Sacred Proof

06/04/2026

I cannot believe this beautiful girl is getting so grown up! Congratulations Eden!

06/02/2026

It’s seriously the best!

Indescribable feeling. 🥹

05/31/2026

Wow! WHAT an absolutely GORGEOUS wedding! We had an AMAZING time in the beautiful Arkansas Grand Ballroom in the Marriott Hotel downtown last night celebrating Lindsey and Marc! I am so beyond excited for this couple to begin their next chapter. Shout out to the staff of the Marriott for a beautiful food service last night… shout out to Crown Entertainment for bringing SO much fun and an absolute historic party as they always do… shout out to Tenarah Luxe for the show stopping florals!!!!!! I cannot wait to bring you the magic of this first sneak peek!

05/29/2026

It’s wedding eve for Marc & Lindsey and I couldn’t be more excited to spend the day with these two tomorrow!

One of my favorite additions to the Sacred Proof experience this year is something called Sacred & Blue.

Inspired by the timeless wedding tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, every Sacred Proof bride receives a collection of four hand-selected gifts on her wedding day.

No two Sacred & Blue boxes are exactly alike. Each is curated specifically for the bride receiving it.

Tomorrow, Lindsey will become the second 2026 bride to receive Sacred & Blue, and I’m currently putting the finishing touches on hers.

I’m also filming the packing of this box, but you’ll have to wait until Sunday morning to see it. 😉 Since Lindsey hasn’t received it yet, I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

This has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the wedding experience. It’s thoughtful, personal, and rooted in a tradition that has been part of weddings for generations.

I can’t wait to share this one with you all after wedding day. 🤍💙

05/29/2026

I have had the absolute honor of shooting two Legacy Collections this month! The Legacy Collection is Sacred Proof's extended family collection. This collection includes up to 2 hours of photography, multi-generation family portraits, family mini collections, and many family grouping options as well as Artifact Credit, a proofing gallery and a curated collection of images chosen from your proofing gallery. The Legacy Collection is a $750 collection and requires a 20% deposit to book! Book your family's Legacy Collection for the 2026 season!

05/28/2026

Just a little look behind the scenes of my world outside wedding photography… Enjoy my friends!

05/28/2026

Some moments are best described as magic. As a wedding photographer, I mustn’t miss a single one of those! 😉

05/27/2026

✨ Studio Notes ✨

A quick look at what’s happening inside Sacred Proof this week:

• The Lawson Family Legacy Collection will be delivered.
• The Fieldhouse Prelude Collection will be delivered.
• The Hannah Prelude Collection will be delivered.
• The Grigsby Legacy Collection will receive its first sneak peek.
• The Willis Archive Collection will receive its first sneak peek.
• The Wirt Record Collection will be photographed and, as a bonus, takes me on a bit of an adventure.
• And on Saturday, Lindsey’s wedding day finally arrives. 🤍

It’s a full week of editing, deliveries, sneak peeks, planning, packing gear, and celebrating alongside one of my brides as she begins a brand new chapter.

There are weeks when I’m behind a screen preserving memories that have already been made, and there are weeks when I get a front row seat to moments that haven’t happened yet. This week is both.

To every family and couple currently in my queue, thank you for trusting me with your Record. I can’t wait to share what we’ve been creating together.

— Shantel
Sacred Proof Photography 📷✨

05/25/2026

My favorite season is wedding season! Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, I love them all!

05/22/2026

I love all of my family, my friends, and my clients, but one thing I’ve realized is that every one of us goes to work, and most of us spend years learning, practicing, and investing in our craft. Whether you’re a teacher, a mechanic, a nurse, an accountant, or a business owner, you expect to be compensated for the value you provide.

Creatives can and should too.

For a long time, I struggled with that idea.

I photographed families, seniors, weddings, homecomings, friends, friends of friends, and complete strangers. Sometimes because I was asked. Sometimes because I offered. Sometimes because I convinced myself that if I was just grateful enough for the opportunity, eventually everything else would work itself out.

And while I was giving it away, I kept getting better.

Year after year.

I studied. Practiced. Failed. Learned. Started over. Improved.

Like anyone else pursuing a profession, I invested time, money, energy, and countless hours into developing my skills. Yet somewhere along the way, I convinced myself that everyone else’s expertise deserved compensation except my own.

I was afraid to charge what my work was worth.

Afraid people would stop calling.

Afraid the opportunities would disappear.

Afraid that if I treated photography like a business, I wouldn’t get to do it anymore.

So I kept one foot in and one foot out for a very long time.

I quit.

Came back.

Rebranded.

Started over.

Questioned everything.

Then eventually I landed in the simplest place imaginable.

What if this gift was actually given to me for a reason?

What if building something sustainable from it wasn’t selfish?

What if providing for my family with the work of my own hands was exactly what I was supposed to be doing all along?

Instead, here we are.

Still building.

Still growing.

Still trusting.

Still preserving the people and stories that matter most.

And somewhere along the way, the thing I was most afraid of happened.

People started saying yes.

Not because I was the cheapest option.

Not because I was willing to work for free.

But because they believed in what I was creating.

Today, Sacred Proof exists because of the families and couples who trust me with pieces of their history and see value in preserving them well.

I don’t take that lightly.

Every inquiry, every booking, every kind word, every referral feels like a reminder that maybe the vision wasn’t mine to carry alone after all.

And for that, I am deeply grateful.