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Weddings

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Welcome to the blog, a place for RECENT weddings,  inspirING portraitS, BranD SHOOTS, tips, and MORe.

hi, I'm EMILY

find me elsewhere:

hi, I'm EMILY

Dive into our wedding planning guide, covering everything from setting a budget to selecting a venue. Start your journey to your dream wedding today!

Bride looking down in her wedding dress at Dover Hall

How to Start Planning Your Dream Wedding: A Guide

Katy and Will’s wedding day unfolded like a fairy tale amidst the stunning fall foliage of Smith Mountain Lake. EmmiClaire Photography had the pleasure of capturing every magical moment, from the heartfelt ceremony to the lakeside bliss that followed. A Celebration of Love and Fall Colors In the heart of fall, Katy and Will celebrated […]

The vibrant fall colors painted the celebration, adding warmth and beauty to Katy and Will's special day.

A Timeless Love: Katy and Will’s Wedding Day

Planning a wedding can be both exciting and overwhelming, but creating a well-organized timeline will ensure that your day runs smoothly and provides ample time for capturing stunning photographs.

How to Create a Wedding Photography Timeline: A Stress-Free Guide for Couples

Caroline and Justin’s Love Story: From Coffee Dates to Forever Caroline and Justin’s love story began at Virginia Tech, where they met as swimmers on the swim team. As fate would have it, they had been swimming at the same meets for years but only crossed paths in college. Caroline started inviting Justin for coffee […]

Caroline and Justin's Intimate Couples Portrait - Radiating Love and Happiness

A Magical Winter Wedding at The Estate at River Run: Caroline & Justin’s Love Story

At EmmiClaire Photography, we have had the pleasure of capturing countless weddings over the years. However, Lynne and Trip’s wedding was one for the books.

Couple kissing after wedding on the aisle

EmmiClaire Photography’s Experience Capturing Lynne & Trip’s Wedding

Sarah and Hunter were married in an atrium wedding ceremony on a temperate summer day in Charlottesville, VA. 

The couple gaze at one another, both smiling, her hand on his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist

An Atrium Wedding in Charlottesville, VA

On a beautiful spring day and May, Juli and Tony wed in a whimsical barn wedding at Great Marsh Estate in Faugquier County, VA. Rain drizzled over the couple, but that didn’t stop them from having the time of their lives!

The bride and groom, nose to nose, gaze lovingly at one another while the bride's veil encircles them.

A Whimsical Barn Wedding at Great Marsh Estate in Fauquier County, VA

On a beautiful spring day and May, Rakeshia and Greg tied the knot in an elegant museum wedding in Richmond, VA. Rakeshia & Greg’s Love Story How they Met Rakeshia and Greg met on Match.com but quickly discovered some things they had in common. They share a love of The Lion King and Jay-Z. Most […]

A black and white photo of the bride and groom, forehead to forehead. The brides veil flows in the breeze.

An Elegant Museum Wedding in Richmond, VA

Victoria and Jacob had a fairytale CNU wedding at their alma mater in Newport News, VA. Surrounded by family and friends, the couple exchanged vows on a lovely October day at the Pope Chapel, on the very same campus where the pair met more than four years prior. A Fairytale Meeting at CNU Victoria and […]

The bride and groom share a hug beneath a portico on the campus at Christopher Newport University. The groom gently kisses the top of the bride's head.

A Fairytale CNU Wedding in Newport News, VA

With COVID still looming large and worldwide travel restrictions in place, engaged couples are still having to make big sacrifices when it comes to their wedding celebrations. For Keya and Adith, continued COVID restrictions meant that their families would not be able to travel stateside from India. The end result? Foregoing a large wedding in favor of a Charlottesville Elopement at Holy Comforter Church, followed by an intimate gathering of friends at a favorite local restaurant nearby.

A Charlottesville Elopement for Keya and Adith

Everyone has that location that lives eternally in their minds. You know the one – it’s the place that instantly transports you back in time. That’s one of the things I truly loved about capturing Hilary and Griffin’s William & Mary engagement session. They chose the location for their session because it’s where they had their first date, shared their first kiss, and fell in love.

Hilary & Griffin: A William & Mary Engagement Session

With COVID still looming overhead, any reason to celebrate is a good one. So it’s no surprise that now, more than ever, folks are choosing to hire professional photographers to capture their proposal stories. Let me tell you, friends, I’m a fan! In fact, proposals have quickly become one of my favorite events to photograph. There’s just something so thoughtful about the forethought it requires to hire a photographer to capture this momentous occasion. So when Mike contacted me about capturing his and Jordan’s proposal story, I jumped at the chance.

Mike & Jordan: A Proposal Story

We all know that couple – the ones who can’t stop smiling when they’re together. They’re the couple who walk into a room and unwittingly fill the space with laughter. Somehow when they’re together, an ordinary day running errands turns into a grand adventure. That’s what Annie and Patrick have together, and it made photographing their engagement session a delight!

Annie and Patrick’s Adventurous Engagement Session

Their eyes lock across the room. She reaches up and caresses his face. He reaches for her hand in the car. Whatever the gesture, grand or small, every once in awhile I photograph a couple and I’m immediately filled with a sense of their chemistry. That’s what it was like when I met Sweta and […]

An Engagement Session with Sweta and Pareen

One of the things that I love about weddings in this day and age is that there are so many opportunities to make them unique. And yet, it often feels like the same old trends are published online and in magazines. So when Meghan Butcher, owner of The Dirty Blond Stylist, presented me with the opportunity to photograph a spooky Halloween styled shoot, I jumped at the chance!

Til Death Do Us Part: A Halloween Styled Shoot

Recently, many couples have shifted their focus to the most important aspect of their weddings: getting married. That’s why Cheryl and Toni’s wedding is so dear to my heart – they invited me to be part of their intimate courthouse wedding. I may not be family, but it was an honor to be invited to bear witness to the most special day of their lives.

A Quaint Courthouse Wedding in Hanover, VA

Is there anything more romantic than a picnic proposal to your sweetheart? When Carsen contacted me at the beginning of August and told me about his plan to propose to his boyfriend Uly with a cozy, over the top picnic, I was thrilled. A little rain dampened our original plans, which forced us to reschedule and change locations. But I think the end result was a morning full of blue skies, delicious food, and an abundance of love.

A Cozy Picnic Proposal

You’re wedding day is quite possibly the most important day of your life. It’s no wonder that there’s so much stress leading up to the big day. If you have a million questions rolling around in your head, that stress can often intensify. If you’re not a wedding professional or photographer, odds are you have A LOT of questions about your wedding photography. Never fear, EmmiClaire Photography is here to help! Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions I receive from my wedding clients:

Wedding Photography FAQs and Answers

Wedding planning is stressful, and never more so than when you’re discussing budget. According to theknot.com, in 2020 photographers accounted for the fourth most expensive wedding vendors for an average sized wedding of 131 guests. Only venues, catering, and live music ranked above photography in terms of expense. And yet, there are few details as important as photographing the cherished moments you’ll want to remember for the rest of your life. That’s why I advise my couples to consider hiring a second shooter for their wedding day…

Two Photographers are Better than One

While I love a big party, I can’t help but feel that COVID has brought many of us back to where we belong, shifting our focus from extravagant celebrations to intimate occasions full of meaning, and most importantly, the people we love. Few weddings have reminded me of that shift more than Mackenzie and Micah’s intimate coastal cottage wedding…

An Intimate Coastal Cottage Wedding