Celebrating One Year of Marriage Before a New Adventure Begins
One of my favorite parts about offering destination photography services is getting to continue celebrating my couples long after their wedding day. Weddings may be where our story begins together, but some of my favorite memories happen later.
Katie and Juan are one of those couples I’ll always be grateful crossed my path.
When they were married last year at Castleton Estate, I had the opportunity to spend time with them on four different occasions throughout their wedding experience. Between Castleton’s planning experience, their engagement session, their wedding day, and their preview party, we had plenty of opportunities to get to know one another. Although they live in Florida, they absolutely loved Tennessee and made every excuse they could to come visit. Nearly every conversation somehow circled back to how much they dreamed of one day calling East Tennessee home.
During one of those conversations, we discovered we shared another favorite place: Anna Maria Island.
I mentioned that my family makes a trip to Anna Maria Island every year. Katie and Juan immediately smiled and told me it was their favorite beach, too. It was the place they always chose whenever they wanted to escape to the coast. I casually told them that if our trips ever happened to overlap, I’d love to photograph them there someday. At the time, I honestly didn’t know if that day would ever come.
Then summer rolled around.
Katie reached out and asked if I was serious about taking portraits while we were both on the island. The answer was an immediate yes.
Their Anna Maria Island portraits at Bean Point couldn’t have been more perfect. The soft Gulf light, sea oats swaying in the breeze, and endless shoreline created the most beautiful backdrop, but what made the evening unforgettable had nothing to do with the scenery. It was simply getting to spend another evening with two people who are genuinely fun to be around.
What touched me even more was how thoughtful they were throughout the entire trip. The same week we were all on Anna Maria Island happened to include Dustin’s and my anniversary. Katie and Juan remembered and texted us on June 22 to wish us a happy anniversary. At the end of their session, they surprised me with a gift that included a delicious cider from a local brewery along with a framed photo of the three of us from their wedding day. It was such an unexpected gesture and such a beautiful reminder of why I love the relationships that photography creates.
As we talked throughout the session, they shared another exciting piece of news.
Although they had dreamed for years about moving to Tennessee, life had taken them in a completely different direction. After visiting Idaho, where Katie is originally from, they completely fell in love with it. Just a couple of weeks after our session, they would begin a five-day journey across the country, leaving Florida behind to start an entirely new chapter together.
Knowing that made these portraits feel even more meaningful.
This wasn’t simply a first anniversary session. It was a farewell to the beach they loved most and a celebration of everything this season of life had been before embracing something brand new.
Katie and Juan, thank you for inviting me into another milestone in your story. It has been such an honor documenting your journey from engagement to wedding day, and now your first anniversary. I cannot wait to see all that this next adventure in Idaho has in store for you both. Wishing you countless new memories, beautiful mountain views, and every blessing as you build your life together in your new home.
I’m a Knoxville Wedding Photographer that loves to travel. I shoot anywhere! Click here to contact me with any questions you have about pricing or booking! If you liked what you saw above, go ahead and follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see my daily updates of the latest sessions!
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