The first time I met Brad & Melissa was on Christmas Eve, so many years ago that I can’t give an exact date. (This should come as no surprise as I’m terrible with dates… Just ask me my husband’s birthday and I will stutter… It was YESTERDAY by the way!). My family had recently started a tradition that involved a pretty intense night of building gingerbread houses, “randomly” selected teams (the more family drama the better, my brother-in-law would say), and punishment in the form of karaoke blasting into their neighborhood. Brad and Melissa were instantly a part of our family. Their names stir up fond memories – always ready to light up a room with their laughter and genuine love for one another.

Fast forward past a really interesting rendition of a “Hurricane Katrina” gingerbread house – a low blow after the recent storm, especially from a team featuring a New Orleans resident – and a few other very far fetched concepts (the Sexy-Back house with a candy Justin Timberlake crawling from the chimney comes to mind) and here we are today!

I have been so honored to capture a few monumental times for this family. Some of my favorite images are of a glowing & pregnant Melissa on New Smyrna Beach just 2 years ago and of their beautiful 6 month old baby girl, Ariana, shortly after. Together on the beach, we reconvened to capture this new chapter of their lives.

Enjoy a snippet of their session below…