Bailey || A Snowy Maternity Session || Central Virginia Maternity Session

I have known Nate & Bailey since I started my journey in the world of photography. They were one of my first couples and I have been able to document many more of their special occasions over the years! One of my favorites was this maternity session I did for Bailey last winter (why I haven't yet blogged it you ask? Well, that would be because I'm a scatter brained social media person...Still like me??). Bailey found out she was pregnant with their little girl after a couple of difficult miscarriages. Her strength and faith throughout that whole ordeal was a wonder to watch...so to have the opportunity to capture her in the glow of pregnancy with her rainbow baby ,Nora, (now an absolutely adorable little ball of cuteness!) was a privledge and an honor. Plus she makes one cute preggo lady!

CJ & Dani || Sunny Slope Farm || Harrisonburg Virginia Wedding

I associate shot this wedding for the lovely Ashley Eiban of Ashley Eiban Photography this past April. Clear skies and sunshine throughout the day plus the worlds sunniest bride, Dani, made this Sunny Slope farm wedding simply radiant! CJ and Dani could not have been sweeter to us or each other. The love they share is of that old fashioned kind that will surely withstand the test of time.

They decided on a first look to maximize the amount of portraits we could get, and let me tell ya, it was worth. EVERY. SECOND. I am simply obsessed with these images! Between the gorgeous blue sky, rolling green fields, perpetual breeze, and Dani's dress (!!!) things couldn't have been more perfect! Let's not even mention those sunset shots... You just gotta see for yourself guys.

Their intimate ceremony was followed by a wonderful tent reception with great music and lots of dancing! CJ is a Pilot in the military so you can see personalized touches of that throughout the decor.

I can't wait for you all to feast your eyes o this gem of a wedding! Enjoy!

Allison & Phill || Engaged || Lynchburg Virginia Engagement || Sweet Briar College

Allison and I have known each there since we were 13. We have shared so many experiences together and she has been one of my closest friends since we met all those years ago. So, naturally, I was instantly intrigued (and protective and judge of course) when I found out that she was talking to this guy named Phil. All of my worries were laid to rest however when I saw the two of them together. They laughed and joked around whenever they were near each other, and Phil could hardly take his eyes off of Allison for more than a minute or two. Allison was beaming.

So then a while later after they started dating, I get a phone call from Phil telling me about his plans to propose to Allison. I was ecstatic! My Allison was going to get married! She, of course, said yes! The day after that she called me to tell me all about it and asked me to be her bridesmaid. It was so crazy to finally be in that part of our lives that we had always talked and dreamed about!

I offered to do their engagement photos (since I obviously could’t be the wedding photographer. Not THAT talented haha) and a few months later we captured these beautiful images! I asked Phil to tell me a bit about their relationship and he agreed to answer some questions. Totally obvious that he is head over heels in love with her <3

Go take a look at this handsome couple! Totally not even a little biased ;)

How did you guys meet?

“At church”

 What was your first thought when you saw Him/Her?

“Wow, she’s kind of intimdating….(As an introvert who takes a while to dive into social settings, I was impressed by how she was always in the thick of whatever was going on)”

 How long have you two been together?

“Year and a half”

When/where was your first date?

“Officially: small pizza place in Lynchburg (they’ve since closed shop).  Unofficially: I gave her 1on1 2-step lessons at church 😊”

What are some things you like to do together?

“Dance, hike, sit on a blanket at a park, picnic, watch the fireflies, look at the stars, throw a frisbee around…. Lots of things.”

 What are somethings you each love about the other person?

“Her smile.  That she’s a goofball :p.  Her ability to make everyone else smile : ).  How much she cares about everyone around her.  I’ve never met a girl who can throw a frisbee like she can.”

 When did you know Him/Her was the one? How did He pop the question?

“When she told me, with tears rolling down her face, that she couldn’t date until after her birthday (1 month later) because of a promise she had made to the Lord 1 year prior.”

Letters From Mom || Dear Barrett...

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 :)

Joelle & Tristan || Holden Beach, North Carolina

So, I know that I usually do these kinds of posts for engaged/married couples, but my sister and her boyfriend are so cute I decided to say heck with it and do one for them too! Say hi everyone :)

(Also, these photos are from our beach vacation last year but someone **cough**Tristan**cough**Joelle**cough** couldn't "find the time" to answer the questions...)

How long have you two been together?:

Joelle: "Officially as a couple, we’ve been together for ten months, but we’ve been friends for over a year now. Tristan had asked me out first, but I declined because after getting out of a very bad and messy relationship I wasn’t quite ready to do it all over again. He agreed to stay friends, which I soon realized was a futile endeavor because a week later I was in love with him. The night we got together, May 16th, 2017, I had had a bad day at work and Tristan came to meet me at the park we always hung out in. We sat there for hours, hardly saying anything, completely comfortable with just each other’s presence, and it was then I knew I wanted to tell him how I felt. I told him I liked him very much, and he seemed happy about it. I must not have been clear because he then proceeded to tell me how he was beyond excited about our friendship. I didn’t know what to say after a while, then sat up and demanded, “Are you gonna ask me out, or not?”. I was not subtle. He professed his love and devotion to me, and we’ve been together ever since."

Tristan: "We have been together for 11 months and 6 days, And it has been amazing, Joelle is my best friend and there is nothing I do that I don't want her a part of. She is there for everything ever since we got together and I couldn't be happier about it."

When/where was your first date?:

Joelle: "Our first date was at a coffee shop downtown. I was so nervous and awkward that I ordered tea and put WAY too much milk in it, so it was just milk with leaves in it. Tristan noticed my anxiety, and told me to not think of it as a date, but just just any other time we hung out. It was so much easier that way. We were still close friends, but now I could kiss him anytime I wanted!"

Tristan: "Our first actual DATE was at Dublin coffee house, but we had hung out several times before either at the park or at work together. She was a bit nervous at first but that faded after a bit and we had a great time. It was so easy to go on dates and stuff because it felt more like two friends hanging out that happen to be dating haha."

What are some things you like to do together?:

Joelle: "We love to cuddle, go to the movies and take walks at Percival’s Island. The Office and Chinese food is our ideal night in. We also love to talk about Marvel vs. DC, but that can sometimes turn into an argument."

Tristan: "I think our favorite thing to do is fall asleep haha We love taking long naps or just lazily hanging in bed all day with a pizza or Chinese and a good couple movies. But we love to go out to dinner and play games and laugh together too. She's really funny and playful and it makes everything a lot more relaxing and fun. You can always find us in a park somewhere when it's raining though, we both love walking in the rain and could do it all day.."  

What was your first thought when you saw him/her?:

Joelle: "Daaaaammmnnnn, he’s hot."

Tristan: "I just thought her voice was beautiful.. her hair looked so great because it was all long and dark and she was wearing these knee high black and yellow striped socks with a dress and some converse. Her sense of style was really new and showed someone who was all herself instead of caring much what other people thought of.. I immediately thought she was strong and independent when I saw her and that really caught my attention. After that I couldn't stop thinking of her.. I knew she was special right then."

What are some things you each love about one another?:

Joelle: "Oh, boy. I love his red hair, and how blue his eyes are. I love how when something sort of funny happens, and everyone else is kinda chuckling, Tristan is crying he’s laughing so hard. For several minutes. I love the way we can gently bully each other all the time without getting insulted. Like, when I say he has a stupid pigeon face, he knows I mean I love him. I love how kind and patient he is, and how he always wants to help people the best he can. But most of all I love that he’s my best friend. It makes everything so easy and comfortable. Tristan is the easiest person in the world to be around. He’s smart, funny, incredibly caring and unashamedly kind. It was impossible not to be a part of his life about ten minutes after we started talking."

Tristan: "Joelle has a lot of little things that I love about her. She does things like randomly bite my shoulder or pull my beard in this dorky playful manner and I love it. She's so lively and excited and it keeps things fun and interesting all the time. She's is a phenomenal cook and makes crazy cool things for us to eat all the time. She's also a writer and I love bragging to anyone I can that my girlfriend has published her first book.. she's so talented and smart sometimes I can't even believe she's real..."