Many couples find themselves wishing for more time and space to focus on one another and only their nearest and dearest, and holding a smaller ceremony is one way to do just that. Kate and Justin held a beautiful, intimate wedding ceremony in early spring in the timelessly beautiful courtyard of the Commonwealth Club. With only their closest family and friends in attendance, the excitement of the day was focused on one big thing – their love for one another. The opportunities for capturing true emotion are so rich during these special gatherings and it makes being part of them one of our favorite things.
BUT never fear party lovers – these two also have plans to throw a fabulous party in celebration of their marriage, getting the best of both worlds! We can’t wait to be there with them once again later this spring for “part 2” of their celebration. Until then, here is a peek at their wedding day.
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know that I don’t stray far in to the personal aspects of being a wedding photographer. I like to keep things even and make it about the people and the places; the things that make the wedding day happen and make our couples happy. Besides, Lindsay and I lead perfectly normal and happy lives for photographers and studio owners. We work our tails off, we raise our two beautiful daughters, and we enjoy our play time. So…what’s to say?
It has been twelve years since Lindsay and I shot our first wedding together and 400 weddings later we’re still at it, still loving every second of it, and can’t wait for the next twelve years and more. We do often wonder, Lindsay and I, how we can keep up the energy to shoot a very demanding wedding schedule each year, often travelling multiple weeks of the year and sometimes shooting two or three weddings in a weekend. For those that think wedding photography is easy, one work day a week, money, I would love to buy you lunch and give you a short 17 hour talk about what goes in to running a successful wedding photography studio 🙂
So what makes it worth it? The answer is…couples like Sarah and Dan.
When you get to know two people like we did them, get to know their families, their friends…it’s easy to see how even at the end of a busy year we look forward to the Saturdays. The Zelenkos and the Astrops, starting with Sarah and Dan of course, were incredible from start to finish. When you truly feel like a member of the family on the wedding day, it’s so much easier to capture all the emotions and hilariousness. It all happens right in front of you, all around you, and you just have to keep your eyes open and smile while you nail great smile after great cry after funny dance move. It’s a shame that I can’t share everything we did for them that day, but I hope you enjoy what’s here all the same.
Lindsay and I had remarked to each other on several occasions this past year at how amazing our couples were in 2015. From start to finish, weekend after weekend, we just simply had fun. Effe and Brian were one of those couples from this past year and a prime example of why this has been one of our favorite years. First, they had that combination of quirky and happy that you live to work with. And that charm and personality was also present in the guests and especially the families. Secondly, when you’re spending the better part of an entire day with people, mixed with the already intimate nature of photographing people, it’s lovely to feel welcome. Effe and Brian made us feel like part of their family in a way that not only makes the photography that much easier, but actually better. Last, but certainly not least, you have the always stunning Mt. Ida Farms. While I would have photographed these two in a cave by candlelight, it certainly helps to have that perfect late Fall sunset over the mountains of Charlottesville, Virginia as a backdrop.
Enjoy these selected moments from the day.
Do you want to know how fast fourteen hours can go? Shoot an all day Indian wedding and you’ll find out soon enough. There isn’t just one thing that goes in to the festivities that makes the time fly as it does. There’s the food, of course, which Lindsay and I look forward to soooo much (lamb korma and kheer are on the “trapped on a desert island” list). There are the big, fun, friendly, and warm families of many generations that make sure everyone is attended to (which usually means fed very well!). And, of course, there’s the reason we’re all there – the intimate and intricate ceremony followed by non-stop dancing. So if you’re ever invited to an Indian wedding, run – don’t walk, to get your RSVP in the mail and go.
In addition to the Shah and Enein families being a joy to work with, Dee of McBride Events and Roshni of Le Reve Creations were absolutely spot on throughout the day. We hope to see you both again very soon. For a list of all the incredible vendors that made this wedding beautiful, scroll to the bottom of this post.
P.S – Yes, the outfits, the traditions, and the absolute wealth of moments available all the day and evening make for a wonderful collection of images, too. You know, since this IS a photographer’s blog I thought I might throw that in 🙂
Ahh, another snowy winter in Richmond, VA and I could not be happier. Between the sledding, the hot chocolate, and warming toes by the fire this has got to be one of my favorite times of year. So, even when the city seems to have gone to sleep during this wintry affair, the Mears household is bustling. Between trips to the dryer to fish out snowball fighting gloves, I thought I’d share this beautiful snow covered wedding with our lovely and hilarious couple, Erin and Brian. You can see so much of their personalities in the details of this day. One you’ll probably miss due to some wonderful catering work is the “cake”. You see Erin and Brian are not fans of the traditional flour, eggs, and frosting so they opted for three layers of artisinal cheese. It was very them and very delicious, but the cutting did take a little bit longer! And a big thank you to Elizabeth of Events by Elizabeth Palmer and Jake from The Lighting Professors for transforming the elegant memorial hall of the Holocaust Museum in to a truly stunning reception venue. Of course, Bill Gilliam of Choice Entertainment kept the crowd moving as he always does. It really does make our jobs as photographers so much easier when you get to work with some of the best in the area. So whether or not you decide to stay huddled up inside or go flying around our snow covered city, enjoy a few images and we’ll be back soon!
Oh, and if you missed it…here’s the article from Richmond Bride that featured Erin and Brian. Go take a look!
And now part 2 (the finale!) of our museum series takes us to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Sadly, this will be one of the last weddings at this historic institution as it transitions to public ownership. However, we were thrilled to be there with Kate and Bobby for elegant, but certainly rocking, evening. This early winter wedding also included an historic sanctuary, the chapel at Gonzaga College High School which is a hidden gem in the Capital. Our dear friend Ryan Michael Hayes of Blue Canary Events was on point as always and the band, A-Town A-List out of Atlanta, GA was just fantastic.
Enjoy!
So, this is where Lindsay and I take a step back and wonder how we’ve been so fortunate. If you’ve been reading our blog, then you only have to look one post below this one to understand. We have many gifted photographer friends whom we both respect and admire, both around the city and the state. To be included in this list, given the wealth of talent available, is truly a blessing. We can’t thank enough the industry professionals who work with the magazine who saw fit to nominate and award us. We know that 2015 is already filled with some truly wonderful couples and future wedding days. It’s an honor to be invited to each and every one and hope we have the privilege to keep getting invited for years to come.
To close out this two part series of year end accolades, I present Part 2 of our Best of 2014 slideshow. (make sure not to miss part 1!)
Enjoy the show and we wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year!
As is pretty typical for our lives as photographers, parents, and business owners, this year has been filled with wonderful events, trying times, and a little bit of beautiful calm on occasion. And, as is typical, the year has flown by faster than we would have liked. It was in the midst of our last flurry of Fall weddings that we got the call from Richmond Bride Magazine to let us know that we had been chosen as the top wedding photographers for 2014.
Elated is a word you can use for what we felt after that phone call. Thrilled. Honored. But more than that we felt a simple satisfaction. Lindsay and I have been photographing weddings in Richmond for 10 years. Through the birth of both children, a really trying economic downturn, and just your normal everyday affairs, we’ve built a business and a life we can be proud of. From the very beginning of our life as wedding photographers we wanted to be known for our authenticity; that our images would reflect who we are and who our couples are. We wanted the moments that we captured to be a reflection of more than just the trends of now, but rather something our couples would share happily through generations. To be recognized for that by your peers, your clients, and the general public means more to us than is possible to explain.
So as responsible photographers we’ll try to do it the best way we know how. With images.
Here is Part 1 (it was simply too big for one slideshow) of our “Best of 2014”. It was impossible to include every image that we loved but this is a pretty good shot at it. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the slideshow and another big announcement for Don Mears Photography.
Happy New Year!
While we’ve been enjoying a little weather break, I decided to put together a little them for our blog for the next two days. Typically when the temperatures drop in to the “I’m not going anywhere near the front door” range I like to post a little sunshine, but I’m in the mood for some fantastic winter weddings. In this case I’m focusing on two of our recent museum weddings. The Marble Hall at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a Richmond classic. There’s an obvious advantage to working among the elegant architecture, but when you add in a little lighting and tasteful details it really brings out the best in the room.
Enjoy all the heartfelt and fun moments in this beautiful setting with a classy and fun couple.
We are so happy to share this beautiful wedding, featuring Sarah, Jared and their wonderful families and friends. There’s something special about ceremonies in a familiar setting to the couple, and the bride’s home is certainly something familiar. Their lovely property was the setting and although the rain required a little adjustment to the plans (quick tent anyone?) it did nothing to dampen the warmth and beauty. After the vows were said and a few quick family portraits, we were off to one of Richmond’s gems, Tuckahoe Plantation. We’re particularly in love with the floral arrangements by none other than Tuckahoe’s own Mary Edmonds and the floral and berry wedding cake from A Pimento. Enjoy the images and the beautiful fall weather!
Ceremony: The bride’s family residence
Reception: Tuckahoe Plantation
Event Planning and Design: A Pimento and Tuckahoe Plantation
Day of Coordinator: Mauna Mullins
Caterer: A Pimento
Tents: Skyline Tent
Florist: Mary Edmonds
Cake Artist: A Pimento
Ceremony Quartet: Crescendo
Entertainment: The Winn Brother’s Band
Lighting Design: Skyline Tent
Makeup and Hair: Liz Clancy
Invitations and Programs: Typecase Industries
Calligraphy: Meant to be Calligraphy
Dress Designer and Salon: Carolina Herrera
Groom’s Attire: Brooks Brothers, Ledberry