Happily ever after……

Headed over to where the boys were getting ready. The whole reception was at the elegant Boars Head Inn.

Smooth operator. Love the name mash-up known as Tonica embroidered on the inside of Tim’s jacket.

I don’t normally show this many shoe shots but I do love them in front of the fireplace as well.

Love how the wind lifted her dress

I ADORE this series of Monica.

UVA Chapel hosted the ceremony.

Tim’s parents

Wait for it, wait for it….

Man and wife…

I want to make it known that the next three shots were all the brothers doing. We never asked them to hold hands, be goobs or jump. I am not kidding when I say these guys are beyond hilarious. Sneaky funny, a lot of joke bombs being tossed.

Let’s turn down the music on the dance floor for a minute and bring in a slow dance.

All the groomsmen sported some antler socks.

No one is ever going to accuse Tim of not “feeling” a song. EVER.

Oh Neff….this is how I remember you 10 years ago…still being a total goof and hilarious.

Fun, fun, fun!!! There you go TONICA…..and many many many more coming your way soon!

Jessica and Drake have a quiet love. The kind you see across the room at a restaurant. They don’t demand attention, they are quite unassuming in nature. They deeply and truly enjoy and love one another. It radiates from every glance you see them give one another and the kind gestures of affection they exchange. You just like them but more than that, you like them TOGETHER!

Jessica was the easy breezy bride you hope for that literally let everything go on the wedding day. An unbelievabley relaxed demeanor as she waited to see her groom standing at the end of the aisle. We enjoyed hitting some staples of Lynchburg with the bridal parties before the main event at St. Johns. Enjoy this beautiful fall celebration of two very incredible people.

Big Drake and Little Drake

Jessica’s grandma and her brother, Aaron

The beautiful matriarch of Drake’s family.

The uber manly groom’s cake. Apparently, Drake’s nickname is red dragon. This is the cake to symbolize it.

We stole the last moments of daylight for some private moments with the new couple before the festivities really kicked into gear!

Now that’s a dip!

Jessica made a quick change into this adorable knee length dress to finish out the evening!

Welcome back from your honeymoon and welcome to your new life as husband and wife!

Let’s get started by first oogling over her gorgeous Maggie Sottero gown and gold Kate Spade shoes! Uber feminine and mama likey!

Serene’s twin sister and her beautiful mother.

These girls were a blast and looked stunning in their grass green J.Crew dresses.

I can’t even explain how much Doug looks like my cousin but with blonde hair. It’s crazy!

Caught Doug’s dad shooting over our shoulder.

This grandma had some serious sass. Every time she passed my camera she would flash that great smile and do a shimmy for me. Haha…it makes me chuckle thinking about it right now. Hope I have that much spark in me when I get older!

Always love the moment that a couple gets after they finish walking down the aisle and get whisked away into the holding pen. They look at one another and you know the knowledge they are FINALLY married washes over them and they are giddy.

Despite the fact it constantly went from drizzling to flat out raining the rest of the night…Serene was determined to get in a private session outside and I was THRILLED!!! The gown was debuted, now it was time to have some stolen time away with her beloved.

Love with a side of steamy!

Her grandfather giving the blessing over the Challah bread.

I do believe we have caught a bonafied Roger Rabbit going on.

I have to end with this series because this crew LOVED to dance. This gentleman literally killed it on the dance floor by doing the most legit “Dougie” ever. Would you like him to teach you how to Dougie, t-t-t-t-t-teach you how to Dougie?

Serene and Doug, I’m so glad our first date turned out so well :-) We are beyond thrilled for you guys and were honored to play such a huge role in your big day! Many blessings to you as you start your new life together!

Lynn made the runners and napkins as well as all the paper products. She also assembled the silk flowers petal by petal and printed the wood leaves. So stinking amazing!

Now buckle your seat belts to view some tasty vitlins!

Figs picked fresh from the tree outside the kitchen window. The combination of a sweet fig and tangy blue cheese…oh my word. One of my favorite choices on my plate.

The smell of this smoked pork filled the entire tent.

Special Thanks to:
venue/reception florals/furniture: Foxie at Pharsalia Plantation

caterer: Maria at Pharsalia Plantation

tent: Liz at Skyline Tent Company

stylist/paper goods: Lynn of Sunshowers and Rainshine (and also her husband Chris!)

bouquets and bout: Petal Flower Company

Kristyn’s vintage dress: VintageVortex | shoes: Threadsence

hair piece: One Little Dove | gloves: Seventh Vintage

Kristyn’s hair: Fusion salon | makeup: Body Works

John’s gingham shorts: JCrew | shirt & belt: H&M | bow tie: Wickham House

shoes: Amazon | suspenders: Suspender Factory

We officially met Beth and Floyd about a year and a half ago while chowing on some Tex-Mex in Alexandria, VA. We learned about how they met and fell in love at college and about the super fab wedding Beth was conceptualizing in her brain. She came packing with a binder full of lovliness painting her vision for us. Fast forward about 6 months to their fall engagement session last year at a friends farm. They have a total laid-back vibe together which we totally appreciate. I was excited to get to the main event and see everything come to life.

I simply adore Beth’s wedding dress! So flattering and flirty, sassy and sweet. Enjoy this voyage into their wedding day and be sure to drink in the awesomeness of their reception pictures. This crew was full of passion for music.

Beth made her necklace, bracelet, fascinator and all the fabric rosettes on the girls purses.

Her wedding and reception shoes

Beth going down for her first look. So excited and then so serious while facing Floyd waiting to be presented. I love this moment.

Outside the museum are these amazing mirror/glass murals and covered bus.

Beth grabbed these gigantic balloons to bring down to the museum for some pops of blue.

We headed down to the inner harbor for some shots.

Beth and Floyd requested on their wedding invitations that friends/family bring in a strip of cloth that represented them to be wrapped around them during a the ceremony symbolizing the yoking of them together with the support of family and friends.

View from the top of Federal Hill where their ceremony site was.

You have to click this link to appreciate just what they were standing beneath. This is Fifi, she is a gigantic float from the AVAM Kinetic Sculpture Race. You are seeing a fraction of her fur.

This is the first time I’ve heard Kanye West “Hey Mama” played for the mother/son dance.

Every reception has it’s own vibe to it. Some guests are more reserved than others. Some choose to play Michael Buble or swing dance. Others top 40, some love a hard core dance party and others….AND OTHERS….just want to sing until their throats are dry and hoarse. Full on, every lyric, power fists, passion filled singing and dancing. This crew enjoyed EVERY.SINGLE.SONG and it was awesome to behold.

See for yourself.

This may be the point that Gogol Bordello’s “Start Wearing Purple” came on. This song is grossly under-used at receptions and should be mandatory because it is AWESOME to dance to and/or sing your guts out to.

A lifetime of happiness and many many more nights with friends singing at the top of your lungs. You are so blessed by those around you! Thank you for your patience with me getting this long-awaited post out!

It must be said that those heads attached to their shoulders are much more than hat racks. These two smartie pants met while studying at Yale for their undergraduate degrees. While planning their wedding on opposite coasts they were each in graduate school, Ming at Harvard studying architecture and Dan at Berkley working on his doctorate. Ming also, FOR FUN, runs an amazing cupcake recipe blog and started her own invitation line featuring the most clever invitations and paper goods! So you can basically conclude that they are very lazy and not creative whatsoever. Such a shame, such a shame.

No seriously….I was a little bit intimidated at first UNTIL we shot their engagement session. “Down to earth” doesn’t begin to describe them. Engagement sessions are always an interesting sociology experiment to me. You see how couples work together, communicate, act romantically, senses of humor (or lack thereof), and overall you get a glimpse into what their wedding day will probably be like. I can honestly say that Dan and Ming are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. The way they spoke to one another, encouraged one another, looked lovingly and adoringly at one another. It really blessed me. It’s refreshing to know in a world full of superficiality and “good time” romances….there is true love and respect still alive and well. We just liked them.

So now it is time for the main event. It was a true mash-up of style, class, Virginia awesomeness, creativity and color. Ming grew up in the little mountain town of Pounding Mill, Virginia. Her dad is owner and chef for a converted dairy barn turned BBQ fusion restaurant named Cuz’s Uptown BBQ.

The surrounding grounds played host to the ceremony. Specially chosen lumber was shipped from Canada to build the split-rail fence surrounding the ceremony perimeter.

I can’t begin to explain the cuisine of the day. Talk about fresh. Everything that graced the plates of the wedding guests was just about grown and raised right on property including dozens of varieties of tomatoes. Friends of the family brought in homemade pies to grace the dessert table. Gigantic slabs of beef were grilled right before our eyes. The sights and smells of the day still linger in my senses. I’ll fill in some more details as we go.

Let’s begin with her stunning Vera Wang dress and Louboutin shoes.

Loved Dan’s fresh boutonniere.

A brief sunshower welcomed their First Look together.

The brothers looking on.

Dan’s brother on the left and Ming’s on the right.

An old drafting table and ribbon held the seating cards.

All the guests received a canvas bag with Cuz’s pig logo on it.

Ming’s dog.

The most incredible blue grass music all night.

I LOVE that Ming specifically asked that we take pictures of the workers that day because they were the employees of the restaurant and like family to her. Here are a few I love of Ming’s “extended family”.

IF you are not drooling by now…these are the last few food shots.

These were the favors Ming gave to her guests. Homemade preserves.

She also designed and had printed the pig and airplane fabric. Adorable, no?

One TOWERING white cake and one hilarious groom’s cake. This is a bear being eaten by a shark. Yeah, I don’t get it either, but what I do know is it is awesome! This was made by Dan’s brother.

“As for our story, here it goes. We used to be shy talking about it, but we found that some people are encouraged when they hear that we met online (E-Harmony)… yep! Our first date was Sunday brunch that ended up lasting EIGHT hours. We went from brunch to my favorite watering hole in my neighborhood and talked, and talked, and talked (anyone that has met Paul knows he’s a talker!). A few hours later, Sebastian (her dog) needed a potty break, so Paul walked down the street with me to my place and Sebastian immediately gave Paul his seal of approval (he never liked strange guys, but took to Paul right away). So, our first date ended with a dog walk, hand in hand.

“After that, we were pretty much inseparable. A few dates in we figured out that we had friends in common. There were actually three parties that we could have met at. Just goes to prove that sometimes fate needs a little push. We got engaged after 10 months. Paul popped the question after meeting my family for the first time in Texas. A year and a half after that, was the wedding!”

The Inn at Warner Hall.

The property is budded right up to the bay.

Heather’s beautiful Nicole Miller dress. The most buttery fabric!

Her, to die for, Badgley Mischka heels!!! 1-2-3 SQEEEEEAL ladies!

A gift from her mom and sister.

Fascinator for the reception

For the sake of awesome shoes. Her bridesmaids heels.

Her dog, Sebastian, was an honorary groomsmen and sported this custom embroidered collar.

Just a little side story. I love when a bride takes her wedding by the horns. Paul got this incredible suit from JCrew. To their dismay the buttons were a washed out brown. They took the suit to a tailor and had all the buttons switched out for black to match his belt and shoes and give a sharp accent. Such a simple, yet impactful change! Love it.

First look time! I love being honored enough to be present for this special moment! There will never be any other time like this in your life. Planning brides…do it! You will never regret it. Ryan and I did it and we encourage our brides to consider it. It makes the day SOOO relaxed and HEY…you get a full-on photoshoot before your wedding. Score!

Proper distance established

Sebastian was brought in for some photos.

We briefly stopped in on the bay, but it was hotter than the center of the sun so we thought it best to stick to the shadows.

There is no way to pass a giant chess board and not use it. Indeed the King and Queen of the day.

An extremely thoughtful and poignant photo for Paul’s mother. Paul’s father passed away in October 2009. From what I heard and the way people reacted to his name…he was a very loved and respected man. Paul’s father was a Lieutenant Colonel. For his service during the Vietnam War, he received two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, and a Silver Medal. Obviously he is a man of honor. Paul brought these photos of his dad and one of his medals to remember him on this special day.

We are just about to get to the main event and celebration….stay tuned! Here are some of the vendors that made this day so special.

Veil- One Little Dove
Hair Fascinator—- Etsy vendor, Weddings and Such
Paul’s Suit—- J Crew
Paul’s Tie—- Theory
Bridesmaid Dresses—- J Crew
Florist—- The Flower Cupboard (Williamsburg)
Cake—- Carrot Tree Kitchens (Williamsburg)
Makeup—- Kim Wadsworth (Norfolk)
The table numbers and cocktail napkins were also Etsy finds.

Get this…Sarah and Jason were ADOLESCENT sweethearts! They go all the way back to a middle school in their romance together. As all tumultuous, hormonal, pre-teen relationships go….they broke up. Fast forward 14 years. Fate brought them back together about seven months ago at the ripe old age of 26. It was instant love but this time with the maturity and commitment that adulthood brings.

Jason is a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force stationed in Maryland and Sarah is working here in Lynchburg. Orders were looking like Jason was shipping off to Italy in early summer and they decided this time they weren’t going to let one another slip away, they were in it to win it!

Cue Kellan Studios. We got an email about eight weeks ago asking if we were game for a quick trip up to National Harbor, MD for an extremely intimate wedding. Ten of their closest family and friends were going to gather around Sarah and Jason to watch them commit their lives to one another. Under a tent, overlooking the water, we witnessed Jason and Sarah become one. It was short and it was SWEET. We then meandered around the harbor for a two hour private session before we headed back home. So enjoy an atypical post from us of an awesome Saturday afternoon ceremony and private session of two incredible people!

Her gorgeous Nicole Miller dress and Chinese Laundry flats. Adore!!!

Her gorgeous One Little Dove handmade fascinator.

Jason and Sarah exchanged letters before the ceremony.

Jason and his adorable daughter Madi

A few bridal portraits before scooting down to the pier.

With her besties.

I feel like theme music should have come on as we walked in slow motion through the crowd, me leading the pack.

Sarah and her father.

Her son, Caine, was there to love on mama as well.

Love this moment with Sarah and her dad praying before he walks her down. So raw and real.

Smooshy kiss from new husband.

Smooshy kiss from her son.

So shy…but I broke him, I broke him like a wild stallion!

On to the private session.

We headed over to the PEEPS store for some fun shots. I’m glad our kids weren’t with us, their heads would have exploded!

We headed over to the Gaylord National Resort. This place is MASSIVE and stunning inside!

A few beauty shots of Ms. Sarah.

So I saw this huge mural and loved all the tones. It wasn’t until I loaded the photos did I notice I had positioned them under some, ahem, well-endowed ladies. Haha….oh well…still love the shots!

Jason and Sarah, how blessed and relaxed your day was. I LOVE the intimacy of the gathering and the incredibly hospitable spirits you had with Ryan and me. The weather was perfect, the view was perfect and your love for one another was perfect. Blessings as you begin your journey as man and wife together.