It was such an incredible evening with T and J as we celebrated their engagement with a stunning sunset session in west Destin! It was also the perfect time for us all to get to know each other better before their fall wedding at Eden Gardens State Park.

Once again getting to celebrate friends milestones is always a joy! M and I went to high school and college together. It is neat having friends from where I grew up here in Florida (even if for just a short time!). When I found out that C + M were moving down to the Florida panhandle I was ecstatic! As I have gotten to know C, it is obvious how well these two fit together and the love they have for the other.

My last session of the year and it was the perfect way to close out 2022!! I met V through a another couple who I worked with earlier this year when I photographed her and her husband (and their pup!!).

As usual for Florida, we had to keep an eye on the weather throughout the day due to expected rain showers and thunderstorms, but as the % dropped we decided to push through and boy oh boy am I glad we did! We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful evening with a stunning sunset. It may have been a little windy, but I love the movement it brought to the photos!

When K reached out to me about getting photos done before S deployed I knew it was important to get them in. As a military partner myself, I knew just how important having these photos were for K. They are something to hold on to in the months that he is gone.

C + I hold a special place in my heart for so many reasons. They have been doing long distance since they met in Texas while C was in training for the Air Force. When he moved to Destin, she stayed back.

With couples being forced to do their weddings and honeymoons differently due to COIVD, new ways of celebrating came about. One of my favorites is exactly what J + E did, a one year anniversary session! They shared a corona during their session and it was fitting since it’s their favorite beer and they got married mid pandemic. Popping a bottle of bubbly celebrated their one year of marriage. J + E kept each other laughing the entire time and it was such a sweet evening celebrating their one year!

Before I moved down to Destin at the start of 2020, C and I realized we were both moving to the same area via Instagram. We went to the same college, but didn’t know each other during our time at UTK! After moving to the area we became fast friends. She and R started dating not long after. So when R started talking about proposing I knew we needed to come up with the best surprise proposal!

Doing engagement photos with couples prior to wedding/elopement days provides the time for us all to get comfortable with each other and aren’t strangers come their day. We laugh a ton, share our favorite places to eat and travel and I get to find out exactly how they met.

N + A’s engagement photos were exactly that and so much more. They are so obviously each others best friend and can be serious when need be but then are the reason the other belly laughs. N + A met at the gym and their favorite place they have traveled together is Boston!

My very first session of 2022 was with these two on January 3 on the beach.

Let me tell you the Florida panhandle is not as warm as some my think in the early months of the year. It was cold and windy, but these two braved it! B + N met at N’s work a few years back and the rest is history. We bonded over our love of sushi and trying new food. It was such a fun time exploring and hanging out on the beach when no one else was out there!

I met J while we were in college. I even did her graduation photos back in May of 2020!

She now lives in Pensacola with E while he is doing his military training. J + E met while they were in college at UTK, but didn’t start dating until they re-connected after graduating. They talked for a whole summer before going on their first date to Asheville, North Carolina, then backpacking in the smokies, and ending up in Folly Beach, South Carolina. Talk about an amazing first date!