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November 3, 2017

Navy & Plum Bohemian Wedding at Swannanoa Palace in Afton, VA

Weddings

While studying at JMU I had the chance to see a lot of the Shenandoah Valley, but one place that was always on my bucket list was Swannanoa Palace. Over the years I saw many photographers post about the beautiful mansion as they shot clients there. By the time senior year came around I still hadn’t seen it in person and was determined to capture some portraits at the site!

Around the same time I began planning my first styled shoot with Sara of The Faded Poppy. If you’re new to the wedding industry styled shoots are a great way to create portfolio images of the work you’d love to capture for clients. I had a bohemian vibe in mind and images saved of lots of jewel tones when we began planning. Over the early spring we began assembling a team of incredible vendors to join the shoot. They came together from Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, and even some from Northern Virginia!

Swannanoa Palace ended being the perfect place for our vision to come to life. We wanted to mix vintage heirloom pieces with an elegant bohemian style. We melded rich colors and textures, loose florals and a boho bridal look to create wedding inspiration that was whimsical, but also romantic. The backdrop of the marble palace and lush gardens balanced out our vibrant jewel tones. Our goal was to inspire creative couples who loved deep colors, art, history and a flair for the romantic.

I was so lucky to get to work with such an incredible team of vendors on this styled shoot. I’d highly recommend all of them to brides and grooms to be! They helped Sara and I bring to life a unique out-of-the-box vision, while still creating something elegant and bridal. I can’t thank them enough for letting me capture their amazing work!

Below are a few of my favorites. We had to wait until our publication to post these. I’ve been dying to share these since April!