I emailed Mary Ann the link and password to their online gallery last night. I also texted her so she’d know immediately and could start enjoying the pictures as soon as possible. We texted back and forth shortly after and I was happy to find that she and Matt were already looking at all 1300 images and enjoying some champagne at the same time. Mary Ann and I texted some more this morning and she shared how pleased they were with the pictures and how they couldn’t wait to go through them again. And all of this…such a gift for me! Knowing that my clients are excited, pleased and eager about their images just shortly after sending them off is so gratifying as a business owner and artist. Thank you, Mary Ann, for those texts, and for all your kind words. Your wedding was an absolute dream for me and I’m so excited to share these pictures with the world!

Mary Ann and Matt were married at the beautiful Homestead resort in Hot Springs, VA. While it was quite a distance for me to travel, it was worth it…a hundred times over! Mary Ann, Matt and I all graduated from Bridgewater College together, so it was like a little reunion. Their venue was beyond gorgeous, their wedding party was super fun and I had TONS OF TIME to capture their portraits!

In Wednesday’s blog post, I shared about how Mary Ann and Matt gave me 2.5 hours for “fun and formal” portraits, and how other couples can do the same by making time for their pictures in their wedding day timeline. As a result, we had a wonderful, stress-free, picture-filled day…and I think that comes across very nicely in their images. So enjoy Mary Ann and Matt’s beautiful wedding! It was the first of my 2014 wedding season…and what a STUNNER to start with. 🙂

THESE DRESSES. Goodness, I LOVED them. They were already hanging and ready to be photographed when I walked in the door. They completely set the tone for the day and made me even more excited for what was in store. I’m a HUGE FAN of mismatching bridesmaids dresses! 🙂

Poor bridesmaid Kristin. Her dress wouldn’t zip! It wasn’t too tight, she just had a very stubborn zipper. After multiple attempts, many hands and a few tools, it finally zipped! While the below efforts took place, one bridesmaid declared “Being a bridesmaid is hard!” This is definitely proof! Ha! 🙂

Mary Ann was so calm and beautiful…

And she rocked those pockets!

The groomsmen were patiently waiting for me in the hotel lobby while Mary Ann finished her final touches (thanks guys!). They waited to perform the official boutonniere-pinning until closer to the ceremony, so we were able to jump right into some casual portraits before heading to the “first look”…

Then I escorted Mary Ann to her “first look”…

I LOVE the picture on the left!!!

Matt was so sweet during the first look! 🙂

LOVE these portraits! Matt and Mary Ann were super cute right from the start!

Aahhhh how beautiful and calming is this hallway!?! I did some location-scouting with the wedding planner beforehand and I am so glad this place was on the top of Mary Ann’s list!

Then the flowers arrived! Definitely needed a few more bridal portraits. 🙂

The girls and all their glory!!!

FAVORITE!!

And then we found this room! Could things get any better!?!?!

Oh boys. 🙂

Time for more portraits!! We just kept going and going…and Mary Ann and Matt didn’t mind. 🙂

Back to the suite deck for a few more portraits before the ceremony! (I told you we had tons of time!) 🙂

See that guy with the camera? He’s Mary Ann’s brother and I did his wedding almost three years ago. 🙂

Get ready for awesome-ness overload! After Mary Ann and her dad made it down the grand steps, dad stopped to take a selfie! AWESOME!!!

I did Matron of Honor Amy’s wedding in 2010 when I was seven months pregnant! It’s so fun to reunite with my couples!

This was the first time I put together a same-day slideshow at a wedding. Because dinner was three courses, I had time to sift through some pictures taken earlier in the wedding day and present them on my laptop. It was so neat seeing Mary Ann, Matt and their guests enjoy pictures from the day. 🙂

Ernie the Eagle from Bridgewater College!!!

Mary Ann and Matt, as I’ve already said a million times, I LOVED your wedding! Thank you so much for inviting me to Virginia to capture your special day. Working with you and your wedding party was tons of fun and I couldn’t have asked for a prettier venue. A HUGE thank you for giving me SO MUCH TIME to capture all your portraits! We really made the most of our time together and I hope you’ll cherish your pictures forever! CONGRATS…and I’ll see you at homecoming!!! 🙂