Kristen + Dave + Weston Maternity & Family Lifestyle Portrait Session | Waterloo Village
Last Thursday I had the pleasure of photographing Kristen & Dave’s maternity and family lifestyle photoshoot at Waterloo Village, in Stanhope NJ.
They brought her son, Weston along to make it a combo of family portraits & maternity portraits. I’m giving you a head’s up…we had a lot of fun! You’ll see portraits, and you’ll also see laughter, playfulness, and some ‘outtakes’ as well. Why?
Photos of candid moments make the best memories.
I asked Kristen why she wanted professional photographs of this special time in their lives?
“It was important to me because there’s something different about professional photos compared to regular photos. The quality, the candid shots, the backgrounds all look 1000x better. I’ve never met anyone who regretted getting photos done but plenty of people who regret NOT getting photos. I can’t wait to be able to look back and remember all the feelings from that day and for my kids to look at them and see the love and happiness that was captured.“
Check my availability for your maternity, family, lifestyle, or couples session today!
I was curious about how Kristen came to contact me for her maternity & family photography.
“We chose you after my friend, Amanda, had her maternity photos done by you. They looked INCREDIBLE. Your Instagram confirmed how amazingly talented you are. I’ve never been so excited to get photos done before!!!”
Enjoy the photos (click to view full screen), and then hear all about how this family of three came to be at the end of the gallery. Hint…it’s a really wonderful read!
The rest of the story is all theirs, so I’ll let Kristen take it from here.
Dave and I initially met in high school. Although we mostly hung around the same group of friends, it was never at the exact same time (weird!). I remember walking past him in the halls, thinking he was cute but never having the courage to actually have a conversation with him. He now says the same thing, but I think he’s just being nice, lol.
After high school, Dave moved closer to the city, and I stayed in our hometown of Mount Olive. We never kept in touch and we both went on to have long term relationships with other people. I had my son, Weston, in 2015. After trying to make things work for a while, my relationship with Weston’s dad ended. It was definitely a hard time for me, but I truly believe everything always happens for a reason (I now know why!).
One day I get a message from an old friend asking if I remembered Dave Ortiz from high school, and she thinks we would be a good match. She also messaged Dave saying the same thing about me – what a good matchmaker (thanks Jade!!) Dave and I went back and forth talking for a couple of weeks before meeting at the Rockaway River barn for dinner. It was slightly awkward at first, he cut his mozzarella sticks in half (who does that???). The awkwardness faded fast and I soon realized that I’ve definitely met my match. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard on a first date.
Weston originally met Dave via Facetime after a month or two of Dave and I dating. At just 3 years old, Weston couldn’t pronounce “V” so he would always start with, “Hey Date!” Weston started looking forward to Dave’s phone calls, occasionally stealing the phone from me to have his own conversation. After four months, Dave and I knew we were moving in the right direction and I decided it was time for the two of them to meet in person.
I’ll never forget the first time Wes and Dave met. Weston ran into the kitchen where Dave was standing and stopped dead in his tracks looking at Dave like he was some kind of celebrity. He then ran into Dave’s arms like they were best buds. We all played for hours that night and I knew at that moment that I could never separate the two of them. Fortunately, Dave felt the same way. Weston went from calling him Date, to Dave, to Daddy Dave. The bond they have is amazing. I always tell Weston how lucky he is to have two dads who love him.
Dave and I knew we eventually wanted to start a family. I think Weston knew way before us though because he started asking for a baby sister super early on. We got married & are now expecting a baby girl any day now! Life is good and we look forward to what God has in store for us.