harley's haven wedding

Best of Weddings 2018 | Business

Best of Weddings 2018 | Business

Being a wedding photographer was not something I grew up even knowing I wanted to do. It wasn’t until I met my brother’s wedding photographer, who has five kids and a thriving business, that I made up my mind to pursue this as a job. At the time I thought that maybe it would grow. Maybe it would become a part time thing that I could justify doing while caring for kids. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Yet here I am, almost 6 years later, a wedding photographer for the best people I can imagine. It is an honor to be the person who captures the most special day in their lives. It’s amazing when couples ask their friends and family to put down their phones and be present in the moment, because they trust me to capture everything important. It’s a gift that I can give not just the couples, but their families, children, and grandchildren. What an honor. It is never lost on me.

Harley's Haven Wedding | Smithfield Wedding Photographer | Eric + Kaleigh

Harley's Haven Wedding | Smithfield Wedding Photographer | Eric + Kaleigh

It never ceases to amaze me that, over and over again, two people love each other enough to choose the other for the rest of their lives. This means choosing that person in the best times and the worst, in times when you like them and all those times you don't. It means choosing to hold their hand through the storms of life, even if sometimes the storms make their way into your very own house. Eric and Kaleigh have been together long enough to weather many storms together and when they finally stood in front of each other at the aisle, they knew what it meant to commit their lives to each other.

From start to finish the wedding day felt effortless, like it was meant to be all along. Kaleigh and her ladies laughed their way through the morning, punctuated by more serious moments as she took it all in - the moments before she officially became his wife. Eric swore until the day before their wedding that he wouldn't cry, but when he finally saw his bride walking down the aisle he couldn't hold back the tears. From goofy inside jokes to wrinkle-your-nose kind of laughter, the moments Eric and Kaleigh spent together were truly the most memorable part...