Peru Adventure // Sacred Valley & Lima

Once or twice a year I like to take a pause from weddings and elopements to share some images from my personal travels! This February I was lucky enough to explore Peru with Sara Pitt— my longtime friend, a wildly talented web-developer, and the reigning queen of the best post-tinder date reporting. 

If you know me you might have noticed I'm a little bit of a planner when it comes to just about everything, so when it's time to travel I have to actively and intentionally plan to allow for spontaneity and general adventuring. It's a little backward, I know, but hear me out. I stay stress-free by booking all my transportation & accommodations ahead of time, then I choose one (and only one) activity for each day. Usually, I'll go with something like a hike or a museum visit and then I'll explore the surrounding area. This satisfies the "let's make an itinerary!" side of me but lets me relax and take things as they come as well. If you are a type-a person who strives to be more chill I cannot recommend this process more.

In the past, I've always traveled with my full photography gear, but this time I decided I wanted to focus more on the experience and less on taking pictures. I only packed my tiny Olympus OM-D, which was awesome since it fits in my waist bag. Admittedly there were a few times where I missed having a professional camera with me— a few shots ended up a little softer than I would have liked and other times the little thing couldn't focus quick enough— but overall I was pretty happy with my decision. My back and shoulders straight up celebrated my decision.

We met so many amazing people from all over the world, had tons of adventures, had some (now hilarious, but not so hilarious in the moment) misadventures, danced the night away with our Airbnb hosts for Carnevale, climbed more stairs than I can count, defeated scorpions and altitude sickness and sunburns, ate the most amazing food, and climbed some more stairs. Did I mention we climbed a lot of stairs? 

Here are the spots we visited in chronological order: Lima > Cusco > Ollantaytambo > Aguas Calientes > Machhu Pichuu > Ollantaytambo > Salinas de Maras > Moray > Chincheros > Cusco > Lima

If you are visiting Peru I LOVED the Airbnbs we stayed in in Cusco and Ollantaytambo. If you haven't used Airbnb here is a $40 travel credit. 

Need more travel photography? Japan and Joshua Tree are gorgeous.

First few images of me are brought to you by my lovely self-timer and the last few by the lovely Sara Pitt.

Cozy Autumn Wedding at Springhouse Gardens

I want to start by sharing a little snippet of what Austin and Micaha said about working with me, because I don't think any review has ever so accurately described my dorky behavior. "When we first met Sarah for our engagement session we knew we had made the right decision. She was completely fan-girling over the greenhouse that we had our photos taken in. Her enthusiasm made us laugh and feel incredibly comfortable with her." I am still fan-girling over that greenhouse engagement session, this amazing couple, and their wedding day. 

Austin & Micaha have an enormous love for everyone they surround themselves with. Their wedding day focused on their relationship and their commitment to each other, but they also made very intentional and thoughtful decisions on how to show the impact their families and friends have had on them over the years. They have an incredible, independent, and smart nearly-two-year-old girl, Charlie. She was a great flower girl and her reactions throughout the day were priceless. Charlie is not nearly as amused by my antics as her parents are, but she had a wonderful time celebrating. 

Micaha's father passed away when she was young— she had his picture in her bouquet to make sure he was part of their day. When it came time for the special dances, Micaha suprised family members that have meant a lot to her over the years by inviting each of them to the floor to share a dance with her. Her dances with her mother and brother were laid-back, filled with chatting and smiles. Then she invited her father-in-law to the dance floor. He clearly wasn't expecting it— and immediately covered his mouth and cried. I saw this same sweet expression from Austin countless times— at that moment I knew exactly where he got it. Their dance was sweet, upbeat, and silly and I loved seeing each relationship reflected in these moments. They finished the special dances by swaying together with Charlie.

Other items of note: they followed the southern tradition of burying bourbon before the wedding for good weather— it was hovering around 40 degrees all day, but never rained despite the forecast saying it would, so I 100% call this a win. Micaha's side of the wedding got ready at their adorable historic home in Lexington and I dorked-out over the giant fiddle leaf fig, their book collection, and the coral pieces they had around the house! Also, they had two food trucks serving dinner and everything was AMAZING. Okay, that's enough from me— I hope you enjoy their pictures as much as I do! If you are looking for more Kentucky farm vibes check out Angela & Jon's Blackacre wedding or Liv & Daniel's bohemian Gingerwood wedding. 

Austin & Micaha’s wedding has been featured on Simply Southern Weddings, The Knot, Tops Lexington, and Boho Weddings.

Venue: The Barn at Springhouse // Florals: White Cat Weddings // Appetizers and Bar: Bluegrass Catering // Food Trucks: Bradford BBQ & Minton's // Cake: Martine's Pastries //DJ: DJ Connection // Hair : Maddie Wofford // Make-Up: Kelli Marshall // Bride's Dress: Leanne Marshall through Carrie Karibo Bridal // Bridesmaid's Dresses: Azazie's Dusk Dresses // Groom's Outfit: Geno's // Wedding Coordinator: Sara Rogers with Shelly Fortune Event Design // Videographer: Reel Deal Creative 
 

Modern Speed Art Museum Wedding

I met Jessica when we were both working at Louisville Visual Art— she was (and obviously still is) smart, passionate, fierce, funny, and the list could go on and on. It seemed like such a perfect fit when she chose The Speed Art Museum as her wedding venue since art has played such an important part in her life. The whole day felt effortlessly modern and she made an incredibly gorgeous bride. When I first met Ethan it was obvious that he was the perfect partner for her— he is just as hilarious and intelligent as she is and they compliment each other so well.

They both did an amazing job balancing their fun, quirky ideas with clean and modern aesthetics. They even took on the task of some pretty serious DIY projects— namely making and bottling cold brew coffee as favors for their guests as well as creating the stained glass table numbers for the reception. I really enjoyed the temporary tattoos they had for everyone as well as some his & her golden dinosaurs for the cake. I love when weddings highlight a couple's goofy side, but it's even more impressive when it is done in such a fun and gorgeous way. 

Admittedly, my favorite part of the night was getting to sit down with my spouse for dinner surrounded by some of my favorite people from my time working at LVA. It isn't often that I get to actually experience what it's like being a guest at a wedding and it was such a magical, special thing. Getting to have Joyce there also allowed me to pass off my third camera during Jessica's entrance so I could have a side shot of her entering on the stairs (thanks hon!) while also capturing Ethan's face as he saw her for the first time. It ended up being one of my favorite images from the day!

If you are wanting to see some more unique venues, I loved getting to photograph these weddings at Yew Dell Botanical Garden, The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, The Fox House Nashville, and Lost River Cave.

Jessica & Ethan’s wedding was featured in Louisville Bride.

Featured in Louisville Bride Summer Issue 2018

Venue: The Speed Art Museum // Florals: Boston's Floral // Caterer: Wiltshire at the Speed // DJ: Yancey Entertainment Services // Hair : Brandi Bleemel with Mane Beauty Parlour // Make-Up: Joanne Wolf // Bride's Dress: Ashley & Justin Bride through Kleinfeld Bridal // Bridesmaid's Dresses: Sorella Vita through Rebecca's Wedding Boutique // Wedding Coordinator: Ashley French with Fairytale Occasions