I had been dying to attend one of Julie Paisley’s Cottage Workshops for over a year, but the dates never lined up with my schedule.  She is one talented Nashville wedding photographer. As I followed along with her work, I began to feel like we are very similar souls living in different parts of the country.

Her work is fine art, and she is an incredibly talented film wedding photographer.  Her faith, her innate desire to capture human connection, and her sweet southern charm drew me in and made me want to meet her and know more.

Well, months passed and I happened across a post she made on Facebook in regards to doing a giveaway for 3 spots that remained open for her upcoming spring workshops for 2017.  This was my sign folks. I literally stopped what I was doing, and took the time to write to her, from the heart, why I needed this workshop, why I wanted this workshop, and what photography really means to my life.

After I wrote the email, read it to my husband, and we prayed for this blessing to come to be, I hit send! It was done.

Every day for eight straight days, I consistently refreshed my inbox, hoping for some type of response. I didn’t expect to win. In fact, I never win. And then there it was, a message from Julie.

I was sitting alone in my room reading her reply.  She apologized for taking so long to get back to me, and I was preparing for the letdown, but instead, she told me that she had chosen me to attend. Little ‘ole me.  I couldn’t believe it! I don’t think she had any idea how much this truly meant to me.  Tears streamed down my cheeks as I happily danced around my room.  The feeling was pure joy!

I let it sink it.  I think I may have even pinched myself to believe it was really true. After gratefully accepting her amazing blessing, I made plans to attend her Cottage Workshop in May of this year.

Everything about her workshop, exceeded my expectations.  Not only did I meet four other amazing women at her workshop, but I was finally able to meet this incredible soul.  Two words describe her perfectly, authentically beautiful. The soul, the smile, the accent, and the beautiful heart.  She is the real deal.

As if meeting her and the other lovely women who attended, and getting to know each of their stories wasn’t enough, the entire weekend was completely filled with all sorts of wonderful things.

It was a restful few days, filled with great conversation, yummy southern food, and women with hearts full of passion for what they do.  I left feeling inspired, excited, and truly blessed. My heart was full.

If you are a photographer reading this, and considering her workshop, I highly recommend doing so. It’s so much more personal than attending one of the conventions she speaks at; although, that is on my professional bucket list as well.

I want to take a moment to share some photos that I shot, using my medium format Pentax film camera, from the gorgeous Summer Wedding with Mauve and Berries Inspiration Styled Shoot. Cedarwood Weddings + Julie Paisley designed a lovely, romantic wedding shoot for us to capture.

-ALP

//Event: Julie Paisley Workshop // Venue: Historic Cedarwood  // Wedding Cake: Patty Cakes  // Flowers + Styling: Cedarwood Weddings // Hair & Makeup: Leslie Ellis  // Dress: Sweet Caroline // Paper Goods: Designs in Paper //Rentals: Liberty Party Rental // Scans: The FIND Lab  //