Danessa and I went to university together at Brock and spent many of those years in the dance studio together. When Danessa contacted me to photograph her engagement session I was so happy to have the opportunity to reconnect with her and meet her wonderful soon to be hubby Mike. Below Danessa has shared a little peak into her and Mike's love story, so keep reading for some sweet romance.

"It all started with a click. Somewhere in between overly long lectures, too many parties to remember, and endless frozen pizzas for dinner, we made time to explore the mysterious land they call online dating. We still remember our first date, a rainy Thursday night dinner, an awkward first date that turned into a lifelong friendship. Whether its zip lining and swimming in Mexico’s hidden caves, avoiding the overpriced food in Miami beach, standing at the edge on top of Empire State, or jumping 10,000 feet from an airplane; we have shared countless adventures. Yet the greatest and most thrilling part has and will always be having each other by our sides. We are blessed to be in each other’s lives, to make each other laugh, drive each other crazy and to be able to love one another, each and everyday. We look forward to this new chapter in our lives. A future filled with love and happiness. Together we will be able to face whatever life throws at us, because when you get to marry your best friend anything is possible. We can’t wait to say I Do 11/11/18."

I cannot begin to express my gratitude to Carolyn Bentum (Carolyn Bentum Photography) for the amazing learning experience she has given me over the past few months. Back in November I took a leap and reached out to Carolyn for the first time. I have always admired her work and her big heart and passion for photography and connecting with others. It has been my goal to push myself to constantly be learning and growing as a photographer and I felt starting up a mentorship with Carolyn would give me the opportunity for growth I had been searching for. From the very first day Carolyn was full of positivity and encouragement and was never afraid to ask me the challenging questions about my photography and business that no one ever wants to be asked but everyone needs to reflect on. I truly felt her gently pushing me to think deeply about what I wanted my business to look like and the experience I wanted to provide to my clients. We spent many nights talking about what makes me unique and through this I learned how photography is so much more that beautiful pictures but all the heart and love that goes into creating an entire experience. Near the end of our time together I was able to see Carolyn put everything we had discussed together into an inspiration session. She told me she begins every inspiration session with a story to bring life and emotion to the shoot. Together we created “Sweet Memories”, the story of Violet and Graham. During the session I loved watching and learning alongside Carolyn and seeing once again the true value in connecting with others in order to create beautiful, natural and joyful photographs. Relationships are something I value more than anything and it brings me so much joy to not only preserve these precious seasons of life in the relationships of others, but also help them continue to laugh, connect and grow as a couple even through the craziest of times. Before I share the images from our session I’d love to just say one last big thank you to Carolyn and encourage anyone in any profession to take the time to learn and grow in your work and connect with others who challenge you to become the best you possibly can be. I'm am so looking forward to what the future holds for my business with all I have now and still have to learn.

Beautiful bouquet by Fleurish Design Studio - http://fleurishdesignstudio.com/

Carolyn Bentum Mentorship Experience - http://carolynbentumphotography.com/