toms | Brandy Somers Photography

I first met Amanda at The Lady Jane during her First Friday exhibit. I walked in expecting wall art but was pleasantly surprised to see her little floral masterpieces. Arrangements that spruced up used food jars and donned a price tag labeled with a mere $5! The jars were modestly personalized with a ribbon or decorative string and each bouquet had a little birdie, a sparrow. Amanda owns a small floral business called Sparrow’s Floral Design and she has been keeping herself very busy lately. One look at her work and you’ll know why. I was thrilled when she asked me to do a session with her because she “just really needed some headshots” …nothing fancy. But after a few moments with her, the room softened. As the sun stretched it’s evening light, her personality poured out through laughter and all her awesome facial expressions, many of which, I have reserved just for her viewing pleasure. Ha! I really enjoyed my evening with Amanda and I look forward to working with her in the future!

May the wind be at your back. …and in your face and up your nose and through your hair and…well, you get it. The day was windy, to say the least. When I arrived at the scenic Barn at Kline’s Mill, to the view of rolling hills and 360˚ blue skies all around me, the breeze grabbed a hold of me and nearly gave me whiplash – jolted me right into photo mode quicker than my morning coffee. Good thing, too, because I was in for a photographic treat of a wedding!
This wedding marks a record for me. It was just held on November 2…which means I cranked this sucker out in a whopping two weeks! That never happens…but I couldn’t help it really. The joy of the day was so contagious it followed me home. Plugging in my camera was like opening a really awesome gift. Catie and Daniel hosted their wedding like it was their job and everything was hand touched and personalized. From the homemade wedding arch to the table settings to the wedding dress worn by Catie’s mother and grandmother to the veil that has been worn by every female in Catie’s family to the superhero undershirts worn by the groom and his men. And from the white daisies in empty chairs representing the absence of beloved family members to the superman pin on Catie’s bouquet to memorialize her father to the soil ceremony combining soil from Catie’s hometown (Sterling, VA)/Daniel’s hometown (Blacksburg, VA)/and the town they met and married (Harrisonburg VA). The ceremony included communion served to guests by the almost-bride-&-groom and the wedding cake itself was made by Catie’s aunt! And if that’s not personal enough for you, even the meal was catered by their local favorites such as Mr. J’s Bagel and Deli and Italian Touch which also happened to be the spot of their first date. AND they had a Kline’s Dairy ice cream station with singing and dancing dippers! Their family and friends relaxed and mingled in place of the usual pre-wedding hustle bustle almost as if they were hired to show up and look happy and help out. Talk about a good group of people to be around…I was in the right place. It was great fun to watch this day unfold through my lens and I’m excited to share these images with you.