ONE YEAR AGO, we made Sweet Julep Photography LLP an official business with the state and federal government. We had absolutely no idea what in the world we were doing... The day we went to the courthouse to form our LLP, we probably went back and forth between the library across the street and the different court offices at least five times. There was no magical checklist online, and there were definitely no accurate step-by-step instructions anywhere to be found... But we made it all happen and now we are celebrating our one year anniversary!

This is all quite bizarre to us, truly. No matter how much we have loved photography, neither of us believed it to be our career. We honestly are logical, realistic girls... We never considered photography to be a legitimate means of employment, BUT it seems God had different ideas for us, which we have learned we are okay with :) Over the past several months, we've had to make some other huge decisions. If we want Sweet Julep to grow (like it appears that it yearns to), we need to put 100% of our effort and time into the business. So last week, Brittany and Allen made the decision for Brittany to leave her full-time day job and pursue Sweet Julep 100%. So one year after SJ was created, Kayci and Brittany are both shooting full-time. Uh, WHAT. Never in a million years did we think we'd be where we are today. During these past few months, we've been focusing on Proverbs 16:3 for reassurance and guidance: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." We want to be WHERE God wants us, doing WHAT He wants us to do. And we are extremely anxious to do exactly that.

We want to extend the most sincere and heartfelt thanks to our amazing clients. We have had the most incredible opportunities to work with some truly wonderful people! Every one of our couples has nearly stolen our hearts. Each time we think we couldn't possibly love two people more, we find ourselves immersed in emotion during the next set of vows or father/daughter dance... We cannot even begin to express how much we love what we do. THANK YOU to our previous and future clients. Thank you for trusting us with your wedding day. (And don't be surprised if we need a bathroom break after your ceremony to make sure our mascara isn't running all down our faces... Hey, it happens when we witness that special, spectacular kind of love!)

We decided Sweet Julep's birthday was grounds for a celebration, so that's exactly what we did...in a silly, girly kind of way. Who doesn't want to get dressed up and eat delicious sweets with some champagne?! It was a memorable milestone and we decided to ask our friend, Morgan, to document it for us :)

Photography: Morgan Trinker Photography // Venue: Bridgestreet Gallery and Loft // Cake: Phil Cain // Macarons: Magic City Macarons // Florals: Ricky Whitley

Some Favorite Moments of SJ's First Year:

The night our friend and high school football coach, Eddie, proposed to his girlfriend, Karis, immediately after his (winning) game at Clay-Chalkville (against his alma mater, Oak Mountain). As the team gathered on the field after the win, Eddie got down on one knee. Before he could even get his words out, Karis was in tears. It was the most adorable thing you've seen in your life. All his players started chanting, "Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" He grabbed her real close and just laid a movie-worthy kiss on her! SIDE STORY: Brittany is extremely late to the game and arrives breathless as she and Kayci run like crazy women to get to the huddle in time and attempt to push through massive football players. It was really a sight to see.
Our first wedding at Avon Theater, we arrived on time (per our schedule made with the bride) which was about an hour early per the venue's schedule. Well, we were advised that our bride would be getting ready in a nursery upstairs. Naturally, we went on a search for the prettiest nursery room, and oh did we find a great one! Only to be locked out of the room immediately after the door clicked shut. With only one cell phone, one camera, and everything else locked inside that room, we managed to stay calm. We did consider breaking down the door as sheer panic set in, of course. Luckily, the ladies in charge are miracle workers!
One of the very first weddings we did as Sweet Julep was for a bride that we went to high school with, Jessica. Her younger brother, Drew, also was in high school with us as well, and we were all friends. We had asked Drew earlier that day if he wanted to do a first look with his sister. Drew was all cool and was like, "Nahhh, I'm good." Flash forward an hour or two later to bridal party photos... While waiting on the groomsmen to gather, Drew catches sight of Jessica and just straight lines it right to her and gives her the biggest hug while CRYING. This unfolds right in front of Brittany and she is so surprised by the moment, she fumbles for any of the two cameras around her neck and takes a photo with the first one she gets her hands on, which ends up being a film camera. Also note that by this point, Brittany is crying too... Thankfully, the one photo of the moment managed to be caught came out perfectly on that film.
Last November, we had the opportunity to witness one of the most beautiful moments we've ever seen.... our friends Nadia and Chris got re-married after years of divorce (incredible) and as soon as Parker, their 7 year old son, walked back down the aisle with his sister Chloe, he ran straight into the bridal suite and crumpled up on the couch, face buried in his hands, crying... Of course the family runs in and sits around him, trying to figure out what's wrong, and all he said was, "I'm just so happy!" This was also captured on camera, and it's probably one of the most meaningful photos we've ever taken.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Julep!