Lauren and Mark were so much fun to work with. Their bridal portraits at the National Mall are stunning!

Ali's grandpa was a sealer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had performed the wedding ceremonies for each of his grandchildren. All of them, except for Ali. Last summer, a year before she would marry Kyle, her grandparents passed away. They never got to meet the man she would marry. Although they weren't there physically, Ali and Kyle did all they could to keep their spirits present.

"I remember holding her as a new father," her dad began. His eyes sparkled as he thought back to those first moments of his daughter's, the bride's, life. "I promised I would protect her and take care of her. I told her one day she would have children of her own and would do the same for them. Now I'm handing her to the man who will continue to protect her and take care of her. And I couldn't be happier."

"You don't have to feel like you have to react in any certain way," I told Kyle, the groom who was about to see his bride, "This is your wedding, your bride, so just do whatever feels right for you." Days before their wedding, Ali and Kyle, flew to Atlanta, GA to be sealed in the Atlanta LDS temple. Now they were standing in a green field neighboring the cute church down the street from where Ali grew up, ready for their First Look.

Sarah and Ian met on a double date involving pizza and McFlurrie’s, so I had a hunch they would be super fun to work with! When I asked about their relationship, the word that kept coming up was “natural,” and I have to agree. Sarah and Ian were so natural together. They just fit. It was a delight to photograph their big day!

These two had the most beautiful wedding, followed by a touching reception in Fayetteville, GA. The couple decided on this location because it was the place Michelle grew up. Isai's family flew up from Peru to attend the wedding. Both the bride and groom lost their fathers years ago so the couple wanted to honor them and include them in their wedding. They had many details that were really thoughtful including their cultural heritages and remembering their dads.

This beautiful couple is Dumdi and Ryan! They met while attending college at BYU. Dumdi is Nigerian, and came to the United States when she was just 6 years old. Her family settled in Texas and made a new life for themselves. She came to Utah to attend college at BYU, and met Ryan shortly after that. She also recently became a US citizen!

This summer after finally hearing the hurt voices of the black community, I wanted to do something to help create change. The wedding industry is full of white examples—endless white brides in white dresses with white florals. I thought about little girls of color and how they hardly ever see women who look like them in wedding photographs, and how that might make them feel. I spent hours searching Pinterest for “black brides” + “black weddings” and all my searches came up with was white women in black dresses or weddings in which everyone wore black. I wanted to start doing my part in adding more diversity to the wedding world, which is why I did this styled shoot.

Are you ready for a true love story? This is Ed and Arley. Ed drove all the way from California to Utah to take Arely on their first date. After being introduced by his cousin, Ed knew Arely was worth whatever it took to get to know her. After that romantic weekend of their first date, they were immediately a couple. Shortly after becoming a couple, Ed moved to Provo, Utah to be with the woman he knew he wanted to spend forever with. Soon they were engaged to be married, which is where I come into their love story. I had previously met Arley while doing bridals for her future sister in law and I instantly fell in love with their whole family. Never have I met people who are more gracious, kind, and loving! If I spent the rest of my life only photographing this family, it would be a dream come true.