Holland Photo Arts Blog – Charlottesville Wedding Photographers

We’re happy to celebrate the one-year anniversary of our good friends Angela and Webster, who celebrated their wedding at beautiful Veritas Vineyards one year ago today. We recently asked them to share with us some of their favorite images from the day, and this is what they told us:

Angela: This is such a cool picture of Web.  I love how calm, happy and peaceful he was the whole day.  There wasn’t one picture of him looking apprehensive before the wedding which is nice

Webster: I love this picture for a number of reasons…first is how beautiful and happy Angela looks.  But it also shows Angela’s dad seeing her in her gown for the first time.  Richie is often a man of few words, but I feel like his face says so much in this picture.  It also makes me hope I will get to have a moment like that in my future.

Angela: I loved the colors and flowers throughout our wedding and reception and always liked the way this picture featured that with us in the background.  Every time I see these shades of red and purple it takes me back to all these wonderful memories.

Joint: This is most people’s favorite pic.  It is fun because it shows us seeing the beautiful reception room for the first time and our anticipation to being announced for the first time as a married couple.

Joint: We think this is a beautiful and classic picture.  It reminds us of how much fun we had both that night and practicing for the dance during the stressful wedding planning.  It always got us in a great mood in the evenings leading up to the wedding.

Webster: I love this picture because it really captures my dad better than anything I’ve ever seen. Anyone who knows my dad, as soon as they see this picture they just get it.

Hi everyone–I know it’s hard to believe we’re even thinking of the holidays when it’s August and 95 degrees outside, except perhaps we’re thinking of snow right about now to keep us cool. But we’d like to let you know that, if you haven’t already selected your favorite images for your album, now is the time. You can use your online gallery and select as many images as you would like to see, add them to your Favorites list, and send that list on to us. We’ll take care of it from there and will follow up with you for additional details.

The deadline for getting your picks to us in time for a likely Christmas delivery is Thursday, September 10, so please don’t delay. We look forward to seeing your favorite images from your wedding!

Our story continues from Part 1, which has a host of fun activities leading up to the wedding day…

While the bridesmaids were finishing getting ready up in Candice’s tower suite, Ryan and the groomsmen met downstairs in the library to retrieve their boutonnieres and take in a quick game of chess or checkers before heading over to the church to begin escorting guests to their seats. Seating in the church was the epitome of efficiency in order to ensure everyone was able to witness the ceremony inside. Their parents and grandparents were seated up on the altar area, which was an unique alternative to having them in the front row of pews. Talk about a bird’s eye view! As predicted, Ryan’s brother’s solo was well received and their guests were enthralled with his performance during the ceremony, which included traditional readings by family members and officiated by their family pastor from out of state.

The weather turned a bit darker during the ceremony and just after their buoyant recessional the skies opened up and rain fell for a while, cooling things down but also keeping us inside for portraits. We wrapped up with the two of them as cocktail hour was winding down. All of their guests were applauding enthusiastically for their announcement into the beautiful Crystal ballroom that evening for their first dance, with music setting the tone by The Voltage Brothers (more about them later). As dinner in the
Empire Room wrapped up, several family members offered up touching toasts, but perhaps the most poignant was Ryan’s brother’s toast, whose address left many guests in tears and created some incredible emotional moments for us to capture. We loved witnessing all of this and hearing all of the heartfelt words and sage advice offered by their family members. Immediately afterwards, all the guests migrated back to the Crystal ballroom for Candice’s emotional dance with her father and Ryan’s with his mother. At that point, the band really got the party going and kept up the energy until nearly 1 a.m., with getting out on the dance floor to groove with the dancers and putting out some great sounds. They were wonderful and we really enjoyed hearing them and capturing all the great dance moves from their friends and family. The night seemed to have ended too quickly, but everyone left happy and delighted for the couple. We saw them again at brunch the next morning as they prepared to leave for their tropical honeymoon. Candice and Ryan, we are grateful to have been a part of your celebration! Congratulations, and thank you for including us and having us capture so many great moments for you.

And of course, some incredible details from the wedding day:

Wow, what a weekend! Our last wedding before a brief summer break was for the delightful and fun-loving Candice and Ryan, who celebrated their wedding with several events spread over an entire weekend down at the relaxing Homestead resort. The pair were interested in having coverage of all of their events, ranging from sporting clays at the shooting club to golf to a monogrammed bridal shower, including of course the rehearsal dinner for all the wedding guests, and certainly the big day and its resulting celebration. We shot so much and were able to capture so many stories of this couple and so many of their friends and family members. Things started out at the gun club Friday afternoon, with the group splitting into those looking for skeet shooting in the woods or on the mountaintop overlooking the Shenandoah valley. Later that afternoon, the bridal party descended on the quaint and historic St. Luke’s church in downtown Hot Springs for their rehearsal. Ryan’s brother was doing a solo of Ave Maria the next day and wowed those in attendance with a sneak peek of sorts to what they would hear. Truly beautiful. Afterwards they walked across the street to the foyer outside the grand ballroom for cocktails and a delicious buffet dinner for all guests. The room was festively decorated with pinks and oranges and yellows, colorful paper lanterns and were a sneak peek to the next day’s decor. Candice’s parents unwrapped a gift of a hand-painted silk screening of the two of them on vacation, which was a huge hit with the couple. They had also put together a slideshow of images taken from their early childhood through college and their courtship, which was followed by regaling the guests with some amusing and some poignant stories told by members of their wedding party.

The next morning Bill headed out to the Upper Cascades course, among the most beautiful golf courses in Virginia, to capture Ryan and his foursome through several holes of golf while Anne joined several of the young women who’ve known Candice for years for a monogram bridal shower. Everyone took time for a leisurely lunch out on the Casino lawn early in the afternoon before we all met up again to start coverage for their wedding celebration. That part of our story continues in a short while…check back in later this afternoon!

Here are a few shots from the gun club on Friday afternoon:

Ryan ejects his shells (and a good bit of gunsmoke) from his shotgun after very nearly nailing one of the clays.

Candice takes her shot at a skeet in flight. It didn’t stay airborne for long.

We had a beautiful afternoon for the rehearsal and dinner following.

Saturday morning we had a cool foggy morning for a round of golf for the guys and an intimate monogram bridal shower for Candice.

Concurrently, Candice was enjoying time with her friends and some creative and thoughtful gifts.

Watch this space later this afternoon for part 2!

We’re delighted to share in the celebration of Isabelle and Jeff, who held an intimate ceremony for just their immediate family members, including their three adorable kids, at the casually elegant Clifton Inn just recently. They had contacted us just weeks prior with ideas for their plans and, given that it was so intimate with only twelve people in attendance, I covered the event by myself. We started out around the grounds of the inn doing some portraits to take full advantage of the natural beauty around us, but didn’t spend too much time outdoors because it was, well, still August in Virginia. Their family members were excited to see the two of them, and they worked with our good friend Rev. Claire Goodman to create a ceremony special to them that also included notes on inclusion with their children.

Each of the kids were so happy, as were their parents and siblings, as they hugged and kissed each after the ceremony before heading into the dining room to enjoy some cocktails and catch up with each other. The musical trio entertained them all and, apparently tired of merely standing, spontaneous dance broke out for a few songs. They later returned to the tea room to enjoy a fabulous dinner together put together by Dean and the rest of the Clifton culinary team. They even had them create a petite wedding cake to savor after finishing their meal. It was a nice, relaxed afternoon and a great way to spend a day celebrating with newfound friends. Thank you, Isabelle and Jeff, for including me in your celebration and I’m delighted to have been able to document it for you!

Isabelle’s son was, at first, a bit shy, but he warmed up to me. I love this shot of him, though.

Everyone enjoyed a relaxed seat on the perimeter of the tea room during the ceremony.

The bouquet of roses put together by the wonderful Pat’s Floral Designs were, as you can imagine, were incredibly aromatic.

Because it was a bit warm, Isabelle employed alternate means to transfer her engagement ring back to her left hand after the ceremony.