I am so thankful to Amanda of Amazing by Amanda for providing the bouquet and boutonniere for this shoot. Her style is organic and elegant, and it was a perfect fit for the outdoor “garden” theme that I had in mind.

I am also HUGELY thankful to David and Jennifer, one of my amazing couples from 2012, for being willing to brave the cold temperatures and bracing wind so that I could bring this vision to life. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You know I love you guys!

If you are engaged and looking for a photographer for your wedding, I would love to chat with you! Visit my contact page or send me a message at Lauren@Laurenwrightphoto.com. I can’t wait to hear from you!

This is one of the reasons why I love being a wedding photographer. I get so excited when I have the opportunity to meet a new couple and become immersed in their love story. The adventures and anecdotes that they share inspire the work that I create, and I love being able to document and preserve precious memories for them. As I considered how I want to build and refine my brand this year, I continually returned to a simple question. How can I capture and share my client’s stories in a way that has meaningful and lasting impact? Love letter sessions are my answer to this question.

Technology provides us with a wide range of methods for connecting and communicating with each other. We text, chat, tweet, and Facebook message each other constantly, yet we do not often take the time to speak meaningfully to each other. Our words can have a profoundly positive impact in the lives of others if we are purposeful about sharing them. So as a way to preserve my couple’s stories and encourage them to connect with each other, I am offering a new type of session. The Love Letter Session.

I met Sina and Nadia on Sunday afternoon for their session, and I could not have chosen a more perfect couple to begin this project with. They are joyful, affectionate, and adventurous, and they did not worry at all when it began to pour. They just laughed, joined hands, and asked me to take their picture in the rain. I am so thankful to them for being warm, open, and authentic with their love letters and for providing me with a beautiful example to share with all of you.

Sina & Nadia : Lauren Wright Weddings Love Letter Session from Lauren Wright on Vimeo.

Are you interested in participating in a Love Letter session? Whether you are engaged, newly married, or celebrating a lifetime of love together, I would be honored to have the opportunity to document and share your love story. For more information, fill out my contact form. I can’t wait to hear from you!

To live a life filled with adventure.

To celebrate and serve inspiring couples.

To tell soul stirring tales of everyday romance.

To create images that strengthen and encourage weary hearts.

I was 20 years old, and I was hungry, driven, and terrified. But I had nothing to lose. So with a hand-me-down camera in one hand and my hopes held tightly in the other, I took a leap. A dear friend and well meaning mentor told me that I was not ready. To be honest, he was probably right. But my dream was knocking, and I sprinted to the door. Metaphorically speaking, I was half-dressed with wet hair and a toothbrush hanging out of the side of my mouth, but I had to answer that knock. Because that’s what you do when your dream comes within reach. Ready or not, you take hold of it. So I did. I photographed my first wedding.

The next few years were filled with a progression of contrasting experiences. Joy and heartache. Triumph and failure. Moments of greatness and moments of painful inadequacy. I studied and worked and traveled and served. I invested so much of myself in every project, and little by little I began to watch my hopes for the future take shape right before my eyes. By the time I graduated from college, I was able to transition into shooting weddings full time. My dream became my reality, and it was surprisingly challenging.

Suddenly the life I hoped for and the life I had existed side by side like awkwardly paired roommates. Romance and taxes. Bouquets and bills to pay. Love stories and rising health care costs. So I responded like an adult. And when I say, “like an adult,” I really mean “like someone afraid of losing everything I’d worked so hard to build.” I spent more time obsessing over finances than I did developing and honing my voice, my vision, and my style. Thanks to the support and enthusiasm of my wonderful clients, I managed to build my business up to a moderate but comfortable level of success. I created beautiful work that I am incredibly proud of, but I stopped taking risks. I knew that refining and elevating my business would require me to make difficult choices and significant changes to the status quo.

I looked up the steep and dangerous mountainside of progress, and I decided that I would be safer and more comfortable camped out at its base. After all, I loved the images I created, and so did my clients. It was a win-win. So I wrapped myself in a blanket of familiar, “secure” success, and I allowed myself to grow content there.

But friends, within my chest beats the heart of a dreamer, a learner, and an adventurer. I long to explore new places and develop new perspectives. I don’t want to look back at my life in five years and wonder “What if?” I’m through allowing my fear of falling to keep me from reaching higher in my life and in my business. This year I am determined to live courageously; and to dream unshakable, impossible, beautiful, and life-changingly audacious dreams. It all begins today.

Happy birthday to me.

I will be unveiling new endeavors and developments for Lauren Wright Weddings over the next few weeks, and I can’t wait to share them with you! I am so excited about the renewed vision and direction I have for my work, and I am so excited for you to be a part of it. Hold on tight. It’s sure to be a wild ride!

I shot my first wedding for Lauren Wright Photography in the spring of 2007, and I was immediately hooked. I spent hours upon hours every day researching, reading, and soaking up all of the information that I could about photography and the wedding industry. I found photographers whose work I loved, and I dreamed of the day that I would be as confident, popular, and down right good as they were. I agonized over every blurry, underexposed or poorly posed shot that I took. I celebrated the “one hit wonders” and “happy accident” photos that filled my portfolio. For a few years, I felt like all I did was eat, sleep, and breath weddings.

And then, I fell in love with my best friend. We dated for three years, he proposed on my parents’ front porch, and six months later we got married. Becoming a wife lead me to a startling realization: Marriage is hard even when you’re right for each other. Learning to behave lovingly toward another person every minute of every day is an exhausting endeavor that requires all of your energy. Sometimes, living side by side with my husband is like standing naked in front of a mirror – every flaw, every imperfection, every bit of ugliness that I can hide from the rest of the world is exposed, and the simple act of learning to love him reveals to me how far I have left to grow. In the midst of learning how to share my life with my love, both of my parents were diagnosed with cancer. Twice in the last year I’ve found myself camped out in the ICU waiting room, listening to the rhythmic sounds of the respirator and other life support machines working to keep my dad alive, and praying that I will get to have another conversation with him.

And in these moments when life is so hard and so dark that I wonder when the light will break through again – I don’t dwell on a single object from my wedding day. There is not a bouquet, a table setting, or slice of cake that crosses my mind. You know what I cling to in those moments? The image of my dad watching his little girl being transformed into a bride.

I cling to the memory of dancing with him for the first time.

I find joy thinking about him dancing with my mom, his beloved bride of over 30 years, whom he will unapologetically describe as the best person he has ever known.

And I laugh out loud thinking about him, handsome in his three piece suit and striped socks, raising his glass in a toast to living fully.

When I feel too tired, too inadequate, or just too selfish to love my husband, I look back and remember how much joy I felt when we promised to love, serve and celebrate each other.

I remember how natural it felt to fall into his arms and let him sweep me across the dance floor.

I remember how much he adores me, how hard he works to provide for me, and how fully committed he is to making my dreams become my reality.

These are more than images. They are more than memories. They are more than moments frozen in time. They are a refuge. These pictures remind me how much love is being poured into my life every day, and that realization gives me the strength to keep loving, keep fighting, keep growing, and keep pressing on.

This is why I love my job. Not because weddings are filled with beautiful details or because photographing them makes me feel artistic. I love my job because I am inspired by your courageous, passionate, determined choice to love one another as fully as you are able. I am encouraged by the joy that you express over sharing your lives together. I find purpose in providing you with a collection of images that will one day give you strength when life and love are difficult.

I know that you will spend months pouring over magazines, blogs and pinterest boards searching for the right color scheme, the best attire, and the exact flower arrangements to reflect your personalities and to make your wedding day perfect. I know how hard you’ve worked to make this day exactly how you want it, so I will photograph every detail that you’ve worked so hard to bring together. But please, do yourself a favor, and be present on your wedding day. Don’t stress over the details. Hug your mom a little tighter. Squeeze your daddy’s hand when he reaches for you. Laugh with your friends. Dance with your nieces and nephews. Look lovingly into the eyes of the person you’ve chosen to share the rest of this crazy, wonderful life with, and soak it all in. Be present and take every opportunity to make memories with the people that you love the most. And let me be there to capture it.

(PS. All photos from my wedding were taken by the ever-fabulous Anne Almasy)

I am now offering photography coverage for small weddings and elopements through my sister company – The Joyful Project. If you’re planning an intimate wedding or holiday elopement in the next few months and are looking for affordable wedding coverage, check out The Joyful Project!

You can view the complete album design by viewing this post. If you’re a bride looking for a photographer, I’d love to sit down with you and let you get your hands on this beautiful book. For my past and present clients who don’t have an album yet, trust me – this will make you want one! I’m offering these at a special discount for the month of April, so make sure to email me if you’re interested in getting your own!