Way back in July 2014, I had the pleasure of coordinating Steve & Nicole's wedding at the Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club in Virginia Beach. I’ll never forget each time I met with Nicole leading up to the wedding. She was so organized and descriptive about the vision she had for their day. Working with her to plan their wedding was seriously a dream. There were so many personal and sentimental details woven throughout the whole day and I loved every bit of it.
Fast forward a year later and Nicole decided to put together a first anniversary shoot to celebrate their first year of marriage. To say I was excited when she asked me to coordinate the shoot would be a total understatement. It was a chance to work with one of my favorite JDE couples alongside some really incredible vendors at one of the prettiest venues in Hampton Roads.
Just as with their wedding day, Nicole incorporated so many special touches throughout the anniversary shoot. Read on to hear a bit more about the shoot from Nicole and to see the stunning images!
“Paper is the traditional gift for a first anniversary and as my husband and I thought about our first we loved the idea of photo paper. We wanted to celebrate by capturing our first year together as husband and wife but to also honor what would have been my parents’ 35th wedding anniversary. We share the same anniversary and we initially picked our wedding date, which is July 12th, without realizing it. After picking the date and telling my mom, she reminded me that it was the same day her and my father were married. I lost my dad 8 years prior to the time we were planning our wedding and that date became so special to us because although he couldn’t be there physically, I felt his presence all along the way.
We combined sentimental details to highlight both weddings. Coral is the traditional 35th anniversary gift so as a nod to my parents we were inspired by the color, from the florals to the buttercream frosting on the cake. I repurposed wood script table numbers to emphasize the date and included a ribbon garland and lace runner from our wedding decor.
Also, we had the opportunity to work together with two of our wedding vendors turned friends, Holly with Just Dandy Events and Mary from Bluebird’s Garage. In fact, Mary provided the same table and chairs that were used in our wedding!
My mom had previously given me her wedding dress to wear for our rehearsal and I chose to wear both her and my dress again for our anniversary session. I love that her dress is more a sundress than a traditional bridal gown and it was a bit nostalgic to have the chance to wear both again.
The only images my mom has from their wedding are a handful of Polaroid pictures and I knew I wanted to include them to help tie everything together.
I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect tribute to my parents, our love, and marriage. Ultimately, it has always been important to us to have a marriage more beautiful than our wedding day. Jodi and Kurt truly captured that beauty for us. Like the Polaroid pictures and my mom’s dress, these photos will be heirlooms that symbolize the strength of love for a lifetime.”
I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect tribute to my parents, our love, and marriage. Ultimately, it has always been important to us to have a marriage more beautiful than our wedding day. Jodi and Kurt truly captured that beauty for us. Like the Polaroid pictures and my mom’s dress, these photos will be heirlooms that symbolize the strength of love for a lifetime.”
Photographer: Jodi Miller Photography // Venue: Hermitage Museum & Gardens // Coordination: Just Dandy Events // Florals: Roost Flowers // Cake: Everything Emma // Rentals: Bluebird’s Garage // Signs: Water’s Edge Design // Makeup: Dhalia Edwards
If you're thinking of doing an anniversary shoot, I'd love to chat with you! First, fiftieth, and every one in between is something to celebrate.
If you're thinking of doing an anniversary shoot, I'd love to chat with you! First, fiftieth, and every one in between is something to celebrate.
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