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!

Jesse and Kathryn's Engagement Session || Glass Hill Venue in Goode, Virginia

I was SO excited for Jesse & Kathryn’s engagement session shortly after Christmas!! I absolutely love the Glass Hill Venue in Bedford County! The most stunning mountain views, open land, and a sweet engaged couple! Count me in!

2019 Fall Mini Sessions || Family Photos at The Trivium Estate in Forest, VA

Now that Christmas Cards have been sent, I finally feel safe to share these photos! I hate to be the one that shares THE Christmas Card photo before the family gets to share them! In October, I hosted a fall-themed mini session day at The Trivium Estate, and oh my gosh, I love the final images so much!

I really wanted a neutral fall theme (no surprise there from this neutral-loving girl!) with whites, creams, sage greens, and slight touches of an orange! It turned out exactly as I was envisioning, and even though it rained that morning, the sun ended up coming out and we had a GREAT time! I can’t wait to make this an annual family photos event!

BIG Thank you to The Trivium Estate for allowing us to shoot mini sessions at their gorgeous Forest, Virginia venue and to Foraged & Cut for supplying eucalyptus to help complete the look!

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!

Engagement Session at The Trivium Estate || Noah & Allie's engagement photos

I’m playing catch up from the past few months of photos that I wasn’t able to share in the midst of my busy season! It’s so much fun to look over older sessions again!

I am SO excited for Noah & Allie’s wedding this upcoming Fall! I met Allie a few years ago at The Trivium Estate, and now it’s her turn & I cannot wait! Is she not going to make the most gorgeous bride or what?! For their engagement session, we had a gorgeous warm fall day, and met at The Trivium Estate in Forest, VA for their photos! I loved getting to know Noah more and chat upcoming wedding details and plans! Can’t wait for their big day!!