Road trip?  Check.  Kids in tow?  Check.  Fabulous Austin, TX wedding for my cool nephew and his beautiful new bride?  Check, check, and check.

We loaded up the whole family and braved the twenty four hour (yes…that’s 2, followed by a 4) trip to the capital of the Lone Star State.  Ever since we met, Lindsay and I have loved to hop on the road.  There’s just something about the long distance and freedom of movement you get on the road.  With a few scenic stops along the way (hello, Greenville, Jackson, and Monroe), we pulled in the night before the rehearsal.  I’d been to Austin a few times in the past and, since my very first visit, I was in love with that town.  Funny enough, the Richmond city planning upper-ups just got back from Austin.  I’ve always thought there were so many parallels between the two cities.  I hope they can find a way to encourage the kind of kitsch and cool that Austin seems to naturally develop.  If Richmond had that, on top of the amazing history and unmatched natural beauty it already has, then we’d probably be complaining about all the traffic in a few years!

But, enough urban planning talk.  Let’s get some images up, shall we?  Welcome Nicole and Jason to the married life and congratulate them on an incredible wedding day!

Sitting here watching the cold wind roll in to town and the wet ground slowly dry makes it hard to remember that we actually had a little springtime last week.  VCU in the Final Four certainly blunts the depression over the temperatures a bit, and so does looking at these pictures of Shannon and Zach.  I want everyone to send Shannon a little love (blog remarks or happy thoughts…either are fine), because she was so sure her nervousness about being in front of the camera would show through.  I think you’ll agree she did just fine 🙂  (You were OK, too, Zach)

Enjoy!

Some of you may remember Leah and Dimitri from their fantastic wedding at Mankin Mansion this past summer.  Their style and character landed them on Style Me Pretty a little while later, which was very cool indeed.  Well, our friendship away from the world of photography has grown since then.  We love to follow Dimitri’s stellar opera career and Leah’s rise in the theater and symphony scene of New York City.   Getting a visit from them is a treat unto itself, but this visit had a special occasion…Leah’s new headshots.  I think you’ll see why we love working with them.  Hey Dimitri…you’re next 🙂

The saying about “you take more photos of your first child than any other” hasn’t been true for us.  We’ve taken a boat load.  However, I will say we haven’t done nearly as thorough a job of showing them off. So, let’s rectify that.  Shall we?

I surprised Lindsay by holding a very fast portrait session with Annie and Vivian.  These are being made in to a canvas triptych as I type this and will look great in the playroom.  (plus an “outtake”, just for fun)

I hope everyone is enjoying the “balmy” 40 degree weather!

Here’s a little more from late 2010 that we couldn’t help from sharing.  Emily and Jim were married at Trinity United Methodist Church with an evening reception at the Bull and Bear Club in downtown Richmond.  You simply can’t beat the view from the Bull and Bear, and certainly not when you have the Jangling Reinharts filling the floor with dancing feet.  Thank you to the Tretiak and Kennedy families for making us a part of your day.

More 2010 on it’s way!

While we catch up on the fall season of 2010, I thought I’d toss in a very recent wedding from just a few weeks ago.  Mike and Ashley received the best day of the entire winter, a 50 degree and sunny day at the time their ceremony at St. Bridget’s.  The reception was at the Hermitage Country Club where many friends and family enjoyed a very crowded dance floor, very heartfelt toasts and some of the finest displays of people lifting that I’ve seen in a while.  Enjoy!

Now that we’ve successfully navigated through the “engagement season” that makes up the winter months of every year, we can get back down to the regular business of…well….business.  While we wait for the coming wedding season, it’s time to catch up on all the things, behind the curtain so to speak, that keep things running.  Now, I wouldn’t dream of boring you with taxes, marketing, sales, equipment maintenance, sample selection…wait, don’t nod off quite yet.  It’s also time to catch up on the blog!

Here are Kate, Lenny, and their beautiful, fun wedding at the Salisbury Country Club.  We hope things are warming up for you nicely and we can’t wait to see all of our 2011 couples soon.  Enjoy!

Although I am a fan of winter clothing and cold weather, going through the warm summer of 2010 for the blog has made me a bit wistful for higher temperatures.  As Erica and Patrick will attest, there were few warmer than this wedding day.  Bluemont Vineyards, outside of Leesburg, VA, was the setting.  It’s a beautiful location on the northern Virginia hillside that we hadn’t visited until that day.  The ceremony was beautiful, certainly, but all were happy to retire to the winery after the recessional.  The hall was decorated, as you’ll see, in details handmade by Erica and Patrick.  And, after a significant cool down, the always wonderful Chez Roue was gracious enough to move outside to where the party had migrated to continue providing a soundtrack.

Enjoy!

I’m a big local music fan, as some who know me will attest to.  While I don’t get to see as many shows as I used to, I try to make it out a few times a month as time allows.  One of my favorites, then and now, is the D.J. Williams Projekt.  They’ve been playing the same Tuesday show at Cafe Diem for years and I have yet to see anything less than a packed bar by the time they hit their stride at mid-set.  You really must make your way out if, by some crazy way, you haven’t seen them.

A little while back, D.J. approached me about doing a little session with him and Erika.  Of course I was excited, of course I said yes, and after a few scheduling hiccups we finally found the perfect day.  In addition to a little time up on Church Hill, I got a little time with them both in the studio.  D.J. and Erika indulged me for a little lighting work and I was very happy with the results.

Happy Holidays all and enjoy.

This wedding was a double treat and great for the middle of the wedding season.  First, we traveled to an area of the country I’ve never spent much time in; Pittsburgh, PA and the surrounding areas.  This wedding was in a little town called Grove City at the cute little country club just outside of the town.  The second treat was getting to shoot with our dear friend Kris McElligott of  KM Photography.  Danielle and Patrick, thank you so much for inviting us to your wonderful home state and treating us like part of the family.  We can’t wait to see you again in the new year.  Enjoy!