In this deeply personal reflection, Denise shares how her journey through entrepreneurship, motherhood, and faith has shaped her understanding of success, community, and legacy. From capturing love stories behind the lens to helping others heal through her own, her definition of success has evolved into something far more meaningful: living in alignment with the gifts God gave her.
Redefining Success Through Faith and Freedom
What Is Your Definition of Success Today If You Had to Write It?
Success is freedom. Success is alignment with what you feel your creator has gifted you to do. My gift is helping women heal, serving brides, and giving them the best day of their lives through a storybook wedding album, done with integrity and class.
In the next chapter of my life, as I get older, I want to move more into an educational route. I believe success is about achieving your passion and not being afraid. I don’t think you’re successful just because you make a lot of money but are miserable at your job.
I once met someone in the bathroom who was so pretty. I complimented her and asked, “What do you do?” She said she was in pharmaceuticals. I asked, “Do you like it?” She replied, “I don’t know. It’s good pay.” She had a designer bag and looked beautiful, but I thought to myself, is that success?
At the heart of it, they don’t even know if they like what they do, but they do it because that’s all they know. I’d rather take a risk, take that step of faith, let God meet me there, serve others, help others, and see others empowered.
Creating a Life That Feeds the Soul
What Does a Life You Love Look Like for You?
I enjoyed building a brand because I love that creative freedom, that was the photography side. It was fun, and your vibe attracts your tribe. Attracting brides I identify with, relate to, and have fun with is such a joy. It’s the best day of their lives, and I’m having fun too.
Shooting a wedding is long and physically demanding, but building the brand and having creative freedom brings me energy. When I’m inspired, I go all in. But in my “winter seasons,” when I’m tired or burnt out after shooting 45 weddings, I take time to fill my cup again, to go deeper spiritually, and to rest.
As women, we’re different from men. We need rest. We need a little more playtime. I love slow mornings with tea or coffee, my journal, my Bible, and some music. Sometimes I get on my knees, get quiet, get still, and enter the presence of God. Gratitude is my springboard into His presence, and in God’s presence, I feel peace return to me.
The Power of Community and Connection
What Role Has Community Played in Your Journey?
Community is everything. From referrals to being a member of different groups and staying connected with my brides. I also stay connected with venues and vendors.
There have been seasons when my community has changed because as you grow, so does your community. I believe we’re all connected. We are all one, whether we like it or not. When one of us suffers, the whole body feels it; when something bad happens in the world, we all feel it. That’s why Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” because if I don’t love you as I love myself, I’m hurting myself.
We are all one. We are the body of Christ. That’s why community can build us up or tear us down. I’m in a season now where I feel my community shifting, but professionally I have a strong network, and I love my people.
Habits That Nurture Purpose and Peace
What Habits Help You Do the Work You Do and Be Who You Are Every Day?
The habits that ground me are slow mornings, journaling, and praying. Fitness is also very important. It keeps my mind clear and helps me operate at full capacity.
I take time to rest and appreciate what I’ve done after each wedding—to look at the gallery, hear what the brides feel, and soak in that gratitude. I also take time to dream forward. Workshops and learning have become habitual for me. I always make room for growth and have good systems in place, delegating the things I don’t enjoy so I can focus on what I do best.
I’ve learned I don’t have to do everything. I can’t wear every hat.
Love as the Foundation of Legacy
What Legacy Do You Hope to Leave?
Photography itself is a legacy. I feel like I amplify people’s wedding days. When I see old wedding photos from great-grandparents, I think, one day, a family might cherish a photo I took. Love is so special. We all want love.
All I ever wanted growing up was love. I never knew my mom. She almost aborted me, but my grandmother and my dad talked her out of it. She was 19 when she had me. They didn’t get married.
My dad and grandmother told her, “Just give us Denise. We’ll do it. Please don’t give her up for adoption. Don’t abort her. We want her.”
That’s what happened. But I felt that rejection my whole life. I was always hungry for love; that was the one thing I longed for.
One night, I was reading the Bible and looked up the word love. Later, while I was praying with my eyes closed, I felt the warmest hug—the most powerful love I had ever experienced. I was trembling, but in a good way. And I remember saying, Oh my God, You are so real, God. You are real.
The wedding I’m shooting this Friday isn’t their first; they’re not a young couple. He’s a widower, and she lost her fiancé. When they tell me their story and express how grateful they are to have found love again, it moves me deeply. If that were me, I’d want the best photographer to capture that moment. When someone trusts me to do that, their legacy becomes part of mine.
My legacy for my son is to empower him to find his purpose, to help him discover who he is and build his confidence. Whatever he’s called to do will always be part of my legacy because he is my greatest creation.
Being a mom is about letting go and not holding on to your own idea for them but understanding their unique journey. My YouTube channel is also part of that legacy, helping women heal, and men too. It’s still new, but the impact I’ve already seen feels like a legacy in motion.
About Denise Marie
Denise Marie is a Christian business owner and seasoned photographer of 18 years, dedicated to capturing life’s most meaningful moments with Love Light Beauty at the heart of every frame.
