Whitney and Jim are utterly in love with each other. You'll be able to tell in every single photo in this blog collection. ​Their engagement photo session took place at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC, the location where they will soon be wed on the 26th of August this year.  I want to brag all about their love for two main reasons:

Reason #1:  I actually grew up with the bride Whitney! We were great friends in middle school before I moved sophomore year of high school. I hadn't seen her in over ten years so this was an incredible reunion.

Reason #2: Complete romance: The proposal story. He took her to their favorite  date place in their college town, that happened to be a jazz club. Unbeknownst to Whitney, he had invited their families and close friends to hide in the club to watch him get down on one knee and propose to the love of his life on stage. She said YES with great enthusiasm and drank celebratory champagne with all the witnesses of their special day.

After hearing their proposal story, it should come as no surprise that they were completely fixated on each other during their engagement shoot a few weeks ago. They made my job easy because all I had to do was photograph their beauty and chemistry. Congratulations Whitney and Jim—so so so truly happy for you two and cannot wait to capture your next milestone!

Thanks for reading!

xo, 
Helen

Last year before I moved to Charlotte, I took photos of a black golden doodle named Sadie. Her mom Hannah had just started her own Instagram account and since then, Sadie has been featured on just about all of the major CLT social accounts and has 13.6k followers.... so basically this dog is thirteen thousand times more popular than me. I mean she is the cutest thing EVER so go be a follower of this precious ball of curls @sadiedoodleCLT because you can't ever have enough slobbery love in your life. ??  @hasnead
​

Sadie Lynn McCombs was born on March 27, 2017 at 2:04 in the afternoon. All twenty-two inches and eight pounds of her are completely perfect, although, she's probably already a few inches bigger now. Her parents Chelsea and Chad asked me to capture her at 5 days old inside their home in Jamesville, North Carolina. Lifestyle portraits are my favorite because you see so many details: where she'll be raised, her crib, her baby presents, the dining table she'll one day eat at, her bow ties, her closet full of pink, the diaper station, everything. All of the details clue in to how her future will unfold. 

Sadie Lynn played dress up throughout the photo shoot where one moment she was a flower girl, another moment she was a naked girl, and moments later she'd be in her grandmother's newborn dress. Family heirlooms are truly incredible. Then we wrapped up the shoot with something festive: Sadie was an Easter Bunny! Of course, I saved the best for last so be sure to see this entire collection of Sadie Lynn and her family. They will all tug your heartstrings!

Congratulations to the Chelsea and Chad and their families! You are brand new parents to a beautiful little girl and I cannot  wait to watch you all grow.

xo,
Helen

I'll say it over and over again if I have to but, these Megan and Daniel are absolutely adorable and absolutely in love. These gorgeous lovebirds met early last year and since then have had a beautiful year together. They bought horses together. They took on taking care of a family farm together. They got engaged. They bought a beautiful house. Now they are planning their small destination wedding in Costa Rica that will be in January of 2018.  I admire their pursuit of happiness because most people walk through life shy and full of regrets. After the year they've had, how can they have regrets? They know what they want and live life to the fullest.

Pardon in advance for my cheese, but Megan and Daniel love each other so much and it shows in every single photograph. Even though they claimed they felt awkward (humble nerds), they did an amazing job being in the moment and remembering each other's presence. The engagement session was at their aforementioned family farm in the outskirts of Charlotte, North Carolina. For how unpredictable March is—Mother Nature and baby Jesus both decided to show up and give us a GORGEOUS day on March 29, 2017. Not only was there golden light, there was also curious horses and a loyal dog named Bella.

​Congratulations Megan and Daniel...I'm so happy you two found each other. You're so compatible for each other and deserve a lifetime of adventures. I'm honored to be your friend and even more honored that I was able to capture this spectacular milestone. 

Thanks for reading.
xo,
Helen

On the evening of March 11, 2017, Jazlyn and Marshall tied the knot in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Olde Sycamore Golf Plantation.

Their love story is utterly soulful and has a squeeze of both modernity and class: Marshall found her on Instagram and immediately loved her beauty and personality. Needless to say, it didn't take long for him to reach out to her...After a month of flirtatious get-to-know-you banter, Marshall flew to Charlotte from his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi and took both Jazlyn AND her mom out to dinner for their first date together. Of course there were nerves and butterflies in their first interaction, but Marshall knew that in order to win Jazlyn over, he had to win over a woman that raised her. How beautiful. You can only admire a man that knows that he wants and pursue it. A few months later, he proposed to her with a display of roses (her favorite flowers) asking her to spend the rest of her life with him.

Here's the even more incredible part: Jazlyn planned and executed her dream wedding in a months time. I'm not kidding with you. When she called, she was asking about my availability for a date that was three weeks away. I had to replay her voicemail a few times to make sure I heard her right, but I am SO happy I was available so I could be a part of their beautiful milestone! Thank you both so much for trusting me to capture your joyous occasion. Their wedding was one for the books and was made possible by the following vendors:

Venue/Catering: Olde Sycamore Golf Plantation
Music: DJ Ace
Decor/Lighting: Ribald Event Decorating 
Photography: Visuals by Helen