I wasn’t sure what to expect with Marija + Mike’s wedding. Both the church and the reception were places I hadn’t seen and the church had mega-restrictions on what I could shoot. In fact, they would have preferred I didn’t shoot at all. But I was thrilled when I pulled up to Trinity Episcopal Church and saw what a quaint and scenic spot the couple had chosen to get married. And it turns out that Marija’s parents had also been married there. I’m a sucker for that family tradition. The church was surrounded by rock walls and rolling hills and had lots of fun archways and doorways to shoot through. And it was a complete bonus that the couple was gorgeous and very comfortable in front of the camera, it just made my job easy. From the church we headed to Stoke Farm, a private residence. To say this was just someone’s home, doesn’t do it justice. It was an amazing layout with a boxwood garden, pergola and more of those rolling hills. It turns out the place is owned by Marija’s cousin and has been in the family since the Civil War. It was just unbelievable. Mike got the party started with a Sambuca toast and the dance floor was packed from beginning to end. I don’t often give a shout out to the band but their band, the Venture Rays from Richmond, VA were terrific. I was completely surprised by their cover of  “Bad Things,” aka the theme to True Blood. The last dance of the night was “American Girl” by Tom Petty which I thought was a pretty inspired choice. In my recent post about Maura + Pat’s wedding I mentioned that I had never seen a groom being carried horizontally around the dance floor—now I’ve witnessed it being done with the bride! It reminds me a little of the Hora just without the chairs. Or maybe it’s closer to planking. In any event, Marija was a good sport and it made for some fun photos.

Church: Trinity Episcopal Church, Upperville, VA

Caterer:  Six Star Catering

Band: The Venture Rays

Florist: Country Way Flowers

Cake: Hollin Hall Pastry Shop