virginia beach couples photographer
Through no fault of their own, Bryan and Joni just happened to schedule their engagement session for the coldest day of winter so far! But with Bryan leaving in a few days for his home state of California, we decided to put a big smile on and make the most of the cold and wind. It ended up being a beautiful day - the sun shone, the light was perfect, and these two got to snuggle and drink coffee together the whole time...
Strength. It's what a lot of people wish they had, but often don't when times get tough. Joy in the midst of strength is an even harder trait to come by. Over the past few months, as I've gotten to know Sheila, I have found that she possesses both of those qualities, in a very special way.
Sheila's mom deals with a lot of health-related struggles, and has for some time. We even had to postpone their engagement session once because of a few unfortunate circumstances. Yet when Wayne and Sheila showed up to their rescheduled session, they were nothing but smiles and laughter.
It was really Wayne's 'fault' that we ended up at Yorktown Beach, at sunrise, on a particularly chilly December day. Back when he proposed many months ago, he took Sheila out to that same beach and gave her a beautiful handmade box (which you'll see below). Inside was a wring and the words "Will You Marry Me?" So when it came to picking out a location for them, the choice was obvious.
Sheila exudes joy. She is bubbly and full of life. Wayne and her go together like two peas in a pod - where she is chatty, he is quiet. Where she becomes serious, he makes her laugh again. Together, their love for each other and their zest for life is evident and beautiful. I can only imagine what their big day in February will be like...
SUCH a cute way to propose!
And so we end where they began...by his truck on Yorktown Beach :)
Last weekend was one to remember! On the most gorgeous day in October I could've hoped for, ten families met me to take pictures as they supported our adoption. There were families of all ages and sizes - from a couple barely a year into marriage, to a family of six, to a whole bunch of cute dogs, the variety of people from all stages and walks of life was incredible.
I am so amazed that there was such an incredible response to our announcement, and to the mini sessions themselves! I remember right before I hit publish on my blog, wondering aloud to Nathan if ANYONE would sign up. And here I am, with 10 down and 9 more to go this weekend, blown away by the love people have shown us.
So I hope I've done justice to these families who have become a part of our story! It's hard to choose just 5 or 10 images to send, let alone one or two from the blog, but I've narrowed it down to my absolutely favorites. The only thing more exciting than this is that I'll have even more to share next week!
