The Wedding Day Timeline || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

There’s a lot of big decisions you’ll have to make for your wedding day- from caterers and bakers, to what dress you’re wearing, and who you want in your wedding party, etc. Yet, one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make is your wedding day timeline. You want to make sure you have enough time to ensure that you have the time set aside to get those wedding day photographs, to be able to capture the memories of your Dad seeing his little girl in her wedding dress, your Grandparents dancing together, or your groom seeing you for the first time!

Here are a few tips when prepping your wedding day time:

1- Remember, everything always takes longer than you expect. You may be expecting your ceremony to be 10-15 minutes, but also counting in the time it takes for everyone to say hi to each other, and walk over to the cocktail hour, it will most likely be closer to 30 minutes.

2- Check the time of sunset! Especially if you aren’t planning on doing a first look! I recommend scheduling the end time of your ceremony an hour before sunset so you have time for family portraits, photos with your wedding party, and of course time for pictures with your new hubby!

3- Make a list for family photos. Talk with your Mom, and your future mother-in-law so everyone is on the same page, and create a list of about 10 groupings for family photos. I recommend immediate family, grandparents, parents, siblings, etc! Then anything else can be captured at the reception!

4- Build in extra time. I usually recommend 30-45 minutes before the ceremony of “extra” time in case your hair or makeup is running late, a groomsmen forgets his tie and has to run back out to get it, etc!

5- Make sure you prioritize Bride and Groom portrait time! The day goes by in a blink and it’s easy to rush through these, but these are the photos that you’ll want to remember the day by!

Hope these tips helped you! I believe creating a great timeline is crucial to a successful wedding day that is stress free! Because of this, I include a custom timeline creation meeting with each and everyone of my couples!

Getting Ready Rooms || What to look for in your getting ready room for your photos!

I think you would be surprised to hear that one of the most overlooked, but important aspects of a wedding day, is the getting ready time. This time with your closest friends and family is something to truly cherish, and most likely, important moments that you want to have documented. But, often times, the getting ready room is not the perfect place for taking priceless photos!

As you are touring venues, keep a special eye out for the Bridal Getting Ready Space! Aim for a space that has at least one window, as well as plenty of room for you and your bridesmaids to not only hang out, but also to get ready! These rooms can fill up pretty quickly when everyone has their clothes, makeup, hair, snacks, etc!

Know that I will ask your bridesmaids to do a quick clean up before getting you in your dress- you don’t want to see reminders of old water bottles or snack bags in the background of you getting zipped up in your dress by your Mom, but a teeny tiny room can make that very difficult.

So, what happens if you fall in love with a venue, but the getting ready room isn’t anything to be excited about? It’s okay- I’ll just ask you to be a little flexible! Often times, especially for church weddings, the bridal room is a preschool classroom, filled with bight colors and plastic toys, so for this, I will actually have you do those final getting ready moments outside. I often look for a porch, a pretty doorway, or space outside that will help us get those gorgeous photos without the clutter and distraction!

Have questions about your getting ready space? Let me know & I’d love to help you get those dreamy photos you’re dying for!

Dayton & Cara: A classic, backyard Cullen, Virginia Wedding

GUYS! I am so excited to share Dayton & Cara’s backyard wedding in Cullen, Virginia! Their day was SO perfect! I’m not even exaggerating when I say that! Usually there are some bumps along the way on the wedding day that we help guide and navigate through, but not yesterday! It was AMAZING!

I knew it was going to be an amazing day when we walked into the cutest getting ready Farm House, that was built by Dayton’s Great Grandparents, AND was recently perfectly renovated by his amazing parents— and was greeted with hugs, excitement, and all of the bridesmaids singing to each and every song that played! Cara had a pretty big wedding party- but oh my goodness- they all seemed like the best of friends and just so much fun!

Their ceremony overlooked the gorgeous pond between his parents and grandparents house. It was STUNNING. Every little detail was thought of! Their reception was set up in a tent in the hay field and guys- this group loved to dance! It was seriously such a FUN wedding day!

Congratulations Dayton & Cara! We had THE BEST TIME ever and I am not even joking when I’m forcing myself into your friends and having your Momma adopt me! <3

A BIG BIG BIG thanks to the amazing vendors that made this day so great!

Venue: Dunnavant Family Farm in Charlotte Court House, Virginia

Hair & Makeup: Bobbypins Bridals in Central Virginia

Wedding Coordinator: Family Friend, Cathy Paschal

Flowers: Sams Club Online

Officiant: Reverend Tony Reeves

Brides Dress: Simply Blush Bridal in Zebulon, North Carolina

Bridesmaids: Azazie Online

Groom & Groomsmen: Mens’s Warehouse Online

Tent: Overstreet Hardware in Lynchburg, Virginia

Catering: Cooper’s Landing in Clarksville, VA

Cake: Vicki Bailey

Facilities: Royal Restrooms in Lynchburg, Virginia

Photographer: Ashley Eiban Photography in Lynchburg, Virginia

Videographer: Farmer Visuals in Raleigh, North Carolina

DJ: Glory Days Events in Wendell, North Carolina

Spring Trivium Estate Wedding || Chris & Katie's Forest, Virginia Wedding

Ohhhhhh the beginning of my spring wedding season started out so perfectly with Chris & Katie's wedding at The Trivium Estate in Forest, Virginia.  Their day was so filled with love from all of their friends and family- and Chris truly had us laughing the entire day with his excitement and nerves of the day! 

These two started off the day surrounded by their friends and close family members while they were getting ready. Seeing Katie step into her beautiful dress and the smiles and tears on her bridesmaids faces totally melted my heart! But the true emotional moment was their first look! They decided to exchange letters right before and both of them started tearing up reading them, which means I totally did as well, luckily I have a camera to hide behind! ;) 

Their pond ceremony was beautiful and the rain held off! They buried the bourbon before their big day, and it totally worked- somehow the rain clouds shaded everyone the perfect amount, but there was no rain! We headed out for sunset portraits and oh my goodness they are beautiful!! So excited to share their big day today!! 

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The AMAZING vendors from the day: 

Venue: The Trivium Estate in Forest, Virginia

Bridal Gown: AmRheins in Roanoke, Virginia 

Bridesmaids Dresses: David's Bridal

Hair: Jerry Colman with Uptown Hair in Roanoke, Virginia

Makeup: Taylor Miller with Pure Spa in Roanoke, Virginia 

Florist: Kroger Floral Department in Roanoke, Virginia 

Groom & Groomsmen: Men's Warehouse in Roanoke, Virginia 

Catering: Pumpernickel Pickle Catering in Salem, Virginia

Cake: Angela Hudson Cakes in Lynchburg, Virginia 

DJ: Music, Music & More Music in Lynchburg, Virginia 

Beer & Wine: Wine Gourmet in Roanoke, Virginia 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is passionate about capturing moments as they authentically happen to ensure a successful session that gives you time to enjoy each other and savor the wedding day moments.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Wintergreen Resort Wedding || Central Virginia Wedding Photographer

You guys. There's the most amazing piece of heaven just about an hour from Lynchburg out at the Wintergreen Resort! Driving up the mountain, there's the perfect space for a ceremony at the Devils Knob overlook. Talk about a view!!! 

Anthony & Ryan are one of those couples that automatically makes each other smile, laugh, and have a blast.  Easiest clients ever! Anthony & Ryan have been friends since they met, as students at Virginia Tech. These die-hard hokies were so excited and surprised to find out that her Mom secretly planned for the VT Hokie bird to make an appearance at their wedding! Everyone at the reception was so excited and had a blast dancing around with him through the night! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia.  Serving Wintergreen, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Bedford, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, Winchester, Hampton Roads, and surrounding areas.  Available for travel worldwide.  

Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship to create memories you will cherish forever.  Currently booking a limited number of weddings for 2016 and 2017.  Contact us today for additional information.