Kaylee + Will | Athens, Ga Farm Engagement Session

I am so excited to share this engagement session with y'all! I met these two, Kaylee + Will, at her best friend's, Maggie + Chris', wedding I was photographing in August. I remember specifically seeing Kaylee + Will dancing to a slow song and photographing them. I could see how in love they were through my lens. She contacted me shortly after her friend Maggie's wedding and asked me if I would be her engagement and wedding photographer. . .of course I said YES! :) And boy, oh, boy did we have the best time chasing the sunlight at this gorgeous equestrian farm in Athens, Ga.! Kaylee + Will met by chance! Kaylee was out on the town celebrating her friend's bachelorette party. It was at the end of the night and they were in a cab headed back home, when one of her girlfriends asked if they could make one more stop. Kaylee was reluctant, as she was past ready to be home after a full night. However, she gave in and they stopped off at another bar, Lost Dog, to see her friend's finance. Kaylee made her way up to the bar and immediately noticed a very handsome guy with great hair to her left. They made eye contact several times and finally after a few minutes of awkward silent glances and sips of their drinks, she  broke the ice and said, "Hello!"

The two became lost in conversation and completely lost track of time. So lost, that Kaylee had forgotten about her friends! After a while her friends appeared and told her it was time to head home. Although she was the one that didn't want to go to the bar in the first place, she was now the one that didn't want to leave! She wanted to stay as long as possible and talk to the cute, interesting guy with the great hair. Before she made her way towards the exit, Will asked her to put her number in his phone. In the cab on the way home, Kaylee heard her phone sound and it was a text message from Will. She got butterflies and hoped she would get to see him again!

After making plans with Kaylee and breaking them THREE times over the next couple of weeks, Will FINALLY asked her to meet with him at the dog park with their dogs for their first date.

Kaylee and Will have been dating now for almost a year and a half. While on a trip to Sedona, Arizona (with another couple who just happens to be a professional photographer) Will and their friends coordinated a photo shoot for the two of them at sunset by the gorgeous red rocks on Devil's Bridge. There, on the stunning peak, Will dropped to one knee and gave Kaylee the surprise of a lifetime and proposed to her. How romantic is that?!?! Congratulations Kaylee + Will!

Winn + David | Pierson Farm Engagement Session

Winn met David back in September of 2012 while in North Carolina for her good friend, Hadley's bachelorette party. While driving up to North Carolina they passed through Jacksonville, NC where the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is located. She couldn't help but think about all of the Marines that live there and how different life must be for them. Little did she know, her life was about to change forever that weekend and it involved one of those amazing Marines! On Saturday night the bachelorette party made it's way over the E Club located on Emerald Isle. They were all having a great time making small talk and watching UGA play Missou. Winn noticed a guy walk in wearing a red Georgia shirt that caught her eye! She grabbed him and said, "Hey!" They spent the rest of the night talking and just inthralled in conversation. He offered to drive Winn and her friends home and they accepted.

Once they made it back they spent over seven hours talking and looking at photos of her sweet lab, Riley. His family had also just gotten a little black lab puppy so they had lots to chat about! As they were talking, Winn's phone locked and he asked what her password was. She replied, "It's my name." Their eyes locked and she then said, "Oh my gosh, YOU don't know my NAME!" He quickly said, "Wait, YOU don't know MY name!" Winn turned around to start a new conversation with a friend and that's when he grabbed her and said, "No, no, no!" They both laughed it off realizing they had been talking for hours on end and never introduced themselves.

In February 2013 they both went to Charleston, South Carolina for Winn's friend's birthday party. They stayed at the cutest little bed and breakfast. That night David told Winn, for the first time in person, that he loved her. During their stay he also told Winn that he was going to marry her and they would be a family. She totally thought, 'This guy has lost it!' They had only known each other for five months - but she felt it too! :)

The next couple of  years they spent a lot of time traveling between NC and GA. They made the best of it! They would meet at destinations to go skiing or to go to the beach or just somewhere in the middle to see each other. Winn looks back at those times and it was always so hard to say goodbye even for a couple of weeks but that made them who they are. David moved to Atlanta in October 2014. They were getting used to living in the same city enjoying what it's like to date and live under the same roof.

In September they went back to Charleston for the Taste of Charleston at Boone Hall. It wasn't at all what Winn remembered it to be. She was expecting  the nice Food and Wine event like they have in March! However, this event was a little more like a carnival! lol David had planned on proposing at Boone Hall but just didn't feel it there. He kept trying to get Winn to go downtown but they had to get on the road home that night. She finally agreed to stop at a new spot she had never tried. As they are about to leave Winn's friend's house, she changed into her comfy travel clothes! The really comfy ones: a very old t-shirt with a huge hole in it and yoga pants. She REALLY wishes she would have known what was about to happen next! After eating David talked her into driving him down to the Battery to take a selfie. Winn was a little confused because David never takes selfies but, again, agreed. As they were walking around looking at the canons and a little gazebo in the middle, David got on one knee and asked if she would marry him. she was SHOCKED! He said, "I told you I was going to marry you the first time we came to this city." Winn could barely think or talk! As they drove home that night, Winn had five hours to tell everyone she knew and soak it all in! They got home and drank a bottle of champagne! :)

Winn and David will become husband and wife this October 2016 at Burge Plantation!

Haley + Justin's Covington, Georgia Engagement Session

Haley + Justin met one another at a New Year’s Eve party. Two days after meeting they went on their first date - at Haley’s grandparents house! lol They originally made dinner plans for just the two of them but when her Mama Jean called and invited them over they couldn’t resist. At the time Haley’s Poppa was sick and not doing very well. Justin understood this and knew the importance of spending the extra time with family and went right along with it. Justin fit in perfectly with Haley’s family and they both knew quickly in their relationship they were each other’s forever love. Haley + Justin both attended the University of Georgia and are Dawg fans. They decided to go to the UGA/Bama football game on October 3rd. When they arrived in Athens it was pouring rain! Being the big fans they are, they stuck out the bad weather. Before the game they walked through down town Athens to find something for breakfast and just happen to see a friend she knew. Justin + Haley were close the the famous arches on the UGA campus and Justin asked their friend (who just happen to have a camera) to take their photograph under the arches. When Haley started to smile for the photo Justin dropped to one knee. He asked Haley to be his wife and she said YES!

Haley + Justin’s family’s are their world. They grew up on the lake and to this day both enjoy lake life activities. Recently they bought their first home together in Cumming, Georgia and they are so excited to start their lives as husband and wife!

I know their August wedding will be spectacular at the beautiful 9 Oaks Farm! Can't wait!!

Mon

Rachel + Jason's Madison, Georgia Engagement Session

When Rachel graduated from UGA in 2011, she applied for a job in Pike County. Well, really she applied to ALL jobs available, but the one in Pike was the one that worked out. So, she went looking for a house and ended up in Thomaston. She knew absolutely no one, but quickly made a friend at the gym. This new friend turned out to be the very person that introduced Rachel to her love! This friend invited Rachel to a party to watch a UGA football game...and that's where Jason and Rachel met. Jason was in the process of moving to Thomasville from St. Louis and had stopped by Thomaston. This is where his parent's lived and since it was on the way he came to the party too. It took Jason about a month to ask Rachel out. On their first date they watched UGA play LSU for the SEC Championship in the Dome. UGA lost, but they still had a blast! The first 2 years they dated were long distance. Jason was in Thomasville and Rachel was in Thomaston. They finally ended up in Madison after his office opened a branch in North Georgia and Rachel accepted a job at Loganville High School.

Right after Rachel got the job in Loganville in 2014, she found out she had a benign brain tumor and would have to have surgery in October to remove it. Jason was GREAT through the whole process. He even came to her parents house every day after work to hang out with her while she recovered and would eat dinner with her and her family before he headed back to Athens each night. This was about the time Jason had not only won over Rachel's heart but her parents too!

Jason proposed to Rachel the week after Valentine's Day. Jason had the ring since November, but all the big holidays, including Rachel's birthday, were just too cliche. While Rachel was napping on the couch at their house Jason was waiting. He couldn't wait any longer, he woke her up and proposed. He said he thought that was the only way he would have been able to surprise her, which was probably true!

Rachel + Jason have the most adorable farm house. This is where we got their engagement session started. When we were headed to the back yard she mentioned they have a baby pop belly pig named Rosie and goats, one of them named Billy! I about died y'all!!! I love, love, love farm animals. Rachel is the agricultural teacher and FFA advisor at Loganville High School and Jason is an agricultural banker. They both share a love for the good ol' country life.

Jade + Jamie's Hard Labor Creek State Park Engagement Session

According to Jade, love comes when you least expect it. Today on the blog she is sharing her love story! Yes, another guest blogger! I am really loving this! This past weekend, I met with Jade + Jamie at Hard Labor Creek State Park and we photographed their love and had the best time! "He said he saw me from across the parking lot and had to get to know me, and that's just what he did. We met in August/September of 2013. We both had rocky times before. You see Jamie had just gotten out of a 9 year long relationship and at that point I was only 18 and had just graduated high school. Jamie intimidated me. He was 23 and lived completely on his own, whereas I was still living with my mom and relying on my mom and dad.

He got my phone number from a mutual friend and it was over from then! He tried hard to get me to give him a chance and I wouldn't. I just wanted to be friends... We had our first kiss on November 28, 2013 and I had never felt that way before. I had butterflies and sparks and couldn't get those feelings out of my head (or my heart). But I still made him chase me for about 3 months...

Finally on January 16, 2014 I asked him to be my boyfriend, yes I asked him! Lol by this time I had moved in with him and I was loving every second of it, and I still do today. We dated and enjoyed each other and finally on September 15, 2015 he asked me to be his wife. Our best friends were there and it was perfect! He said he was going to wait until my birthday in October but he just couldn't wait any longer. Jamie has taught me how to love myself and how to really love someone else. I honestly believe he was my saving grace and I was his. Our timing was perfect for one another."

I am looking forward to your wedding day!!!