Amber and Tony Trash the Dress at Vilano Beach, FL

“You’ll learn, as you get older, that rules are made to be broken. Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it.”

— Mandy Hale

Oh my goodness! I must say I was a *little* nervous about the move to Florida and what I presumed would be a ton of beach photography, but this first session was FAR from ordinary! St. Augustine is amazing!

When Amber said she wanted to do a Trash the Dress session I was, of course, ecstatic, it's always been one of my favorite sessions to offer. I figured we'd finish on Vilano Beach with the sunset, but I was curious what else St. Augustine had to offer. Amber decided to include the Fort and St. George Street and now I'm totally hooked. This place is a photographer's dream! I cannot wait to get more couples and families out here to play! 

Of course, I could not have asked the universe for a more perfect couple for the inaugural session, Tony and Amber have been dancing in front of my lens from the moment they got engaged. This 1.5 year anniversary session was perfectly suited to their fun-loving character and style. A Trash the Dress session tends to pull the adventure out of people and the sheer audacity of it makes you feel wild and free for a day. Capturing all that wild emotion and love of life is what makes this job a dream come true. Thank you Amber and Tony for trusting me on rocky cliffs and in a wildly high tide. Your carefree spirits are everything. Love you both! 

Baby Viola!

“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder”

— E.B. White

It is with all the joy I have that I'm able to share this story and these precious moments with the world! The first Viola grandbaby (and our first nephew) was born this week and we are all simply over the moon in love with him!

After a mournful but beautiful trip to Florida last week for the funeral of A.J.'s beloved grandmother (and another devastated trip just 3 weeks prior due to the destruction of Hurricane Matthew on the Viola Family Restaurant) we were more than a little surprised to get the call late Sunday night that Amber's water broke two weeks early and even more surprised to find that little Anthony graced the world with his presence just a few short hours later. We rushed down and haven't been able to keep ourselves away from him since. 

We might be a little biased, but we all think he is perfect in every way, his tiny little button nose down to his adorable baby toes. He rarely cries and that's only if he's unswaddled, he even sleeps right through all the boisterous Viola jokes and gradual volume increases as everyone talks over each other in classic Italian style. 

Amber and Tony have been so great with him of course, allowing instinct to guide them in knowing how to hold him and change his clothes, what each little sound means and the perfect amount of sway needed to rock him back to sleep.

Mr. and Mrs. V (now affectionately Grandma and Grandpa V) are simply awestruck. They argue over who gets to hold him next and for how long and they just stare at his little face without blinking, unable to get over the grandness of it all. All of us plan to thoroughly spoil him and I can't wait til he's old enough to adventure with me through the woods to find buried treasures or perhaps skydive...you know...just when he's ready ;) 

We're all so proud of you Tony and Amber! We'll be here right beside you the whole way if you need anything and you'll never have need of babysitters, I'm sure of it! Love you!

The Viola Boys. Does it get any cuter than this??

Tony and Amber EXPECTING! Raleigh, N.C.

“Family is not an important thing, it’s everything”

— Michael J. Fox

With Hurricane Matthew headed toward the coastline last week, we were more than a little worried for our family. All of A.J.'s immediate family and several extended family live in or near St. Augustine, FL where the storm surge was expected to be several feet. They had to evacuate to new locations twice because it kept getting worse, and while we are MORE than grateful no one was hurt, the family restaurant took a huge hit and they've been scrambling to make repairs ever since. 

It was difficult for them the leave the chaos, but they had already planned a quick baby-moon up to the mountains of NC (and Raleigh to visit us of course). Everyone encouraged them to get away from it all for a minute to rest and make sure there wasn't any unnecessary stress on the baby. We are, of course, so glad they did. 

Amber is absolutely glowing right now in her 7month glory and I've never seen Tony so happy. They are going to make the very best of parents and we are going to spoil the little guy SO much! Cannot wait to meet him you guys! Here's a few of my favorites from Pullen Park see you in January!

Have you ever seen two people SO excited to be parents?!?! Gah! I love you both so much! Can't wait!!