Latoya & Shawn: Married November 11th, 2023

On Latoya and Shawn’s wedding day, time danced in harmony with their love – a surreal blend of moments that lingered and flew by in a heartbeat. It feels like just a whisper of seasons since Shawn surprised Latoya during a family photo session, yet in reality, a whole year has woven its tale. On a serene Fall day at a country club, nestled not far from the heart of Fairfax, friends and family of Latoya and Shawn converged to witness the couple's union and commemorate the commencement of a new chapter in their lives.

Engaged in shared glances, a symphony of happy smirks adorns both Latoya and Shawn when their minds drift to one another. I sensed their magnetic connection the day Latoya unknowingly spoke of Shawn, just materialized before he materialized for their proposal. That same smirk, perhaps embellished with a dash more sass, graced Shawn's face when Latoya sent over a box of breath mints while Shawn was suiting up for saying “I Do.”

Shawn, a fellow photographer, got to experience being on the other side of the lens; you can catch glimpses of his photography on Instagram @828Visuals.

Amidst the breathtaking canvas of Autumn's final flourish, Latoya and Shawn exchanged vows just before the sun dipped below the horizon. The celebration continued with the dance floor alive with lights and favorite songs. As the night embraced its final moments, the Latoya and Shawn stole away for an intimate last dance, savoring the essence of the day. Loved ones bid them farewell in style, showering them with confetti and streamers, creating a dazzling spectacle as they kissed beneath the moonlight before embarking on their honeymoon.

What a magnificent conclusion to 2023! Wishing you all a Happy New Year – dive into Latoya & Shawn’s wedding pictures to usher in the magic of 2024!

Natasha And Zach: Married April 8th, 2022

If you know Natasha and Zach, you know how in love and excited to tie the knot they have been since getting engaged in 2019.  Like so many couples in recent memory, their wedding plans became an exercise in hurry-up-and-wait for the World to regain some normalcy, but their patience was rewarded this April, joined by a gathering of friends and family able to converge upon the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to join in celebrating their love surrounded by art from every continent.

The day began at one of Richmond’s historic rowhouses where the wedding party got ready and toasted with a special bottle of rum Natasha and Zach picked up in Cancún and were saving for a special occasion.  Next were first looks; the emotion on Natasha’s father’s face as she came down the stairs in her dress, and later on Zach’s face as he saw her walking down the aisle.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a couple so pumped to be married - immediately following their ceremony, Zach and Natasha led the wedding party outside for pictures, across the VMFA’s public gardens packed with hundreds of people picnicking in the beautiful Spring weather; Zach yelled at the top of his lungs pointing to Natasha, “THAT’S MY WIFE!!!” to the cheers of the entire lawn, some people coming up to congratulate and take pictures with the newlyweds.

After dinner, while everyone else was dancing and partying, the three of us stole away to go explore the museum - Natasha and Zach danced and joked among exhibits, with just their infectious laughter echoing the secluded halls.  As longtime Richmond residents, and lovers of the city’s thriving art scene, it was a fitting location to mark the occasion they’ve been looking forward to for years.

Mahsa and Peyman: Married January 17th, 2021

Foreward

As I’ve mentioned in all of my posts lately, I am currently working my way though a backlog of photoshoots I have already completed and delivered, but have been behind in sharing my most recent work online.  Mahsa and Peyman’s Bridal Portrait Session is one such photoshoot; it was completed and delivered on time, this past Spring, but I was onto photographing and editing more photoshoots before getting the chance to share Mahsa and Peyman’s session.

Mahsa and Peyman: Married

Mahsa and Peyman, like so many of the couples I’ve met in the last year and a half, had their wedding plans shifted by COVID-19.  We first spoke in the Fall of 2020, with hopes of phogoraphing their engagement and later wedding, but the pandemic made having the wedding they wanted impossible, so rather than put love on hold, Mahsa and Peyman tied the knot on January 17th, 2021, with plans to hold celebrate their wedding in style with their family and loved ones at a later date once the pandemic has settled down.  Unfortunately their small ceremony didn’t allow a photographer to be present due to safety protocols, so in lieu of this, to celebrate their new marriage, we captured Bridal Portraits this Spring with Mahsa in her wedding gown and Peyman in his Tuxedo.

Mahsa’s bouquet and Peyman’s boutonnière matched the Spring colors of the botanical gardens’ cherry blossoms and lilac trees.  At an overlook in the garden, we made sure to capture their Kaleh Ghand, sugar cones rubbed together during the Sofreh Aghd to shower the newlyweds with sweetness, imparting blessings from one generation to the next.  Mahsa and Peyman were naturals in front of the camera; every moment you could see the love in their eyes as Mahsa’s playfulness and Peyman’s affectionate veneration perfectly matched and balanced one another.

Behind the Scenes

As a photographer, my goal is to do “anything to get the shot.” Oftentimes this means getting into the right spot for the moment, but sometimes that means getting into an awkward or difficult spot for a few moments. Today’s spot was down low, to include the beautiful Spring flowers in the foreground for a few portraits.

Bayard and Margaret: Married April 13th, 2019

Over a lifetime, certain cities and locations become significant and close to one’s heart.  Sometimes it’s because of experiences, sometimes it’s just a feeling; oftentimes, it’s both.  For Bayard and Margaret, the first city to hold that significance is Williamsburg, home of William and Mary, where they first met.  Washington Dulles International Airport will always be remembered for where they got engaged upon Margaret landing.  But Alexandria is the most recent place of significance for them, because it is their current home, where they celebrated their engagement last Fall, and most importantly, it is the city where they tied the knot this April 13th!

On a beautiful Spring day at Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria, Bay and Maggie said “I do” surrounded by family, friends, and cherry blossoms.  Bay and Margaret have always had a pizzazz about them; I first met Maggie when she was singing karaoke at Nina and Ian’s wedding in 2016.  This is the energy she draws from in planning her famously immersive parties, and this spirit shined at their wedding, from the wedding cake surrounded by cherry blossom trees and protected by his-and-hers Han and Leia porgs, to the Harry Potter candy bar for every house at Hogwarts.

With lots of love (and dancing), Bay and Margaret started a new chapter in Alexandria’s importance in their lives this Spring.  Together, the World holds infinite places for them to discover, collect new memories, and develop new bonds with as they now go and explore the World as husband and wife.  Though the places will change, their love will remain constant.

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I don’t think anybody except my talented assistant photographer Eddie noticed, but if I looked pained at any point during Bay and Margaret’s wedding, it wasn’t because of the wedding!  I woke up the morning of Bay and Maggie’s wedding with what has now been diagnosed as a slipped cervical disc, which caused severe muscle spasm in all muscles in my left shoulder and pec.  It’s an injury I’ve endured a handful of times now, but obviously the timing of this reoccurrence was undesirable, but I didn’t let it impact my performance shooting the wedding!  Luckily now, after two months in PT getting trigger point injections and dry needling + ESTIM, I’m feeling much better.  This injury significantly slowed my progress editing this wedding initially, but with progress recovering I was able to make up for lost time and still get these photos fully edited and online the same week I’d originally projected.

But for now, enjoy this outtake:

Bayard and Margaret: The Proposal

Bay and I have known each other since 2005, when we started our first day of work on the exact same day together, so when he reached out asking about proposing to Margaret upon her arrival back from Iceland, I was excited to be a part of it!  Bay had everything ready; flowers hidden as not to immediately give himself away, a quote by Jane Austen, Maggie's favorite author, memorized, and a few helpers hidden including myself to spot Maggie and capture the proposal.  After a bit of anxious waiting, and texting while the flight was deplaning, Maggie finally came out the doors and Bay greeted her with a question he couldn't wait any longer to ask.

She said yes!