Sharon stood with her arm linked through Harrison’s, their wedding party flanking them as they stood in front of the vineyards. Together, they listened to the words of the tear-stained prayer for them that echoed over their guests, up to the grand 1907 estate house and behind them, out to the Blue Ridge Mountains beyond them. And then, ever so quickly, Sharon reached up to brush away a tear of her own. Her first tear of the day. Because her wedding day had been all about smiling — smiling at her stunning reflection in the mirror, smiling at her proud mother and grandmother and aunt, smiling, so broadly, at her husband-to-be when she snuck up behind him for their first look under the foggy sky. But wedding days are about smiling so hard that a few tears slip out, too. Tears wiped aside, her beaming smile returned even bigger as the priest addressed her husband:

“You may now kiss your bride.”

This was a wedding that was truly filled with beauty and love from beginning to end — and no rain could put a damper on their party! From the moment Sharon slipped into her gown and Harrison laced up his shoes until late in the night when they ran off into their new life through a tunnel of sparklers, they just looked like two people who knew that they wanted to enjoy their wedding day to the fullest, but that, in the grand scheme of things, their wedding day wasn’t what was really important to them. They had found each other. That was more than good enough. As beautiful as the grounds were, it was what we found inside the carriage house that had me swooning that morning: The bride’s and groom’s immaculate details, including Sharon’s Monique Lhuillier gown.The gorgeous flowers from Verde Natural Florals completely took my breath away — and when I carried them into Sharon’s room where she and the bridesmaids were getting ready, it took everyone else’s breath away, too . . . and filled the room with the most amazing scent of roses.

I loved Sharon’s dainty scarlet pumps. She also had two pairs of earrings: Pearl drops to go with her wedding gown, and shiny gold Chinese characters for later, when she changed to her chi pao.

Oh, Harrison’s shoes — they were kind of a bigger deal than Sharon’s; they were even a big part of our conversation back at their engagement session in June. These shoes came with a whole back story, and when I saw them, I was convinced they were well worth the hype. Coolest groom’s shoes ever. After shooting the details, Danny spent some time with Harrison and his guys in the mancave. Yes, Keswick Vineyards has a mancave.  Yes, it was as awesome as it looks.With the on-and-off rain off again, Danny headed outside with Harrison and his groomsmen. Those guys clearly set the bar pretty high when it comes to dapper groom and groomsmen shots. This is where the car comes in. The sporty red MG convertible getaway car that I’d just been dying to get my lens on. Or Danny’s lens, however it ended up working out. I’d say that, yes, it worked out!Harrison may or may not have described driving the MG as “the scariest experience of my life.”

Meanwhile, inside the carriage house, the bridesmaids were helping Sharon into her gown. There was a buzz in the room — that wedding day giddiness, mixed in with a splash of righteous indignation that some of the groomsmen had eaten sandwiches clearly marked with the bridesmaids’ names (“They took my chicken salad and left me with turkey!”) mixed with the struggle to decide which of the three ribbon sashes Sharon should wear. In the middle of everything, she never looked anything but ethereal.Then, the moment Sharon and Harrison had been waiting for: The first look. Danny and I love first looks, and we wish we had done one at our own wedding — just a few moments to see and speak to each other before the ceremony, to quiet nerves and soak in the specialness of the day. That’s why we’re always so delighted when couples choose to have a first look, and because — well, you’ll see for yourself what makes them so perfect. Aren’t first looks just incredibly sweet? I love seeing a groom see his bride for the first time, and seeing how excited the bride is when the groom takes in how radiant she looks. Sharon and Harrison’s reactions did not disappoint! After a few minutes of admiring each other’s incredible posh-ness, we headed into the vineyard for some portraits — but not too far into the vineyard, thanks to the mud left from the morning’s rain. Still, I don’t think it gets much more beautiful than this. I may be a Florida native, but I think I’m a mountain girl at heart. Sigh.They looked amazing, right? Wait, what’s that? Amazing isn’t a strong enough word? Good point.Oh, I would have been happy just photographing those two all day long — but we still had a wedding party to shoot, not to mention a ceremony to get to!Aren’t those dresses from Ann Taylor just the best shade of red?! I was crazy about the color palette at this wedding, the sophisticated red with the pastels of the bouquets, the rich green of the summer grass and the misty blue of the mountains. It was just perfect. Which is also how I thought the bridesmaid portraits turned out when we grabbed a few on the East Lawn, just before the ceremony.Sharon, Sharon, Sharon. . . . I was only going to share a couple of her portraits, but she made it too hard for me to choose by looking like this.While we were hiding just out of view of the guests who’d started arriving, Danny made sure to get pictures of the ceremony site in front of the vineyards, and Sharon’s lemonade and spa water stand — which was definitely a hit! (Brides: Take note, this is a very, very good idea for ourdoor ceremonies — even if the temperature does wind up being 65 degrees on your wedding day instead of the forecasted 80+!)And then — go time.It’s officially official once the groom fist pumps!

After the ceremony, we zipped through family portraits while the guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the East Lawn, complete with lawn games, Keswick’s wine, and a candy bar.During one of our phone chats, Sharon had told me that she didn’t think her guests would dance very much and she was pretty sure the floor would be pitifully empty. To which I say: Nothing. Because I’m laughing too hard to speak. Their dance floor was crazy!
Our plan had been to head back out into Keswick’s vineyards with Sharon and Harrison for some more bride and groom portraits at sunset or dusk, but the clouds opened up again and kept us in the tent until the last of the sunlight had disappeared. And in all honesty, I am thrilled, because if it hadn’t rained, these portraits never would have happened.
A quick change into her chi pao and a couple dances later, Sharon and Harrison were ready to leave their wedding behind and head south to sunny St. Lucia (yay for St. Lucia honeymoons!). The sparklers crackled to life and lit up the dark night. And one more kiss finished off the storybook ending.

To see more from Sharon and Harrison’s fabulous wedding, watch their slide show.

And to see even more, visit Sharon and Harrison’s plus site: http://sharonandharrison.laurayangphotography.com/

Sharon and Harrison, we were so grateful to be a part of your wedding, and to get to witness just how dear you are to your family and friends. It takes a special kind of person to mean so much to their loved ones, and you two are very definitely that kind of person. We hope your love will grow even deeper as the years go by — and we can’t wait to see you in Richmond again soon! Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs., and may your marriage be as beautiful and blessed as your wedding day!

~ Laura

Vendors:

Photography: Laura Yang Photography
Venue: Keswick Vineyards
Bridal Gown: Bliss by Monique Lhuillier
Bridesmaid Dresses: Ann Taylor
Groom’s and Groomsmen’s Suits: Calvin Klein
Groom’s shoes: Cole Haan
Florist: Verde Natural Florals, Charlottesville
Hair: Leslie Tiller from Twisted Scissors, Richmond
Makeup: Emily Garbee from Bodyworks Day Spa, Lynchburg
Cake: Jean Jacques Bakery, Richmond
Caterer: Groovin Gourmets, Richmond
Guitarist: Mike D’Antoni from 20 South
DJ: Greg Tutwiler from National DJ Connection
Keswick Vineyards Coordinator: Barbara Lundgren
Wedding Day-Of Coordinator: Shara Lee
Guest Book: Going to Ground via Etsy