The year 2016 has been a whirlwind for me so far and we’re only halfway through. In January, I got connected with the insanely talented Corey Villicana through a mutual friend and Instagram. The timing was impeccable, because not even after a week of following Corey on social media she posts about hiring interns. I couldn’t pass that up, so I applied and Corey welcomed me with open arms. 

Corey is a dreamer, do-er, achiever, a creative jill-of-all trades. She’s a mom, a wife, an encourager, entrepreneur, and an everyone-gather-around-the-table type of woman. 

Even though I have only known Corey for a solid 7 months now, one thing that I’ve learned about her is her abundant love for her family. She loves surrounding herself with her family and friends and she fully puts her heart into everything she does for them. 

When she asked me to take photos of a surprise party she was planning for her husband, I knew it was going to be nothing short of stellar. Anything that Corey is involved in I know it will be above and beyond what I could imagine. When Corey does something - she’s all in. She puts her heart in it, she includes all the creatives in the community around her, and she nails it every time. No detail gets over-looked.

As soon as I got to the party I could just tell how strong of a community Corey and Tony have around them. Friends and family came from near and far anxiously awaiting the big surprise. Tony and a friend had been having a casual beer at the bar when just behind the door next to them on the patio this fantastic party awaited him. He had no idea. When the door was finally pulled to reveal the surprise you could truly see how incredibly happy he was in that moment. Cue all the love and all the feels. The night continued with laughter, magicians, brews, a little bit of Mexican Food from Salt & Lime (yes please!), dancing, and great tunes. Birthdays are one of my personal favorite things to celebrate and I was so honored to be there to capture all of these moments.  

What an incredible party with some truly incredible people -Happy birthday Tony! Wishing you many more spectacular celebrations this year surrounded by all of those you love!