I’m feeling a little nostalgic as I write this blog post. 2014 isn’t very far behind us, but it has come and gone and it all happened so fast. I swear I was just unpacking my backpack from South East Asia and charging up my gear for my first wedding of the 2014 wedding season.

They say that time flies when you are having fun, and I couldn’t agree more. 2014 was my busiest year yet, but it was also one of my favorite / most fun (both personally and professionally). I remember sitting down last January dreaming of all that I hoped 2014 would be … I wished for travel, amazing clients, gorgeous weddings, features and so much more. And as the year got going, I added to the list …. and now as I am looking back at what the year ended up being, I am completely in awe of what happened.

>> I photographed 26 amazing weddings while spending nearly 5 months outside of the U.S.

>> I traveled to Punta Cana and Grand Cayman to document two gorgeous beach destination weddings.

>> I attended my photography inspiration and role model, Jasmine Star’s amazing Chicago workshop. It was a business and life changing experience!

>> I spent hours in my car driving to weddings outside of Chicago including Galena, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky/Ohio. A change of scenery always is an inspiration!

>> I photographed my first gay wedding when gay marriage finally became legal in Chicago.

>> My work was featured in print and online in numerous publications including CS, Bouquet Catcher, Daily Herald, and Fete.

I feel that my work really evolved this year. I started to feel more confident in myself and the type of work I wanted to produce for my clients. I’ll admit, this blog post is a lot longer than I had initially intended it to be. However, as I sat down at my computer and clicked through the thousands of images, I stopped when I saw each of these photos again. Each one of these images made me feel … whether it be happiness, excitement, relief, success, joy. Some of these wedding photos remind me of a moment where I was working in crazy conditions (lighting / time / weather) while others remind me the excitement I felt as I clicked the shutter to preserve a perfect moment. They might not all be technically perfect, but they all were a part of a story. A story for my couples and a story for me and my business.

And that is what 2014 was all about to me. Being blessed to be a storyteller.

I cannot end this post without a HUGE thank you to all of my brides and grooms who made 2014 so perfect. Without you … 2014 wouldn’t have been what it was. Thank you a million times for allowing me to tell your story.