matt + jordan dooley | kauai, hawaii napali coastline adventure session | hawaii destination couples photographer

I can’t remember when I started following Jordan online. All I know is that one day I noticed a girl that kept popping up on my Facebook and Instagram spewing so much truth, wisdom, and encouragement that I couldn’t ignore her. In her college sorority Jordan started a little design etsy shop that slowly turned into a blog of encouragement called Soul Scripts that God then snowballed into a full fledged company that reaches hundreds and thousands of people all around the world. Jordan is now an author, a speaker, a Christian blogger, and an actual ball of sunshine encouraging everyone she comes in contact with. Her story inspires me so much, because she took the talents God gave her and started where she was at. She didn’t wait until she had a certain amount of followers to start following her dreams. She was faithful with what she had, and God blessed it immensely. Her story is so incredible.

When I saw that her and her husband Matt were coming to Hawaii for a vacation, I reached out to her to see if we could set up a photoshoot while she was here. I’m pretty sure I reached out the day after Christmas expecting a response in a couple weeks due to the Holidays. She responded 3 hours later with this response:

“UM YAS. And can we get dinner afterwards?”

So it was planned. My husband Andrew and I made a long weekend out of it, and island hopped to Kauai to meet the Dooleys and capture their love story in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We had thrown around a few different ideas for locations like waterfalls or beaches, before Jordan suggested doing a Napali Coastline sunset cruise for the shoot. Immediately I said “YAS!” I’d always wanted to photograph a couple in front of the iconic ridges of the Napali Coast, and all of the pieces fell together perfectly.

We started off the cruise chatting life and getting to know each other. Matt and Jordan had only been married about a year and a half when we took these photos, and they told us they had already moved around a TON for Matt’s job – he played professional football for a while, and because of it, it took them from Indiana to Arizona then back to Indiana. Their first year of marriage wasn’t a simple walk in the park. Yet hearing their story, I was so taken aback by their constant faith in the Lord to come through, offer grace, and provide for them no matter what circumstances came their way.

As the cruise continued to sail across the Napali Coastline, we went around to different parts of the boat playing and being silly as if the whole entire boat wasn’t watching us. (Hint: they were haha). Sidenote: If you haven’t done a Napali Coastline Boat tour I HIGHLY recommend it. These views are unreal and seeing the mountains from the water was so magnificent. We did Capt Andy’s Boat Tours if anyone is interested. (This isn’t an ad, just genuine stoke for this company because the experience was THAT good.)

The next day we couldn’t get enough of each other, so we met up with Matt and Jordan on Kauai’s North Shore in Hanalei for food truck grub, before heading to explore Queens Bath in Princeville. It was the Dooley’s last day on the islands so we ended the day shooting at a beach by the airport in Lihue, and ended our adventure grabbing burgers at a nearby pub. We laughed and discovered Matt’s hidden talent of voice impressions. He had us all laughing so hard we were crying. If you get the chance to meet him in person, ask him to do his impressions because they are SPOT on.

We left Kauai with new friends and hearts so full from our wild adventure with these two. If you don’t already, go follow Jordan on Instagram at @jordanleedooley and be prepared to get whacked in the face (in the best way possible) from her spirit filled, life giving captions and her constant encouragement that makes you feel less alone. These two are the real deal and such a beautiful example of what a Godly marriage looks like. I cannot wait to see where God takes them as they’re story grows and continues to change lives.

Lindsey Roman is an adventurous destination wedding and intimate elopement photographer based out of Oahu, Hawaii, but she travels worldwide. She lives for outdoor adventures, intimate moments, and candid images. Her style is raw, passionate, and authentic. She believes in chasing sunsets, laughing too hard, and most importantly: capturing genuine moments that evoke feeling over perfectly posed photographs.