Real Couples // Dating App Love Story: Marilee + Nicole

Real Couples // Dating App Love Story: Marilee + Nicole

"I met this beautiful woman on a lesbian dating website. On the surface, we had only a few things in common, but we emailed each other for two months before we met—turns out, she absolutely spoke to my heart. I never thought I would get married, let alone meet someone. Things in my life led me to believe that I was meant to be alone and that merely surviving in this world was the best it would ever get. But Marilee completely transformed my world; now we have a beautiful home, a dog, and a bright future ahead."

Read More

Out of the Box Challenge // Richmond Association of Boss Babes AKA Girls! Girls! Girls!

Out of the Box Challenge // Richmond Association of Boss Babes AKA Girls! Girls! Girls!

Our goal for this shoot was to have fun and highlight color and love! Our theme was Girls! Girls! Girls!, and we were able to put together an amazing team of women, The Richmond Association of Boss Babes. We thought, what would a real life couple do when they woke up together on the day of their wedding? Morning sex, obviously! Boudoir images are usually just of one woman, and even less often do you see images of lesbian boudoir featuring an actual couple. We wanted to capture our girls in their element, being themselves together, whether that was dressed or undressed.

Read More

Real Couples // Resilient Love: Jess + Crystal

Real Couples // Resilient Love: Jess + Crystal

Jess and I met at Arizona State University when we were 18 years old and freshly out of the closet to our very religious families. We started dating in 2011, without acceptance or support from our families. My sisters were the only supportive ones from my family. We lived at the dorms for a semester because we had no where to go. We moved into our first apartment when the semester ended and slept on the floor for months. We didn't have anything but a few blankets, pillows, clothes, and towels. We saved the first nine months together to buy our first couch and continued saving for other basic things. Five years later, on our 5th year anniversary (10/26/16), we tied the knot! Our parents aren't fully on board, but Jess's are a little more supportive. I'm still struggling with my parents. We have been through very rough lows and some good highs, we have grown stronger together, and been there for each other when it's most needed.

Read More

Wedding Inspiration // Best Friends in Love: Cammie + Marie

Wedding Inspiration // Best Friends in Love: Cammie + Marie

These ladies are a beautiful couple madly in love. They were just friends for years, both dating other people. When they both found themselves single, a love blossomed. Both are simply divine people...and both are hilarious. The shoot was a blast. Cammie is a coach and is back in school. Marie is an area food safety and nutrition agent. They live together in a cute lil' house in Greenville, South Carolina.

Read More

Out of the Box Challenge // Two for Joy AKA "Shut the fuck up!"

Out of the Box Challenge // Two for Joy AKA "Shut the fuck up!"

We met in person for drinks and were unanimously feeling we had picked the perfect couple. Our first evening together was spent listening to stories of their meeting: an almost-missed connection, driving hours to meet halfway for a first date, facing a fear of heights, falling in love, moving to the same city, revisiting the first date and Carolina’s fear of heights during the proposal (“I still don’t know what the view looks like.”). We felt that Sarah's entire body seemed to smile while talking about Carolina, and Carolina's deep, soulful smile and tenderness toward her future bride were qualities we couldn't wait to convey.

Read More

Real Couples // We Knew After A Month: Amanda + Lauren

Real Couples // We Knew After A Month: Amanda + Lauren

Our ceremony was, and is, the most meaningful aspect of our wedding for the both of us. Lauren wrote the whole thing. (Amanda: I would love to take even partial credit for it, but I can't. I contributed maybe ten words total. The rest of the time she just read me what she wrote while I cried. Good tears, obviously.) We loved that our vows were written to reflect our lives together—our joys, our struggles, our shared experiences—but it was also important that we each repeated those same vows to one another

Read More

Out of the Box Challenge // Bay Area Creatives

Out of the Box Challenge // Bay Area Creatives

For me this photo challenge prompted a natural response to the current sociopolitical backlash to diversity, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community. I put out a casting call in my local model group looking for alternative and underrepresented women. I knew from the start I wanted to show a same sex wedding, so when Gigi and Nicole were among my applicants the choice was easy.

Read More

The Family Narrative

The Family Narrative

Once upon a time, the societal formula for weddings was pretty limited: boy + girl + religious ceremony = wedding. Period. Anyone who deviated was...well...a deviant, subject to social and legal marginalization. Similarly, for many years our culture supported a narrow definition of family, namely family = a husband + a wife + their biological child(ren). Period. Unmarried parents, same-sex parents, interracial families, immigrant families, blended families, families of color, families without children, and even adoptive families struggled to find their place in society, facing a range of difficulties and indignities at every turn.

Read More

Real Couples // Restored Firehouse Chicago Wedding: Jami + Kerri

Real Couples // Restored Firehouse Chicago Wedding: Jami + Kerri

Jami and Keri's wedding took place on October 7th at Firehouse Chicago, one of my all time favorite U.S. wedding venues in the quaint neighborhood of Andersonville. Jami’s pale blue and lace wedding dress was handmade. Kerri wore a dapper suit from J. Crew with a handsome bow tie and boutonniere. Hillary Bullock officiated their outdoor ceremony under the ivy where Jami walked down the staircase to meet Kerri and a knot tying ceremony was included to signify their union. 

Read More

Real Couples // Hollywood Beach Engagement: Paul + Keith

Real Couples // Hollywood Beach Engagement: Paul + Keith

We spent a beautiful Friday evening at Hollywood Beach in Chicago, exploring the area with this amazing duo and their adorable pup Floyd. Paul and Keith are so perfect together, and after meeting through mutual friends, these two have been inseparable ever since. Their wedding next year at Promontory Point is undoubtedly going to be one epic celebration!

Read More

Real Couples // Rainbow Wedding: Dana + Colleen

Real Couples // Rainbow Wedding: Dana + Colleen

In their words, "We met in fourth grade and became best friends while hunting grasshoppers together; our old elementary school is where we exchanged our rings. Though it was forecast to mega-rain on our special day, it ended up only being a sprinkle...just enough to make a gorgeous rainbow! It was absolutely perfect."

Read More

Real Couples // Equinox Engagement: Spring + Jayni

Real Couples // Equinox Engagement: Spring + Jayni

Spring and Jayni have been together six years and just recently got engaged. They met in Silverlake, so the nearby Echo Park Lake seemed like the perfect fit for their photo shoot. Spring proposed to Jayni by orchestrating a choreographed "dance" to try together, starting with them facing opposite directions and when Jayni turned around, Spring was down on one knee. We met for their shoot in Echo Park the day before the Spring Equinox, so the days were getting longer and the sun didn't set 'til 7pm. Spring is a musician, but rather than bring along her guitar, she opted for an adorable (and more portable) red ukulele for a serenade in the park.

Read More

A Tale of Two Brides: One Lesbian Couple's Struggle to Have a Christian Wedding

A Tale of Two Brides: One Lesbian Couple's Struggle to Have a Christian Wedding

The mainstream wedding industry and media are fixated on a very particular fairy tale: one bride and one groom live happily-ever-after, the end. But my fiancé, Casey, and I believe that our story is just as beautiful without a Prince Charming, maybe even more so because of the obstacles we’ve had on our way to the aisle. From bigoted bakers to monogramming mishaps, ours is a modern-day story of love conquering all. 

Read More

Real Couples // Minneapolis Romance: Theresa + Brenda

Real Couples // Minneapolis Romance: Theresa + Brenda

Theresa and Brenda are examples of strong, modern individuals who do great work in the world: Theresa has a PhD in Child Psychology and is a university professor, and Brenda is an MD who practices medicine. This couple lives in Portland (OR) but traveled back home to Minneapolis to get married and celebrate amidst their loved ones. They are the kind of couple that is not only so happy and in love, but they are also incredibly deserving of the happiness and love they have found. They are kind and gentle, and their joy is truly contagious.

Read More

Real Couples // River Romance: Felisity + Laine

Real Couples // River Romance: Felisity + Laine

When Felisity saw Laine for the very first time, the word "home" immediately came to mind. There was something that felt familiar about this vivacious actress with the killer smile and fun-loving spirit. And for Laine, Felisity's sense of adventure and affectionate personality inspired her to chase new experiences. During hiking trips and romantic in-home dates, Laine and Felisity fell in love without thinking twice. The way that they look at one another says everything about their relationship. Their engagement session on Missouri's Eleven Point River was the perfect fit for their personalities and created some of the most emotional images I have ever shot. 

Read More

Real Couples // Spring Frost Engagement: Sally + Sophia

Real Couples // Spring Frost Engagement: Sally + Sophia

Sally and Sophia are two incredibly fun and in-love individuals who made the trek [twice] to Charlottesville from their home in Washington, DC. Due to some crazy winter temperatures (10 degrees, plus 20 mph wind chill) we ended up postponing the original session date and, instead, met up for a delicious brunch at The Clifton Inn. Many amusing stories were told, along with much discussion over some recent movie theater experiences.

Read More

Real Couples // Couples' Boudoir: Monique + Rochelle

Real Couples // Couples' Boudoir: Monique + Rochelle

I've shot many couples' boudoir sessions before, but when Monique and Rochelle first expressed interest in being photographed, I realized this was our chance to do something different, something a little more wild than I had ever done before. I did everything I could to establish a safe environment for the session, but mostly let this amazing couple do their own thing. I did receive one of the best compliments of my life after the session: "Kinzie! You're so easy to get naked in front of!" But really, the magic was all them; I was just there to document the journey. 

Read More

Real Couples // A Seattle Surprise Engagement: Taymah + Brittany

Real Couples // A Seattle Surprise Engagement: Taymah + Brittany

Taymah and Brittany traveled to Seattle from Chicago for a summer getaway and wanted some portraits done together in front of the Seattle skyline. I took them to one of the best spots to get romantic views of Seattle, Gas Works Park. Little did Brittany know, though, that Taymah had something else extra special in mind. She snuck a diamond ring in their bag and gave me the signal when she was ready to drop to one knee and propose to Brittany right there in front of the perfect Seattle backdrop. I had Brittany facing the other way, and when she turned back around to see Taymah holding out a ring she could not believe her eyes. Their smiles for the rest of the evening say it all. Their love and joy with one another easily spreads to everyone around them, and the glow in their photos does not just come from the sun.

Read More

Behind the Scenes with Lovelit Films // Sabrina & Moira

Behind the Scenes with Lovelit Films // Sabrina & Moira

Sabrina and Moira are a real-life queer Chilean-American couple living in Los Angeles, CA. They met through mutual friends in Portland, OR in 2005. Moira attempted to get Sabrina’s attention several times, but it wasn’t until 5 years later, when the 2010 earthquake hit central Chile that they made a real connection, bonding over their concern for family in the region during the natural disaster. In Moira’s words, “It took an 8.8 earthquake in Chile to get her to notice me!” They fell in love and have been together ever since. This past New Year's Eve, they spontaneously eloped in Hawaii.

Read More