Charlottesville, VA Wedding | Katherine and Anthony

After their freezing cold engagement session more than a year earlier, I was so happy to see warm weather and clear skies for Katherine and Anthony’s wedding day!  Their wedding ceremony and reception were held at University Baptist Church in Charlottesville, the church Katherine grew up in, right around the corner from the University of Virginia.  Katherine’s sister and brother-in-law officiated the ceremony, which included some of their favorite hymns and readings.  There were so many thoughtful and homemade items that came together wonderfully for the day, like their floral arrangements and the bracelets Katherine made for her bridesmaids, mother, and sisters.  Katherine’s mom made the scarves that Katherine and Anthony wore for their engagement session, then she made the veil that Katherine wore on her wedding day!  Katherine’s “something blue” was her shoes, which were such a cool pop of color when her dress moved.  I was so excited when Katherine told me that their color scheme would be navy and light green—it’s a color combination that I love and don’t see a lot, which is part of the reason why I use it on my website. 

This wedding was unique for me because I've known Katherine since kindergarten. Our first of many marching band performances was in 7th grade in the Dogwood Parade, an annual parade in late April, named for the state tree of Virginia. Coincidentally, as all these alumni from our middle and high school marching band came together for the wedding, the Dogwood Parade was happening a few blocks away.  It was the perfect excuse to take advantage of the dogwoods blooming next to the church for some portraits and detail shots!

Check out some of my favorite photos from their wedding day!  Also, shoutout to Melissa for being my awesome second shooter for the day!

Crozet, Virginia Engagement Session: Katherine and Anthony

I always watch the forecast closely and frequently in the week prior to a session, and Katherine and Anthony's session was no different.  Yet somehow, I woke up, saw that the forecast had changed from "cloudy" to "partly cloudy," then looked out the window to see the roads covered in snow!  Nobody in the area was expecting this to happen.  Luckily, it melted enough to clear the roads so I could meet Katherine and Anthony for the session.  This would be the first session I'd ever done in the dead of winter and it would be in Virginia, so I knew this would be my coldest session yet.  What I didn't know was exactly how cold it would be.   Although the snow all melted before I could get a shot of Katherine's ring in the snow, it was still cold enough for us to take pictures in front of a frozen pond.

After meeting through their friends a few years earlier, Anthony proposed to Katherine in Washington DC on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial, which faces the Washington Monument.  They wanted to have their engagement photos in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, so in the week between Christmas and New Year's, we met up in Crozet, slightly west of where Katherine and I both grew up. Their outfits were the perfect winter engagement session outfits; the colors were so classically wintery, Katherine's red sweater was a perfect fit for that time between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and Katherine's mom made the scarves that both of them wore to the session.  Katherine's yellow-gold ring was covered by her gloves for a good part of the session, but it made for some cute photos of her trying to keep Anthony's hands warm.  We ended the session a little earlier than I usually do because the windchill was so brutal (by our Virginia standards), but the golden hour lighting kept us out for just a few more pictures.  

I'm so glad we were able to brave the cold at least for a little while and that the snow didn't keep us from driving to these mountain views.  Since apparently everyone else in Crozet decided to stay inside that day (not that we can blame them), we had this gorgeous landscape all to ourselves.  It's always an honor to be part of putting these sweet moments into pictures, but it's even more special in the wide open with absolutely nobody else in sight.  I can't wait to come back to Charlottesville for the next part of Katherine and Anthony's story!

Eva's Senior Portraits--Keswick Vineyards

I don’t normally take a weekend trip for portraits, but this was a little different.  First of all, it was in my hometown, where I could stay with my parents.  Second, despite being from the Monticello Wine Trail area, I’d never actually done a portrait session in one of the gorgeous vineyards that surround the city.  Third, it was for Eva.

Not only did I used to babysit Eva, her mom babysat me.  I think I was actually a baby when Cindy and I first met, so we go way back.  Cindy had asked me around December about doing Eva’s senior pictures.  We decided on doing them in September in a vineyard.  We eventually chose Keswick Vineyards, where I actually had my own senior portrait session.  Eva and I explored the vines and the pond while our moms caught up on the porch over a glass of wine.

Before Eva and Cindy arrived, my mom and I took a walk through the vines and marked the numbers of the ones that looked like they had the most grapes so I could come back to those with Eva.  What I wasn’t expecting was for a whole section of one row to turn red in mid-September. 

Eva had a whole bag of outfits that fit a fall color scheme, so we had fun looking through that to pick out which ones to use.  I loved the burgundy against the blue and green of the landscape!

Not pictured: me straddling the fence like a horse.  She's much taller than me so standing on the ground wasn't really an option.

I had so much fun with Eva's session and I hope to come back to Virginia for more vineyard sessions!

If you're interested in a portrait or headshot session in the Greenville, SC or Charlottesville, VA area, click here to get in touch.