NO RAGRETS. <<< If you know, you know.

But seriously, I am so glad I did it. Leading up to it I didn’t tell a whole bunch of people because I didn’t want that kind of pressure. Although, when it came time to do the dang thing, I was not nearly as nervous as I thought I would be in that situation.

My advice to anyone reading this: It’s okay to be scared, do it anyway. It will either make for a great experience (if all goes well) or a great story (if you’re someone who can laugh at themselves).

Life is too short. Don’t let fear win.

In case you missed it, I’m linking the segment below!

2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge

Welcome to a new blog series called My Favorite.

In the spirit of what triggered this idea, I’m starting with books. I am admittedly a book nerd. Like HUGE – hard cover buying – book smelling – Book of the Month – Goodreads Challenge – pre-order books on the regular – kind of book nerd. Put it this way, a good friend and I have discussed a Book Podcast more than once.

So, what’s my reading style?

I love thrillers. Crime thrillers, psychological thrillers, thrilling true stories. If it doesn’t give my anxiety on some basic level, you better be a damn good writer. When I find an author that can do both, that’s when the stars really come out.

I can be gripped in other ways however. Real stories of courage, adversity, trauma, and resilience are also right up my alley. The greatest way to have empathy for others is by actually taking a dedicated interest in their stories. It’s why I love documenting families through photography.

One day a few months back I decided to pull my 10 favorite books. To see if I could even do it. I knew it would be tough. What I didn’t know is that I would have to create an entirely separate stack of honorable mentions. So here ya go… my favorite books (in no particular order because I absolutely cannot compare a fictional crime book to something like Into the Wild).

Favorites

1. The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
2. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
4. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
5. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
7. The Shack by William P. Young
8. Night by Eli  Wiesel
9. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
10. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (fun fact, the edition I have is almost 40 years old!)

Honorable Mentions

1. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
3. Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts
4. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
5. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
6. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
7. The Killing Lessons by Saul Black
8. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
9. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

What are your favorites? And what do I NEED to read (even though my To Be Read pile is a little obnoxious)?

Within 6 days I flew to Chicago for an engagement session, back to North Carolina and then drove to Pittsburgh for a proposal. It was the craziest week but one that I really did love. It was exciting and stressful and kind of sleepless but also so so fun.

When I knew I was flying to Chicago, I decided to pick up a book I’ve tried reading like 3 times before, The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson. This book is stealing the life from me. I typically love really dark books – thrillers, mysteries, murder, etc. I knew that it was non-fiction, which is not always my first choice but I’ve read some great true stories. The book is about the building of the World’s Fair in Chicago and the crimes of H.H. Holmes during this time. Normally I would have put a book like this down a very long time ago. It’s SO VERY SLOW. Mostly because it heavily plays on history and facts. Sometimes facts can be very interesting and they are, but there are just so many. You can’t just graze over the information. So all 400+ pages are small text of historical facts. I have about 70 pages left.

Finishing this engagement session makes me want to finish this book… finally! I can’t wait to read a fast-paced thriller that I can’t put down. Because, all I want to do is put down this one.

I had never been to Chicago and I loved walking around Megan and Paul’s neighborhood. We went to this amazing antique store/gallery with incredible relics.  They showed me some of their favorite spots, I met their cat (the other one hid the whole time), and then to cap off the day, they took me to their favorite pizza joint. Hello deep dish pizza! And then I may or may not have feared for my life during my Lyft ride to the airport.

They are getting married in Indiana this summer and I can’t wait!

I remember meeting Erica Stawick of Erica Stawick Events over lunch and having my eyes and ears burn with excitement as she told me about her plans to bring this awesome couple’s style and vision to life. Which is probably why I included WAY to many decor shots of the reception. Between the design and execution, Erica and the vendors she brought together, KILLED this wedding. You’ll see!

Bo and Dan are two of the most down to earth genuine people I’ve ever met in my life. Just being around them is fun. Bo’s smile, as you’ll see, will light up a room. Dan’s kid-at-heart presence brings so much joy. So you can understand how a day filled with these two and the people they cherish would be pretty much perfection. The only drawback was the rain and I am willing to bet almost no one who attended this wedding remembers that part of the day.

It’s not every day that you meet and get to work with people like Dan and Bo. I feel beyond blessed to have them in my life. Not only did I get to photograph their amazing day, they asked me to document yet another awesome milestone in their life. What is that you ask???? Well, you’ll have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find out. Don’t forget to leave them a message of love in the comments.

Thank you to all the vendors who created this kick-ass event! And a special shout out to my second shooter Kelly, of Grace Hill Photography. I can shoot without you, but I don’t prefer it.

Cheers, Kasey

Just shy of one year after their amazing wedding, I caught up with these crazy kids at their home in Charlotte to meet the newest memberS (<— you read that right) of their family.

Two things worth noting… 1. YES! I photograph families. I like to call these documentary at home sessions Kasey Loftin Backyard Sessions and you can find more of that work here for now: Kasey Loftin Backyard Sessions and 2. YES, this is how behind I am on blogging. But I’m working on it! I’ll be sharing tons of stuff over the next few months.

The list of insanely talented individuals that made this wedding possible!

Photographer: Kasey Loftin

Planner: Erica Stawick Events

Getting Ready Venue: Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel

Wedding Ceremony/Reception Venue: Terrace at Cedar Hill

Catering: Best Impressions Caterers

Florals: The Bloom Room

Stationary and Signage: Pink Toast Ink

Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Music: J’Michael Peeples Trio / JMPMovement

Reception Band: Fifth Divine via East Coast Entertainment

Rentals: Party Reflections / BBJ Linens / Old South Vintage Rentals

Videography: A Thousand Cranes Productions

Cake: Delish Cakery

Hair/Makeup: Charisse Holliday with Be Pretty Charlotte

Photo Booth: Shutter Booth Charlotte

Wooden Arch/Alter: Elisabeth Rose

Bride’s Dress: Sassi Holford via Ladies of Lineage

Reception Shoes (ya know, with their awesome mugs!): Vans

Groom’s Tie: The Beautiful Idiot

Bridesmaid Dresses: Rent The Runway

Bride’s Earrings: Ben Amun via Rent the Runway

Bride’s Shoes: Sole Society at Nordstrom

Bride’s veil: Nordstrom (FUN FACT: Her mom held that bad boy up and they painted the pink on themselves. Scroll back up to the beginning for that detail shot to see what I mean. So awesome.)

Bride’s Jacket: Gap (FUN FACT #2: They ironed those patches on themselves at the hotel while I was there photographing them getting ready. BOSS)

A few years ago, I got to photograph one of my favorite weddings ever. A sweet red-haired beauty named Charlotte wore a lace dress. She was about 8 months pregnant at the time. They got married on a goat farm with their closest loved ones. They danced under the stars. They radiated joy.

A couple of years later, Charlotte’s dad reached out to me and got them the gift of a family session. Charlotte held on to that gift because they knew they wanted to grow their family. Recently, they invited me to their North Carolina farmhouse to capture their life as a family of four.

When I arrived, it was catching up with old friends. It was talking to the little man Charlotte and Curtis prayed over during their wedding ceremony. They walked me through their home, we played with toys and talked about being thankful. I met their cats. They have a lot of cats. We chased their chickens and played soccer. Little man even showed me his golf swing while Charlotte sat with the baby on the sweetest vegetable blanket I’ve ever seen.

We wrapped up the day with little man rummaging through the shed for his “lawn mower” dressed as batman.

Perfect. It was all so perfect. Because they weren’t trying to impress me. They weren’t putting on a show. They were just inviting me in to capture life as they know it. Life as it stands right now.

Life is going to change tremendously over and over again. But year after year, they can relive this fleeting time with an honest reminder of who they are right now.

Here is a little glimpse of that life.

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I knew I loved May and Dario from their first email. Then we skyped, I fell more in love. And then… we met near Asheville to hike up a mountain and take pictures and that love grew ten-fold. I can’t wait for their Asheville wedding next year.

These two had amazing chemistry and I barely had to give them any direction. Come to find out they watched a great posing video by two of my favorite photographers Sarah K. Byrne and Phil Chester, who I got to meet and hang out with at Heck Yeah Photo Camp a few years ago.

And then during our session, a couple got engaged right behind where we were standing. We actually passed them to get to the outlook spot. So crazy! It was such a perfect day.

I always say this, but if I could shoot in the North Carolina mountains every weekend I would! It’s my happy place. Just driving there feels like therapy. I’ll find any reason to go, so let me know if you want to adventure with me and I’m ready when you are!

Cheers, Kasey

I’m going back two years to the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, NC for a romantic, moody, outdoor wedding with all the perfect details. This is one of my favorite weddings I have ever shot and it just goes to show how little I blog. I can’t believe I’ve never shared this. Full disclosure it’s from 2 years ago. But better late than never to go back and reminisce and share something so gorgeous with you.  I don’t know what else to say except that I love Carrie and Tyler and their second anniversary is coming up and I hope it’s amazing.

Cheers!

Vendor Love!

Venue: The North Carolina Arboretum

Florist: Shady Grove Flowers

Caterer: Catering by Corey

Hair & Makeup: Lola Salon Asheville

DJ: Blazin Sounds DJ Dylan Skidmore

These two are straight up out of a fairy tale, but a realistic one. Their wedding day was like being at home in cozy pajamas. It felt so warm, inviting and comfortable. Every moment I’ve spent with them has felt so easy and fun. We hiked up Black Balsam Knob for their engagement session and it was one of my favorite sessions ever. I knew their wedding day was going to be amazing. It did not disappoint. There were so many wonderful vendors and friends and family. Take me back! It’s also the wedding that introduced me to Suarez Bakery and their to-die-for red velvet cake. So I’m sure to never forget it.

Branden and Casey, I miss you both and I wish we could do this wedding day all over again you guys!! Hope your first year of marriage has been everything you hoped it would be so far. Cheers!

Don’t forget to check out Abby from 13 Cedar Events and all the other amazing vendors at the bottom of this post! Great vendors make a HUGE DIFFERENCE!!

VENDOR LOVE!

Planner: Abby Henderson, 13 Cedar Events

Venue: Vesuvius Vineyards

Florals: Willow Floral Boutique

Wedding Gift from Groom: The Night Sky

DJ: Split Second Sound

Caterers: Roots Catering

Cake: Suarez Bakery

Videography: Jennings Burchfield, Unlocked Videography

Country Time Party Rentals

T&J Shuttle

Fine China: The Whimsical Rose

Choosing meaningful details and acts and people on your wedding day makes all the difference. Traditions are wonderful if you believe in the traditions from an honest place. You don’t have to have a bunch of bridesmaids if you don’t want to. You don’t have to wear white. Wear black if you want to. Or red shoes! Eat Duck Donuts and play cornhole. Hang the trimmings from your shrubs at home, from the ceiling. Drink your favorite beer. Or just get married at your favorite brewery! Like Triple C Brewing Co. in Charlotte. This place had these amazing barrels on the walls (you’ll see them shortly); it was such a cool space to photograph a wedding. All I’m saying is do what makes you happy! Chris and Beth did and it was soooo perfect. It helps that they also had my favorite bakery’s red velvet cupcakes at their wedding which is Suarez Bakery. If you like Red Velvet… this is THE Red Velvet to try.

I hope you smile as much as this couple does as you look through some of my favorites from their day. So much happy.