Greenhouse Wedding at 3rd Turn Brewery's Oldham Gardens by Louisville, Kentucky Photographer Sarah Katherine Davis Photography

Felicia and Brennan love plants, the outdoors, beer, and family... so the decision to have their wedding at 3rd Turn Oldham Gardens, a local brewery and beer garden, was an easy one! Their ceremony was held in a greenhouse decorated with a lush floral arch and they asked that anyone who could grow a mustache to do so. Some backstory— Brennan has rocked a mustache for a LONG time and it ends up being a topic of discussion often. They leaned into that and supplied mustaches for anyone who couldn't grow their own and had it as a sub-theme of the wedding. It was amazing - although it did make it hard to find Brennan in the sea of white button-ups and mustaches sometimes when I was photographing the dance floor.

My favorite thing about this wedding wasn't the gorgeous greenhouses, the trellises full of greenery, the polaroid guest book, or everyone's amazing dance moves....although I loved all of those things. The thing that stood out to me the most is how much they adore each other. After their ceremony they found a private spot to exchange vows— I was far enough away that I couldn't hear what they said, but just watching and documenting from a distance got me weepy. They clearly have huge depth in their love for one another, but are also able to be completely silly together. I think that is the best balance to have in a relationship.

florals: Mike Ojeda with Mahonia Studio // venue: 3rd Turn Brewing & 3rd Turn Oldham Gardens // coordinator: Susan Mann with Circle and Soul Events // dj: Stephen Crandall with Sound Specialist Entertainment // catering: Katie Calvert with City BBQ // gown: The Bridal Suite of Louisville // gown alterations: Michelle Thomas of Michelle Thomas Alterations

If you're looking for more unique venues that incorporate the outdoors, this intimate treehouse elopement was incredibly sweet and this cozy autumn wedding at Springhouse Gardens will for sure get you feeling the fall spirit. You can also learn more about 3rd Turn Oldham Gardens on my comprehensive list of the best wedding venues in Louisville here.

Portugal Trip // Exploring the Azores, Lisbon, and the Algarve

My spouse had a ticket to visit Portugal back in 2010 (just a few months before we started dating)... but then that volcano in Iceland erupted and halted all flights to Europe for a few days. Long story short, they never ended up being able to visit until now. It's been a bucket list location for a while since their grandmother is from Portugal (and of course I’ve heard all about the perfect weather, clear water, great food, etc.)

Scheduling this trip in the middle of the fall wedding season was certainly a decision I questioned more than once, but ultimately it was the perfect way to recharge. It's really easy to fall victim to burnout in the wedding industry, especially for photographers, but I know I owe it to myself (and to my clients) to genuinely be enthusiastic about what I do. Because I make it a priority to schedule time off for myself, I am lucky enough to almost always love what I'm doing and to bring all my best energy to each couple I work with.

On this trip, we started and ended in Lisbon where we visited art museums and galleries, ate all the tapas, enjoyed live Fado music, relaxed on the balconies of our Airbnbs, and oohed and ahhed at all the gorgeous tile. We explored castles, their gardens, and greenhouses in Sintra— as well as a labyrinth of tunnels beneath one of those castles. In the Azores, we soaked in sub-tropical hot springs on a chilly day (and then ate a stew cooked in the geothermal water!), took many a foggy hike, walked along a crater lake, and swam under a waterfall at the end of a trail. In the Algarve, we stayed inside a windmill built in 1900 by our host's great grandfather, wandered along red rocky cliffs and through caves and tunnels leading to hidden beaches, and braved the chilly ocean water. It was one of my favorite vacations we've been on and I'm so excited to share some of the images with you all!

If you're wanted to see more travel photos, you can see images from our other adventures in the travel section of my blog.

Summer Parklands Engagement Session

Just looking back through this gorgeous summer engagement session has me already missing the peak-season greenery...but if we're being completely honest I'd trade all that in for the cooler weather that is *supposed* to be coming sometime soon. These two were a joy to photograph— they make each other laugh so easily, their fashion choices are right up my alley, and their tattoos complement each other's perfectly. I had such a wonderful time showing them all my favorite paths in The Parklands.

Reminder about flower fields: flowers are delicate. If you want an image of someone sitting while surrounded by flowers, look for a rock or dirt area for them to sit on so that you don't crush the blooms. It'll give the same impression without causing harm. (I know you don't believe me, but look at all the images we got while sticking to dirt and rock! You can't tell at all - which is why I feel the need to bring it up.) A good question to ask is "if one hundred other people did the same thing what would happen?" One hundred people can walk on dirt or rock without an impact, but if 100 people wandered through the flowers then we would lose those flowers fast. The Parklands is pretty good at putting up signage on areas that are delicate or need to rest so you know where to avoid.

Another note for all the photographers out there— make sure to stay current on your permits when you're shooting at a park! The Parklands requires a permit to shoot in all five of their parks, but it is so worth it! They always have clean (and temperature-controlled!) bathrooms, beautiful flowers, and are constantly expanding with new projects! Our financial support is needed to make sure our impact is minimized— and to ensure the parks are well-maintained so we always have a beautiful place to explore and to photograph.

If you’re looking for more outdoorsy goodness try this adventurous hiking session or this epic Iceland engagement. Also if you want to hear more about how Kristen and Ryan got engaged these photos were featured along with their story over on How They Asked!