We recently connected with Tori Ware and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Tori thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
Come to Bliss is so much more than just a name. It’s a representation of my journey and the pursuit of capturing moments that evoke pure bliss. It originated as a personal mantra, reflecting on times of pure happiness and contentment. As I embarked on my senior project while pursuing my B.F.A in photography at Savannah College of Art & Design, Come to Bliss became the title of a collection that celebrated the beauty of friendship and the fleeting moments that shape our lives.
Following graduation I did a number of different jobs and eventually found my love of documenting weddings. I second shot to gain experience and then joined an adventure elopement photography team. I traveled the world photographing small weddings in epic locations and learned a lot, all the while fulfilling someone else’s vision rather than my own. When it came time to part ways and begin my own wedding photography business, it felt as though I was coming back into a time of bliss in my life.
Come to Bliss is an invitation. The types of moments that I have the honor to document are the ones we want to hold onto forever, to revisit and relive whenever nostalgia calls. Pure joy, boundless emotion, and the promise of cherished memories–everything I believe a wedding day should embody.
Tori, 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?
My love of photography began with photographing friends playing dress up, immersed in nature. I spent all my free time imagining stories and crafting sets and costumes. This led me to studying photography and working at W Magazine where I thought I might be a fashion photographer–until I photographed my first elopement in 2014. What I found to be lacking in fashion photography I fell in love with through documenting weddings. Authentic connections and genuine human emotions, all playing out on an incredibly momentous day.
My decade+ of experience photographing weddings and elopements has taken me all over the world and somehow back to the magic I first witnessed behind the camera. I have found myself photographing people dressed up, typically while immersed in nature. It is endlessly fulfilling and an honor to call this my life’s work.
I capture moments with a careful eye for nostalgia, characterized by romantic aesthetics, and a cinematic flair for couples that value bespoke experiences and the art of storytelling. I aspire to be more than just a vendor–a trusted confidant and a calming presence amidst the whirlwind of wedding preparations.
I am most proud of the connections I’ve made along the way: the clients turned true friends, the couples whose lives I’ve documented beyond their wedding days as they grow their families, the other wedding professionals I’ve had the opportunity to create alongside, and the other photographers in this industry who offer endless support and kindness over competition.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
While I have been a professional wedding and elopement photographer full-time since 2018, my business Come to Bliss was formed in 2022. I had not intended to create my own business at the time but did so out of absolute necessity at 8 months pregnant with my first baby.
Choosing to build a brand from scratch during a period of my life that was so unknown and overwhelming in of itself, was incredibly challenging. After the birth of my daughter I spent the time when she was sleeping creating my own website and marketing my business. I carefully developed new relationships with other professionals in my industry, started learning the art of SEO, and made creative decisions on what this business was to be.
I truly cared for and “raised” my brand-new business at the same time as my brand-new baby. It was both the hardest and most rewarding period of my life thus far.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
At this point in my career I have photographed over 200 amazing celebrations and I could share with you a story about what happened on each and every one–likely naming each couple too.
It is not only incredibly fulfilling to have successfully turn my greatest passion and creativity into my career–but it has enabled me to make connections with the most genuine people.
Knowing that the work I create will be cherished by couples and their loved ones for decades to come is by far the most rewarding aspect for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cometobliss.com/
- Instagram: @cometobliss
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cometobliss
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tori-mercedes-ware/
Image Credits
Tori Ware of Come to Bliss