You might remember Jordan & Gavin's sweet surprise proposal in downtown Greenville that I was privileged to photograph this summer! If you need a refresher, you can find that post here. Needless to say, these two are one of my favorite couples to photograph! Jordan met with me even before she was engaged because she was so certain she wanted me to capture her wedding day, and y'all, that just made me incredibly happy and SO honored! Now that they're officially engaged, we can start planning for their beautiful day come 2020, but  first, engagement portraits! We took full advantage of this beautiful, mild Fall weather this past weekend and headed out to my all-time favorite Fall portrait location complete with barn and field full of tall grass. We got so cozy, and it was just the best! And they even brought their cute pup, Jax! These two share such a special bond that can make anyone believe true love is real, and it's out there! So pull up a mug of some hot cocoa, light that pumpkin spice candle, and scroll through these smiling faces!

Haley and I go way back. Back to the sleepovers of 6th grade where we watched Music and Lyrics and told ghost stories all night long. So you can imagine my joy when this childhood friend reached out about photographing her wedding with her amazing now husband (!!!), Matt. He is perfect for her in every way imaginable. I knew Haley would need someone just as sweet as her to treat her right, and he comes pretty close! :) Their wedding day was incredible, complete with blush and navy hues mixed with the red of the bridesmaids' dresses. Haley even went for a more non-traditional wedding gown with blush hues, and it fit her SO well! But probably one of the highlights of the evening was the father-daughter dance! Haley and her dad started out with a slow song that changed into the best father-boogie I think I've ever seen! It was a hot night, but EVERYONE  was out of the dancefloor, and it was such a party! Keep scrolling for all the fun and pretty!


Special thanks to these amazing vendors!
Venue: Artisan Traders
Photographer: Nichole Lauren Photography
DJ: Blake with Jumping Jukebox
Catering: Smoke on the Water
Invitations: Jessica Saravia, friend of the bride
Bride's Dress: Madison Carolina Bridal
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Men's Warehouse
Hair & Makeup Artist: Jessica Garrison & Crystal Boyd, friends of the bride
Cake: Makeyda Miller
Florist: Greenville Flowers and Plants

If you know Morgan and Nick, you know they LOVE the great outdoors. They even got engaged while hiking, so we took their engagement photos on top of a mountain. It made sense that they'd share their special day with a select group of their closest loved ones... you guessed it...outside!! And Morgan's mom's home was the perfect fit to host the event. Since she found the home and fell in love with it, she's been fixing it up, and Morgan loves the history behind this location. We gathered with 50 of their closest family and friends to celebrate their officially coming together as one, and the intimate day was more than we could have hoped for! With Nick and his groomsmen in their dress blues, and Morgan and her girls in their stunning dresses, my photographer heart was doing all kinds of backflips of excitement. Have the most amazing time in Antigua, Mr. & Mrs. Perkins!

Special thanks to these amazing vendors!
Venue: Morgan's Mom's Home
Bride's Dress: The Poinsett Bride
Florist: The Bride's Aunt, Pat
Cake: Kathy & Company
Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie
Invitations: Shutterfly
Photographer: Nichole Lauren Photography

When a new couple books with me, not only do I get to add another couple of clients to my list, I get to add a couple of new friends to my family! That's why I love pampering my couples with a few surprises along the way. A couple months ago, I shared all about my welcome packages that I send to each new bride when they officially book with me. If you missed that post, you can read it first here. After an engaged couple books with me, the next step is finding a time for engagement portraits. I LOVE this time to get to know my couples' stories and help them get acquainted with my shooting style. But after the engagement session, I often don't see them again until the wedding which is usually several months away! I wanted to be able to send my couples a little something to let them know I'm thinking about them and to help them take some time away from the craziness of wedding planning to enjoy some time together, celebrating this season!

In comes "date-night-in-a-box." A new feature I'll be spoiling my 2020 couples with starting with weddings booked for next year! A month before the wedding is when we finalize all the wedding photography details, so I thought, why not also send some goodies to my couples to celebrate?! My vision for this box is that it will be a way for my couples to connect with one another and to focus on spending intentional time with one another before the wedding day. Keep scrolling to see all I'll include in my date night client gift boxes!

My hope is that when my couples receive this gift a few weeks before their wedding day, they'll be able to take a load off, open their Packlane custom branded box, choose a date night and head for The Cheesecake Factory and Regal, come home to one of my favorite Target candles and some Skinny-Dipped Almonds and be able to cherish a few moments together as they write. I am SO excited to start implementing these into my process and workflow, and I cannot wait to see what amazing memories my couples will be able to create with their date night boxes! :)

Beautiful Morgan is going to be lightening your mood today! I had so much fun with this girl a week before her actual wedding (which was today!!) getting her bridal portraits done. We chose a barn & field I just absolutely LOVE shooting at, and with golden hour, it was literally just a dream! Morgan is gorgeous inside and out, not to mention that dress!!! Omg! I was just in love with all the lace detail, front and back, and I'm so happy that she's officially tied the knot so I can officially share these. You won't be able to help but smile as you scroll through these sunny portraits filled with warm light and so much laughter!! I know today is technically the first day of Fall, but Summer, please don't go! :)

Jessica loves the beach but wanted to have her wedding close to home, so she brought the beach to Greenville in the most elegant way that had everyone's jaws dropping. Literally, all day, me and my crew were ooh-ing and aahh-ing and how perfect the details were and how adorable everything came together to give just a hint of that beachy theme. The stairwell was lined with Jess's grandfather's shells. The bridesmaid's were dressed in different shades of sea green and unique dress styles. Jess's dress was the perfect mix of elegant simplicity and lacy goodness all wrapped in one. And we were just so blessed to be a part of this gorgeous day. And to top it all off, at the end of the night, Jess requested a photo with ME. I was just floored at how sweet she was this whole day when everything was supposed to be all about HER. So grateful for clients like Jess and James who also become sweet friends! Keep scrolling for more of this day!! :)

Special thanks to these amazing vendors!
Venue: The Old Cigar Warehouse
Photographer: Nichole Lauren Photography
Videographer: FamZing
Cake: Brick Street Cafe
Catering: Smoke on the Water
DJ: The Jumping Jukebox
Coordinator: Emily with The Old Cigar Warehouse
Bride's Dress: The Lovely Bride
Bridesmaids Dresses: Various
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Jos. A. Banks
Invitations: Shutterfly
Florist: Renee Burroughs Design
Hair & Makeup: Cotton Rouge and Co.

Jessica & James shared the sweetest first look by this beautiful vintage door!

Regan prayed for Zach ever since they met in middle school. And when they parted ways, she continued to pray. Until one day, their paths crossed again, and the rest as they say is history. On their wedding day, Regan & Zach exchanged gifts around a door before their ceremony started. As they reached around to grab each other's hand to pray, Zach talked to the Lord and said, "Please help this day be everything she wants it to be because she's everything I've wanted my whole life." It was a tearful and tender moment that set the tone for the entire joy-filled and incredibly sweet day. Tucked away from the rest of the world atop a mountain in Sunset, SC, Regan & Zach were finally wed, and they were surrounded by the sweetest of friends and family who celebrated and cried and laughed with them. What an honor to witness this day! So excited to be showing you a sneak peek into their beautiful wedding with an incredible view!

Special thanks to these vendors!
Venue: Arabella Farm
Photographer: Nichole Lauren Photography
HMUA: Haleigh Kendrick
Catering: Laurenda's Family Restaurant and Catering
Videographer: Trey Keys Media
Cake: Tasteful Elegance
Florist: Kaye Penegar, the bride's aunt
Invitations: Anne's Bridal Bargains
Bride's Dress: The Dress Boutique
Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Jos. A. Bank
Coordinator: Joyce Collins
​DJ: SC Party DJ

Regan and her dad shared the sweetest Father-Daughter first look! 

And if we weren't in tears by that point, we sure were by the time these two sweethearts exchanged wedding gifts and prayed over one another.

The wedding favors were mini jars of honey harvested and grown by her dad on their farm, Misty Hill Farm!

Starting this year, I knew I wanted to make some changes in my business. I knew there were areas I could use a little help as my business has continued to grow. Earlier in the year, I hired a private photo editor to help speed up the back end of things with client gallery delivery and editing consistency. Next, I knew getting help on the front end would be a good idea as well! I loved using different local photographers as second shooters up until this point, but I really had a heart for being able to build a little community where I could invest in just a couple growing photographers to both help me serve my couples better on the day of the wedding with consistent shooters but also invest in their growth and mentor them even outside of wedding days. That desire led me to create an application an to open up two shooting intern positions this summer, and I had some of the sweetest people apply! I was thankful for each girl who sat down for an interview with me. And I'm thrilled the search ultimately led me to these two sweet beauties- Haley & Taylor!

So today on the blog, I wanted to introduce them to you! They've already started working behind-the-scenes and at a couple of my weddings so far, but you'll be seeing a lot more of them around, especially if you are an NLP couple this year or in 2020! I'm confident that they will treat you as their own and do everything they can to enhance your experience by lending a helping hand on your wedding day, capturing unique angles and supplementing my photography in the best way. I can't wait to introduce them to you, so keep scrolling! :)

​Hey friends! My name is Haley Collier, and a few of my favorite things include coffee, my doggies, my hubby, & celebrating people! I’m from good ole’ South Carolina (Go Tigers!), but I don’t care for sweet tea all that much; peach tea is the bomb!

My photography journey started in high school, making my friends pose every few minutes with my little point and shoot camera from Wal-Mart. It remained a hobby until about 4 years ago, when I challenged myself to learn manual mode! Ever since then, I’ve been learning & growing! Photography allows me to serve people, and bring their unique beauty to the forefront. It makes my heart so happy!

When I’m not behind a camera, you might find me loving on my Great Danes, Lucy & Ellie, watching FRIENDS reruns on Netflix, or thrift shopping at my local Goodwill.. ohh, did I mention I also work as a sign language interpreter?! That’s right!

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work with Nichole to help serve her NLP couples in the best way possible. If you’ve ever met her, then you know she’s like a ray of sweet, warm sunshine! She’s already taught me so much, and I’m so excited to see what’s to come!

Regan is one of those people you can instantly warm up to. Everything from her inviting smile to her genuine words leave you feeling happier than when you first started talking with her. I was so glad to meet her and her equally sweet fiance Zach at a recent Wedding Festivals bridal show and absolutely thrilled to find out they were fellow Clemson Tigers! Regan decided on bridal portraits before her big day and felt that their wedding venue would be the perfect spot! It turned out to be just that! And I was thrilled when her sweet pup decided to tag along. So many beautiful views in this shoot, and the mountains in the back weren't bad either! ;) Keep scrolling for more of sweet Regan.

I was so excited when Olivia reached out about taking her senior photos last weekend. Not only was I excited for this shoot because she's a beauty inside and out but also because she is my boyfriend's cousin! We decided on a pretty, open field near the outskirts of town as the sun got low in the sky, and that's when the magic happened! She's a summer girl through and through, so her senior portraits had to capture that! My favorite part was when she whipped out her more casual outfit toward the end of the shoot and showed me her awesome new Nikes she'd brought along for some fun. Scroll to the end to see! Congratulations on this big accomplishment starting your senior year today, sweet girl!