We recently connected with Kristen Felicia Mirabal Velilla and have shared our conversation below.
Kristen Felicia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
Our story began long before Divine Design Photography ever had a name. Back in 2019, my husband Juan and I started collaborating on creative projects — he was a photographer at the time, and I was modeling. That shared artistic passion brought us together, and eventually, we fell in love. After getting married in 2020, we officially launched our wedding photography business — just as the world shut down due to COVID.
Even with the uncertainty, we found joy in the weddings we captured together. But after the birth of our daughter, life slowed down. I became immersed in motherhood, and Juan focused on his culinary journey as a chef. We moved from Maui to the Big Island of Hawai’i, and for a while, photography took a back seat. Then came our son, another move to Texas in 2023, and a short season where I ran a small online business from home — but something in me still stirred.
The creative fire never left. I was navigating postpartum, raising toddlers, and yearning to create again — to see the world through beauty, light, and meaning. That longing followed me through every season. Then, in July of 2025, we moved again — this time to Florida’s Emerald Coast. And something shifted.
That’s when Divine Design Photography was truly born. A relaunch. A rebrand. A reawakening of purpose. I stepped into the lead creative role, merging my faith, motherhood, storytelling, and artistic vision. What began as collaborative shoots in love has now evolved into an editorial-inspired lifestyle and wedding photography brand rooted in faith, intention, and beauty.
I found out I was pregnant with our third baby just weeks before this relaunch — and stepping into this new season as both a growing mother and creative entrepreneur has been one of the biggest faith walks of my life. From April to July, while nurturing life within me, I was also nurturing this business — laying the foundation, rebuilding our brand, and pouring everything I had into Divine Design. And as soon as we arrived in Florida, doors began opening. Inquiries rolled in. Connections formed. And I knew YAHUAH was breathing on it.
“Divine Design” reflects how I see the world — through the lens of our Creator’s design. Every couple, every family, every moment I capture is a reflection of that truth. It’s more than photography. It’s about preserving legacy, telling stories, and capturing love through a redemptive, purpose-filled lens.
I knew this would succeed not because I had it all mapped out, but because the timing, the calling, and the provision aligned in a way only He could orchestrate. This business has been built in the tension — between motherhood and creativity, surrender and bold steps, faith and fear. And it’s in that tension where I’ve found the most beautiful, purpose-filled stories worth capturing.
Kristen Felicia, 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?
Hi, I’m Kristen Felicia — a Florida-based wedding and editorial photographer, a mother of three (including one in the womb), a storyteller, and a woman of deep faith. I’m the heart and lens behind Divine Design Photography, a brand that’s been many years in the making — and one that truly reflects the journey I’ve walked through to get here.
My creative story actually began in front of the camera. From 2015 to 2019, I explored freelance modeling — shooting editorial, beauty, and lifestyle projects that gave me a hands-on experience with the art of visual storytelling. I was honored to be featured in places like Vogue Italia during that time, and while it wasn’t a full-time career, it opened up a deep creative side of me that I hadn’t fully tapped into yet.
Still, even during that season, I knew there was more. I wasn’t just drawn to being seen — I was drawn to the act of seeing. I longed to create, to capture, to tell stories from behind the lens.
That desire became clearer when I met my husband Juan in 2018. At the time, he was a photographer and I was still modeling. We began collaborating on creative shoots together, and I vividly remember the first time I saw how he captured me — I thought, I want to do what he’s doing. It was like something old and familiar began stirring again.
I had loved photography since I was a teenager. In fact, I took my first photography class in high school, right after leaving a performing arts program where I had planned to pursue musical theatre. While I’ve always loved songwriting and music, the theater route just didn’t feel right. But that film photography class? That was the spark. I still remember one of the first photos I ever took — a shot of my dad’s shoes sitting in the grass. It was simple, but something about the composition made me fall in love with storytelling through imagery. I didn’t fully realize it then, but that passion never left me — it just went quiet for a while.
After Juan and I fell in love, we got married in 2020 and started our wedding photography business together. Then life shifted. We became parents, moved from Maui to the Big Island of Hawaii, and I took a step back from photography to focus on raising our growing family while Juan pursued his career as a chef.
Fast forward to April 2025 — I had just found out I was pregnant with our third baby, and something in me woke up. I felt called — deeply — to return to my creative roots. We moved to Florida in July, and that’s when Divine Design Photography was fully reborn. Since then, it’s been nonstop: building, rebranding, booking beautiful sessions, and pouring my heart into this work.
Today, Divine Design specializes in editorial wedding photography and creative brand imagery — with a heart for telling elevated, intentional stories through a fashion-inspired lens. My work is deeply influenced by my years of experience in the modeling world, and that’s reflected in how I approach each frame: with an editorial eye, a love for detail, and a passion for beauty that feels both timeless and emotionally rich.
While I still love capturing engagement sessions, intimate family stories, and meaningful personal milestones, my focus is on weddings, love stories, and creative branding — where fashion, storytelling, and legacy intersect. Whether it’s a dreamy elopement on the Emerald Coast or a branding session for a creative entrepreneur, I approach each project with the same depth and dedication to artistry.
What sets Divine Design apart is more than aesthetic. It’s the heart behind it.
This brand was birthed out of my faith — a belief that every story, every person, every detail is part of a divine blueprint. I see through the lens of legacy, and I aim to capture people the way our Creator sees them — fearfully and wonderfully made, full of beauty, and worth remembering.
I’m proud that I’ve built this business not in spite of motherhood, but through it. I’m raising babies, carrying new life, and telling stories — all at once. My prayer is that every client I serve feels seen, celebrated, and honored. Because Divine Design isn’t just a brand — it’s a reflection of the sacred beauty woven into every chapter of our lives.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Divine Design Photography actually began in Hawaii, though at the time it had a different name — Limned Light. My husband Juan and I were newly married, living on the islands, and experimenting with photography and storytelling as a creative outlet. We didn’t have much — just a camera, some secondhand lenses, and a shared dream — but we poured heart into every shoot, learning as we went.
When we moved to Texas, life picked up speed. I became a mother, twice over, and the demands of parenting, relocating, and just staying afloat caused our creative work to slow down. There were seasons when I barely touched my camera and honestly wondered if I had missed my window.
But in the spring of 2025, while pregnant with our third child, something reignited. We were preparing to leave Dallas for Florida, and I felt this strong conviction to relaunch our photography business — not as Limned Light, but with a new name that better reflected the heart behind our work: Divine Design. That name was born out of our faith and our desire to honor the beauty of creation, connection, and intentional storytelling.
Since our move to the Florida Panhandle, everything has shifted. I’ve stepped into photographing intimate weddings, editorial branding, and lifestyle sessions with a clearer creative vision than ever before. And all of this has happened while raising toddlers, navigating a challenging pregnancy and fibroid diagnosis, supporting my husband’s culinary business, and rebuilding from the ground up in a brand-new city.
Resilience, for me, hasn’t looked like perfection — it’s looked like surrender. Trusting Yahu’ah (our Creator) to breathe life into something I once thought had passed me by. It’s looked like reimagining what success means in motherhood, in art, and in business — and showing up faithfully in the small, sacred, sometimes messy moments in between.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
For me, building an audience has never been about numbers — it’s been about community. When I relaunched Divine Design Photography here on the Emerald Coast in July 2025, I was starting almost completely fresh. We had just moved from Texas, I was newly pregnant with our third baby, and we were stepping into a new season full of unknowns. But what grounded me — and what truly grew my audience — was connection.
I didn’t show up trying to be perfect. I showed up as a mom in the messy middle of motherhood and creativity, sharing behind-the-scenes moments, favorite images from client sessions, our family’s story, and the meaning behind Divine Design. I leaned into real conversations. I asked questions. I responded to DMs. I supported other creatives. I spoke from the heart — not for the algorithm.
What really helped me build momentum was pouring into local community groups, collaborating with other vendors, and inviting others into the process. Styled shoots, giveaways, and creative projects became a beautiful way to cross-promote and support each other’s work. I wasn’t just trying to be seen — I was building real relationships with other artists, mamas, and small business owners in our area.
My advice? Be willing to start small, and show up sincerely. Don’t be afraid to be seen building. You don’t need to have everything figured out before you begin. The people who are meant to connect with you will feel your heart — not your highlight reel. Keep creating, keep connecting, and trust that the right people will find you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.divinedesignphoto.com
- Instagram: @divinedesignphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19z66kLsmQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Featured Photo: Photographer: Amanda Leigh Photography (Instagram: @amandaleigh_photography_)
Kristen Felicia Mirabal Velilla, Divine Design Photography