This was such a sweet wedding friends! I am beyond thrilled to share more of it with you soon!
Wedding
Johnny and Anna’s wedding was held at the Greek Orthodox Church here in Richmond, and the Cathedral was STUNNING. Im sorta glad it started raining and we were unable to take detail shots outside. Aren’t those doors beautiful??
Anna’s Dad passed away a couple years ago, and this was her way of having him walk with her down the aisle. Such a sweet and precious detail. 
This headpiece was worn by Ann’a Mother and then by her sister, and now by her…
SUCH a gorgeous place!
Anna walked a few steps with just her Dad and was then joined by her Mom. 
The Greek wedding service is one of my very favorites so far. Everything about it was lovely and intentional. One of my favorites parts was when the Reverend called out the prayers, a woman in the balcony with us called/sang back to him. Her voice was beautiful! 
The couple walks around the cross three times, along with the Reverend, the best men and women, to help the couple remember to keep Christ at the center of their marriage and to follow the Gospel. This is called the Dance of Isaiah.
A favorite!
Johnny and Anna had a Greek Band play 30 minute sets throughout the night. It was so fun to see the dancing! The person leading the line decides the steps for those in the line and does special steps as well. The person holding the red cloth (a napkin!) helps them do the special steps in case they need extra support or balance. Also, you will see money flying everywhere and all over the floor, which is another tradition in Greek Weddings. If Im totally messing up the traditions, you’ll have to forgive me!
When I first arrived and checked in with Anna, I asked her how she was felling. She said wasn’t nervous at all and was so ready to see Johnny. She told me she jokingly told him she was going to sprint down the aisle toward him. I think that perfectly describes Anna and Johnny. They are both so fun, loving, and kind. After spending this day with them, I quickly found out that their families are the same way! I kept saying to myself all throughout the reception, I want to be Greek! The entire day was so joyful!
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Melis!! I hope Aruba was perfect! Huge thanks to Kristin for shooting with me!
Vendor Info:
Flowers: Coleman Brothers
Catering: Edwards Catering
Makeup and Hair: Faces by Joy
Cake: Baker’s Kitchen
Lighting: Lighting Professors
Greek Band: Achilleas
I just LOVED Ashley’s dress!! It’s Priscilla of Boston, which is the same designer of her Mom’s wedding gown. When they heard they were closing, they immediately scheduled an appointment to try on dresses!
First Look!! These are my absolute FAVES! As soon and Mark and Ashley were done chatting and looking at each other’s clothes, Mark said to me, “Im really glad we decided to do that. I feel so much better.” 
Aren’t Ashley’s flowers stunning?! I loved them. They were so unique, but still super elegant and classy. 
A favorite!
Ohhhh!!! The flowers keep getting better and better!
Family Formals outside are the best! 
Ashley and Mark love to travel! Their table “numbers” were all of their favorite places. 
Such a gorgeous cake!
The Carnegie Institute is a really unique venue! Definitely one of my favorites ever!
Then the party started! Their DJ was one of the bests I have EVER heard. Ever. 
The end! This has become one of my favorite new weddings!!
Wedding days are never perfect. Things just tend to go wrong sometimes. On Mark and Ashley’s wedding day, Passport DC was happening. All the embassies along Massachusetts Avenue open their doors to the public and share about their home culture. Its a really fun event, and it draws a huge crowd. Well, that also happened to be the road to the church where Mark and Ashley were married. There were hundreds and hundreds of people. Everywhere. So, things ran a tad bit behind. But, it didn’t matter. The ceremony started a little late to accomodate guests finding parking, I worked through portraits a bit faster and ran 5 blocks to my car after the ceremony ended, the wedding party helped keep Mark and Ashley organized, and their wedding planner ran back and forth between venues to make sure everything was going smoothly. And you know what? The important part was that Mark and Ashley were married and so happy to be starting their lives together as husband and wife! None of the other things mattered!
Mark and Ashley, thank you so much for choosing me to capture this day in your lives!! It’s an honor. 
HUGE thanks to Kristin for shooting with me!
Vendor Info:
Dress: Priscilla of Boston
Shoes: Kate Spade
Handbag: Nordstom
Tuxes: Men’s Warehouse
Bridesmaids: Amsale at Nordstom Wedding Shop
Venue: Carnegie Institute
Caterer: Windows Catering Company
Cake: Windows Catering Company
Hair and Makeup: Alison Harper
Event Planning: Tracy Leaman, Events To A T
Flowers: Devers Design
Music: DJ ONE, Scratch DJ’s
Lighting: Nomad Events
I loved Nicole’s dress!! 
This necklace was her Grandmother’s, so beautiful. 
Because the property was small where Joe and Nicole got married, the groomsmen took extreme tactics to make sure he didn’t her before the ceremony. You can see how this ends…
I love the one on the left! 
I am so thankful my clients care deeply about their pictures! It was drizzling the entire day, but Nicole and Joe pushed through it because they wanted to get married the way the originally saw it. Im so grateful!! 
Love this! Coke is Joe’s favorite drink and their first date was the the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta. It had to be part of their day! 
Nicole, you are so gorgeous!
A favorite!
Their favors were so sweet! They had recipe’s printed up (coco-cola cupcakes, bbq, etc…) and tied them to individual coke bottles.
Nicole and I first met at a local coffee shop here in Richmond. We sat outside and both pet every dog that walked by. We chatted about a lot of things, but the thing I remember most is how Nicole talked about the family she was about to be a part of. She talked about how they all had welcomed her so completely and that she was so excited to finally be a Teichman! Their whole wedding day was filled with special touches that honored their relationship, their friends, and their families. It was so special to be a part of it!! I mentioned it before, but it was sprinkling for most of the day. Right before the ceremony, I ran upstairs to see if Nicole had switched to their plan B which was to get married in the reception space. She said, nope. We want to get married the way we planned it. The words came spilling out of my mouth, “Gosh, I just love you!” Then I high-fived her.
Joe and Nicole, congratulations!! Thank you so much for choosing me to photograph this day. I had a blast and can’t wait to see where the Lord leads you both!!
Vendor Info:
Venue: Celebrations, Manor House
Catering: Celebrations
Florist: Black Creek Flowers & Sweets
Cake: Cakes by Graham
Wedding Dress: Bella Rosa
Bridesmaids Dresses: Ann Taylor Loft
Groomsmen/Groom Suits: JC Penny
Hair: Lynne Jordan, Divine Design
I’ve said this before, but it is always a little nerve wracking to walk into wedding day never having photographed the couple getting married! However, Adam and Andrea rocked it out for me! I was so happy when we pulled up to the portrait spot location. That is a DRIVEWAY. Yeah. A driveway. Wasn’t it incredible though?! I loved it. At the end of the reception, I found myself jokingly asking Andrea’s Dad if I could be a part of their family. They all love each other so hard, and make the most of everything, which I think was really evident in the Father/Daughter Dance. They were both just belting out the song together! Adam and Andrea have the same friend group which made the toasts extra fun. Each person had such great stories on BOTH of them. One of my favorite parts of the whole night though was the game the DJ had them play. He tried to trick Andrea, by getting Adam to move around after she had already chosen his leg as his, but she picked right again the second time! So funny.
Congratulations Adam and Andrea!! It was an honor to photograph your wedding!! I hope you love the pictures as much as I do!!
Huge thanks to Kristin for shooting with me!
Vendor Info:
Dress: Davids Bridal
Tux: Vera Wang for Men’s Warehouse
Bride’s Shoes: Sperry Top-Siders
Florist: Pollard’s Florist
Cake: Couture Cakes by Nika
Venue: Newport News Marriott at City Center
Hair: Shelly at The Jagged Edge
Event Planning: Theresa Hoffman
DJ: Mark Bradley
This past weekend I had a double header, so today you get to have TWO wedding peeks to enjoy!!
More coming soon!
James and Nancy had a short and sweet ceremony on the Leesburg Courthouse steps last weekend. Their bigger wedding will be later this year out in California. I was so honored to be able to capture this part of James and Nancy’s story. Smaller weddings are very intimate and being there is a very special thing. It’s always an honor to photograph anyone’s wedding, but there is something unique about small weddings. Its like you are a part of the family almost.
Downtown Leesburg is such a cute area, especially near the courthouse. It was a sunny, but very chilly day! Im so glad Nancy was able to stick it out so we could get some portraits!
Congratulations James and Nancy!!
