Colorful Winter Wedding Photos at Cooper Chapel
Y’all! I can’t tell you how much of a joy it is to write this blog post. If you know me, you know that I love colorful wedding photos. And this cozy winter wedding at Cooper Chapel? It’s so full of love and laughter, too!
If you’re new here, my name’s Lissa Chandler and I’ve been a wedding photographer since 2011.
In 2021, I thought really hard about retiring + even informed some of my clients that I’d be retiring (sorry guys!) but I felt really restless with my decision / couldn’t fully commit and, when I caught up on my editing list for the first time ever in early 2022, I decided to focus on learning some new creative skills. At the time, I was thirty-six and my only adult job had been photography. My kids were at fun ages (they’re still at fun ages!), I wanted to be home more, and I really wanted to explore different creative paths to see if anything else fit. Like, I only knew what I knew.
During this time, I made Opal and June and, while I will forever love creating a funny animal t-shirt, I become more and more certain of one thing: I was not going to stop shooting. Between 2022-2024, I second shot for photographer friends, shot roughly five of my own weddings + elopements a year, shot portraits + countless mockup photos, and wound down the education side of my photography business. I learned so much about myself during that time period. SO much! And what I knew most of all? I couldn’t wait to start shooting colorful weddings again.
Why Colorful Wedding Photography?
Not going to lie: When I decided last fall to officially open up my wedding books, I was so nervous!
Like, the photography world has changed the past several years! Who takes three years (mostly!) off wedding photography and then comes back and is able to book out a full calendar? No one. I knew I’d need to practice a ton of patience, keep my head down, and just really work as hard as I could to get my name back out and, if I was lucky, maybe book three or five weddings for the fall of 2025. And y’all! That is not what happened.
Instead, I completely booked my fall – 2025 is one of the busiest wedding calendars I have ever had! – and I ended up having to close my 2025 wedding calendar in March because there was no more space for fall weddings. I cannot tell you how humbling + touching this experience has been.
I love shooting. I love creating colorful images for happy couples and families and to create colorful wedding photographs that feel like the wedding day. Give me all the light, give me all the love, and give me all the laughs. I love photographing weddings and am so freaking grateful that I’ve been able to step back into this career and work with so many fantastic, amazing couples this year. 2025 is always going to hold a special place in my heart!
Let’s celebrate this with Aspen and Spencer’s gorgeous wedding day at Cooper Chapel!
Looking for colorful wedding photos to celebrate your day? You know what to do!
Galleries + Links + More
Weddings | Engagements | Seniors | Families | Personal | Photographers
Opal and June Website | Etsy Shops: Tee Shirts + Sweatshirts | Mockup Photos
Based in Fayetteville, Arkansas Lissa Chandler is a portrait and wedding photographer who celebrates life one photograph at a time. Lissa is also the owner of Opal and June where she offers fun teacher shirts, bookish + history merch, and the absolute cutest tote bags. Additionally, Lissa is the host of the laid back, conversational podcasts Your Photographer Mom and Our Favorite Villes.
As a creative photographer in Northwest Arkansas, Lissa doesn’t niche down on a genre. She niches on a feeling instead! That feeling? The huge, happy feeling of hope and excitement that you feel as a kid opening up a huge box of 120 crayons. Sound like a feeling you remember? Let’s shoot!