Charlie + Liana: Science Museum of Virginia Wedding

Charlie and Liana are one of the couples that completely stole our hearts. Yes, they had whimsical details and a gorgeous ceremony. Yes, they are totally photogenic. But the real story of this wedding is the love that Charlie and Liana show for each other, and the easy going way they include everyone else in that love story. We are so excited to share these photos from one of our favorite weddings of 2013!

Charlie and Liana chose to see each other before the ceremony, which opened up a window of opportunity for tons of photos. We met them at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where we had the luxury of an hour for photographing the wedding party- before we even got to their venue!                                  As any good Richmonder knows, the best pizza in the Fan is Chanello’s. The guys made sure they had plenty on had for pre-wedding fuel!

One of the benefits of having two lead photographers is that you’ll receive a double portion of portraits. The images above were taken within seconds of each other. We were able to position ourselves so that CHarlie and Liana never had to move, and we were able to really work the location!

Charlie and Liana lived close by, so they made sure their dog was able to get in on a few photos too. After all, she’s part of the family!!

After our session at the VMFA, we moved to the science museum. Since rain was a strong possibility, we took the chance to shoot even more portraits before the ceremony began.

The ceremony was as sweet as Charlie and Liana themselves. They wrote their own vows, including a promise to sleep under the starts as many nights as possible. You could feel hearts melting as their friends and family looked on…..

                                                            Every part of the day was infused with their style, including their ceremony exit; why walk, when you can skip?

Since Charlie and Liana had family members who couldn’t be with them, they found a sweet way to recognize them during the ceremony, through placing a sunflower for each on an empty chair, and also by having a framed photograph. We love the value a photograph has, to carry a memory on in a profound way.

Since we had already photographed formal portraits, we were able to use some of the time before the reception to get more playful photos with the wedding party.                                         The reception was a blast- the rain started to pour but it didn’t dampen any spirits inside the tent!

We will leave you with our favorite photo of the night. The rain continued as the evening wore on. It became clear that a standard sparkler exit wouldn’t be an option, so Charlie and Liana quickly devised a new plan. They asked the grooms men to spread two tarps out on the lawn, cover them in dish soap, and then had their guests line up nearby. In all our years of wedding photography, this is the most adventurous exit we have ever seen. They ended the night with a home made slip-n-slide, and a story that will be told over and over by their friends, family, and especially their photographers. Charlie and Liana, we wish you more happiness than you’ve dreamt of, and many years of sleeping together under the stars.

  Venue: Science Museum of Virginia

 Catering: Mosiac

Entertainment: DJ Mface