yorktown beach

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....

Quaint Yorktown Bridal Portraits | Yorktown Wedding Photographer | Ellen

Quaint Yorktown Bridal Portraits | Yorktown Wedding Photographer | Ellen

I first met Ellen a few months ago during a gorgeous sunset destination engagement in Northern Virginia, and I was so glad she would be traveling down to Yorktown for bridal portraits just a few months later. We skipped the beach and walked all around the quaint downtown area near Yorktown Victory Monument, even finding beautiful robin's egg blue shutters to utilize, matching perfectly with the theme of her wedding day.

I have saved these for weeks waiting for their big day to arrive and now that Alex and Ellen are married, I can finally share them! All I have to say is that if you think Ellen looks stunning in these portraits (and oh does she ever!) just WAIT until you see their wedding blog go live on Thursday. Ellen is a classically gorgeous bride, beautiful from the inside out, and I was honored to celebrate with her all the way from engagement to the wedding day...

Wayne & Sheila // Yorktown Beach Engagement Photographer

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...

Cloudy sunrise beach engagement session
Cloudy sunrise Yorktown beach engagement session
Black and white sunrise engagement session
December engagement session posing ideas
Winter engagement session in Virginia
Cute December engagement session
Posing ideas for a windy engagement session

SUCH a cute way to propose!

Cute ways to propose - a wooden box with Will You Marry Me
Cute ideas for engagement session ring picture
Ring shot ideas for beach engagements and weddings
Ring shot hanging in green trees
Beach engagement session posing ideas with a blanket
Winter beach engagement session posing ideas with a blanket
Winter beach engagement session
Beach engagement session posing ideas
Posing ideas on a bench for an engagement session
Engagement pictures on a dock by the beach
Engagement session posing ideas

And so we end where they began...by his truck on Yorktown Beach :)

Engagement poses in a truck