Hermitage Gardens Engagement Session | Norfolk Wedding Photographer | Jon + Margaret

Hermitage Gardens Engagement Session | Norfolk Wedding Photographer | Jon + Margaret

We met on a sunny October afternoon at the gorgeous Hermitage Museum and Gardens in Norfolk - a place I've been dying to visit since I first saw that amazing ivy wall! Incredible architecture, vines, and sunny golden light behind giant trees is everywhere you look, and the minute they saw the area Jon and Margaret fell in love.

At the beginning of engagement sessions, I always do my best to put the couple at ease. It's not a natural thing for most people (myself included!) to be in front of a camera. For Jon and Margaret, they fell in stride as soon as they got to hold each other close. With major life events like buying a home behind them in their 7 years together and the future to look forward to, these sweethearts couldn't be more excited for their Roanoke wedding in May. And their excitement couldn't have been more obvious...

Manhattan Engagement Session | New York City Photographer | Matt + Kara

Manhattan Engagement Session | New York City Photographer | Matt + Kara

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I first met Kara eight years ago. We became friends our freshman year at Virginia Tech in a little group of 4 girls who chose to make ridiculous crafts on Friday nights and stay up way too late laughing at absolutely nothing. She knew me before I met Nathan, and I knew her before she met Matt, her soon-to-be husband. In fact, when I visited New York City (click here to see that post!) last week, it was the first time I met him or had seen her in years!

When Kara saw that I was coming to the Big Apple she sent me a message asking for a coffee date...and it soon snowballed into an engagement session in the place she now calls home. Even though we woke up to a rainy day we made it work, stopping at everywhere from the New York Public Library to Rockefeller Center and ending inside Grand Central Station with people everywhere. This was the iconic New York City engagement session - crowded streets, rain coming down, wind everywhere, and a couple truly and deeply in love...

Regent University Red Dress Engagement | Virginia Beach Wedding Photographer | Chase + Courtney

Regent University Red Dress Engagement | Virginia Beach Wedding Photographer | Chase + Courtney

When the bride-to-be pulls up in the most stunning red dress you've ever seen, you KNOW their engagement session is going to be amazing! Courtney was absolutely stunning from the first smile to the last kiss, but more than her professional hair and makeup or the gorgeous outfits she chose, what stood out most is the strength of her love for Chase. It has spanned through the miles (they have had a long distance relationship the entire time) and continues to sustain them through the last few months they will spend apart.

The biggest thing that stood out to me during their engagement session was the giddy joy that overflowed in each moment. I love it when a couple steals kisses in between pictures, nuzzles noses together, and is thrilled just to spend time with each other. While long distance is not something I would wish on any couple, Chase and Courtney have learned how to make the most of each moment together, and their session was simply a culmination of the love they have built through the years...