so, i shot a wedding. in italy.

As most of you know, I am retired from photographing weddings. I did it for a long time, I met some amazing people, I had some good times. But I have not regretted my decision to move on in a different direction once. Not once. It was the right move for me.

That being said, when one of my former workshop attendees wrote me a letter telling me all the reasons why I should come out to Italy to shoot her wedding in the Chianti region of Tuscany, I made an exception. I mean, it's ITALY. In the WINE REGION. C'mon.

Sometimes a girl has to be flexible.

The wedding location was as picturesque as it gets-- old, crumbling buildings, a gorgeous villa, the most awesome little chapel I have ever seen, olive trees, surrounded by vineyards, rolling hills and ancient villages. Throw in some lovely and gracious people, lots of good food and wine, and you have a dream wedding.

Thank you, Melissa and Brett, for including us in your adventure. It was an honor.

the wedding countdown begins...

Since this is my last official year shooting weddings, I definitely want to celebrate the remaining couples with whom I am working.

My most recent couple was Staci and Tim, and they were two of the sweetest, most easy-going people I have ever photographed.

Tim and Staci opted for a super simple wedding, wanting to avoid all of the expense and drama that a larger wedding can create. So, they had an afternoon wedding at their church, and a lunch reception in the church social hall. 

Instead of stressing about the fact that their reception space had basketball hoops at either end of the room, Staci and Tim joked about it, filled the room with enormous white balloons, and focused on the important parts of the day-- like enjoying each other and spending time with their family and friends.

Honestly, I found these two to be so refreshing. Planning a wedding is stressful and most of us get caught up in all the things we "need" to have to make the day special. In reality, though, so few of the things that we think matter actually do. Tim and Staci knew this.

As a photographer, it's pretty easy for me to go into a beautiful space with lavish decor and make it look great... because it already DOES look great. This wedding was a fun challenge for me because the space wasn't the typical wedding venue. I wanted to create images that celebrated the fabulousness of Tim and Staci, and also could fit right in any wedding magazine.

I hope I accomplished that.

Thank you, Tim and Staci, for being so wonderful. I wish you all the best!