Shanna + Johns Garden Party Wedding - Avonlea Farms, Virginia
It was rainy, as much of 2024 has been, when I pulled into Avonlea Farms on Shanna + Johns wedding day. I was a little nervous, as it was an outdoor wedding and I wanted to make sure that not only was their ceremony everything they had dreamed of, but also their wedding photos.
I make my way up to the main house and into the bridal suite where Shanna is getting her make up done by Kiley . As always, there’s a little bit of excitement in the air as everyone is getting ready. Shanna has all of her details ready for me to document, so I start there while she continues to get ready. Once she is in her dress, all of her bridesmaids gather around her in awe and taking photos.
Meanwhile, Shanna’s dad was waiting patiently downstairs on the back porch, excited to see his daughter for the first time in her wedding dress. We make our way downstairs and she gently taps him on the shoulder. I always love first looks, especially with dads. I give Shanna and her dad a few minutes, and head over to the grooms cottage to get John ready for HIS first look with his bride.
Avonlea Farms has a super charming treelined walk up to the wedding tree that makes the perfect space for the first look. As with her dad, Shanna taps John on the shoulder from behind, signaling him to turn around. It’s always so fun to get a an up close seat to these moments, while couples marvel over eachother and take in every detail.
The rest of the wedding party joined us as we knocked out most of the bridal party photos before the ceremony. One of the biggest the perks of a first look (outside of a private moment to see eachother for the first time) is giving yourself time to enjoy cocktail hour since you can do all of your bridal party shots before the ceremony.
The ceremony was beautiful. The wedding tree was draped in varying blue sashes and there was every color flower you could imaging lining the aisle. Shanna and John had a friend play music while they walked down the aisle. Cocktail hour was equally as beautiful, set as the perfect spring backdrop for an April wedding. It felt like something out of a movie or magazine spread. Shanna’s mom had done all of the flower arrangements and honestly I could not get enough of them.
As the evening went on, we moved into the greenhouse for the reception. Folks played yard games, danced, and we had some beautiful heartfelt speeches.
