Another incredible year photographing Virginia Weddings and beyond! Exploring some of my favorite venues from Pippin Hill Vineyard, Clifton Inn, and Keswick Vineyard.New destinations near Richmond like The Country Club of Virginia, and the Club at Glenmore. The year was full of all-inclusive weekend coverage, where I got to photograph 6 rehearsal dinners plus 12 full wedding days.

I’m always reminded that the wedding day is rarely about the final photos, but the ability to help my couples stay present in the moment for the feelings that live behind these images! 

Here’s a look back at the quick stats. 42 total galleries delivered between weddings, engagement, branding and family minis! Explored 6 new venues with 12,841 total wedding photos delivered, and traveled more than 3,500 business miles.  Of course I also enjoyed a crips late night wedding Coke at every reception! Looking back at these images always brings a flood of joy and just how fortunate I feel to witness the intimate moments of these couples and their families for one of the best days!

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Cass & Riley: Largest Family Reunion

Venue: The Video at Bluemont | Planning: Kelsey Regina Events | Florist: Ricks Flowers LLC | Beauty: Unveiled Artistry | Video: Joe Hutzler Media

It’s always the biggest honor getting asked to photograph the same families years later! From photographing the brides older sister 3 years earlier, I knew this celebration would be a perfect mix of laid back couple, grand guest attendance, and thoughtful family moments! Their venue the View at Bluemont was at max capacity with almost 300 guests in attendance spanning from their childhood neighborhood to friends from every stage of theses high school sweethearts relationship. Their stunning decor was classic and simple elegance of whites, golds, and lace, plus a sequined late night outfit change. It was almost impossible to squeeze my way onto the dance floor to capture the festivities. 

Kaileigh & Mason: Most Iconic Cocktail hour server

Venue: Deep Run Hunt Club | Planning: Our Curated Design | Florist: M. Henry Design | Beauty: Captivating Complexion |Deserts: Dolce Darling, Batteaux Co

Skip the bar line… get the beer burro! When Kayleigh’s pet mini donkey, noodles joined as their cocktail hour seltzer server I was truly giddy with excitement. Every detail of this cozy wedding day close to home was filled with personal touches! With the backdrop of Kayleigh’s family farm and her horses running in through the sunset portraits has to be every girls dream! The reception featured food stations instead of traditional seating to allow even more intentional time to mingle with their guests. The late night outfit changes, dancing props and a cannoli/ ice cream cart kept the party flowing all night long! 

 

Sam & Andy: Lavender Filled Fairytail

Venue: Keswick Vineyard | Planning: Erin Cleveland | Florist: Foxtail Cottage | Beauty: Lemon Hair Salon, Captivating Complexion | Video Brian Schornberg

Getting to reconnect with one of my childhood teammates and neighbors was an unexpected treat for the year! Seeing the life and love that Sam has built with Andy was a beautiful reunion! Their Keswick vineyard wedding day was full of lavender touches, stunning florals, and a whimsical garden vibe reception and cocktail hour! Even with some wind guests trying to steal the show at her ceremony, they capped off an evening of family in-law initiations and an epic dance floor! 

Kristin & Michael: Greenhouse Garden Oasis

Venue: Pippin Hill Vineyard | Planning: Simply Charmed Events | Florist: Amy Marie Events | Beauty: The Veil | Video: CY Wedding Films

It’s always a stunning treat to have a wedding at Pippin Hill, with the rolling mountains, and changing wildflowers on display. For K&M we took full advantage of the summer blooms and started with an epic private first look in the greenhouse.  My absolute favorite portraits surrounded by hydrangeas as we fought off the mid day August sun! Their ceremony and reception were overtaken by floral magic with pops of pinks, greens and cascading texture surrounding the reception!

Making their Family Official 

Venue: The Clifton Inn | Planning: Shelby Lynn Events | Beauty: Melia Rodriguez | Florist: Alex Rodriguez, Cana Overby | Content Creator: Leanna Hicks

This amazing couples remains private with their online presence, so I’ll just be share a few snippets of this special celebration. Our stunning bride and groom met years earlier and quickly became a blended family to the brides children. After years of growing their relationship it was a no-brainer to make things official and the perfect excuse to celebrate this love story a decade in the making! I just adored their joint parent/kiddo dances and sentimental gifts to their wedding party. The weather gods shined down on us for a the perfect spring weather for an all outdoor wedding, at the Cliffton Inn. I’m always in awe of the ivy covered tented reception entrance by the pool.

Brittany & Scott: Windswept Vineyard Beauties

Venue: King Family Vineyard | Coordinator/Catering: The Local | Florist: Horse and Hen Crozet | Beauty: Captivating Complexion, The Veil | Video: Joe Hutzler Media | Dress: Urban Set Bridal

The epic views of King Family Vineyard never disappoint. It’s always a fun challenge to find creative new locations after working at this venue dozens of times.  This windswept spring wedding day featured panoramic mountain views, with a touch of creative posing to keep Brittanys Hollywood curls from blowing in her face. Their perfectly coordinated sage green bridesmaid dresses popped off the blue ridge mountains. It was obvious that B&S have built a relationship as best friends! Their sweet and sentimental personal vows and dreamy golden hour portraits in the vineyard were personal favorites. 

Jack & Grace: The Wildest Ceremony Swap

Venue: Keswick Vineyard | Planning: Mary Elizabeth Events | Florals: Willow Branch Flowers | Beauty: Avenue 42 Salon | Video: Little Fox Films

This was the wildest and most epic wedding day timeline swap I’ve ever been a part of! All thanks to the most flexible, calm, cool and collective couple and the vendor team working magic behind the scenes. As the ceremony time for J&G creeped closer it was obvious that a looming thunderstorm would have to push things indoors. But thanks to some quick thinking and vendors determined to bring this couples dream wedding to life, at the last second we were able to swap cocktail hour and ceremony time to allow the ceremony to take place an hour later. As the downpour set in, the couple did a grand reveal into their reception tent with some pre-ceremony drinks and apps to before their stunning ceremony overlooking the vineyard when the weather cleared! THE WILDEST part is we still managed to squeeze in every grouping of family photos, have the dreamiest sun filled ceremony and keep our reception timeline on track! 

Rachel & Brady: Coastal Cuties

Venue: Chesapeake Bay Beach Club | Florist: Blossom & Basket Boutique | Beauty: Vintage Veils | Video: Connor Burke Films | Dessert: Sweet Hearts Patisserie

Another incredible destination wedding for the year on the Eastern Shore! I had such a blast getting to meet up with Rachel and Brady for two engagement sessions in the past year plus we had a ton of mutual connections that made the wedding weekend reunion so special for these high school sweethearts. Their coastal venue at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club has panoramic views of the water and an epic sunset glow flooding into the reception space. We had the luckiest August wedding weather even with the full sunny days, the mild heat and breeze off the weather kept the wedding party from melting! Their reception dance floor was one of the most packed I’ve seen all year and featured mix of throwbacks, props and iconic dance solos! 

Blended Cultural Celebration

Venue: Castle Hill Cider | Planning: Jenny Keen (Greenery and Grace) | Florist: Steelcut | Video: Schronberg Media

This couple prefers to keep their personal images private so I’ll just share a few quick details of this incredible special evening. K&N had the most beautiful blend of family cultures that they honored through every aspect of their wedding day. From their rehearsal dinner, shouting cheers in multiple languages to hilarious newlywed games during reception speeches. Their celebration including kissing on top and under tables, sock cutting and the most welcoming families making there ceremony union official. I could not be more honored to witness this thoughtful couple as they start their next chapter as newlyweds. 

Lexie & Ryder: Longest Reigning Relationship

Venue: The Club at Glenmore | Planning: Planned with Joy | Video: Silverstreak Media | Florals: Colonial Florist | Beauty: Charlottesville Wedding Hair & Makeup

This year was such a treat filled with multiple couples whose dating history spanned from high school and beyond, but Lexie and Ryder take the cake! These middle school sweethearts tied the knot on their 13 year dating anniversary and even had adorable table number tags to represent the yearly milestones. Their personal ceremony vows were a perfect mix of just how far they have grown together. Plus getting to witness their affection and admiration in private moments throughout the evening was a beautiful inside look at their relationship. 

Erica & Brian: Destination Driving Range

Venue: Lancaster Country Club | Planning: Meredith Hartge | Florals: A Floral Affair | Video: Zach Beidle Media | Beauty: Studio Envy

I’m always incredibly honored when couples ask me to travel for their wedding destinations. For E&B I got to explore Lancaster, PA with a weekend of amish markets, beautiful countryside and an epic golf course wedding venue. These two are the most laid back and effortlessly elegant, including their besties and of course, feline fur baby in the days festivities. The kept the party going all night long with a live band and my new favorite tradition giving out wedding guest superlatives! 

Lauren & Devon: Record Number of Speeches

Venue: The Country Club of Virginia (CCV)|  Planning: Bryce Carson (Carson Ashby) | Florist: Black Creek Flowers | Rentals: Paisley and Jade, Lennox Monroe Rentals | Stationary: Studio Papeterie Richmond, Hailey Kiss Creative | Beauty: Avenue 42, Stephanie Parker | Dress: Annalise Bridal

Another amazing couple with two nights of back to back celebrations. I got to photograph L&D’s Rehearsal dinner and Wedding close to home in Richmond which was the perfect end to my wedding season.  I don’t think I fully comprehended just how much their friends and family cherished these two. With a record number 16 speeches throughout the weekend was a testament to how much of a perfect match they are. Not to mention my largest wedding party of the year with 24 friends was an adventure! We had to get extra creative with the gloomy weather all morning but it made for some of my favorite creative indoor portraits! 

What a whirlwind year of incredible couples, I truly had the hardest time narrowing down favorites, and can’t wait to share the full stories behind some of these incredible weddings on the blog next year! Ready to dive into even more wedding vibes…check out last years 2024 Superlative Blog!