It was over a late night Skype date. Sweatpants. No makeup. Dirty hair. Tired eyes. The usual for the four of us. Katelyn and Michael are just like us in so many ways. They’re also a husband and wife team, who also happen to be high school sweethearts, who also happen to photograph weddings, educate other photographers and run a pretty crazy pace, just like us, which means the best way we can keep up with each other is usually in a disheveled state late at night through our screens. And we’ll take it! Even though they live all the way in Virginia, we feel so close to them, and so thankful for their friendship.
It was in one of those late night conversations when realized that we were going to be photographing Ashley and Troy’s ten year anniversary in Italy only a few days before they were photographing a wedding in France, which just felt like FATE. We started dreaming out loud. “Wouldn’t it be cool if…” And pretty soon, it was actually happening!
We rented a car in France, crammed four sets of suitcases, camera gear and laptops into a small SUV, and hit the road with a GPS and Hamilton on iTunes. Everything about this trip was an adventure. We only booked places to stay about two weeks before we left, and every day made up the itinerary as we went. We got to see the French countryside by car, which was a brand new experience for us, and something we’ll never forget! By the time the trip was through, we had made stops in the South of France, Marseille, St. Tropez, Monaco, Lake Como and The Swiss Alps. The whole thing just felt like one big dream!
Looking back at these photos, we just keep thinking that we can’t believe this actually happened! There was a time in our life where we just never even imagined this job would allow us to do things like this. This trip allowed us to step back and reflect on all the work that has led us to moments like this and really enjoy disconnecting. And as we think back on all the memories from this trip, the ones caught on camera, and the ones that weren’t, our hearts are just filled with unbelievable gratitude.
First up, Marseille!
One of the biggest highlights of our trip was our seven year vow renewal! If you haven’t seen the REAL photos from this, you can see them by clicking here!
After a little mini”reception” dinner, we hit the road the next morning and arrived in St. Tropez. The beaches were BEAUTIFUL and the city center was so cute. The girls loved all the soft pastel colors, and we had fun pretending to fit in there.
Speaking of fitting in, we definitely DID NOT fit in while we were visiting Monaco, a tiny country packed with millionaires. It was WAY too fancy for us, but we had some laughs walking around the city feeling. They wouldn’t even let Jordan inside the casino because he was wearing shorts. We just owned being the peasants of Monaco for the night.
Our favorite stop was definitely Lake Como! We rented a tiny boat together and drove around the lake, which was full of some of the most enchanting Italian villa views. Michael, our trusty captain humored us as we hunted for George Clooney’s house (and found it!) and we had so much fun taking it all in. After a quick stop for gelato, we went to a restaurant that overlooked the water and had THE BEST pizza, lasagna and eggplant parmesan for an amazing price, which helped us decide that Italy is officially our favorite.
One of the coolest parts of the trip was driving through the Swiss Alps and then getting to STAY up there! The air was chilly, but the sun was warm, and it just felt so magical. There were also some moments that were a little less magical, like when we took a bumpy ski lift up to the top of the mountains, and got stranded up there!
Our road trip was an amazing adventure from start to finish! There’s no one else we’d rather be crammed in a car with! Love you guys!! 
For those of you who aren’t on Snapchat yet, here are our snaps from this leg of the trip!
Love seeing new places? Here are links to our other travel adventures!
International: Ireland • England • France • Spain • Italy • Greece & Turkey • Anniversary Photos: Venice • Italy 2.0 • France 2.0 • Vow Renewal: France • Switzerland • Iceland • Prague • Germany & France
Domestic: Nashville • Denver • Phoenix • Vancouver • Seattle • Vegas • Atlanta • Santa Barbara • Florida • Virginia • New England/New York • Sedona • San Diego • Nantucket • Boston • San Diego • Virginia • Arizona • Charleston • Disney Cruise
