Dezi + James' Snellville United Methodist Church Wedding

Dezi + James share so many common interests; From history to music, fine arts to martial arts, philosophy to theology, Doctor Who to other geeky things <-----Dezi's words. (So cute!) :) They met though a mutual friend back in law school, while Dezi was already dating someone at the time, they kept in touch through random Facebook comment "Likes" and a few birthday and holiday well-wishes. Over three years later, after Dezi's previous relationship had ended, James sent her a message wishing her a Happy Easter and asked how life was going. The conversation evolved from there. Dezi + James met back up for the first time in nearly four years at Criminal Justice Camp. After having their first official date they decided to keep in touch and began scheduling visits, phone calls and Skype chats that lasted hours on end. James was living in Virginia and Dezi in Georgia. Once they decided to become boyfriend and girlfriend they made sure to schedule time together - in the same state at least once a month. :) This made for fun adventures at some of their fave locations in their home towns. While the visits never seemed long enough, they made the most of the time they had together.

In March 2015, James and his family invited Dezi on their family vacation to Walt Disney World to celebrate James' new job and his parents 31st wedding anniversary. Dezi gratefully accepted! This would be her first trip to Disney World and probably the most memorable one! The trip was scheduled for August 2015 and they all couldn't wait and that's when James began some secretive planning.

Once their long awaited trip arrived in August 2015, James informed Dezi that he had reservations for them to have dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. Once in the castle they both enjoyed meeting all of the Princesses and the incredible Gothic architecture. The table they were seated at overlooked the carousel in Fantasyland. During dinner the sun was setting, Dezi + James talked about how incredible their trip was. Once they both finished their meal, their waiter returned with a "Special dessert" that was covered with an ivory dome. The waiter removed the dome and revealed a little crystal Cinderella slipper sitting on a bed of rose petals. During this diversion James was getting on one knee beside Dezi and holding a small black box with a gorgeous sparkling ring inside. Once Dezi realized what was happening she gasped and stared wide-eyed at James

Jame began expressing how much he loved Dezi, how thankful he was for their relationship and how we wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. And then the big question, he asked her to be his bride! Dezi replied with a huge grin on her face, "Well, Absolutely!!!" The room erupted in applause for the couple!

Dezi is such a kind person! When she found out that her wedding day was on RyAnne's 6th birthday she promised to get her a gift for allowing her mommy to photograph her wedding on her birthday. ;) Dezi, Thank you for the set of Bad Kitty books! RyAnne and I love reading together. <3. I have really enjoyed getting to know you through our loads of emails. Your wedding day was spectacular and you were the most stunning bride!

I wish you and James the very best!!!!

Rachel + Jason's Madison, Georgia Engagement Session

When Rachel graduated from UGA in 2011, she applied for a job in Pike County. Well, really she applied to ALL jobs available, but the one in Pike was the one that worked out. So, she went looking for a house and ended up in Thomaston. She knew absolutely no one, but quickly made a friend at the gym. This new friend turned out to be the very person that introduced Rachel to her love! This friend invited Rachel to a party to watch a UGA football game...and that's where Jason and Rachel met. Jason was in the process of moving to Thomasville from St. Louis and had stopped by Thomaston. This is where his parent's lived and since it was on the way he came to the party too. It took Jason about a month to ask Rachel out. On their first date they watched UGA play LSU for the SEC Championship in the Dome. UGA lost, but they still had a blast! The first 2 years they dated were long distance. Jason was in Thomasville and Rachel was in Thomaston. They finally ended up in Madison after his office opened a branch in North Georgia and Rachel accepted a job at Loganville High School.

Right after Rachel got the job in Loganville in 2014, she found out she had a benign brain tumor and would have to have surgery in October to remove it. Jason was GREAT through the whole process. He even came to her parents house every day after work to hang out with her while she recovered and would eat dinner with her and her family before he headed back to Athens each night. This was about the time Jason had not only won over Rachel's heart but her parents too!

Jason proposed to Rachel the week after Valentine's Day. Jason had the ring since November, but all the big holidays, including Rachel's birthday, were just too cliche. While Rachel was napping on the couch at their house Jason was waiting. He couldn't wait any longer, he woke her up and proposed. He said he thought that was the only way he would have been able to surprise her, which was probably true!

Rachel + Jason have the most adorable farm house. This is where we got their engagement session started. When we were headed to the back yard she mentioned they have a baby pop belly pig named Rosie and goats, one of them named Billy! I about died y'all!!! I love, love, love farm animals. Rachel is the agricultural teacher and FFA advisor at Loganville High School and Jason is an agricultural banker. They both share a love for the good ol' country life.

The Ozburn Family

Last week I photographed the Ozburn family. Ashley + David's girls are total dolls!!! They each have their own sweet little personality and they showed it off in front of my camera. I went to high school with Ashley - so happy to see how happy she is! <3.

Jade + Jamie's Hard Labor Creek State Park Engagement Session

According to Jade, love comes when you least expect it. Today on the blog she is sharing her love story! Yes, another guest blogger! I am really loving this! This past weekend, I met with Jade + Jamie at Hard Labor Creek State Park and we photographed their love and had the best time! "He said he saw me from across the parking lot and had to get to know me, and that's just what he did. We met in August/September of 2013. We both had rocky times before. You see Jamie had just gotten out of a 9 year long relationship and at that point I was only 18 and had just graduated high school. Jamie intimidated me. He was 23 and lived completely on his own, whereas I was still living with my mom and relying on my mom and dad.

He got my phone number from a mutual friend and it was over from then! He tried hard to get me to give him a chance and I wouldn't. I just wanted to be friends... We had our first kiss on November 28, 2013 and I had never felt that way before. I had butterflies and sparks and couldn't get those feelings out of my head (or my heart). But I still made him chase me for about 3 months...

Finally on January 16, 2014 I asked him to be my boyfriend, yes I asked him! Lol by this time I had moved in with him and I was loving every second of it, and I still do today. We dated and enjoyed each other and finally on September 15, 2015 he asked me to be his wife. Our best friends were there and it was perfect! He said he was going to wait until my birthday in October but he just couldn't wait any longer. Jamie has taught me how to love myself and how to really love someone else. I honestly believe he was my saving grace and I was his. Our timing was perfect for one another."

I am looking forward to your wedding day!!!

Shelby Anne's Newborn Session | Social Circle, Georgia

Today I'm super excited to not only show off this precious newborn session for Shelby Anne but also her momma, Sarah, is our guest blogger! Yay! Sarah is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in the ER at Scottish Rite and she is sharing her beautiful cesarean birth. Go grab a cup of coffee, read up and take in all the cuteness! "When Holly asked me to share my birth experience for her blog, I was excited for the opportunity. I had such an amazing experience with something most women fear. I am well aware I am one of the lucky ones! However, I still wanted to share to let other women know, it is not always scary and bad like many would lead you to believe.

The words cesarean section strike fear into the hearts of many women. Whether it be the fear of the unknown, a story you have heard, or just simply because it is a change in how you imagined your perfect birth. Having a major abdominal surgery can be nerve wracking to say the least.

After much discussion with my OBs, we decided a C-section would be the best option for me. Thankfully, I did have a huge advantage as a previous labor and delivery nurse (about 6 years ago) and remembered quite a lot. Being the patient is a whole other story, though. I heard stories from both women who had great experiences, and those who had what they described as “horror stories”. So I tried to go into this experience with an open mind.

My spinal (which numbs you) went great. The actual process progressed quickly and I feel like I blinked and my sweet precious angel was FINALLY here after 4 long years of anticipation and heart ache. My husband was still allowed to cut the cord. We still recovered together and I was still allowed to do skin to skin. The doctors and nurses were quick to address any concern and there was pain medication available when I needed it.

Overall, I really did not experience much more than discomfort. There have been times I have worked out and had far more “pain” than what I experienced during the whole process. The secret trick - stay ahead of your pain! If you take the medication offered when it is available, it actually allows you to take less medication in the long run and be more comfortable. This in turn allows for faster healing.

Moral of the story…having a Cesarean section makes you no less of a mom at the end of the day. Whatever your doctor and you deem as the best option for a safe delivery should not scare you because of someone else’s experience. I can honestly say I have never felt happier and more confident of something being the “right” decision. This was my story. I am happy, healthy and have a beautiful and healthy baby to show."

Sarah, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful birth story. I will say that I was one of those that had only heard the scary stories of C-Sections. Most of the ladies I know have had to have emergency births. Which, yes, can be scary but like Sarah said, having a healthy baby is what it's all about! Now, scroll down for more of her adorable baby girl that has more hair than I have ever seen! So cute!