A few years ago I actually tried stepping away from wedding photography. I felt a strong pull toward ministry and began working full time for the local church I attend. I thought that meant leaving photography behind. But what I discovered was something I didn’t expect. Ministry isn’t confined to a title or a building. It’s something you carry with you wherever you go.

And wedding days, in many ways, are sacred spaces. They are filled with covenant, family, faith, and the beginning of a new story.

Earlier this year in 2026, I experienced all of this from a completely different perspective when I became a bride myself.

Weddings are one of the rare moments in life when everyone gathers together, and those relationships deserve to be remembered.

Because when you photograph someone you know, you care differently. You care about their parents. You notice the way their siblings look at them. You feel the weight of the moment because you understand the story behind it.

Somewhere along the way I realized I didn’t want that care to only be reserved for friends. I wanted every couple I photographed to feel that same level of attention, presence, and celebration.

Family has always meant a lot to me, which is why the moments between parents, grandparents, siblings, and close friends matter just as much as the couple themselves.

Wedding photography wasn’t something I set out to build as a career. It really started in the most organic way.

Back in 2012, a high school friend’s mom asked if I would photograph her small wedding. At the time it felt simple and meaningful, just helping someone I knew capture an important day. Not long after, a friend from church got engaged and asked if I would photograph her wedding too. Then another friend got married. And another.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by people I loved entering one of the most important days of their lives and inviting me to be part of it.

What most photographers try to avoid in the beginning, shooting their friends’ weddings, is actually what shaped the way I see this work.

It all started in 2012 with friends...

Standing there on my own wedding day, I realized something very quickly. The things I thought would matter most, the details, the timeline, the little plans I had carefully thought through, faded into the background.

What stayed with me were the moments. The way my family looked at me. The emotion in the room. The feeling of being surrounded by the people who had walked through life with us. I wanted the day to feel natural. Unrushed. Real. I didn’t want to spend it posing. I wanted to be present. That experience deepened the way I approach every wedding I photograph.

My goal is not just to create beautiful images. It’s to create space for your wedding day to unfold naturally while quietly preserving the moments that matter most. The laughter. The tears. The in-between moments that often become the most meaningful ones. Because years from now, those are the photographs that will bring you right back to how it all felt.