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As I start to prep for all my amazing 2018 weddings, I have been spending some time going through weddings I haven’t had the chance to get up on the blog yet (yes, I elected to take a break from social media and am slowly getting back to it). Alex and Blair had the most gorgeous October wedding in Virginia Beach at the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club. I always enjoy traveling back to the beach. So much has changed since I grew up there and it offers a great opportunity to see my sister and best friends who all still live there.

When I first connected with Alex and Blair for their engagement session (see it here!), I knew their wedding was going to be something special and I couldn’t wait for their big day. Although they both grew up on the East Coast, they relationship started out on the West Coast. When I got to the Hilton where they were getting ready, Alex was so calm and absolutely elated for her day. Blair surprised her with flowers delivered to her suite and when I took her gorgeous Pronivas dress out of the garment bag, my jaw dropped, it was so perfect. I loved spending the day with their family and friends and I got to learn even more about them. Alex’s mom had even made a hand stitched hanky with their names on it. So much thought was put into every aspect of the day.

It was a perfect day from beginning to end. We were able to curate the perfect timeline for the day and it flowed effortlessly. Moving into reception the fun really took off and it was so much fun to watch everyone having such a fabulous time. The feeling was so romantic, intimate and warm. Bounds of greens and florals by Isha Foss Designs were the perfect touch. a beautiful cake by Incredible Edibles and amazing lighting from Blue Steel really took it to another level. I am so excited for everything ahead of them.

Alex and Blair, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful wedding. It is one I will remember forever.

 

An East Coast West Coast Love Story

If you are recently engaged and planning a Virginia wedding contact me for more information on wedding photography and open dates for 2018 and 2019. I love meeting new couples and getting to know your story so we can create beautiful, authentic images of YOU!

Elizabeth Seidel, Virginia wedding photographer,  located in Lynchburg, VA serving the greater Virginia area including Hampton Roads, Richmond, Charlottesville and Roanoke and beyond.

When wedding season wrapped up for me in late November, I was so excited for prepping for 2018. I had purposefully not booked any December weddings because I wanted to really be able to enjoy the holidays with my family and make some memories. It was the first Christmas without my mom, and I wanted to make sure I was present in the moments for my own kids. I had three December weddings the previous year, and this year I was going to slow down. Well I did slow down, I actually broke my elbow in early December and that really set me back. Christmas came and went and it was wonderful to be with some of my family over the holiday here in Lynchburg. I enjoyed that time, and (I think/hope) my kids appreciated me being more domesticated over the holidays. My intention was to really enjoy the break and hit the ground running in January.

Then January rolled around and I was caught in this relaxation of not checking instagram and not posting much about the business. Typically, for a wedding photographer, January is a slow month, and prep month, a catch up on all the other things I didn’t do earlier in the year that I could do now month. But for me, I stayed in the mindset of making time for my family. And I did. And it was absolutely wonderful. Of course I was doing day to day things like emails and contracts, sending albums and prints out – but I took a much needed break from social media. I took a step away and it felt good to not be tied to getting posts up. I didn’t find myself aimlessly scrolling through the black hole of instagram and comparing my life (and my images) to all the other amazing people out there who actually hadn’t slowed down posting on social media. I love facebook and instagram and absolutely see their value, but I am now taking the stance of they are not vital to me. What is vital to me is actually investing in real relationships and conversations in real life. So, I’m writing this post to pull my boot straps back up and get back to the social media grind. I also wanted to share a little bit about what I’ve been up to in my hiatus.

a lesson in family and why photos are important

I took time to be with my Dad and we continued on a project we’ve been working on since before my mom passed. We are archiving all our family history in photos and getting the images up online to be able to share them easily with everyone. I like to think that basically my Dad facebooked our life before there was such a thing. I think I get a large part of my passion for documenting life from him. He ALWAYS took photos of us. He always set up the camera and ran to hop in the photo at the holidays. He had us stand outside on the front porch steps and take our first day of school photos. I feel so proud that I have such an amazing collection of images of my family growing up. The good and the bad is remembered in those images, and it really hits me in my heart how grateful I am for them. Which also leads into the power of prints and the power of portraits. My mom was the one that had us get into the studio and have professional portraits taken and WOW, I love those too. I am a strong believer in portraits and I am so excited to be investing more time into getting into the studio and capturing people as they are.

For those interested, we used an Epson FastFoto which will definitely made the daunting task of archiving hundreds (maybe thousands??) of photos much easier. Originally, we had started as far back as we had images for. We started on my Dads side and these are some of my most favorite images. This set of photos is my paternal Grandmother and her mother. I love how the photographers name is debossed into the print. Good ol’ A.L. Jameson from Alexandria, VA. My Grandmother (the baby) was born in 1917, so I imagine these were yearly portraits spanning from 1917-1919. This to me solidifies so much of how I already feel about portraits. The story of my grandmommy’s life starts here. Her mother (just like my mother) prioritized having professional photographs taken, and 100 years later, we still have them.

I plan on sharing more about this project in a different blog post, but I really wanted to share this to remind everyone of the importance of having your images PRINTED. I said it. PRINTED. In your hands for you to hold and love. So much of our life is caught up in the digital world. We owe it to ourselves to have prints of our loved ones. To tell the story in our home, not online. I myself realize how hard it can be to get things printed when the easy of the internet is at our fingertips, however, if you walk into my home, you will find prints hanging on my walls and I love and value them beyond any image on my facebook or instagram. Photographs are for printing. I’m tossing in this iphone photo I took of some of my professional portraits from when I was younger. I am so thankful to have these.

I’m hoping to start getting more beautiful people into my studio over the next month and capture the beauty I see in them. If you are interested in a studio session – email me here! I would love to hear from you and create a session with you!!

 

 

 

 

Wow! I can’t believe 2017 is all wrapped up. It was a little bit of a crazy year for me. Personally, I had some tough losses, my mom passed away I had my first wedding of the year the day after we said our final goodbyes. There were some great highlights as well, my family is healthy and happy (despite a cracked elbow in early December), and business this year has been my best year yet. So I wanted to to focus on those positives and share the Best of 2017 with you. There are no words to express how much I love being a Lynchburg Wedding Photographer. Lynchburg truly is the heart of Virginia and I love living here in such a wonderful community.

I couldn’t have asked for better couples and families to work with. I was even able to travel to Washington, D.C., the Eastern Shore, Richmond, Roanoke, Virginia Beach and several trips to Charlottesville. Add trips to Delaware and Ohio for some beautiful weddings – what more could I ask for? I feel as though being located in Lynchburg is perfect because it allows me to be just a few hours from so many fabulous venues and people.

I shared in over 20 wedding day celebrations as lead photographer and every single one was so perfect. Each had their own unique visions for their day. They were anything buy ordinary. I was lucky enough to document weddings at The Kyle House, The Jefferson Hotel, Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club, family farms, Roanoke Country Club, Barboursville Vineyards, House Mountain Inn, Blenheim Vineyards, Mimosa Farm, The Williamsburg Winery, The Dumbarton House and so many more. All of these places offered a new and different experience. A chance to create something special for my couples.

A special thanks to everyone who made this year possible for me.

These are some of my personal favorites of the year. It’s funny how you can go back to look over weddings from earlier in the year and new images pop out to you. Some of these I’ve shared in previous blog posts, and some I have held on to and grown to love even more over the year. I truly believe in what I do. A documenter of moments. I strive to give my couples something timeless to hold on to forever. It’s not an easy task, but it is truly something I feel in my heart that I am meant to do.

Cheers to 2018! I can’t wait to see what will be ahead. Lots of new beautiful people and weddings. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for the new year.

If you are recently engaged and looking for a Virginia Wedding Photographer – I’d love to hear from you! You can view more of my work here, or you can contact me here for more information on wedding photography and open dates for 2018. I love meeting new couples and getting to know your story so we can create beautiful, authentic images of YOU!

 

The Best of 2017 – Lynchburg Wedding Photographer

 

ELIZABETH SEIDEL IS A LYNCHBURG WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER,  LOCATED IN LYNCHBURG, VA SERVING THE GREATER VIRGINIA AREA INCLUDING VIRGINIA BEACH, WILLIAMSBURG, RICHMOND, CHARLOTTESVILLE, WASHINGTON, D.C., AND ROANOKE.

It’s a perfect day to share Maggie and Brian’s Georgetown wedding with you! I absolutely loved being a part of their wedding day at The Avery and Dumbarton House in Georgetown. Being a Lynchburg wedding photographer, I love being able to travel across the state to capture some of the most beautiful weddings. I feel so lucky and humbled each time. This day was nothing short of perfect.

We arrived at The Avery, a quintessential boutique hotel, and loved how original and perfectly designed it was. Definitely a beautiful place to get ready for a wedding! Maggie of course was as beautiful as any bride could be. The wedding was held at Dumbarton House which provided so many gorgeous places for photos. The rain held off and we were able to capture the most amazing moments for them. From bouquets the bridal party put together themselves to the soul train wedding party introductions – it couldn’t have been better.  Surrounded by the best parents, family and friends, these two make the perfect pair. I am so excited for all the future holds for them!

Thank you Maggie and Brian, you are a dream! I love my job! Everyday, I’m so thankful to be surrounded by such phenomenal people. If you’d like to see more of my work, click here!

A Perfect Georgetown Wedding at Dumbarton House

 

If you are recently engaged and planning a Virginia wedding – I’d love to hear from you! Contact me here for more information on wedding photography and open dates for 2017 and 2018. I love meeting new couples and getting to know your story so we can create beautiful, authentic images of YOU!

Elizabeth Seidel is a Lynchburg Wedding Photographer,  located in Lynchburg, VA serving the greater Virginia area including Hampton Roads, Richmond, Charlottesville, Washington, D.C., and Roanoke.

 

 

It’s hard to keep this to 5, but I think this sums up why I love photographing weddings so much. I remember as a 9 or 10 year old girl playing “Perfect Wedding” with my friends. Do you remember this game?? We used to cut out things from the bride magazines and make our own cards to plan our perfect weddings. I always loved looking through those magazines, and as I grew up, I enjoyed looking at wedding photographs. That is where the real story lies, in the photographs. Images that will be around for years to come. Moments that will held so close to a couples heart. So, here they are, my top 5 reasons I love being a wedding photographer.

1. I love the moments a wedding offers.

Not only do I love that wedding days are full of pure happiness and joy because two people are getting married, but it’s the moments in between that really get me. The joy on a mother’s face as her son walks down the aisle. A son in law helping his new father with his tie. The kiss a father gives his daughter as he gives her away. The moment when a bride first puts her dress on and sees herself in the mirror… these are all part of the big day, and I love being there to photograph it.

 

2. I like what comes off my camera.

True. I love getting home from a wedding, completely drained from a long day of shooting and sitting down at my computer to upload photos. I sit and watch them upload just looking through them and enjoying the day all over again. I get to go through and pick some of my absolute favorites to share right away and that is an awesome feeling. Just knowing that I will be able to show the photos to the couple again is amazing.

3. I never had a “wedding”

Surprised?! It’s true. Will and I got married downtown at the courthouse. It was perfect for us, it was just what we needed at the time. We say maybe down the road will we have a vow renewal with all the fun wedding things, but we will see. I think the fact that I never had a dress, bouquet, never got to pick out a venue attributes to how much joy I feel being a part of weddings. I’ve never met a wedding I didn’t love. I feel like being there to witness all that pure happiness allows me to live something I never got a chance to… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

4. I get to work with amazing people

Seriously, the people I have met on my journey of being a wedding photographer have been amazing. I’ve been able to work with the most fabulous couples, their families. I’ve cried with moms at the end of the night. I’ve worked with amazing second shooters that offer new perspective. I’ve met fabulous caterers and DJs.

5. Every wedding is different, new, and awesome.
Isn’t that what is so awesome about weddings? No two are the same. Even at the same venue, each wedding offers it’s own unique style, a new first dance song, a new love, a new story.

So there you have it! I love weddings!! If you or someone you know is recently engaged, I would love to chat!

Next Steps:

If you are recently engaged and planning a Virginia wedding contact me for more information on wedding photography packages and open dates for 2015 and 2016.

Elizabeth Seidel, Virginia wedding photographer,  located in Lynchburg, VA serving the greater Virginia area including Hampton Roads, Richmond and Roanoke.