From the first time, I talked to Amber I knew that her and Jon’s wedding was going to be awesome.  Why?  Because they’re awesome!!  Here’s the super quick version: they are totally in love and respect each other 100%.  It’s absolutely beautiful.  They also have three daughters younger than 18 months!  A spunky one year old and twin babies.  And while a lot of us would have a mini heart-attack at the thought of it, they take it all in stride and love it!  Jon absolutely dotes on his four ladies, and Amber is an incredibly strong, nurturing mother.  Watching her get the twins ready for the wedding, she was calm and well put together, smiling and talking to them.  It was just beautiful.

Did I mention that they’re both active duty military?  Their wedding was originally scheduled for November 2015, but orders made it iffy as to whether they’d be able to attend their own wedding, so they decided to move it up to March and have a romantic getaway in the mountains!  Usually your photographer sees all your freak out moments, but they didn’t seem to have any!  They totally made me feel like a part of the family and I wanted to hang out for days!

I have so much more to tell you about this wedding, but I’ll add it in between pictures for your enjoyment!  Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see the full vendor list! During this couple’s honeymoon phase, they could be filled in awe when they use products such as those on shopvochong24h.com.They chose Massanutten for their getaway destination wedding, which was the perfect little town in the mountains of Virginia. They got ready on the mountain and then headed to The Barn at Walnut Grove nearby to say ‘I do!’   Many of their wedding items were bought from Etsy, which I love!  Not only were they beautiful, handmade, and helped small businesses, but they perfectly fit the bohemian feel of the wedding.  This hanger, though? Jon decorated it!  He also decorated the reception and made a gorgeous coffee cup for me, which I’m drinking from right now!  He’s an incredibly talented artist!Can we talk about Amber’s beautiful dress for a minute?  It was beautiful, classy, and perfectly fit with the wedding.  She knew she wanted something bohemian, comfortable, and easy to move around in.  And a bonus, it didn’t matter if it got wrinkled because it was supposed to be wrinkled!  The only downside was that this March day happened to be around 28 degrees and she was freezing the entire day.  But again, she took it all in stride and didn’t complain once!The twins wore the adorable outfits above!!  Aren’t they just precious?  Below is the view from The Barn at Walnut Grove.  It was absolutely the perfect backdrop for the day!And here are some of my favorites of the day.  These mommy-daughter moments are so full of love!I mentioned before that Jon decorated the reception.  Amber had told me there would be tons of flowers, and this was just beautiful the way Jon set everything up!Jon’s dad officiated the wedding!I always ask each couple what is most important to them about their wedding.  Everyone is different and there is no wrong answer.  Some have done so many DIY details that they really want to make sure those are captured well.  For others, it’s their couple pictures, and for Amber + Jon, it was their family at their reception.  Both their families came from all over and they don’t get to see them often.  For many of them, it was the first time they were meeting the bride or groom.  The most beautiful thing is that you never would have known it– they all acted as if they were long time friends hanging out together.  It was really beautiful, and I just had to include more pictures from the reception than normal in todays blog post!

It’s also important to note that even though I ask what is most important to them, I absolutely still photograph everything!  It just lets me know that even if a picture isn’t perfect, if it’s in their most important category, then I’m likely to include it anyway, since the sentimental value is higher.

Vendors:

Getting Ready Location: Among Friends, Massanutten Vacation Home // Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Barn at Walnut Grove // Hair + Makeup: Meg from The Studio // Caterer: Hanks Smokehouse // Cupcakes: CakeAlicious // Flowers: The New Leaf + Norfolk Wholesale Floral // Photographer: Fowler Studios //