I’m a Christian.

But I haven’t always walked in obedience. There was a time when I knew the Lord was calling me one way… and I was determined to go another.

The Dream I Refused to Release

For as long as I can remember, my dream was to become a Marine. It wasn’t a random idea or a passing phase — it was something I had carried in my heart since I was a little girl. I had my reasons, my motivations, my plans. And even though I sensed God nudging me in a different direction, I didn’t want to surrender that dream.

Still, in His kindness, He gently led me anyway.

After high school, He opened the door for me to intern with a ministry serving refugees. That season changed me. It gave me a deep love for international peoples and opened my eyes to how big God’s heart is for the nations.

After that, I spent a year in a discipleship program that solidified something even deeper in me — a conviction about the urgency of the Gospel and a desire to see lives transformed by Jesus.

And yet…

I was still holding onto my plan.

When God Says “No” to Our Plans

Around that time, I started dating my now husband, Luke. Looking back, I can clearly see how the Lord used him to lovingly redirect my life. But at the time? I was stubborn. I was determined. I wasn’t about to let anyone get in the way of my dream — not even God.

So I enlisted.

In 2020 I joined the delayed entry program and stayed in it until I finished my associate’s degree. In 2021, I shipped off to training — even though deep down I knew I was pushing against the Lord’s will.

There were warning signs everywhere. Anxiety. Fear. A heavy feeling I couldn’t shake.

But I kept telling myself: I can do this. I can make this happen.

Notice the wording there — I.

Long story short… God had other plans.

I was sent home.

Heartbroken. Humiliated. Depressed.

My dream was gone. And I had no idea who I was without it.

Three Months Later — Rock Bottom

I was at the lowest point in my life.

I had said goodbye to my dream career and came home feeling like a failure. My fiancé and friends were serving in ministries around the world while I worked a 9–5 job I hated. On top of that, family turmoil deeply tainted our wedding — the one day I had looked forward to as a closing chapter to a hard season.

I felt empty inside. Completely empty.

But the Lord’s mercies are more.

Even when I was discouraged, grieving, and confused, God was still writing a better story than the one I was trying to force for myself.

God’s Redemption Was Greater Than My Plans

One thing I didn’t mention above is that I bought my first camera with my bootcamp money. Yep — what many people would’ve called a very unwise financial decision… or so they thought. 😉

Through that “unwise” choice, I started photographing my friends and family. I had no expectations for it to become anything more — I was simply looking for a creative outlet, something to gently distract my heart from the weight of my new reality.

But the Lord, in His kindness, used my husband to encourage me to step out in faith and take that small hobby seriously. What I thought was just a simple creative escape was actually the beginning of God redirecting my entire life.

That single step of obedience changed everything.

Four years later, I’m now serving the most incredible couples in some of the most breathtaking places in the world. I get to witness love stories unfold in wild landscapes, quiet forests, oceanside cliffs, and mountaintops — constantly surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation.

The very dream I thought I lost was never actually my calling.

God replaced it with something better.

Not easier. Not more impressive. But more purposeful.

What My Story Means for My Couples

My story is the reason I care so deeply about the couples I serve.

Yes — God revealed a gift for photography that I never knew I had. But He also used my own wedding experience to place something just as strong on my heart: a deep desire to protect the sanctity of marriage and the meaning of the day it begins.

That’s why I love photographing elopements.

Because there is something profoundly beautiful about stepping into God’s design for marriage in a way that is intentional, intimate, and centered on Him. Beginning your covenant standing on a mountain, on a cliff with the sea stretching beneath you, or in a towering forest isn’t just adventurous — it’s symbolic. It’s a reminder that the same God who created the vastness of the earth and sky is the One who faithfully led your two lives together.

I don’t just document elopements because they’re beautiful. I do it because they reflect what marriage was always meant to be: sacred, intentional, and rooted in Christ. And because God has given me life abundantly, I serve each of my clients as an ambassador to Him, with: excellency, creativity, love, and integrity.

The Truth of The Gospel

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that God loves us and created us for relationship with Him, but our sin separates us from Him. Because we could never earn our way back, God sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life, die on the cross for our sins, and rise again so we could be forgiven and made new. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, the penalty we deserved was paid, and His righteousness is offered to us as a gift. Anyone who repents and places their faith in Him is reconciled to God and given eternal life. This means salvation isn’t earned by works, but received by grace through faith.

Are you ready to give your life to Christ? Let’s have a conversation. 🙂 abbyreephotography.com