I’m Stephanie, a wedding + lifestyle photographer based in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Warrenton, Virginia. Whether I’m by the mountains of Colorado or Virginia, my soul feels at home, surrounded by rural living and the raw beauty of nature. I genuinely love what I do, and feel so passionate to share the enthusiasm and joy of these celebrations with you!

DOCUMENTING LOVE'S UNSCRIPTED CHAPTERS FROM COUPLES & FAMILIES IN COLORADO + VIRGINIA

@stephaniemessickphoto

find inspiration

Gallery images

November 7, 2017

Nathan & Alexandra

We arrived at Skyline Drive the day before Halloween on what seemed to be the COLDEST day this fall season. I wasn’t prepared for how freezing this session was going to be. The funny part was I was overdressed one of the last times I was visiting/photographing up there to only find myself pulling off layers. This time, though, was cold enough for snow!!! I guess I’ll be keeping gloves in my car from now on out! 😉 Honestly, I wasn’t too concerned about how I was handling the low temperature, but how cold Alexandra must have been!!! I empathetically told her to run to the truck and warm up or bundle up in a coat, just imagining how cold she must have been in her dress! But she reassured me that she was fine. What a brave soul!! HA!

It was a magical atmosphere with the golden fall trees that surrounded us and snow in the backdrop. I NEVER would have guessed we would be photographing in snow this early on, but I guess this means that winter is coming (Hey, Game of Thrones fans!!)!! 😉 Despite the dark clouds that came in at one point, we ended up with a gorgeous glowy sunset!!! Skyline Drive will forever be a favorite spot of mine, and I’m glad we had the opportunity to see this beautiful, magical atmosphere during the peak fall season. <3

Nathan & Alexandra’s Love Story

How Nathan and Alexandra Met
from Alexandra’s perspective

We met on Christmas Day of last year. I worked in retail as a Human Resource manager and could not attend any family gatherings due to the heavy holiday demand of work hours. A girlfriend invited me to have Christmas dinner with a friend of hers home an hour away from where we lived. I gladly accepted the invitation. We drove up to Front Royal enjoying the snowy scenery and decorated house of Christmas lights. I did not know the person hosting the dinner was going to be a single, handsome man, name Nathan. When we were introduced, it was love at first sight. We indulged in Christmas festivities and spent the entire evening talking, getting to know one another over hot holiday cider.

How Nathan Proposed to Alexandra
from Alexandra’s perspective

In May of 2017, Nathan and I planned our first vacation together for Las Vegas. I had never been before and was excited to see what it was like out on the west coast of the desert city. We arrived on a warm sunny day with adventurous sights to see. We stayed at the magnificent Caesars palace. We went right away to check out the Las Vegas city life, throughout the day. Eating great food, visiting beautiful hotels and seeing Elvis. As nightfall began, we decided to go on the High Roller Ferris wheel. This Ferris wheel isn’t your ordinary Ferris wheel. It is a 550-foot tall, 520-foot diameter giant Ferris wheel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The High Roller is a sky-bound adventure that revolves up and around for unparalleled views of the bright lights and landmarks of vegas. Where you climb into a glass capsule on the world’s tallest observation wheel for a 360-degree look at sprawling downtown Vegas and beyond. We were having a great time looking out as the Ferris wheel began its slow but steady climb. When we reached the highest point of the ride, is where Nathan got down on one knee and asked if I would marry him. I was surrounded by the most beautiful city views to have the most beautiful view of the man I loved right in front of me. At that moment I immediately accepted the proposal and said to him, yes.

Thank you, Nathan and Alexandra, for coming out to Skyline Drive and bearing through the FREEZING temperatures!!! Enjoy these photos from our time together!! And congratulations!!!

Congratulations!!

Reply...