hampton engagement photographer

Fort Monroe Engagement Session | Hampton Wedding Photographer | Billy + Jenna

Fort Monroe Engagement Session | Hampton Wedding Photographer | Billy + Jenna

Long distance relationships are hard. I learned this from a grand total six months' experience after Nathan and I got engaged, and I would never wish distance on any couple. Billy and Jenna, separated by hundreds of miles (from Virginia to Michigan!) thankfully have an amazing foundation to build their lives as they look forward to their marriage. These high school sweethearts have been through years of both being together and being apart, weathering the storms of a relationship successfully.

The week we met at Fort Monroe for their sunset engagement session was not an easy one! They were dealing with a car breakdown, some other difficulties in their week, and had to leave right after our time together to drive 12 hours back home. Yet they smiled effortlessly from beginning to end, allowing me to capture the joy that has been the bedrock of their relationship thus far...

Best of Couples 2017 | Business

Best of Couples 2017 | Business

I always tell couples that one of the best ways to have the best wedding day portraits possible is by booking an engagement session ahead of time. This allows me to get to know the couple as they are together, relaxed, with no timelines or stress involves. It also gives them practice, since most people (myself included!) aren't used to having professional pictures taken. On top of that, while pictures in a white fluffy dress are completely necessary and absolutely beautiful, I love that engagement sessions give couples portraits of how they really look and act on a daily basis, pictures that will allow them to celebrate such a special time for years to come.

This year's engagement and couples portraits have taken me all over Hampton Roads and beyond. I spent a LOT of time in Colonial Williamsburg and Fort Monroe, with visits to Virginia Beach, Alexandria, and Richmond on top of that. Each picture with a corresponding blog post is linked so if you want to see more from a particular session, click away!

In the meantime, enjoy the love and laughter from couples who are on the verge of being married or are just celebrating life together. Here's to a joy-filled 2017...I can't wait for what next year holds!

Fall Fort Monroe Engagement Session | Hampton Wedding Photographer | Josiah + Megan

Fall Fort Monroe Engagement Session | Hampton Wedding Photographer | Josiah + Megan

I remember many years ago when Megan first met Josiah - and the reason I remember it so clearly is because she is my little sister and I had the privilege of seeing their relationship unfold from the very beginning. She came home from a music practice one day talking all about this extremely good-looking guy she had met, and how badly she wanted to get to know him. After a little longer of being too scared to say anything, she eventually bit the bullet and decided she would jump in with both feet. It's safe to say they're both very thankful she did :)

After several years of dating, all of us knew it was only a matter of time before we were planning their wedding, but trying to guess when Josiah would propose was driving us all crazy (in a good way)! Finally, on a trip to Niagara Falls, he played a song he wrote for her and pulled out the ring. I'll never forget the call I got when Megan, through a massive amount of tears, told me on the other end of the phone that she was ENGAGED!

And now here we were, on a beautiful fall day at Fort Monroe in Hampton, taking their engagement pictures. It felt like a dream to be able to capture this moment in their lives that was such a long time coming, through years of a long-distance friendship that slowly grew into so much more. I could talk on and on but I have to let the gorgeous sunset and their sweet smiles speak for themselves.......