Kaelene & Liam

Liam is one of my oldest friends. We were born only two days apart, our mothers met in Lamaze class, and we grew up together from preschool through middle school. Our friendship began before either of us could have understood how many chapters of life we would eventually share.

Years later, Liam met Kaelene at Washington University and found someone who complemented him perfectly. Their relationship carried the same warmth, thoughtfulness, and genuine ease that has always defined Liam, and it was immediately clear that they had found something lasting in one another.

Photographing their engagement at Tower Grove Park felt deeply personal. I was not simply documenting a couple preparing for marriage—I was preserving a milestone for someone whose life had been connected to mine since the very beginning. The familiar setting, natural affection between them, and history surrounding the session allowed the photographs to feel relaxed, joyful, and entirely their own.

Kaelene and Liam were married on December 19, 2021, and I had the honor of standing beside Liam as one of his groomsmen. Their wedding also changed my own life in a way none of us could have predicted: it was the day I first met Grace, who would become my partner and one of the most important people in my life.

These photographs preserve more than the beginning of Kaelene and Liam’s marriage. They hold a lifelong friendship, the arrival of a new family, and a celebration that quietly opened an entirely new chapter in my own story as well.