GRATITUDES + BREAKTHROUGHS // June 6, 2017

Gratitudes

Sunday I had the honor of photographing Katie + Kristo’s wedding in Haymarket, Virginia. Their wedding was filled with hints of burgundy, green, white and blush pink. Katie designed her own dress. She worked with a friend who helped sew it but the design was all hers and she looked amazing! She choose to do two first-looks, one with her Dad and one with Kristo. You can see her Dad’s reaction on Instagram, he lost it – tears and all. These two had the most moving ceremony at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where a friend began by singing “Happy Day.” When I say every guest was singing, I mean it. It gave me goose bumps! Their ceremony also had a few greek touches to incorporate Kristo’s family heritage. They took part in a stefana, a greek crowning tradition. After we were able to make some magic over at Dominion Valley Country Club for their romantic portraits. Their reception was decorated with lovely greenery and they had cheesecake bar for dessert with a “pick your own toppings” area. The big surprise of the reception was the Father/Daughter dance, Katie and her Dad shared one touching dance but right before it was over her 3 sisters jumped in and the guests went wild. Their surprise choreographed dance was one to remember! I can’t to share their full wedding day with you soon!

It was a double wedding weekend for me, the second in a row. On Saturday I got to work with the talented Rich Kessler out in Leesburg. It’s nice to second shoot, I find that I can hone my own skills this way without the pressure of performing as the lead photographer. I get more opportunities to try new techniques. It’s also a bonus working with someone who has been in the industry for a while because they always have tips and tricks that I haven’t picked up on yet. Check out his work here.

Friday night I enjoyed happy hour with a few friends at Banbury Cross Polo Club in Middleburg. It’s a new polo club that hosts matches on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. The crew packed a few bottles of wine and some snacks to enjoy. They even had a therapy donkey walking around for the children to pet, and also me. He was the cutest, they even shaved a little heart on his hindquarters. I now would like to own a donkey. After we headed into town to visit  Red Horse Tavern for dinner and a few games of pool. For the record, you don’t want me on your team for pool.

Earlier in the week I visited my sister and her new family twice for an in home newborn session. It’s so nice to capture those special moments early on when your family’s life changes. Kellyn and Ken were gifted a few outfits for baby Evelyn that we were able to use including: a Washington Capitals onesie, a Virginia Tech outfit complete with a giant bow and tutu and a Ralph Lauren polo dress. It’s been so special to document these memories for my family and also my new niece. She will be able to look back and see how small she was and how loving her parents were from the start!

I’m back on a red kick with nail polish so I pulled out Coca-Cola Red. As OPI describes it “always in style, always perfect.” I love this red. It’s bright and a true, true red. I’m trying to get this color out of my system before July hits and everyone else is rocking the red, white and blue. This is such a classic color that goes with just about everything!

Breakthroughs

I’m still not ready. I get asked pretty regularly “When are you going to settle down, get married and have a baby?” You’d be surprised how often that comes up in conversation for a 32 year old female. The simple answer is, I’m still not ready. I haven’t felt ready either. I have to keep reminding myself that when friends and now my own family members share in these big life celebrations. Without fail when these happen there is always a friend or a relative that likes to pop by and ask why I’m so far behind, or when I’ll start planning for a settled life. I’m just not ready yet. I like the sense of the unknown, I like having a little bit of freedom. While I’m certainly happy for those in my life that are moving through these life phases faster than I am, I’m also appreciative of my time and my pace. Maybe I’ll get there one day, but for right now I’m happy with one small snuggly dog, a goofy large dog, a cat that could probably kill me in my sleep and a loving boyfriend.

As always, thanks for reading. xoxo.