I’d just like to state for the record that before 2020 necessitated the shifting of wedding plans, I’ve always been a firm believer in the power of a backyard wedding. Shelby + Kyle’s wedding on one perrrrfectly glorious October Saturday only furthers that feeling.

You never really know what to expect when a couple tells you prior to the wedding day that their crew is the best kind of crazy. With Nikki + Chase, I’d say that’s never been more accurate. Although the best part: the pendulum also swings in another direction.

If it was me getting married, I’d want my day to feel exactly like Ender + Lizzie’s.
Srsly.

It’s always so funny to me when wedding guests strike up conversation during dinner, asking whether I’m friends of the couple or if I’m a hired vendor. Because we may have started out as strangers, but throughout the emails, the engagement shooting, and the pre-wedding meeting, I can’t rightly say that Ben and Britt aren’t my friends. (Anyway, we shook on it at the end of the night. It’s for real, for real now.)

Dunno how I get so lucky, you guys.
These two: they're my dream couple.

First: tunes.
Please go locate and queue Better Man by James Morrison.
It's a song I've discovered this last week (srsly, go find it) and it's the one that's been making me tear up every time while I've been digging into James and Courtney's wedding edits.

Recently, I was asked if I ever get tired of shooting at Mayowood Stone Barn.
The short answer: NO!
The long answer: A little reading and a lot of scrolling.

I'm about to hit PUBLISH.
I'm about to post a social media preview to direct traffic.
And I'm about to publicly share this little gem of a blog post with the world.
With you!
(Hello, gorgeous.)

Welcome to the Robby and Kayla Show.
It's a romantic comedy, now in it's first official year of showing. Centering around the lives of two crazy kids, crazy in love, it's a hilarious and heartwarming display of affection from beginning to end.

I'm going to try to not make this sound like a love letter to Mitch and Kayli. That's the upfront goal. Projected success: 43% likely.

I wonder what they must have thought, those travelers headed south down Highway 35 that afternoon.
They would have had only a sliver of a moment to see.
Ryan on bended knee and ring in his hand.
Marissa standing before her boyfriend in disbelief.
A cop looking on, having pulled them over moments before, on the side of the road.

It was during year 3 or 4 when I first met and photographed the A+Z duo. Three or four in a relationship consisting of eight. EIGHT! (A concept I cannot even fathom, given that I was still a teenager 8 years ago.)