first birthday, so that meant it was time for an updated family photo. Not only is Lucy walking now, she is fully capable of keeping up with her older siblings. I loved watching her chase after Mary Helen and Gus during the session. She was keeping up and those two are fast!

Mary Helen and Gus seem so grown up since our last shoot together. These two are a bundle of energy and I love their big personalities. They love to play games and taking “silly” pictures is something that they really get excited about. When I showed them one of their “silly” photos on the back of my camera, they squealed with delight. It was the cutest thing ever! They also love talking and told me all about how they love riding their bikes and that they camped out in their backyard one night. “Everything with them is an adventure,” says their mom, Chelsea.

I can hardly believe we’re already headed into the end of May and that the summer season is just around the corner. Yes, things are still far from normal around here, but my love of documenting special moments and preserving memories has not changed! Enjoy!

McGill-Toolen Catholic Senior Portraits

I will always remember my senior year of high school for many reasons, both happy and sad. I remember all the fun festivities, celebrating with friends, and nerves about final exams. In August 2001, we had no idea what was coming on the eleventh day of that September. Ironically, that is the year that many of the class of 2020 seniors were born. The events surrounding the 9/11 terror attacks stand out in my mind and I’m sure that the class of 2020 seniors will remember the coronavirus pandemic in a similar way. It’s left it’s mark in a way we never imagined, abruptly ending their senior year.

Despite missing out on many of the traditional celebrations, the senior year is still something to celebrate! I was so excited when my first session after the government shutdown was one for high school senior portraits. These sessions are always so much fun! I love getting to hear where the seniors are heading to college and what they hope to study. It reminds me of how I felt at their age, which seems like yesterday and so long ago at the same time!

Anna Bailey has such a joyful personality! She is actually related to my cousin by marriage, so this was not our first time meeting. I love that she and her mom were game for strolling around downtown Mobile with me as I hunted out good portrait spots. Because they were so laid back and easy-going I was able to find two new spots I’d never used before and squeeze in some tried and true favorites.

Next year Anna Bailey is heading off to Southern Mississippi for college, with plans to major in nursing. Even though her senior year didn’t end as she envisioned it, she is still looking forward to her graduation ceremony. It has been moved to an outdoor venue which will allow for social distancing. How amazing is that?!

Congratulations to all the Class of 2020 graduates – both high school and college! It’s certain that you’ll always remember your senior year and the events that altered it. I hope that you’re still able to celebrate your achievements with joy!