Arabia Mountain Sunset Engagement Session

Abhish & Nishita. I don’t even know where to start. These two have to be one of my all-time favorite couples - they’re fun, gracious, down for a good time, and they ADORE each other. Their engagement and wedding were an absolute blast, and I’ll never forget it. I can’t wait to share some from their 3-day wedding weekend, but first let’s take a moment to appreciate this ridiculously beautiful engagement session at Arabia Mountain in Atlanta.

In my opinion, Arabia Mountain is one of Georgia’s best kept secrets. I don’t know how in the world it took me as long as it did to go, but I am so stoked that I made it out there! It has this totally otherworldly feel, and I highly recommend scoping it out for a hike if you have the chance. As always, please remember to Leave No Trace if you choose to do this hike! There’s an abundance of unique and fragile plant life, and we’ve got to make sure we take good care of it.

Cozy North Georgia Cabin Engagement Session

Today’s post is really special - part one of a two-day cozy intimate wedding weekend we spent with our friends, CJ & Tara, in the North Georgia mountains. CJ is one of Aubrey’s oldest friends, and he was actually a groomsman in our wedding almost 14 years ago! So when he and Tara got engaged, we were so so honored when they asked us not only to photograph their wedding, but for Aubrey to officiate. He’d never officiated a wedding before, but he got ordained online just so he could marry them ❤️

We initially planned their elopement to be near Joshua Tree National Park, but with the pandemic, we shifted the plan and stayed closer to home. It ended up working out beautifully, because their immediate families (and their dog, Hank!) were able to join them for their ceremony at a beautiful cabin in the mountains.

Aubrey and I spent the night before the wedding at the cabin with CJ, Tara, and Hank, and we were able to do a cozy little session for them to document their last engaged day. Honestly, I don’t get to do day-before sessions very often (just because we usually shoot engagement photos pretty far in advance before the wedding), but I’d LOVE to do more of them in the future! They are so sweet. We kept it low-key and snuggly, with some absolutely killer sunset light. I love these. I’m so stoked for Tara & CJ, and am so glad we’re all friends.

Next up, the ceremony (featuring Rev. Aubrey)!

Bryce Canyon National Park Couples Session

Way back in March 2021, our family had the chance to scope out some of the best national parks that the Southwest has to offer. We were able to visit Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Death Valley National Park all in one trip (lots of driving, but so worth it). We biked through Zion, explored the salt flats and pupfish in Death Valley, and hiked through a foot of snow at Bryce Canyon! But one of the best parts of the trip was spending time with Aubrey’s brother and his girlfriend, Stephanie. They live in Phoenix, and we are always so stoked to explore with them. When they’re around, we’re basically chopped liver to Elsie, but I wouldn’t have it any other way 🥰

I was able to do a super sweet little couples session for them while we were at Bryce Canyon, which was so much fun. We hiked the Mossy Cave trail, which was an easy, out & back trail with a really rad waterfall/icicle view. It was pretty chilly in March, but it did mean that we had the area pretty much to ourselves! Remember to always follow Leave No Trace principles and all Bryce Canyon NP guidelines if you decide to hike this trail.

We only had 30 minutes or so for this session, but it was so much fun. It got me so stoked on exploring more of the southwestern US, and I can’t wait to do more desert couples sessions in Utah.