Why I Moved My Wedding Photography Business to Gainesville, FL | Gainesville Wedding Photographer

Long story, long… Here is how it all began!

I thought I had my life planned out.

When I moved to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. I planned it since a freshman in high school. Graduate from law school and my masters in Healthcare Administration at the age of 23. I completed my undergraduate degree at 19 and began a master’s program in healthcare administration, I was on track.

On paper, everything looked like it was going according to plan (granted I was 15 when I made that plan).

But the truth was, I felt completely lost.

At 20 years old, I wasn’t excited about the path I was on, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted my life to look like. I was sitting in the classes of the Masters of Healthcare Administration program not finding the same love and enthusiasm absolutely everyone else had (granted the class size was only like 23 people). After my first year of graduate school, I made a decision that surprised a lot of people, and…

Gainesville has always been part of my story.

Long before I became a documentary wedding photographer in Gainesville, Florida, it was the place where I studied, celebrated milestones, and eventually learned that sometimes the best decisions are the ones that completely change your plans.

From Gainesville to a Tiny Island in Australia

What followed was a journey that took me farther from Gainesville than I ever imagined.

I found myself living on a tiny island off the east coast of Australia called Heron Island. The island was only about a mile long and half a mile wide, half of it owned by the University of Queensland for research and the other half by a resort. There were no roads, no phone reception, and very little connection to the outside world. Which was actually great considering I left my masters program and up and left 3 weeks after Christmas with no explanation to anyone.

People asked me why and how i chose to up and leave and move so far. The answer that I tell everyone is… the only thing that I had 100% certainty without any doubt was that I wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef before I die and what better way than to live on it and see it now. I also have a fear of water and love trying new things and decided I would check off “learn how to scuba dive” off my life list.

I spent my days outdoors, indeed, did learn how to scuba dive, and slowly started figuring out who I was outside of school, expectations and plans.

During my six months on the island, I only left once. I took a seaplane back to the mainland before returning to what had become a tiny community in the middle of the ocean.

Eventually, I met a family who invited me to stay with them in Byron Bay for a week. I loved the area so much that I ended up staying in Australia for years.

The Best Memories Were Never Planned

During those years, I lived in hostels, worked weddings, catered events, bartended, served tables, and met people from all over the world.

When COVID hit and work became difficult to find, a manager I had worked for offered me a room in exchange for helping around the property. I did yard work. That simple act of generosity became one of the many reminders of how much people can impact our lives.

Looking back, my favorite memories weren’t the big milestones.

They were the moments in between being together and making new memories.

The nights someone pulled out a guitar and a group of strangers started singing.

Walking home from work and listening to buscars on the street. (Felipe Baldomir, Tay Oskee, and Jack Botts just to name a few of my faves)

The birthdays celebrated together.

The dinners that lasted long after the food was gone and everyone meeting at the communal kitchen to cook each other meals.

Gathering at the jetty when someone was leaving the island.

Kayaking out to snorkel with friends.

The conversations that stretched for hours.

The friendships I never expected to make with people from around the world.

None of those moments were planned.

And yet they’re the memories I treasure most.

Photography Was Always There

Photography had been part of my life, long before Australia.

Growing up, my mom had shot weddings and engagements and I had always learned and assisted when I could.

Hanging out with friends, I was always the one holding my Sony Cybershot handheld point and shoot (which I still have to this day and bring to weddings for old school, authentic feel footage!

As a student, I won first place nationally and statewide through the Technology Student Association for photography.

Even when it wasn’t my career, it was always something I loved. I guess I never thought I could be a documentary wedding photographer capturing more memories in Gainesville, Florida, the place where I have documented so many of my own memories.

I carried a camera with me almost everywhere I went.

In Australia, I started photographing my time on the island and hostels. Along the way I met so many people and was so fascinated with their stories, that I decided to document that too!

COVID hit while I was in Australia and I found myself continuing my passion and going to sit on the sandy beaches and insane overlooks, taking photos of surfers for hours and running up to them before they left so they could forever live their memories!

I then started working in the wedding field doing absolutely everything from catering and serving to bartending to setup and loved every bit of it but especially loved that everyone was together celebrating. They say theres only two days in your life where everyone you love is in the same room and you’re only alive for one of them.

What began as a creative outlet slowly became something much more meaningful.

More Places, More People, More Stories

Photography gave me a reason to slow down and pay attention. Time moves so so fast and this is my way of letting others relive moments you can’t ever get back.

After Australia, I returned home before moving to Utah. I’d never seen snow before and wanted to learn how to snowboard.

I spent more than two years exploring the mountains, meeting new people, and continuing to photograph the people and places around me.

Later, I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, wanting to experience life in a growing southeastern city.

It was there that everything finally came full circle.

After years of carrying a camera everywhere I went, I decided to pursue photography and was quickly able to pursue it full-time.

Why I Named My Business Together & Unscripted

People often ask where the name Together & Unscripted Photography came from.

The answer is simple. Looking back, I realized something.

I always had a camera in my hand, but what I was really documenting wasn’t the island.

It wasn’t the scuba diving.

It wasn’t the seaplanes.

It wasn’t the places.

It was the people.

It was gathering at the jetty when someone was leaving.

It was celebrating birthdays together.

It was kayaking out to snorkel with friends.

It was strangers becoming family.

It was the conversations, the laughter, and the moments nobody planned.

Those are the memories that stayed with me.

That’s where Together & Unscripted Photography comes from.

Because the best moments in life are rarely scripted.

They’re the moments that happen when we’re fully present with the people around us.

It’s also why I photograph weddings the way I do.

I want my couples to have beautiful photographs, of course. But I also believe your wedding should feel like a wedding, not a photoshoot.

The images that matter most years from now aren’t just the portraits. They’re the hugs, the laughter, the tears, the stories shared during speeches, and the moments you didn’t even realize were happening at the time.

Those are the moments that become memories.

Coming Back to Gainesville, Fl

After years of living in Australia, Utah, and North Carolina, I eventually found my way back to Gainesville.

Today, I am a Gainesville wedding photographer serving couples here, in Ocala, St. Augustine, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and anywhere love stories take me.

What makes being back here so special isn’t just the location. It’s being close to family again.

My brother, sister-in-law, and niece live across the street, and my parents and sister are all nearby.

After years of moving around the world, I’ve come to appreciate the people we share life with more than ever.

And that’s exactly what I hope to give my couples.

Not just beautiful photographs, but honest reminders of what it felt like to be surrounded by the people they love.

Because at the end of the day, the best memories aren’t the perfectly planned ones.

They’re the ones we experience together.