Why Love Stories Deserve to Be Photographed Beyond Weddings

When we think about photographing love, weddings usually come to mind first. The dress, the vows, the celebration — it’s a beautiful beginning, and it deserves to be documented.

But love doesn’t stop there.

In fact, some of the most meaningful love stories unfold quietly in the years that follow. They show up in the everyday moments, the seasons that don’t feel milestone-worthy at the time, but somehow become the ones we miss the most later.

Those are the love stories that are my favorite to photograph. 

Love looks different as life fills up. It deepens. It stretches. It becomes less about grand gestures (but please sprinkle them in!) and more about shared responsibility, laughter in the middle of chaos, and showing up day after day. It’s the couple who has weathered a few hard years and come out steadier. The parents watching their children grow faster than they expected (Hello! I’m REALLY feeling this one right now). We’re being as intentional as possible, but we know it’s slipping through our fingers, as the song goes. 

These seasons rarely come with a formal invitation to be documented  — but they’re no less worthy.

Don’t be the parents that say, “We should have done photos sooner,” or “I wish we had more pictures of us together when the kids were little.” And I get it. Life moves fast. Schedules are full. There’s always a reason to wait. I’ve said these same things! 

But the truth is, love doesn’t pause until things feel calmer or more put together. It’s happening right now — in the middle of the busy, the imperfect, the beautifully ordinary.

That’s exactly why photographing it matters.

Family photography isn’t just about smiling at the camera. It’s about honoring the relationships that hold everything together. It’s about preserving the way your child still reaches for your hand, or how your partner looks at you when you’re not paying attention. These details are easy to overlook in the moment, but they’re priceless later.

Photographs become a way of saying, “This mattered. This season mattered. We mattered.”

As a full-service photographer, my role isn’t just to take photos — it’s to help families slow down long enough to see what they’re living. From the planning to the session to choosing how images will live in your home, the process is designed to be intentional and supportive, with zero overwhelm (because I walk you through every decision). 

Because when love is documented thoughtfully, it doesn’t just sit on a hard drive. It becomes part of your daily life. Framed on walls. Turned into albums. Passed down. Remembered. Sure, you get the digitals with your chosen printed work. But holding these connections in their hands makes so much difference to my families.

Weddings tell the story of how love begins.

Family and portrait photography tell the story of how love grows.

Both matter. And both deserve to be preserved with care.

If you’re in a season that feels ordinary, full, exhausting, or fleeting — that may be exactly the season worth documenting. Years from now, you won’t be looking for perfection. You’ll be looking for truth. For connection. For reminders of what this chapter felt like.

And that’s what photography, at its best, is really about.