Jessica and Eric were married at the lovely Wyndham Virginia Crossings here in Richmond over the Labor Day weekend.  Just like we did for our own wedding, the role of ring bearer and flower girl was given to the couple’s four legged children, Sampson and Delilah.  For one thing, kids don’t exactly have a monopoly on cute.  Besides, pets are family members so its nice to bring them into the ceremony of the day.  We had a great time photographing these lovely goldens and their sloppy kisses.

Eric chose his father, Walter, to be his best man.  Which gave us some lovely visual opportunities…

I’ve been loving what I have seen of the color purple this season!  The smokey lilac colored cala lillies that made up the bridesmaids’ bouquets are among the prettiest lillies I have seen and the orchids in the table arrangements lent an unexpected splash of color.

Here’s a slideshow with our favorites from the day.  Congrats to Jessica and Eric and if you would like to see more, click here to receive an email notification when all the photos are ready…

Posted by Mel @ 5:12 pm, in Weddings | No comments | Permalink

I think Amber wins the award for “best daughter-in-law ever”!  For Tracey’s birthday, Amber had the idea to give her the gift of a family photo shoot during their yearly beach vacation on lovely Chincoteague Island.  My  favorite photos of our parents with my son were taken on a beach vacation so I know what a great gift this really is.   I was very excited to tag along for a day.

I met the crew at the house to take some preliminary shots before we made our way to the beach.  Joining Eli’s parents and grandparents for the shoot were his aunties, Kiley and Simone, as well as Kiley’s boyfriend Noah and Simone’s friend Eliza.  It was here at the house that Mark, Justin’s dad, made the discovery of the flapping burp cloth.  Eli couldn’t resist giggling at anyone waving the burp cloth around in the air.  Actually, no one else could resist either!  For the rest of the day, everyone took turns entertaining Eli with that burp cloth.

Tracey, a.k.a. Eli’s Nanna, won my heart right away because each time I took a picture she would say, “yay!” in a small voice with such sweet excitement.  Eli was due for a cat nap when I arrived so it was the perfect time to get some sleepy shots with Nan in a onesie she gave him.

Then it was off to the beach.  We started on the marsh side where water channels weave through tall sea grass, making up much of Chincoteague’s distinctive landscape.

I love this shot with the aunties:

And of course, his grandparents:

As the sun dropped lower into the sky we shifted to the ocean side to enjoy the beautiful blue water.  I like the reflections in this big group shot:

My favorite part of the shoot were all the candid shots of family just being… family.

As I drove over the bridge off the island on my ride home I witnessed the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.  I’ve been to some exotic places but it happened right here in Virginia, my own home state.  Here’s a slideshow jam packed with way too many photos (all in the gallery here too) but what can I say?  You guys are pretty good looking.  I’m so excited to take Eli’s “official” six month photos at the end of the month so stay tuned for more of this little cutie.  Happy Birthday to Tracey and thanks to the whole family for making it such a fun shoot!

Posted by Mel @ 8:44 pm, in Portraits, Wee Ones | 1 comment | Permalink

I’m hoping this post finds everyone safe, damage minimal, and one day closer to regaining power and getting back to life.  This past week has given me a lot to reflect on in terms of what’s actually important.  Its easy to take our family and the four walls that keep that family safe for granted.

A home, no matter whether you own or rent, is more than four walls.  First you make it your own and then you set about to the task of making memories there. Its hard to believe that Kelly and Pete just moved into this house with Kelly 37? 38? weeks pregnant during the big move!  Its remarkable on many levels, especially to those of us who have experienced the power or nesting instincts during that last trimester.  They have already made their house look like home and made some amazing memories within it.

Nurseries are an amazing way for parents-to-be to connect with a being they already love so much but only know in an abstract way.  For this reason, I love photographing nurseries and seeing all the creative and wonderful things that people do to welcome a little being.  Baby Benjamin’s room had teal walls when they moved in, a wonderful blessing, and I love happy whales and navy blue accents that conjure up dreams of sailing adventures on the great ocean blue.  My personal fav item was an old side table that the couple painted a bright shade of lime green, I love the idea of sprucing up a flea market find!

It isn’t usually too hard to coax a two week old baby to sleep but sweet Benjamin was determined to stay awake!  No amount of milk, swinging, or swaddling could deter this wee one from staring into his proud parents’ eyes.  I was all over it…

I hate it when I can’t decide between moments.  OK, maybe I could have worse problems.

Check out Marley, the family’s Golden, wanted to keep close watch over the newest member of the pack.

Its strange to call this a newborn portrait since you can’t even see the newborn but I still love how Benjamin is implied by all his family members in this shot:

Congratulations to Kelly and Pete on such a beautiful little boy, I am so excited to watch him grow!  Here’s a slideshow (love the music choice, you guys) and the online gallery to see more…

Posted by Mel @ 6:24 pm, in Newborns, Portraits, Wee Ones | 1 comment | Permalink