As I remember it, the air in Maui is thick and floral. The beaches are pretty enough, the ocean is such a deep blue color, but the cliffs are what I loved the most. They felt unreal. Driving around the island, it felt like we were going to fall in the ocean. Chickens crossed the streets, darting into the woods, and when the sun set, almost every night we were there, the skies glowed orange and pink. Hawaii, you’re the set of a ton of tv show vacations and I never expected this, but you won my heart.

Pssst – I shot this Maui cliff engagement session along side my boyfriend Sam Hurd. We don’t shoot together often, but it’s fun every single time

I feel incredibly lucky to photograph so many high school sweethearts, who grow together and build their lives together, and when they throw a party to celebrate their union, it’s full of old friends who are mostly mutual friends. It makes the dance parties go a little harder and the tears come a little easier. Also, my favorite thing about their wedding day was when they exchanged letters – Mark included the original picture, tattered in torn, that Sarah drew him in high school that he always kept in his wallet.

Sarah and Mark’s engagement pictures had us exploring cliffs overlooking Harpers Ferry and their wedding day put us in Richmond VA, viewing graffiti covered walls, then heading to their reception at The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing.

It’s time to tell a story about a back yard wedding, a textile artist in love, and a red barn. In this story there are two main characters, Rachel and Bryan, and the setting happened to be Hemlock Farm. It happened in autumn, on a rather sunny day, and a wedding took place. There was singing in the sunlight, dinners under string lights, laughing happening fireside, and cake in the moonlight. I can tell you about the red barn, the lemonade-stand style dessert table and the wonderful BBQ from Hemlock Farm, but, like all wedding stories, that’s just where the story begins. This is a few photos that happened one very important day, once upon a time.