Lara + Dan: Alexandria Seminary Wedding

Right here, on the Virginia Theological Seminary campus, is where Lara & Dan first laid eyes on each other. So it was such a special joy to meet there for their engagement photos & then also come back to VTS for their beautiful fall ceremony. These two are a blast! And their commitment to one another is in-cred-i-ble. After they began dating long distance in 2012, they would take turns flying to visit every month.

Except when they were both serving the Lord on missions trips. That month, the couple filled a journal with their thoughts, memories & love, later exchanging them after they were back together again. And Lara's gorgeous ring (seen in the photos below) is one Dan actually had made from a stone he got in Miramar, Southeast Asia, where they had both served before. SO sweet!

The ring didn't come in the mail until the very DAY that Dan was set to propose to Lara. Lara, sensing his upcoming proposal, made sure to get her nails painted (smart girl!) before she flew to visit. She was actually in the mailroom when the ring package was delivered but the mail woman was sneaky enough to get it to Dan without her noticing. After a wonderful dinner out in Old Town, they headed back to Aspinwall Hall Bell Tower, the tallest overlook on campus. They had always wanted to check out the view from the top but it wasn't until that night that Dan proposed with the beautiful ring that they got to check out the view of DC together :)

Hanging out with Lara & Dan is the best! Every time we met it was as if we'd been friends for years - they are such a friendly, kind & hilariously funny duo! And although the weather was looking to bring a big thunderstorm right before their wedding, tons of friends & family helped to set up the gorgeous traditional liturgy ceremony inside. Enter lots of photographer shimmies right here - the rain held off on us after that we knocked out family portraits, bridal party & couple portraits without getting drenched! Is God good or is He GOOD?!

How gorgeous are those pearls?? They are her something borrowed (from her mother, passed on from her grandmother) & the love note is from her parents many years ago. Love the heirlooms shared through the generations!

Absolutely, hands DOWN one my favorites of these two!!

Lara & Dan,

You both bring so much life into any room. Your devotion to each other & the Lord are a wonderful testimony of what true love looks like. And you throw one killer party! Thank you for letting me capture these special moments of your day!

Vendors:

Ceremony: Virginia Theological Seminary

Reception: Virginia Theological Seminary Refectory and Scott Lounge

Bride's dress: David's Bridal

Groomsmen attire: Henderson's & Jos A. Banks

Catering: Meriwether-Godsey

Wedding cake: The Happy Tart

Invitations: Vistaprint

A December dream come true

Have y'all ever cut down your very own Christmas tree?? Back in December, I had listed it as one of my goals to accomplish during the holiday/birthday season.

I was born & raised in the Sunshine State, meaning we had mostly palm trees, orange trees & yes, some pine trees, too. But not your choice of farms with the big, beautifully perky evergreens that so perfectly hold out their branches as if to say, "I'm here for you. Please, do put your ornaments on my needles." Since moving to Northern Virginia (or, if you're not from around here, DC :) ), I've wanted to bundle up on a cold winter day & head out to a Christmas tree farm for a tree picking extravaganza. And this past December, that's exactly what Hubby & I got to do!

We drove over to Evergreen Acres in Nokesville. Such a great farm! It's a family-run business & even though we went in the middle of December, they still had a ton of trees left to choose from. Bonus? They gave out steaming cups of hot cider. YUM!

This guy :) :) :)

Here's the hilarious part of it all: although the wintery white flakes were melting/on their way out of town when we were at the farm, it was still preeeeetty cold. Meaning I was pretty cold & Dean was not :) I was SO excited to go frolicking through the rows of Fraser fur & pine trees that I didn't even consider that the boots I was wearing were not exactly weather appropriate. 

My comfy brown boots! Oh how I thought they would never do me wrong. But after the wear & tear of a few winters, they have slowly started to fall apart. Which leads us to the middle of our tree-cutting adventure & I have cold, dripping wet feet. With every step, the melting snow & ice sloshed more into my boots & socks. And y'all, there were puddles ALL over! Since Hubby couldn't cut down the tree & carry me, it became one of the fastest rounds of find-your-Christmas-tree that farm has ever seen!

There it is! And down she went! So fast. I was telling Dean to let me know when it would fall & then it was already cut down haha. He works so fast!

Such a welcome to the cold day! If only my soaking wet toes could have had a cider bath...

We successfully attached our voluptuous tree (she was pretty curvy!) to the roof of our car & brought her back home. I must admit I've never before attempted carrying a tree up 3 flights of stairs! Luckily for me, Hubby & his gun show could get it upstairs with very little assistance from me. And our FSU Just Married ornament was a wedding gift from my sweet friend Lauren Elizabeth & her boyfriend :) Go NOLES!!!

We brought back this angel from our honeymoon in St. Lucia :)

Slipper time :) Feet finally started defrosting! Next year, I'm definitely wearing rain boots! Or any pair of boots without holes in them! And if you want to have your own Christmas tree experience, we highly recommend Evergreen Acres! Everyone was really helpful & the prices are great! P.S. if you wait til closer to Christmas time to snag your tree, they go on sale! $25 for any of the pines, same as picking one up at Home Depot. Sold!

Bekah + Steve: sneak peek

One of the greatest joys & privileges is to shoot the wedding of a very close friend. Bekah, or B as I call her, & I worked together for just under 2 years & y'all, we had some wonderful memories together!

Like the time when we were working a weekend BBQ event & a storm came through. Let's just say the tent we were under started to blow away, trying to take us with it!

Or the time we spent our lunchbreak hunting for an illusive rope swing through the woods of Northern Virginia. And yes, we did find it!

This girl - she is a spunky linedancing queen who will sporadically break out into beautiful acapella singing & has a huge heart for the Lord. Her now hubby Steve is an amazing man who truly loves her & is constantly looking for ways to shine Christ's light by serving others.

Dean & I were beyond blessed to capture their gorgeous fall barn wedding in Luray in late September. SO much more of their family-filled DIY day to come!

Read all about their exciting engagement story here & check out their snowy day photo session here & here.