It’s not often that I meet a couple for the first time on their wedding day, but such was the case with Zehra and Prince. Their wedding planner, Summer McLane of My Simply Perfect Events in Atlanta, Georgia was trusted to assemble her perfect team for their day and I was lucky enough to be […]

Images of a bride getting ready for a day she has dreamed about and planned for months, or maybe even years, are some of my favorites on a wedding day. It’s in those moments that a woman literally sees herself as a bride for the first time, often sharing that special moment with the woman she […]

I am absolutely looking forward to capturing Karly and Dorian’s sweet love this weekend. A look at their engagement session shows how beautiful these two are together and how much love they have for one another…and for shopping.

Like all things in life, love rarely provides straight path from point A to point B. It is full of twists and turns, lessons to learn, and opportunities to grow before you end up where you were always supposed to be. Alencia and Rick’s love followed that twisty path, but it’s the reason their love […]

It was 2012. She vividly remembers the night — “climbing the NYC subway in Times Square, listening to Rihanna’s ‘Where Have You Been.’” Crystal and one of her best friends were on a girls trip to New York City to celebrate the start of new stages in each of their lives. On their first night […]

Ifeoma and Ruki married at their home church, with a beautiful reception to follow at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

She caught him by surprise, when she walked up, danced with him, offered her number, and then walked away without a care in the world. He was intrigued by her boldness and asked his friends if they had seen it happen… perhaps to confirm that it actually had happened. It was nearly 16 years ago […]

Lauree and Spurgeon are “movie people,” and knew that they wanted to incorporate their love for theaters into their engagement session. They even went so far as to have a skirt for her and matching suspenders him custom-made from Avenger-themed fabric. Fortunately, because they literally go to the movies every weekend, it was easy to […]

If you are to know anything about me, it’s that I love modern weddings. It’s a bonus when those modern weddings are also colorful and really fun… toss in some fun architecture and lovely details, and you’ve got a winning combination. Niles and Cottrell’s wedding had all of those elements and so many more. What’s really impressive […]

As I shared on Facebook yesterday, I am guilty of saying that every wedding is “my favorite.” But, let’s be honest, “favorite” and “best” are words that we all through around pretty lightly, regardless of whether what we’re describing really is the best of the best or the one we would pick out of all […]

When Charity and Chad started planning their wedding, they knew they wanted something simple that reflected their love of God, to be surrounded by family, and to have beautiful images documenting the day. And so, on Auburn’s bi-week (because true Southern women always have to consider their favorite team’s schedule when picking a wedding date) […]

Amanda became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in the Spring of 2006, while attending the University of Alabama. The following semester, Antjuan joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Their paths crossed often, and they became friends, but neither would have guessed that they would eventually fall in love and plan to build a life together. […]

Tomeka and Edmund exchanged vows in a Fall ceremony at The Club, overlooking the city of Birmingham. With her own eye for beautiful details and M. Elizabeth events as her planner, Tomeka’s vision for her and Edmond’s day came together beautifully.

Alicia and Kema met at Howard University in Washington, DC, before their first semester of Dental School began. They instantly became friends and eventually study partners. Soon, it became obvious to both of them that their relationship meant much more and that it had to continue on past their dental school days. Four years and […]

Amanda and Antjuan’s engagement session took place in February, on a day that offered enough sunshine and warmth to pull off a pretty Spring/Summer look, but which still held enough crisp in the air to allow for a Fall/Winter look. When I sat down to blog their engagement session the first time, I knew that […]

It’s wedding week for these two! On Saturday, the Rhonda and Tre will exchange their vows in front of 100 of their closest family and friends in Nashville, TN. Rhonda, owner of Rhonda Patton Weddings & Events, is a floral designer who has put together an amazing team of vendors for their big day. I am looking […]

Anjelica and Deron met on Tumblr, of all places. She and he followed one another, along with hundreds of other unknown people because of the content of their respective blogs. Eventually, he noticed that she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the sister organization to his Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. With this connection in […]

Michelle and Kasey met in 2012 while working at Glory Bound Gyro Co., in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  According to Michelle, Kasey used to flirt with her a lot but she didn’t take him seriously. She was sure that he was kidding.. that he was just a “flirty” guy. Eventually, she realized that he was genuinely interested […]

Urban granola. That’s how Dominic described his and Whitney’s style… and I think it’s pretty much perfect for a couple that lives and works in the heart of the city and spends so much of their free time hiking and kayaking.  When we started planning their engagement session, we immediately knew that those two sides […]

A few years ago, I met a new photographer who wanted to gain some experience with weddings. She seemed nice, so I invited her to tag along at a wedding to assist with lights, help with bags, and to give her a chance to watch and learn. I didn’t pay her to help at that […]

As members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity at the University of Alabama, Amanda and Antjuan knew one another, but didn’t consider dating until after their paths crossed years after graduation. They had their first date at Do-Di-Yos Restaurant in Homewood, Alabama and two years later Antjuan recreated that date via a scavenger […]

Emily and Jake met a little over 5 years ago at a rehearsal for her sister and brother-in-law’s wedding. She was introduced to Jake, who was also in the wedding party, and mentioned to her sister Amanda (who would eventually serve as her Matron of Honor) that he was funny. Amanda ran with that comment and […]

The story of Kierston scheduling a portrait session for herself, me joking that perhaps that very session would lead to a boyfriend, and her contacting me for an engagement session less than a year later, is one of my favorite client stories to tell. But, the truth is, AJ didn’t just appear in her life after […]

“Wouldn’t it be cool to get up on a Sunday morning, have church, get married and eat a meal together?” Literally surrounded by their close family and friends, Nikki and Reggie exchanged vows at the restaurant where they had their first date — The Loveless Cafe in Nashville, TN. They wanted a wedding that was […]

They worked together for a year, before the thought of dating ever crossed their minds.. Katrina and a co-worker had actually planned to set Andre’ up with one of their friends, but the date never came to fruition and soon, co-workers were asking the two if they had ever considered dating. Andre’ admitted that he hadn’t […]

After their amazing engagement session, I had no doubt that Janine and Lindsey’s wedding would be one to remember. Janine, an admitted super type-a personality, had a dream for her day and made sure every aspect of that dream was brought to reality. The wedding was inspired by the 1920s era, which is best known for […]

We met on the bridge where they took their first selfie, which is pretty much the best reason ever to pick a location, if you ask me… and although the day was cold and quite gloomy, Nikki and Reggie’s joy for life and love for one another was obvious. Authentic. Refreshing. I didn’t have to give […]

This weekend, I delivered my last wedding gallery of 2015… and immediately wanted to dance around with little restraint! 2015 has been an incredibly year, full of personal and professional growth, a number of exciting changes, and so many wonderful memories of love.  I will spend the next few weeks reflecting on some of the […]

Adrienne and Khalil are incredibly accomplished. Last week, she graduated from Auburn University with her PhD, just as he did a year ago. They are both talented athletes. They are leaders.  By every measure of the term, they are a power couple. But, anyone who knows them will tell you that it’s their humble spirit and […]

No matter what the people say, I’m gonna love you anyways. You are my life. Anthony Hamilton

Guys, marry the woman who will have pizza and beers with you, and love every minute of it…

It was their mutual love for good food, good people, and good times that brought them together at a friend’s social event. Before they knew it, they were best friends and while Justin knew Chandra could be so much more, she treasured their friendship too much to complicate it with dating. He pursued her for […]

Beaonica and Brandon’s lives ran parallel to one another — they grew up in neighboring communities, they attended the same Summer camp, they went to the same high school and even rode the same bus… and yet, somehow, they never met. It wasn’t until Brandon moved to Arizona, to begin his career as a software engineer, and Beaonica […]

When Sarah and Matt started planning their wedding, they knew it had to take place in Birmingham. Not simply because it’s where they live, but because they wanted their family and friends to experience the city they love and plan to experience their greatest adventure together: marriage. The wedding party started their day at the Tutwiler […]

Soloman has been flirting with Kara since they were in the fifth grade. By Junior High, she had warmed up to his attention and the two started dated. Life took them different directions and Soloman around the world, but in time, the two came back together to pursue their love that started so many years before. […]

They met in college, but it wasn’t until they crossed paths at a mutual friend’s birthday party some ten years later, that Kia and Clarence really became friends…. A friendship that became the foundation for their love. After Clarence’s epic proposal and their super sweet engagement session, I knew their wedding would not disappoint.  They put thought […]

The most unlikely circumstances brought these two together… her need for a new car after an accident and his savvy car salesman skills. After their chance meeting, they both knew they had found someone special. Tanesha and Clem were married on a gorgeous Fall day at Avondale Villa in Birmingham, with her favorite color, purple, […]

Yesterday, I talked to a potential client who has been engaged since last year and is planning to get married next year. She admitted that she had been feeling a little pressure to start making more significant wedding day plans, to fit into the box of “how” you’re supposed to go about getting married. You […]

I have photographed a few proposals, but probably none as special and memorable as Brandon’s to Kelsey. Aside from the fact that his plan went terribly wrong and at one point, I worried that it wasn’t going to turn out well for him… Brandon ended up on one knee in the rain, which made for incredibly romantic […]

It’s one of my favorite client stories to tell. In the Fall of 2013, Kierston booked a mini session…  At a time of the year when all families have portraits done for their annual holiday cards and updated Facebook profile pictures, Kierston booked a session just for herself. I have said time and time again, […]

“The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” Victor Hugo

I choose you. How perfect is it to find a person you share so much in common with that you can’t wait to choose to spend your life with that person? Chelsea and Gene, two police officers that enjoy life’s simplicities chose one another. They married in January, in a traditional wedding ceremony at Mountain View […]

“Love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it empowers us to develop courage; to trust that courage and build bridges with it; to trust those bridges and cross over them so we can attempt to reach each other.” Maya Angelou

When you meet the one who changes the way your heart beats, dance with them to that rhythm for as long as the song lasts. – Kirk Diedrich LeNa’ and Lyndell’s love story is featured in the Spring 2015 Edition of Black Bride Magazine. To order your copy, click here.

When I put out the modeling call for a recent Ellements Mentoring session and Alyssa responded… I pretty much hit the jackpot! Thank you both for being such wonderful subjects for Danny’s mentoring session! If you’re a photographer interested in booking a mentoring session, please email hello@ellementsonline.com. If you’re interested in modeling, be sure to follow @elledanielle or @ellementsonline on […]