"I knew she was the one the first time I heard her say 'I love you'.  Hearing those words come from her in a way I had never heard them said before struck me in such a profound way.  I had never heard such genuine love spoken before Jessica nor had I seen it.  The way she looked at me I knew right away I had finally found the love of my life." I'm a total crier when it comes to weddings, and during every part of Jessica and Adam's day I found myself tearing up. It didn't matter if it was the bridesmaids watching Jessica get final touches on her makeup or the last dance where Adam and Jessica were enveloped in each other's arms, it all created such a beautiful feeling. My favorite part of the day was getting to watch Adam's face light up as he saw Jessica come through the doors and down the aisle. His nerves had been on overdrive the whole day. I seriously thought for a second that he may pass out in anticipation for the ceremony to begin. It wasn't until Adam saw Jessica come around the corner that relief washed over him and a smile spread across his face. As Jessica walked toward Adam she paused halfway down the aisle so that Adam could meet her and they could take the final steps to the arbor together. Honestly, at that point in the ceremony (which...

The more days with perfect weather we have, the more and more I'm itching to get outside for some of this years engagement sessions. I am so excited for all of the couples that Shawn and I get to photograph, and all this sunshine is making it hard to wait for next month when everything fully kicks into gear. I wanted to do tonight's blog on how Shawn and I prepare for engagement sessions after a few months of not being behind the camera regularly. For future brides and grooms who are reading this: you are not the only ones who get nervous before photos. I'm not going to lie, it can be difficult getting back into the groove, and when I feel an ounce of jitters I become a tongue tied mess, haha. However, after doing this for awhile, I've been able to come up with a process that has knocked out a lot of pre-session butterflies. My steps help me, and whether you are a couple preparing for your own engagement photos or a photographer gearing up for a crazy awesome season, I hope these will be useful! My first step toward calming nerves is always getting to know the clients. Shawn and I meet with our couples, we send them welcome gifts, and I try to be in almost constant communication leading up to the session. The main motivation behind doing all of that is for everyone to feel very comfortable with each other...

Weddings are almost always viewed as the beginning of a beautiful life with your partner. It's exciting and special, and most of the time our imaginations build a spectacular day full of sparkle. But our imagination rarely takes into account the stress leading up to the day or the cost of that dream wedding. Both stress and money together can lead to a lot of heartbreak throughout the planning process if you aren't well equipped. Tonight's blog is about strategies to remaining sane when you are in the thick of planning. A few of our brides touched on this topic, and I found it fascinating how each couple dealt with things differently. From organizing finances to just remaining calm, the advice in this installment is very unique to the couple that wrote it. I must say, though, one of the common factors across the board is that at the end of the day you are marrying your perfect person. Even if the cake gets dented, or there is an accident which backs up traffic and delays your wedding, you still get to say "I do" and start your new beginning.   April & Corey "Really consider your dream wedding plans. It's so easy to feel pressured to find things that fit your theme, but really think about it because halfway through the planning process that probably won't matter to you anymore. Really all that matters is marrying the person you love."  ...

I am so shocked that the end of the year is already here! Today's blog has been an absolute breeze to write and a dream to pick images for. I've had in mind some of the images that I would use for today's post for quite awhile, but actually going through them brought back so many happy memories of the great people Shawn and I have gotten to meet. Over the past year, I have felt so much growth in engagements sessions; from getting couples to feel comfortable, to putting on the final edits. It's truly been a wonderful year. We have had our share of challenges, but, through facing them head-on, we have been able to completely obliterate any problems (hulk style :P). 2015 was also Shawn's first full year of shooting along side me. I can't speak for him, but I can say it has been the most amazing thing. I love working with my husband, we can pretty much read each other's minds and he helps me calm down in times of high stress. He is my rock and I cannot thank him enough for all the hard-work and dedication he has shown to Britney Clause Photography. There are not enough jellybeans in the world for me to pay him back with <3. Going forward into 2016, I hope to take my engagement sessions to the next level. Shawn and I are constantly learning in order to give every couple we have the best possible...

Katie and Matt completed my trio of weddings at the beginning of September, and it was one of the most beautiful weddings I've had the pleasure of photographing. Their wedding took place at the breath-taking Mt. Washington Mill-Dye House, which is a complete dream. My jaw dropped as soon as I stepped through the door's of the Dye House. Unique architecture, exposed brick, string lights creating a fairytale like glow over dinner and dancing; it's a space that doesn't need many additions to be perfect, but the small details that Katie and Matt did have played wonderfully with the overall atmosphere of the Dye House. In order to maximize time on their wedding day, I met with Katie and Matt at Fort McHenry a week before their wedding to take their bridal portraits. It was a new experience for me, and I think I may be in love with bridal portraits now. Katie and Matt were able to choose a location that had plenty of variety from bright green trees, to spectacular waterfront. They weren't limited to what their wedding venue had to offer and it allowed them a lot more time at the wedding to enjoy the amazing party. Shawn and I really enjoyed working with Katie, Matt, and their daughter, Larkin. Not only are they calm and down-to-Earth, but they are incredibly sweet. I look forward to any chance I get to work with these three again :).   ______________________________________________________________________________ The fabulous vendors that made this...

A beautiful couple with beautiful doggies in a beautiful location; could there be anything better? Rocks State Park is such a great location on its own, but whenever I get to shoot in a place that is special to a couple, that location becomes even more amazing! We started off this wonderful engagement session with a visit to this really cool waterfall. Since it was such a great day out, there were loads of swimmers all around the waterfall, but Cal and Emily did not let that affect their model posing. I could almost forget the people around us, except for all the splashing, haha! As Shawn stayed back to hang on to the pups by the waterfall, Emily, Cal, and I traveled up the river and really explored more of the area. I just cannot say enough about this location. It was so green and bright - the perfect indication that Spring is here to stay! Our next stop was to the King and Queen Chairs where the dogs were let loose to have fun! This area was gorgeous, and had a spectacular view of the park below us. As long as no one thought of how far up we were, or looked over the edge of the rock cliff, we were totally fine! The three dogs - Sarge, Harvey, and Pickles - acted as my assistants in getting Emily and Cal to burst with laughter. At one point, Emily and Cal were off being cute and as I...