Category Archives: Virginia

Melanie & Alan | Roanoke VA wedding photographer

We are sooo excited to post this last wedding of the year.  Ever since we shot Melanie and Alan’s engagement session back in the summer we have been waiting for their December wedding.  These two are complete naturals in front of the camera – put them together and the final outcome is just amazing.  When we first met Melanie, we learned that Alan was oversea’s serving our country for most of their engagement, it touched us both deeply to see these two back together and to experience their wedding day with them.  Enjoy!

Love this picture of Melanie – all done up and looking stunning.  Ben’s first favorite.  Meanwhile, Alan was figuring out the finer points of attaching a boutonierre to a jacket.

What a gorgeous bridal party!  Love the black and red colors; very classic and always classy.  These girls were so much fun to be around all day.

This wedding was in the middle of December, they lucked out and the day was pretty mild compared to some of the sub zero temperatures we’ve been having lately.  It was still chilly out, Ben and I were in long coats and gloves!  These ladies were troopers and still had fun outside taking pictures.  (PS > more people should get married in December!  Between the holiday decorations everywhere, christmas songs and general festive atmosphere it was a fun day from start to finish)

Love that we were able to capture both of these moments just minutes before Melanie walked down the aisle.  We always consider ourselves so lucky that we get to be part of some of the little special moments that make up a couples wedding day – the bride and groom composing themselves and thinking about the incredible promise they are about to make to each other.

St. Andrews is by far the most beautiful and ornate church we have shot in this year.  The views from any angle in the church are just breathtaking.

LOVE:)

We had some time to take a few shots of just the two of them after the ceremony.  The sun was just starting to set over Roanoke and the light hitting the balcony of the church, was just….INCREDIBLE.

Ben’s view, and second favorite of the day:

My view, and my favorite of the day:

Did we mention how awesome the backdrop of Chrismas decorations was?

Melanie and Alan took dance lessons before their wedding and choreographed their first dance.  They looked beautiful out there together, and the backdrop of the Corinthian Ballroom added to the elegance.

Gives me the chills every time I look at this one.  :)

SHOUT! ………….and……….I can only hope that when Ben and I have been married for many years, he still smiles like this when he dances with me

We’ve seen plenty of funny “avoid the bouquet” moments, but this one takes the cake – most ladies just stealthily step to the side.  This one bridesmaid decided to go with the full on, nuclear attack drill duck and cover.  Classic.

MARRIED!!!! Don’t they just look incredibly happy.  Melanie & Alan – May all your days together be as happy as this photo shows.  Much love and Merry Christmas!

Posted in Virginia, Weddings

Kristin & Patrick | Blacksburg, VA Wedding Photographer

Kristin & Patrick were married a couple of weeks ago on a chilly November day.  They are such a fun and loving couple.  We love working with them.  Look for their engagement session on the website soon. It will blow you away.

Patrick looking calm, cool and collected minutes from walking down the aisle to meet his future Mrs.

Gotta love the coziness of VT’s War Memorial Chapel.  Kristin, her mom and uncle were having a little bit of a rough time making it down the aisle three across.  LOVE Ben’s capture of this unique moment.  Sam’s favorite!

Those who know me know that I am a bit of  sentimental person and one of my many favorite moments of weddings is the vows & ring exchange.  You can see how excited Kristin is in the photo on the left.

Here Patrick is about to become a husband.

A Catholic blessing over the newly minted Mr. & Mrs.

How handsome are these guys!  And hilarious!  They had us cracking up the entire day.  Kristin & Patrick decided that instead of having the guys rent tuxes for just the day they had all the guys purchase tan suits so they could wear them again.  Great idea!

Ben & I do a lot of shooting over at Tech’s campus and so it always amazes me when we stumble upon a new spot.  Kristin took us to this hidden gem near the Duckpond.  GAWK!!! Just look at all the fabulous fall colors.  AND the sunlight.  AND a gorgeous couple. = 2 happy photographers.

Best Wishes did another fantastic job on all the flowers.  It fit into their fall theme perfectly.

MARRIED!

Their reception was held at Bakers Best. Love this tender moment during their first dance.  Apparently so did everyone else.  Note the paparazzi behind them.

Maybe for Christmas I’ll just make a big book of all of our brides rings and present it to Ben as “Ideas for Christmas” list for me.  Kristin’s ring would be on top.  LOVE the color.

There is a great story behind this unique German toasting glass in the right photo.  The short story is that goldsmith fell in love with a nobleman’s daughter.  The nobleman did not approve of the marriage but declared that if the goldsmith could create a glass that two people could drink from without spilling a single drop then he would approve the union.  Thus was created this German toasting glass.  The girls skirt becomes one glass for the groom while the bucket in her arms can be swiveled so the bride can drink from it at the same time.  Read more of this tradition here.

Last dance!  This photo perfectly captures their reception and all the joy and love that surrounded them throughout the day.

Congratulations Kristin & Patrick!  We adored working with you and hope to see you again soon.  Much love – S&B

Posted in Virginia, Weddings

Ann & Stephen | Blacksburg, VA Wedding Photographer

Please welcome back to our little corner of the world – Ann & Stephen. Their engagement session was only a few short weeks ago.  You can see it here. Since we are in the business of photographing people in love it might be a bit trite to say the what we love about these two is that they are soooooooooo in love. Maybe it is their infectious personalities. I think the photo below is Stephen at his best.

Sweet Ann. How gorgeous is her makeup! They airbrushed her makeup on. Little aside: I am very intrigued by the concept of airbrush makeup and wanted to jump in the chair and try. I resisted though. All the hair and makeup was done by Amanda and Company.

Hot Mama alert! I just adore Ann’s mom and she was just stunning in her one shoulder blue dress.

Notice the yellow rose in Ann’s bouquet? This was in remembrance of Ann’s grandfather who recently passed away.

One of my many favorite moments of any wedding is the moment right before the Dad (or whoever!) walks his daughter down the aisle. It is an emotional time and the last few moments of being just a Daddy’s girl to a being a wife.

Stephen’s dad couldn’t find a bartender anywhere so he just went behind the bar and poured himself a drink. A 4 finger scotch.

First, the band, Sunset Drive, was just amazing. Their rendition of Shout! was toe-tapping! I just wanted to jump up and down in the middle of the dance floor with everyone else.
Now for the photo on the left. Ann & Stephen had a special Polish ceremony at the reception that transitioned Ann from girl to wife. This was represented by removing Ann’s veil and replacing it with the cap that you see on her.  Her veil was folded up and Stephen gave it to Ann’s parents to thank them for raising her well and pure.  Then he was presented with a hat that lightened the mood. It was adorned with suggestive items as well as items that represent his hobbies and responsibilities. It was quite funny as well as emotional.


Hello Gentlemen. I love guys in tuxes. It should be a requirement to wear one every day. Well either that or suits. Suits I like as well. I should also note how versatile The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center is to shoot in. Between all the Hokie Stone outside and the cleanly decorated inside there are so many places to shoot in and out of the IVTSCC.

What’s a party without a little dance off?

In love and married.

Congratulations Ann & Stephen. We wish you all the best and hope to work with you all again soon.

Posted in Virginia, Weddings

Shannon & Wes | Blacksburg, VA Wedding Photographer

Just looking around at the wedding guests you can tell how Shannon & Wes have touched each life. Guests came from all over including all the way from Germany. Photos of the family filled the hallway of the reception and scrapbooks of Shannon & Wes’ travels were laid out for all to look at. The scrapbooks told the stories of their years together – lots of cruises with adventures such as scuba diving and snorkeling. These two met swing dancing so it is no surprise that their travels would be as unique and special as how they met. Even their honeymoon has them traveling to Costa Rica for some sightseeing and R&R. Each detail of their wedding was planned to make their wedding stand apart from others. Instead of the traditional clicking of the glasses and the bride & groom kiss, they set up instruction cards at each table advising their guests that if they want the bride & groom to kiss the entire table would have to stand up and sing a song with the word love in it. There was a lot of talent in that room!

Notice Wes’s cuff links? They are the Guinness Bird.

A little airplane bottle to calm the nerves? The men had a bunch of little bottles in the room while they were getting ready. Not sure how many were leftover when they left for the church.;)
The flowers were from Best Wishes in Blacksburg. They did an amazing job, as always, and they smelled so good!! I was holding Shannon’s bouquet for her at one point and almost didn’t give it back because it smelled so good.

The flower girls are Shannon’s 8 year old twin cousins and were so excited to be in their first wedding. Charlotte, on the left, was asked to hold Shannon’s bouquet and this was her reaction. I don’t blame her – see my comment from above!

Natasha was a mini photographer and made a great assistant for the day. Here she is taking a photo of me taking a photo of her. I was a bit jealous of her orange camera!

Their ceremony was held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. It was just built last year and is such a beautiful location. After the ceremony we headed over to The Inn at Virginia Tech for their reception and some fun photos! Gotta love all the Hokie stone.


We posted another version of this photo over on Facebook. We couldn’t decide which one we liked best, so you can hop on over to our fan page and judge for yourself.

We love people in love!!!

Both Dad’s gave such fantastic toasts. Shannon’s dad is on the left. I think he had 4 pages worth of notes but it was sweet, funny and touching all at the same time. I am such a sap at weddings. Thank goodness there is a camera in front of my face because I definitely teared up a couple of times during the night.  Wes’ dad enjoyed some laughs at Wes’ expense – the look on both of their faces is priceless!

Shannon & Wes tore up the floor most of the night along with many of the guests. I think the kids take the cake for most time spent on the dance floor, though. They barely left the floor the entire time. They even requested some of their favorite songs to be played including the Macarena.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this ring shot. They had a candy bar set up for their guest with bags for everyone to take with them. It was such a huge hit that when the DJ was announcing the happy couple he couldn’t get people to leave the table and sit down.:)I did manage to work my way through the crowd to get this shot though. And, no worries, I only put the rings on wrapped candy.

Ben & I had such a blast with Shannon & Wes & their family. They were such a fun bunch and made us feel like part of the crowd. They love to joke and have fun as you can see through the photos. Thanks so much for allowing us to be a part of your day!

Posted in Virginia, Weddings

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