I am so excited to share this 2017 year in review blog post of the weddings I shot this past year! I didn’t shoot as many weddings this year as I have in years past, but the couples I worked with this year were some of my favorite yet. Shooting a wedding is such a big deal and it means so much that these couples chose me to photograph their wedding day. There are so many different photographers out there to choose from. So many talented photographers. The struggle to not compare myself to those photographers is real. The struggle to not look at all of these amazing photographers I follow and not do things the way they do them. Often I will check out their work and wonder if I should be doing things the way they are. Whether it be doing more detail shots or coming up with different bridal party shots like they do. However, its important to remember that these couples picked me for a reason. I am not like other photographers and that is totally ok.

When I meet with a couple to talk about their wedding day I am looking for a connection. Like I mentioned, there are so many different photographers to choose from so I think it is important to create a connection with the couples I work with. That is what will make the photos special. I am not a photographer with all sorts of crazy creative poses. I won’t spend a ton of time of various detail shots. What I care about is the connection and I just want to have a fun day with you celebrating your marriage. Big, gorgeous wedding days with all sorts of details are great but what I want to photograph is all of the special moments that make your wedding day different than everyone else’s. There is no other couple out there like you. It doesn’t take a crazy pose to capture that. The way you look at each other and laugh with each other is what makes your wedding day special. How you interact with your bridal party is what makes your wedding day special. The day is about your marriage and your love for each other. That is what I want to document.

This year I had the opportunity to photograph 9 weddings! Each were different and unique. I kicked off the year by photographing the wedding of my Uncle Howard to Julie! What a beautiful day that was, despite the rainy weather. Travis & Jilayne were married on a gorgeous April day. It was just a tad brisk but the girls had these super cute jean jackets to wear. Then I photographed Tony & Shayna’s wedding on the east side of the state in May. Spring weddings are so gorgeous with the trees blooming and the flowers beginning to grow! The summer was slow this year and I didn’t have another wedding until September, when my weddings kicked into full gear by having 4 weddings in a row in the month of September. Jake & Kate, Leif & Whitney, Dave & Shari, and Nikki & Kenton were my gorgeous September weddings. The month of September this year was so perfect for weddings! Even Dave & Shari’s when we had a record hot day. Then I ended my wedding season this December by having a double wedding weekend with Nick & Katie’s beautiful barn wedding and then my cousin Cynthia married Alex out in the woods surrounded by just a handful of people. Each of these weddings was special to me because of the people. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to work with the absolute best people. Kind people full of love for one another.

2017 was an amazing year and I am so excited for what 2018 has in store! I am hoping that 2018 will be filled with even more wonderful people like those pictured in these photos.  Enjoy some of these favorites from 2017!