Keswick Vineyard Wedding || Andrew & Melissa's Fall Winery Wedding Day

I've been SO excited for Andrew & Melissa's wedding from our first Skype call! When they were telling me about their plans for their autumn wedding at Keswick Vineyards, I knew they were going to be a such a fun couple! They really wanted their photos to show not only their love for each other, but the joy and excitement for their big day! We all had a blast at their Oktoberfest-themed reception, which included the most amazing German food ever! You really can tell how much they love each other & how happy their friends and family were for them! 

Keswick Vineyard is seriously a stunning venue- it's so perfect for a wedding! Their bridal suite, the grooms room, complete with a pool table and the patio are so perfect for starting out the big day! Andrew & Melissa chose to have their ceremony site overlooking the mountains & gorgeous vineyard.  There are SO many amazing spots for photos here- between the pool, the vines, the house, the pond, I mean, everywhere you turn is another amazing portrait location!! 

The amazing vendors that made this gorgeous wedding day so successful! 
 

Venue: Keswick Vineyard in Orange, Virginia

Coordinator: Logan with Real Southern Accents in Keswick, Virginia

Officient: Dave Norris 

Bridal Gown: 

Bridesmaids: 

Groom & Groomsmen: Menguin Online

Florals: Plantscapes Florist in Charlottesville, Virginia and DIY 

DJ: Nathan May, DJ Fit in Harrisonburg, Virginia

Catering: The Bavarian Chef in Madison, Virginia

Cake: Sweethaus in Charlottesville, Virginia

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia.  Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke and surrounding areas.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley has been photographing couples for over 6 years and is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships and images you can cherish forever.  Currently booking a limited number of weddings for 2018 & 2019.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Weekend Update || Keswick Vineyards & The Trivium Estate Weddings

I'm a little slow getting started this morning after a super busy & full weekend! 

We started off the weekend on Friday afternoon at the GORGEOUS Keswick Vineyard, in Orange, Virginia. I LOVED celebrating with Andrew & Melissa! Their Oktoberfest themed wedding was seriously such a blast and these two are the most laid back, fun couple ever! 

Then on Saturday, we stayed a locally and photographed AJ & Kimberly's wedding at The Trivium Estate in Forest, Virginia.  They were surrounded by so much love and joy on their big day, it was impossible not to get swept up in the excitement! 

As you can imagine, Sunday was spent with my feet up and resting and eating everything in sight!! Double headers are no joke! I cannot wait to share more from this weekend full of gorgeousness!! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia.  Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke and surrounding areas.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley has been photographing couples for over 6 years and is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships and images you can cherish forever.  Currently booking a limited number of weddings for 2018.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Dani & Cj || Engagement session at Historic Meems Bottom Covered Bridge

I first met Dani when I traveled to Fort Walton, Florida this past January and instantly loved her! She's so sweet & bubbly, so I was beyond thrilled when she reached out to me to shoot her wedding! Dani & Cj are getting married next spring in the Harrisonburg area, so when they were in Virginia for his sister's wedding, we knew it was the perfect time to take advantage of the time for an engagement session! 

Cj grew up in the Harrisonburg/ New Market area, and suggested doing their engagement session at the Historic Meems Bottom Covered Bridge and the battlefield that has tons of history for him with college. It was a gorgeous location, I could have stayed for hours and hours taking photos of these two! 

Stress-free Wedding Series || Getting Ready

I'm so excited to be continuing my 'stress-free wedding series' today! This is a topic I am super passionate about, and I truly spend extra time with each of my couples in the planning period of their big day to ensure they feel confident and at ease on their wedding day! When a bride is stressed out, it truly can affect her entire day, which always shows up in the photos. I never want a bride to look back at her wedding photos and just see how stressed out she was! This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life- don't you want to remember that joy and happiness forever?! 

Today, I want to talk about the getting ready portion of the day! This part can really make or break how a bride feels for the rest of the day, so in my opinion, this is the most important part of the day to truly get right! 

1- Do a trial run of your hair and make-up, and take special note of how long each took during your trial run! If you only budget for 30 minutes to do your make-up, but it your makeup artist really needs 45 minutes, you are going to be starting out the day feeling rushed and behind.  Allow for extra time during this time of day, so you can truly relax and enjoy the moments with your bridesmaids! 

2- Have your Mom and Bridesmaids come over and get you fully dressed into your wedding dress. Once again, I've seen brides allow for 5 minutes to step into their dress, but it ended up taking 15 minutes to get everything on and secured.  Along these same lines, make sure that your girls practice your dress bustle as well! These are little things that really can take up too much time if not planned accordingly.  

3- As your packing up the week before your wedding make sure to create a box/bag for your wedding day details that your wedding photographer is going to need. Things that are included in this are your invitations, jewelry, shoes, garter, all sets of rings, and anything else your photographer mentions or you think is special, like your Grandfathers Bible.  

4- Set expectations on who YOU want in the bridal room and what their duties are going to be.  When everyone feels like they can pop in and say hi, you will feel constantly interrupted and not really able to enjoy getting ready and the morning with your closest friends and family members.  If you have envisioned your Mom zipping you up in your dress, make sure that you communicate to her that you want her there so she doesn't disappear to check on something just before you're stepping into your dress! 

5- Remember, sometimes things don't happen exactly as we planned and you may be running a little late.  Your photographer and planner should help you with creating buffer times and being able to make necessary adjustments. Trust the vendors that you hand-picked to know what they are doing! You're going to be getting married in just a few hours- so enjoy this time! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographerbased 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! 

2016 In Review : Thank YOU!!!

I've been sorting through all these photos from over the past year and I am seriously so blown away by the AMAZING couples I had the privilege to photograph in 2016.  This was my busiest year yet, I cut off my booking at 25 weddings, which was the best decision for the year.  My goal starting out 2016 was to be intentional with taking time off, spending time with my family, friendships, and being able to give my time 100% to my clients.  I have plans to go through my 2016 goals and what that looks like for my 2017 goals later this week.  

I was really blessed with a year of weddings very spread out! This is an industry that has natural booking cycles of spring and fall for weddings, so being able to shoot weddings through January, February, July, etc. was a huge blessing to be busy throughout the year and spread out my time away on the weekends.  

I loved finding 1-2 of my favorite images from the weddings I shot over the year! Each and every one of these couples has become friends with me and I am truly so blessed and have learned so much from each of them! We shot at some amazing venues this year- new ones, like Pharsalia and Keswick Vineyards in Charlottesville, Virginia

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I just wanted to thank each and everyone of these couples and their families.  It is always such an honor to be to be chosen to document the biggest most exciting day of your life- to be giving you the photos that you and your future generations will look at and enjoy for years and years down the road.  I love being a part of your wedding day, getting to know your families, and becoming friends with each and every one of you! Thank you so much for trusting me and supporting me and my family and my dreams! 

I am so excited for 2017- Cheers to another amazing year!! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographerbased 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!