Styled bridal sessions have never really appealed to me. I love pretty images as much as the next person and will certainly swoon over beautiful florals and gorgeous dresses, but more then ever I am called to something more real. Anyone planning a wedding can tell you how staring at all those perfect pins on Pinterest will just stress you out. More so, they are not calling you to tell your own story, which is beautiful enough without trying to achieve that unreachable bar of having a unique but on trend, flawless, memorable, gets you featured in a magazine, wedding. It all just makes me a little tense.

So when these two friends of mine asked to do a traditional Norwegian styled shoot, at first I was hesitant. A themed session just didn't feel like me.

But throw in the personal story behind the session and I was hooked. A Norwegian gown gifted by her new grandma-in-law as a wedding gift. His deep seeded pride and love for his heritage. That they were celebrating their first year of marriage and that these images would end up under a Christmas tree as a gift for grandma. Mostly that they are friends who would let me literally laugh until there were tears flowing down my face at how silly and serious, meaningful and love-filled the whole thing was.

So maybe I could find my voice in styled sessions. Or maybe not. Either way the fact that this was my first one will always make me smile. Because at the end of the day it was just another couples session, styled in their personal story.

Happy Holidays!