Meet Kaylie Wren | Wedding & Elopement Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kaylie Wren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kaylie, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
In an industry where so many crave community over competition, I want to be remembered for the way that I cultivated that. I have started hosting photography retreats for this sole purpose. As business owners, there is the worldly pressure that we have to be better than everyone around us or push them down to climb to the top of the ladder. However, my calling to be in this industry comes from my faith and love for Our Savior. I am not called to be at the top, I am called to be a servant of the Lord. Sure, you want to have your bills paid and provide for your family. But, at the end of the day if I am not fulfilling my purpose that the Lord has called me into, I am going to fail. God will provide exactly what I need. It is a lot of pressure to create for a living, but strength is restored when you stop looking at what everyone else is doing and create exactly what God is calling you to. If you are reading this and don’t understand what that is, I invite you to just investigate the freedom of a personal relationship with Jesus, not religion. As a wedding photographer, being a servant looks like many things but specifically, open and honest communication with my couples, helping them get through the planning season by answering any questions, becoming a friend that hears them out (because people truly crave to be heard), and just loving them well through it all. At the very end of the day, I have captured beautiful moments shared between the two of them and they have also experienced being seen, heard, and loved from engagement to marriage. I also love that so many invite me into moments following marriage such as the birth of their babies, anniversaries, celebrations, grief, and so much more. All in all, I want to be remembered for not only capturing the moment as it happened but cultivating that community that offered a safe place to be who you are in front of my camera. This goes not only my couples, but my peers and family as well. Life is hard and when you have those people around you that make it more fun, encourage you to keep going, and point you back to the mission placed on your life, that is when you feel community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is capturing the love stories that have been written on couples lives. I am most excited when editing photos from these days to see the genuine moments that I captured. I do not believe in keeping any moments from my couples, so I deliver as many photos as possible. I think that even the bloopers, that some may delete from the gallery, can be the most cherished moments for many. Aside from the couple portraits at a wedding where I get the couple alone for 30 minutes or so, my favorite part is capturing their guests. I had 4 close family members die suddenly in 2017, and I now realize how special it is to have photos of them to hold on to. I was asked to provide most of the photos for their funerals, because I was the one who always took them, even when some found it annoying. As morbid as this sounds, sometimes I think about how much I would’ve loved photos of them at my wedding. I try to capture the people that came to celebrate with my couple, so they have those photos to cherish for years to come.

The road to becoming (and I still am because I learn everyday) a wedding photographer isn’t easy. First off, not everyone can do it. It is hard hours of standing, weather troubles, dealing with family drama, huge investments for equipment, trying not to compare, educating yourself, coordinating timelines, working weekends, and so much more. I say keep going if you feel called and ready for it though, but do not do it for the money or for the ‘fame’. Find what you truly love and chase after it with all of your heart. I have tried many editing styles, bought new equipment, invested in education, but at the core I have to feel called to what I am doing to make it through. Be prepared to serve others but don’t forget to fill yourself back up. I have to take quarterly trips by myself to renew my mind and rest.

I want the world to know that my brand is to love and to be loved by Our Creator. He is the greatest Creator of all, and what an honor it is to have the call to create photos that capture the work He has done in the lives of so many beautiful couples. I have experienced awful heartbreak and seen how redemptive God is at bringing together two people to do His work, and I love getting to capture that authentic love in time so that we may remember how He orchestrates it all.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love to travel all over so this is a fun question for a day in my home roots. I absolutely love staying in Airbnb’s, so I would have a staycation with my best friend in a local aesthetically pleasing Airbnb. I was raised by a single mother that was fueled by coffee and Jesus, I know that sounds like a t-shirt slogan. However, I need caffeine so I would start the day off by taking my best friend to get coffee at one of our local shops. My favorites are Buona Caffe, Rooted Coffeehouse, The Bee’s Knees, or Stay Social Evans. I frequent these places quite often so I have a go-to drink at each. After coffee and breakfast at one of these places, I would go to a local park or on a hike. I have spent a majority of my life hanging at the Savannah Rapids Park, so that would be a sweet place to go with them to walk, bike, run, kayak, hammock, you name it. After working back up our appetite, I would suggest Pho Bac or Pho Ramen’L for lunch, as I love ordering pho and summer rolls. These are great local places to enjoy it. On a summer night, we would then plan to go to an Augusta Greenjackets game at SRP Park or grab drinks and tapas at Edgar’s Above Broad. These are both great places to hangout, socialize, drink, eat and have a ton of fun. My favorite part about this entire day would be the intentional conversations we got to have. We live in a great city but I always remember the conversations I had with friends at the end of a fun day. Augusta has plenty to offer from golf, baseball, movies, trails, gardens, drinks, restaurants, and shopping. I would say to gather the people you love to be around, drop the phones, and have genuine connection wherever you end up!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe who I am to even the simplest quotes and life experiences over the years. Most importantly I dedicate my shoutout to my mother, a single mom and Army nurse, who raised my brother and I with so much love. She taught me what it meant to work hard, but most importantly to work hard while depending on the Lord for strength. I know there were days she wasn’t sure if she would make it through, but she got right back up and kept praying. My brother stepped up to plates he didn’t have to and I am thankful for that in my life. My husband, William, selflessly supports me to do whatever it is to pursue my business and pushes me everyday into the calling on my life. I owe my faith and passion for being a servant, to my late grandfather, whom I called “papa”, for teaching me that a dollar means nothing if you have a million or none, but what means the most is how you treat and love people so that they know about the Lord’s kindness and ability to provide for us. While I am grateful for every encounter the Lord has orchestrated, these are the four people that never give up on me and leave an impact on every step I take. I would also love to shoutout Goebel Media in Milledgeville, GA for taking a chance on me as a marketing intern, which helped launch me into who I am as a business owner. I was eager to learn, and they were willing to patiently teach me. I am so thankful for all of the people who have made an impact on me and my business!

Website: www.kayliephotography.com

Instagram: @kaylie.photo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayliewrenphotography

Image Credits
Headshot: William Wren (Husband)