Norfolk Botanical Gardens Engagement Session | Norfolk Wedding Photographer | Trey + Shannon

Norfolk Botanical Gardens Engagement Session | Norfolk Wedding Photographer | Trey + Shannon

If black and white is wrong, then I don't want to be right. Trey and Shannon's engagement session was so beautiful and so sweet and intimate that even with the gorgeous Norfolk Botanical Gardens as a backdrop, letting the emotions speak for themselves was my goal through and through. We met on an afternoon that threatened rain but failed to deliver, encouraging visitors out of the gardens so we could have the whole place to ourselves.

Trey is leaving just a few days after their wedding this September for a deployment, so he dressed in his uniform to give Shannon a way to remember him during the long months ahead. He claimed to feel awkward in front of the camera but as soon as his future bride was in his arms, all nerves melted away and he focused just on what - and who - was right in front of him. A day that started as cloudy and stormy turned into the most joy-filled engagement session I have photographed in quite some time...

Monument Avenue Engagement Session | Richmond Wedding Photographer | Josh + Kayla

Monument Avenue Engagement Session | Richmond Wedding Photographer | Josh + Kayla

Josh and Kayla are amazing because more than anyone I know they are true to themselves - no matter how crazy or awkward or hilarious they may be. They bonded over their mutual love for cats, developed a shared favorite hockey team in the Pittsburg Penguins, and grew closer each day since. When we spent the evening going all over Richmond in the hunt for murals, ending at the beautiful Monument Avenue, I couldn't help but wish over and again that I could record what they were saying to make each other laugh - because Nathan and I could not stop cracking up, either!

The part I loved most as we spent time together, though, was seeing the little in-between moments the two shared. They may have joked about pretending to like each other or made goofy faces to lighten the moment, but underneath all the laughter and fun it was so obvious that Josh and Kayla are made for each other. She is chatty and ridiculous, and he is steady and caring. And as parents to three cats (with more to come I'm sure) with many years behind them, they know what commitment looks and live it out each day...

Sunrise Williamsburg Engagement Session | Williamsburg Wedding Photographer | Michael + Jessica

Sunrise Williamsburg Engagement Session | Williamsburg Wedding Photographer | Michael + Jessica

It's crazy to type this, but Michael and I have known each other since before either of us was dating anyone! We met at Virginia Tech and have been friends for years, through ups and downs and now stepping into marriage. He and Jessica met at the Tang Soo Do program there, but it wasn't until after I graduated that they became more than friends. But even though I hadn't met her in person until their engagement session, I already feel like I have known her just as long as her other half.

These two have been each other's rock through the past few years - from graduation to job changes to moving away from Virginia, the one thing they have had in common throughout this time has been their growing relationship. We celebrated their love on a beautiful day at sunrise in Williamsburg, from the colonial area to the Crim Dell Bridge at William and Mary's campus. And waking up in time for the sun to peek over the buildings and trees was worth every minute of sleep lost.

With their wedding just one short month away and the promise of forever on the horizon, these two hold a special place in my heart...and just wait until you see that sunrise!