hey hi
hello
I grew up in a family obsessed with memories. A grandpa with a video camera on his shoulder at every family gathering. A dad who recorded his dad's tall tales to save his voice for future generations. A grandma who saved every scrap of art her grandkids created up until the day she passed. Framed family recipes, hand built hope chests and pillows made of old sweatshirts are the type of gifts I received from my family growing up. Still to this day, when I visit my hometown, there's always a photo album getting pulled out or a home video being popped into the VCR (yes, they still have those) so we can feel that liquid gold feeling of "the good ol' days" flow over us.
But then, when I got married, I realized not everyone grew up with that luxury of endless candid memories. That's when I knew I had to provide a way to create that liquid gold experience, that feeling of home, of peace in your every day life, for every human I could get in front of my camera....
...and I hope you're the next beautiful face I see.
your wedding and elopement photographer
"kiki, do you love me?"
click here to inquire.
sup?
i'm Aja.
There's not a dance floor in the world I've met that I haven't spent all night on. If I could eat a diet consisting of only french fries, cupcakes and red wine (and not die), I absolutely would. I'm a girly-tom boy... meaning I love to dress up but I'm also not afraid to skin my knees playing a sport. On your wedding day, this translates into me dressing the part, but also not afraid to lay on a soaking wet ground to get the shot.
If I'm not behind the camera, I'm most likely getting my hands dirty with some kind of planting or yard work, loving on my 6 (!!) animals or making up some ridiculous game with my husband Alex.
A bit more about me
My name is Aja (pronounced like Asia) and I was born and raised in South Bend, IN. I moved to North Carolina about 10 years ago, and I've lived in the Hickory area for 5 years after buying my first home! I'm a type 2w3 enneagram. Which to you means I care deeply about each and every detail you've put into planning your day and I feel each wedding day as if it is my own.
I live for the little things in life. I love hand written letters and getting cards in the mail, I love the smell of outside just before it rains and I love witnessing the little, every day interactions that make life worth living like: a dad teaching his daughter to throw a baseball or a couple flirting with each other in the grocery store. These little moments are the inspiration behind my photography style on your wedding day, the tiny interactions we don't realize we want to hold onto forever until they're already gone. That's my super power.
pricing +
packages
fun facts
I've known my husband since I was in 3rd grade. We were neighbors and best friends first :)
My mental + physical health are a huge priority for me. I can't take care of you fully on your wedding day, if I can't take care of myself.
My go-to adult beverage is a spicy margarita.
Extra salt please.
I'm afraid of worms.
Dramatic, I know.
"First off, you’re here because you’ve already seen Fur & Lace’s photos, they’re amazing! Most importantly Aja is awesome! She’s fun, energetic, will fit in with any crowd and will make you feel at ease. She just recently photographed our wedding (November 2021) and she ran the show. We had a large wedding party and Aja orchestrated the group like a professional. She was able to capture every moment and had sent us sneak peaks within a few days. We are extremely pleased with how every photo has turned out and plan to recommend Fur & Lace Photography to all of our friends and family. 10/10 will be working with her again!!!"
alyssa + kyle | November 2021
"Aja is like the best friend I didn't know I was missing. It feels as if she knows what I am thinking/envisioning, even if I can't fully describe it myself, and brings it to life. She's taken my wild ideas and ran with them, capturing the moments that felt truly real and genuine. She's not afraid to get down and dirty, have a great time, and just laugh along with you. She captures the intimate moments and the moments when we're living our best lives laughing our heads off. Her photos are gorgeous, perfectly captured, and she always seems to just understand us as a couple and individually."
sydney + elliot | Couples session 2020 + 2021
"When anyone has asked us who the most important vendor was from our wedding, we have said Aja hands down. Not only were the photos we received from her INCREDIBLE, but she also took the time to check on us personally through the day and made sure to steal us away so we could take a breather if we even looked a bit overwhelmed. She cares about the people she works with. She is thoughtful and kind, hilarious and relatable and absolutely amazing at what she does. You can tell that she 100% loves what she does through her photos because they are so intimate and personal. Working with Aja is not just working with a professional photographer who will give you excellent photos you will cherish forever, but it’s a confidence booster, you’ll gain a new friend, and she will make your wedding or photo session fun and stress-free."
faith + austin | October 2019
Aja is a dream to work with. She has captured so many significant moments for our family beginning with our engagement photos. Aja shot our wedding, our move to our new home, our first baby announcement and most recently our maternity photos. It's a different kind of appreciation that you develop for your photographer when you realize they are not just documenting milestones but celebrating them with you. My husband and I are so incredibly grateful for Aja, her talent, her outgoing personality and her kindness. 10/10 recommend working with Aja.
katrina + chris | 2020, 2021 + 2022
Working with Aja was absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else there to capture our wedding. We both felt so comfortable and at ease with her. Not to mention every. single. photo. is. INCREDIBLE. She is officially our forever photographer.
ally + devin | september 2021
hear it from my couples!
don't take my word for it,
click a picture to read their testimonial
Aja absolutely crushed it with our elopement photos. If you're reading this you've likely already fallen in love with her style and quality (because, hello it's incredible). So moment for the whole ~experience~ of working with her. From our first chat through delivery of our gallery Aja was so clear on what to expect, what she needed, and what our options were. Every single detail was customized intentionally like sweet little package names based on our favorite things and Loom videos walking us through details so they weren't overwhelming. Aja went above and beyond to help finalize our elopement details and struck the perfect balance of running with my vision and finessing it with her own BEAUTIFUL creative expertise. Our hot air balloon elopement had so many variables and Aja was effortlessly going with the flow of all the unknowns up until the very minute of the event.
We by no means are a couple that likes to be in front of the camera. Aja's style of capturing real-life, candid moments allowed us to be fully present in the day and so comfortable. I could not recommend working with Aja enough. She goes above and beyond in every aspect.
taylor + pat | may 2024
To put it very simply, Aja is the best decision we made for our wedding day. And to be honest, we were not going to even hire a photographer for our wedding! I couldn't imagine our day, even life, without Aja in it.
We were incredibly intentional about who we chose as vendors for our day, we wanted each vendor to feel like a friend, someone we genuinely wanted to be around and could see in our lives after our wedding.The moment I spoke to Aja, she felt like an old friend. I could feel her passion for what she does, she truly emulated love and positivity. We initially hired Aja for 4 hours and we ended up extending to her full 8 hour package and when I tell you it was worth every single penny, that doesn't even being to do it justice. Again, best decision we made for our wedding day.
We wanted someone to capture who we were, the in between moments. The special moments. We wanted someone who was able to freeze these memories in time, and Aja went above and beyond. She gave us exponentially more than that. She also gave us a friend that I am confident we will have for life.
Aja is truly one of a kind. In what she does and who she is. I am truly obsessed with her and cannot recommend her enough to capture your day. You will be nothing but amazed and in awe.
emma + kellen | november 2022
Aja exceeded my expectations and all my wildest dreams. I knew from the beginning of my wedding planning that she was the photographer I wanted. From our initial contact til the day of the wedding and beyond her communication, thoughtfulness, and organization kept a strong presence. There was never a time where I was left with questions about what was going on. Through the whole process I felt so heard and truly cared for. Then of course on wedding day Aja provided such a calm and professional presence while also being the best hype person. Of course she absolutely NAILED it and my gallery was beyond perfect. My only regret is not booking her for longer.
hannah + bo | may 2024
Aja is a dream to work with. She has captured so many significant moments for our family beginning with our engagement photos. Aja shot our wedding, our move to our new home, our first baby announcement and most recently our maternity photos. It's a different kind of appreciation that you develop for your photographer when you realize they are not just documenting milestones but celebrating them with you. My husband and I are so incredibly grateful for Aja, her talent, her outgoing personality and her kindness. 10/10 recommend working with Aja.
katrina + chris | 2020, 2021 + 2022, 2023, 2024
I am so grateful Aja was recommended to me. She did an incredible job on our wedding day, providing us with so many beautifully artistic shots of sweet and fun moments. She knows how to keep an eye out for quiet moments and the fun loud ones too, and captured so many of them at our wedding. We’ve been obsessing over them all since she sent them to us. She also is such a kind, laid back, patient and comfortable person to be around. She made both my partner and I feel safe taking photos during our engagement shoot in our home, and ofcourse on the wedding day. She is an artist with her camera, and an angel of a person. You can trust your wedding day to be captured right with Fur and Lace.
hannah + jeremy | november 2023
hear it from my couples!
don't take my word for it,
