It was so much fun photographing these two! I had such a blast, their family and friends were all so easy to get a long with and I loved being a part of their day! Thanks so much guys for allowing me to photograph your wedding. Here are a few of my favorites as well as a bit about their wedding in their own words!

WHERE IS YOUR WEDDING/RECEPTION AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THESE LOCATIONS?
The ceremony will be held at The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Salisbury. The address is 2341 Winterfield Rd Midlothian Va 23113. Originally we were going to have it at Manakin but due to our number of guests we have changed locations. It’s a beautiful traditional church which is what we both wanted.The reception will be at the Hilton at Short Pump. I loved the ball room and the space it will give us to have the fun reception we want.

WHAT WAS YOUR THEME OR STYLE AND WHY?
I don’t think we ever really chose a theme- we just wanted everything to be classy and still fun at the same time!

WHERE DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR DRESS AND WHAT LEAD YOU TO THE ONE YOU CHOSE?
My mom and I went to Celebrations Bridal in Lynchburg because they carried the designer I like the most. I was completely against a ball gown until about 7 dresses in my mom surprised me with her pick. I put it on and loved it, especially once I chose my veil too! My mom and I both cried a little bit and we knew that it would be my wedding dress! It was a great time shopping for my dress with her and I love that she chose it!

DESCRIBE YOUR SHOES AND WHY YOU WENT WITH THEM?
My shoes are yellow satin peep toe pumps with a little bow at the toe. I always said I didn’t want white shoes and since yellow is my favorite color and our accent color, I thought they’d be perfect. They’re gorgeous and I can’t wait to wear them!

WHERE THERE ANY OTHER PIECES OF JEWELRY/ACCESSORIES FOR YOU, YOUR GROOM, BRIDESMAIDS OR GROOMSMEN THAT YOU DECIDED TO INCORPORATE?
We both graduated from Tech in 2010 and are huge hokie fans so I thought it would be cute to incorporate a few Hokie items without being over the top. My bouquet will be wrapped in maroon and orange ribbon.I also have two rings, one from my mom’s mother and one that belonged to my dad’s mother who passed away before I came along. Both of these will be pinned inside one of the pockets in my dress.

WHO IS DOING YOUR HAIR & MAKEUP AND WHAT IS THE LOOK YOU ARE GOING FOR?
My hair will be done by Kim Kasey and my make up will be done by Cecelia Clark. I just want to look elegant without looking overdone. My hair will be pulled back either in a low bun or in a low bunch of curls.

DID YOU HAVE ANY WEDDING FAVORS AND WHY DID YOU SELECT THEM?
We were lucky enough to find purple and white swirl lollipops and had “L” stickers made to put on them. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so we wanted something that would satisfy that but guests could keep for later if they wanted to.

WHO DID YOUR FLOWERS AND WHAT WAS THE LOOK THAT YOU WANTED WITH THEM?
Strange’s is our florist. Joe’s mom majored in horticulture so she was a tremendous help on the flowers. I think my biggest vision was to just have something simple and classy, and nothing too big. My bouquet is yellow calla lillies and yellow orchids which will match my shoes and like I said before, the base will be wrapped in maroon and orange!

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CAKE, WHO CREATED IT AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO MAKE IT UNIQUE
Bakers Kitchen is where we ordered our cake. Joe and I both helped to choose the design. It is four layers, two lemon and two strawberry. The layers are round and will be iced with buttercream. On top of the cake will be yellow gum paste calla lillies and a few will be placed down the cake. Each layer will have the tri dot design to give it some texture and pearl beading will cover the seams. I am so excited about this cake!

WHAT DID YOU DO FOR FOOD & DRINK AND WHY?
We chose a plated dinner and an open bar for our reception. There will be four passed hor devours during the cocktail hour and a wine service while dinner is being served. We didn’t want our guests to have to stand in a buffet line or take turns getting food. We thought the plated meal would be the easiest way to serve everyone at the same time.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO BE GO ON THE HONEYMOON & WHY?
We will be flying to Rivieria Maya Mexico the day after our wedding. Joe’s parents gave us their time share in Cancun to trade for whatever we wanted and we chose Riviera Maya. The resort is called the Grande Luxxe and is absolutely gorgeous! I’ve never been out of the country so I am very excited to enjoy the beaches and the near by Mayan ruins!

I love her sunny disposition on life. Even when I’m in a bad mood and do not want to laugh, she can just smile at me and my mood instantly changes.

His unwavering love. Despite how stubborn or frustrating I can be, he’s always there wrapping his arms around me and making me smile. He’s my ultimate comfort and he makes me better in every way.

Erica & Jamal’s Wedding was one that I had been looking forward to for a while now. These two are just such a classy couple and I couldn’t wait to see what they came up with for their wedding, and they did not disappoint. Gorgeous details and a beautifully lit reception was a recipe for some great photos! I’m so happy to get these up on the blog, here are just a few of my favorites as well as a bit about their wedding in their own words!

WHERE IS YOUR WEDDING/RECEPTIONS AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS LOCATION?
The wedding is at my grandmother’s church and the reception is at The Westin Richmond. We chose those locations because the we wanted to have the ceremony in a special place and the reception due to the size of the guests we invited.

WHAT WAS YOUR THEME OR STYLE AND WHY?
There was not particular theme. I just like simple. To me less is better.

WHERE DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR DRESS AND WHAT LEAD YOU TO THE ONE YOU CHOSE?
I chose my dress from Priscilla of Boston. However, I had no idea that after 66 years of business their doors would close, and there was a chance that i may not have gotten my dress on time. In the end it all worked out and I am so pleased with my dress. At least I know there won’t be very many brides with my gown.

WHO IS DOING YOUR HAIR & MAKEUP AND WHAT IS THE LOOK YOU ARE GOING FOR?
The lady that is doing my hair is my regular hair stylist and my makeup artist is Kira Bell. They both do really good work and I am just looking forward to seeing what they do. I don’t have any specific requests, I am planning to let them work their magic.

DID YOU HAVE ANY WEDDING FAVORS AND WHY DID YOU SELECT THEM?
Yes. We are doing the “ray-ban” style plastic glasses personalized with the wedding date and the bride and grooms names. We chose them because it seemed like something fun and different.

WHO DID YOUR FLOWERS AND WHAT WAS THE LOOK THAT YOU WANTED WITH THEM?
Vogue flowers, we wanted to bring a lot of color into the flowers, wanted to do large and small centerpieces. The florist put his own touch into the design.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CAKE, WHO CREATED IT AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO MAKE IT UNIQUE
There was similar cake that i liked and i wanted it. We haven’t finalized the cake yet, so we will just have to wait and see.

WHAT DID YOU DO FOR FOOD & DRINK AND WHY?
We had a tasting with the Westin and chose the dishes that we loved best!

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO BE GO ON THE HONEYMOON & WHY?
We are going to the Ritz Carlton, Cayman Islands. We are also going to Italy in August so we wanted to something a little more relaxing for the honeymoon.

Jamal has so many good qualities it’s hard to choose just one. He is trustworthy, caring, genuine, loyal, I mean I could go on and on. But I think one that truly stands out is how I know he will do anything to make me happy. I know many times he makes sacrifices to put a smile on my face, whether its sacrificing sleep due to his work schedule , listening to something I randomly told him and months later surprise me, or just sitting and listening to me vent about the million things racing through my brain. I look forward to spending the rest of my life just such an amazing man!

The thing I love most about Erica is her undying love for her friends and family.  How caring she is to those around her allowed me to let my guard down and open myself up to her in a way I had never done before.  She also has a great sense of humor, that even when I’m not in the best mood she always puts a smile on my face.  I can honestly say I am not only marrying the woman I love, but also my best friend!

It was such a beautiful day when Keasha & Steve got married, I mean you couldn’t have asked for better weather. And their venues are the type that we photographers only dream of, the John Marshall Hotel and the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, so beautiful! I may have gone a little overboard with the amount of photos that I chose but I just couldn’t help myself. Here are some of my favorites as well as their wedding story in their own words!

WHERE IS YOUR WEDDING/RECEPTIONS AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS LOCATION?
Wedding Ceremony – Cathedral of the Sacred Heart – As a VCU Alumni, I remember walking on campus dreaming of getting married there each day that I passed the Church steps. Fast-forward to present day, when Steve and I were discussing our future as a couple I mentioned to Steve prior to us getting engaged that I always wanted to get married at Sacred Heart. Ironically, Steve’s Mother belonged to a Parrish with the same name in Pennsylvania. We knew at that moment that we had to host our future wedding there.

Reception – The Historic John Marshall Hotel; Keasha loves historic architecture and preservation and Steve has a background in Urban Planning. The John Marshall was under construction at the time of our visit but we were so impressed with the space and the finishes, we took a chance by moving forward at that time. Needless to say, the renovation of the Hotel turned out amazing. The entry is so opulent and the ballrooms turned out beautiful.

WHAT WAS YOUR THEME OR STYLE AND WHY?
We initially started with a 20’s romantic theme. Keasha wanted the wedding to be very feminine and elegant.

DESCRIBE YOUR SHOES AND WHY YOU WENT WITH THEM?
My shoes are designed by Steve Madden – they are royal blue with a crystal embellished heel. I must say that these shoes found me when I wasn’t looking because I would have never thought to try these on. I was in the shoe department at Dillard’s looking for shoes to wear to our engagement shoot. I explained to the sales associate that I was wearing a black dress and wanted a shoe that stood out. She brought over several interesting looks, but when I saw the blue heels and tried them on I knew these were the ones. After the photo shoot I got so many compliments, I decided that I wanted to wear them on my wedding day as well.

WHERE THERE ANY OTHER PIECES OF JEWELRY/ACCESSORIES FOR YOU, YOUR GROOM, BRIDESMAIDS OR GROOMSMEN THAT YOU DECIDED TO INCORPORATE?
It was really important to Keasha that she wore something borrowed, something blue and something new. The pendant necklace was a mothers day present she gave to her mom ten years ago, Keasha’s shoes were the blue and the dress was her new.

Keasha searched everywhere for the perfect accessories for her bridesmaids. She finally stumbled across these beautiful pendant necklaces by Carolee and special ordered four of them for each of her special friends.

While shopping with Steve the week prior to the wedding they stopped in Banana Republic for honeymoon clothing. Steve was in line with his purchases when Keasha noticed these gorgeous fish cuff links. Keasha called out to Steve to come and look. Steve was so excited because fishing is his favorite pastime.

WHO IS DOING YOUR HAIR & MAKEUP AND WHAT IS THE LOOK YOU ARE GOING FOR?
DC Artistry styled the hair and makeup for the bride, maid of honor and mother of the bride. The bride wanted and 20′s yet current romantic wave. She requested light and natural makeup that complimented the theme.

DID YOU HAVE ANY WEDDING FAVORS AND WHY DID YOU SELECT THEM?
We really wanted a candy bar as our favors. Steve is a candy fanatic so when Keasha mentioned the idea to Steve he was all about it! It was such a fun experience planning the candy types and setup it with our candy shop The Sweet Spot. They translated our vision for the look and labels perfectly. Our wedding planner Keith with Everything But Your Groom actually found the jars and helped Keasha pick out fabric for the final touches. We knew the candy bar was a hit when we saw that the line around wall, and realized it was for the candy bar and not the open bar!

WHO DID YOUR FLOWERS AND WHAT WAS THE LOOK THAT YOU WANTED WITH THEM?
We selected cherry blossoms and hydrangeas as the wedding flowers for the the reception. Due to the odd weather this year the cherry blossoms bloomed two months earlier and were no longer in season. Once we got closer to the wedding we really relied on the hydrangeas to keep our vision consistent with the romantic vibe.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CAKE, WHO CREATED IT AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO MAKE IT UNIQUE
We tasted cake samples everywhere and were completely undecided on what vendor to move forward with until we stopped by Pearls Cupcakes. I was completely floored by their cake flavors because the cake simply melted in our mouths it was so amazing. I found a picture of the cake we wanted on pinterest and showed it to our cake designer. She was so excited and we began brainstorming on the various details.

WHAT DID YOU DO FOR FOOD & DRINK AND WHY?
The bride and her family are from Louisville, Kentucky and the Derby is a big deal to them; so it was a no brainier when we were asked what the signature drink would be, of course the mint julep! Our guests dined on Surf and Turf with scallops served with a cream sauce in a delicate half shell. I must credit Suzanne from Homemades By Suzanne on the exquisite presentation and the food was delicious!

Keasha is very caring, thoughtful and beautiful both inside and out. Her dedication to our relationship has been unwavering and means so much to me. She can effectively communicate and share her honest opinion about anything. I value Keasha’s intelligence, independence, ambition and drive to succeed in life. We share many of the same beliefs and morals, but respect each others differences. Keasha is my one and only princess and will be forever!

Steve is one of the most thoughtful people you will ever meet. He always puts me first and thinks of ways to put a smile on my face. Steve is kind, intelligent, witty and handsome. He is so delicate with me and so manly outside of the home, it is the perfect balance. Steve is an extravert and loves to interact with people just like me. We enjoy each other company and doing almost everything together. He is truly my best friend.