Coastal Virginia Wedding // Caitlin & Ryan

I have known Caitlin Clemons since 4th grade! Our houses were directly behind each other. She moved into the neighborhood and my sister and I immediately went to her house to meet the “new girl” of the neighborhood. We are one year apart but we became fast friends and spent a lot of time growing up together. Her family is the sweetest and I felt extremely honored when she asked me to photograph her wedding!

Caitlin and Ryan went to rival high schools and they share a lot of mutual friends. They met after college at a local hang out spot and discovered that they’d come into each other’s lives at the perfect time. They have two sweet pups and enjoy spending a lot of their time on the water.

Naturally, their wedding ended up right on the water where they spend so much of their time! Caitlin and Ryan originally planned to have a large wedding celebration in New Kent, Virginia. Well, Covid-19 had other plans and they quickly had to pivot. They handled all of the changes with so much grace as they decided to keep their wedding date on June 6th and celebrate with their immediate family. Their family friends were gracious enough to open up their home, a truly t ideal location for their wedding day.

Caitlin and her bridesmaids were getting ready inside the home when I arrived. Ryan and his groomsmen were to arrive in the next hour. My jaw dropped when I walked on the property and realized that the home sat on a peninsula overlooking the water. There are 360 degree views of the water from all angles in the house. It was beautiful and so special for a wedding. The bright sunshine provided gorgeous light inside the house while I photographed their rings, the bouquets, the invitations, and Caitlin’s wedding shoes and dress.

We hid the groom and Caitlin shared a first look with her dad. There was not a dry eye in the crowd of onlookers. It was the sweetest moment. Once Caitlin and her dad saw each other we took a couple more portraits and then everyone got into position for the ceremony. There were several white chairs set up on the lawn overlooking the water and the family and bridal party began to process outside. Caitlin and her dad made their way outside and Ryan began to tear up…as did everyone else. They shared their vows and then their first kiss as husband and wife.

After the ceremony we took family portraits and bride and groom portraits all over the property. There were lots of locations to make sure we had a variety. They popped a bottle of champagne and even took a Pandemic Portrait (kissing in their masks)! It was a beautiful celebration and a wonderful day to be married! Congratulations Caitlin and Ryan, I am so, so happy you both found each other!