We were lucky to catch up with Colin And Julie Crawford recently and have shared our conversation below.

Colin and Julie, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Magnolia + Ember’s mission as adventure photographers is to create experiences for couples that can truly be felt. Our purpose stretches beyond wedding and elopement photography and revels in the realm of fully immersive moments that cultivate inspiration and connection. Our passion is found in crafting adventures in spaces that spark feelings of wonderment and breathlessness. We value the act of taking couples on a journey; guiding them to a new, sacred place; a place found through vulnerability, presence and intention.

We’ve seen far too often couples say, “we can’t wait for this day to be over so we can escape to the honeymoon.” Most of the time, couples are so exhausted from the fast paced energy of the wedding day, that they go through the motions, make it through the reception and begin married life. We find this so often to be true: a couple’s wedding is for everyone else except themselves. It’s heartbreaking that this is the norm in the wedding industry, and that’s why it is so important to advocate for our couples.

We help couples plan an experience that encourages them to be present and attentive to one another, not occupied with meeting the needs of everyone else. Our timelines are not rushed, allowing periods in the day for deep connection. After all, a wedding should represent union in a relationship, embodying what truly matters.

Our mission is our specialty: We craft wildly intentional weddings and elopements where couples can focus their awareness on their partner, creating an intimate space for them to interact and genuinely connect. We engage with couples in ways which lead them into the chambers of the heart. Listening to and anticipating their needs, our couples are far more than our clients; they are our friends.

We honor emotional depth. We embrace the moment, however it unfolds, to ensure our couples feel seen for who they truly are. We move in this world inspired by the magic we have found to be true, something seen in pictures, but most palpable when we are behind the lens. After a photo shoot, we often can’t help noticing that our headspace, our heartspace, often shifts, leaving us in a different place than where we started. This is our magic — and the meaning is beyond what words can tell.

Colin and Julie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are Julie and Colin Crawford, and together we represent Magnolia + Ember. We are adventure wedding and elopement photographers based in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and travel around the world co-creating immersive wedding experiences that evoke feeling and connection. Our passion is to create an experience that awakens the senses; where couples share a moment to feel as they step into a new chapter. In addition to being photographers and planners, we are ordained officiants, allowing couples to tailor their ceremony to reflect and honor their relationship.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As much as we want to control where we get married (weather, location, timing) all we can actually do is choose how we move through each moment in time. Recently, we were met with the challenge of replanning an adventure elopement with 20 people to a completely new state in only 4 days. In the immediate devastation of Hurricane Helene, what was supposed to be a destination experience in Asheville, North Carolina became an adventure of a lifetime in Stowe, Vermont. This meant last minute flights and travel arrangements, a place to get ready, an un-scouted ceremony location that checked all the boxes, inclusive of a trail with epic views for the couple to hike after exchanging vows with their family and friends.

After much research, Colin discovered Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont (a beautiful sentiment to the day). The small mountain town outside of Burlington encompassed all their needs, but we were still met with an array of last-minute changes. Sprinting through the airport for connecting flights was ominous of the energy to come. Despite all the commotion surrounding the elopement, when it came down to what actually manifested, we could not have dreamed of better timing and location.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Our story exemplifies the essence of why we are so passionate about encouraging couples to show up as their most authentic self and create space for what really matters. Julie began the photography company in 2010, but it wasn’t until after many years of personal growth did she define who she truly is. She began taking cross-country road trips alone and discovered the deep connection with Mother Nature. In 2022, she courageously put her poetic truth out into the world by publishing the book ‘Tuesdays, Heartbreaks, and Soulmates’ and set intentions in motion for creating the life she was destined for. Embracing vulnerability, she shared her adventurous journey to self-discovery, but it felt much deeper than the words and travel photos on the pages. Something told her this gesture would manifest a life partner who walked in the world in such a way that aligned with her vision. Through a series of serendipitous events, the book fell into Colin’s hands and heart. It is difficult to capture the way we have separately experienced our story, and as a couple; the gravity of alignment we have both felt which brings us to truly believe in the power of this soul journey. Our story continues to show us that the love you give returns to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://magnoliaandember.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magnoliaandember/

Image Credits

Magnolia + Ember