Real Couples // Intimate, Sparkling Wedding in South Carolina: Donte and Ti Auni

Real Couples // Intimate, Sparkling Wedding in South Carolina: Donte and Ti Auni

It was a brisk November day in Columbia, South Carolina, perfected by a little chill in the air and the burst of fall colors throughout the gardens. Donte and Ti Auni invited only their closest family and friends to their wedding, and I just LOVED how small and intimate it was. This wedding day was not about anything but the celebration of the couple’s love. Ti Auni’s son served as Donte’s best man, and after the ceremony the entire family came together for hugs, kisses, and portraits.

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Real Couples // A Simple San Francisco Elopement: Christine + Lee

Real Couples // A Simple San Francisco Elopement: Christine + Lee

Christine shared with us that their relationship was a bit of a roller coaster ride with highs and lows. They were even apart for a stretch. Through that she learned that when you lose something you once had, it’s an opportunity to realize how important that something — that someone — is. When they got back together, she knew that he was the one and she wanted to share all of life’s blessings and challenges with him.

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Real Couples // Same-sex Vintage Glam Loft Wedding in Stillwater, MN: Magan + Hope

Real Couples // Same-sex Vintage Glam Loft Wedding in Stillwater, MN: Magan + Hope

My smile caught Magan’s eye right away, but she was caught off guard because she was previously attracted to more feminine ladies, and here was this short-haired androgynous lady she was being drawn to. I caught Magan looking at me and managed to summon the courage to go talk to her. Magan’s friend Julia often describes our meeting as “two magnets coming together.” We exchanged numbers that night, and so started our love story. There was an instant connection that fateful night, which was quickly followed by long talks, sushi dates, and many car karaoke sessions of 90s songs.

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Real Couples // Urban Riverside Engagement: Daniel + Cameron

Real Couples // Urban Riverside Engagement: Daniel + Cameron

"I proposed to Cameron at Magic Kingdom via caricature. Plans were for me to propose to him on our cruise we took via karaoke, but they only had karaoke the first night of the cruise, and we were at dinner during that time, so I missed my opportunity. When we arrived at Magic Kingdom after our cruise, I had his ring in my backpack and no clue how I was getting it on his finger!! After lunch we noticed a caricature artist, and Cameron was excited, as we had been wanting to do one! There were no appointments for a while so we walked away, but then I came back and booked the appointment and told them what I was planning: she was to draw me on one knee proposing. When the time arrived I was beyond nervous and fidgety; a crowd was gathering and Cameron asked the artist if crowds were common. She played along and said, 'Oh yes, it happens all the time!' When she was finished and turned the picture around, I was on one knee and asking the big question, while Cameron was confused as to his positioning in the picture...a few (what seemed like minutes) seconds later, he realized what was going on, and with tears in his eyes he said YES!!!"

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Real Families // Surprise Proposal in the Park: Holly + Kandie

Real Families // Surprise Proposal in the Park: Holly + Kandie

Kandie asked me to help plan and photograph a surprise proposal for the love of her life, Holly. We had to keep the secret for weeks — even when Holly was grilling Kandie about why she booked an "anniversary" session for them. Kandie created the sweetest book about how they met and why she loves Holly so much, and she gave it to her in the middle of our session. She, Holly, and Kandie's daughter read the book together, until the last page where it popped the big question: "Will you marry me?" Holly said absolutely yes, and they both cried so many happy tears. With the sun setting in the background and so much love between them, it was an absolutely perfect proposal.

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Real Couples // Modern Downtown Atlanta Engagement Shoot: Aubrey + Ronnie

Real Couples // Modern Downtown Atlanta Engagement Shoot: Aubrey + Ronnie

AuBrey and Ronnie are so confident in who they are. Their love was so amazing to witness because as well walked down busy city streets, you could tell they couldn't even tune in to all the people around. That's the kind of love I LIVE for.

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Real Couples // New Year's Eve Family Wedding: Matt + Ashley

Real Couples // New Year's Eve Family Wedding: Matt + Ashley

Family is extremely important to us as a couple and we wanted to find different ways to honor family members who have passed. While having a memorial table is a fantastic and obvious way to honor lost loved ones, I wanted to take it a step further. Matt's grandfather was an artist and while going through some of his work, we came across a sketch of a dancing man and woman. I loved the sketch as soon as I saw it and knew we had to integrate it into the wedding somehow. We ended up using a modified version of the sketch on the invitations and cannot be more pleased with the way they turned out. Our amazing florist Nancy Liu Chin came up with the idea of integrating butterflies into the overall decor and we ran with it. There were touches of butterflies everywhere — the escort cards, in certain bridesmaid's bouquets, the seating chart, signage and even on menus. They added a fun, romantic and whimsical element to the wedding.

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Real Couples // Intimate Same-Sex Wedding on the Beach in Cancun: Corina + Corynn

Real Couples // Intimate Same-Sex Wedding on the Beach in Cancun: Corina + Corynn

"We met in high school and were friends, but we ran in different circles. We fell in love nine years later when we ended up working for the same company. It was only a week into dating that we both knew: this is it!

Our proposal was a complete shock to me. I just didn't think that Corynn could do all of that behind my back. She completely surprised me, proposing at sunset on our first trip to Cancun. She even called my mom before getting the ring and asked her for my hand in marriage! I'm so proud of my engagement ring. Corynn did excellent. I told her I wanted something unique with lots of bling, and boy did she listen.

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Real Couples // A Castle Wedding in South Wales: Jodie + Hasan

Real Couples // A Castle Wedding in South Wales: Jodie + Hasan

Jodie and Hasan were married at a relaxed nautical themed wedding at Norman Manorbier Castle in South Wales. The couple first met while playing in St John's Deaf football club. Jodie played for the women’s team and Hasan for the men’s. "It was on a football trip in 2004 to Stuttgart in Germany that we really noticed each other properly," said Jodie. "But nothing came of it till Hasan's house party after Christmas in 2007 when romance began to blossom."

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Real Couples // Classic Downtown Edmonton Wedding: Crystal + Jimmy

Real Couples // Classic Downtown Edmonton Wedding: Crystal + Jimmy

Crystal and Jimmy met in the gym. Jimmy approached Crystal to show her how to use a piece of equipment, and that's how it all started. Crystal and Jimmy even decided to do their engagement session in the gym where they met, as that's a special place to them.

Crystal is the most down-to-earth bride that I have ever worked with. She is easy going and relaxed. For instance, she prioritized comfortable shoes for her and her maid of honor to wear on the wedding day, as comfort is very important to her. Jimmy is East Indian, and Crystal adopted the tradition of getting henna hand painting for the wedding.

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Real Couples // A Mod Minimalist Wedding in LA: Lucy + David

Real Couples // A Mod Minimalist Wedding in LA: Lucy + David

I fell in love with David during a 600-mile road trip when he started singing "It's Just My Imagination,” complete with trademarked dance moves. David says he fell in love with me during a 2-hour lost-wallet-scavenger-hunt in which I demonstrated a keen sense of direction, wit, and adventure all at once. I’m not so sure about all that, but we did find his wallet. And four years later, we decided to get married in LA.

Neither of us grew up in LA, but it’s a place where my family has roots and we both have loved ones. That’s what we wanted most for our wedding: to be with as many loved ones as we could possibly manage. We wanted a ceremony that felt authentically us, recognized the many unknowns of the enormous leap we were about to take, and celebrated the love, commitment, and vulnerability that had gotten us this far. We were lucky enough to get all those things on our wedding day, but nothing could have prepared us for the feeling — the sheer and overwhelming joy — of being surrounded by so much love. It was so much more than I know how to put into words.

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Real Couples // A Queer Appalachian Wedding: Peter + Hannah

Real Couples // A Queer Appalachian Wedding: Peter + Hannah

"Appalachia is our homeland. It’s where we first met, it’s where I began my transgender journey, it’s where we found a queer community that taught us how to radically love and be loved, it’s the smell of the mountain air, the clean crystal creeks, and the raw beauty of the fall foliage, so it was very easy for us to choose that location for our wedding. Asheville, being a world renowned wedding destination, was a little outside of our budget, but after a lot of internet sleuthing we came across a perfect venue just a hop over the border in Trade, Tennessee. White Fence Farm was the whole package: beautiful outdoor space for the ceremony, covered barn and kitchen for catering and reception, covered stage for DJ and dancing, a large fire pit, and even a farmhouse and a couple airstreams on the property that slept nearly all of our wedding party, and the price was unbeatable. But the real showstopper was the view. Located in a small valley right in the middle of the Appalachian mountains, the rolling hills loomed on all sides, and we planned it just right so that our wedding weekend coincided with peak leaf colors throughout the region. We were planning a Tennessee wedding from our couch in Austin, Texas, so putting the deposit down on the farm without having seen it was a huge risk. Turns out, we couldn’t have dreamed a more perfect setting.

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Real Couples // Fashion Forward Engagement Session in Charlotte, North Carolina: Rashan + Quanda

Real Couples // Fashion Forward Engagement Session in Charlotte, North Carolina: Rashan + Quanda

Rashan and Quanda are the type of couple that found each other late in life, but are better for it. They are both successful in their respective careers and decided to blend their families and lives later next year in Jamaica. Since they decided to have a destination wedding, Rashan and Quanda wanted to make sure to have their engagement session set in THEIR city: Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Real Couples // The Violinist and the Violin Maker: Monica + Chris

Real Couples // The Violinist and the Violin Maker: Monica + Chris

Monica and Chris, a Broadway violinist and a violin maker, sat up in bed one evening and realized that the big NYC loft wedding they’d planned wasn’t at all how they wanted to be married. Going back to the drawing board they stumbled upon the perfect little garden on the Lower East Side and decided they’d have a wonderful dinner with 30 people nearby at Edi & the Wolf.
 

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Real Couples // A Stylish, Woodsy LGBTQ+ Wedding: Mack + Jeanne

Real Couples // A Stylish, Woodsy LGBTQ+ Wedding: Mack + Jeanne

After meeting and falling in love in D.C. while on deployment, Mack brought Jeanne back to Cincinnati to continue their love story. And so, on a warm, spring day, adoring family and friends near and far traveled to witness Mack and Jeanne wed in an intimate ceremony nestled in the woods. Light poured in through the trees, shined onto the couple, and illuminated their faces during this mystical moment. Jeanne’s mother performed a chant ritual bringing goodness, gratitude, and love into the space. The ceremony concluded with handwritten vows and a joyful exit. Back at the barn, Jeanne’s sister presented a slideshow of the story of Mack and Jeanne, filling the reception with laughter and the happiest tears. The evening ended with a gorgeous golden sunset, and a dancing celebration.

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Real Couples // Cleveland Edgewater Park Engagement: Hannah + Bishoy

Real Couples // Cleveland Edgewater Park Engagement: Hannah + Bishoy

Cleveland holds such a special place in their hearts. It is where they first met, bought their first home, are raising their fur baby Napoleon together, and are saying their "I DOs" this summer. Of course, Edgewater Park was the perfect location for this beautiful couples engagement photos!

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Real Couples // Sugarloaf Mountain Wedding: Sally + Sophia

Real Couples // Sugarloaf Mountain Wedding: Sally + Sophia

Sally says, "Ours is a story of stars aligning... which is the moment that only comes when you've finally found the one you were meant to be with. On a gorgeous summer night in 2013, and among mutual friends, we met and spoke for the first time, and a lasting impression was made. Call it love at first sight. Whatever it was, it was enough for us to continue wondering about the other, until we (virtually) ran into each other again a few months later. After months of cyber-stalking, we finally met on an official date and have been inseparable ever since.

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Real Couples // Georgetown Sunrise Engagement: Varun + Amanda

Real Couples // Georgetown Sunrise Engagement: Varun + Amanda

Varun and Amanda met up with me early in the morning on a weekday, on a day when the world was still too cool in the morning to not wear coats, but it warmed up quickly. They told me they met getting their MBAs and joked that their hands brushed while using excel, and the rest was history. We traipsed through the tiny bit of forest we found near the water in Georgetown, DC, as we discussed all things Wes Anderson, and Amanda talk about how Varun has taught her a lot about South Indian food and culture. We ended the session just as most coffee shops were opening and as the sun started to warm the city. 

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Real Couples // A Surprise Proposal on the Columbia Riverwalk: Taylor + Lexa

Real Couples // A Surprise Proposal on the Columbia Riverwalk: Taylor + Lexa

Taylor and I planned to surprise Lexa about half way through their session so we could have time to photograph them together after Taylor popped the question. Our plan was this: Taylor would put the ring in my camera bag when Lexa was not looking at the beginning of our session, and we would shoot their first outfit as if nothing was out of the ordinary — just a casual couples session, or so Lexa thought! I told Taylor I would get Lexa alone in front of my camera down by the river, give Taylor the signal, and let her walk up behind Lexa and pop the question! Thankfully, everything went off without a hitch!

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Real Couples // Vintage Glam in the Summer Heat: Keisha + Larry

Real Couples // Vintage Glam in the Summer Heat: Keisha + Larry

The heat was impossible, but Keisha and her girls handled it like champions for pictures before the ceremony, and although we didn't get to shoot outdoors with the guys, Larry and Keisha's outdoor portraits make it hard to believe it was so hot outside! Watching Larry with his family and friends, it is easy to see why he is liked by everybody, and he could hardly make it down the aisle for his ceremony because he made sure to acknowledge everyone and say hello.

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