07/09/2026
One year ago today, I was on my way to Italy to photograph a multi-day wedding.
At the time, I thought that was the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Looking back now, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Even before Italy was ever on the table, I had this overwhelming feeling that there was something bigger tied to this wedding. I couldn’t tell you why. I just knew. It felt strangely familiar, like I’d somehow lived it before.
So when they called to tell me they were scrapping their plans to get married in Halifax and moving everything to Italy, I trusted my gut. I told them I still wanted to be the one to capture it. At the time, I thought I was saying yes to Italy. I wasn’t. I was saying yes to H+R.
To being welcomed into their family and their circle. To every conversation, every laugh, every tear, every dance floor moment. To friendships that have continued to grow long after the wedding was over.
Somewhere along the way, that feeling I’d had from the very beginning finally made sense. It was never really about Italy. It was about the people I was about to meet.
And yes...Italy really was every bit as breathtaking as it looks. But knowing H+R now, I understand why that week felt the way it did. Beautiful things seem to happen around them because of who they are. They have this incredible way of making people feel loved and like they’ve always belonged. That’s just who they are.
In fact, they even gave me a nickname (which I’ve since learned is one of their love languages). So for one unforgettable week in Italy...I answered to Gabriella.
I don’t think I’ll ever fully be able to put into words everything I’ve gained from saying yes. I still get emotional thinking about it. The gratitude I have for H+R, and all of their people runs so much deeper than I could ever fit into an Instagram caption.
Going back through these images this week brought me right back there. Somehow it all feels completely real and completely surreal at the same time.
The older I get, the more I realize the greatest gift this career has given me was never the places it’s taken me. It’s the people it’s introduced me to.
H+R, thank you for trusting me with your story. LFG.
