A fall wedding at the gaines Estate in Fayetteville, WV
This fall, I had the honor of photographing Kate and Bo’s unforgettable wedding at The Gaines Estate, one of Fayetteville, WV’s wedding venues. Listen, when I say the vibes were immaculate, I mean it. Think killer dance moves, nonstop laughter, and the kind of love that radiates out and pulls everyone into its orbit.
If you’re considering The Gaines Estate for your wedding, let me tell you right now: it’s a yes from me.
A Private, Cliff-side Elopement in Mallorca, Spain
Imagine waking up on your wedding day with the only thing on your to-do list is to
look cute
get married
have fun
That’s exactly how Kassandra and Bernie’s elopement in Mallorca went down. It was calm, peaceful, and exactly what elopement dreams are made of.
Montana wedding
Sometimes, you meet a couple so relaxed and in sync that their wedding feels more casual hang out rather than a formal event. That’s exactly who Ian and Elizabeth are. Their Montana wedding was all about Western vibes, love, and embracing the great outdoors.
A secret elopement in Ireland
When I helped C+D plan their elopement, I scoured the internet and Google Earth, asked friends of friends who live nearby, and basically just cyber stalked elopement spots within an hour’s drive of Dublin. After a lengthy google doc outline multiple location options, timelines, etc., the couple chose an abandoned castle out in County Wicklow. And after having the place basically to ourselves, I am SO glad they went this route instead of the super touristy cliffs out west.
Maternity photos but bring the ✨vibes✨
What started as a maternity photo shoot ended up being a weekend sleepover with our June 2022 couple, Josh and Kara (they had such a FUN wedding!).
If you're on the hunt for unique maternity photos, this gallery is a no-skip banger.
A courthouse microwedding in West Virginia
We captured Charlee and Zach’s microwedding (minimony?) at the courthouse in Fairmont, WV, inside the courtroom named after her late father and former judge. It was sweet, full of tears, and honestly such a privilege to be the ones to document this day.
After the courthouse cleared out, Charlee had one goal- kick her heels up and eat a croissant. So we did just that.
A fashion-forward engagement session in Morgantown, WV
Red cowboy boots + a vintage car = the best engagement photos.
An eclectic wedding in Eastern Shores, Maryland
Alaina and Kaitlyn are two of the raddest humans I’ve ever met. So easy and natural to be around, it felt like we working with old friends (I know I’ve said that before but it’s true!)
They held their 75-person wedding at the Avalon Theatre in Easton MD. While they did put a lot of thought and effort into the ambience and experience of the day, A+K moved through their wedding together in a way that was so present and happy that it felt like they weren’t worried about the “stuff”. We love working with folks who know how to move through the day with intention and making memories, rather than just posing for photos.
If you’re planning a wedding, ask yourself this question. Are you planning a wedding or planning a photoshoot? If it’s the former, here’s our best advice, inspired by Alaina and Kaitlyn:
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Relax
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Focus on each other
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Stay present
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Be yourself
An intimate wedding in Canaan Valley, WV
Olivia and Ben planned their intimate wedding in Canaan Valley, WV in less than 3 weeks. They booked an Airbnb that has private access to a section of Dolly Sods, so naturally their ceremony location was easy choice.
10/10 highly recommend just going for it and getting married however the hell you want.
A jazzed-up wedding at Gaines Estate in Fayetteville, WV
Christina is my favorite #scorpioqueen and the Gaines Estate is one of my favorite wedding venues in West Virginia. Hailing from New Orleans, but with West Virginia roots, Christina and John wanted to incorporate some jazzy traditions into their wedding day, and a 2nd line parade following the ceremony was the perfect way to do so.
The most epic and moody AF Iceland elopement
This was actually a two-part elopement back in late November. The night before the scheduled elopement, I texted the couple to check in and they replied “um Michelle, it looks like 45 mph winds, should we reschedule?” Ultimately, I left the decision up to them because I’m bold and I’ll shoot in anything. I also think the universe has a fun way of working and wild elements in Iceland was your elopement destiny, than so be it. So we met the officiant in the parking lot of a lesser-famous waterfall on the south coast of Iceland (about 2 hours from Reykjavik) and attempted what we thought would be their all-day elopement. The winds, overspray from the waterfall, and cold temps were too much for our couple who didn’t have the luxury of fleece layers, a winter coat, gloves, and a hat- so they decided to call it and try again the next day.
A wedding venue showcase at Heigh Garden in Charleston, West Virginia
If you’re on the hunt for a stylish new venue in Charleston, WV, check out Heigh Garden. I collaborated with some amazing vendors last summer and put together this venue showcase. Check out some modern inspiration below!
A private and cold elopement at Dolly Sods in October.
A quick fun story before their beautiful fall elopement gallery at Dolly Sods. When L+J made it to our neck of the woods, a wild cold front had moved in. Their elopement day called for 28 degrees and a wind chill like you wouldn’t believe. This one one of the coldest, if not THE coldest elopements we have ever worked. It was a shorter day, only 2 hours, but in those 2 hours we had to go warm up in the car three times. Our hands were numb, the wind was not kind, but man was it unforgettable.
An intimate morning elopement in Cooper's Rock, WV (with bonus hotel room elopement shoot!)
If this sweet morning elopement wasn’t enough on it’s own, check out pt. 2 of this gallery inside. After Samantha and Josh’a elopement at Cooper’s Rock, we headed to a nearby hotel room to get some fun and creative, post-elopement photos.
A modern and classic farm wedding with two grooms | Charleston, West Virginia Wedding
If you need some inspiration for your modern farm wedding, take a peek at Shaun and Ethan’s super classic wedding in Charleston, WV.
Under the Tuscan Moon- A magical destination wedding at Mastrojanni Winery in Tuscany, Italy
2022 was the year of manifestation. When we put an Italy Destination Wedding on our vision board earlier this year, deep down I knew it would happen.
Amanda and Joey reached out to us earlier this year about documenting their destination wedding at a winery in Tuscany in September. They vetted a lot of photographers and after a super vibey zoom call, they chose us as their photographer and videographer and we were beyond honored to travel to the land of pasta, wine, and architecture for a job of our lifetime.
Amanda’s eye for style and laid-back attitude was honestly the perfect combo for pulling off such an effortless and vibrant wedding day. Her Pinterest board was full of modern wedding imagery and her style leaned heavy on the film-inspired grainy look. I was happy to oblige and stretch my creativity and totally thrived with creative freedom.
An intimate elopement in Florence, Italy
If you’ve ever thought about an eloping in Italy, or specially in Florence, Italy, this gallery is the perfect source of inspiration (my humble opinion)
We started this sweet Italian elopement inspired session with some quick getting ready photos at an historic Airbnb in downtown Florence Italy. From there, we adventured downtown to grab some city shots with the famous Duomo di Firenze by Brunelleschi. We adventured our way up into the hills with the perfect city scapes at Piazza Michelangelo and ended our evening with chants of “Auguri” surrounded by strangers at sunset. It was beautiful, magical, and perfect all in the same breath.
A modern and fun destination wedding at Hartwood Acres in Pittsburgh, PA
Kara and Josh’s June wedding at Hartwood Acres was the perfect venue in Pittsburgh to bring Kara’s “upscale boho chic festival” vibes to life. A pizza truck, a coffee cart, photo booth, and festival tattoos/stickers were some party elements that definitely kept everyone entertained, happy, and living their best life for K+J’s wedding.
An adventurous hiking elopement at a waterfall in North Carolina
If you’re looking for a place to elope in North Carolina that includes a waterfall and scenic views, look no further. This adventurous elopement near Asheville, NC was a doozy and is not recommended for folks who are not used to hiking. This hiking elopement totaled over 4-miles between two locations and it was totally worth it.