When one of my best friends from junior high started posting photos of him and his new girlfriend, I knew I needed to get them in front of my camera.  I love photographing many kinds of love and a spectrum of personalities, but wow this couple session had my heart singing!!  Keegan and Tara are sweet, silly, and ridiculously in love--all of my favorite things!

We danced under cherry blossom trees at Saint Edwards Park, ran through the grass, and hiked  through the trails down to Lake Washington.  I hadn't seen Keegan in about four years, and we hadn't really known each other since high school.   There's something so incredibly special about seeing your childhood friends truly happy, and you can bet I fought back some happy tears while shooting and editing this session for them.

Tara is heading out on a year and a half long mission trip, so I put together one of my long distance sets for the two of them, packaged it with love, and sent it off for them to hang onto in this time apart.  Here are just some of my favorites!

Cydni and Antonio wanted to shoot "rain or shine" for their April engagement session at Bellingham's Whatcom Falls. We ended the hour together muddy and wet, but we went into it with an adventure mindset and had a blast!  Scroll down to take a look through their sweet walk in the woods.

Maria and Jarod wanted a colorful and fun February destination wedding, and I think it's safe to say that the Saguaro Resort and David Rohr Studios floral did not disappoint!  This beautiful bride is my step-sister, and I felt so honored to be asked to photograph their engagement photos and wedding.  Some friends asked "wouldn't you rather be a guest?" but there wasn't a chance I was going to pass this up.  As a photographer, I got to spend nearly the entire day with these two: zipping the dress, witnessing a "bouquet first look," getting a close up view of all those happy tears at the ceremony, feeling their joy as they took a moment to breathe before family portraits began... I'd take that over some pool time and a few minutes of conversation at the reception any day.  I am so grateful for all the moments I get to be a part of as a photographer.  I seriously have the best job ever.

I've never photographed such a vibrant day, and I'm so excited to finally be able to share it with you all!

Venue: Saguaro Resort Palm Springs
Saguaro Director of Special Events: Stephany Wilder
Floral: David Rohr Studio

All images copyrighted by Caylie Mash Photography.

Remember Jimmy and Madison's Puyallup wedding and Larrabee State Park engagement session?  These two have become friends of mine over the years of photographing their special moments, and I am seriously so excited to watch them grow old together.  If you know these two, then you also know they treat each other with so much love, respect and appreciation it's ridiculous.  Everyone deserves to find someone who loves them the way Jimmy and Madison love each other.  They also treat each photo session like a date--because it really should be--and they make a full day of it.  They drove all the way up to Bellingham for the weekend, spent the morning with Elizabeth Marie Makeup and Crowns of Gold styling, enjoyed a one year anniversary session around Deception Pass State Park, and took each other out to dinner.  Now THAT is how you celebrate an anniversary.  Looking forward to many more photos with these two!  Here are just a handful of my favorites...

When Jack sent me an email asking if we would photograph him and his new puppy on Mount Baker for their first Christmas card, the answer was a big fat YES!!  The reindeer antlers, gift wrap, and Snuggie were icing on the cake, and we loved designing a custom Elf-themed card for Jack to send out to friends and family.

I've had the pleasure of photographing Chrissie and Andrew twice now (remember their snowy engagement session?).  Each time, Chrissie tells me she's not photogenic, and each time I leave with so many sweet photos of the two of them laughing, hugging, and enjoying each other's company.  That's the main reason I started focusing my business on couples (and the families they create over the years).  It's pretty easy to smile for a solo photo, but it's easier to really mean it when your arms are wrapped around someone whom you're absolutely feel-like-your-face-is-going-to-fall-off-from-smiling-so-much in love with.  I started my photography business with "smile and look at me" posing and slowly evolved into "don't look at me unless I tell you to."  Stories, real laughter, and interactions are way more fun in the moment, and they're much sweeter to look back on, too.

The only thing better than celebrating an engagement, is celebrating an engagement and becoming a little family.  Hannah, Dan, and their puppy Lenny arrived to Bellewood Acres dusted in an early November snow, and it was a magical way to welcome in the holidays!

The kind of love that Lauren and Dane have is exactly why I love my job. Spending the past three weeks re-living their wedding day over and over through editing has filled me up with so much joy: the way Lauren and Dane look at each other with so much appreciation and respect, how excited their families were for her to walk down the aisle, the endless supply of laughter at the reception... I love all of this. As a wedding photographer, I see it becoming more and more common for my clients' families and friends to spend the wedding day watching the ceremony and first dances behind a phone, or texting at the reception. Aside from how difficult that makes things for the photographer, it makes me sad that they're not enjoying these moments. The Siegfried wedding shows what everyone else is missing out on. I can feel their presence in these, and I hope you can, too. Get ready to feel some love!

Hair: Carma Jean
Catering: Brotha Dudes
Flowers: Triple Wren Farms
Hotel:Bellwether Hotel
DJ: DJ Scoobalicious

Please feel welcome to share the link to this blog post! Prints and websize digital files are available for purchase through Lauren and Dane's online gallery.

I started following Gathered Confections a while back because of her commitment to using local, seasonal, and organic ingredients whenever possible. Though our professions are different, I know how difficult it can be financially to choose local suppliers over cheaper options online. When I told Sarah I loved this about her business and wanted to feature her on my blog, her first instinct was to include a favorite local farm and show where the desserts come from!

Hannah and Ashley were so fun to work with! We laughed a bunch, shared a few happy tears, and enjoyed a gorgeous Bellingham sunset from Marine Park and the Community Boating Center. I hope you all can feel the love in these!