Central Virginia Engagement Photos || Ross and Shelly's Lynchburg engagement session

Somehow, I have really lucked out with the sweetest couples over the years! I love getting to know a new couple at an engagement session! The nerves disappear after the first few minutes and we get to walk, chat, and learn more about each other! 

I loved getting to know Ross & Shelly more at their Lynchburg engagement session! These two are my kind of people- we had our initial meeting at Pippin Hill Winery in Charlottesville- one of their favorite past times! We did their engagement session out at the Human Kind property in Lynchburg and while the weather had us questioning a few times, it turned out to be a beautiful evening! Can't wait for their wedding!! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017 and 2018.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is passionate about capturing moments as they authentically happen to ensure a successful session that gives you time to enjoy each other and savor the wedding day moments.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Monday Minute: Dreamy weddings and Mother's Day

It's a happy Monday & the sun is finally back out!! It's officially wedding season and we're squeezing in engagement sessions, bridal portraits, and fun wedding days! This past week, I headed out to Bedford for Ryan & Andrea's engagement session, and then to Roanoke for Josh and Jennifer's engagement session, and a fun bridal portrait session that I can't share yet! ;) 

We had such a great weekend! Saturday's wedding was like a fairy tale- Mike & Haley's big day was so gorgeous! All week it was calling for cooler weather and rain, but some how the weather totally changed and we had THE best weather ever! 

Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day. We had a slow morning, where Emmie & Mike made me breakfast in bed, stopped by the new house, and headed out to Afton Mountain for a wine tasting, picnic, and down time. We've been so busy lately with getting the house on the market, wedding season, and now packing up to get ready to move, that it was SO refreshing! 

And we even let Emmie pick up the camera and snap a few of us... hahaha! 

BUT! At least one kinda sorta turned out! ;) 

So much goodness to come this week- I cannot wait to share more!! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is passionate about capturing moments as they authentically happen to ensure a successful session that gives you time to enjoy each other and savor the wedding day moments.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Lynchburg, Virginia Engagement Session || Lance & Meaghan

Y'all! Do you remember that perfect spring proposal from last year?! If not, you can see it here! But, I am SO excited that Lance & Meaghan have decided on a wedding date, a wedding venue (yay Tresca on 8th!!) and now a wedding photographer! HOORAY!! I am seriously so excited for their big day this Fall! 

Lance & Meaghan, and their adorable pup, Mac met up with me for their engagement session at the Old City Cemetery in downtown Lynchburg! SO many people look at me like I am insane when I suggest a location with the word 'cemetery' in the title, but this Lynchburg cemetery is more like a garden, and is absolutely beautiful! Especially this time of year! Those Spring blooms are just so gorgeous! This couple is so much fun, and of course, anytime that I get to get puppy snuggles is always a bonus! ;) 

Location: Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia

Makeup Artist: In your Face Makeup Art

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographerbased in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is passionate about capturing moments as they authentically happen to ensure a successful session that gives you time to enjoy each other and savor the wedding day moments.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Monday Minute || Lynchburg, Wedding Photographer

Another gloomy Monday morning around here.  Another suuuuuper busy weekend, but oh my goodness so productive- and it ended with such a fun engagement session! But this weather today is making me just want to go back to sleep! 

Saturday & Sunday were spent working on the house again. Most of our energy was spent working outside- we refinished our deck, replaced all the railings, and painted everything. It looks SO different now that the old red is gone! Special thanks to our friends that watched Emmie all day on Saturday! It was so refreshing to get hours of work done without a single interruption! 

Sunday, I had the best time getting to know Craig & Carrie at their engagement session. I am SO excited for their wedding coming up at The Wintergreen Resort! We headed out to an amazing property in the mountains, called Dodd Cabin and pretty much laughed the entire time together! 

I can't wait to share more from this amazing engagement session!! Now, off to get more work done before I cave and end up taking a nap! Happy Monday! 

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographerbased in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is passionate about capturing moments as they authentically happen to ensure a successful session that gives you time to enjoy each other and savor the wedding day moments.  Contact me today for additional information! 

Motherhood Moments: The little things are what matters

Today's post is something that I really struggle with, and the more Moms I talk to, the more I find out that I'm not alone. It seems in this day and age where we are bombarded with everyone's 'best of' moments through social media, I feel the constant need to be THE best Mom ever.  You know, to constantly be doing fun things, making everything a teaching moment, and for her to always be having fun.  Let's be real here- this isn't possible. If we were sitting and chatting over some wine and you were telling me you were struggling with these things, I would tell you the very same thing. You're going to make yourself crazy.  

We all have our own strengths and weaknesses, and this is especially true in Motherhood. I have a friend that looooooves baking, and almost every day makes something healthy and fun with her kids.  I see her doing that and instantly feel guilty... do slice and bake cookies count as a baking project with her, cuz that's about the extent of baking I'm capable of... and even then, there's a good chance they're going to be burnt.  I have another friend that is so good at getting down on the floor and playing with her kids. She sits there and plays doctor, or barbies with her kids. I've tried doing this too, (yall, it's so boring!!!). I'm no good at it!!  Basically, I want to be able to take Em on family trips and bake, and play, and do all the fun things, all the time, every single day. 

Being a working Mom (yes, especially Moms that are  working at home!!) means that I have to prioritize my time, that I can't always be there, available and ready to play and do the most amazing things all the time.  I start to feel so guilty because I'm not giving her my undivided attention some days.

Can we be honest here for a second- kids don't need our complete attention all the time. They need to learn how to play on their own, use their imaginations, and not rely on us so much all the time. I need to be okay with not always being in "Mom mode."  

I was talking this out with someone the other day and she made such a great point.  There are some seasons where we will spend so much time together- in the summer, we will go to the pool multiple times a week, we will get ice cream, and go on adventures, and that is all so great and so fun. But there are also seasons where I need to get work done, and that's okay too. As long as I'm being purposeful about spending some quality time with my family, that's okay.  All Emmie needs is a little one-on-one time with me for it to make her day. I don't need to have this 'all or nothing' mentality.  If I can spend 15-20 minutes creating with play dough with her, that little block of time is the quality time that she needs for the day. But, those 15 minutes need to be completely focused on her. Put the phone away, turn off the email notifications, and sit and talk and play with her. It's the little moments, where we can be fully present that are going to make the biggest difference.  

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Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Currently booking a limited number of weddings and portrait sessions for 2017.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is Mom to 5 year old, Emerson and is passionate about balancing Motherhood and your chasing your dreams and providing for your family.   Contact me today for additional information!