The end of the year was so crazy busy with weddings and elopements that there is a LOT of work I have yet to share with you here on the blog. I shot four elopements in the first week of November alone. Four in a week!

A few shots have made their way onto Instagram (do you follow me on Instagram? uhhhh you really should!).  But I’ve really been depriving you of some great stuff. Feel deprived no more! I’ve sprinkled some previously unreleased work in this collection to whet your appetite. It’s time to get excited because the weddings from the latter half of this year were some of the best yet!

My 2017 second-shooter Hall of Fame this year includes Kate Gegenheimer, Sabrina Hill, Jason Albus, and Traven Stout. Since I can’t sprout a second set of eyes and arms I trusted these phenomenal shooters to be them for me. They helped execute my creative vision while adding flare of their own. I’m grateful for all of their hard work and look forward to creating more magic with them in 2018!

Without further adieu, I give you Lady’s Best of Weddings 2017.

The word “irreverent” does not even begin to describe this couple. They are fun-loving jokesters who are always a second away from laughing. They don’t take themselves or each other very seriously and this laid-back attitude made for an easy day of photography for me! From the first look to the second-line send off, Michelle and Josh clearly enjoyed every second of their day together.

They had the largest wedding party I have ever photographed. With 25 total groomsmen and bridesmaids standing at their sides, I needed all of the wide lenses to capture their group! The terrace at the Omni worked perfectly to accommodate a group of that size. I was honestly rather impressed at how well the team at the Omni managed such a large wedding. I don’t think I talk enough about how crucial a solid team at a wedding venue is. The people working behind the scenes can really make or break a day- and make my job infinitely easier or infinitely more hard. The Omni’s team, including their on-site coordinator Elizabeth, worked wonders to make this large, would-be hectic wedding run smooth as butter. Hotels are not always my favorite places to capture weddings since they are often poorly lit. But the Omni does weddings right.

In addition to a first look with her groom (which I always adore capturing), Michelle decided to do a first look with her Dad as well. I have only staged a few of these in my career since wedding day timelines don’t often leave time for them. But they are always sweet, touching moments. This one was no exception. One of my favorite images from the day was Michelle and her mother hiding before the first look, waiting in anticipation.

This wedding might have had the most photobombs I have captured! Between the groom and his identical twin brother (who thankfully wore different colored suits!) there had to have been a good 20 photobombed shots. If it had been any other couple, I might have minded. But it really fit in with their personalities and made for a lot of funny easter eggs in their image roll. I truly enjoy telling the stories of couples who aren’t afraid to be themselves on their wedding day.

Big ups to Kate Gegenheimer for helping me capture this giant wedding with all the grace I’ve come to love. Here are my favorites!

This is exactly the kind of text I hope to get. Because my answer was an excited “Of course I can!”. One Skype conversation later and it was settled: I would be flying to Orange County, California to tell the love story of my buddy Ross and the love of his life, Vicki.

I met Ross in 2010 on the roof of his then downtown Los Angeles apartment after an epic mass pillow fight in Pershing Square. I had met his best friend Chase in New Orleans several years before when I was working in retail in the French Quarter and he was passing through on the crew of John Ratzenberger’s Made in America. A decade after taking vampire photos with Chase in a New Orleans Cemetery and seven years after looking down from a rooftop at the aftermath of a pillow fight with Ross (read: enough feathers to look like snow) and I was set to photograph them both in a beautiful SoCal wedding.  “Surreal” doesn’t even begin to sum up what the day felt like.

Ross is a storm-chasing photographer who travels the country taking some seriously amazing photos. He told me that years before he had even met Vicki, he knew that when he got married he wanted me to photograph his wedding. That’s a pretty steep compliment coming from another photographer! But with that came with the challenge of finding a second shooter who we both wanted to hire. My perfectionist streak and commitment to never creating generic images made me a pretty tough critic. Ross has a discerning eye as well and both he and Vicki knew exactly what they wanted their wedding photos to look like. We searched through a number of recommendations and portfolios until stumbling upon Sabrina Hill. Her style was exactly what I was looking for. We were both over the moon that she was available to shoot with me!

Ross and Vicki wanted their wedding to include as much from their friends and family as possible. A childhood friend would officiate. Another old pal would make the cake. And, of course, I was handling the photography. They rented a house for all of us traveling to SoCal make the wedding happen. After making sure my gear survived the journey and driving several hours through Los Angeles rush hour traffic in a rented Prius, I rolled up to the Anaheim house and was greeted by Ross, Chase, a plate full of BBQ and a bubbling hot tub. It was pretty much perfection.

I aim to capture emotion when I tell love stories. There is never any shortage of opportunity during a wedding. But rarely have I had the chance to know people in the wedding for years and already have a connection to the day. I always want to do an amazing job but this time I was more than just a little nervous. This wedding meant something to me on a very personal level; it went beyond my usual level of care for the couples who invite me to tell their story. The emotion I captured that day felt like it had my own joy packed into it as well. Making the perfection of this image set all the more satisfying.

Everything about Ross and Vicki’s wedding was absolutely perfect. The venue was stunning, the weather gorgeous, the ceremony was heartfelt and touching (yes, I cried, a lot. Hell, I’m crying now!), and the reception was lively with the perfect level of ambient lighting dripping down from chandeliers. I spent half the day trying to figure out how I got so lucky and the other half trying (unsuccessfully) to wipe the massive smile off of my face. I was so insanely thrilled for my friend to have the perfect day with such a wonderful woman. I almost felt like I was as nervous as he was as he waited at the altar for her to walk down the aisle. I’m surprised I got any good shots I was crying so damn much. But even though I had been a little nervous, feeling such joy and connection made my job a lot easier.

A HUGE thank you to Sabrina for her stellar work. I feel fortunate to have found her and I really hope I get the chance to work with her again!

An Uptown couple, Katelyn and John booked the Audubon Clubhouse for their ceremony and reception. The plan was to have the ceremony under the moss-draped Oaks behind the clubhouse. But late June had been doing what it does well- raining daily. The couple feared a rain-out or muddy grounds on their wedding day. While I generally have good luck when it comes to wedding day weather, I wouldn’t suggest they rely on it for their plan. They opted to put a tent outside of the clubhouse just in case.

And wouldn’t you know it? The morning rain stopped just in time for the wedding! I was bummed for them that their nuptials under the trees wouldn’t go as planned.  So I designed my lighting of their ceremony to make sure the trees were still a character in their story as they had wanted. With clever framing, you can’t even tell they are under a tent in most of their ceremony photos. For their portraits (and shots of Katelyn’s dress!), I was able to use the trees to my hearts’ content. I couldn’t be more pleased with what we created.

Some of my favorite shots from this celebration were of the couple with their families. I loved capturing the smiles on grandparent’s faces while they watched their younger generation say “I do”. John took turns dancing with every member of his immediate family leaving tears in the eyes of his siblings and father alike. Family was even an important part of the decor with wedding photos of the couple’s parents and grandparents resting on the mantle above their cake. I really enjoyed watching a proud grandmother show off her wedding photo to her grandkids. Katelyn’s ring was made from stones from John’s family heirloom jewelry and she wore her grandmother’s bracelet on her wedding day. Nothing warms my heart more than a young couple paying homage to the family whose love created them.

My right hand (wo)man was Kate Gegenheimer once again. I don’t know what I would do without her!

I met Lindsey so long ago I can not even remember when the first time was. Our mutual friends were a family of really rad people I am still proud to call friends after nearly two decades. While we haven’t crossed paths in ages, the wonders of social media kept us in touch and I was able to watch her love story with Blake take shape. I was not only happy to see the two of them again but I was really excited to meet Lindsey and Blake’s toddler, Audra!

Blake is the outdoorsy type through and through so we went with one of my favorite locations, City Park. Instead of using the usual areas of the park filled with Oak tree branches and pavilions, we ventured to spots less-traveled to find more swampy terrain. We also got to romp around in the wild flower fields that pop up every Spring. The setting sun offered up some killer backlight and while Audra was more concerned with picking flowers and running around than taking photos, our mutual friend (and Photography enthusiast) Katherine helped keep my light stand steady and Audra’s attention (a good assistant is worth their weight in gold, I tell ya!).

I adore what we created on that sticky June afternoon. Some of my favorites are what other folks might consider outtakes. But I see them as a true telling of a loving family story. This little family agreed!

Unlike many of the stories I get to tell, this one was not an actual wedding. After meeting in New Orleans and falling rapidly in love, Gwen and Mike eloped in New York (I saw the adorable polaroids from their day to prove it) one year before returning to New Orleans to celebrate their marriage with their family and friends. But they weren’t just celebrating their trip to the courthouse: they were also celebrating bringing little Laura into the world. Most weddings and elopement celebrations have the couple’s name on napkins or favors. I loved that Gwen and Mike put Laura’s name on everything too. It was a sweet touch to a day that was already brimming with love.

I’m a total sap when it comes to weddings. I cry almost every time I see a Bride or Groom walk down the aisle. I didn’t witness any aisle walking on this particular day but that did not stop the waterworks! The couple decided to renew their vows to each other at their celebration. Even though I had never met Gwen, Mike or their family before that day, their vows had me (and just about everybody else in the courtyard) in tears. The way they loved each other and committed their lives to not only bringing out the best in each other but also to creating a loving world for Laura to grow up in tugged away at my heartstrings. Crouched near the ground, snapping away while trying to not block anyone’s view, I felt so honored to be capturing such a tender moment between two lovely (and in love) people. It was moments like those that really make me love being a New Orleans Wedding Photographer.

Lunch was followed by teary-eyed speeches before the Kinfolk Brass Band invaded the courtyard and got everybody up and dancing! We brought the party across the street for a giant group photo (with the names Gwen, Mike, and Laura spelled out in giant gold balloons!) before second-lining in true New Orleans fashion from Brennan’s to Tableau. It may have been a hot and sticky day but it was a beautiful time.

Many thanks, as always, to Kate Gegenheimer for sweating it out with me! Check out my favorites below.

This was the first “couple’s shoot” that I’ve done. I usually only work with couples who are getting married or are celebrating an anniversary. Courtney and Sam were taking a quick weekend getaway to New Orleans and Courtney wanted to surprise Sam with a shoot to celebrate their love. I’m so glad they reached out! Within minutes of starting our shoot, it was obvious to me that theirs was definitely a love worth celebrating. Sam looked at Courtney as if she was the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen; and while stunningly beautiful, Courtney seemed sweetly unaware of it which only added to her beauty. She looked back at Sam with the same adoration.

We cruised around the French Quarter together on what was an extremely windy January day. I really enjoy taking my time moving around the Quarter with a couple, picking out stoops and facades that speak to us. As obnoxious as the French Quarter can be (and we definitely encountered some of that outside of Preservation Hall!), its beauty is simply unmatched and makes for a perfect portrait backdrop. I lost track of time while we were shooting and a one hour session turned into nearly two. But we were rewarded with this stunning backlight outside of Armstrong Park that I could not get enough of. For a New Orleans Portrait Photographer, that was the absolute best finish to a shoot.

Duy found me on Instagram and reached out. He and his husband, Kurt, were nearing their 6th wedding anniversary and hadn’t had any professional photos taken together since their wedding. I scrolled through Duy’s IG feed and saw a sweet loving couple who looked like they knew how to have a good time. Of course I was in! I like to shoot in locations that are meaningful to the couples I’m photographing so naturally we used the backdrop of their lower ninth ward neighborhood. I had never actually shot in that neighborhood before and loved the idea of exploring it with them.

By the time the shoot was over, we had made fast friends. They were exactly the type of couple I was hoping to find- caring people who give to others so much that they rarely take to time to do nice things for themselves. We not only had a lot of fun working together but I have the feeling we’ll know each other for years to come.

Tatiana and Tomas travelled from Boston to get married in New Orleans. They had never been here before but really identified with the culture and architecture this unique city has to offer. But unlike many couples who choose to elope, they didn’t come alone; they brought their daughter with them as well. She was their ring-bearer, carefully guarding the boxes holding such precious cargo. She seemed a bit reluctant to let me borrow them for a moment to photograph them. And as the excitement and nervous energy swam in the air of the courthouse lobby, it seemed that Samantha was every bit as nervous as her mom and dad.

The ceremony was short and sweet on the courthouse balcony. I teared up as I scrolled through my photos after the ceremony had ended. The raw joy on Tatiana and Tomas’ faces when they could finally kiss as husband and wife sucker-punched the sappy romantic in me right in the heart. It was really touching to see their little family officially joined together.

After the ceremony, Kate and I signed their marriage certificate as witnesses and then we all headed out into New Orleans’ beautiful historic Algiers Point for a portrait session. I was particularly jazzed to shoot in this neighborhood since I used to rat around there as a kid. It was a chilly, windy January day but everyone was a good sport- even little Samantha who I know was freezing. I truly enjoyed working with such a sweet, beautiful family. It is days like theirs that remind me just why I chose to be a New Orleans Wedding Photographer. My work is so fulfilling when I get to tell true love stories.

This was my first wedding of 2017 and if it set the tone for the year ahead, I’m going to be working with some freakin’ incredible people. I am ridiculously in love with this photo set. I’m pretty sure you will be too.

Cheers to all of my 2016 couples, my fearless second shooters and assistants and the amazing vendors I worked with on these weddings. 2017 is shaping up to be a big year for this New Orleans Wedding Photographer. I am excited to see what love the new year brings my way!