It was last fall when I first met Jessica and John. Branden actually already knew Jessica as they were in the same class at our high school! But I first met them while shooting Kelly and Preston’s fall wedding last year. John introduced himself to me telling me that he was planning on proposing to his girlfriend soon and that he knew how much Jessica loved my work and would want me to be their photographer! What?! Needless to say, I was super stoked when I finally got the email from Jessica saying that they were engaged!

One of the sweetest things about when John introduced himself to me that night was just how you could see the excitement in his face when he talked about proposing to Jessica. The day was quickly arriving that he would get down on one knee and he was just beaming with excitement! So sweet! It was so hard to keep the secret to myself when I met Jessica later that night! And John’s proposal certainly didn’t disappoint when he got down on one knee while they were on a cruise with their family… on the top deck… at sunset! Doesn’t get more romantic than that! And now here we are doing their engagement pictures! Time flies!

When planning their engagement session, Jessica said she wanted a location that had a classy urban vibe with wrought iron gates and cobblestone streets. Well, I knew we needed to look no further than my own backyard in Downtown Norfolk! These cute little streets are such a hidden gem and I can’t believe this was my first time shooting on them after living in Norfolk for almost 4 years! You could have told me we were in Charleston and I wouldn’t have known the difference!

Jessica and John will be getting married in a romantic winter wedding at Early Mountain Vineyard in Charlottesville. We’ve come a long way since John first told me about his proposal plans, and I can’t wait for their big day to arrive!  How gorgeous are these streets?! A little slice of heaven!