a bit about the beginning...
Oh hey! It's me - Britney Walters-Chester. I’m a photographer and videographer now based out of Effingham, Illinois, after moving back home at the start of 2021. Lavinia + Louise was started between two friends in Ames, Iowa in 2018 - Lydia and Britney (the dynamic duo!). We were two friends who bonded over our love of rock climbing, jumping around at concerts, bashing on every season of The Bachelor (we secretly love it, and we know you do too), investing too much mental energy into board games, and watching videos of puppies try to walk upstairs for the first time.
We met in 2016 at the local climbing wall, and we immediately bonded over our shared love of The Office and our interest in creative work. After working together for several years in a marketing department, our idea for Lavinia + Louise bounced around for a while, but it wasn't until the summer of 2018 that it finally became a reality. We spent a year together capturing our client’s loves before Britney moved into sole ownership while Lydia was able to travel the United States living out of her van (super jealous)!
Want to know more about the meaning behind our name and what’s so important to our brand? Check out below :)
michael gary scott
“The people that you work with are, when you get down to it, your very best friends.”
meet your new best friend
britney walters-chester
co-founder and owner
Why, hello there! I’m a graphic designer who loves to capture moments through photography and videography!
My favorite things include baking, spending time with my family, going to as many concerts as possible, and exploring the country (and eventually the world)! My husband and I travel all over to rock climb, hike, and have adventures. We also visit our families as often as we can! Being active is a must for me, so I’m always rock climbing, biking, or running with my dog, Val! (I’ve run 10+ half-marathons and one full) I’m really passionate about music, and my current obsessions are Twenty-one Pilots, Young the Giant, and Elton John. The bands I always have on repeat are: The Maine, St. Lucia, and Dave Matthews Band - it’s a wide variety, I know!
I love being creative, so you’ll see my hand in photography, videography, and graphic design. I’ve been a photographer and graphic designer for 10+ years!
I love working with both individuals to highlight their natural beauty and have fun with couples who want to share their love! I’ve always tried to keep my photos as candid as possible, moving away from posed moments and overly staged lighting and really focusing on capturing your memories.
the meaning behind lavinia + louise
One question we get a lot: how did you think of the name for Lavinia + Louise Creative Co.? Well, there’s a bit of a story behind it! Obviously, thinking of a name is a major step in the business-starting process. Lydia and I wanted a name that represented not only the two of us, but our values, our individual personalities, and the vibe we wanted our business to have.
There were three things we really wanted to emphasize. The first two being femininity, and… well, baddass-ery? As outdoors-women and adventure-seekers (wow, look at all of those hyphenated words), we value our ability to embrace our femininity while we do the things we love and support other women. Women are forces to be reckoned with, and we want to toss aside stigma and show the world what we really are: powerful, graceful, and wild. Our next (and most difficult) step in the name-seeking process was finding a way to incorporate value #3: family and love. We believe that everyone deserves a place to be loved unconditionally and feel accepted. Because we both come from tight-knit families, we wanted to include in our business the appreciation we have for those who have shaped and guided us throughout our lives. After weeks of brainstorming, we came to a decision that made perfect sense to both of us. Using our grandmother’s middle names was our way of honoring the two most inspiring (feminine, and badass) people in our lives. These are the women who have taught us to be kind, seek out adventure, and pursue the unknown all while embracing each and every one of our quirks. They taught us to be strong women. From sewing and painting to baling hay and climbing trees, our grandmothers have continuously been our biggest supporters and our inspiration for becoming the absolute best versions of ourselves. What could be better than that?