The Most Gorgeous 2's Day Wedding | Jen & Rob

Let me set the scene… the year is 2022. The day has come… Tuesday, 2/22/22. A truly special day, and I’m not just talking about the palindrome date!

Jen & Rob got married on the lawn at Huliheʻe Palace in Kailua Kona. Huliheʻe Palace is a historic palace built in 1838 as a summer palace for the Hawaiian monarchy. As visitors to Hawaiʻi Island, Jen & Rob stressed the importance of reverence and respect for the island. The land and venue itself as well as their respect for the people of the island. As someone born and raised here, it truly touched me to hear them say that. I knew right from our first consultation that they were my PEOPLE! They had an amazing team of local vendors and the most joyful day!

On Being Romantic

Our wedding Photos by Tracey Lyn Photography

I love- and I mean, LOVE- a good romantic comedy. Always have, always will. They’re without a doubt my favorite genre of movies. From a young age, I’d watch these movies where the guy stands outside of the girls house with a boom box above his head, or dashes through the airport to stop her from getting on her flight, or weaves through traffic on his motorcycle to catch her in her cab. The notions of what ~romance~ is supposed to be have been ingrained in me since I was a little girl. I, of course, carried this into my own romantic relationships over the years. The random floral arrangements, the hidden love notes, the extravagant, surprise waterfront date nights were all key indicators of romance.

When I started dating my (now) husband nearly eight years ago, I knew one thing: we had so. much. fun. together. I also found myself thinking that although we laughed til our cheeks hurt and loved each other immensely, he wasn’t “romantic” in the way the men in my favorite movies were. He wasn’t one for long winded love letters or weekly dress-to-the-nines date nights or jewelry gifts or cheesy instagram posts. But one morning early on in our relationship, he came to me carrying a steaming cup of coffee. He said “want a sip? This is a perfect cup of coffee.” I’m not one to turn down a sip of anything, let alone coffee, so of course I obliged. While I sipped it, he said “I know I made it perfect because I matched it to the color of your skin- it makes a perfect cup every time.” And that’s when I realized- he is actually so romantic. Not in the ways I saw in the movies or in books, but in a quieter, assuring, extremely thoughtful type of way. When I started my photography business, he built me a desk from scratch. He saw a small rose in a garden and plucked it to put it in my hair. He converted to a Taylor Swift fan (ha). He knows me better than anyone else. And while we do have our date nights, our picnics, our dancing and our flowers, I know that those aren’t what makes him romantic. It’s been said that there is nothing more intimate than being fully known, and I can attest to that. Eight years of dating later, I can truly say that my husband has shown me my favorite type of romance.

Aikie & Kayleen | Intimate Backyard Wedding

I’ve known Kayleen (Kiki to most) since high school- we met playing volleyball and have been friends ever since. She’s tiny (about 5 ft tall) but I remember her being so strong and having an insane vertical ;)

She and Aikie have been together since 2012 and now have a beautiful daughter named Kaiana who was the most precious flower girl. They were initially set to get married in the summer, but like many others, the COVID-19 pandemic put a huge damper in their plans. Fast forward to August 23, 2020- they decided to just do it. At home, with their closest family and friends. Their day so greatly reflected who they are as a couple. Joyful and playful! Peep the wedding “cake” and the topper! They love to fish and be near the ocean, and they even have their own little handshake they do- can you tell what it is? (Hint- I included some photos of it;)) Although it’s not what they had planned, their intimate day was so filled with love and joy, right there at home. This wedding is such a reminder that there is great beauty and love to be found, even here, even now. We just need to make it. I’m so honored to have been able to capture this unexpected but so beautiful day for them.

Glowing at Golden Hour | Crystal & Jarrick Maternity Portraits

Where do I even begin?! This baby girl is already so loved. Her parents are, among many other things, kind, thoughtful and so much fun! I’ve had the honor of calling this GLOWING mother- to- be my friend for the past 4 years (!) and I cannot be happier for her and her husband, Jarrick.

We drove over the mountain to the West side of the island for this dreamy sunset session and I’m so glad I was able to spend the evening with these two.. ahem… three!

Crystal has been one of the people that cheered me on from the start. When I was busy talking myself out of starting my business, she was right there believing in me. For the first year of my business, she would often come with me to shoots to assist and keep me company for long drives around the island. I’m so grateful to call these two my friends, and cannot wait to see them become parents!

Sun-Soaked Snuggles | Kassey & Travis' Engagement

This engagement session took me to the west side of the Big Island and as always, I was STOKED to be able to catch a sunset. Puako is one of my favorite areas on the west side to chill, swim and enjoy a sunset. Kassey & Travis laughed and snuggled on the beach as the sun dipped below the horizon and I was so honored to capture it all! These two are so fun to be around and their joy is absolutely evident in these photos, in my humble opinion :)

Congratulations Kassey & Travis! Can’t wait to see what the future holds for these two :)

Big Magic- My Attempt to Make my Life Artful

One of the things I love to say is that I always try to find the big magic in everyday moments. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s true- who says we can’t make our lives beautiful?? Here and now. Yes, of course one day I want to take 6 months off and travel through the globe with the love of my life and yes, of course I want that house with that backyard full of flowers and tomatoes and a pergola covered in vines; however, there’s beauty to be found right now- even if we have to make it ourselves.

One thing I’ve found great great joy in lately is having small, ~pretty~ things around the house. Cheap candle sticks, ninety nine cent glass vases from the thrift store filled with flowers if I can find them, or even just empty sitting on the shelf. Old glass plates. Painting my used glass salad dressing bottles and sticking little buds of foraged flowers in them. A single flower sat in a martini glass. Sage green bed sheets. Who made the rule that grandma’s wedding china can’t be mixed and matched and used for a Tuesday night dinner? In my opinion, grandma would want me to cherish it by using it, even for my mediocre roasted sweet potatoes and salmon.

Another thing- looking up. And sometimes down. A lot. Here in Hilo the sky is always changing and doing something interesting. My favorite time of day lately has been around 6pm, because of the long days in the summer solstice. The tinges of orange and purple and blue, and some nights, afternoons even seem a little green if that makes sense. #justphotographerthings

Taking photos of small things I love. The light streaming into a room through the crinkled Target curtains. A stray cat resting with his head on a leaf. When the sun sparkles on the water so brightly I feel it could blind me (tbh it probably could lol just an example). When I wake up and the sky is blue but I can still see the moon. They probably won’t solicit many likes on Instagram, but they make me happy.

Also, having some favorite garments of clothing- and wearing them often. Even when I’m just at home. I have a favorite t shirt and shorts combination that just makes me feel fun, cute and comfy no matter what I’m up to. I also have a few dresses that are fun to just float around the house in lol.

Crafting a life you love is an art. It’s complex and subjective and looks different for everyone. I still have goals and am working hard to get there, but I’ve decided to fill the journey with art and “little happies” as I’ve heard them called- and I acknowledge that this statement can be somewhat steeped in privilege. I just wanted to share this with my little corner of the internet in hopes that it can encourage you to fill your life with art too, whatever that means to you.