We’re Jonny + Michelle, the owners of Paper Antler Limited aka PAL.
2005
On a Hurricane Katrina relief trip, after clearing out two flooded homes, we snuck onto the roof of a church, ate swedish fish and watched shooting stars, all in a platonic fashion as I, Jonny, was certain to never have a chance with Michelle.
After being dared by Michelle to run through a fountain in my underwear on Thanksgiving Day in Baton Rouge which led to multiple stitches in my foot and a day spent in the ER, Michelle likely felt a mixture of pity and sadness in my absence. And that’s when we knew we had something special.
2007 + 2008
We graduated from college, got engaged in a hot-air ballon and promptly quit our day-jobs to pursue a career as full-time photographers. Vows were exchanged, bocce ball was played and we forgot to cut our cake, as we tied the knot a few months later.
Being scrappy and self-employed, we got kicked off of facebook and craigslist multiple times for “spamming” potential couples to shoot their wedding, but in the end we booked and photographed 13 weddings together and never looked back.
One of the very first wedding photos we shot back in 2007
2012
We packed up our beloved Honda Fit and hit the road as we set off on a year-long adventure to:
Photograph 50 weddings, in 50 weeks, in 50 states and donate $1,000 from each wedding package to a safe home for victims of sex trafficking.
Ultimately, we shot 42 weddings in 26 states and four countries and gave away over $52,000 to the safe home, funding it for an entire year.
(And drove over 50,000 miles)
2015
In the winter of 2015, we welcomed our baby girl Dottie into the world. A dynamic, entirely impressive, golden ray of sunshine. She has always signaled a beacon of hope since we first learned about her forthcoming arrival.
2017
Fast forward to the fall of 2017, we celebrated our tenth year of being in business (!!!) but more importantly, we said hello to Sir Rockwell aka Rocky. The most tender of all tornadoes. He will melt your heart with a kiss and then will throw a noodle point-blank at your face, all in a matter of seconds.
2018
Surrounded by family + friends and a few alpacas, we had a 10-Year Vow Renewal Party of the Century.
A lot of people asked why we’d have a 10 year vow renewal ceremony. Simply put, we celebrate job promotions, retirement, birthdays, graduations, new pants, etc. all of which can be great things, however, marriage can get overlooked (or given a bad rep) in this landscape of striving and achievement. So, beyond a wedding, celebrating marriage and reflecting, gathering and communicating love that is chosen and leaned into, is worthy of a party; worthy of taking inventory in ourselves and in our lives, all of the goodness and hardships and blessings that have happened in the past ten years because it’s easy to get distracted and easy to forget that the most valuable parts of our lives are often right in front of us.
2024 & BEYOND
Having shot hundreds of weddings all over the world, as we enter 2024, our focus and intention has never been more clear:
01. You are granting us access to sacred ground and we want to honor that trust from the first email to the last hug as we leave the dance-floor.
02. We believe that your experience is everything, while also capturing photos with the perspective of them being held by your grandchildren and great grandchildren. We’re capturing moments with your legacy in mind; not “likes”.
As such, we take on a limited number of bookings a year so that our clients receive the best experience and photographs possible, and so that we continue loving photography for the next decade as much as we've loved the previous.
xoxoxo
J+M (+Dot + Rock)
UNSOLICITED REMARKS FROM FORMER CLIENTS
"Oh my goodness, I don't even know where to start - we are totally speechless!! You guys did the most amazing, wonderful, artistic and beautiful job we could have ever hoped for - the photos are GORGEOUS. We absolutely love them(!!!) - the details you guys caught and thought of to catch blew us away. I cannot stop looking at them...no, seriously. Cannot thank you enough.
Simply put, you guys are amazing. So incredibly talented - you guys truly have a gift that I'm touched and grateful you shared with us. We are the ones that are honored to have spent the day with you guys. You exceeded my expectations beyond my wildest imagination.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for being the best part of our day (other than getting married of course!). You two are wonderful people, and I literally want to get married again so you guys can come take more pictures. :-) "
- J+A
"If you have seen any of Paper Antler's work, then you already know how incredibly talented they are. Their wedding photos look unlike any other. If you are looking for unique and breathtaking photos, they are an excellent choice. What you may not know from browsing their website, however, is how amazing, kind, funny, and sweet Jonny and Michelle both are.
I had known of their work for several years (and daydreamed of booking them the moment I got engaged), so they were a bit like celebrities to me when I met them at our rehearsal dinner. They made us all feel so comfortable with their warm smiles and their open hearts. We had so much fun with them!
After the wedding, several members of my family commented on how they just seemed to be wherever the moment was - they were so tuned in with all of the microevents happening. Needless to say, our photos are incredible! I could not be happier, nor could I recommend them highly enough. Book them early - their talent is in high demand..."
-S+A
"YOU guys!! Our photos!! Seriously!!
It's about 11AM and I'm still dusting the sleep off my eyes after staying up until 3AM going over all of our photos. And it's only going to start up again soon once I finish my cup of coffee! It's a good thing I don't have any patients today:)
Honestly, I wish I could think of a way to convey how incredible we think these are and how incredible we think the two of you are--if only you could be flies on the wall while we rave about you with our family and friends:) Wait until they all see these photos!!
I seriously could go on and on about ALL of them!
I would say you guys work magic but that wouldn't nearly do you justice...magic isn't real and your skills and talent and love for what you do is very real and simply amazing. We absolutely will cherish these for the rest of our lives!"
- B+K
"OH.MY.GOD!!! WE ARE SO IN LOVE!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
I can not say enough how wonderful it has been working with Sarah + Paper Antler! She made our whole day! Honestly, just so great to work with, professional, fun, took her time to get amazing photos, just so great. I think Sarah was my favorite person to work with out of anyone involved in our wedding so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
Could you please let me know the best place for me to leave a review for everyone, I would really like to do that!
THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Just incredible!!!
- H+W
"They truly tell the perfect story of the best day of our lives!!! You two served as way more than photographers for us, your warm and calm energy helped get us through the day!"
- M+S
"They. are. BEAUTIFUL!!! You are both artists of the most amazing kind. I feel like these pictures completely capture the entire day, you do such amazing work!!!!!! Thank you!!! Oh my. So many people have asked about you, and I sing your praises but your pictures speak for themselves! We LOVE them all!!!! We honestly love every single one. So do our families and friends, and again thank you thank you a million times. You are both amazing.
I am rambling and will just say again, THANK YOU!!! When we get over smiling/crying/soaking in each amazing photograph, we will try to decide on photos for a book! Right now I just want every picture framed and hung up wherever I am.
Again thank you!!"
- S+J
“You guys did the most amazing, wonderful, artistic and beautiful job we could have ever hoped for…I cannot stop looking at them...no, seriously. Cannot thank you enough."
- A+S