MY JOURNAL

It was a beautiful and happy day for this couple and their families. Tae-hyung was constantly telling me how beautiful Sun-a looks and how lucky he feels. I was very happy to be part this family-affair and especially around a couple with so much adoration for each other. This makes my job so much more meaningful!

The dictionary describes a tribe as a group of people with similar values and interests. We all have a need to belong, and tribes offer us a sense of belonging. They are loyal, encouraging, and your soul feels full when you are with them. You can show up and be real around them because they give you room for discovery and growth to become your best self. And on this day a designer, a dancer and a photographer formed a very special bond. We formed a tribe. This, as Oprah says, was my “aha” moment and my mantra for the rest of the year.

Nick and Amy… Where do I begin? They are one of the warmest, sincerest couples I have ever met. Most people always say that they want their weddings to be about them and having fun but it mostly never turns out that way. And understandably so. It’s a big day with many traditions to honor, guests to entertain and things to do but somehow Nick and Amy got it right. They were all about having fun and truly celebrating their decision to live the rest of their lives together.

The couple were surrounded by all of their close friends and family and Nick’s family all flew in from the U.S. They filled the room with so much love and happiness that I had to remind myself that there were other guests there too that need to be documented.

John and Mara met in Korea while teaching English. They plan on getting married back in the U.S. but they wanted their engagement photos to represent their lives together here in Korea.

They LOVE hiking and so we decided to head to the famous Mudeung Mountain here in Gwangju (which also happens to be the place where he popped the question). Although the leaves had not quite changed color just yet, we had some gorgeous autumn light to play around with and to set the mood: some Red Hot Chilli Peppers playing in the background.

A pregnant woman is such a beautiful sight to me. Glowing skin, a sparkle of excitement in the eyes and a beautiful smile every time she gets to talk about her new baby. When Erin was carrying her second baby, she was looking so gorgeous and when it was finally time to take some pictures I was very excited.

On a cloudy afternoon Sungwan and Gongji celebrated their marriage with their friends and family at a beautiful wedding hall here in Gwangju. Despite the gloomy weather I will always remember this day as a beautiful one. Sungwan and Gongji are one of my favorite couples to date. Their love is simple, comfortable, happy and wonderfully unique. I caught myself a few times just watching them as they got ready for the ceremony, instead photographing everything else (oops!).

In our first meeting, Gongji starts off by telling me she had a big crush on Sungwan in high school. She blushes and giggles like a little school girl while telling me the story about how they met. The pair were students attending an art high school here in Gwangju, but only started dating a couple of years later. The look of adoration that these two have for each other stole my heart and I was immediately head-over-heals for this couple. Throughout the meeting I couldn’t help but notice how much these two loved laughing with each other and at each other.

Yong-gi, a doctor from the blissfully laid-back island of Jeju and Hyeon-ji, an elementary school teacher from the busy city of Busan got married on a beautiful autumn day on Jeju Island. Friends and family from around the country flew in to partake in this elegant celebration. The entire day was filled with love and laughter from the morning when I met the couple while they were getting ready to the final Gombae [cheers in Korean] between the family members, just adding to my already amazing memories with this beautiful couple.

J.J. and Erica are a young couple living in Gwangju who just added a beautiful new member to their family: little Emilyn Briony. What a gorgeous name right?!?!

Yong-gi and Hyeon-ji’s love for each other is really the kind of love that writers base their novels on. He is the strong, protective man who melts when he looks into her eyes. She is the beautiful, peaceful girl who swoons over everything he does. Movie love, I tell you!