Beauty has such a profound affect on the soul. So much of what we find beautiful is closely tied to our identity, such as certain colors, music or visual design - things influenced by our personal taste. And yet, there are things known to be universally beautiful, most of which are found in nature, like a fading sunset, grandiose snow-capped mountains or the vastness of the ocean's swell. Somehow the human soul craves beauty, some perhaps more than others, but we all need it in some form nonetheless. We are all curators of what we find beautiful. We surround ourselves with it. We long for it, desire more and yearn to be swept up in it. We want to posses beauty in a myriad of forms; to be beautiful ourselves, to create beauty, to own beautiful things and to behold beauty in our surroundings, just to name a few.

It is almost certain that most of us would fall into a deep depression if we were deprived of beauty. No music. No art. No nature. No words. No people. If I think back the times I felt most sad, it was because my soul's vision of beauty was somehow hindered or blocked. Whatever it may have been was the opposite of beautiful. And the cure? Finding beauty again. A trip to the seaside. Listening to a song. Reading a few uplifting  words. Time with another soul we find soothing. Creating something lovely. Beauty. It's essential to to any sort of glad existence.

Happy 2015! I hope everyone had a dazzling New Year's Eve. We spend ours dancing the night away at a beautiful New Year's Eve wedding in Charleston. I'm so thankful for each of my wonderful couples. I've been so blessed. I'm looking forward to the 2015 season. We are looking forward to visiting some beautiful places to celebrate such sweet and authentic love stories. There are a few open spots for some weddings this year, so contact me soon if you'd like to book here.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve! I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful season. We are thanking God for His many blessings this year. It's been a hard year in many ways, but also one of the most beautiful years of my life. We are savoring our time with family and friends, and also looking forward to 2015. Since Christmas is nearly upon us I thought I'd share a few images of our Christmas cheer at home. I love making everything cozy and festive this time of year. I always say I won't do much, but end up making at least a few wreaths and putting greenery everywhere. Once I get going, it's just so hard to stop! I hope you all have a beautiful year. Merry Christmas!

Photos are little moments, frozen in time forever. As a photographer, it's easy to let the documentation of our lives fall to the wayside because I'm constantly documenting for others. But you can't take back time. Life flies by so quickly and once the moments pass they are gone forever. Images are treasures. These are especially dear to my heart. I love these images so much because they are a true expression of us, who we are and how we love…well, except for the fact we don't wear fancy clothes like this everyday! Eleanora wasn't too happy about being outside in the cold, she spit up all over her outfit and my elf ears are poking out! But that's what makes them authentic. It's usually when things don't work out perfectly that the most perfect moments are made. I love them even more because of it. I will always remember this time when we first became a family of three. I know I'm going to blink my eyes and Elle will be all grown up. Every time I book a session for us I'm incredibly glad I did. Letting someone else capture our seasons of life is absolutely invaluable. Just like I'm still in love with our anniversary session with my friend Lauren a while back, I know I'll hold these dear to my heart for all our years to come. I'm so thankful for my friendship with Chelsi & Justin of J. Layne Photography and for their artistic gifts. I'm blessed to know such sweet and talented people in this industry. I'm so thankful they were able to squeeze us in during one of our quick trips visiting my family. Now on to the images! Prepare to have your heart melted.

About this time last year, my sweet friend Ashley and I took a trip to visit the Biltmore. It was a surprise for my birthday. (I know, I lucked out in the friend department!) I realized today that I never shared those images and I wanted to remedy that immediately! It was one of those weekends that you never forget. It was the perfect time of year with the perfect friend. Cheesy, I know...but it's true. I'm so glad we took a few images before our tour of the estate. I will treasure them forever. I wish I could have taken photos inside because it was all so mesmerizing. Thanks for the trip of a lifetime Ash!