Melissa McElrath

This reel has been in my drafts for almost two weeks, and man am I excited to hit the share button! Highland cows AND a proposal?? SAY LESS 👏🏼👏🏼 I can’t wait to share more from this session 💕🐮💍 Alsooooo. Who would be interested in highland cow mini sessions?! Because they are coming SOON 👀👀

I’m not a dramatic photographer … I’m a cool photographer 😜 But also … sometimes these knees and elbows really do hurt after photographing a wedding 😂 {Name that character and movie the sound is from for bonus points}

Just a little peronal life recap from May (in no particular order)💕🌵🌸 {some from my camera and some from my iPhone} Lots of photoshoots A quick trip to Joshua tree My niece turned one Grahams kindercelebration Jade finishing 4th grade Some girl time Fountain coke (obvi) Highland cows Silent disco Lots of big smiles with a mix of some tears … “Healing is not always light, but rain grows flowers too”

“I eat when my bride and groom eat” … It’s actually in my contract 😂 But, getting a bathroom break is a whole different story. It’s funny because it’s true 💀

Don’t mind me over here, full-on crying to this song. My little Jade wrapped up fourth grade today. No big milestone. But somehow, this one felt different. She didn’t change much physically, but she did grow up a lot this year 🥹. (swipe to see the first day of 4th grade, and then again for the first day of kindergarten 😭) This year, her school was destroyed by the hurricane. And still… they made it through. Back in the building, back to learning, back to a little piece of normal. These kids had to go through some really hard transitions, and I know a huge reason that Jade was ok throughout the hurricane chaos was because of her teacher. Jade cried pulling away from school today because she loves her teacher so much, and didn’t want it to be summertime. What a gift, to love her teacher that much and for her teacher to love her so deeply. Something shifted this year. I knew it would come eventually, but nothing really prepares you. Somewhere along the way, the little girl who loved dolls and had a big smile full of missing teeth started turning into a tween. She’s still clinging to some of those toys, but now she’s into skincare, cute outfits, jewelry, and hair stuff. She’s changing rapidly right in front of me. I snapped this photo of her last night at my photoshoot. She threw on my skirt and jean jacket, and twirled around like she was so grown because she can kind of wear my clothes 😂. And, all I could do was stare at this beautiful in-between girl who suddenly doesn’t look so little anymore. Right now, she thinks I’m cool. She comes to me with her secrets and for advice. And, I’m holding on with everything I’ve got because I know it won’t last long. Jadey baby, I love you beyond words. You have the kindest heart, and the most compassionate little soul. You are smart, stunning and truly a joy to know. Im the luckiest to get to be your mom 💕 Also,this is a friendly reminder to document your lives & your children’s lives. They change so quickly, and you can’t get this time back. I’ve never had someone regret having photos taken, and I’ve never regretted taking photos of my own kids. Don’t blink 🥹 Okay—wiping my tears and diving back into editing

Just go ahead and arrest me because ima HYPE the heck out of you 😉👏🏼👏🏼

Just a little side gig 😜💕

Even my 5 year old thinks you should 😉

For the Swifties (and the Swifties only… just kidding. Kind of.) As a photographer, I could stick to sharing only the perfectly curated, golden-hour, kind of photos… but THESE are the moments that make my job extra special. The unplanned moments in between that happen throughout the day. Meg kicked off her shoes, threw on her rehearsal dinner dress, and danced with her stained bare feet with Billy like no one else was in the room. And THEN… the DJ played Taylor. She was fully locked in, and everyone let them have the dance floor to themselves. It was the most magical moment. And, I just happened to capture the perfect moment for the “But Daddy I love him…” lines. but, you to have to watch the video and see those faces (see what I did there 😉)

It still takes my breath away, knowing that if that storm hadn’t shattered everything… you might have never found him. Out of the wreckage came the most beautiful love story. Sometimes beauty begins exactly where everything else fell apart.🥹💕