kate + cody | a laughter-filled clipper mill engagement

I met up with Kate and Cody for their engagement session 3 days before everything shutdown due to Covid… since they were visiting for a few days on a break from life in Texas, we were so lucky to have spent the afternoon exploring Artifact Coffee together and the Clipper Mill and Woodberry industrial buildings before life changed dramatically!

These two are such a beautiful breath of fresh air to be around! Their energy, laughter, lighthearted and easygoing nature made for the most fun candid photos in this location - we had room to walk, explore and admire all of the textures of these historic mill buildings while having the place to ourselves, it seemed.

Here’s how they met and how Cody proposed, in Kate’s words:

“We met in the West Virginia University Drumline. I (Kate) was marching on the cymbal line and Cody was marching on the bass line. He finally noticed I was there in the fall, and we quickly became friends. He asked me on a date by October.

Cody had switched to cymbals on the drumline by this point. I had just completed a practicum for behavior analysis at WVU and was preparing to start my masters at the University of North Texas. He told me he was going to go practice for an upcoming summer camp, and went off to go practice while I was reading something in the living room. About ten minutes later, after hearing strange sounds that didn't quite sound like practicing, he came back into the living room with a really concerned look on his face and said he though one of the cymbals was broken. I was the drum captain the previous season, so I said I would take a look at it, not realizing he was holding the cymbals together like a clam shell which is not how you typically hold a broken cymbal. When he approached me, he opened the cymbals and my ring was in the middle of the bottom cymbal.”

Their wedding day is going to be full of unconventional and unique details that are meaningful to their relationship (Kate told me her bouquet is going to be made up of musical elements) and will include board / card games for their guests to play and end with a variety of cheesecakes to enjoy as dessert! YESSSS, please!!!

I can’t wait for your wedding at the Riverview at Occuquan in Virginia! It’s a venue I’ve loved since they first opened. Your fun-loving personalities and sense of humor are going to be incredible to photograph during the Fall in this beautifully lit, nature-filled, modern waterfront venue!

Cheers, lovebirds… let’s get you MARRIED!

xo,
Naomi

devan + bryce | october wedding at the jefferson hotel and havana 59 | richmond

Is next week really Halloween already?! BRB I need to buy a bag of chocolate… it keeps me up at night to think about getting stuck handing out smarties because all the good stuff is sold out but this always ends up at the bottom of my to-do list EVERY YEAR! Anyone else share the same nightmare? ;)

Before this month passes us by, I have another confession… I recently discovered one of my favorite October weddings from last year got stuck in the black hole of updating and redoing my entire website and NEVER. GOT. SHARED…!?

The most elegant and classic jewel toned color scheme carried through the entire day. Guests received a save the date with foxes dancing and Devan and her brother and sister (one of our 2016 brides!) spent the morning relaxing in adorable navy personalized pajamas. The bride wore a Hayley Paige wedding dress with 2 different sparkly shoes (JCrew flats and Badgley Mischka heels!) and the groom wore a navy suit with the most dapper gray wool vest holding his maroon tie in place.

My favorite portion of the day was when we spent time at 3 different iconic Richmond portrait locations together with Devan, Bryce and their bridal party. The skies were a perfect cloud-filled yet bright blue and the leaves were crunching underfoot… and these two beautiful people were radiating so much joy and love the entire time!

Fun masks were ready for guests to wear at the reception since it was 3 days before Halloween… obviously and the open air reception space was full of string lights, crumbling plaster and palms overlooking the Shockoe Bottom Downtown District.

So much to love that I’m going to stop talking and just share this incredible Richmond, VA wedding day with you! I was so excited to have it featured on Hill City Bride to show off all of the planning and design that Devan did herself; not to mention, she and Bryce set aside 3 hours of portrait time for us to travel throughout the city of Richmond to iconic locations that were meaningful to them. We started at Monument Avenue, then headed to Brown’s Island Walkway and ended atop Libby Hill Park. I had never been to any of these places before and we managed to capture some of my absolute favorite portraits ever… some soft and romantic, some bold and edgy, all memorable and super sweet.

Their church, Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, gave me chills to capture; the sheer size, scale and light / shadow play that occurred during their ceremony was so beautiful. It reminded me of the churches I visited while studying abroad in Italy…

Get ready to be transported to the most unique and fun wedding venue in downtown Richmond… Havana 59, you have my heart. Although next time we’re back, here’s hoping the construction is complete so we can take epic portraits under that neon marquee sign! The construction fencing below it was strategically composed out of most of our shots… ha. ;)

We had so much fun being a part of your memorable day and can’t thank you enough for showing us how incredible Richmond is as a city and a place to fall in love! Cheers to you and your entire family!

xo,
Naomi

venue: Havana 59
ceremony: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
florist: The Proper Petal
DJ: DJ’s for Lovers
wedding dress: Blush by Hayley Paige
boutique: Annalise Bridal
bridesmaid dresses: Dessy
jewelry: Lindsay Marie Design
ring box: The Mrs. Box
groomsmen attire: The Black Tux
ties: The Tie Bar
hair and makeup: Avenue 42 Salon
desserts: Georgetown Cupcake and Pearl’s Cupcake Shoppe
invitations: Hello Tenfold
transportation: James River Limousine

stone manor b&b | virginia wedding photographer | keri + patrick

While on opposing trivia teams, Keri and Patrick met at the Ottobar, a neighborhood bar not far from where they used to live. Witty banter eventually turned into serious conversation as they spent more and more time together before, after and outside of trivia happy hours... Patrick knew how much Keri's close college friends meant to her, so he knew he wanted to involve them in his proposal. The rest of their sweet love story is summarized here, from our time during their Wyman Park engagement session!

The intimate and cozy Stone Manor B&B was absolutely perfect for a meaningful, relaxing way to celebrate with the people they love! I wish more couples would indulge in the luxury of a weekend getaway wedding (or maybe I just wish we had for our wedding!). :)

This moment where Keri's mom helped button up the back of her dress may be one of my absolute favorite; Pride. Love. Joy. Excitement... as a mom myself, I'm no stranger to the emotion-filled ride that is motherhood!

I can't get over how stunning Keri looked and how perfectly her lace illusion back Allure Bridals dress complimented the romantic, garden aesthetic of the manor's grounds! I love that she left her curly hair untouched, other than a headband. Isn't she absolutely breathtaking?!

As Keri and the girls were getting ready (in the largest bridal suite I've ever seen!), Patrick and his brother used the opportunity to make some final adjustments to his coral polka dotted pocket square and tie. #coraleverythingplease

Their first look was one of the most unique first looks I've ever captured... peeking out among a set of juliet balconies inside the manor!

Keri's dad, a retired minister, performed the ceremony and her brother walked her down the aisle... cue the happy tears!

I was definitely drooling as I was photographing the cookie dessert table... not only were they delicious, but an extremely popular Pittsburgh tradition! Who knew!?!

I couldn't get over the dancers they had in their presence!

We were so honored to capture each and every moment of your day and wish you nothing but the best as you continue to learn and discover more trivia facts about each other with each passing happy celebration. ;)

Cheers! xoxo, N

Here's a huge thank you to the fabulous vendors that worked together to bring their vision to life!

shoes: Miz Mooz

flowers: Costco

Planner / Day of Coordinator: Megan Gass, family friend

DJ: Shew-sical Entertainment

Caterer: Grandale Farms

Dress: Allure Bridals

Groom's attire: Generation Tux

Invitations: Zazzle

Cakes: Hamilton Bakery

southern blooms: a styled shoot | culpeper, va | virginia wedding photographer

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Hi friends! Hope you had a fabulous Labor Day weekend and an even better time celebrating Summer's End... Mother Nature seems to still be confused with these humid 90 degree days, but I'm excited for the start of Fall and some unique projects on the horizon!! I will be sure to keep you posted as long as you promise to come back and show the blog some love whenever you are in need of eye candy that's spicy, sweet and sentimental. ;)

First things first! I have to share, that crushed tulle is my new favorite styling element - it transports so well because it's already crushed and wrinkled. Um, genius. Can someone please make a line of clothing made out of this wondrous material? Ha, no but seriously, my wedding dress dry cleaning bill (as in the dresses I photograph weddings in... I don't actually twirl around in my old wedding dress at home, although my daughter would probably think I'm the coolest mom ever if I did!) will thank you.

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Speaking of styling tips, work with herbs as much as possible! Here I specifically used lavender (courtesy of the contents from Southern Grown Vintage's adorably sweet and unique custom welcome gift box - see below!) which smells amazing and makes a great prop for ring shots...

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The venue at Rixey Manor was incredible in so many ways, but for this styled shoot specifically, it was so bright, airy and elegant! The endlessly talented Tabitha of the Girls from Main Street, styled our stunning "southern blooms" inspired tablescape. It was stunning with linens in the most romantic and sophisticated shade of blue and floral design by Good Earth Flowers...

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Timeout... these monogrammed plates by Sasha Nicholas took everything to the next level! How special and personalized can a wedding get?! You just found your answer.

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SO many fun wedding details including paper flowers by Creations by DGB!

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Now, what's a gorgeous table if you don't have the tastiest and most beautifully presented food to eat while sitting at it?! Roadside Chive absolutely outdid themselves with this spread... I dare you not to drool.

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Since you might need a break after eating staring at all of that fresh fruit, veggie and pork tenderloin goodness, I'll let you digest before sharing images of the beautiful models at sunset along the rolling hills of the Piedmont!

Stay tuned for soft pastel sunset skies, the classiest champagne bucket you've ever seen and bridesmaid dresses you'll actually want to wear and OWN to wear over and over again because they're so classy yet fun all at the same time. Yes, they are out there! Oh, and did I mention the wedding cake? Yeah, there may have been a swing involved...

Venue: Rixey Manor

Planning + Styling: The Girls from Main Street and Lieb Photographic

Rentals: The Girls from Main Street

Linens: Main Street Linens Florals: Good Earth Flowers

Stationery + Calligraphy: Farmstead Design Studio

Cake: Cakes in Art

Wedding Gown: Fab Frocks

Hair + Makeup: Bobbypins and Blush

Catering: Roadside Chive

Custom Welcome Gift: Southern Grown Vintage

Paper Flowers: Creations by DGB

Models: Angela Moberley, Cassie Ervin, Marlynn Casillas