I love that Loretta wanted to celebrate her 25th birthday with a portrait session. Birthdays are a big deal, you know? For my 23rd birthday, my golden year, I flew into Minnesota to get my portraits taken and I am so so glad I decided to do it! I was excited to find out that Loretta’s reason for this session was similar to mine. She had recently found pictures of her grandma while looking through old albums. Pictures from her grandma’s younger years, waaay before Loretta even met her. There’s really something about seeing someone in a way you’ve never seen before. You feel like you know them in a new way. You understand them better. You even love them a little more! I love how photographs can do that (and that’s why I do what I do!). I remember seeing pictures of my mom before she married my dad and realizing how human my mom was. She had a life before me with hopes and expectations for the future. I stared at the pictures and wondered what my mom was thinking then, what struggles she was going through at the time, and what kind of dreams she was keeping in her heart.

Loretta wanted to document her 25th for that same reason. She wanted to remember and to be known. Lor, you look absolutely beautiful in these pictures. Your future kids (and husband!) will love them! ; )

dress: Forever 21 + Vivian Chan