On July 11th, I teamed up with Kaitlin Ford and Kim England- the lovely ladies behind Pocketful of Plans and Fleurs du Soleil respectively- and we held fifteen-minute couples portrait shoots for ten couples affected by COVID! It’s no secret that this pandemic has the whole world turned upside down! Not only are couples faced with the increased challenges of planning their special day- for some, this may even be an impossibility now- but the wedding industry itself is also in the lows right there with them. We knew we had to give back to our community, and this was our way of doing it!

The Woman Behind Pocketful of Plans

I adore working with Kaitlin. She’s easily one of my favorite planners in the area to work with as a local Carmel wedding photographer! She is an EPIC business owner and wonderful mom to two cute kiddos. SO knowledgable and efficient in her field and she has such a heart for giving back to this community. After all, making 5,523 decisions for your wedding doesn’t happen overnight- and certainly not during this time- Kaitlin’s got your back, COVID Couples, pandemic or not!

The Woman Behind Fleurs du Soleil

For our bridal bouquets, the genius designer behind Fleurs du Soleil, Kim England, graciously donated two unique arrangements for brides to pick from. We had a classic one with silver drop eucalyptus, anemone, and sweet peas which were so charming and romantic! We also had a colorful one (my personal favorite!) with garden roses, dahlias, pincushion protea, star jasmine, and Dutch anthurium as well!

Setting The Stage…

The three of us set the stage for our COVID Couples, and they were all SUCH superstars. We have a diverse community that we’re so proud to work alongside towards their special day and we believe in equal love and all forms of it! Couples from San Fransisco and beyond and got to pour into these amazing folks and keep morale up. It really opened my eyes and heart to be able to do this for them as a token of support and solidarity.

COVID Couples Saving The Date

Of course, the desire to preserve wedding attire for the real deal is completely understandable. The vibe of this event reminded me of doing local couples’ sessions as a local couples’ portrait photographer. Even without the bells and whistles of gowns and tuxedos, the love our COVID Couples have for each other truly was the focal point of the shoot. I cherish each and every relationship I have with the couples I get to meet. Ultimately, working alongside Kaitlin and Kim to do these sessions was our way of letting them know that they’re not alone in their struggles and that we’re here to support them and their continuing love story. These couples deserve a medal for going through all of this, this year!

Preserving That Wedding Spark For COVID Couples

The normal set of difficulties associated with wedding planning really skyrocketed for these couples. Some are faced with inflexible time restraints. Others lost their jobs to the pandemic and can no longer have a wedding. Collaborating with Pocketful of Plans and Fleurs du Soleil was our way of giving back to couples who had already lost so much. We wanted to be able to provide them with sentimental and fun portraits to take home. And most importantly, to preserve that wedding spark of bliss that every couple deserves!

I would love to work with you as your local Carmel wedding photographer. Contact me here and we’ll make it happen!