“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
– Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
two are better than one…That was how we found Annie when Joseph and I showed up last Saturday. Relaxed, joyful, and enjoying a little shoulder massage from her sweet mother-in-law. Not a bad start to the day, huh? :) Annie also wore her grandmother’s ring, and her bouquet was wrapped with lace from her mother’s wedding gown!one of my new favorite dress shots!
as I was preparing their blog post I kept thinking “oh man THIS was my favorite part of the day!” then I’d come to the next group of photos and think “no, THIS was my favorite part!” :) This moment though was most definitely in the top three! Annie and Duncan both exchanged surprise gifts before the wedding, and let me tell any single folks out there, y’all need to take notes! Duncan had written a book that told their story, but the book was written as a story for their future kids. The book told the story of ‘Annie the Wonderful’ and ‘Duncan the Incredibly Lucky’ in a way that will be SO sweet for their children to read one day. Safe to say, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room!
Goodness gracious I could have done bridal portraits of Annie ALL. DAY. LONG! How stunning is she?! Annie had them add the bow to the back of her dress, and I think it suits her so perfectly! These next three portraits of Annie are all from Joseph’s camera:Annie, my sweet friend, you are such a classic, beautiful bride!Then we headed over to Meadowlark Gardens to meet up with the guys! Annie also had a special gift for Duncan…She had started a journal exactly one year before their wedding, and for 365 days she had written one thing that she loved about Duncan for every day. I’m SO glad that Joseph grabbed this photo of one of the pages and Annie’s handwriting (there’s something SO special to me about handwritten notes!) if you can’t read what’s on the page, it says “You don’t “seem” to get mad at me when I hit snooze 12 times on 3 different alarms every morning.”… “You actually helped me design the Save the Dates for our wedding.” … “I didn’t realize how wrong everyone else was for me until I found you.”  I’ve never seen such thoughtful, intentional gifts in my life. Annie and Duncan, I love how well you love each other :) Then it was time for their first look! Another favorite moment from their day: Joseph’s view: Duncan literally couldn’t take his eyes off of Annie :) Even while his best man Rob was pinning his boutonnière, Duncan was just staring as I took a couple bridal portraits of his stunning wife-to-be :) My shot on the left, Joseph’s on the right:ha! i love this shot and how you can see Duncan’s excitement ;) I had just asked Duncan how that wedding ring feels on his finger ;) Joseph’s photo on the left, mine on the right:seriously these two made my job SO dang easy!another favorite :) Duncan, you were looking so sharp my friend! Duncan and Annie have the greatest friends!
then it was time to get married!! this was another moment during the day where there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd… photographers included!loved Joseph’s view of their first kiss as husband and wife!
a few fun reception details:they had a coffee bar and donuts for all of their guests to snack on during the reception!I get SO excited when a couple is willing to sneak out for a few minutes for sunset portraits!! the 10 minutes they spent away from the reception was totally worth it! my photo on the left, Joseph’s on the right:we were able to time it just right to get that perfect evening light! here’s Joseph’s view:and here’s mine… I always love going through the photos after the wedding and seeing how we saw the same thing in such a different way:first dance:these two were tearing up the dance floor! ;)
Duncan and Annie, thank you so much for making us feel so welcome from the moment we stepped in the door. It was one of those days where I was constantly overwhelmed with gratitude. I’m so thankful for couples like you who love each other so well. Thankful for the reminder that two really are better than one, and that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. and so very thankful that you allowed us to be a small part of your day. I’m so happy for you both!

Ceremony and Reception: Meadowlark Gardens, Vienna VA
Wedding Gown: Pattrapon Bridal– Designer: Allure
Florist: Bryan at Karin’s Florist
DJ: Marc Augenbraum
Cake: Edible Incredible Desserts
Catering: Great Blue Heron Catering
Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal
Grooms and Groomsmen Attire: Jos. A. Bank
Invitations: Vista Print
Coffee Bar: Vigilante Coffee Company

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones after all.”
– Laura Ingalls Wilder I love how smitten Brooks is with his baby brother! He was more than willing to love on baby Barrett :)oh be still my heart! he’s such a sweet baby!so much joy! aww poor buddy… had to include one of the outtakes ;) You can go back and see Barrett’s newborn photos HERE! Happy Monday! :)

“So when I lose my way, find me
when I loose loves chains, bind me
at the end of all my faith
til the end of all my days
when I forget my name… remind me.”
-Andrew Peterson
Natalie got ready at her parents house, and I love this shot that Joseph got of her getting ready with her girls! the next 4 photos are all his: then we headed over to the church to round up the gentlemen… just another reason why having a second photographer is awesome, this is an angle that I never get when I’m the only one there! love how happy Pat was to see Natalie come down that aisle :)one of the sweetest moments of the day was when Natalie’s father gave her a kiss on the cheek and placed her hands in Pat’s:thanks to Joseph for grabbing these next two photos! I never get to see the couples face as they light the unity candle or take communion or anything like that, and honestly I didn’t even see him sneak up front to take these. Needless to say, these were a very pleasant surprise when I was culling through the images :) Married!! who says you can’t have snow in may?! i’m not even sure what this stuff was, but it was EVERYwhere! I could tell right away that one of things Natalie was most excited about was having her Grandfather’s gorgeous purple antique car there for the day. I know it was a sweet reminder for her of special memories with him, and I’m SO excited to share all of these portraits with you! I could have done portraits of Pat and Natalie in front of that car ALL. DAY. LONG. one of my faaaavorites :) love those shoes, Natalie!love this angle that Joseph saw, definitely another favorite portrait from their day! Joseph’s photo on the left, mine on the right: i’m thinking this next photo would make an excellent canvas on their wall…. yes?? :)let me tell ya, Pat and Natalie have some awesome friends! these guys kept the party going all night long! :) the sign by their cake says “Our cake topper was first used at the wedding of Natalie’s grandparents, Jess and Judie Miller on October 4, 1958.” it was one of my favorite details of their day :)
LOVE this from the end of their first dance :) Natalie and her dad pulled out all kinds of special effects during their dance :) then it was officially party time! they had a great swing band play throughout the evening, which got everyone out of their chairs and onto the dance floor! there was ZERO hesitation here, once that cake was sliced it went IMMEDIATELY into the other persons face :) a little garter/bouquet toss fun… thanks again for letting Joseph and I be a part of your day!! it was truly an honor! :) Ceremony: Community of Faith United Methodist Church
Reception Venue: International Country Club
Wedding Dress: Katherine’s Bridal Boutique – Designer: Maggie Sotero
Bouquet and Ceremony Florals: Karin’s Florist
Reception Floral Arrangements: Flowers from Merrifield Garden Center
Reception Floral Vases: Iren Tete
Reception Music/Entertainment: Mark Fries
Swing Band: Students at Miles Davis School of Jazz, UNC Greensboro
Wedding Cake: Hollin Hall Pastry
Bridesmaids Dresses: The Bridal Boutique, LTD – Designer: Jordan
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Warehouse
Hair and Makeup: Isabel Duarte from Jewel Hair Design
Honeymoon: Hawaii!

“If I had to choose my best day ever
my finest hour, my wildest dream come true
mine would be you.”
– Blake Shelton
Bill and Krista’s day was about as close to perfect as you can get! Right before the reception started I was talking with Krista and she said “this day has gone so much better than I could have imagined. I’ve just been waiting for something to happen all day, but it’s been pretty great, huh?” and I hope EVERY bride is able to say that! Gorgeous weather, all of their favorite people, and one heck of a party… that sounds pretty perfect to me! :)
loved their invitations by The Best Day Paper Co.
Krista truly made the most stunning bride: and she was rockin’ her ‘something blue’ :)a big thank you to Joseph for 2nd shooting and for catching SO many great photos throughout the day! I love how his approach to photography always flow so well with mine, so much so that for some of these images I truly can’t remember which were mine and which were his! Which is really a great problem to have! A handful of my awesome 2014 couples will be really blessed to have him 2nd shoot at their weddings, because he always takes gorgeous photos like this one:love this shot from their first look! My view on the left, and Joseph’s on the right:  I try and keep first looks private, but Krista’s bridesmaids had a pretty good spot to watch from their window ;)
I love how the groom always ends up fidgeting with his ring the first time he wears it :)
two of my favorites from their day! My view on the left and Joseph’s on the right:
Whitehall Manor is one of the most stunning properties in Bluemont! Everywhere you look there’s a gorgeous landscape:these next two are both Joseph’s and they caught my eye right away the first time I went through their images! so good! I adored Krista’s bridesmaids!! Ladies, please consider this my official request to photograph all of your weddings one day… please and thank you :)loooove getting a fun wedding party in front of my camera :) lookin’ good, gentlemen! then it was time to get married! thanks to Joseph for this shot of Krista and her mom about to walk down the aisle:Bill’s brother officiated their ceremony and he did such a great job! He incorporated marriage advice from all of the members of their families, and it was so sweet to hear what they each had to say to Bill and Krista :)Married!!! Right after their first kiss, he kept his priorities in line and immediately followed it up with the most epic selfie :)aaaand here’s the result! Apparently Joseph and I are also experts at photo-bombing…. sorry about that! ;) love their excitement during the recessional: … c’mooon you know I’m a sucker for a good photo of a girl and her grandpa :)
right at the end of cocktail hour we snuck out for a few more portraits! these next two just might be my favorites from the whole day, i love how happy they are! here’s my view: and here’s Joseph’s…. I think he might win this one :) a few fun reception details:they both shared a special dance with their moms: Ross from Chris Laich Music Services kept the party going all night! He was so great to work with! thank you both so much for letting us celebrate with you! it was truly an honor! hope you’re having a blast on your honeymoon! :) Ceremony & Reception Venue- Whitehall Manor, Bluemont VA
Florist- Affordable Arragements
DJ- Chris Laich Music Services
Pies: Mom’s Apple Pie Co.
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Warehouse- Vera Wang Tuxedo Rental
Honeymoon: Turks and Caicos
Invitations: The Best Day Paper Co.
Bridal Gown: Jeanette’s Bridal

I shared a lot about this throughout the year I blogged monthly 10 things you might not know about me, but I’m a firm believer in the concept of the Love Languages. My top two have always been ‘quality time’ and ‘words of affirmation’ pretty much tied for first, and ‘physical touch’ falling close behind. If I had to really narrow it down though and pinpoint one thing that makes me feel loved, I would tell you that even more specifically, handwritten notes are my love language. I think it’s because it combines those two in such a sweet way, reading the WORDS that someone actually took the TIME to write. I’d rather get a well thought out note than just about anything else!

It started in college when a friend of mine handed me an envelope in between classes. I had no idea what it was, but I opened it to find that she had written out a note of gratitude, for no specific reason at all. She was just thankful for our friendship, and wanted me to know it. It meant so much to me that I put it in a little frame and kept it in my closet where I would see it every day. Since then, anytime I receive a note that really makes my day, I add it to “the shelf”. Some are thank you notes, others are notes of encouragement, and others still were for no specific reason at all. but each one of them represent people who hold a very special place in my life.

I try to dish out notes like this as often as I can. I’d rather get a blank card and fill it with my own thoughts than find one with a message already inside. I try and make it a goal of mine to give at least 3 handwritten notes each month, and I try to ensure that each of my clients receives one from me as well. I know some people will just discard them and thats okay, but that for other people it might mean as much to them to receive a thank you note as it means to me. I’m telling ya, never underestimate the power of a handwritten note :) I have so much gratitude for the people represented in each of those notes… they’re the best of the best!
The first shelf is now overflowing and I have a few other notes that need framed at this point, so bring on shelf #2! :)  Happy Monday! :)