Erica and Bryan's DC Engagement Session | Virginia Portrait Photographer

I'm so excited to finally reveal the wonderful couple and amazing engagement story that won my holiday engagement contest! If you missed the announcement, you can find more on that here.

I had a great time reveling in the wonderful spring weather downtown yesterday with Erica and Bryan. Although we were a bit too early to catch the Cherry trees in their full-on glory, we soaked up some sun on the National Mall and watched a beautiful sunset from the Lincoln Memorial. I absolutely loved my time with these guys. They were so relaxed and natural in front of the camera, goofy with each other, and so obviously in love! It was such a pleasure to finally meet the adorable couple from the story below, and I wish them all the best in their future life as Mr. and Mrs. Castleberry!

And so without further ado...here is their adorable story, as told by Erica!

My fiance Bryan and I have had a whirlwind romance. We met through a mutual friend when I lived in Destin, FL. He's originally from that area but moved here to NOVA for work. I am originally from Wisconsin, born and raised and thats where all of my family currently resides. 

I desperately wanted my kids first Christmas to be a big one, one that I remember from when I was a kid. So we hauled the babies and my fiance's two kids from a previous relationship (yes we are the brady bunch lol) from Alexandria to Wisconsin. On Christmas Eve, after all the kids went to bed (our 4 plus my niece and nephew) we all had to finish wrapping presents. Needless to say I was a little annoyed because my brother and fiance kept going outside and here my sister in law and I were stuck wrapping presents.

Finally, my fiance called me outside and I got a little snappy because I was tired and crabby and just wanted all that darn wrapping done. He told me to get my coat on and come look at this weird tree stump thing. I was completely clueless, and gave him "the look" lol.

The night before it snowed just enough to cover the grass. It melted a little throughout the day. Bryan lead me outside and said look. Looking.. looking.. and finally I see written in the snow "Will you be Mrs. Castleberry" and I turn around and he's on one knee with a flashlight on the box with my engagement ring in it!

I start to cry and ask if it's a prank. He laughed a little and I went to him said "YES" really loud and gave him a big hug and kiss. Definitely a moment I will always remember. :)

Wedding Wednesday: Let's Get Trendy | Virginia Wedding Photographer

The height of wedding planning season is upon us, and many of you are in the throes of planning your summer or fall weddings. In an effort to help y'all find that "something" to make your wedding really special and unique, I thought I would center today's post around the trends shaping up for 2013 weddings, from attire to decor to atmosphere!

Elegance & The Roaring Twenties

In 2012 we saw an abundance of vintage lace dresses and pretty, ornate details -- and I don't think this is going away in 2013. An emerging trend for 2013 is a throwback to the "Roaring Twenties", where romantic lace, delicate beading, and and soft colors dominated. The popularity of shows like Downton Abbey (the beautiful dresses of the Crawley ladies!) and upcoming movies like The Great Gatsby will only further highlight the elegant, gilded atmosphere of this time period. Look for even more throwback details this year, like beaded headbands, delicate veils, or crystal elements around the room to showcase this particular vintage trend.

Small Scale and Intimate

A few years ago, weddings were huge and quite extravagant -- an excuse to invite practically everyone you knew to your big day and party with you. I'm not saying they're not huge or extravagant now (there will always be someone who knows a lot of people!), but I do think that there is a trend towards smaller, more intimate gatherings over huge ballroom affairs.

As I pointed out above, though, smaller and more intimate does not mean skimping on everything. If anything, rich fabrics, opulent details, and elegant atmospheres are staging a comeback! It rather seems that couples are looking for ways to make their day more special, and as a result, are opting to invite only close friends and family who will truly cherish participating in the event.

Carefully Handmade

In the past few years, the biggest trend around has been DIY, and websites like Pinterest only continue to add fuel to that fire! Couples often want something that truly showcases their personality at their wedding - which often requires putting your artsy hat on and making it yourself.

Now, I know when you hear "DIY" or "handmade" your mind associates "budget" and "crafty"...but let me tell you: DIY and handmade can be beautiful! The key to making DIY look great is all in the details, and the care and time put into making it (hence my "carefully handmade" section title above, with emphasis on the "carefully").

In the past few months, I have seen the trend move from "do-it-yourself-to-save-some-money" to "do-it-yourself-to-make-a-lasting-family-keepsake". Couples are putting their own spin on everything, from incorporating custom artwork into their invitations to creating beautiful centerpieces that later become keepsakes in their home.

Fun and Quirky

At this point, I should just have a whole new category labeled "unique"! But in all seriousness, couples in 2013 are looking for personal touches to add to their celebrations that differentiate their day - and that entertain their guests! This fun and quirky element also goes somewhat hand in hand with the carefully handmade trend I just mentioned.

For quite some time now, weddings have been drifting far from the more serious, black tie affairs of old towards fun parties with lots of quirky elements. Things like photo booths with mustache props, latenight munchies and milkshake buffet bars, bridal parties wearing personalized Chucks, and scavenger hunt table cards are popping up everywhere!

Liam's Newborn Session | Virginia Portrait Photographer

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend and the Monday Blues aren't getting you too down. But if they are... here's a yummy newborn session that will cheer you right up!

I had the pleasure of photographing my friend's perfect new little guy, Liam, a few week ago. He is such an adorably small person with the best button nose! I had so much fun with him, though the session was a little stressful for him at the end (I think all the fun stuff just wore him out). His mom had the cutest little hats for Liam to wear, made by a friend of hers just for Liam. I especially loved the little elephant hat. Liam's nursery theme is elephants, and the hat just fits right in! Here's a little peek into our day together:

Wedding Wednesday: It's All In (Capturing) The Details | Virginia Wedding Photographer

If big-picture ideas and overarching themes are two great cake flavors, the details are the frosting that glues them together. As a bride you've spent hours poring over ALL the details, from color schemes to flower arrangements to cake flavors to seating card displays. You've invested months of your precious free time into making each and every detail of your wedding picture-perfect, and while some guests may not notice all of these details, your photographer definitely will! We know how hard you worked making 400 of those tiny and oh-so-cute toothpick drink flags, or painstakingly inscribing that heartfelt thank-you note on each and every guest's favor, and it's our job to capture these details for your eternal memory.

Details! They take a lot of planning, and we're here to help capture them beautifully.

Yet photographers are human, too. In the hustle and bustle of the big day, we won't always capture EVERY detail - no matter how hard we try, that's just how it is.

But this is where you can step in to save your own day! There are other ways to make sure the wonderful details of your wedding are preserved by you and your guests (in addition to the details we manage to snag as photographers). And the beauty of multiple methods is multiple perspectives. You'll get 100 versions of your day to remember, not just two or three!

Photo Booth 
A photo booth is a great way to capture the funny, silly, and quirky sides of your guests! With fun props, photo booths can instantly set a "party" atmosphere during your cocktail hour or reception. Another plus with renting a photo booth is that your guests can have memories from your night as well! Consider using a photo booth to create favors from the night for your guests, and save a copy of the images for an fun-filled guest book.

Check with your photographer if you're interested in a photo booth - most provide some version of one these days, although what they offer varies by photographer. If your photographer doesn't offer a photo booth, renting one is also easy-peasy!

Disposable Cameras
Disposable cameras are a classic wedding staple. They're fun for your guests - and fun for you! You can even customize them with your names, wedding date, and colors to coordinate with the rest of your wedding decor. While you won't get top-notch images from the cameras you set at each table, you'll get boatloads of memories and a little something from each of your guest's perspectives. You can order customizable disposable cameras through sites like The Knot and Etsy.

Smartphone Apps
Let's get real, y'all; it's the 21st century. Everyone and their grandmother has a smartphone, which means all of your guests (including your grandmother) already have a camera. Your guests are snapping images left and right with the camera in their phone and blissfully instagramming the night away. Instead of giving them another camera to worry about, why not make it easier for them to share the photos they're already taking at your wedding?

The best smartphone app I've seen for just this purpose is called Wedding Party. It's a nifty app that lets you create a private and collaborative album for you wedding, where your guests can upload their mobile images throughout the wedding. All you need to do is create the album and give your guests instructions to download the app (it's free!). The best part about this is that everyone has access to view and contribute to the album when they download the app, so you get hundreds of the candid and fun images to remember - and so do your guests!