As a bride & photographer, I am constantly asked who is going to capture MY wedding photos. For two months following our engagement, I would get SO frustrated every time someone asked that question. I had searched high and low, east to west for the perfect person to capture our day, and no matter who I spoke with, nothing felt quite right. (& if you read my blog post from last week, you know that is question #5 on the choosing your photographer checklist!) Then out of nowhere, it clicked… KATIE RIVERA.

Katie is an industry friend of mine, and I have known her since the beginning of this year! I have adored her portfolio since the moment I laid eyes on it, and when it came down to choosing our photographer… she fit my “photographer wish list” perfectly! Katie shoots what we call “hybrid” within the photography industry. This means that on a wedding day, she incorporates a medium format film camera, as well as shooting digital! I have always adored the timeless, gorgeous, creamy tones of film; there is something about its aesthetic that cannot be beat. I KNEW from the beginning that I wanted a film shooter for our wedding day and that I wanted that same photographer to do our engagement pictures. This is where it got tricky: Katie is from Lubbock, Texas.

I know, you probably think Jesse & I are insane. Who lives in Western New York and flies their photographer in to small town U.S.A all the way from West Texas?! WE DO, Y’ALL! And here is how we KNEW it was fate that we were supposed to hire her: Katie has never been to this area of the country, but on July 13, 2017, she was flying into Toronto, Canada, to shoot a destination wedding. On the evening of July 14, 2017, she was able to squeeze in time to capture our engagement session. That weekend was the first weekend in FIVE weeks where I didn’t have a wedding booked. That Friday, Jesse and I were able to drive FOUR hours to meet Katie, capture our images at this AMAZING location, and see Toronto for the very first time. And on top of all of this… July 14 marked exactly one year until our wedding.

It could not have worked out any more perfectly, even if we tried.

I had sweaty palms the entire drive up to Toronto. Jesse and I got a late start after he got out of work and I finished my hair appointment. We were fighting Friday traffic crossing the border and waited in line over a half hour to get through customs. Then we were faced with rush hour traffic in Toronto, unfamiliar roadways and limited cell phone service. Nervous that the weather wouldn’t cooperate, I couldn’t help but worry that we’d run out of daylight. Even worse, what if we couldn’t find Katie? Or the perfect location to shoot from? What if we forgot something at home that we really needed?! (I am the queen bee of worrying, in case y’all haven’t picked up on that yet…)

Needless to say, we found Katie with little to no trouble. It did take quite the adventure to find BOTH of these gorgeous locations, but our timing, somehow, worked out perfectly regardless. We caught the most beautiful light down on the beach and chased it up to the top of the cliff afterward. As two photographers, we’d LOVE to admit that it was all entirely planned, but I think we can both admit that this was just impeccable luck.

Jesse and I simply adore our engagement photos and will never, ever forget what an adventure it was having them taken. We love Katie and are so excited that she is going to be part of our day next July 14! Personally, I am also indescribably thankful for a fiancé who goes along with all my ideas, no matter how crazy they might be! He supports me in whatever I set my mind to and works hard to make my dreams a reality. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve his love, but I thank God daily that Jesse chose me to be his wife!

A huge shout out to the amazingly talented Brittany Reitz for rearranging her schedule at the salon, just to fit me in earlier for my hair appointment! And my mother, who altered my dresses the week of our session, despite having a million and five other things to do. And to Katie, for being SO amazing at scouting locations & capturing us so beautifully. And of course Canada….for being so stinkin’ pretty. Lake Ontario, you were pretty darn good to us; we will be back again someday, promise!