Welcome to my blog! I'm thrilled to be able to share with you my favorite images from weddings, engagements, maternity, and more! Grab a cup of coffee and get snuggly cuz this blog will give you all the feels!
the blog
welcome to
Doughton Park
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
When we first arrived at Doughton Park, we hiked up the top of the hillside and were rewarded by this super cool tree. I couldn’t help but want to add his gnarled branches into the background. It’s such a great contrast to these two & their love.
The day was so beautiful & clear, the perfect conditions to see mountains for days! Those Appalachian mountains get me every time!
Wind always makes a beautiful photograph epic! Just a little ruffle of the hair and this moment just takes my breath away!
At first Casey & Andrew didn’t know how to pose or what to do with their hands. It took a little nudging, but once they realized that all they had to do was be themselves & love each other, well nothing else was needed!
Andrew & Daniel use to play in the band Hot Vegas together. I dubbed this shot Casey & Andrew’s album cover for whenever they choose to start up their own band. 😉
Or they may choose just to snuggle each other for life in stead…I guess that’s okay too!
This is joy! Just beautiful, loving joy!
I saw this spot of negative space and I couldn’t help myself. I don’t have couples do the jump shot often, but if anywhere was a perfect spot THIS was it!
One of the funniest parts of this entire session was that Andrew directed the entire thing and not in the way you might think. He didn’t tell me what to do, but whenever we took our camera’s further away you’d hear him tell Casey things like “Okay now look into my eyes, now look over there and smile, now kiss me!” He did it over and over and the best part was IT WORKED!
Casey brought along this gorgeous red dress that she searched tirelessly for. It was a gorgeous pop of color against the sleeping brown of the woods at Doughton Park.
Dark moody woods + gorgeous couple + the perfect light = Mabyn’s happy place! UGH!
Casey has the florist hook up to make her an incredible floral crown! The attention to detail was fantastic and it was the perfect accent to shoot in the woods!
This shot is all Daniel! Isn’t he getting good? Dang! He makes his wifey proud!
And of course we had to stick around for that gorgeous sunset! This time it was a vibrant orange, the perfect contrast to those blue mountains in the background. Oi…I love my life!
This time around the wind was a little quieter than our last mountain session. However, there was just enough of it to give us a beautiful wind blown tendril or two.
The wind also obliged to give us a couple of epic dress shots! THANK YOU MOTHER NATURE!
I love the contrast in this shot, the dark moody mountains & the sweet emotion in Casey’s “sleep face” as she likes to call it. I like to call it GORGEOUS!
I of course had to get Casey up on that mountain top by herself for an epic dress shot. I love you Andrew, but you’re just not as pretty as your wife. 😉
But we’ll add you back in anyway. 😉
This time I wanted to stay a little longer after the sun was gone to capitalize on that rich vibrant sky. We broke out the flashes and created some super cool night shots!
These two were tired after our epic adventure, looking this good takes a lot of energy! Thanks Casey & Andrew for being completely amazing!
To see more epic photo sessions click here!
I am all for a big wedding with everyone you love surrounding you. It can be such a great celebration of love. But…I may be particularly biased when it comes to the super tiny weddings. When I get asked to shoot a wedding that is 50 people or less I just swoon. Daniel and I only had 30 people at our wedding and it was just so special. Every wedding that I’ve captured that has been 50 people or less has a completely different “vibe” to the day. The intimacy is something incredibly hard to achieve with more than 50 people. I’ve had a few come close, but nothing replaces that familiarity that a small wedding naturally has.
Nicki & Brad decided that they’d like that intimacy and celebrated their wedding with only immediate family. They were wed on top of a mountain at The Swag in Waynesville, NC. I’ve stated many a time before, mountains are my happy place! Those beautiful blue ridge peaks were as far as the eye could see and you couldn’t find a more glorious backdrop! As usual the North Carolina summer threatened a giant rain storm, but it never quite found us. Although I was happy to use those dark ominous clouds to enhance this gorgeous couple! That white dress on dark blue mountains and stormy gray clouds…Please don’t mind my drooling!
Nicki and Brad are two of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. They’re so real and loving, it was hard for me not to jump up and down for joy when they asked us to photograph their sweet elopement! After we left the mountain view (I tried not to cry too hard), we ventured back to The Swag and join in their festivities which included a band, story telling, and a pig roast dinner fit for kings! You’d think that Nicki & Brad had a fancy wedding coordinator with how lovely all the details were, but nope! The Swag is just that awesome!
Daniel and I both got to know Nicki, Brad, and their families that night. It was so special and we were so honored to be let into that world, even for a moment. Thank you Nicki & Brad for your trust in us, we’re so thankful to know you!
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
When Jenna reached out to do a bridal session I was thrilled! Not only is she just so lovely inside and out but she wanted mountains! We spent a wonderful afternoon getting to know each other and her sweet sweet mother too at the Nu Wray inn and then the Mountain Air Country Club in Burnsville, NC.
I can’t speak out enough for women to get their portrait taken by themselves. There is a transformation that takes place every single time. Jenna started off unsure of herself and even me. Gradually as we moved from room to room and then eventually the mountains, Jenna went from shy and timid to letting her God given beauty shine brightly! It was incredible to photograph!
This was such a fun afternoon and the anticipation of her wedding was building and building. It’s no surprise to me that David burst into tears at the sight of his gorgeous bride walking down the isle. Jenna was a vision, the perfect bride for her perfect groom.
XOXOXO,
Mabyn
