I am so SO excited to share this blog post with all of you! Last week I was able to spend time in Wilmington, North Carolina with some extremely talented wedding photographers! I was geeking out the entire time!! The ladies behind Magnolia Photography, Jana & Michele, put together this entire event and they did such an incredible job! Half of the day was spent at The Cottage on Orange Street where Jana & Michele poured their hearts and souls into us. They were open books and taught us so much about this business! I had never attended any type of workshop or styled session before so I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. I knew what I wanted from this workshop and what I hoped the experience would be like but..y’all…I was not prepared for how wonderful this day would be!

We have been counting down the days until this wedding since the night that Marc told us he had proposed to Laura and she said YES!! You can’t be in the same room with Marc & Laura and NOT know that they are crazy about each other. They were so happy and full of joy on their wedding day – as they should be – that it made me tear up! I just loved seeing their excitement, as well as everyone else that was there to support them! I can’t stress enough how much we love this couple. They are the definition of a CG Couple and I am SO very grateful! They are fun, joyful, easy going, trusting of ME (this is necessary), and so in love.

This past Saturday, at Dellwood Plantation, Jordan and Blake promised their lives to each other in front of their closest family and friends….and it was simply perfect! Wedding days are meant to be joyous, exciting, and full of love. Their day was exactly that!! From the moment Jordan arrived, her smile never left her face!! Unless she was crying happy tears! Even at the beginning of the day, when she was getting her hair and makeup done, she kept telling us how much fun she was having and how wonderful the day already was! She was able to really take it all in.

Sean and Stacey have a love story that I KNOW will be told over and over!! These two met while going to school at this very college we took their engagement pictures – Richard Bland College. Nothing sparked between them while they were there – they were just friends and hung out with the same crowd. Well, fast forward to 20 YEARS to one night at a VCU basketball game. Before we go any further, I need to give you some more background information. Stacey is a real deal VCU basketball fan. She was actually wearing a Rams shirt the first time I met her for coffee! She let me know about her love for them right away, but that Sean is NOT a VCU fan. However, Sean IS a sportscaster for CBS 6 News. Out of ALL the games that Stacey went to and ALL the games that Sean covered, they never crossed paths. Not until one night, 20 years after they met at Richard Bland, when they were both at a Rams basketball game.

It was just a few months ago that I met this great couple at a cute bakery in Petersburg. I knew from the first minute that we were all going to get along just great! They were laughing and joking with me from the start. Justin told me all about how he proposed and Maggie joked about how she anticipated it multiple times but, when he actually proposed, she was shocked! He knew he had to keep her guessing! I think that is what makes their relationship so beautiful. They both know each other SO well but still know how to keep each other guessing! They know how to keep things fun!

Wedding’s are extremely detailed these days. If you have planned or been in a wedding (especially in the past couple years), you know what I am talking about, right? I am just blown away by it all! Bride’s have to remember so much! You can NOT do it alone. It takes a village, that’s for sure. Taylor had her family & friends there every step of the way! And they did it ALL themselves! I am not even exaggerating. Taylor was icing her own cake just 2 nights before she said “I do”!! This wedding is the definition of DIY.

You remember this beautiful lady, right? Erin married her high school sweetheart, David, just a few weeks ago. They had a beautiful wedding, complete with appearances by doves, their puppies, and even a little bit of a hurricane {check it out here}. A few weeks before the wedding, I met Erin for a bridal session at The Battersea in Petersburg. This place is a gorgeous! The property is so beautiful. Every time I shoot there, I find new spots I love! From the huge trees to rolling hills, it was perfect for Erin’s bridal session. Her romantic style up-do and lace dress were stunning and fit perfectly with the location.

Elizabeth found me simply by fate, I’m sure of it! She won a giveaway through my Facebook page a few months ago, then, through messaging back and forth, told me that she had recently gotten engaged!! So exciting!! One thing led to another and here we are! Elizabeth had also told me that finding a date to do engagement pictures would be tricky because Zach is a football coach. It is RARE for him to have a free evening in the fall so we jumped at the one weekend he had a night off! And where else would we meet up but….a football field!

I remember the day I met Carley and her mom at Starbucks. Instantly, I felt so at ease with them. They were super easy to talk to and had me laughing right away! My husband grew up with Carley’s family, going to the same private school. However, I had never met her or her family before. I quickly came to see that they are wonderful people! We just talked and talked about anything & everything! After that initial meeting and hearing about all what Carley had planned, I was so excited for the wedding day to come!

Hurricane Hermine was threatening to ruin the beautiful weather for this wedding day! While driving to the salon early that morning, we all saw black clouds in the sky and could feel the cool air blowing. Honestly, the cooler weather was definitely welcomed over the crazy heat Virginia had been experiencing just the week before. The moment I saw Erin, though, she was completely calm. There is nothing you can do about it at that point, so why worry, right? Right! David & Erin were both so positive and upbeat all day! Their wedding party was the exact same way, which is so helpful on the wedding day. When there is something happening that could POSSIBLY cause any worry or anxiety, your job as a bridesmaid or groomsmen is to ease the minds of the bride & groom (just a little bit of advice from yours truly). After random rain showers and gusts of wind, the sun ended up coming out and giving us the chance to get so many great pictures!