Kate & Brendan | The White House Weddings | Virginia Wedding | 9/3/2022

The day finally came for Kate and Brendan! After much planning, reschedules, baby shenanigans, and much patience these two wonderful people got to celebrate their love with friends and family from both near and far!

Theirs was a day FULL of special moments. From intimate first looks and personal touches, to heartwarming dances that are sure to jerk some tears.

I first met Kate and Brendan back in 2020 when we did their engagement session. I knew right away that we were going to get along swimmingly! Since then, I have worked with them to capture the newborn photos for their beautiful baby girl (who is the flower girl of honor of course) as well as family portraits and bridals. All of this helped me get insanely excited for their wedding and I am so happy to finally be able to share it with you guys!

Venue: The White House Weddings

Bridal Gown: Ashley Grace Bridal

Hair & Makeup: Island Glow

Menswear: Men’s Warehouse

Bouquet: Forest Flowers

Cake: Sweet Indulgence

Catering: Mission Barbeque

Shelley & Steven | Berry Hill Resort Wedding | Virginia Wedding

Shelley and Steven had the most beautiful day at Berry Hill Resort and Conference Center this past Sunday! So many personal touches were scattered around amidst the bold pops of royal blue. Even the way they set up their weekend at the resort was designed to maximize time with loved ones and make all feel comfortable and valued.

Shelley’s dress was classic, clean, elegant, sophisticated, AND HAD POCKETS!!!! Enough said. Her Irish heritage was highlighted in things like a special wedding prayer during the ceremony, a Celtic charm sewn into the hem of the dress by Shelley’s mother, and the hand tying ceremony performed by a dear grandmother during the reception. Naturally, the rain held up all day EXCEPT for the moment the ceremony was to begin… But Shelley didn’t let that get her down. She unfurled her adorable parasol and waltzed down that aisle with all the grace and poise you could imagine. These two were truly memorable and their love and connection with one another was on display the whole day.

Thank you two for letting me be a part of your celebration!

Venue: Berry Hill Resort and Conference Center

Catering: Berry Hill

Coordinating: Steven Ouellette
Hair & Makeup: Berry Hill Spa

Vikings Inspiration Shoot || Central Virginia

I have been dreaming up this idea for a while now. It all started after watching the show Vikings. I loved all of the Norse influence and rugged beauty of the costume design and scenery. Within a few episodes, I found myself fascinated by one of the main characters, Lagertha. She is a warrior shield maiden, a fierce leader, lover, and mother. Everything about her rugged strength and beauty got my inner artist pumping. So, I reached out to some other creative minds to ask them to join me on my little escapade!

Our location was on a privately owned plot of land out in Evington. Talk about versatility! There were so many great spots, I had a hard time narrowing it down so I didn't have our models traipsing all over the place (I mean they still kinda did...but it wasn't as bad as it could have been haha). In the show, water plays a huge part as the characters spend most of their time either at sea going off to raid villages, or in their seaside village of Kattegat. The property had a beautiful creek on the banks of which we set up the beautiful dining table. Danielle Wallace was the creative master mind behind the table setting and decor. She killed it! Touches of leather and fur adorned the table and chairs, leaving one feeling as if you were about to partake of a Viking banquet in the woods. Bloom By Doyles dreamed up some gorgeous florals with toffee roses and feathers scattered throughout to give them just the perfect balance between sophisticated and wild. Emily Harris of Body Works Salon turned one of our models ,Taryn, into Lagertha herself! The hair, the makeup, the WAR PAINT!!! Couldn't have been better! Church Street Bridal provided the gown and let me tell ya, it was the first one I picked up off of the rack and I was instantly SOLD. Honestly, kinda wanted it for myself... 

I couldn't be more grateful for all of the love and creativity that was put into this shoot. I hop as you go through these pictures, that you feel transported to a different time and place just like I was!

Hair and Makeup: Emily Harris, Body Works Day Spa & Salon

Florals: Debbie Miller, Bloom By Doyles

Rentals & Decor: Danielle Wallace, The Crimson Magpie

Dress: Church Street Bridal

The mink fur you see in the photos is owned by a friend of Emily's named Frances Kahn who is actually looking to sell. If interested, it is available at Body Works!

Brad & Kaitlyn || Bottling Company Wedding || Lynchburg Virginia

At the beginning of March, I had the pleasure of associate shooting this cute wedding for the lovely Ashley Eiban of Ashley Eiban Photography! Brad and Kaitlyn were SO sweet. They got married at Old Pate Chapel and had they're brunch reception at the Bottling Company Reception Hall next door. They wanted to keep their wedding party intimate, so they decided to forego the traditonal bridesmaids and groomsmen and just have it be them and some adorable ring bearers and a flower girl. They had their first look at Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, just the two of them with some portraits afterward. One of the things that I love about a first look is that the bride and groom get an intimate moment with each other, away from all of the hustle and bustle of the day, and afterwards there is this big contented sigh as everything becomes right with the world again. All the pent up energy and nerves get washed away as soon as they see each other. A great move in my opinion! 

After portraits, we headed back to the church where all of their family and friends from near and far were gathered to witness them become husband and wife. The reception followed right after and the celebration commenced! Mama Crockett's did it again by providing a donut tower in lieu of cake! The food was awesome too! I mean, who doesn't love a good breakfast spread? One of thing things that struck me about Kaitlyn was how attentive she was to her guests. She made sure that each of them felt special and taken care of by visiting with each of them and getting a picture. She is seriously so sweet!

The reception ended with a bubble send off, and Brad and Kaitlyn swept away with me to Sweet Briar College for some more portraits (gotta love it when the bride and groom build in extra time for that!).

All in all, a pretty fabulous day :)