It was apparent from the moment I met Ikisha and Eric during holiday minis that they are so in love. We visited a beautiful Sicilian agriturismo and explored the grounds together on a rainy, fall day. We were all unsure as to if the rain would hold off long enough, but we got lucky! Nevertheless, Ikisha and Eric were natural models and I didn’t even need to tell them what to do. I really enjoyed capturing their love for one another and I can’t wait to do it again!
Ikisha and Eric, thanks so much for having me! It truly was a pleasure!
Ikisha + Eric | Sicilian Holiday Minis
I think it’s safe to say Jahlai had NO IDEA a Sicilian sunset proposal was coming for her when she arranged a couples photo session with me.
When Jahlai messaged me to set up a couples photoshoot, I was happy. I LOVE photographing couples and I don’t get near enough of that here. But when Paul messaged me later to ask if I would be willing to photograph an intimate sunset proposal, I was ecstatic!!!
Jahlai and Paul are both in the military, but Jahlai is deployed to Sicily for a temporary amount of time. Paul has been working for months to surprise her with the perfect ring and an unforgettable proposal when he came to visit. It was honestly so perfect; I was tearing up the whole time!!
When I talked with Jahlai about preparing an outfit, she told me she already had it planned. She knew they were going to wear their colors, black and gold, and dress formally. She even brought along the cutest picnic setup! The look of shock on her face when she turned around to see Paul down on one knee was priceless. He even surprised her with sweet a little gift after the proposal. Scroll down through to photos to see what he got for her!!!
Jahlai and Paul, thank you sooooo much for having me. Congratulations and best wishes for a long and happy life together!!!
Jahlai + Paul | Sicilian Sunset Proposal
The Warm Up
The Proposal
I distracted Jahlai by pretending to photograph her alone and sent Paul to wait with my husband. Jahlai was very cooperative, even when I said “Don’t move! I’m going to get some shots of you from behind,” as I ran out of the way. Then I told her to turn around and there was Paul down on one knee!! I think it’s safe to say Jahlai was in utter shock!
Engagement Photos
We moved to our next location to let reality set in and snap a few engagement photos. Paul presented Jahlai with a sweet little surprise gift and we had a few a laughs before we called it a night.
Congratulations again Paul and Jahlai!!
One thing I’ve learned about myself this year is that I tend to befriend strong women. Alexia is one of those women; she’s a mom of two, a fellow photog (check out her work here), an avid gym-goer, and oh, did I mention she just finished her first degree? I honestly have no idea how Alexia does it all, but I am so thankful that she finds time in her hectic schedule to hang out with me!
You might remember Alexia from this adorable family shoot in Ortigia last year. This time, the kids stayed home! Shane took Alexia out in their newly acquired vintage Fiat convertible for an intimate picnic overlooking the Ionian Sea. It was the perfect romantic date. Thanks for letting me tag along, you guys 😉
Alexia + Shane | Italian Fiat Picnic
You guys know how much I LOVE couples and maternity sessions! So, I HAVE to start out by saying Yvonne and Edward are THE SWEETEST couple I’ve ever met. They are seriously so sweet and I love them so much for that!!
The moment I first met them in person, they both assured me they they were not models and that they would be horrible at taking photos. So silly. Because they were both complete naturals!!!! Once they got into the shoot a little bit, I think they might have even had a little fun 😉
I know you won’t believe this, but Yvonne was basically nine months pregnant in these photos!! Little baby David came into the world just a few short days after. I, personally, never would have guessed!
Yvonne and Edward – thank you sooo much for entrusting me with your maternity photos. You guys are naturals in front of the camera!! Little David is so lucky to have such sweet and caring parents and I am so lucky to have met you both. PLEASE let’s do another one!!!
Yvonne + Edward
There are a few things involving photography that I love: CUTE couples and beaches! This session had both. Elizabeth and Matt are the cutest parents to be! I was so excited when Elizabeth invited me to shoot their Aci Trezza maternity session because I have been DYING to shoot there. And, of course, Elizabeth and Matt are serious sweethearts!!!!
Our original plan got nixed due to rain. It’s rainy season here in Sicily, and I’ve found that rainy season is no joke! So, we rescheduled and crossed our fingers. Even on our reschedule date the sky looked a little daunting. But that just means that the clouds in their photos are super cool!
Elizabeth already had the location of the photos picked out (I love you for that!!!). She knew exactly what she wanted, which made my job super easy. Elizabeth said when she thought about where she wanted her maternity photos to be, she decided that no place was more appropriate than home. And Aci Trezza is home. If you know me, you know I love things that are meaningful, so this really made my heart swell.
I haven’t known Elizabeth and Matt for long, but I can tell they are going to be wonderful and loving parents. I am so excited for baby C!!
Elizabeth and Matt, it was so wonderful to meet you! Thank you so much for the opportunity to eternalize these fleeting moments for you!
Elizabeth + Matt + Baby C
Okay, okay, okay! You’re here! You’re reading this!! You’ve already seen at least one photo from this session! My heart is HAPPY!!! You’re probably confused as to why I’m so excited and using so many exclamation points. It’s because I have been holding on to these photos – waiting for Brit and Adrian to reveal their big news to their friends and family. Now I can share and I am so excited because I LOVE THESE PHOTOS!! From the outfits to the location to the people in the photos, they seriously could not be more perfect.
Brit and I first met online early this year and I immediately connected with her. (If you frequently read my blog, you already know I also met Maddie and Caitlin first online. I know it seems weird, but there’s a big online community here.) When she arrived in Sicily in July, we became fast friends. Brit and Adrian are super cool and seriously kind. There has been no one who has checked in on me more than they have during all of my medical issues. This includes front door deliveries – TWICE!!
When Brit told me she was expecting, I was SO EXCITED!! I just know Brit and Adrian are going to be amazing parents. They are already phenomenal people and wonderful friends. I am so honored Brit and Adrian entrusted me to photograph their pregnancy announcement and gender reveal (IT’S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!). And, I could not be more pleased with the way they turned out.
Brit + Adrian, Congratulations!!! We are SO excited for you guys and cannot wait to meet your baby GIRL! I hope you love these photos of such a memorable time in your life as much as I do.
Brit + Adrian
You know when you meet someone and you can just tell that they are “my kind of people?” That’s exactly what happened when I first “met” Maddie and Justin (and I say “met” because our introduction was digital!) Maddie and Justin started out as our “sponsor” family, which basically means they (Justin) were assigned to us (Jordan) to help in our transition from the US to Sicily. From our first conversation, we had SO MUCH in common. I knew I wanted to be real friends, not just sponsor/sponsorees and couldn’t wait to get over to Sicily to meet them in person. I guess is was fate because I think it turned out to be the best “assigned” match one could make. Now, I’d say we are all more than friends; they are our Sicilian family!
Maddie and Justin are such genuine people. They are adventurous, compassionate, considerate, and obviously incredibly good looking! I can’t omit the fact that they are absolutely hilarious and soooo much fun to hang out with. I honestly do not think I’ll love Sicily as much as I do without them around. They are our travel buddies, our adventurous cuisine companions, and our best friends here in Sicily. We will miss them so much!
With that being said, I have simultaneously been both looking forward to and dreading this post; looking forward to it because I’ve been dying to get these two in front of my camera ever since we met, and dreading it because it means they will soon be leaving the island and heading back to the US. Serious tears here.
Before they head off on their next adventure, they trusted me to capture some images of the in their favorite place on the island, Cefalù. As a bonus, we also traveled to the nearby town of Castelbuono for dinner and caught an absolutely amazing sunset!!
Maddie and Justin – thank you so much for your friendship. You are the coolest and the most fun people I’ve ever met, and we will miss you both so much!!
P.S. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see the CRAZY, unedited Sicilian sunset shots.
Justin + Maddie
Zoe and I met during the SAWS Pet Appreciation Day event which was held in my local community last month. I was photographing people and their dogs in the “kissing booth” and Zoe was my very first customer! So, it was quite fitting that she is also my very first family session client in Sicily!
Zoe, her husband Nick, and their daughter Scarlett are (sadly, for me!) moving back to the US next month. They wanted a way to say farewell to Sicily and commemorate their time living on the island. What better way to do that than with an epic photoshoot overlooking the stunning Sicilian countryside?!
The Costellos are truly such a lovely family and little Scarlett couldn’t be more adorable, teeter-tottering around with her sea blue eyes.
Thank you so much for trusting me to capture your family for this very special photoshoot! Best wishes for a safe journey to Florida!
Shortly after we returned from Malta a few weeks ago, Jordan and I spent a long weekend in Lyon, France. We had debated for awhile if we should visit Lyon, or just go to Paris, affectionally known as the city of love. We chose Lyon, and as we found out, Lyon and “the city of love” might be one and the same.
Jordan and I had planned to just explore the city by foot, but eventually caved and decided to take a car to Parc de la Tête d’or, a 19th century park, which was supposed to be lovely and was a bit too far to walk from our airbnb.
It turned out to be very hot that day, but we enjoyed our time there anyway. The park was beautiful with a few rose gardens, statues, a lake in the middle, and luckily, tons of trees. We spent a few hours there, mostly on the side of the park near where we entered, but I decided that we needed to walk around the WHOLE thing. So, we did.
I’m so glad we did because we just happened to run into Natalie and Rob… the cutest couple, who had just gotten engaged!!!
I honestly have no idea HOW it happened. All I know is that Jordan saw a “really cool” weeping willow that formed a cave right by the water and had to go in to check it out. Once we entered the cave, we overheard Rob telling Natalie how nervous he was trying to hide the ring while packing for the trip. And that’s when we knew… he had JUST popped the question!!
So, of course I asked them if I could snap a couple of photos to mark the occasion. And, then we left them to enjoy their engagement day!!
Natalie and Rob, congratulations again!! It was such a pleasure running in to you and we hope you are having tons of fun planning for the big day!
P.S. Check out Natalie’s ring!! (It’s was Rob’s grandmother’s – what an honor!)
A few weeks ago, Nik, Kaitlin, and I dropped in at Red Wing Park in Virginia Beach for an impromptu photo session. Nik + Kaitlin are such naturals in front of the camera, that they made my job SUPER easy! While we were there, someone asked if they had just gotten engaged… which was quite funny because they have been married for around F I V E years already! Can you believe it? The park closed an hour earlier than we thought, so we made a quick trip to the oceanfront for some real sunset magic. Take a peek at all the fun we had below.
Thanks for hanging out, Nik + Kaitlin!
