I absolutely loved being a part of Joe and Emy’s celebration and as I watched the day unfold, I was reminded of just how incredible it is to be a part of a wedding. I was beside Emy for every single part of her wedding day and as a sister and a photographer, there is nothing more special. I’ve seen a lot of weddings…. and so I couldn’t help but want the best of EVERYTHING for my little sister! I wanted her to have a beautiful, private first look that she would remember for a lifetime… I wanted her to feel beautiful in her dress and love her hair and makeup… I wanted them to have a ton of fun portrait locations… I wanted their timeline to be stress-free…. I wanted their love for one another to be captured genuinely… I wanted them to have a perfect ceremony that was filled with worship and praise… lastly, I just wanted them to have the day of their dreams…. and I’m not the bride but judging by how the day went, I’d say they experienced all of those things! It was perfect.. from beginning to end! I have SO many amazing people to thank for all of their hard work and that’s going to be a whole blog post in and of itself! We had such a dream team of vendors and helpers and we can’t thank them enough.

Joe and Emy, I’m kinda at a loss for words right now… (which is very odd for me:). There is so much that I could say in this post to you. As I went through these images and the images coming in Part 2, I found myself randomly tearing up because I’m just so thankful. God has been so incredibly faithful in so many ways. I was thankful for overcast skies and beautiful white balance… and I was thankful for an amazing venue and the sweetest friends that hosted my family on this special occasion… but most of all, I was thankful that my baby sister had found the love of her life… the perfect match. I always prayed for the guy that she would marry as we grew up. I wanted him to love the CRAZY, loud, hilarious Emy and to also love and respect the nurturing, wise, servant-hearted Emy. I wanted him to make her the best version of herself and to push her towards Christ. I also wanted him to be able to make her laugh but to be able to have deep, life-giving conversations with her…… my list was intense! …. And yet Joe fulfills all of those qualities.  It’s just icing on the cake that he has an incredible smile and an amazing family! :)

I mentioned in my toast to the newlyweds that I have always thought that our family was pretty awesome… but last Friday we stepped it up a notch when Joe became a part of it. Joe we are so excited to have you in our family!! You are an answered prayer and such a gift to us. Thank you for loving Emy the way you do. We couldn’t be happier for you guys!!!!

So now that I’ve rambled and rambled… I should probably let you all see the first half of this amazing day!! For those that have asked, I will be doing a post later on about how I managed shooting, singing and being MOH on the wedding day. I’ll also be posting about all of the amazing vendors who went above and beyond to make this shindig a huge success!!

For now, enjoy the first half of Joe and Emily’s wedding day!!! And I just have to say this… I honestly can’t remember who took each image but I just HAVE to thank Jill, Annamarie and Michael for tag-teaming the day with me. I’m just blown away by these images and I’m so thankful for all of your help!!!

I may or may not have bought these shoes for Emy just because I knew they would be beautiful in detail pictures:) Amanda from Anthomanic blew us away…. in SO many ways! You just wait!! This was my great aunt Margie’s brooch. I used one on my bouquet when I got married too! She was like our grandma on my dad’s side so it was special to have a piece of her legacy with us as we walked down the aisle! Some bridesmaids details…Joe and Emy let me design their invitations… and basically their whole wedding in general:) And I loved it!
I’m still in awe of her bouquet! What a masterpiece!!!
Joe’s aunt monogrammed all of our robes!!! So awesome!  Big Spring Farm.… oh how we love you. Morning shenanigans….
The girls! Love this… so thankful Michael was there to photograph Joe getting ready! Love this:)
I think Jill took this… and I’m obsessed with it. Ohhh Emy you’re so beautiful!!! Love this… She read her letter from Joe out loud and that’s when the tears started…  And then Daddy walked in… and there were more tears… A lot more…. We have the most amazing parents…. loved these sweet moments.Their first look…. there are just no words.
Michael and I captured the first look together… and I’m so thankful for his angle of Emy:) Emy, you had to have felt like the most beautiful girl in the world during these moments….
And then they had a chance to pray together… AHHH!!! Love this from Michael’s angle! These make me so HAPPY!! I just kept thinking to myself “Oh my gosh, this is my SISTER!! I’m shooting HER wedding pictures!”… so surreal! Seriously?! A little too much “fake laugh” Katelyn… Jill thank you for these!!!! BFF’s…
Love you Emy!!!! Love this!LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!
That is one good looking couple!!! Part two is coming tomorrow… here’s a sneak peek of what you get to look forward to!!!!!!!

HUGE thanks to the following vendors!! More about the planning process to come! :

DJ | Richard Greene Entertainment

Photographers | Michael, Katelyn, Jill & Annamarie

Videography | Jeremy Mitchell Cinema

Hair and Makeup | FBJ Studios

Coordination | Anna Burke Events

Rentals | Gibson Rentals

Catering | Chef’s Catering

Cake and Cupcakes | Sister Sweets

Venue | Big Spring Farm, Lexington Virginia

Floral Design | Amanda Veronee of Anthomanic

Vintage Rentals | Paisley and Jade

Dress | Bella Rose Richmond, Shout out to Camberley!!:)

Shoes | Jcrew

Bridesmaids Dresses | Adrianne Papell from Nordstroms

Groomsmen | Men’s Wearhouse

Bridesmaid’s Shoe’s | Target (Clips from Esty)