Amanda & Matt | Early Mountain Vineyards Wedding Photographer

Amanda and Matt were married at Early Mountain Vineyards on a hot, gorgeous day in August.  Amanda loved sunflowers, so they were a big part of the day.  The bouquets and centerpieces were filled with sunflowers; the wedding arbor was dripping with them; and the bride wore a single sunflower in her hair.  I also noticed she had one cute sunflower painted on one of her manicured nails, and I may have even spotted a small sunflower tattoo at one point!  When I realized that Early Mountain had their very own sunflower garden, I knew we had to take a walk through it after the ceremony during our portrait session.  The light was perfect at that moment, just before sunset, with light streaming through the flowers.  Matt and Amanda were so happy together, having just said their vows.

One of the things I love most about being a wedding photographer is that I get to immerse myself in someone else's world for a day.  I get to exist among someone else's family and friends, I get to hear their inside jokes, see them dance with their friends to their favorite songs, and I often witness some very private and touching moments.  It is such a privilege.  Listening to the heartfelt speeches, as well as seeing the way Amanda and Matt interacted with their family, friends and each other, I got the picture that these are two very exceptional people - and I left that night feeling inspired by them.  

A favorite moment:  While Amanda was having her makeup done in the cottage with her bridesmaids and family, Matt had a young nephew deliver to her a wrapped box full of letters he had written to his bride- not just one, but at least five letters.  Each was sealed in an envelope, marked different things like "Open if you're feeling nervous". "Open if you think I'm silly".  I was seriously impressed!!  These two have really found something special.

VENDORS:

Wedding Planner: Tart Event Co.

Officiant: Brook Hedge (family friend) and Gay Lee (weddingpreacherforhire.com)

DJ: DJ Dirty Hands

Bridal Shop an Bridal Gown Designer: Absolute Bridal & Formal

Bride's shoes: Jimmy Choo

Makeup/Hair: Charlottesville Makeup Artist

Grooms suit: Calvin Klein

Flowers: Flowers from Harmony Harvest Farm Florals (arranged by bridal party)

Catering: Mill Valley Barbecues

Cake: Krecek Kakes

Rehearsal Dinner Location: Rounton Farm

Wedding and Engagement Rings: Tiny Jewel Box

Steve & Annie Engagement Session at Humpback Rocks and Raven's Roost | Blue Ridge Parkway Engagement Photographer

For their engagement shoot, Steve and Annie wanted to revisit the area where Steve had proposed.  Earlier last year, they had planned a hike up to Humpback Rocks along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and when they reached the top, Steve proposed!  Months later, their engagement session with me was on a sweltering hot day in August, so we decided not to do the full hike to the top.  Instead, we did photos down by the Humpback Rocks Visitors Center, where we found areas full of wildflowers, cool old fences, an old cabin, and plenty of nice places for photos.  Then for sunset, we drove ten minutes up the road to Raven's Roost Overlook for some epic mountains photos!  Annie had worn flat sandals - a must if you are shooting at the overlook!  Thanks to Annie and Steve being very willing to try my suggestions, we got some really exceptional shots.  Standing on top of the wall at Raven's Roost, as well as climbing down around the wall is not for the faint of heart!  And to get those photos of them immersed in wildflowers...they had to brave some poison ivy which was way too close for comfort, but they climbed over the fence, and got out of there without any poison ivy outbreaks, thank God!!  Besides their adventurousness, their love for each other made these photos truly special- I could really feel the love they had when they looked into each other's eyes.

Amanda Maglione Photography Wins a 2017 WeddingWire Couples' Choice Award

AMANDA MAGLIONE PHOTOGRAPHY Honored For Excellence With 2017 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award®

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – January 12, 2017 – WeddingWire, the leading global online marketplace for the wedding and event industry, announced Amanda Maglione Photography as a winner of the esteemed 2017 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards® for Photography in Charlottesville! 

The Couples’ Choice Awards recognize the top five percent of wedding professionals on WeddingWire who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness, and professionalism. The prestigious awards are given to the top local wedding professionals across more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their professional achievements from the previous year. 

The WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Amanda Maglione Photography. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients. 

“The Couples’ Choice Awards’ ninth year features one of the most impressive groups of dedicated and acclaimed wedding professionals yet,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “It is our honor to work with high-caliber merchants, such as Amanda Maglione Photography, who not only make a couple's big day possible, but also contribute to the more than 2.5 million U.S. reviews represented on WeddingWire. We congratulate all of this year's winners on their achievements.” 

As a Couples’ Choice Awards® winner, Amanda Maglione Photography is highlighted on WeddingWire, which is comprised of more than 200,000 wedding professionals in the U.S. 

Amanda Maglione Photography is thrilled to be one of the top photographers in Charlottesville on WeddingWire. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. We truly value all of our clients and appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn a 2017 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award. 

 

Daisy & Troy Charlottesville Courthouse Wedding | Elopement Photographer

All the way from the NYC area, Daisy and Troy picked our beautiful little city of Charlottesville for their courthouse wedding!  They only called me two days before!  This was a true elopement.  I have to say, it made me proud that this sweet couple from so far away would choose to be married at the Charlottesville Courthouse!  I was privileged to be the only one in the room besides the bride and groom and Charlottesville's Sheriff James E. Brown, III when they said their vows to each other, and exchanged rings.  Sheriff Brown performed a very nice ceremony for them.  It seemed that he really enjoyed this part of his job!  As I arrived at the courthouse to meet them, it was pouring rain, but as we exited the courthouse after the short ceremony, the rain miraculously disappeared and we were able to do some nice portraits in Jackson Park, across the street from the courthouse, and with the groom's other baby, his souped up purple sports car!  I understand the Sheriff's office will even perform wedding ceremonys outdoors on nice days upon request, in Jackson Park- what a nice option! 

It was a perfect morning.  I met two beautiful strangers and witnessed them give themselves to each other for life, then we had fun doing portraits in the park together.  I couldn't help wondering how their friends and families reacted when they got home and told everyone the happy news!  Hopefully these pictures helped them tell their story.  They plan on having a party in NYC for all of their loved ones next year.

I am in love with my job as a wedding photographer.  I seriously can't wipe the smile off my face for most of the time I'm shooting a wedding - doesn't matter if it's at a fancy country club, a vineyard, or the city courthouse!  There's something so cool about a courthouse wedding.  I've shot a few of them in Manhattan, and now I'm starting to shoot them in Charlottesville.  Maybe it's because my parents were married wearing jeans at a courthouse in Virginia...I have a soft spot for elopements and I hope to be the go-to Charlottesville Courthouse Wedding Photographer!!  

Cody & Mady Surprise Proposal at Stinson Vineyards

I was so excited when Cody contacted me to ask if I would photograph him as he proposed to his girlfriend Mady at Stinson Vineyards, in Crozet, VA.  This type of shoot is so fun because there's an element of sneaking around which adds another dimension to the shoot.  Cody and I worked it all out ahead of time.  I would wait at the edge of the rows of vines pretending to be very interested in photographing close-ups of grapes on the vine, while Cody and Mady finished up a glass of wine at the tasting room.  Then, Cody would suggest a walk down the vines...I would follow and be ready for him to drop to a knee and propose!  The day arrived and the vineyard had such epic views of the blue ridge mountains, I knew the photos would be epic!  As I pretended to photograph grapes (well, I really did photograph the grapes...), I got a little nervous myself, worrying that Mady would figure out what I was up to...but they walked right by me and I followed them secretly, hoping she wouldn't hear my camera's shutter or turn around since we were the ONLY people in the vines (and that might be a little creepy to see someone following you...), but it all went off absolutely without a hitch.  Mady didn't notice I had followed them at all, and when Cody dropped to a knee, it was so beautiful.  It was an honor to be there as the only witness to see Mady's surprised and overjoyed expression, and all in the most gorgeous setting...  They reveled in the moment and when Mady finally started becoming aware of me, snapping away at that point, it was funny to see her realize that Cody had hired me.  At one point, someone who worked at the vineyard called through the vineyard "Congratulations!....I literally heard it through the grapevine!"  Ha ha ha!  I loved that moment!  I could shoot a surprise proposal every day, it is so fun!  

My husband actually hired a photographer to be there secretly when he proposed to me in 2009 on Miami Beach at sunset, and I cherish those photos...that's where it all began...and now we are happily married with two beautiful kids!  When a guy hires a photographer to be there as he proposes, you know he has really thought carefully about this important moment and that he wants to take care of your memories together, which I think is just so sweet.  

Sara & Zach Elope in Orange, VA | Charlottesville Elopement Photographer

This activist couple's love was born on the jailhouse steps after the bride was arrested in a protest they had both participated in!  When Sara was released from jail, she found her friend and secret crush, Zach, waiting outside the gates for her.  From that moment on, they knew they wanted to be together, and three years later, they were married.  Best "how they fell in love story" I've heard yet!  Zach and Sara had an elopement with just the two of them at the Holladay House in Orange, VA, followed by a reception party for friends and family in their hometown of Washington, DC a few days later. 

I asked Sara and Zach what was the best part about eloping?  Their answer:  "Everything! We loved being able to eat breakfast and hang out with each other before the ceremony. There was no stress because we didn't have to worry about other people and The Holladay House took care of all the plans (officiant, cake, bouquet...) Having it in a historic bed and breakfast made it feel very cozy. It was nice being able to just be with each other and bask in the newlywed vibes right after the ceremony and then head out on a romantic dinner for two.  Our wedding ceremony was just us so we didn't have to worry about any outside pressures and we got to focus on the romance. It was simple, sweet and so perfectly reflective of who we are as individuals and as a couple. Even though we invited a good amount of people to our wedding reception it still felt very intimate to us because we kept it relaxed."

And what was the best part about the reception party in DC?: "It was great to be able to celebrate with all of our friends and family in the same place at the same time. Hands down our favorite moment was Zach's uncle playing the guitar and singing an original song during our ring warming ceremony. Putting on our rings after they had been warmed by everyone really made our wedding feel official. As the night went on the party kept going and we got to dance the night away with an awesome range of tunes from Dolly Parton to Rage Against the Machine. My fondest memory is when Zach broke out some of his harmonica skills to do an on-the-spot duet with his uncle on the guitar."

Suzanne & Tim at Early Mountain | Charlottesville Engagement Photographer

Suzanne and Tim are getting married in downtown Charlottesville, just off the downtown mall, so knowing we'd get lots of urban shots of them on their wedding day, for their engagement photo session, we decided to go have a nice afternoon at a vineyard with a beautiful Virginia view.  We chose Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, VA, and had a great time exploring the grounds.  Blue ridge mountain views, rows of vines, beautifully manicured gardens and stone walls, an old barn, fields of long grass in the setting sun....ahhhh.  And after shooting we went inside and kicked back on some sofas with a nice glass of wine and enjoyed some live music inside!  These two have a great love story.   I'll share more of that with their upcoming wedding photos!  I can't wait to hear these two say "I do"!!