"To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life."
- Victor Hugo, 'Les Misérables'
The bond exchanged between two souls is sacred. It's built on thousands of hours worth of conversation, gently removing stones from the walls erected to guard our hearts; it's built on millions of seconds spent learning each tiny freckle on their cheeks and remembering where they're most ticklish. Finding love and choosing to nurture that love is a brave and crazy thing to do; it is a risk to love and to be loved. But when you find your person, you just know. You know that you'll go to the ends of the earth to do right by them and protect their soft hearts from the ugliness of the world. When that love exists, it's sacred. Which is why I completely understand why Mara and William are opting for an elopement this spring, just the two of them. For me, it's a total honor they've entrusted me to document this sacred moment in their story. Being their eyes and capturing the present moment for them is exactly why I'm so happy to return to photographing love stories. I am a hopeless romantic and have been in love with the idea of love since I was probably 4 years old. My intention is to photograph each wedding as if it were my own; freezing the fleeting moments and carefully chosen details. While Mara and William will be my second wedding of the year, they were my first engagement session and let me just say: THE BAR HAS BEEN SET. We started out in Oakland, their favorite Pittsburgh neighborhood, at the Carnegie Library and Museums. The architecture and details transported me to Rome and I was totally inspired by past issues of Vogue Italia. After making our way around the gorgeous sites, nestled among the University of Pittsburgh campus, we headed to the North Shore and settled in Allegheny Commons. The Victorian-style townhomes and overgrown ivy felt like we were strolling in Brooklyn and immediately my heart ached for New York City (note to self: plan a visit before the end of the year). The quiet streets and historic homes were the perfect end to our session, as we parted ways (Mara and William to dinner, me back to Carnegie to emotionally prepare myself for the new episode of The Last of Us; IYKYK).
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