Just the two of us!

Celebrating the women in our life is so important! Sara and I have something unique, yes we are mother and daughter, but more than that we are the best of friends. I am so blessed by her and that I don't take that for granted, not one moment.  We believe that photographs should be cherished, that is why we recently put our cameras down (well sort of...we couldn't put them down all the way!) and had our photographs done!  I love that we have inside jokes that made us laugh when we were doing these images together.  When I look at these images of Sara, they show her heart as she is one of the most beautiful souls I know. She inspires me to be the best person (and mom) I can be! That is why at every wedding we celebrate and photograph that special woman in your life from your mother to your best friend.

The BIGGEST thank you to Katelyn James for these beautiful images! You truly inspire us!

Shabby Chic Country Wedding of Kimberly and Jim's featured on theknot.com!

We couldn't be more excited for Kimberly and Jim to have their FABULOUS Shabby-Chic wedding at Starlight Meadows be featured on theknot.com. You can check out all of their creative and wonderful ideas here:  theknot.com! 

Their wedding dream team:
Starlight Meadows  - Venue
Blossom Artistry  - Flowers and Design
Bridal Mart - Wedding Dress
BellaTrio - Hair and Makeup
Sounds Galore - DJ
Carolyn's Cakes - Cake

Photography: A Celebration of Life

Three and a half years ago, I (Sara) joined my mother (Michelle) in this business and it truly was the best choice I ever made.  As you probably didn’t guess, my mother and I are very close. We work together, we live together, we host parties together, and we have mother/daughter dates all the time. She can read me without even saying a word and visa-versa. We have secret inside jokes and we work so well together. Jake and his mother, Carol, were the same way. Carol, my then boyfriend’s mother, was such a darling woman. She was inspiring and humble. Jake was as close with Carol as I am with my mother and that is why I fell in love with Jake.  That bond was so important to me; I needed my partner in life to connect with their mother on that same level as I did.

Carol knew and was so excited for the journey that I was starting with my mom.  As Jake and I continued in our relationship, I began to get close with Carol, beginning to view her of more like a mother-in-law than just my boyfriend’s mom. I remember Carol taking me through bins after bins of pictures from when Jake was a baby through high school. It was soo cute! Of course he did the typical, “mom, please stop!”  These memories bring me joy when I look through the same pictures she showed me. 

 

Carol with Jake celebrating his 11th birthday!

I know you’re probably wondering why I am talking in the past tense when I refer to Carol.  This is because three years ago, on June 25^th 2012, Carol passed away very suddenly.  Carol had a very rare disease called Dystonia. It is a neurological movement disorder in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. Even with the struggles and the pain, she pushed forward with creating new memories and spending time with those she loved. She always would have a smile on her face! And as time went on she was in more and more pain, and as she was getting ready for her doctors appointment, her muscles began to contract and her brain caused her heart to stop. On June 25th, she passed away. A death at any moment can cause heartache, but this truly shocked everyone as no one expected it to happen. Jake was only 21 when he lost his mother. 

I remember that day Jake and I’s relationship changed and it turned into something deeper and taught us to trust in a very different way. I think that it also changed my mother and I’s relationship. I grew to appreciate the time and moments I have with my mother. I also grew to love, adore, appreciate, and fall more in love with photography. Photographs capture memories yes, but they capture emotion and life. They hold and remind me of times that have been forgotten. Jake cherishes those pictures he has of his mother. You can see how much he still loves his mom, even cherishing each picture of her and celebrating her life. 

There are points in life where devastation is real, but that there is beauty in those memories captured. When you see photographs of that loved one(s), it brings joy to you.  It truly has taught me how valuable a picture is honestly worth because the life is treasured. I know that reading this, you can think of someone and you treasure every picture they are in. Everyone can, which is a real and powerful thing! The need for photographs should never diminish, but rather be cherished even more so. 

 

A photograph I keep of my mom and I on my nightstand and its our favorite!

“A life that is precious is filled with moments you cherish.” – Unknown

Idona and Craig | The Berry Hill Estates | South Boston, Va

It is always an amazing experience to photograph at a venue that you have never been to before! The Berry Hill Estate will just blow you away! It is just simply gorgeous with beautiful green meadows (650 acres of them!), this timeless historic plantation dates back to 1728. It was the perfect backdrop for Idona and Craig's wedding!

Idona and Craig are not only the sweetest, but they are so dedicated and hard working.  They planned a destination wedding while finishing school and working full time! It was really sweet to hear of how they first met and started their journey together. They met each other in the cafeteria where Idona was finishing up Medical school! Just before they got married Idona graduated and Craig works in the Pharmaceutical Industry in which he travels quite a bit for his job, Wow!! I can't just stop there, I also loved learning that Idona purchased her wedding dress from the same store they film "Say Yes To The Dress at Bridals By Lori" at!  How neat is that?!

One of the most touching part a of the wedding day was that their ceremony was held in the same church Idona's parents were married in. It was beautiful seeing how her parents still hold hands when they are together! Sara and I just couldn't stop "aww-ing" at this amazing couple! (I hope aww-ing is a word!).

Craig wanted Idona to have her dream wedding as she worked so hard to finish Medical school so not only did they do Berry Hill Plantation but he took her to Hawaii for their honeymoon! That is so unbelievably romantic! They have such the sweetest souls! Congrats to the Mr. & Mrs.!

 
Wedding The Berry Hill Estate
Wedding Dress Bridals By Lori
Cake KittisKakes
Flowers Jordan House of Flowers
Makeup Sharon Davis

Exciting News!

We truly do love seeing weddings being used to inspire and encourage others with planning their own wedding! Weddings take time and lots of love, but when it all comes together the hard work is worth every once of late nights.

Carla and Richard, your wedding was so precious and we are excited that you were published not just once, but TWICE. How amazing is that?! This is all thanks to the Inspired Bride!!

If you would like to check out Carla and Richard's wedding published on the Inspired Bride, check it out: http://www.inspiredbride.net/anchors-aweigh-for-love

A lovely thank you goes to the Inspired Bride​ for sharing and working with some AMAZING vendors ( Painted Plate Catering​​, Knot Your Average Events​, & Magnolia Manor​)!

Mini-Series: Rivers' Tips

It truly is exciting to share with all of you about our one-year anniversary trip! #riversoneyear 

I will tell you that I’ll share some tips for beach packing, some awesome restaurants to try, two hotels you could stay at for inexpensive, and a new sunburn recipe that ACTUALLY works!

On May 25^th, 2014 Jake and I were married.  2:12pm to be exact! Last year we decided that because we absolutely LOVE the beach, why not go to Wrightsville Beach, NC for our honeymoon.  It is only 2 ½ hours away from our house, so it worked perfectly! I have learned very important when dealing when packing for beach...and that is to pack light. The last two beach trips I have somewhat over packed and it honestly causes more problems than anything.  That is because we don’t have a lot of room for when we purchase things on the vacation, it tends to make everything cluttered.

This is what I recommend while packing for a 5-day beach trip!

 

A few more things to add to that list:

-> Bring your own beach chairs and umbrellas; this will save you an additional cost from having to rent it from your hotel!

-> Bring CASH. Most places at the beach accept debit card, but a lot of other places don’t. It is always good to have cash on you at all times. You could even use it as tipping money so you don’t have that on your debit/credit card as well.

-> Bring Bottled Water. While you will love swimming in ocean water, the drinking water there isn’t so great. Bottle water is the way to go, and also you don’t have to buy any while you’re there for the beach, saving you some cash!

-> Most think it is odd to bring more than one bathing suit. Trust me, if you burn in an area one day, you might want to switch to another bathing suit so you don’t burn again!

 

I hope these tips help you on your next beach vacation!

Wesley & Kathryn's Sunset Wedding on the Great Hall Patio at Castle McCulloch

We truly have no words to describe how wonderful Kathryn and Wesley are. As soon as we arrived; you could see that their family is their heart. They have two of the most precious daughters celebrating along their side. Kat and Wes (oh, how we love nicknames) were married outside at a sunset ceremony on the Great Hall Patio at Castle McCulloch. Kathryn's Uncle walked her down the long walk way, it was so touching. It was a intimate ceremony with those that they love as their friend and Minister, Mark, married them. One of the cutest moments of the ceremony was when their girls giggled as the couple kissed their first married kiss! It was a perfect evening for some adorable images of the four of them while you had that stunning golden hour light. The reception was spent with well wishes, toasts, kisses, some tears and lots of laughter! Large wedding parties are great, but these are the moments that are so truly cherished. The couple was sent off by their guest, on the draw bridge, cheering them on as they ran into the waiting car for them.

Wedding Castle McCulloch
Caterer & Flowers Castle Catering
Cake Maxie B

Bon voyage, Wesley and Kathryn, have fun on your cruise!