Sarah and Peter had an elegant winter wedding at Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyard just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. I was so honored to be there to document their beautiful day.
Those who made their day so beautiful:
Venue: Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards
Wedding Planner: Liz Brittle Events
Florals: Whimsical Floral Design
Hair: Top Knot Studio
Make Up: Rouge 9 Makeup
Videography: Ginger Topham
Entertainment: Another Level, Sam Hill Entertainment
Sara and Mike are such a lovely and kind couple and their Airlie Center wedding, just outside of Washington, D.C,. was an absolute dream to photograph. Filled with thoughtful details and so much love and joy, I am so excited to share these images, which can also be seen on Style Me Pretty. In addition, I am including a few images from their day-after session with Sara's beautiful horse, aptly named, L'Amour.
Those who made their wedding day so beautiful:
Venue: The Airlie Center
Event Planning: Laura Ritchie of Grit & Grace
Florals: Growing Wild
Hair & Makeup: Modern Bridal Studio
Stationary: The Dandelion Patch
Cake: Charm City Cakes
We’ve all experienced those moments. The ones where things seem to slow down, we see a bit clearer and just want to make time stop – to linger in the present experience, to make an imprint of it on our mind so that we will always remember, not just our perceptions of it, but the gut feeling of it. Usually, it’s the people in our lives that are the catalyst for these profound moments. The love of a spouse, a child, parent or friend – we want to hold on to the moment, because we really want to hold on to them. At least that’s how I feel about it most of the time. As a mother to 3 small children I often feel bombarded by how quickly things change – and it’s not infrequent that I use cliché’s like ‘in the blink of an eye’, or ‘it feels like just yesterday.’ And such is the ache of life. It’s overwhelming beauty and it’s undeniable fragility. And so, I take pictures.
I take pictures to remember.
On my bookshelf amongst the clutter of novels and memoirs are several old family pictures - my dad in his 20's (a photo taken by his sister and talented photographer), and my parents on their wedding day. One of my most treasured is an old image of my grandparents. My grandmother who I never met and the grandfather who, hardened by World War II, was always quiet and unemotional. In this image they are young and carefree. My grandmother laughs as she drapes her arm on his while he pulls back a toy slingshot. Images like these have the miraculous ability of connection – introducing us to loved ones passed, or showing us a different side of someone we’d never known before And so with the weight of the knowledge that one day it will be photos such as these that will introduce me to my great-great grandchildren, I take pictures.
I take pictures to preserve.
Photography is not just my job, it is a passion that ignites me toward awareness and creativity. It is with a hope to preserve and remember that I make images for others. Over the years, I have been privileged to witness teary-eyed couples make their vows, and then years later beaming as they hold their newborn. It has been my honor to photograph babies from the time they were in their mother’s womb to their birthday, to when they became big brothers and sisters. I’ve documented moments of deep beauty in times of great joy and celebration, and I’ve also been there to document the simplicity of the everyday – which, really, is just as profound. I’ve seen couples at the beginning of their lives together and watched kids grow up from behind my lens. And through all of these moments I’ve been witness to and honored to capture, I see over and over again that, really, love is what our stories are all about. And so, I take pictures.
I take pictures to tell the story of love.