Tiny Blessings — Ashley Copeland Weddings

Sometimes tiny blessings are life’s way of showing God’s love, whether in people you meet, small moments on your career path, or choices you make each day.

A tiny blessing fell upon my life when I met Angela Karen. I had heard of her before and had seen her photography on social media, but we did not meet until a Girl’s Night Out at the house of a mutual friend. Angela did not stay long at the party—she had a photo shoot already scheduled. But what I found was that she was so sweet, nice and easy to talk to.

At the time I was only a few years into my wedding planning business. Not long after the party, I called Angela to talk about photography for weddings. A year later we worked our first wedding together. My bride and groom loved her ease and professionalism, and they really loved the finished wedding album. Since that first wedding, Angela and I have worked together many times to capture that fairytale experience for our wonderful brides and grooms.

In my personal life, my family was growing in step with my business. I had two beautiful sons, ages three and one, and my growing friendship with Angela sparked a decision to start documenting my boys’ lives with professional photo shoots. I reached out to Angela, and that first year we took the boys to the Botanical Gardens.

A tiny blessing that fell on us in that shoot was a precious photo of my two sons next to a pinecone statue in the Southern Living garden. My late grandfather was the founding editor of Southern Living, and after he passed the statue and a plaque were placed in the gardens in his memory. Though my boys never met him, they will have this photograph as a reminder of their heritage.

We recently finished our fourth annual photo shoot of the boys, this time at a beautiful outdoor wedding venue in Ft. Payne, AL called Sweet Seasons Farm. I cherish the years of photos that I will have forever that document these boys growing up.

Now it is Angela’s turn to witness a tiny blessing. In October her baby girl, Stella Sky, will enter this world. Stella will join a big sister, four-year-old Sunny. Some of our mutual wedding vendors collaborated on a baby shower for Angela and Marcel this past July. Thanks to the hostess Suzanne Martensen, a talented floral designer and owner of Stems & Styles, the décor was elegant and included a floral arrangement inside of a baby carriage. The food was delicious, and the guests had a great time celebrating with the mom- and dad-to-be.

Photo Credit: Kalai KennedyL-R: Ashleigh Timmerman; Hostess, Suzanne Martensen (Stems & Styles); Ashley Berkery; Angela Karen (Angela Karen Photography); Kirk Atkinson (Macel's Best Man!) — Photo Credit: Kalai Kennedy
L-R: Ashleigh Timmerman; Hostess, Suzanne Martensen (Stems & Styles); Ashley Berkery; Angela Karen (Angela Karen Photography); Kirk Atkinson (Macel's Best Man!)

I am thankful for having met Angela years ago. She has been a blessing to me personally as a friend, a blessing to my family by capturing unforgettable moments of my children with her camera, and a blessing to my business as she lends her talents to help craft fairytale weddings for our amazing couples. When I think of all the things I have to be thankful for, it is often the small ones that have had the largest effect. Here’s to Angela, Marcel, Sunny, and Stella!