Nicole + Grant
Hi friends! It’s been a minute. I am finally in my slow season so I can focus on sharing more of what I’ve been up to this past year. My intentions are always to stay on top of all the little things and it just gets wayyyyy too crazy. The number of images in my LR that I processed this past year was around 30k. That is INSANITY. Just the thought that I actually looked at over 30,000 images alone – wild. It’s a wonder I even have time to eat and sleep, let alone make a blog post. I do stay on top of my sneak peeks but those periods of time where I can just sit and reflect are far and few in between during a typical wedding season. Something I am eternally grateful for but also just as grateful to have some time to myself to reflect on all of it.
ANYWAY! Nicole + Grant. What an incredibly beautiful wedding at Turning Stone. I haven’t been here since I was just old enough to gamble. This was my first official wedding at Turning Stone and I was SO impressed. My daughter worked as my content creator that day and she said to me “Mom…someday I want to have my wedding here.” It’s not easy to impress a 17 year old so that comment alone should speak volumes.
This day was scalding hot. I mean, temps high enough where walking 200 yards was like walking in the desert for 200 years. The fact that Nicole stayed flawless for all of it is a testament to not only how naturally stunning she is but to her hair and makeup team. Shoutout Blushed Bridal Co! You’re never going to catch me complaining about sun on a wedding day though. I had one year (2024 I think?) where it rained EVERY wedding. Every single one. So 2025 having lots of sun? Blessing all around – regardless of how crazy my hair looked or that I consistently carry around 20lbs worth of gear for 10 hours straight and thought I was going to die just a couple of times. Totally worth it! But maybe I need my own beauty team to follow me around? This is actually not a terrible idea.
Turning Stone has a great bridal suite where Nicole and her bridesmaids got ready. As always, my day started with detail shots and Nicole getting into her dress. We also did a first look with her dad which was so sweet.
Lily and I found a nice spot in the shade for first looks and we did our best to do most of our pictures in the shade before the ceremony. Lucky for us, Turning Stone has some really beautiful gardens that have nice shady trees.
It’s always tough to pick out my favorites for a blog. I spend hours looking over all the images and carefully selecting which ones I want to share without overdoing it and overwhelming the reader. I am such a perfectionist and want to tell the whole story beautifully and in an organic way. Hopefully I did Nicole and Grant justice! Scroll for some of the most beautiful shots of their wedding!
The bouquet frame is one of my favorite shots to get when working with a large bridal party. Nicole’s was epic! Shoutout to her bridesmaids for helping to pull this off because it’s not easy to hold your arm in one position without it drifting off. ESPECIALLY when it’s a million degrees out.
The wedding ceremony took place later in the afternoon which was a blessing for guests who were able to sit in the shade. I watched the staff work so hard to set everything up and just want to make sure they’re mentioned because they definitely went above and beyond this day. Turning Stone has some real ones!
After the ceremony, the staff were ready with champagne, icy water and cool, damp cloths. I love that kind of VIP treatment for brides and grooms. They also brought Nicole and Grant up to the reception room early so they could see everything before the guests came in. Just wait until you get a load of this cake. It is seriously one of the biggest and most beautiful cakes I have ever photographed.
I am so grateful that I got to be a part of Nicole and Grant’s wedding day. It was so much fun, an absolute JOY to photograph and I can’t wait to go back to Turning Stone in the future. A huge shoutout to these wedding vendors who helped make their wedding day so perfect!
Venue/Catering/Cake: @turningstoneweddings https://www.turningstone.com/weddings
Flowers: @affectionsfloral
Music: @legendaryweddingsdj
Dress: @hearttoheartbride
Photography/Cinematography: @jenpeckaphotography
Rings: @kayjewelers
MUA: @blushedbridalco
Invites: @minted
We had the absolute best day. We will cherish your photographs forever 🩵