[Hardesty Wedding // Nellysford, VA]

This day was an absolute blast! It was so fun for me to finally meet Danny and Kaitlyn and so special to spend this wonderful day with them, their friends and family!

This wedding was so unique in many different ways. It was held at Wild Wolf Brewery (linked at the bottom) which is on the "Brew Ridge Parkway" and has an incredible property for weddings!

Because I had never been there before, I relied on Kaitlyn's wisdom + what I could research on the internet for a spot to take photos and then low and behold, that didn't work out the way we had hoped!

We ended up doing the entire groom and bride portraits in a field across the street with ZERO shade and during the harshest sun of the day-- but man I can't tell you enough how much I love their portraits. It was so challenging in a really good way!

It's so good to be out of your comfort zone and shoot photos in less than ideal situations. I find that I can rely on "magic hour" and shady spots-- so I'm grateful for the opportunity for growth.

(btw togs in these scenarios, best *quick* advice I can give is to let the shadows work in your favor and angle your couple in a way that keeps their faces/expressions/joy out of awkward light and keep your settings in a way that doesn't blow out the highlights of the white dress/clothing or the sky! Try not to under or over expose and you can do a lot of magic in post processing. Lastly, worry about capturing authenticity over perfection) 

ANYWAYS-- other things that I loved:

- Kaitlyn's grandmother married them and did a phenomenal job!
- They had bundt cakes instead of a regular cake! Peep the *I like big bundts* sign!
- This group danced their booties off and I loved every moment!

Here are some of my favorite shots and moments: 

Second shooter: Alexcia Brooks Photo
DJ: DJ Stroud
Venue: Wild Wolf Brewery