Fairy Tales and Sharing Your Story: Beloved Session Giveaway!

I believe in fairy tales.
I believe in happy endings.
I believe in being a dreamer.
I believe in beating the odds.
I believe in weekly date nights.
I believe in bringing out the best in someone.
I believe in hard conversations that force you both to grow.
I believe in laughing together on a daily.
I believe that cords of three strand are not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
I believe in Love.

I don’t think you can have the job that I do and NOT believe in those things. Its impossible NOT to see something extraordinary in the love stories that people share with me every day. There’s magic in the seems and divine intervention knitting every step together, and thankfully the people I’m around are willing to share it with me. Their stories. Their relationships. Their ups and downs. Their foundations. Their families. Their struggles. Their realities. Their marriages… and there is something captivating in that. and most definitely worth documenting.

So today on this Valentines Day, thats what we’re going to do! I’m excited to give away a “Beloved Session” to one couple out there who is looking for something fun to do to celebrate their marriage! For those who aren’t familiar with the concept of a “Beloved” session, its based on the idea that documenting your life together post-wedding is worth it too. So much of the focus when it comes to photography is on that engagement and wedding season, and then after that the focus can shift completely toward the kids. This “Beloved” movement that was launched a few years back says that 1…5…10…25…50 years of marriage is worth documenting too. Even more important, perhaps. You and your spouse are the foundation of the family, and its worth it to take time and focus on the two of you and the marriage that you work hard to nurture and grow every day.

Whether you’ve been married for 5 months or 50 years, i want to hear YOUR story.

To enter, send an email to jessicasmithphotography@gmail.com or fill out the contact form on my website and tell me:
1) Your story. Whatever it is, however long or short you want to make it, tell me your story.
2) Why you want to do a Beloved session and what you would hope to get out of it.
3) Include something that you feel BEST represents you and your spouse. it can be a photo, a song, a movie clip, a scripture reference, a mission statement, a quote from a book, the cheesy letter he wrote you on your first date… get creative!

All submissions need to be in by Wednesday February 20th at NOON! Please feel free to NOMINATE a couple in your life as well or encourage them to enter! The only qualification for entering is that they have to be married, but thats it! :)

On that note, I figured I’d share some of my favorite Beloved images from past sessions… starting with one of my all time favorite photos I’ve taken. This is one of those images that made me stop in my tracks the first time I saw it, and I immediately thought of how their kids and grandkids will cherish it for a very VERY long time. Photos like this are why I do sessions like these: