Their wedding colors of coral and teal popped in Jessica's florals and bridal party. The men's vest and tie ensemble complimented them nicely. Jessica has an amazing aunt that should be in the wedding business, fabulous work Karen! Her florals and decor were gorgeous!

  At the wedding ceremony, Jessica and Dustin looked stunning as the afternoon sun shimmered through those tall industrial windows at The Old Silk Mill . 
Everyone enjoyed a nice evening with drinks and cigars in the courtyard! And the cup cakes were delish I might add! {eye wink} Congratulations on tying the knot. Thank you for letting me share your day. Everything was beautiful! Best wishes for you and your sweet family!

Jessica & Dustin

June 7,2019
Venue | The Inn at the Old Silk Mill
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Dress | That's My Dress
Tuxes | Mens Warehouse
Caterer | Inn at the Old Silk Mill
Cake-Cupcakes | Sweet Reasons
Planner | Karen Oyler
Florals | Karen Oyler
Hair | Hair Mosaic
Make Up | Sara Oyler
DJ | DJ Roo
Departure | Old Towne Carriages
Officiant | David Norford
Second Shooter | Mandi Riley
   

See a glimpse of Sharday's passion for children events here

http://www.honeysucklerosephotography.com/princessteapartywithsanta

Her daughter,Moriah, had passed away just before her 5th birthday.  She had spent so much time with her daughter at the hospital she knew first hand the emotional struggle that the child, parents and families endure with long hospital stays and wanted to give back, brighten their days.

Sharday contacted me recently to photograph her and her wonderful family. She has started a non profit organization to give back to these children and families of ill children . She also wrote a book for her children so they may know who their big sister was. Jo-jo and Faith are already in love with the book and know they are in it! 

You can learn more of Moriah's  story and  her mother's mission in the following links:

http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/local-mom-starts-foundation-to-honor-her-daughter-help-families/article_68415e5c-3716-5a57-bfd2-42e5e6d12cfa.html

https://www.wusa9.com/mobile/article/news/local/virginia/virginia-mom-on-mission-to-help-families-with-sick-kids/65-556947315

Enjoy, this is such a cute family! 

A winter wedding accented in silver and blue. Sparkling lights, evergreens and Christmas trees abound! Stevenson Ridge is a beautiful venue , and decorated so lovely for the holidays. 

The snowfall was perfect , big fluffy flakes, a beautiful layer of white. A welcome surprise! A photographer's dream..wink, wink! I was so excited to have the opportunity to be there !

Courtney's florals were a perfect mix of succulents, berries and soft white florals. Bridesmaids carrying baby breath bouquets accented their platinum dresses. This snow bride's dress sparkled, shimmered and shined as much as the bride! Tyler looked very handsome with nothing but love in his eyes for his new partner in life. 

Welcome to the family Tyler! 

Special thanks to Shelby Dickinson for braving the snow and lending a hand in capturing this beautiful wedding. 

Merry Christmas to Mr. & Mrs. Nice !

Venue - Stevenson Ridge
Dress -That's My Dress
Hair - Bobby Pins and Blush
Make Up - GoGo Gorgeous
Florals- Thompson's Westwood Florist
Cake - Sweets By Becky/ Becky Johnson
Stationary- Kate Richey
Custom Signs- Megan Elizabeth

I'm a backyard person with a love for entertaining and our Collier Homestead has the perfect country backyard for it. Lush green grass, rolling fields , mature oaks and maples and of course my garden, a mix of vegetables, perennial flowers and herbs. So a vintage garden party theme was ideal for a styled shoot for these lovely young ladies.

As I watch my granddaughter grow and develop into a young lady from a silly little girl I was struck by the observation that our children change right before our eyes. We miss the transformation and in a blink of an eye they are all grown up. The tween years are an awkward age for a girl. Middle school, boys, developing bodies and behavior changes. One minute you see a child acting up and being so silly and an hour later you are having a mature conversation with a young adult ! You shake your head and say to yourself "Where did my little girl go" or "OMG, she is growing up so fast!" Tween, in the middle, between a child and young lady.

 I had a passion to preserve this age in beautiful , vibrant images. Collaborate with amazing vendors and go outside the box and capture images of this age group that is rarely photographed, yet oh so beautiful. Full of innocence in their eyes and appearance. They could all still wear children girl sizes, even though they regularly shop juniors because the clothing is more "mature" I felt the dresses were perfect choices . They show their true age and beauty  without aging them to soon. The colors popped as much as their individual personalities did.

 Lunch for models and vendors was provided by Honeybaked Ham during our prep for the shoot . The girls got the princess treatment with professional hair & makeup and they loved that personal attention! What girl at any age doesn't like to be pampered! The girls giggled, chit-chatted and acted their age. They loved the attention and felt oh so pretty. So deserved, such amazing beautiful, lovely young ladies♥

I cannot emphasize enough that this is the "forgotten age" for portraits. Tween girls are full of vibrant beauty, innocence, awkwardness and grace ! As a family photographer , I photograph infants , toddlers, seniors and families. But I have to admit , I believe this is a beautiful age group to photograph. So happy that I will have this to treasure in the future when my granddaughter is an adult . 

To view the complete gallery go to 

http://www.honeysucklerosephotography.com/itsagardenpartygallery

Venue| Collier Homestead

Hair & Makeup|Sheryl Martin Makeup Artistry

Floral & Tablescapes| Charmaine Parton Floral Design

Furniture | Darling D's Events

Desserts| Sweets By Becky

Invitations & Menu|Twila & Co

Popcorn|The Popcorn Bag

Bracelets| Peacaloo Boutique

Dresses|Old Navy

UPDATE ! FEATURED ON GIGGLE HEARTS !! View Feature on Giggle Hearts

It's a Garden Party

It's a Garden Party It's a Garden Party It's a Garden Party It's a Garden Party It's a Garden Party It's a Garden Party It's a Garden Party It's a Garden Party It's a Garden Party It's a Garden Party

   The day started as a beautiful,sunny Fall day in the 70's. We already had anticipated the impending change in the weather . We bumped up the time. That was a GOOD CALL. The clouds moved in immediately and the wind picked up as soon as we arrived at Chatham Manor. We managed to get a nice session in .... then I told them that I was ready to do the blackboard thing ( totally Tyler's idea !! ) I had discussed it with them when we arrived. Courtney didn't have a clue .At that time, the wind got frigid & the clouds spit some rain on us , the temp dropped 20 degrees quick ! Standing them back to back, I asked them to write three things that they loved about each other the most. They turned without revealing their boards. Courtney first, then Tyler. As much as I wanted to see the expression on Tyler's face, I kept the camera focused on Courtney. I knew the exact time she read those words....Will you marry me ? The look on face is priceless . I wish them the best this world has to offer . Much love♥

View their love story on The Knot | How we met + how he asked  

  I really dig old ,vintage items . A collector of sorts, I like to surround myself with things that remind me of days gone by. Good memories too ! My husband and I jump at the opportunity to go antique shopping on weekends. So on a recent trip to pick up a sofa for my studio at an antique shop( oh, that is a story in itself ! ) at D &T Treasures, I spotted an old enamel washtub. As I was inquiring about the price, the owner asked if I had seen a baby tub that they had been holding for a local photographer.......... OMG , that's me , me , me !!!!  The lady there had told me about it months ago & was supposed to email me a photo. I never got that , but , the tub was quite the prize ! I pointed out my business cards that I had left there & she was like , Oh , yeah !! It is you !! SOLD !!!! A great find & an it will be an awesome prop for children photos. 

  One day while working in the garden , watching the abundance of beautiful butterflies fluttering around me. I brainstormed....I'll find a baby to take a bath in my garden !  I can incorporate the wash tub too , as a wash day shoot ! We had just took a road trip to Franklin County to pick up an old plow and I bought a vintage wooden pull toy that I could use in the shoot also .....PERFECT !! Luckily , I knew of just the right baby. My great niece had just moved back to Virginia with her husband and baby . They are living close by and I asked her if she could come on over and let me take some pics ! Okey-dokey ! Baby Trey is super cute & sweet and just the right age for this shoot. So I staged it in and around the garden and was ready when she arrived. A beautiful, yet a bit sticky morning. 

  Trey appears to frown and look oh so serious most of the time . But , he is so cute and sneaks those grins and giggles when least expected ! Funny how hard it can be to get those on demand , LOL ! He did enjoy his garden bath and splashing in the bubbles ! And was much more lively after his morning bath. Here is a link to view this cute as can be Garden Bathtime gallery. Enjoy the shots and I would love some feedback !

http://www.honeysucklerosephotography.com/gardenbathtime

http://www.honeysucklerosephotography.com/gardenbathtime

Still little girls ♥

Silly secrets

Meet Skyler & Kiley ♥ Living close to each other and mother's that are close cousins, these girls are fortunate to see each other over the summer and the school year. They are the in that awkward "tween age" years, 11 & 12. Still they are little girls at heart & enjoying all the silly stuff that they can do. Yet, trying so hard to be all grown up.  

Being that they are my great niece and grand daughter, makes these portraits so much more special.  Oh, there are plenty of snap shots & camera pics of these two. I wanted to do something different. They will get to treasure these years to come & maybe show their own daughters.

I wanted to showcase  this age group. Ever look through your family portraits of your children. You have all the studio portraits -birth through toddler years . Then 12 years of school pictures . And of course ones from every baseball, soccer ( you name it ) team they ever played on. Usually no individual portraits until their senior year ? Why ? I sure don't know . Kinda like baby books after you have your first child. The first born is full of every little detail , the second one gets less attention, then after two you don't even bother with a baby book .....who has time !!

This is an age of innocence on the verge of adulthood. Yes, you know once they hit teenager they think they are adults...yes, you know !!

Look at these sweet as can be shots of them. You can see how they love being together all giggles and smiles. Then how grown up they are in the individual shots. This was so much fun ! And I got to be silly right with them !!

Please check out entire gallery !

http://www.honeysucklerosephotography.com/tweencousins

You are going to love these two lil ladies almost as much as me !!

But .........Oh , my .......we do have two lovely lil country girls in the family ♥