Sebastian and Karina's Proposal at Beech Mountain Ski Resort

“You don’t have time to be timid. You must be bold and daring”

— Lumière, Beauty and the Beast

I schemed with Sebastian and his mother Cristy as well as the staff and ski instructors at Beech for weeks to help make this moment perfect for he and Karina. He wanted a secluded spot on the mountain, but he also chose one of the busiest weekends of the entire season to come. We were thinking the cool area behind Skybar at the top of the lift would be awesome, but the catch was that neither of them had skied before so there was no guarantee they would feel comfortable enough by the end of the day to take the lift to the top.

We decided catching the view from the ice skating rink would be better but too crowded in the afternoon so we switched the proposal to sunrise before the park was even open. I set up my gear at dawn and waited for them to arrive. He told me he would be wearing a bright orange beanie and she would have on a camo one… to my surprise not one, not two but THREE couples matched that description at 7:30am and I nearly flagged down the wrong one.

He played it cool though as he approached me; he had told her he bought a private tour and they would be seeing some local animals and other sites before skiing and I would be photographing the experience. Once they were in place he popped the question and the rest was magic.

I didn’t realize when I asked him to remove his gloves and pick up a handful of snow that he had never actually seen snow before this trip! It was certainly a crash coarse but they both managed beautifully and couldn’t wait to call their family right after!

Congratulations you guys! I couldn’t be more excited for you!

Best of 2016 Weddings and Engagements

“What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life – to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories.”

— George Eliot

After racing through the busiest season of my career followed by an intense family roller coaster of love, pain, joy, sorrow, death and new life, I am actually pretty excited to coast into this first week of the new year with little more to do than reflect on what has been good, what needs improvement and dream of all that might be in 2017. 

A.J. and I have had the incredible joy of meeting new couples whose love overflows for each other and makes our own love stronger from witnessing it. It never gets old. This will be my tenth year capturing love and memories for couples, and the lover-of-new-things within me thought I'd be tired of it by now.  But I can say with all the honesty I possess, I cannot get enough. 

When Jon teared up watching his beloved Abbie walk toward him in all her radiance, my heart exploded and I loved them both even more. When Heather and her dad, Bryan, shared a father-daughter first look through tears, light teasing and perfect joy I could barely see through my own tears to even capture the moment. When Alaria and Drew found themselves at the very end of the night surrounded by all their beloved friends whom they rarely got to see due to distance and the trajectory of their future I burst with happiness for them.

Watching our couples revel in each moment and knowing that they trusted us to capture each one for a lifetime of joyful memories brings me more joy than I know how to put properly into words. I'm excited to see who is going to walk into our path this year and to hear all the love stories that will undoubtedly make our own love continue to grow. 

Thank you for an incredible year!

The Jaworski Family on Beech Mountain

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.”

— Helen Keller

So, I must say, hangin at the cabin with the Jaworski's was incredibly fun. From the moment I walked in it was hugs all around as if I'd known them forever. (Technically Stephanie and I went to undergrad together *gulp* TEN years ago, but I hadn't met the rest of the fam yet). I immediately felt at home though, Matt was offering me coffee from the get go and when I told him I didn't actually like coffee he went out of his way to find and make some hot chocolate and brought it out to me while I was adventuring around with Steve and Ashley's family.

THEN there was this location! I know I was 'born and raised' as they say in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but this view never gets old. There were so many great spots around the cabin and when we found a hidden teepee in the middle of the woods I knew a serious adventure was about to begin.

I loved every one of these kiddos right away. Each set of siblings and the cousins had great relationships, happy to snuggle and inviting each other to participate in the adventuring. Tyler was so sweet as he consistently followed instructions and helped each of his siblings over the rocks. I'm also pretty sure Jensen and Luke must be related to me somehow. Never without a stick or paper airplane at the ready, they were the first to jump into each next adventure, unafraid to scale the rocks and walk right into the teepee even though we said it might have bears in it. Then Jensen gave me a hug before I left and I melted. I'll telling ya, the more little people give me hugs on photo shoots, the more they grow on me.  

You guys thank you so much for letting me participate in your holiday adventure! I hope you enjoy some of these favorites from the day! 

Why Sunrise is the Perfect time for Portraits

“Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them”

— William Arthur Ward

All of these images have one thing in common: brisk morning air and gorgeous glow from the sun. Location, time of year, type of session and outfits are all secondary. The light is what matters. Every time. 

If given the choice, I will always choose 7am to meet for a session. (followed closely by sunset, but I find it harder to pinpoint the start time because you're racing the dark). 

I know. I know. It's not easy to get up extra extra early, and when you have kiddos to wrangle or otherwise uncooperative adults, it can be difficult. I promise though... get to bed a little earlier and just make it happen. You'll get dreamy images every time.  

Rudi and Nick Engaged! Beech Mountain, NC

“Everyone deserves someone who makes them look forward to tomorrow”

— Unknown

When you first meet your love on a boat, you know the relationship is bound for grand adventures. After their first encounter, they quickly discovered a common love of Zac Brown Band and from Miami to Banner Elk and back, the rest is history. 

With wet dew on every blade of grass and brisk mountain air keeping us on our toes, we explored several nooks around Beech Mountain with breath taking sunrise views for these images. If you want to ensure this glowy light in your images, you just have to make sunrise happen. It's early, but it's worth it every time. 

One of my favorite moments from the day was when we were walking across Beech Mountain Club's golf course and they shared what made them want to spend the rest of their lives with each other. Rudi expressed that Nick takes care of her really well and he said that her strengths fill in his weaknesses perfectly. Love that. 

Nick and Rudi were never without a smile on their faces and so much fun to explore with. I hope you love these two and their gorgeous Beech Mountain engagement as much as I do. Enjoy! 

Btw...their hashtag is #nudiweds...isn't that adorable?!?