JUSTIN & TABITHA || Lynchburg, Virginia Wedding

Riverview Manor in Hurt, Virginia

AHHHH! I am SO excited to share Justin & Tabitha’s Wedding! These two originally had a March 2020 wedding scheduled, and sadly had to postpone their big wedding. They had a gorgeous elopement at The Peaks of Otter Lodge in Bedford, Virginia! But this past weekend we finally got to celebrate them with their friends and family, out at the gorgeous Riverview Manor in Hurt, Virginia!

The afternoon started with Tabitha and her friends and family getting ready together! Seeing her sweet sisters and Mom help get her in her dress and all dolled up was such a sweet highlight! You can tell these two are so very loved! Their ceremony was just before sunset and overlooked the beautiful fall colors in Central Virginia, and they said their vows, exchanged rings, and even washed each others feet!

Their reception was in the barn at Riverview and seeing all the families and kids dance the night away was such a blast! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many kids on a dance floor before!

Congratulations (again!!) you two! It was such an honor to be a part of your special day!

Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Afton, Roanoke, Harrisonburg and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2021.  

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! 

Thank you to the amazing vendors that made this day run so smoothly! It was an honor to work alongside each of you!

Venue: Riverside Manor in Hurt, Virginia

Coordination: Victoria Mattox in Lynchburg, Virginia

Florals: Amy Abell in Lynchburg, Virginia

Bridal Gown: Hayden Olivia Bridal in Charlotte, North Carolina, designed by Angel Rivera

Bridesmaids Dresses: ASOS Online

Grooms Suit: ASOS Online

Hair: Sage Tryall in Lynchburg, Virginia and friends of the bride, Janice Carver, and Lydia Martin

Makeup: Friend of the bride, Teri Seilhan

Catering: Purple Door Gourmet Kitchen in Lynchburg, Virginia

Coffee Truck: Lynchburg Coffee Company in Lynchburg, Virginia

DJ: DJ Stu Entertainment in Lynchburg, Virginia

Customized Signs; The Timbered Touch in Altavista, Virginia

Photography: Ashley Eiban Photography

Tyler & Sarah: A Fall Mead Lake Lodge Wedding

Mead Lake Lodge in Rustburg, Virginia

I love being able to find little glimmers of fall color around for these early fall weddings, and oh man were we able to find fall at Tyler & Sarah’s Wedding! Mead Lake Lodge is a gorgeous, intimate feeling venue in the heart of Central Virginia! It was a perfect location for their sweet wedding day!

Tyler & Sarah had such a sweet first look, and then we explored around the venue with their wedding party, family, and friends for their portraits! They had a beautiful ceremony and such a fun reception!

Congratulations Tyler & Sarah! I hope you guys loved every minute of your special day and are loooooving married life! <3

Thank you to the amazing vendors that worked so hard! It was amazing to work with each of you!

Venue: Mead Lake Lodge in Rustburg, Virginia

Coordinator: Gracefully Created Weddings in Lynchburg, Virginia

Catering: Moe’s Southwest Grill in Lynchburg, Virginia

Photographer: Ashley Eiban Photography in Lynchburg, Virginia

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!

Happy New Year! A look over 2019! || Lynchburg Wedding & Portrait Photographer

Happy New Year Friends!

If you’re starting out this new year with me, know that I am just so thankful!

2019 was overall a great year for us in the Eiban house! I took a few steps back from my photography business to be able to focus on a growing baby, who is now a full fledged toddler, and our daughter who is practically a teenager now at 8! ;) I will never understand how fast the years fly and how much they grow in a year!!

To think we’re at the end of a decade and how much our lives have truly changed in the last 10 years! We have bought a house, shot my first wedding, had our first baby girl, changed jobs, renovated a house, started preschool, changed jobs again, found our favorite beach location, sold a house, bought a new house, gone full time with my photography business, started & completed kindergarten, joined a swim team, had a baby boy, made some amazing friends that have turned into family, traveled, grown, and so much more! It’s so fun, and crazy, to look back over the last 10 years and see where we are now. I am just so thankful for where life has gone!

As an enneagram 1, you know I’m always a fan of the New Year. I love the Fresh Start- the brand new planner pages, goals, and the motivation and organization that January brings with it! (As I’m typing this, I’m also writing out a list on how to organize the kids toys better! ha!)

I usually think through a “word for the year” but haven’t this year, and I’m going to give myself some grace this year, with the craziness of the holidays, burn out being SO real, and balancing family and work and house and friends- you get it! But, I want to know, do you have a word for this year? What are your main goals for this year?!