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

December 2, 2019

Coffee Talk Mondays

Are you still stuffed from Thursday? I feel like my body is saying so… I want to be active and work off the extra weight of food consumed, but why is it that I just want to curl up in bed and take a nap instead? Haha! I’m going to need that extra caffeine today, and something tells me I’m not the only one on this Monday after Thanksgiving! πŸ˜‰

Before I dive into today’s Coffee Talk Monday, I want to sayΒ THANK YOU. <3 Just thinking of what else I would be doing if I wasn’t a full-time wedding photographer, I don’t think it would be as fulfilling. I thank God for the path He made for me to follow β€” I don’t know what the future entails, but I’m putting all of my faith and trust in His plan for Alex and me! <3 Thanks to my husband for being my number one cheerleader, the one who listens, encourages and reciprocates ideas, and for being 110% supportive in and outside of my business. To my family and friends β€” Thank you for walking with me all these years and supporting near and afar! I don’t know what else I would’ve done without you!!! To my clients β€” You’re the reason I’m able to have a job and financially support my family’s future! THANK YOU!!!! YOU bring so much life into my work and I cannot tell you enough how inspiring it has been to get to know your stories. πŸ™‚ I adore you all!!! To my “friendors” and followers … Gosh, community is everything, and I so wish I could see you all every time I visited Virginia! My business looks VERY different than it did before moving, but I’m making it work, thanks to you all and your enthusiasm!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

COFFEE TALK

MOCHA MOMENTS
THE SWEETER MEMORIES FROM THIS PAST WEEK

1
THANKSGIVING IN FLORIDA

Every other year, my parents trip down to Orlando to spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents. πŸ™‚ It was so great seeing everyone while enjoying some delicious food β€” Gosh, and there was a lot of it! Not only did we have a turkey feast on Thanksgiving, but we indulged in a Lebanese spread the night before. What a treat!!! It was Alex’s first Lebanese experience, and I was pleasantly surprised seeing him try a little bit of everything. πŸ™‚ I was grateful to have spent the Holiday with my loved ones because we weren’t sure how this year was going to pan out with Alex’s schedule, our new niece (!!!), work, and everything in between. We don’t know what next year looks like or the years after, but I’m going to cherish these memories!

After stuffing our tummies with turkey, we (my brother, his girlfriend Brandy, Alex, and I) went to Universal Studios to take part in some rollercoaster thrills! I think the food caught up to us because we were a little motion sickness after Eric almost spun us off the track on a ride similar to the “innocent” spinning teacups! I will probably not ride with him if we were to go back. HAHA! I now know what it feels like to be a little motion sickness … Otherwise, we REALLY enjoyed The Hulk rollercoaster and wandering through Jurrasic Park and Harry Potter world (even though none of us are very familiar with HP’s stories). While in Orlando, we enjoyed Cowfish’s spiked milkshakes (my first time trying it!), Giordano’s pizza pie (YUM!), and the Chocolate Emporium’s salted caramel truffle cake. Although ALL of this sounds amazing … I’m craving the gym today. πŸ˜‰ HAHA! This Thanksgiving was one for the books!

2
DECEMBER IS HERE!!!

I cannot believeeeee it’s DECEMBER! What?! I’ve been drilling away at my to-do list β€”Β The post office clerks definitely picked up on that. πŸ˜‰ Ha!

ESPRESSO MOMENTS
THE BITTER MEMORIES FROM THIS PAST WEEK

1
ICKY.

I guess amusement parks aren’t the most sanitary places to be during the sick season of the year… Alex and I both came down with the cold. Boo! But hopefully, we will be 100% in a few days with lots of rest, water, and healthy foods. πŸ™‚

Happy Monday!!!

Reply...