Smithfield Engagement Session | Smithfield Wedding Photographer | Kenny + Mackenzie

Smithfield Engagement Session | Smithfield Wedding Photographer | Kenny + Mackenzie

We rescheduled for everything from bad weather to last-minute news that he was heading to Charleston, but the day finally came for Kenny and Mackenzie's engagement session and it couldn't have been more beautiful. A thin layer of clouds provided soft light, but the sunset that came at the end lit the sky on fire.

After spending time with Kenny and Mackenzie, it is apparent to me that they have refined the art of accepting each other for who they are. It's so important in any relationship to embrace the things that make you similar and learn to love the things that are the opposite, and these two have done just that. They may have different interests and completely different jobs but their goal is the same - to love each other and build a life together...

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...

Downtown Yorktown Engagement Session | Yorktown Wedding Photographer | Jamie + Sydney

Downtown Yorktown Engagement Session | Yorktown Wedding Photographer | Jamie + Sydney

I met Sydney when I was about to graduate from college and she had just begun attending Virginia Tech. She, like all of us, wasn't sure what she would do in her education or her life. Fast forward to today, and not only is Sydney on the verge of earning her PhD., she is also engaged to the love of her life and ready to get married just a few weeks after she officially becomes a DOCTOR! It's amazing to me how time flies, and she is just another reminder of how far we have come since college.

Since they drove all the way from Blacksburg for their engagement session, we only had ONE date that worked...and that morning, when it started raining, we weren't sure what to do! Thankfully, between a cute bubble umbrella and a change in the weather as the evening wore on, we were able to have the most carefree, relaxed time together I could have imagined. These two couldn't stop hugging, kissing, and smiling as they explored historic Yorktown in front of my camera, and it truly was the perfect afternoon....