Weekend Update: Brad & Kaitlyn's Pate Chapel Wedding in Lynchburg, Virginia

Oh my goodness! We had our wedding of 2018 this weekend!! SO fun and so exciting! Congratulations to Brad & Kaitlyn- their wedding at the Old Pate Chapel and the Bottling Company in Lynchburg, Virginia was gorgeous- and truly unique! They had a morning ceremony and a brunch themed reception! Can you say donuts!? My amazing associate photographers, Rhiannon and Leah shot this wedding and I LOVED hearing all about it and seeing the joy of the day! I cannot wait to share more from their big day, but first, some Sneak Peeks!!

Cannot wait to share their full wedding! It's a BEAUTIFUL one and you really can just see the love and joy of the day through their images!! Congratulations again Brad & Kaitlyn!! 

---

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 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!

Our Family Maternity Photos! || Central Virginia Photographer

I’ve been posting sneak peeks from our maternity session with Michela Brooke Photography the last couple of weeks, so I’m so excited to be sharing more from our session! I LOVE shooting In-Home sessions, and really wanted that for our maternity photos. There’s something so bittersweet about recognizing these moments in the house that are going to be the last moments of our family as a family of three.  

I always think ME being in front of the camera is such a learning experience of its own because I get to remember first hand the stress that my clients feel before our sessions. I’ll admit I totally started panicking about my house not being 100% complete or clean- since we moved to the Forest area last summer, I haven’t gotten everything how I want it, all the furniture bought, and photos hung on the walls. Wouldn’t it be nice if real life was like an HGTV show that magically completed itself in one episode? ;) In reality, my house was perfectly fine put together, I didn’t need to stress out about it!

I am so in love with these photos- so so in love with them. Michlea did an amazing job of making us feel comfortable and confident- which is SO important when you’re feeling hugely pregnant and have a 6 year old that looooves to be silly and get the attention. She even paused and let Emerson and Michael have a dance party in the living room.  I am so thankful we did these photos and have these memories to always look back on!

Thanks SO much to Ashley Ancheta with Makeup by Ashley for doing my makeup and for Michela Brooke Photography for these images!! 
 

Thanks again SO SO much to Makeup By Ashley and Michela Brooke Photography for making me feel human for a day! ;) 

---

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 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!

Favorite Wedding Details || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

It was SO much fun looking through my 2017 weddings last week when I shared some of my favorite photos from the season, I wanted to continue the fun and share some of my favorite details from those weddings! I've been so incredibly blessed with the best couples ranging from Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, and Virginia Beach! I love photographing the details that my Bride's pick out! These details do set the tone for the entire wedding- and it's just There are so many special details from wearing your Grandma's wedding rings, your invitations, or a special family Bible, sparkly Kate Spades, or sewing something into your dress. 

What to expect: Engagement Sessions || Lynchburg, Virginia Wedding Photographer

Spring here in Central Virginia is just around the corner- which means Engagement Session season is going to be here before we know it! I LOVE engagement sessions because we truly get to know each other, laugh with each other (okay, sometimes the laughs are directed at me) and my couples get to learn how to overcome the camera anxiety!

I know the planning process can really seem super overwhelming- most people do have a fear of being in front of the camera- even in the day and age of the selfie! ;) I cannot even tell you how many couples tell me at the beginning of the our engagement sessions that they are not photogenic, but I make it my mission to change their minds on that!

When your prepping for your engagement session, remember that this is supposed to be FUN! This is the shoot with no pressure! On the wedding day, we'll be tight on time, have to worry about your dress, your guests, and we won't have extra time to chat and get to know each other. This is exactly why I include a complimentary engagement session with each wedding package! This is a time for us to get to know each other, feel comfortable with how I work, and have fun cuddling up in front of the camera!

*When trying to decide on your outfits- try to choose outfits you feel amazing in! Some couples choose one outfit, and others decide to do two! It's completely up to you guys! If you do decide to do two, I recommend having one casual and one dressier outfit. Just know, there may or may not be a private place to change clothes depending on the location we choose! Try to avoid super bright/neon colors, or very small/busy patterns.  Try not to match too much- instead of both of you wearing the same color tops, selecting complementary colors and patterns looks best for photos! Think coordinating instead of matching. The key to what to wear is to make sure that you look like YOU and you feel comfortable! 

*Relax & Trust me! I do NOT expect you to be a pro at this! I don't work with models, but everyday couples just like you guys all the time! I will remind you again on the day of, but it does take about 15-20 minutes to stop overthinking everything and really feel comfortable in front of the camera.  But you can relax because I will help you with exactly what to do and where to put your hands!

*I like to schedule engagement sessions about an hour and a half before sunset- any time of year. The light is gorgeous this time of day! Make sure you are on time. We schedule your engagement session for the best time of day for natural light.  

*I highly recommend considering getting your makeup professionally done! Makeup artists are really good at doing a natural look, so don't worry about looking overdone! If you do your own makeup, make sure you apply your eye makeup a little heavier than normal for your photos.  

I hope this helps you feel more relaxed and ready for your engagement photos! I cannot wait for this super fun experience with you guys!!

---

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 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!

Wedding Photographer Planning for Maternity Leave || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

Happy Monday! Phew- what a busy weekend we had! We’re in full baby prep mode as little guy could be coming any day now! All of the sudden I want and need to get all the things done. Ha!

We’ve been working on the finishing touches for the nursery- but let’s be honest- it’ll be a work in progress for quite a while and then it’ll be in transition as he grows.  I’ve also been working really hard on making sure all of my workflows and systems are working and in place so I don’t have to work as hard as we adjust to life as a family of 4. I’ve been batch working to get everything done and scheduled, and have some super fun blog posts coming in the next few months!

If you’re a small business owner, you know how hard it can be to fully step away for any amount of time, but it’s super important to me that I am able to bond with baby, recover and rest! I’ll share later about what I’m planning on maternity leave looking like for me. To be able to have blogs scheduled, emails automated, and workflows in place allows me to ease back into work instead of trying to balance it all at once, which we all know never works out!

Here are some ways that I’m preparing my business for some time off:

1- Lists of tasks that need to be completed before my leave, and responsibilities that continue on and I’ll need to follow up on while on leave. As of right now, I’m not planning on hiring a virtual assistant or anyone to answer emails for me, so while there may be a slight delay in responses, I’ll put up an away message and know my amazing clients are prepared for it and know I’ll be getting back with them soon!

2- Set expectations. By writing about maternity leave, posting about it on social media and emailing my clients ahead of time, I’m letting clients know what to expect.  I also have an away message up for new clients, and will change it up once I’m taking more time away and responses will be a little bit more delayed.  

3- Reviewing my systems and workflows. You know I always preach about workflows and how they make my life SO much easier! Going over the past year and being able to pinpoint those moments of pain or stress really help with creating changes for the next year. With this, I highly encourage having GMail filters in place, having automatic responses in place for new inquiries, and to take advantage of canned responses to emails where you get lots of similar questions about.  

4- I’ve reached out to some amazing Lynchburg, Virginia vendors and friends to help me keep the blog alive while I’m out. I am SO excited for this- hearing from professionals in all different aspects in the industry to help Brides and Photographers/Small Business owners alike.

5- Decide on a timeline! This is so important because it can be so easy to get used to not working and start dropping the ball on important tasks that need a timeline to get moving again.  I luckily was able to take things pretty slowly the last few weeks of my pregnancy office-wise to be able to prepare.  Knowing when my next weddings are and when I need to start working on things again will help make sure no balls are dropped.  I do have weddings scheduled and on the books in the next couple of months, but have backup plans and am still limiting how many weddings and sessions I’m taking over the year for 2018.  I’ll be easing back into working full time hours again slowly to get used to adjustments!

6- Be okay with asking for help! I know that each pregnancy, delivery and recovery is very different- as is each and every baby.  With Emmie, I was able to use nap times and snuggle times to get some work done. That may or may not be the case this time- and that’s okay. I know I have people on board that can help with emails, management, and whatever else I need and I need to give myself grace and ask for help if I need it!

So, that’s my plan for this exciting- yet scary - time full of so much unknown! I’ll be sure to update after the fact with what I learned worked and didn’t work for those of you who own a business and are looking at taking some time off!

---

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 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!