Jessica and Kevin.. these two were the sweetest couple! Ahh! A few months ago, I got an email from Jessica. She and Kevin were planning their wedding at Rock Creek Farm (see Casey + Luis' Rock Creek Farm wedding HERE), and while scrolling on the Rock Creek Farm instagram page, Jessica saw a few of Casey + Luis' wedding pictures RCF had shared! Jessica loved the pictures she saw, and she wanted a wedding photographer who knew her venue. She booked BOP for her wedding, and here we are! I could not be more excited because I love RCF! There are so many locations for portraits all over. It is my favorite venue I've photographed! 

Fast forward a couple months to Jessica and Kevin's engagement session! The day started off very dark and cloudy, and to be honest I was so nervous that the light was not going to work for their pictures. I always want to be able to give the BOP style to all my couples, and I need sunshine and good light for that! Due to scheduling, we really needed to go on with the shoot, so I drove to Belmont's campus (Jessica's alma mater) and we started shooting. After the first few pictures, the sun came out and shone beautifully for nearly the whole session! I was so thankful! Jessica and Kevin killed it with their outfits, and we had such a great time getting to know each other while shooting. 

I love these engagement pictures, and I'm so excited for Jessica and Kevin's wedding this summer! I know it is going to be incredible! 

Doesn't this rose garden set remind you of Beauty and the Beast?! Thank you Belmont for the perfect locations!

My best friend is getting married! AHHH! 3 years ago I met Kendra through a mutual friend. We ended up sitting next to each other in choir, and we became friends. This was the semester I was considering changing my major to music. Kendra was there for me and answered my (many) questions on how to be a music major! After the major change, the next semester we wound up in nearly all the same classes, and our friend group was formed! At Christmas of that year, Kendra had 2 roommates move out and was praying she'd be able to find people to move in. At the same time, I was praying I'd find a place to live in Clarksville because I was commuting and it was really taking its toll on me mentally and physically! Kendra texted me on Christmas break and said "I know it's a long shot, but if you happen to want to move in, we really need another roommate." I texted back "YES" and basically the rest is history! That was 2 years ago, and we've been through it all.

One of the highlights of our friendship was being in on Kendra's proposal! Kendra and Billy were already together when we became friends, so I didn't get to hear about their first dates or stay up late giggling and deciphering the meaning behind text messages, but I really love Kendra and Billy together. They've grown so much together, both just as people and in their faith. 

A week after the proposal, Kendra asked me to be her maid of honor! After 4 years of weddings, I am so ready to be the maid of honor! Originally Kendra thought the few photos we took at her proposal were enough, but I told her she had to have an engagement session. She later said she was glad I made her take more photos! These pictures are some of my favorites ever. It's always super special when you're photographing someone you love so much, but they also had perfect outfits and we had great weather and the peak of the fall leaves. I am so excited for their wedding, and I am excited about how we're doing the photography! My 2nd shooter, Carly, is going to be shooting as 1st shooter all day except for any moments I'm not in, like bride and groom portraits! I am a self-proclaimed control freak, so knowing I'll be able to photograph some details and some portraits helps me rest easy. ;) So finally, go look at their pictures! Leave a comment and tell Kendra and Billy how gorgeous they are!

Favorite. Maybe ever. 

The chin grab always makes me giddy! 

Kendra's ring is perfect. Exactly what she wanted. Perfectly sparkly on her hand. In love.

Some things to note:

1. I'm not and I don't want to be salesy. It's 100% not who I am.
2. I built my photography business on just sharing me and trying to never be salesy.
3. I actually love these products.

This post is not supposed to try to convince you of anything. I hate whatever the hot thing is to sell as much as the next girl. I promise. When I see social media posts about a fad product, I usually roll my eyes and think "that doesn't work and you're not going to make any money"...

So then... Why Monat?

Monat became popular in the photography community, and I watched as photographers I have followed on social media for 5-6 years began using the products. It started with Sarah Hill. She posted the most incredible before and afters to show case how broken and damaged her hair had gotten and how Monat was healing her hair. I thought it was amazing, but Sarah has thin, fine, straight blonde hair. I have none of those things! So I didn't do anything about it.

Then another photographer I've followed since I started photography, Rachel Vanoven started using Monat. I've always been a little obsessed with Rachel's hair because it looks similar to mine. It is big and thick and curly, and in a world of thin haired blondes, I've kinda always loved Rachel's hair (and her pictures and just who she is, but that's beside the point). Rachel is good friends with Sarah, so Rachel started Monat. She didn't have damaged and broken hair, but she needed help with manageability. She needed something that worked on dry, curly hair. And that made me intent on following her Monat progress. What sold me the most were 2 things: the curls she got using the Curl Cream and her before and after of just a blow dry with no heat tools. ​Her before picture looked like blow dried curly hair, which is a giant no-no if you're not planning on spending the next 2 hours straightening the mess you've made. Her after pic of a smooth blow out convinced me. The fact that Rachel could wear her hair both naturally curly and blown out straight meant these products weren't going to alter your hair in a negative way (like a chemical straightener). 

The nail in the coffin was seeing posts from my photography friend, Christy Spurlock. Unlike Sarah and Rachel, I had actually met Christy in person (6 years ago at a photography workshop! Before I could even drive! haha) and we were friends on Facebook. Christy has curly hair as well, and I knew she'd be able to help me get on the right track with products that would work well for me. Christy is also a mom of two special needs boys, and I knew she was the person I wanted to support.

I began using Monat the day after Christmas, and after one week I was in love. My hair is dry, coarse, thick, curly, and wiry in the back. In one week, I could not believe how much softer and less wiry it was. I'm going to be real. I did not have bad hair prior to Monat. In fact I got compliments on my curls all the time. But I just thought, what if I didn't have to straighten my hair before I could curl it with a curling iron? What if the back of my head didn't make me cringe when I saw it in pictures (it was just a super funky texture to the curl pattern)? Also, Monat styling products don't make your hair crunchy, and prior to Monat, my hair was either frizzy or crunchy and only some delicate in-between on really good days. And within a week my curls were soft. Even with product in them. 

I did not start Monat haphazardly. I have been interested for probably 6 months. I've researched and researched and researched what I was getting in to. I have watched these friends literally change their lives with the business of Monat in the 6 months since they started. This is a new company (oh and it's an American company with American made products), and I got excited watching others get excited about Monat. I just want my friends to know this shampoo is changing my hair, and if you're not 100% happy with your hair, it can help you too. :)

To get in touch with me, send a text, Facebook message, or email to [email protected]
brianaowen.mymonat.com
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What I Use:
Renew Shampoo
Revitalize Conditioner
Rejuvenique Oil