One Year Wedding Anniversary | Personal Files

In honor of our one year wedding anniversary coming up, I thought I would share some of our favorite photographs from that day and reflect on the past year! It is safe to say that this past year really flew by and my life has definitely changed.

When we started the wedding planning process I knew the photographer was going to be my biggest concern. I was looking for a natural, whimsical and romantic photographer and I was so lucky to have stumbled upon Caroline Frost Photography. Not only did she capture our special day perfectly but she inspired me and made me fall in love with wedding photography.

Photography has always been in my life one way or another. I took classes throughout high school and college and have always really enjoyed it.  But after we got our wedding photographs back, I truly became inspired. I loved how Caroline told the story of our day and really transformed it into fine art. Wedding photography is not what it used to be 10 years ago and has gradually turned into an art in itself. And I wanted to be a part of that.

After we got home from our honeymoon last October, I really started reflecting on my life. I was married to an amazing man, owned a beautiful home, had a wonderful family, the best friends and a steady job. But I felt like I was missing something, and to a certain degree have always felt that void in my life. I always admired people who knew what they wanted to be in their life and I knew that’s what I was missing. I wanted my career to be something I was passionate about. That I couldn’t wait to wake up in the morning and do. The wheels started turning and after about 3 months, I finally grew enough courage to email Caroline. She was the only professional photographer I knew and was hoping she could guide me in the right direction.

The night I emailed Caroline I honestly didn’t know how she would react. I knew she was a busy lady and expected her to respond within a week. I am not kidding, 2 hours later, she responded and it was the best email I have ever received : (this is part of our conversation)

“Hey Jess! AHHHHH this email just made me so happy! I obviously was in your shoes not so long ago and was so scared to ask MY wedding photographer questions, when I secretly wanted her job.   I would love to help you!”

This email still gives me chills reading it because not only did it validate that my dream of getting into the photography world was not crazy, but that I had someone to help and guide me. Caroline agreed to meet me the next month for brunch and I basically spent 2 hours picking her brain. She gave me so much advice and guidance and most importantly, invited me to shadow her on one of her engagement sessions and a wedding – I was so excited!

From there I have slowly but surely been growing my business. I have  booked several engagement sessions and weddings in the first few months of starting and am really motivated to make this a full time career in the future. I am so inspired by my couples and enjoy telling their love stories by showing it through photographs, as well as being such a crucial part of their special day 🙂

Now, here are some of our favorite photographs from our wedding, August 3rd, 2013. If you would like to see more from our wedding, please check out our feature on Style Me Pretty here (dream come true)!