our honeymoon!

jesse and i got married on may 15th! it was the most perfect day i could have ever imagined - the weather, the mood, the emotion, the love, the family, just everything. you can see all the pictures from our day here. kristen was our photographer and we are so grateful for her and for all the moments she captured for us. 

on monday morning we left for our honeymoon on anna maria island, florida. it was where we met & got engaged, too. most people have never heard of it, but to me it's the most beautiful place ever. it got rated #2 beach in the US, so there goes what we used to refer as "a best kept secret." we vowed to go back every year. we both have family there too so that should make it a bit easier :)

anyyyyyway, here are some photos from our week together. side note: every day we put the camera somewhere (ground, on top of a trashcan, etc.) and took a picture of the two of us... i highly recommend it instead of the arm out close up face shots which we also have a million of... it was actually a lot of fun.

zoe even had the foresight to have champagne and chocolate covered strawberries ordered to our room on our first night! (aka i have a sweet mother-in-law).

to zoe!

after a glass (or 3) of champagne :)

my wedding gift. it's jesse's fingerprint and zoe's thumbprint in silver. on the back it's engraved 'my love' on his and 'our love' on hers... tell me that's the not sweetest thing ever.

well, this field was to die for. so i made jesse model for me. he wasn't even trying to look this good, it was the first picture i took after i told him to kneel down in the grass... how hot is he?

mmmmmmmm.

i love love.

joanna & kyle: florida engagement session.

i can't tell you how happy it made me to see someone i love so authentically happy. joanna and i met the same summer that jesse and i met. we worked together too, and became fast friends. she was like an old comfortable friend even though we'd only known each other for a couple months; we have too many fun memories to count. 

a few months ago, she asked me if i'd photograph her wedding & her engagement photos. i excitedly obliged for many reasons two of which are that she's one of my favorite people in the world and she's getting married in one of my favorite places in the world. luckily, i was there for my honeymoon last week so we met up and took these photos. it was my first time meeting kyle & i was more than impressed. you must understand joanna is one of the most lovable people. she's bright and beautiful and funny and real. she deserves someone equally as amazing, and she found him. 

i still haven't stopped talking about how happy i am that she will marry someone who adores her and cares for her - deeply. kyle is gentle, heartfelt, and genuine. i loved watching them BE together. there is so much light in their relationship, laughter, affection, and big happy love. also, readers beware: i will over share in this post because it was nearly impossible to pick favorites. you will see, they are pretty much the cutest couple that ever lived. 

you guys are amazing. it was a pleasure just being around you two, i can't WAIT for your wedding in november! love love love.

cienna: senior session.

when i first met cienna, she was 13 and one of my best friends was house sitting for her mom. she ran in from the lake in a bikini top and shorts, and i hadn't known her for more then a minute when she sat behind the piano and started belting out a song she wrote. i got chills, a tear might have come to my eye... she was THIRTEEN. and she already had an incredible presence, confidence, and just radiated this inner beauty and self love that not many 13 year olds have the confidence to find. it was a beautiful thing. now, she's graduating from duke ellington school of the arts, just finished her first album, and is living her dream. i am not surprised. she's really such an incredible young woman. meet cienna jade...

i love this.

vanessa and cienna's relationship is incredible. they are mother and daughter, the best of friends, but something that stands out to me is that vanessa supports cienna - her talent, her creativity, her ambition - fully, completely, & whole-heartedly. she has worked hard for the means to allow her dreams and her daughters dreams to take shape and become a reality. and most importantly, she's passed along the lesson that if you work hard enough for something, it's yours. she's instilled such a complete sense of self worth and unconditional support, and i admire both of them for their dedication, and for being so true to themselves and to their passion.

i know big things will continue to happen for you, cienna, and i wish you nothing but the best.