My Absolute Favorite Wedding and Photography Images in 2016 pt.1

2016 was NOT supposed to be THIS awesome!!! 

When I say awesome, I mean beyond my wildest dreams, insanely above and beyond all I could ask or imagine, crazy awesome! I mean I made a goal for my photography business at the end of 2015 for my upcoming year and al I passed that sucka up by June of the year. What did she say? Yes, JUNE OF 2016 I had made my goal for what I thought the entire year would be. Talk about make you say, hmmm... so there's perspective. Who does that? Not me! I was like last in line in my book for being insanely awesome for 2016! Well, well, well... God's plans are not ours! That's about all I can say about that. 

Not only did I exceed a goal I never anticipated for the year. It was one I never thought I would accomplish IN. MY. LIFE. That is correct. How is that? That one can literally make a goal that one does not even know if attainable. That too, is not on me. I mean, trust me, I hustled. I hustled WAY hard. Like harder than a lot of people thought I should. I was excited. I was living my dream. I was literally pursuing the one thing that I have loved since I stumbled upon it as a child. What a crazy awesome dream come true! And to top it off--- I WAS PREGNANT with our first child, Charles Robert! I couldn't not be any more jazzed about life and what was ahead for us. I really didn't even know how much awesomeness would be coming my way with that babe but I have since found out now that he was born in fall and is now almost 4 months old that he, too, surpassed my awesome-ness-meter.

WE HAVE HAD SOME FUN!!!! 

So to say 2016 was awesome is not quite going to cover the amount of awesome that truly occurred. I mean it touches the surface but that's about it. It was crazy awesome. Awesome-er than any awesome I had ever encountered. And it was all mine. It was all for me and my beautiful little family and that is an amazing feeling. So to get to the point of the post.... Here are some of my favorite, most beloved images for 2016!! 

When your wedding clients want to go somewhere adventurous and do it early in the morning to catch the perfect light and fog <3 

When you get to work with clients for their engagement photos with the most awesome personalities and in the most beautiful Louisiana setting!! 

Getting to photograph a newborn who was delivered almost 3 months before his due date.

(Baby Cason is doing well and getting stronger every day. God is good) 

I had the chance to work with a lot of brides and bridesmaids this year. There were some really special and wonderful ones and there were some that just made me feel just as special and wonderful as they were. It's a beautiful thing to be able to work with beautiful people. 

Working with this girl!!! January Hart Rizzo is a absolute favorite of mine!! I have yet to meet anyone as awesome as her in her field! Honestly! She is sweet as pie and absolutely rocks the world of fashion down here in South Louisiana!!! Girl has got style and amazing legs btw!!! Love this image too much and love the gal in it and all her styles and grace! 

I adore this shot!! I know they all look good but even MORE they rocked their time to shine!!! I adore that!! I rarely meet whole parties that rock their images together!! This group of friends knew each other so well and gelled like it as well!! We had so much fun creating beautiful wedding memories and photos with this crew! 

Apparently I have way too many favorites because I want to post another 10 more! I just decided this will be a part 1 and part 2 blog post! Anyways, this is the apple of my eye, my little chicken nugget, my heart, my soul, my little bit of everything. This is Charles Robert and he has bewitched me mind, body and soul (yay for Pride and Prejudice quotes). He is incredible. He is HAPPY and he is all, all ours and it makes me incredibly and immeasurably happy!!! 

Bridal Photography and the Best Venue for such...

I just adore a Bridal Photography Session. There is nothing more special to me than a girl dressing up in the most beautiful wedding dress she could behold and getting her hair and makeup done to have some of the most special photographs taken in her life! We ain't talking about Glamour Shots, ladies and gentlemen!! This is way cooler than that! Plus the moms that come along for the event and the best friends or the aunts, it just makes everything so much more special to have our loved ones with us on these special moments.

The whole thing is just wonderful to me! I love finding the perfect spot for each bride as well... asking them their desires and hopes for the bridal session is always a part of it all. Plus when the summer creeps into Louisiana there's nothing nice about our heat so we always have to keep that in mind. Indoor/outdoor locations and venues are ideal. And when I talked to Hollyn, we both agreed that Nottoway Plantation was the venue for her session!

The thing with bridal sessions is you want your client to feel like a princess. They should. It's like the right of every bride- to be the beautiful princess of every aspect of their wedding. So I really try to allow the bride to choose whatever it is she would like to accomplish with her session. Hollyn was a great bride! Her expectations were all perfect and in line with what my thoughts were. She even had some beautiful ideas of her own in the White Ballroom at Nottoway. Such as this photograph. 

And she let me execute so many of my little photography desires and let me just create... 

Quite frankly, you can't take a bad image at Nottoway. There are so many aspects of this venue that are breathtaking and ideal for weddings, engagements and bridal sessions. I just swoon over all the classic and priceless details... 

Once the sun started setting, we headed outdoors to capture some of those "Golden Hour" shots that photographers talk about. 

I will tell you this: my absolute favorite shot is a backlit shot. I absolutely ADORE a backlit shot. I actually aim to get at least a couple during any session whether that's family or wedding related. To me, I am admirer of light. I love the whole idea of it, symbolism and effects so it's only natural that I am so drawn to these shots. 

If you know anything about Nottoway Plantation then you know they have the most majestic of oak trees there... This is one of the Southern charms that is a must to include in any session... I kind of couldn't stop photographing either so we headed over to the trees and made some gorgeous images. 

I just adored this session!!! 

We ended up at the cabins you can rent for the weekends and allowed Hollyn to catch the sun setting. It was glorious!! 

There is nothing not magical about this venue and the effects it produces! It was so hard to leave that little slice of heaven on Earth. All the staff were so friendly and accommodating and the setting is breathtaking. I can't wait to go back this month for some Engagement photos! 

And she is happily living happily ever after. 

Mandeville, Louisiana Engagement Session

Congratulations to Carly + Sam! 

I don't even want to remember precisely when this session was because it was too many weeks ago!! Natty has been down for the count with my first trimester so this is later than I would prefer but it was too terribly perfect for me not to share! 

The couple was referred from another friend whose wedding I shot last fall. That couple also was a joy to photograph and their friends were no disappointment. 

I always say that the backdrops do not even matter as long as the couple has their mojo. And there is nothing truer that I have found.

Carly and Sam have mojo for all the world! 

When we talked about photos it was mainly in reference to the clothing choices but man did they bring so much more than their fashion to the shoot! Carly is like a magnet! You just wanted to hang out with her and it made it terribly easy to capture their relationship and personalities. A complete joy to work with!  

The two were a perfect match. Both engineer brains and fancy great looks! They complimented one another without even trying- Carly keeping Sam laughing and Sam keeping Carly reminded that she was on a photoshoot :) 

It was perfect. We went to Mandeville, where they both have family and roots, and were able to complete our whole session at Fountainbleu State Park by the waterfront and towards the back by the oaks. The morning was as freezing as January gets for Louisiana and it was so perfectly overcast it allowed for a terribly dreamy morning for photographing. 

Do you see that face?! I want to bottle that goodness up!! I felt more as if I was at a party with the two instead of photographing them. 

They let me do my artsy shots as well! I am a sucker for a lovely silhouette. 

 I had the thought when we were heading to the oak tree area that we should not do the typical shots for couples. Carly said no piggyback rides and I immediately smiled knowing they would look perfect for a shoulder ride and she grinned ear to ear in complete satisfaction! 

Sam was such a trooper and we got some gorgeous things. Who doesn't love Louisiana oak tree groves and shoulder rides on their fiancé. Precisely! 

I was as smitten with their images as I believe they were! 

Picture magic happens with couple mojo!

Baton Rouge Highland Road Engagement Photography Session

Congrats to Meagan + Joshua!

I can't wait to document this darling couple's wedding day in April! Being a wedding photographer is SO MUCH FUN!!! Working with all sorts of dynamic couples, helping them to document their love beautifully, and getting to know the details that make their worlds up! 

Getting Meg and Joshua's images for their Engagement Session was nothing short of amazing!!! Let me tell you, Joshua doesn't have a serious bone in his body and it made for a very fun and lively photo session! We went to Highland Rd park area to shoot their shots because she mentioned liking outdoors and pretty areas! Haha... I just ran with it all and we spent lots of time at LSUs Hilltop Arboretum. 

The fall colors were on point and the weather was close to cold- as close to cold as Louisiana gets- so it made for an awesome time for all of us! 

Joshua has that awesome bulldog look that I think my hubs inherited as well!!! It goes awesome with his bearded manly face! 

Engagements are probably a favorite thing for me to shoot. It's so fun to get to know the couple's that have trusted me with their greatest day and I love hearing the stories of how they met, fell in love and the proposal. 

For these two, it was all history after first meeting. Love at the first sight kind of deal. 

And the big question was hard to keep quiet!!! Meagan was hook, line and sinker the moment they began dating! And Joshua made sure he blessed his girl's socks off! 

So here's to LOVE and finding the one that makes all of our days that much better!!