Lynchburg, VA Elopement: Taylor & Kim || Central VA Wedding Photographer

I've been DYING to share this gorgeous elopement & am so so so excited to finally be sharing it today! Taylor & Kim had their family coming to visit them in Lynchburg for Thanksgiving and they decided to elope while everyone was here! I LOVE elopements because they are so personal and intimate! Just the couples very closest friends and family without the stress of planning a huge wedding! Taylor and Kim had both sides of their families there, and a couple of good friends, as well as her daughter. 

Their ceremony at Riverside Park in Lynchburg, Virginia was so sweet and special. They choose a tucked away part of the park that overlooks the James River. The leaves were still on the trees and the sun was coming though so perfectly.  It truly was a gorgeous day! Kim's daughter was an important part of the ceremony- she held the rings and Taylor gave her the sweetest necklace to symbolize them becoming a family. 

After their ceremony, the families headed to Bootleggers in downtown Lynchburg for a celebratory dinner. Taylor's parents decorated the bar tables and truly made it a special dinner for them! 

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018.  Contact Ashley today for additional information! 

Congratulations! You're engaged!! Now what? || Lynchburg Wedding Photographer

Ahhhh! Friend! Congratulations! I know you're SO excited to have that sparkly ring on your finger! But, I also know you might be a little bit overwhelmed with everything on your new to-do list! Don't stress- I know it might seem like there are a million things to do at once, I totally remember this feeling! I've written out a few steps to help know what's the most important things that HAVE to get done right away, then the rest will fall into place! 

1- First things first, start narrowing down some dates. If possible, try to have a few options as you start looking at venues to be able to narrow things down.  

2- After you've gotten a few dates in mind, you need to talk budget. Trust me, I know this part is not fun at all, but it's essential to knowing what venues you can look at and which vendors to interview! Knowing if you're parents are going to be helping, if you and your fiance' are paying for it all out of pocket, or if there's an all of the above option, it's important to know and not make assumptions. 

3- Once you have the budget nailed down, start researching some wedding venues. Narrow this down by determining if you want a rustic/barn wedding, a vineyard wedding, a classic estate wedding, to get married in a church, etc. There are a ton of amazing venues in Lynchburg- so do some research online and ask around with your friends! Once you find a venue you love, you'll be able to narrow down the actual wedding date.

4- Now that you have a budget, start thinking about priorities. In the perfect world, we'd be able to choose the best of everything, but that's not always practical. Decide what's the most important things to you and your fiance' together! For a lot of Brides, these things are photographers & videographers, a venue, dress and florals.  Things that can sometimes take a back burner are the cake, catering, etc.  

5-Start researching other important vendors. Again, use google, ask your friends who they loved, and start your interviewing process. Photographers, Coordinators, Videographers, Caterers all can book up as early as a year and a half in advance or more, so the earlier you can reach out, the better. 

6-Begin working on a guest list. Knowing how many guests you think you'll invite and may attend will be helpful in knowing how much you can spend out of your budget for food and other important things! 

7- Decide who you want in your wedding party! This can sometimes be a really hard decision, but it can be so much fun to have your best friends celebrating with you! Remember to only ask those you're the very closest with- someone you think you'll be friends with forever- who will be there to support you and be so thrilled to be with you and a part of the wedding process! 

8- Go wedding dress shopping! Oh my goodness this part is SO much fun! Invite your Mom and a best friend or two and start playing dress up! Make it a fun day by grabbing brunch together and some celebratory mimosas! Try on lots of styles before deciding- and once you've found the one, stop looking! 

9- Relax! I won't be the first person to tell you- but this time will seriously FLY by! Don't let the stress and the to-do's get to you! Be sure to schedule some alone time with your hubby-to-be for a date night, with the wedding planning topics off limits! 

Congratulations again! I'm so very excited for you & I would absolutely love to talk with you about your wedding day plans & what you're looking for in a photographer! Contact me today to chat! 

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018.  Contact Ashley today for additional information! 

Weekend Update: Stir-Crazy, Nesting, and A normal weekend || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

We were all feeling a little stir-crazy with the amount of time that we've been stuck in the house between holidays, and snow days, so this weekend, I had to get out of the house. Even to just wander the aisles and not see the walls in my own house. I am so beyond ready to get back into routines- even if that does mean waking up early to get Emerson to school in the mornings. ;) 

Once we got that out of our system, we were able to get some work in the nursery done, and work on some of my January goals for 2018- really simplifying the things that are in our home & finding a place for everything! I've had to take it slow due to some health things- baby bump sometimes has different ideas for what we can do in a day than I'd like, but we're making real progress and I love seeing the house really come together after such a busy season when we moved in! 

I'm really loving our slower weekends as a family & being able to do things together as a family. It's a nice reminder after a crazy fall season where I have weddings and photoshoots almost every weekend.  This is what normal people do on the weekends! haha! 

I really want to know- what did you do this weekend? Are you a stay at home in your jammies weekender, or do you pack in all the plans and errands for the weekends?! 

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018.  Contact Ashley today for additional information! 

A snow day! || Lynchburg, VA Photographer

Oh my goodness! It finally happened! Lynchburg got our snow day- enough to sled in, play in, make snow shakes, and get a couple of days off of school. Now, I am the first to say I am so ready for routine to be back in our lives (after 2 weeks off for Christmas Break, cancelled school for cold weather & ice, MLK Jr Day, and then the snow days, it feels like we're never getting back on a schedule!) but true snow days, with more than 2 inches of snow, are super rare for Central Virginia- making them A LOT of fun! 

Emerson and her neighborhood friends had a BLAST and stayed outside pretty much all day. I made her come in for lunch and a little bit of rest time and you would have thought the world was ending in our house! ;) It does make it super nice that she can get all the layers on by herself! 

We thoroughly enjoyed a lazy snow day- the fire stayed on almost all day, drank hot chocolate, and were super successful in making the house a disaster zone! But, totally worth it! I know these are the days that we'll talk about and remember for years and years to come! 

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018.  Contact Ashley today for additional information! 

My January 2018 Goals & Planning || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

It's just the first week of January, but somehow I was already feeling behind. I had been planning on working on my power sheets all last month, but with getting sick, taking some intentional time off, and spending time celebrating the holidays with my family, it just didn't get done.  I just kept thinking HOW can you start out the new year without having this all set up and ready- but let me tell you a secret! You can start whenever! It does not have to be January 1st! ;) 

So, I've been plugging along on my power sheets this week- it's going to be a much different year for us, preparing for baby, welcoming a new baby and intentionally taking much less on with weddings and photoshoots this year.  It started with me really needing to re-evaluate our financial goals and needs for the year, and defining my definition of success based on what's best for me and my family. The last few years, that was shooting 20-25 weddings and multiple engagements and family sessions a month.  This year, it looks more like 12 weddings overall and scheduling all Sunday's off. Taking some time off to rest & recover after baby, and really just enjoy my family and learn these transitions.  

My word(s) for 2018 are NOURISH and NURTURE.  Yes, I know most people just choose one word, but these both really stood out to me for this stage in my life.  

Some of my big goals for the year are: 

-To Simplify. I want to simplify our home, my workflow, our day to day schedule. Things need to be clean, tidy, and simple when baby comes along! 

-Wellness. I know, this is on everyone's list in the new year... but it looks a little bit differently for me. I want to focus on being healthy mentally for this birth. To keep positive around birth, and be prepared as I can be with the exercises our amazing doula gave us to do! 

-Allowing myself grace. Trust me, I know that EVERYTHING is going to change in a few short months, so allowing myself grace is going to be so important. I need to allow myself grace to take a nap if I'm feeling so exhausted, if dinner doesn't always get done, etc.  I'm not very good at this one, so I have a feeling this is going to be quite the learning year! ;) 

So, now I want to know, what's your word of the year? What are your 2018 goals and what are you planning on working on first?