Amber and Dustin’s Richmond, Virginia wedding was amazing. Filled with family members from across the country, it was a night filled with beautiful moments.

We can hardly wait to share more of their wedding with you.

So, day 3 (yesterday) would have been:

Our car.

That might seem materialistic…

But we are so thankful to have a car which is by no means flashy, and which doesn’t offer much in terms of horsepower (well, it just takes a little longer to get going after stopping at a stoplight), but which is reliable and fuel efficient. *knock on wood*

A lot of you still remember our old Dodge Neon.

We had it from the first week we spent in America (August 2012) until July 2013.

When we bought it, we paid cash for it.

And every few weeks, something went wrong with it.

And every time something went wrong with it, we poured money into it, thinking (and not knowing a lot about this particular brand of car) that this must be the last time…

And each time we were disappointed.

Not to mention a fender bender in April left us needing a new bumper – but each time we set aside the money for those repairs, we ended up having to use it for something else going wrong with the car.

It’s one thing when it’s your 5-10 minute ride to work that you need to be able to rely on… but doing the job we love requires us to have reliable transportation to travel all across Virginia.

It was something that weighed on our mind constantly.

It worried us so much that we would take it to be “checked” before each and every wedding.

Really it’s a miracle we were able to afford the Toyota Prius after the money we sunk into repairs on the Neon, but after a breakdown on the way to a meeting this summer (the first and only time it happened) we knew we had to make a decision to make a change.

It was an awesome feeling walking out of the dealership with a car that works… and we can actually sleep soundly now knowing we’ve got a reliable vehicle.

Not only that, it’s great fun going down the interstate on our way to a wedding and whispering to the car next to us: “You just got passed by a little blue lunchbox!”

But it just occured to us yesterday driving back from Richmond, having left a wedding filled with marvelous people and a beautiful bride and groom – we’re very thankful for our blue lunchbox.

–

Day 4

We’re thankful for being able to say honestly that we love what we do.

Not everyone is blessed with the opportunity to wake up in the morning and be excited about what their work for the day entails.

It is not something we take for granted.

Whether it’s meeting new couples, shooting a wedding, or visiting wedding venues in Hampton Roads or other locales in Virginia, we’re always eager to do what we do.

There’s excitement in getting to know people – clients and vendors.

Everyone has stories to tell about themselves, and why they do what they do, why they love what they do or love who they love.

We love listening to those stories.

And we almost always end up making new friends.

Also, it’s all such an adventure.

I (Michael) grew up in Virginia, but I can also say that this job has taken us to more places in Virginia than I ever experienced when I was growing up.

On a random Sunday in October, we found ourselves in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley celebrating and photographing a Virginia country wedding amid rolling hills, fields and a mild breeze blowing through the doorway of a converted old barn decorated with paper cranes…

… and we pinch ourselves, astonished that this is real life and we get to do what we do.

We love it. And we wouldn’t trade it for the world.

So, until next time, here’s a preview of what’s coming tomorrow to the blog – shots from the gorgeous couples who helped make our video as awesome as it is!

Virginia Wedding Photographers

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Check out Brittany’s fantastic shots as well as her review of her experience here!

Part I

Part II

xoxo, Carina (and Mike)

This is Part I of our mentoring session with Brittany. Part II (all film) will follow tomorrow!

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Tucked away in Seaford, near Yorktown, Virginia, Bay Tree Manor was the perfect location for this couple who grew up on the waters of Virginia’s coastline.

Their dream wedding: simple, with lots of family, and with peacock feathers and a bagpiper.

She’s a firefighter and EMT. He helps to build ships in Hampton Roads.

Now they’ve purchased their first home together in lovely Gloucester County, Virginia and are looking forward to making it their own.

James and Mary Lynn, thanks so much for inviting us to document your big day!!

Virginia Wedding Photographers | Hampton Roads Wedding Photographers | Williamsburg Wedding Photographers

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And luckily, that Sunday was still open!

Lucky for us anyway…

Because this couple was SO much fun getting to know!

Aaron is so much more than the tallest guy in the room… he loves dancing. I mean, loves it. Hardly a moment of the reception went by where he wasn’t out on the dance floor.

Allie was so calm on her wedding day… and when she looked up at new husband, and stood up on her tip toes to kiss him, their eyes sparkled.

The reception went late into the night… and we loved every second of it.

Thank you, Aaron and Allie, for inviting us to photograph your special day!

Thanks to our trusty assistant Seth for helping us!

film: fuji400h / developed by Richard Photo Lab

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But sometimes not everything goes as planned…

What they originally expected was perhaps more traditional…

But what they experienced was something small, beautifully intimate and perfect.

This Middle Peninsula couple met us the morning of their wedding at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg. “I picked out this room just for the window light!” Alicia said. Too perfect, right? Alicia and her mother were up to their necks in flowers and flower stems… she had been up since 5am making bouquets with her mother.

Their ceremony was held at Lee Hall Plantation near Yorktown, Virginia. The ceremony was quiet. The breeze was the only thing you could hear, moving through the trees, other than the minister’s voice. We all heard them say “I do,” though.

Afterwards we met up in historic Yorktown on the riverfront, or “Riverwalk.” The clouds had moved off and we had some perfect late-evening sun for some glowing portraits on film.

Their intimate reception was held in the Riverwalk Restaurant.

Alicia and Josh, when you booked us last year it was the encouragement we needed to stay in the United States and stay the course, pursuing our photography dreams.

Thank you so much for inviting us to document your big day!!

Vendors:

Dress – Maggie Sottero “Jenna”

Venues – Lee Hall Mansion & Kingsmill Resort 

Reception – Riverwalk Restaurant 

Hair and Makeup – Robbie Miller Master Paul Mitchell Makeup and Hairstylist

Flowers – DIY purchased from Norfolk Wholesale Floral 

Officiant – Jim Gilley

Cake – Gourmet Bake Shoppe

Odds & Ends / Bridal Hanger – Wish Upon A Starfish  

Cake Topper – DIY

Invitations – DIY

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Neither of us could imagine photographing a wedding without the other.

But not everyone knows exactly how WE met.. and why we do what we do.

It’s a fun story to tell.

And sometimes it’s tempting to say, “Oh, it’s a long story,” and leave it at that.

But we’re working on a project that will hopefully communicate our love story a little better, and why it is we love what we do and do what we do.

We want to get to know YOU for your wedding day… so we want you to know us, too.

Why do we love photographing couples so much anyway?

Why not also explain it a little more in a blog post…

We met as penpals in 2003. We were teenagers.. no exact numbers but we weren’t close to finishing high school, we’ll put it that way.

We wrote each other for 6 months and somehow became infatuated with one another…

And I mean write-a-letter-everyday-sometimes-twice-or-three-times-a-day infatuated!

To be fair, this infatuation was from the get-go… somewhat… impractical.

Carina was raised in a suburb of Munich, Germany, about 20 minutes from the center of the city but still “enough in the country” to be able to see the sun shining on the Alps from her house in the morning. She attended a prestigious German grammar school and was proficient in 4 languages by the time we started writing each other. I know, impressive, right? Throw in the fact that she traveled to a different country with her family what seemed like every other month…

Me on the other hand…

I was raised in a very tiny house in rural Virginia with my single mother who worked three jobs and my younger, disabled brother. My mom worked really hard to make ends meet but there were times… a lot of times… where we went without normal stuff other people take for granted. I was also “homeschooled” after the 7th grade but because my mom worked, I was kind of forced to teach myself.

Even if we lived a mere 4 miles apart, we’d probably not be voted the most likely of couples… now adjust the distance to roughly 4,000 miles and throw in a few different countries, continents and an ocean.

Maybe it’s obvious why I found her so interesting. She tells me she was always interested in America and wanted an American friend – still doesn’t explain how she ended up with me. Anywho..

Still, on December 16th 2003 I called up my penpal and with all the confidence of a teenager I asked her if she wanted to try a long distance relationship. She said yes.

I had not thought about how this would or could work out, I knew somehow it would if she just agreed to try it.

That night I asked my mother if I could go to Germany to visit my penpal…

Kudos to my mom. Really.

She could have laughed at me, or worse yet checked me into an institution.

She didn’t.

She said: “You can if you earn your own way.” As I remember it, she didn’t even pause before answering.

We wrote each other almost everyday the next year. And I mowed a lot of lawns and tilled a lot of gardens… did just about everything I could do…

And in December 2004, I boarded a flight in Philadelphia alone to fly to Munich.

Some photos from our first adventure

Looking back now, I did what a lot of teenagers do. A lot of teens get jobs, work hard, earn their right to a first car or something similar.

With me, instead of a first car it was just plane tickets to another country to see my crush.

But something about the experience did something for both of us, I think… it made us really aware, early on, that love isn’t just an emotion… it’s something active, a verb, and something that takes a lot of work.

I spent 12 days with her. They were the best, craziest, most wonderful days I’d ever lived in my life.

I asked Carina’s father if she could visit me the next summer (summer 2005), and he said, “I’m afraid I don’t know you well enough after 12 days to send my daughter to America.” (Understandable!) “If you love her, you’ll come again.”

I knew when I left that I’d met the girl I would marry and was already working out ways in my mind to earn my way back to Germany.

This continued over the next several years… working for months to save up enough money to spend two weeks together…

And throughout the times we spent apart, we wrote to each other. Almost every. single. day.

Before everything else, she was my friend.

My best friend.

These are just a small selection from a small box from the corner of my mother’s attic, where several other boxes still sit (we plan to get them when we have a place with a bit more room).

I wrote her once that if I could have her and be hers, I’d be content. And even if we didn’t do what we do now, working together telling other people’s love stories in photographs, I’d be happy.

But our relationship has taught us, especially in a very cynical world, that finding your true love is still something special.

It’s taught us not to concentrate on things that divide us… politics… religion… language…

But to be thankful for each other, to love one another, and not only “say it,” but to work at it.

The couples we work with… they each have their own love story. The proposal in the best friend’s basement due to bad weather… the high school sweethearts… the fireman who fell in love with the nurse. We know each love story is special.

And that’s why, I guess you could say, we are who we are and we do what we do.

Watch out for more in the next month or so…

Photo by Annamarie Akins

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Ebony and Jesse are finally tying the knot!

Their still looking for their wedding venue but they decided to have their engagement session before.

You could see the love in his eyes as he held her.

How she smiled when he told her about when he first fell in love with her.

These high school sweethearts from Hampton are going to have a beautiful wedding.

film: portra 400

developed by Richard Photo Lab

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This time of year there is such beautiful light and such atmosphere in the Hampton Roads area, just perfect for photography.

In the middle of a lot of engagements, and weddings, it was a fun, creative experience to photograph two best friends in this mini portrait session. 

Fuji400h. Portra 160. Contax 645s and 80mm Zeiss lenses.

Two beautiful ladies.

Could it get any better?

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Morgan is a Gloucester girl. Mark is a Gloucester guy.

They put so much time and thought into making their Gloucester Point Beach wedding spectacular…

But keeping it country, he wore sandals and she went barefoot.

Perfection.

When Morgan booked us, she said, “I knew when I saw your photos, you were my photographers.”

And we could not have been more blessed to meet such a wonderful couple.

When we photographed their engagement session, they danced with each other in front of the camera and kissed as if we weren’t there.

Morgan and Mark inspired us.

When we’ve needed inspiration, we’ve gone back and looked at their engagement photos.

Their love is what does it.

During their wedding, there were many moments which stood out. 

The dancing… the sparklers… the fireworks…

But none touched us more than when Morgan’s dad escorted his daughter down the aisle… and Mark took her hand..

And of course, the kiss.

Morgan and Mark, thank you so much for inviting us to take part in your special day. It was unforgettable.

Your love will continue to inspire us.

vendors listed at the end

a mix of fine art film and digital photography

Thanks to Anthony Le for assisting us.

Film developed by Richard Photo Lab 

Vendor Credits:

Dress: The Inspired Bride

Tuxes: The Bridal Boutique of Gloucester

Rental equipment: Grand Rentals of Gloucester

Makeup: Salon Vivace

Hair: Drew, Shear Envy

Band/DJ: Fine Swiss Cheese, Felicia Hayes

Venue: Private residence

Flowers: Lynn Thoreson

Planner: Joy Sampson, Friends and Family

Catering: Sally Mears, Friends and Family

Cake: Charlene West and Jean Sterling, Friends and Family

Officiant: Pastor Tom Cohick

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Megan and Matt have been together for a year, and it was love at first sight.

He’s a paramedic and a fireman – she’s a nurse.

When he proposed, he made the day “all about her.” Matt also had his best friend make these wood signs for them to announce their big day!

We met in Williamsburg for their engagement session and even though the infamous Hampton Roads bridge-tunnel delayed them, it worked out perfectly as the light got even better..

They’re getting married outdoors at the Lynnhaven House in Virginia Beach this October!  

Megan & Matt, we’re so honored to be documenting your love story! See you soon!

a mix of film and digital / film developed by Richard Photo Lab

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