When we were in Hawaii, I had several shoots lined up for Oahu. Having attended college on Oahu, I still had lots of friends, networking, and contacts I could reach out to for people wanting family photo sessions while we were visiting the islands. But for Big Island, it was a little harder for me to book a session. I decided that I wanted to at least shoot ONE fun session while we were on Big Island, so I reached out to the only network I could think of for that island: The Rising Tide Society. I joined the local chapter of Tuesdays Together and posted in their group, asking for anyone interested in collaborating on a shoot with me. I was SOOO relived and excited when Lyla from Lalamilo Flower Girl said that she would love to be a part of a styled shoot, because usually finding a florist is the hardest part for me! In typical styled shoot fashion, I had vendors + models lined up that ended up falling through, so I had to scramble to find another model. Kara came to my rescue with not only her model experience but also an incredible makeup artist, Kristina Sanchez

We met in the early morning to try to avoid the Saturday morning beach crowds, and I was giddy over the floral crown Lyla had designed for us. I wanted something that was modern, but with a classic Hawaiian touch, and she totally delivered! I learned that Lyla and her family are not only floral designers, but floral farmers and that she had grown and picked everything in the florals she provided from her own flower farm!

Our dresses were from Coco + Lita, an adorable clothing boutique located in Holualoa. I wanted to take alllll the dresses home with me. Her store neighbor just so happened to have a wedding dress that she was willing to let us shoot in, as well. I happily took 3 different dresses, and Kara somehow magically fit into each of the three dresses that I had brought with me, even though we had not measured or tried anything on prior to the shoot. Her red hair happily reminded me of Ariel, and brought that perfect touch of fairy-tale to our session. Kara was enthusiastic and brought such a light and fun attitude to our shoot!

As much work as it sometime can be to put together a styled shoot, it always ends up being worth it for me. Not just because I get to have fun shooting pretty dresses and pretty flowers with a spectacular model, but also because I get to meet amazing creatives from all across the country.