Taylor & Cameron || Downtown Lynchburg, Virginia Engagement

Taylor and Cameron were two of our engagement session giveaway winners! I had so much fun tooling around downtown Lynchburg with these two! Found some cool spots and chatted the whole time :)

Where did you two meet?

Taylor: “We met our freshman year at Ferrum College. My friend lived on the same hall as him.”

Cameron: “We met at Ferrum College in my freshman dorm.”

What was the first thing you thought when you saw him/her?

Taylor: “My first thought was that he seems nice. A little shy.”

Cameron: “My first thought was ‘Wow, she’s beautiful’.”

How long have you two been together?

Taylor: “We’ll have been together four years on August 30th!”

Cameron: “4 years.”

Where was your first date?

Taylor: “Our first date was at Ippy’s in Rocky Mount with two other couples, except he didn’t know it was a date haha. We had a redo later at Hema’s in Rocky Mount.”

Cameron: “Rocky Mount, Virginia. Hema’s.”

What are some things you like to do together?

Taylor: “We like to do anything and everything, as long as we are together. He comes shopping with me and I’ll watch sports with him with minimal complaining J.”

Cameron: “Some things I like to do with her are watching shows we both like and going out on dates. Ice cream outings are one of our favorites.”

What are some things you love about him/her?

Taylor: “I love that he is so easy going and doesn’t stress over much, he balances out my worrying tendencies.”

Cameron: “I love that she will do anything she can for me and that she cares about everyone. She is one of the most caring people I know.”

When/how did he “pop the question”?

Collective answer: “We had planned to have some pictures done just because at my moms house just because. About halfway through, we came to a field and he got down on one knee. I was totally surprised and my mom captured the whole event! He had been planning for months, talking to my whole family.”

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!

Brittany & Trevor || Evington Virginia Engagement

These two were so much fun to work with this past weekend! We did the session on their 20 acre farm out in Evington, VA that was home to Trevors Grandparents. The wind was BITTER but the light was awesome so that made up for it! Also, their pooch Layla did her part to warm our hearts ;)

Cant wait for their wedding next December!

How did you guys meet/start talking?

B- We actually knew of each other in middle school.. but after middle school my family moved to NH. After HS, a move back to VA and a few years we became friends on Facebook and began talking through that and decided to meet up in person and hang out!

T- She messaged me on Facebook and we started hanging out.

How long have you two been together?

B - 6 years

T - Forever

When/where was your first date?

B - Our first official date was floating the James river with his brother and dad. We had hung out before but not in a date fashion!

T - On the James river.

What are some things you like to do together?

B - We like to have fun outside - go fishing, four wheeling, floating the river. We also like to watch movies, play with our dog and be with family!

T- I don’t know, lots of stuff. We go fishing.

What are somethings you each love about the other person?

B- He is determined and goal oriented. He has an amazing smile and makes me laugh lots! Most importantly he understands me, supports me and pushes me to be the best I can be!

T- I love that she always worries about the things I don’t. We really balance each other out.

When did you know he/she was the one?

B- I knew pretty early on.. I don’t really know exactly when but way before he did! Lol.

T - I don’t know when. Just kind of happened.

When/how did you guys get engaged?

B- we got engaged on the day we moved into our house (his grandparents house). It was at the end of moving day after all our moving help left. He said I want to make this house official with you, I want to make this house a home with you and that he wouldn’t feel right without asking me.. Will you marry me?... of course I said YES!!!!

T- Our first night in our new house.

Morgan & Kameron || Central Virginia Engagement

How did you guys meet?: "We've known each other since middle school but we didn't look at each other in that way until a year after we graduated and he slid into my dms haha!"

When/where was your first date?: "Our first date was June 25, 2016 when I went to visit him on base in North Carolina."

What are some things you like to do together?: Morgan: "We're both kids at heart so we just like to have fun and goof off together." Kameron: "Watching horror movies together, just relaxing, cuddling and talking about everything, basically everything I want to do I want her there to do it with me."

Morgan, what are somethings you love about Kameron?: "I love Kameron's kind heart and how he can instantly make friends with anybody he meets. And I love how he brings out my goofy side and teaches me how to laugh at life."

Kameron, what are somethings you love about Morgan?: "She's kind, she's sweet, she cares more than anyone that I have ever met, she's confident , she's strong and never lets the world push her around, she's passionate and she would do anything for me the same way I would do anything for her. She's even cute when she's mad. She never gives up and puts her whole heart into a relationship and never holds anything back."

When did you know Kameron was the one?: "It didn't take me long at all to realize Kameron was the one. He had every quality I've ever looked for in a man. We had an instant connection and I knew I never wanted to lose that. God blessed me more than I could've ever imagined by giving me Kameron."

When did you know Morgan was the one?: "It was when she wasn't there that I knew she was the one. With her not being there, it felt like there was an emptiness and it was only when she was there that I didn't feel that way. I just couldn't live without her and I couldn't see myself with anybody else."

Who said "I love you" first?: Morgan: "I said I love you first. It was really romantic haha it was one night on topsail beach, the same place he proposed exactly a year later."

These two were SO. STINKING. CUTE! Between Kameron's constant wise cracks and Morgans contagious laugh (largely brought about by Kameron's wise cracks) there was never a dull moment during their engagement session! Plus, they both agreed to get in the creek for me. I was instantly in love with them after that <3

Kameron is in the Marine Corps and so it can be kind of hard to schedule things like engagement sessions, weddings, proposals... SO, while Kameron was away in Japan, he was in cahoots with his mom and Morgans mom to plan a wedding and get everything set BEFORE he came back home to propose... WHAT?!?!? When I was in conversation with Morgan's mom about photographing their wedding, I was slightly shocked when I heard that they weren't even engaged yet. Mom quickly assured me though that Kameron was all that Morgan could talk about and she knew without a doubt that this was the man she wanted to marry. So, in order to be able to have the wedding at a time that was conducive to his life in the Marines, they scheduled the wedding for December and he was due to propose when he came back to the states in August. He popped the question the very night he flew in and of course she said yes! 

I am so pumped to shoot their wedding in December!