Destination, Weddings

Rene + Jordan ( Paradise Valley, AZ)

All | Weddings | Couples | Family | Brands

We loved working with Hannah! She’s joyful, smart, and hopped right in with our crazy guests. She made it easy for us to feel comfortable and excited about our amazing/overwhelming day. My favorite part was that she enjoyed the festivities while producing the most perfect photos. Could not have asked for a better experience.

I photograph to remember.
I photograph to carry on legacy.
I photograph to create.

I don’t photograph to impress.
I don’t photograph to be liked.
I don’t photograph for the trends.

Don’t forget why you do what you do.
It’s not for other people.
It’s not for the money.
It’s not for the likes.
Or at least it isn’t for me.

I photograph because I’ve been documenting the world since my early years on this planet.
It’s how I know and understand the world.
Some of you write, draw, paint, make music.
I photograph using a camera- any camera- to help me make sense of this beautiful broken world we call home and all the people in it.

Happy 5 year anniversary to my dear friends @kaseyjoymiller & @korymiller . The years I have spent with you two laughing, figuring out how to run businesses, creative conversations, and pushing each other towards health have been my favorite. I love each of you dearly and happy I was able to document your wedding day 5 yrs ago!!! Every time I’m around these two there is deep compassion for each other, respect, and the feeling of besties. I’ve always said I want something that Kasey and Kory have cultivated. ❤️

Love me some @sakaralife & @whitneytingle ! Fun shoot we did for the fall campaign !!!

Puppy dayyyyyy! Welcome King Louie to the fam 👑 🐶 #englishcreamgolden

🍷Elise & Austin 🍷- waited a long time to celebrate with their family & friends! Many years and postponements was highly worth it after a night like this one. The florals, the wine, the views, the weather, the company… it was one for the books!

They have one of those friendship kind of marriages you dream about. The best of friends. Already been through a lot together and going strong. This day was just a cherry on top of celebration for the life they have created together.

Venue: Copain Winery
Florals: @vandafloraldesign
Planner: @milestoneeventsgroup
Dress: Brideside
Hair: @stelldoeshair
Make up: @stefaniefritzxo
Caterers: @figcaters
DJ: @premierproductions
Stationary: @elise.mader the bride!

My two favorites 🥰😂
Ziva girl is most looking forward to the new addition to the fam this weekend.
📸- @charlotteledvina

This is how a photoshoot with 7 7 week old puppies go 😂😂😂

Autumn elopements 🍁🍂 in Flagstaff these days are my most favorite.

Simple & sweet. Let’s get these two married today 🍁😝

📣Calling to my photography, entrepreneur, business owner, friends...
WHEN YOU SACRIFICE THE HEALTH OF YOUR BODY TO MAKE MORE MONEY, you are not succeeding.

I don’t come in hot ever. I normally don’t share my opinion, but this topic is one I WILL NEVER be quiet about and will come out of my mouth till the day I die.

For years I would stay up till 3am to finish editing a wedding, say yes to working every day all day, and never release control to anyone else.
For years I said yes to everyone who came my way (grateful for the business don’t get me wrong!) but that means I said no to my friends birthday parties, my family gathers, sleep for body.
For years I drove every single day to Sedona, Grand Canyon, or Page for shoots. I got on planes every OTHER week (for 6 yrs straight) to another state or country to work.
I was a yes girl. Slowly people started jokingly call me a workaholic and some would look in my eyes and tell me I was.

But it all caught up to me the last few years. My body started to feel it. I struggled with some major panic attacks, swollen lymphs in my neck, larynx spasms to where I couldn’t swallow, hand issues from my camera, and bouts of vertigo.
My body has been trying to tell me to stop, to slow down, to say yes to less.
It honestly didn’t take till quarantine to make me stop.

When we prioritize anything over the health of our bodies (what we eat, how we move, how much sleep we get) we are not succeeding in this life, we are only hurting ourselves and the business we could make.

I’m talking from my human experience to yours,
the hustle is not worth it.
The hustle will convince you it’s worth it. More money, more work, more connections.
You may wake up years from now with a myriad of health issues from the stress from all YES’S you said to everyone else other than yourself.
Whatever you do, don’t have silent ears to hear it.

I’m NOT saying to be lazy, rather I’m saying..
find your boundaries, push yourself to see what you can accomplish, and go hard when you must,
but remember
to rest, to feed your body with whole foods, and say no.

Diaries of a retired Yes Girl.

Give me some good sunshine and black & white I’ll be a happy girl ☀️

“I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is art.”
🦋
-Helena Bonham Carter

The sweetness of September weddings when the leaves are starting to change, there is a crispness in the air, & the sun shines a little lower. 🍁☀️
Bella & Johnny’s forest / garden / fall wedding day was amazing. I cannot rave enough about this couple. Their friendship is the sweetest thing to watch. Not to mention their obsession with each other ❤️😭 one of the happiest of wedding days I’ve seen.

I’ve photographed this family for the last 6 years in a row as a trade for tattoos and I’m not mad about that! Always grateful for @timsenatattoo work and Misty’s kindness. I love love love this sweet Flagstaff family.
But this year felt different.
It felt calming. Maybe it was being by the creek.
Maybe it’s their relationships together. More grounded.
Or maybe it was me- feeling less pressure as a photographer
and letting myself just photograph freely.
I think we all have grown.

Years ago I met this woman on a beach on Big Island with other random friends. We laughed, we photographed, we cliff jumped, we prayed. It was a sweet night that brought random people together.
This year- I got to photograph her, her babe, and her unborn babe in Seattle! Oh it was so so so special and so sweet.
You never know when you meet someone when your paths will cross again in life.
🦋

Lululemon Ambassador Shoot 2019/2020
…just wasn’t sure when I could post because #corporate.

I am surrounded around some of the most athletic well rounded individuals on the planet (I’m not kidding you ultra athletes + olympians live in Flagstaff). But their athletic abilities are truly incredible yet their kindness, discipline, and intelligence far exceeds. Knowing all of these Ambassadors individually, by being apart of the Flagstaff community (small town ya know?), I can truly say they make this town what it is. That is what I love about being able to photograph for companies like @lululemon is that it’s not just about their bodies, it’s about the individual and WHO they are.

I feel spoiled to be apart of a community like Flagstaff.
Grateful for @lululemon and the ability to move our bodies freely.

#lululemon #lululemonambassador #thesweatlife

Now let me tell you about one of the most epic wedding days please!

Started with a sunny beautiful warm September day in downtown Flagstaff. By the time we drove up to the mountain at 10,000ft of elevation, it was pouring down rain. And my friends, it didn’t stop, at all until the most perfect sunset time with Sarah & Ryan. Their ceremony is poured, fog rolled in, then it rolled out just in time for the sun to kiss us goodnight.

Their love is that kind you want, you dream of your whole life. The kind of love where your deepest longings for friendship, romance, and passion meet. Their love is all knowing, it’s deep, and true. Their love is inspiring in a way you want to throw everything down that isn’t the fullness of what you could have to chase towards what is for you and settle for nothing less. I feel honored to be invited into romance like this as a photographer but also as a friend.

With rain dripping down their faces, the mountain covered in clouds, and their families smiling with joy, Sarah & Ryan exchanged the most intentional vows I’ve heard. Grateful to live in a place where the power of the landscape is in control not the humans, where my couples marry because they’re obsessed with each other, and where rain or shine we go on with the ceremony!

Venue: @azsnowbowlweddings
Dress: @schaffersbridalaz
Florals: @formfloral
Officiant: @lifepassages
Hair: @hermaneinterest_bydani

✨NEW PUPPY✨ coming to the Gray household in one month!!! 😭😭
I’ve been waiting for this day for over 10 years!! Since I moved out of my parents house (where we had 3 goldens) I knew when the time was right I’d have my own pup. And now that I’m rooted more in Flagstaff than ever it’s happening!
Yes, I still travel a lot which is why I can’t do it alone. I have amazing friends supporting me as I go on this process and will love this boy.
Excited to bring him home!
His name… TBD. Any suggestions?

Love photographing local Flagstaff couples and even moreeeee love their September weddings! Todays wedding one is going a good one! #flagstafflocals

Give me those big 250 guest weddings with a live band, amazing food, and millions of moments to document- I’ll be a happy girl dancing by the end of the night!

Here is to 2021 🥂 wedding season 🥂 kickin off!

This year, I’m doing it different.
No more burn out. No more saying yes to too much. No more fear about not making enough money during our busy season.
I intentionally said no to WAY more than ever, hired associates to take some of the work load, nailed in an amazinggggg editor, set a schedule for myself, and only offering family sessions during set mini session dates.
Excited to give my energy and creativity to these couples and their families this season!