Christy and Tom wanted something less like a wedding and more like an elegant dinner party in a beautiful, outdoor setting.  Shawn of Beehive Events and Gay of A Pimento Catering put this vision into action on October 24th of last year where an amazing tent was constructed right outside the ruins of the old Barboursville Winery in Barboursville, Virginia.  My heart sank as we pulled into the vineyard in the pouring rain and trekked through mud to check out the hustle and bustle beneath the tent.  The bad news was that the ceremony would have to be moved from the ruins to the cocktail area beneath the tent.  The good news was that the sun made its debut shortly before the ceremony and brought with it a beautiful sunset for guests to enjoy as the reception began.

The tent by Sperry Tents Virginia was probably the most elaborately constructed we had ever seen complete with partitioned dining rooms, a 3-sided central bar with seating, a dance area and bare bulb lights strung throughout.  The warm palette of chocolate, royal purple and gold were fallish and inviting.  Shawn’s flowers were fabulous as always.  I have never seen persimmon included in table arrangements before and they made me think fondly of the persimmon trees we saw all over Japan last fall, oddly barren of leaves while brimming with ripe, bright fruit.  The food by A Pimento was a culinary delight that included a raw bar and 4 entirely different food stations serving organic, seasonal foods grown and raised by local farmers.   A table with several different cakes including coconut, red velvet, and cupcakes garnished with marzipan topped the evening off sweetly for those who had saved room for dessert.  Fire pits with couch seating behind the tent gave guests a great place to gather and enjoy cigars while taking in the moonlight.

The boutonnieres might have been my favorite detail as something near and dear to my heart.  Christy had the idea to use salt water flies to honor Tom’s love of fly fishing and Shawn ran with the idea to create these fallish fellows with acorn accents:

While we love Christy and Tom’s sense of style and desperately want an invitation to their next party (who wouldn’t?), we were most impressed by their warmth, their love of family and their sense of humor.  How on earth they ever found RC Cola to give away as favors along with Moon Pies, I’ll never know but we used that sugar rush to get us back home to Richmond in record time!

Here’s a slideshow with our favorites and click here to see their online gallery.  Congrats you two…

The couple chose a gunmetal buckram cover that bounced nicely with the graphite color of the bridesmaid’s dresses.  Instead of mounting the standard photo cover motif, I suggested using the birdy graphic from their invitation and wedding program to design something that matched.

Here’s the original stationary:

And the buckram cover with our custom cover motif:

The couple chose to add a wing (or gatefold) and flip page to their duo album.  The reception was the perfect place to get flippy with it and the gatefold opens into a photo of the same church where Allison’s parents were married:

Here are a few of the layouts from the design software as well as some shots of the album so you can see how they came to life.  We’re glad that Corey’s lack of socks was as memorable to Allison and Evan as it was to us, the layout with the guys hanging out before the ceremony might be my favorite album layout ever.  Thanks for letting me have a little fun with that:

A&E, we miss y’all and can’t wait to drop in and replace the peace and quiet of your Blacksburg home with the sound of our screaming child sometime very soon.

Jennifer and Terrance were married at River Road Presbyterian Church on October 17th of last year.  The evening brought with it an unseasonable cold snap as the party moved from the church to the Blomendaal House at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.  Sam and I felt like we had to explain to out of town guests, many visiting from the couple’s home base of New York City, that its not usually this cold in Richmond in the fall, its usually pleasant as punch, we swear!  Most brides would have been devastated by the weather given the outdoor evening venue but not Jen: she threw off her jacket and stayed warm the old fashion way by darting from table to table to greet her guests and dancing the night away.  Wall flowers weren’t going to survive the frost so her guests followed her lead and turned the event into a massive dance party!

I loved the unique and preppy combination of navy, bright pink and ivory for the day’s details:

While waiting to board the trolley, I saw an opportunity for an impromptu artsy bridal portrait and asked Jen to model on the second floor of the church.  I can’t decide whether I like the color or black and white version better:

Here’s a slideshow with our favs and if you would like to see their online gallery, click here.  Congrats again, Jennifer and Terrance!

This post dates back to the fall season when I was back to shooting but still out on maternity leave from the office (and therefore blogging).  Jennifer and Chris cruised with us through our familiar neighborhood of Church Hill for a few shots before we headed out for our adventure destination, the Pipe Line, where we got a unique industrial view of the city from the banks of the James.

While most couples with height differences request pictures that de-emphasize the distance, Jennifer and Chris requested shots that celebrated it… its part of who they are together.  I think we all had some fun with that:

The warm, last light out on the river gave these shots an antique glow: we didn’t use any filters or post production trickery to create this color, it was all Mother Nature:

We’re looking forward to shooting for Jenn at beautiful Tuckahoe Plantation this May.  With the snow melting at a fast pace, I’m choosing to believe that spring is right around the corner!  Congrats you guys…

Its time to catch up on albums that have arrived over the past – yeek – year or so.   While I won’t blog every album we have designed or received, I have been photographing the books that could help couples to better visualize the various styles and options we offer and how they can come together to make a unique keepsake.  We’re hoping this blog segment will be particularly helpful to our many long distance clients who are unable to come in and see our books up close and personal.

Though Shaena and Travis, who were married at Norfolk’s botanical gardens with a small and relaxed reception at the beach house where they honeymooned, celebrated a very untraditional wedding, they wanted a traditional style album with a creative twist.  The blues of the sky at the gardens and the hues of the ocean water at their reception inspired them to choose an elegant blue, woven silk cover for their Queensberry matted album.  In addition, we added silver pagemounts (fine art paper borders) to offset the photos, particularly the black and whites, and designed a few layouts with large images that spilled across the page to create a panoramic feel.

These photos show how the blue silk and black mats come together to make a traditional album with a contemporary feel.  The silk has a slightly warm, metallic sheen to it for a very subtle shimmer to compliment the silver pagemount:

One of the signature features of Queensberry is the vellum introduction page that lifts to reveal the opening photo beneath:

Here are a few of the design layouts to give an idea of what an album looks like in the design phase:

These photos show how the blue of the cover bounces off the colors within and brought the design layouts to life in 3 dimensions:

Stay tuned for more design ideas!

Baby Cannon surprised his parents by arriving a month before his estimated due date and the week after Christmas.  Born at 4 lbs, 6oz and measuring 17.5 inches long, he was tiny but strong.  We waited a few weeks to make sure Jill, Todd and Cannon were recovered from the emergency surgery and settled into a routine together before planning his newborn shoot.  Cannon is gaining weight steadily and is absolutely angelic!

Despite the early arrival, Cannon’s nursery is surprisingly complete and truly adorable- kudos to Jill on that one!  The cowboy theme is so fun, Jill commissioned an artist to paint the letters spelling out his name above the crib and had a seamstress create window treatments, pillows and closet curtains with vintage style rodeo fabric.  Sweet accents like the a stitched denim burp cloth, cowboy boot piggy bank and Hushabye Baby’s Johnny Cash CD make the room both functional and cozy.  Giddyup!

I loved watching both Jill and Todd cuddling up to their perfect son who slept peacefully through most of the shoot.  Every newborn shoot since Fiver’s birth brings me right back to the newness of parenthood – the days where you watch your baby’s tiny face like television, totally rivited, the days of disbelief that something, someone, so amazing came from you.

The family pup, Louis, ran protectively to Cannon’s defense whenever he cried and was game to get in on the family shots.

The painting in the background is of the Tuckahoe Plantation House where Jill and Todd were married last spring.  It made a sweet backdrop to these family photos.

We even got some shots while Cannon was awake and aware.  I am a sucker for baby yawns on film and I just love that spikey hair!

Here’s a slideshow with my favorites and click here to visit the online gallery.  It was such a pleasure to shoot for such a sweet little guy and his family, I can’t wait to see Cannon grow big and strong!

Shooting for Baby Hadley was especially meaningful for me since Hadley was born just a week after our son.  It was awesome to document a baby the same age as our little guy at home and  I couldn’t help but see Sam, Fiver, Arbus and myself in the interactions of Brian, Hadley, Nala and Louise.  As similar as Hadley and Fiver are in some ways, they each have their own distinct personalities, even at the ripe young age of four months: something I hadn’t really realized or appreciated.

Don’t let her seemingly small size fool you, Hadley is crazy tall like her dad and performing all kinds of physical feats… she’s rolling over, eating rice cereal with gusto, and full of smiles.  I loved watching Louise soothe her daughter with lullabies and watching Brian make Hadley laugh, reminding me that each parent really does have a unique roll in their baby’s life.

We always tell Arbus that she has a “three lick limit” when it comes to the baby but its awfully hard to enforce when Arbus hasn’t learned to count to three yet.  Like Arbus, Nala likes to lick her comparatively hairless sibling every chance she gets.  Babies might be funny looking pack members in the eyes of our furry kids but they get lots of love regardless.

The nursery is a fresh shade of lime with purple accents and sweet details.  Brian painted the purple panels over the changing table and, at Louise’s suggestion, wrote a dedication to his daughter on the back of a panel the day she was born.  The funny part was that he signed it, “Love, Brian” and had to cross out his name and write “Dad”… “Dad” hadn’t quite sunk in yet!  I think I’m still taking in the concept of “Mom” in myself…

You just have to love this little Wahoo bum:

Check out this slideshow from the session and you can visit their online gallery by clicking here.  Just don’t break my kid’s heart when you guys hit high school years from now, OK, Hadley?

This was my first wedding back from maternity leave and it was surprisingly refreshing to shoot again.  Jaymi and Jeremy were married at Mechanicsville Advent Christian Church with a reception at the Hanover Arts & Activities Center in Ashland on October 11th.  They added their own signature to their ceremony by playing a slideshow just as the ceremony began and a video as Jeremy waited for Jaymi’s father to bring her down the aisle.

We took a few photos on the campus of Randolph Macon and around downtown Ashland before the reception.  Train tracks go right through town and we took advantage of a passing train.  Much to our surprise it was hauling some rather fragrant garbage through town, I promised the couple I would mention that here so you know how adventurous they were to have posed in front of it!

Jaymi and Jeremy’s reception celebrated a passion that we share with them: beer!  The groomsmen received engraved beer mugs as gifts and the favors were pint glasses reading, “I stole this glass from Jaymi and Jeremy’s Wedding”… we were pretty excited to add that pint glass to our collection.  One fond memory from our own wedding was when the wedding coordinator grabbed the bottled microbrew I was drinking at the reception right out of my hand exclaiming, “ladies don’t drink out of bottles!”  I quickly snatched it back and growled that I was no lady.  Sam put his arm around me and beamed with pride: that’s my beer loving bride, he thought.  Had I known you could get a beer coozie that said “Bride” like Jaymi had, I may have been drinking from a glass and that awkward exchange may never have happened.

Check out the fallish spin Jaymi put on baby blue by pairing it with deep browns, I loved her bouquet that included soft hydrangea, fragrant eucalyptus, and what looked like wheat (a nod to brewing, perhaps?).  The bridesmaids wore flattering brown gowns with lace bodices tied with velvet ribbon, one of the most unique choices I have seen in awhile.  Check it out:

Now that I have a son I have a whole new appreciation for mother son dances.  I was trying hard not to tear up…

There was a bit of confusion during the exit…  Jaymi and Jeremy were navigating through the pitch black dark while being pelted with birdseed and understandably made a wrong turn, missing the getaway car and running smack into me as I tried to get out of the way… it was pretty hilarious.  My husband, photojournalist extraordinaire, managed to capture an extreme action shot of Mel demonstrating the hidden dangers of wedding photography…

Here’s a slideshow with our favs from the day and if you would like to see their online gallery, click here.  Thanks to Jaymi and Jeremy for hosting such a crazy party and for having such a wonderful sense of adventure and humor.

It was great to get back to shooting, I only called home once, I was so good!  And it was even better to get home and love on that baby boy.

Lots of new things have emerged in the life of Baby Jasper since I saw her last: she’s been crawling, walking, and awaiting a baby sister too!  Not to mention celebrating her very first Christmas.  We took these photos the week after the Christmas holiday while decorations still adorned the house.

She loves reading giant picture books with her dad by the tree while Bess hangs out on her favorite chair:

Jasper’s nursery has a new, bright color with big paper flowers that hang from the ceiling.  I love her tea table too!

Jasper loves to splash around in the tub, I was lucky to be around for bath time!

Here’s a slideshow from our shoot.  I can’t believe its almost been a year since Jasper was born, I’m glad we have one more shoot to go!