When Gotham needs a hero, it lights up the sky with wings and calls Batman. When Phoenix needs to plan a P-A-R-T-Y, it lights a candle on a cupcake and wishes for Elisa Brenly, the Valley’s sweetest, classiest, most tasteful event planner for doing fun right. Elisa’s creativity is original and inspired. Her professionalism is first class. Her detail and determination are unmatched. Her heart is big, open, and ready to serve.

Elisa launches her newest endeavor this summer: BASH! by Brenly. The menu of offerings will leave no client deterred from hiring an event planner for the first time, but determined to get started right away. From wedding and baby showers to children’s birthday parties, and from intimate dinners to themed get-togethers, BASH will do it all. Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” We say, “If you can dream it, BASH! can plan it.”

Elisa, we fell in love with your passionate pursuit of perfection the first time we met you, when BASH was just an idea waiting to erupt from your soul. Your energy exploded that night like glistening bits of confetti shot out from a cannon. We know that you’re going to be a success, and a smashing one at that.

We had the pleasure of taking Elisa’s pictures for her new website, which is still in the works and is sure to be fabulous. In the meantime, you can follow her on Instagram @bashbybrenly and take a look at a few of our favorites.

If you can get over the idea that it’s always winter in Narnia, we’re pretty sure we found our own little Narnia right here in Scottsdale. Don’t get us wrong, we love the desert, but every once in a while, it’s fun to feel like we’ve been transported outside of our usual desert terrain. When we found this spot, we literally had to climb our way straight through thick brush, and pull back bushes that were as tall as we were. When we made it through, though, we weren’t disappointed. It was magical. Like lamppost in the snow, talking faun kind of magical. We knew it would be the perfect spot for Grant and Holly.

Grant and Holly are expecting their first little boy in just about a month. We were honored when they asked us to capture this special time in their lives, and even more thrilled that they trusted us enough to forge into the wilderness with us. They were so much fun to photograph. They are a beautiful couple, inside and out, and we loved every minute working with them. Even the moment when Holly spotted a rattlesnake and screamed, “Shoot it!” At that moment, we believed Grant must have been packing heat, only to realize she was talking to us! She didn’t want the rattler dead, she wanted a photo of it! We happily obliged, and we all left the session unharmed, with laughter abound. We have so many favorites from our time with Grant and Holly. Here are just a few.

This is a session we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Anna and Ryan are expecting their first little girl, and we felt so honored when Anna asked us to document this special time in their life. We had so much fun taking advantage of the beauty the desert offers in the springtime. For a little while, it felt like we were the only people in the world.  Anna and Ryan are beautiful inside and out, and are going to be incredible parents. They are sweet, patient, kind, and most importantly, madly in love with each other. She is one lucky little girl.

It’s official. Spring is here! And oh, how glorious it is. Springtime in the desert is nothing short of magical. Everything is so lush and green. With a handful of maternity sessions ahead, we couldn’t be happier with spring’s timing. It’s just the perfect setting for parents-to-be. So you can imagine we were excited when Robert and Jamie told us they were up for some exploring.  We navigated some pretty treacherous terrain, but really spent most of our adventure lost in good conversation and laughter. It was such an honor to freeze this moment in time for them. They’re expecting their first little girl in just about a month’s time, and we can’t wait to meet her.

We were so excited when Taylor and Alex let us know that Santa brought their Christmas gift just a few days early this year! Greyson Bradley Baker was born on December 18th and surprised us all with his early arrival. We had already had the pleasure of taking Baby Greyson’s photos once before, when he was in his mommy’s tummy, but nothing could prepare us for the cuteness overload we would experience when we officially met him for the first time. We set up his newborn session on day four, and soaked up that precious new baby feeling. To make the shoot a little extra personal, we planned a few unique elements. Taylor has a true talent for cooking, and with a last name like Baker, there was no doubt we wanted to create some images that would be extra special for them.

We are so excited for Taylor and Alex, who are expecting their very first little bundle in just about a month. Little Greyson is going to be the world’s luckiest little boy. His parents are warm-hearted, intelligent, loving, and in case you haven’t noticed, totally smokin’ together. We had so much fun spotting all the best light, and then watching them make the light look even better once they stepped into it. They were so trusting and adventurous, and every time we would start with a sentence like “If you’re up for this…” they would take it on without hesitation. We just loved every minute of our time together. Greyson, you are already loved more than you know, and we can’t wait to meet you! See you soon, little guy!

It’s easy to see why Lexi is pursuing a modeling career. She is a photographer’s dream. Her eyes sparkle and the camera l-o-v-e-s her, plus she is so sweet you can’t help but fall in love with her. Lexi makes us wish we could do seventh grade all over again, and go back half as cool as she is. She is confident, mature, humble and so much fun. She and Jordan gabbed on and on about Dance Moms (yes, we said Jordan) as Amy drooled all over her cute shoes. Did we mention her sense of style is impeccable? She and her sister, Calista, are the perfect examples of all the DOs of styling for a portrait shoot. They layered, they accessorized, the color-coordinated, and they came styled to express their unique personalities. We could have shot them all day long. It was so hard to narrow down all the images of Lexi, but here are a handful of some of our faves.

When we think back to ourselves in sixth grade, it was anything but pretty. Poise, grace, and style were probably the last three words that anyone would have used to describe us, and yet, those are the first words that we associate with Calista. We’ve never come across a sixth grader like her. Her look is flawless, she is sweet as pie,  and she knows how to work the camera. She was such a blast to work with. We shot her portraits, along with her sister, Lexi, to build each of their portfolios. (Lexi’s photos coming soon!) Calista is an absolute doll. When we grow up, we hope we turn out as cool as her.

Ten. Thousand. Dollars. That’s about how much it cost for Jordan to start his first semester of law school. We were newlyweds, and we had committed to making it work on Amy’s small salary as Jordan worked his way through law school. We had also committed to tithing (giving the first ten percent of what we make back to God) through our incredible church, CCV. Our budget was tighter than tight. We had coupons for our coupons.

Everything changed when Jordan started feeling a tug on his heart that law was not his calling. He couldn’t see himself living the life of an attorney for the rest of our lives, and so, after a lot of prayer, we knew withdrawing was the right thing to do. The only problem? Ten. Thousand. Dollars. We paid in full, up front, and we were weeks past the two week refund period. We were living on practically nothing, and that money was a big chunk of our savings. Check that, it was our savings.

Jordan went to the administrative offices and asked for a prorated refund application form. They smirked at his naive request and sent him to another building. That building laughed at him. There is no refund application form, they chuckled, you’re past the two week period. There were no forms, no appeals, no way we were getting that money back. Jordan finally asked one of the front desk assistants for a piece of blank paper. She looked puzzled, but gave it to him anyway.

On that piece of paper, he wrote his heart out. He told them about how we were newlyweds, how that money was all we had, how our coupons had coupons, and that while they have no obligation whatsoever to prorate any part of what we paid, we would be so grateful for anything they could do. A thousand dollars. A hundred dollars, even. Anything. He signed his name, and asked the girl at the front desk to hand that piece of paper to the most important person she knew in her office. And that was that. We accepted that God was in control, and that we were learning a very expensive lesson. He had different plans in mind for us, and it was time to trust, follow Him, and release control.

A few weeks later, Jordan walked to the mailbox, and saw a letter with the university logo on the envelope. He silently fist-pumped because we were expecting a check from the school’s parking department. They routinely prorate parking passes, and we had a whopping two hundred bucks coming to us. Groceries for the month. He opened the envelope, and there, before his eyes… wait for it… a check for, you guessed it, Ten. Thousand. Dollars. The school didn’t owe us a single penny, and yet, there it was, a full, unadulterated refund check.

If that isn’t God working directly into your life, we don’t know what is. We have been so blessed in so many ways, and are so thankful for the opportunities to share those blessings with the people around us. Next month, our church, CCV, is opening a brand new campus in Scottsdale, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Our church has challenged our faith and strengthened our relationship with God and with each other, and now, we’re opening another campus to serve the city we live in. This week, they invited the community to a floor signing before they carpet the floors of the new building. We had the opportunity to use the floors as a way to write down our hopes for the church and cover it with our favorite bible verses and prayers. As we turned the corner, we caught this moment between a father and his sweet daughter, and for just a moment, we saw a perfect representation of God’s love for each and every one of us.

You know we have a not-so-secret-affinity with dancers. Since Amy used to be one, they have this inexplicable instant connection the second they meet.  Like a step away from a secret hand shake, let’s make friendship bracelets and talk in our own language kind of connection before the shutter even clicks. Dancers are their own breed. And beautiful Erin was no exception to this rule. Things clicked right away. Erin dances for ASU’s nationally renowned dance team, and was looking for some updated headshots. We were happy to oblige, and had so much fun capturing her radiant personality.