A few weeks prior to our session, Brandi sent me a picture of the dress she bought for her sunrise maternity session and my heart basically melted. She expressed to me that she wanted an ‘Earth Mama Floral Vibe’ and I overjoyed in hearing that! When she said she wanted to wear a floral crown, I reached out to Alana with Flowers by Alana. I’d been following Alana on Instagram for a while and asked her to make a floral crown for this special maternity session. And we both LOVED the crown she made! Brandi’s vision for her maternity photo session quickly turned into the session of my dreams!

Brandi had also expressed interest in getting into the water with her husband at the end of the photo session. So, as I scouted out a couple of locations in the weeks leading up to our session, I kept my eyes open for spots with ease of getting into the water. Rooster Rock State Park has long been on my list of possible photo locations and when I went there at sunrise to scout it out I knew right away that it would be perfect.

We met at 6:45am on a Saturday to capture this magical time in Brandi & Joel’s lives as they wait for baby Wilder to arrive. I am so thankful they were willing to get up with the sun to capture that early morning glowy light. She looked radiant in her white lace maternity gown and the white and green floral crown looked amazing in her fiery red hair. An absolute vision! And Joel’s khaki pants and blue button down paired perfectly with his wife’s outfit. 

I loved getting to know Brandi & Joel over the course of our time together, we chatted about life and work, and of course about preparations to welcome baby Wilder into their lives. In fact, later that day their friends were throwing them a baby shower to celebrate! How sweet is that?!

These two were so much fun to hang out with and let me just tell you, they were such troopers. We met on a very chilly morning and walked around the park for almost two hours. I was loving photographing them in that beautiful golden light, but by the end of the session – I could tell Brandi was freezing. So we quickly wrapped up and tossed the idea of getting into the water out the window. It was just too chilly for that. Brrr…

But later that day she texted me saying, maybe we’ll have to find a time for a family session in the water to bring her vision to fruition. And I said, “absolutely!”

Brandi & Joel, thank you for entrusting me to capture this magical time in your lives! I can’t wait to photograph baby Wilder once he makes his big debut. You’re so close to meeting him!

Here are a few of my favorites from our time together!