I’m so excited to share these wedding photos with all of you! But more than just a pretty blog post, I feel like I need to share the story behind them and just how hard I fought for this to come to fruition.

During Covid, like so many couples, my husband and I had to let go of the wedding we had dreamed of. We said “I do” in the simplest way possible, with witnesses on FaceTime, and no celebration. You can read all about that here. I’m forever grateful we still got to begin our marriage that day, but there’s always been this quiet ache in me that I never got to wear my dress, celebrate with our people, or have the photos that mark a moment like that. Shawn and I discussed going to Ireland for a belated honeymoon to celebrate our 5-year anniversary, but even those plans weren’t taking shape mid-way through the year.

Regardless, I was determined to finally have the wedding photos I’ve wanted all this time. I’m sure you can imagine how hard it is to be a wedding photographer, documenting beautiful love stories and delivering dreamy wedding portraits for my amazing clients and just wanting that same thing for myself.

Problem #1: The Dress

I pulled my dress out of my son’s closet and reached out to a local seamstress that had amazing reviews in all the wedding groups I’m in. See, when I purchased my dress in 2020, the bridal shop wasn’t ordering dresses to size. The pandemic had created so much uncertainty about production and shipping times. So I had purchased a dress off the rack, but it was a couple sizes too big. The shop assured me that taking the dress in a couple sizes was no problem.

I was so excited to put my dress back on after all these years. That excitement, however, was squashed within minutes of that first fitting appointment. The seamstress took one, very brief, look at my dress and told me my dress was “so big” that it wasn’t even worth altering. Her advice – buy a new dress. I was devastated in that moment. First, I didn’t get the wedding I had envisioned, and now I can’t wear the dress I fell in love with? I cried the entire drive home.

Ultimately, I ended up going to someone else for a second opinion. That second seamstress had no problem making my dress fit. I’m not sure what the deal was with the first seamstress. Maybe she didn’t want to take on such a project. But I definitely would have appreciated that honesty over telling me my dress was hopeless.

Problem #2: The Venue

Shawn went through a months-long health scare this summer. We were in and out of doctors and the emergency room. After months of not really getting any answers, we weren’t sure if a two-week long adventure to Ireland was going to be realistic. So I started to come up with a back-up-plan. If we couldn’t have the castle photos we originally dreamed of, I’d plan a beautiful bridal shoot state-side.

I reached out to a venue I’ve admired for years — Greencrest Manor in Battle Creek. It seemed like the perfect venue for a beautiful wedding photoshoot. I wanted all the bells and whistles of a wedding day, minus the actual wedding. A two-hour session complete with beautiful florals, wedding attire, hair, makeup – the works. Greencrest’s website boasts they are “a blissful slice of Europe nestled in the Midwest.” Since we wanted “castle in Eurpoe” vibes, this was exactly what we were going for.

When I reached out, I explained everything — our story, our heart, our desire simply to create a few meaningful images. I didn’t hear back right away, so I followed up. Their reply was kind but clear:
They don’t allow photo sessions for couples who aren’t getting married there.

I understand policies. Really, I do. I know boundaries matter in business.
But if I’m honest, it still hurt. A lot. After the pandemic told us no, and that first seamstress told me no, this third no really broke me.

What I found myself wrestling with wasn’t the “no” itself — it was the contrast between that response and what I often see celebrated in our industry: community, collaboration, and supporting one another. As a fellow wedding vendor, it felt disheartening to see how quickly a story like ours could be dismissed when it didn’t fit within a policy box. Especially from a venue with so much emphasis on “community.” They are often hosting gatherings at Greencrest meant for networking and connection. I thought I was a member of their vendor community, but that didn’t hold any weight.

But as I sat with that disappointment, something shifted.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized this moment wasn’t really about one venue. It was about me.
And maybe, in some ways, it was about all of us.

We talk so much about “community over competition” and “supporting one another,” but living that out often costs something — time, flexibility, or margin. It’s easy to say we value people over policy… until a situation asks us to prove it.

That realization stopped me in my tracks.

It made me ask myself:

“Where am I still leading with policy instead of people?”
“Where have I been so focused on structure or systems that I’ve forgotten the power of empathy?”

Because the truth is, we’ve all said no before. We’ve all chosen convenience or consistency over compassion at some point.
And I think the moment that hurt me so deeply might actually be what softens me the next time I’m on the other side of that choice.

When couples or vendors reach out to me with unusual requests, I want to remember what this felt like.
I want to be the kind of photographer who makes people feel seen, not screened.
The kind who chooses curiosity before judgment, and grace before rules.
The kind of business owner who holds space for real life, not just perfect wedding days and streamlined policies.

So, while I never got to photograph at Greencrest, I did get something far more meaningful — clarity about the kind of creative, business owner, and human I want to be. AND the extra push to just MAKE IRELAND HAPPEN.

And now, after traveling to Ireland and finally creating those long-awaited images, I see the redemption woven through it all.
Those photos, the ones we took halfway across the world, are more than what I dreamed of.
They remind me that beauty can come after disappointment.
That sometimes a closed door just redirects us toward a sweeter story.

And maybe that’s the real gift after all.

So, if you’ve made it this far, here are our beautiful “wedding” photos! Slane Castle was amazing. Our photographer in Ireland – Ivana – was fantastic. And a very special shoutout and thank you to Margaret, the amazing woman behind Upstyle Funk, who not only did my hair, she truly helped me pull this entire shoot together. This is an original portrait of King George IV, who was a frequent visitor to Slane Castle! In true Irish fashion, it started raining on us at the end of the shoot, and then a rainbow appeared out the window once we were back inside!