Lidija & Arend met for coffee on their first date and talked and chatted until the cafe closed. That spark of connecting on a common interest level as well as something deeper fanned into a flame that fueled trips around the world together. On a blizzarding day in Iceland overlooking gorges and waterfalls, Arend set up his camera for a photo and dropped down on his knee.

Fast forward, we met one sunrise in downtown Raleigh for engagement photos and had the greatest time taking photos on their Vespa on the cobble stone streets for the perfect Italian vibe. As Drew and I took off on our own adventure around the world we kept up over Instagram and email and I knew I couldn't wait to celebrate their wedding day back in Raleigh.

The details were perfect, romantic, and so personal to them! I loved their world seating chart, the airy blooms, the too beautiful to eat cake, and of course their forever adorable and infectious love. I can always tell how the day will go when we arrive, and both bride and groom were chill and laughing with their wedding party and family. I treasured Lidija's first look with her bridesmaids and her father. I love how much the guys clearly love Arend from their jokes and constant cheersing. Drew and I photographed more than ever on this day because we didn't want to miss a moment!! The way she looks up at him and how he looks at her makes my heart stop! Dancing was a blast; it was so neat following them around and never have a moment because a guest was always excited to hug them and talk with them. That's a true sign of having just the best hearts! The night ended with joyful sparklers and the party continued downtown. It was an amazing day seeing family and friends from all over the world come together and celebrate these two pure souls! A million congratulations to the Kloosters! 

Thank you to these awesome vendors who helped make the day amazing! 
Venue- Merrimon-Wynne House
Wedding Planner & Designer- Viva L’Event
Catering- Beau Catering
Flowers- Plume Events
Photography- Laura Memory Photography
Videography- Yours Truly Media
Hair/Makeup- Alexis & Morgan (friends of bride)
Ceremony Music- Family Friend
Reception Music- Night Years Band
Wedding Cake- Ashley Cakes
Officiate- Kevin Holland
Rentals- Party Reflections
Specialty Rentals- Greenhouse Picker Sisters
Guest Transportation- Raleigh Trolley
Dress: Tara Lauren from Gilded Bridal

When you're on the trail it's pretty easy to just start chatting with fellow hikers and explorers! These two were super cute and cuddly and it turned out they were on their honeymoon from Israel! This location, Milford Sound in Fijordlands National Park is usually extremely rainy and is actually one of the rainiest places in the world clocking in at around 252 inches a year! We took a ferry ride around the Fijord and loved seeing the massive cascading waterfalls and huge glacier carved cliffs. The sun was out so I had to ask if they had 5 minutes to spare to be my models! So please enjoy these two being adorable amongst this epic backdrop! 

NC meets NZ. One night while living in Queenstown, New Zealand, Drew and I were paying for parking after a great night eating downtown. Drew got to the parking machine first and I said, "thanks for paying Drew!", the guy behind us then said, "oh, so you're paying for parking for us all, thanks man!" and we all laughed. Normally, when we're in this situation the next question is, 'Where are you from?' or 'What brings you to this side of the world?' Normally, we say, we're from Miami! Because no one knows where North Carolina is, bless their hearts. But this time, we hinted a slight southern accent and we said, "We're from Raleigh, where are y'all from?" and they said, "NO WAY we're from Kinston", which is only about an hour outside the city. What are the chances?! Like good North Carolinians, we proceeded to chit chat for literally another hour and had to repay for parking because our tickets already expired. It turned out, these adventurous souls were on a delayed honeymoon! They had never had professional photos taken, so I of course had to take their photos in the most beautiful location on earth! They came to our lake from bach, Kiwi for itty bitty tiny house by the water, and we talked about how they met, how he was on a TV show for the restaurant they worked in, how she is helping Dreamers in her city stay focused on the right path. What I loved is how clearly in love they are. He was constantly complimenting her and she was giggling left and right. It was the most amazing afternoon followed by a fun night out on the town with our new North Carolina friends :D They jumped out of planes, off cliffs, and got tattoos, but I think this was the most exciting adventure :) 

While living in Christchurch, New Zealand, our very first hike was to the surrounding Port Hills. We drove up some winding roads (this is day 2 of driving on the left side of the road and it was crazy scary) and found the most amazing views. It was the most amazing Kiwi welcome we could have asked. It became my mission to photograph an engagement or a cool couple at sunset and frolic through the fields together! Thankfully I met Tiffany and her fiancé and my dream location came true! We had so much exploring the trails that wove up and down next to the Tasman sea. They even brought some champagne to celebrate! He is in tech working for a start up and splits time between NZ and San Fransisco, and she has a heart of gold and teaches preschool. We instantly clicked and my little artist heart was so full! They're world travelers too, and for their summer holiday, they are exploring Europe. They happen to be visiting a near by town to us in Sweden and we can't wait to meet up!! Love how massive yet small our beautiful world can be. 

I so loved this day with Keran and her partner! They met at Canterbury University near Christchurch, New Zealand on the South Island. He's in tech and she's a school counselor. Drew and I were coming up on our last few days in Christchurch before moving down south to Queenstown and I was really hoping to photograph a rad couple in town. I was talking with a local wedding planner and she connected me with this amazing duo! Once we started talking the only time we both had available was literally today, in 10 minutes, sun was setting, go go go go! Keran convinced her partner to immediately hop in the car and we met at the beach! We had the pier, sand dunes, and massive beach to our selves!! I knew it was going to be an amazing session because of how chill and go with the flow they were to spontaneously be down to be photographed by an overly enthusiastic American.  We skipped, and twirled, and laughed our way into the setting Kiwi sun. Thank you both for such a magical afternoon! I hope our paths cross again soon! 

Massive boulders - check
Matching jort outfits - check
Meeting the sweetest Sweedish couple who are now my muse model inspirations - check check check 

I love being a wedding photographer in Miami and I miss photographing on the beach in and the ocean. But, I also love hills and rocks and unique terrain! Castle Hill is a super cool location on New Zealand's South Island. It was one of my bucket list locations because The Chronicles of Narnia were filmed here! It's a quick drive outside of Christchurch and in 2002 the Dali Lama himself visited, loved it, and labeled the area "Spiritual Center of the Universe". How cool! While hiking and watching some rock climbers and boulderers we started talking with a couple from Stokholm (we all may or may not have been lost in the maze of hills and rocks). Our next stop is Sweden so we were asking them all kinds of questions, promised to meet up in Stokholm, and then I got to take a few fun pics of these love birds! They're traveling around New Zealand in their van and I was so thrilled to be able to give them this gift!

​The sunshine was out and we had so much fun laughing and skipping around this stunning location!! 

Down 30 kilometers of dirt road is the trailhead to a very special 10k uphill hike that takes you past aqua blue rivers, over golden hills, through cow pastures, and finally to the foot of Mount Aspiring topped with glaciers and surrounded by waterfalls. The views are so worth it! It's like a real life Rivendale for all my LOTR nerds. (I mean how can you not be when you live in the country where 2 stunning trilogies were made!!) I got to meet Melissa and her partner who are traveling around the South Island for several weeks. Melissa is a social worker and living in Christchurch and her partner came to visit! I was so excited to take photos of them in such a special location. They were immediately lovey and cuddly and giggly - my favorite! When a couple forgets the camera is there and they melt into each other, that's when their true genuine selves shows! We took these in 10 minutes! That's all you need for some life long memories :D

Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is a rugged land of ice and rock, with 19 peaks over 3,000 metres including New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook. The Maori name for Mount Cook is Aorangi or Aoraki, meaning cloud piercer. EPIC. I love adventure and hiking with my couples because you get to know them while walking and if feels less formal. Like we're just friends and you're just hiking and I'm just snapping photos. It's the absolute best to adventure and explore in such beautiful places all over the world. I'm all about getting to know your soul so you I can better tell your story! I've always loved hiking and exploring and being able to combine photography has been a dream come true! One of Drew's and I's lifetime goals is to visit all the US National Parks, so even better to check off a few in New Zealand too! 

In between Christchurch and Queenstown lies Lake Tekapo famous for it's summer lupine fields. Here in the south, the seasons are flipped, so peak is around end of December. We missed the peak season but still found a few stragglers! It's also known as a Dark Sky Sanctuary so there's minimal light pollution and the stars at night are unreal! We were stoked to adventure into the hills and hike up to University of Canterbury's Mount Saint John Observatory. The golden fields and view over Lake Tekapo were stunning! As a space nerd, I also loved seeing the observatories! Lake Tekapo gets its intense milky-turquoise color from the fine rock-flour (ground by glaciers) which is suspended in the water. It's so stunning!! While hiking to the top we met an awesome couple who's traveling the world too! They met in Australia, did some farm work to earn visa and a living, then saved up to camp around the South Island! We meet so many couples who are taking a few weeks or months to visit all the incredible sights. Camp sights here are super duper nice. Shower and bathrooms are clean and most even have wifi, laundry, and communal kitchens. So if you're thinking about visiting tons of stops, we suggest renting a camper van and bopping all over! 

​We took these in probably 5 minutes! It only takes a few minutes to capture love! 

On our way from North Carolina to Christchurch, New Zealand we had a 10 hour lay over in Sydney, Australia! We took the train from the airport to the bay, ate at a restaurant on King Street Warf overlooking the water, toured inside the Sydney Opera house, and walked the Royal Botanic Gardens. We were exhausted after the 14 hour flight but stoked to be on a new continent! While there, I was lucky enough to photograph two couples for a few minutes in front of the iconic building. One was on their honeymoon and the other was in town visiting family. I feel so luck to meet couples from all over the world and photograph in the most beautiful places! Being a traveling elopement and couple's photographer has been a dream and I can't wait to keep sharing photos from our time in New Zealand!