a jungle inspired baby shower :: high point event photographer

Let me just start by saying I do not aspire to be an event planner. This weekend, my friend Bridget and I threw a baby shower for our friend Brittany, who's expecting a baby boy in just a couple of months. The shower turned out beautifully, but the amount of effort that went into creating just this small affair made me ever so thankful to be the one photographing all of the beautiful details that go into a wedding instead of creating them.

This jungle-inspired shower was held at the beautiful Loft at Union Square in High Point, and I am forever grateful to Monica for all of her help. Since I was a guest and co-hostess, I didn't get the chance to take a ton of photos, but here are just a few that I was able to catch during some down time...

We made these simple centerpieces using pastel-colored flower pots from Hobby Lobby, plants from Home Depot, chalkboard contact paper as a table runner with each guests name written at their place at the table, and a few candles thrown in.

Bridget whipped up an AMAZING coffee cake recipe and these adorable (and tasty) mini quiches. Check out her food blog here.

DIY Tissue Paper Poms courtesy of Martha Stewart... pretty easy to construct... not so simple to pull apart without tearing.

I'm pretty sure they're laughing at me trying to sprint into the photo before the self-timer goes off... I obviously didn't make it that time.

Engaged? Expecting? You've found your photographer. Contact us today!

mill+brittany :: expecting :: high point lifestyle photographer

Josh and I have been friends with Mill and Brittany for about five years. Josh and Mill met in college, and soon introduced the girlfriends (me and B) to one another, insisting that we be friends as well. Luckily for them, we all got along wonderfully, enjoying game nights, margaritas at El Canelo's, playing in the snow at 2 a.m, and eventually, becoming neighbors in the same little apartment complex, complete with blue and green iridescent wallpaper circa 1970. It was a classy place, y'all (we can't be held responsible for where we live in college, right?).

After Josh and I moved down to North Carolina, we somehow managed to convince Mill and B that leaving Pennsylvania and moving down south was a great idea for them as well. They both got jobs and we became neighbors, living right across from one another, once again.... we like to keep our friends close by :)

And now, they're expecting their first little one, a baby boy named Parker, due to make his arrival in early Spring. We headed out to the Bicentennial Greenway and Gibson Park this past weekend to document this huge milestone in their life, and I'm so thrilled to watch them become parents. 

We couldn't leave out their first baby, a boston terrier named Thor who's one of Monty's best buds...

Leave some love for Mill, Brittany, and baby Parker in the comment section below!

Expecting? Engaged? Contact us today to schedule your photo session!

5 reasons you should do an engagement session :: greensboro engagement photographer

I hear people say it all the time, "Why should I do an engagement session? I'm going to have photos taken on my wedding day." Most of my wedding collections do include engagement sessions, and while not a requirement to be married (duh), I do strongly encourage my couples to elect to have engagement photos. Why? Not just because I really like photographing engagement sessions (although I do LOVE taking photos of couples together in the carefree setting an engagement session offers), but because of these five reasons that I've decided make all the difference in creating your ultimate wedding experience:

1. An engagement session allows the two of you to reconnect. Let's be real... in the hustle and bustle of planning a wedding, sometimes it can seem more like a job than planning a celebration of your love. Your conversations revolve around cake tastings, bridesmaids who think they won't look good in that style of dress, floral arrangements, and making sure the caterer provides a vegetarian option for your one friend from college who doesn't eat meat. Romantic? I think not. An engagement session allows you to spend some carefree time together with no wedding worries and lots of hugging, kissing, and hand-holding which is sure to remind you of why you decided to get married in the first place.

2. It allows you to get comfortable in front of the camera. Maybe you're a complete natural in front of the camera or maybe you feel that you're not photogenic at all (which isn't true by the way), but either way, it always helps to work with your wedding photographer prior to the big day. You learn how your photographer directs or guides you and how to react to those directions. Much like dating, you get to know each other and the relationship between you, the camera, and the photographer only becomes more relaxed from here on.

3. It allows your photographer to get to know you as a couple. Some couples are more affectionate, while others are more reserved, and you and your fiance each have different personalities that help to define who you are. Maybe you laugh very easily or maybe you need a little coaxing to reveal a true smile. There's no right or wrong, but knowing these things beforehand in a more relaxed setting and open timeframe guarantees beautiful photos when it comes time for your wedding. Consider it insurance for the big day.

4. Who doesn't need more photos? Maybe the last time you had professional pictures made were senior portraits (that was me before Josh and I had our engagement photos made), and you've likely never had professional photos made as a couple. This is a chance to provide more decor for your home, photos to display at your wedding, great gifts for your family, and a photo for that newspaper announcement that your mom will insist on having in your hometown paper. Engagement photos are also great for save-the-dates, your personalized wedding website, and you can even have them made into a custom guestbook for your wedding day. Make your engagement session special by selecting a location that's special to you - where you first met, your first date, a favorite park - so that the photos will hold even more sentimental value and you'll be thrilled to show them off.

5. We have FUN! We try out different locations, photograph you in all your favorite outfits (an engagement sesh is also a great excuse for a shopping spree, btw), you (and Josh) laugh at my lame attempts at making you laugh, and we may even top it off with a coffee or dinner together afterwards. I promise it's a great time!

Ready to schedule your engagement session? Contact us and let's plan your perfect engagement photo experience.

See more of our engagement photos here.