Dreamy Neverland Farms Wedding

Last weekend, I made the trek back to Georgia for Alex’s & Brad’s absolutely gorgeous wedding at Neverland Farms in Cleveland. You’ll remember these two from their Engagement Session in Western North Carolina - it was pretty unforgettable, and so are they!

This was one of those weddings that you leave with such a full heart, so happy for your couple and so excited to share their photos. They took a little honeymoon to Asheville right after the wedding, and I sent their sneak peek over just in time for them to see them before heading back to reality.

I think this message from Alex sums up how they felt about the sneak peek:

I love Alex & Brad so much. I’m so grateful to them for trusting us to document their engagement and wedding - it’s been such an honor getting to know them and being a small part of their story!!

Ashleigh & I worked with an incredible vendor team on this one, which I’ll link to at the end.

Thanks again to such an incredible team! Ashleigh and I had a blast with all of you. Hope to do it again soon!

Venue: Neverland Farms
Photos: Lauren Rae Photography
Video: Martin Film Productions
Florist: Downtown Flowers
DJ: Mike Jones Entertainment & Events
Dress Designer: Lillian West
Bridal Boutique: Camellia Savannah
Hair & Makeup: Amberly at Structures Hair Studio
Cake: L&B’s Baking Company

xoxo
Lauren

Santa Cruz California Adventure Session at Shark Fin Cove

So… I’m not exactly known for being an extrovert.

I am super comfortable and outgoing around the people I already know and love, but when it comes to meeting new people, ESPECIALLY approaching strangers, I’m usually so shy. I’ve been trying to get more out of my comfort zone, because hello - breaking into a new market across the country and getting your business re-established means you have to be uncomfy sometimes. So when I saw this adorable couple on the beach in Santa Cruz and they asked me to take a photo for them with their camera, I decided to face my fears and ask them if they would like a little beach sesh with me.

I am SO glad that I did, because Kristen & Cisco were so sweet and so fun to work with - I wish we’d had time for a full session, but we wound up with only 5-10 minutes and it was still amazing.

Santa Cruz is a place I’ve wanted to visit for years, and it was an absolute out-of-body experience to be able to shoot at Shark Fin Cove. It’s unreal. I could’ve spent the entire day there (and I really wish we’d been there to catch a sunset, although we actually caught sunset that night at Steamer Lane, which was another bucket-list experience for me. Maybe I’ll share some surf photos sometime?)!

Please note that this location is rocky, the walk down from the parking lot is pretty steep, and the tide can be sketchy and dangerous at times. As always, if you choose to visit, please follow all Leave No Trace principles and be respectful.

Many thanks again to Kristen & Cisco for taking a chance on a stranger and letting me spend some time with them that afternoon!

Intimate Mountain Cabin Wedding in North Georgia

As promised, here’s part two of Tara’s & Cj’s wedding weekend in the North Georgia mountains (Part one is here if you need to catch up)!

Tara and I brainstormed back and forth for months, throwing around ideas for elopement and microwedding locations and scenarios. It can be really tough to try and nail down your wedding vision, especially in the middle of a damn pandemic. However, Tara & CJ took it like champs and wound up putting together the best little wedding in the mountains of Jasper, GA. October in North Georgia is always really beautiful, but I feel like the sunset reeeeally showed off for this one.

One of the perks of having a tiny wedding is that you can make last minute adjustments. For example, when we got up to the cabin the day beforehand, we scoped out the incredible view and decided to move the ceremony back a bit to take advantage of that sunset backlighting. It wound up being such a good call, because we were able to do their first look and portraits washed in the glowiest warm light. Because the guests were already there, we moved the first look to the balcony off the master bedroom, which gave Tara & CJ a private few minutes (totally recommend this, it calms the nerves and is very grounding).

Tara handled all the decor and sweet little design elements herself, and it was all perfectly them. She has flawless style. Also, can I take a moment to brag on my husband, the officiant?! Because he did an amazing job! The ceremony was heartfelt and personal, and he just cleans up so nicely (obviously, I’m biased. I don’t care) 😍

Tara & CJ - we love y’all so much. I’m so honored we were a part of your wedding day!